Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 938 — page 8: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

sss - “I will charge it up to experience, but I don’t mean to lose that money wholly. My patients will have to pay for it when I get home.”’ “Be you a doctor?” “Andrew Walker, M. D., Partridge Plains, Hamilton County, New York, anda fool! Put it all in!’ Jim chuckled gleefully, The joke amused him. “Maybe we kin git hunk with Jugs Brown,” he suggested, “unless you are goin’ ter leave town soon.” ‘“ Lshall be here for several days. Say, boy, do you know ofa chestnut horse with a gray spangle on his nigh flank?’ 4s No.”’ ** Ain’t seen such a horse in your travels, eh?” “e No.”’ ** “Td give a bigger pile to find him than that fellow relieved me of. In fact, I have come all the way to New York just to find that spangled horse.” “Want ter buy?’ “Not a bit of it. He is a stolen horse, and I want him back.” “Oh! Sure he’s in New York?’ “T think so. Say, you look like a pretty sharp lad. Ill give you fifty dollars to find the spangled horse.” “How much if I fail?” ** Nothing,” declared the doctor. “Then we can’t trade. My time is worth something, an’ don’t you forget it.” “Why, you don’t work.” _ “Don’t 1? dlebbe you know more about it than I do. I'll hey’ you understand I ain’t no lazybones. Yes, siree, I’m a labor- in’ man, an’ [ can’t give nobody my time without decent pay.” The doctor regarded his companion more attentively. | “You are a shrewd-lopking chap, and I suppose you know the city well. What do you want for your services?” “A dollar a day, anyhow, an’ a bonus ef IL succeed.” - “Tl give you fifty cents a day.” ‘No, you won't, doc; I don’t hustle at them wages. Ef you like the breed, you kin find plenty o’ men around Chatham Square who will work for that, ,but not skilled labor.” Jingo Jim threw up his head as he spoke. about skilled labor, but the term came to him just in time for use and he felt very proud of his effort. It was a complete success; the doctor looked awed, and hé hastened to say: “Maybe you are right. I’ve heard a good deal about your labor unions here iu ‘New York—I suppose you belong to them?” 3 | James managed to avoid laughing, and he gravely answered: | * Yes;Chatham Lodge, Bowery Division, Chapter AB, U, L. A. O. F.” ‘Dear me, dear me!” murmured the doctor, quite overwhelmed. Then he add- ed, with even more awe: : “JT will aecept your offer, and if you find that horse you shall have the fifty dollars as agreed upon, in addition to your day wages. I'll do more; if you are sick I will treat you free. I prepare a pill for the liver which is unrivaled in medicine, and it has done great cures in rheumatism, toothache, and corns, all of which seem to me to be mysteriously related to liver difficulties—” He stopped. short. ‘““My liver seems ter be doin’ biz at the old stand in a pretty decent way,” re- plied Jim, ‘“‘but as fer corns—”’ When Doctor Walker stopped it had been to turn his gaze toward the middle of the street, and there it remained fixed. Now he broke in on James explosively. “ Hello, you! Hello, there! Stop! stop!" ¢ : ott, z ve eo Deep € J - why ~ ‘Yy y —- ; & e was not in the habit of talking : f ; “ > A J 4 , A ; a te + eal Ae rs : a: ~ wh | fhe xe = em Be . ax das apt pat Bed -tee"e : 7 + Bed a. ~ =eo& 7) or] ees 2 - #5 pa ots yak od - Se eh Pten . The Sport of Two Cities. He waved his arms wildly, and started for the middle of the street, and Jim saw a horse moving smoothly aiong with a light-weight covered carriage behind him. A man was on the box, and he looked around as the doctor yelled so loudly. “What's. eatin’ you?” asked the boy peddler. “That's the spangled horse. “You don’t mean—” But Andrew Walker was already on his way to the place where the outfit was pro- ceeding so calmly. Walker was not calm —he was deeply excited, and he swung his arms and his legs at the same time as he rushed forward. * Crickey!” murmured Jim. ‘Can et be he has spotted the spangled horse? I'll see et out.” The resolution proved to be harder to keep than he had thought. lor some reason the driver had no sooner taken in the scene fully, and noted the forward rush of the man from Hamil- ton County, than he gave his horse the whip and went bowling away rapidly. The next moment there was a lively scene on the street. The carriage led a procession, and after it plunged the doctor with wild excitement pictured on his face and his whele body seeming about to fly to pieces, so violent were his exertions, and in the rear of all ran Jingo Jim, intent only on seeing the thing out. The doctor did not confine his efforts to his legs, but set up a series of yells which would nave done something decisive if any patrolman had chanced to be near, “Stop! stop! Hold on, there! Wait an’ let me speak to you. Say, hold up! Pull in that horse! Stop! stop! Wa—hoo—oh —ye—oh—h—h!” He wound up with a discordant yell which had nothing but breath and dismay in it. There was cause for it—he had seen *? that he was not to be obeyed, and his wind was. giving out, The driver did not stop, nor did he dal- ly. Giving his horse a few more cuts whh the whip, he dashed away at such speed that the race was about over. He rounded a corner, aad was soon perfectiy safe. At about the same time the doctor caught his toe against a high stone of the sort New York is too much gifted with by far, and down went the pill-maker in the dust. The frequenters of the vicinity had seen all this without offering aid, but Jim was true to his new friend, and the boy now arrived on the scene. “ Are you hurt?’ asked the boy. “ Hurt? Not in my body, but I’ve seen the spangled horse and lost him again!” CHAPTER VIII. A STREET SKIRMISH. _ The doctor was barely able to gasp the words. He was out: of breath and ‘strength, and he kept his place on the ground and panted like a dog after a long run. * Be you sure et was the spangled hoss?” asked Jingo Jim. * Of couvse I be.” | “ Why didn’t you ketch him?’ asked the peddler, maliciously. “Ketch him? Great land of love! didn’t I try? Didn’t I run until my legs almost dropped off? But what was the use? (1 might as well have chased a comet. That horse isn't one to be run down by any man on foot. I’'ye seen him, and now I’ve lost him. Oh, oh!” “Cheer up, major! Don’t get the blues. We will see him again.” Doctor Walker shook bis head and groaned, “You had better get up,’’ suggested Jim. “You are getting all covered with dust, and it don’t seem dignified for a man 0’ medicine,” es 2 4: cH S aber 5 , oe Ay a As - *. A, a ave WS rea POR 4, . ! - i ‘ ‘ \* 4 . Ae re ied On ie | -¢ =~ _— tn? . ‘ j : . ar. | eS 2 > a ‘ YO eS. : a ~ Fr. #9: r ee Po oe $ Si oe f be . e+ i yg - _* a ba at te ln a it —= — Se ——— ae ‘<4 f a it!’’ The doctor scrambled up and brushed his clothes. “I'd rather have given a hundred dol- lars than to lose that beast,” he added, seriously. “Is he so valuable?” “TI must have him.” “ Allright. I will help you out as agreed upon. I took a good look at the driver as we had him inter sight, an’ I shall know him as well as the hoss ef I see him again.” “Good boy! Just you do this thing up successfully, and we won't haggle on cash. You shall be properly paid.”’ “ All right, doe. Where do you put up?” Walker mentioned his hotel, and, as it was not far away, Jim decided to walk that way with him. They started, following the same course pursued by the driver of the spangled hctse. The doctor seemed to like to hear oimself talk, and he kept up a constant flow of language. It told Jim nothing new, and did not interest him much, so he said but little. They were in a part of the city not gen- erally deemed safe by those who lived further up-town, but it was the old home and playground of the peddler, and he did not think it necessary to caution the doc- tor to look out for himself, Finally the latter remembered that it was a part of his mission to watch always for the lost horse, and he grew alert and proceeded to earry out his plan, It was just after this that Jingo Jim caught sight of two men on the sidewalk, one of whom he recognized immediately. He might have recognized the other if he had looked further, but he ébeyed the first impulse as he saw Jugs Brown, the thimble-rigger. . “ There’s an old friend o’ yours, doe,”’ ha remarked, smiling. “Thunder! so it is!” cried Walker. “You might call a policeman—” cones stopped as Walker abruptly shot ahead. “ He’s goin’ ter tackle Jugs!” exclaimed the peddier, : It was only a few paces, and Walker cleared the distance quickly. But a new surprise awaited James, “Why, he grabs the wrong man! Crickey!”’ : ‘The speaker broke in on himself. Walker had indeed seized, not Jugs, but the lat-’ ter’s companion, but it was not this that made Jingo Jim have his latest surprise. As the doctor whirled the second man > around the boy ally met with a second recognition, * Ruthven Stanford! he gasped \ It was, in truth, the Sport of the Twin Cities, and the same man who had late- ly placed. Jim so close to death. He was dressed in fashion-deemed faultless in that section, and expensively, though he had the vulgar display of the man about town. He appeared to be very indignant over the rough descent upon him. ‘What do you mean, fellow?” he e¢ried sharply. | “T’'ve got you!” exclaimed Walker. “Got me? Well, you release me, or you wale have more than you want, Leave “ Where's that horse?’ shouted the doe- tor. “ What horse, you fool?’ “The spangled horse,” | “What rubbish are you giving me?” | “You are the man who stole it from Partridge Plains.” ' “I? I stole a horse?” cried the sport, waxing indignant. | “ Yes, yout” “By gosh! you are right, and I'll stop t) ~ —_ ~ > oy %, a, - ee 2 oe a) 4 lS YP * “4 ee | e ta. e- ee a ae —= Se eh —| ~ in <a we FO? p>. + , a “Why, fellow, if you say that again, [ j oe ee Ss will smash your jaw!” at ‘j> La ros e™ ong . - . ’ Ss ' ° 7 . ~ ® Cl | te b _ oem . ey ie, y i ] @ okexe! | oe \ a am | a e ; y ~ a a " ( vy a 4 - i «+ .) te