Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 938 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

* he a —" =f “a af 4 es ~ - — Ove” 7 Pw to, et ht “I do say it, you thief!” “Take that!” Ruthven swung his arm back, but just as he was about to shoot his fist forward, the arm was grasped from behind. “Say, why not put him on a sloop an’ sink him in the East River?” coolly de- manded the person who had seized the arm, Something about this address impressed Ruthven strongly. His arm fell by his Side and he wheeled suddeny. He saw Jingo Jim, and the monumental cheek that is a part of the equipment of a sport went out like a candle. He changed color, and Simply stared blankly at the boy. “Guess you an’ me hey’ met before, mister,’’ quoth James. “Never!” declared the sport, trying to rally. “Oh, we ain’t, eh? Go ask the fishes how it is. Wanted ter drowned me, didn't ye? Wal, you see how it worked.” *T never saw you before.” “Mister Man, you are a liar! bluntly asserted James. “Yes, and he lies to me!” cried Doctor Walker. “He is the man who stole the spangled horse from Partridge Plains—” “TIT never was in Partridge Plains in my life!’ declared Ruthven, “That's another lie!” “It is a case of mistaken identity—” * Just as if I would forget you!” snorted Walker. “We all marked you when you came to the Plains. You wear your hair Several inches longer than most men, and We thought you were a Western cowboy when you come in among us. Forget you with that long hair? Never!” “He does look like a cowboy,” agreed Jim, “This is all nonsense,” persisted Stan- ford, a.ervously. “I don’t know either of you, Accidental resemblance; no more.” “Accidental grandmother!" snapped James. “You are the galoot that tried ter do me an’ Al Lee up, but we are still inter it. See?” Stanford saw, and his experience with city life led him to understand, that his proper place of action Was some distance away. Thus far good luck had kept any patrolman from appearing on the scene, but if one did appear it might mean seri- ous harm to the sport. Let Jim make a charge against him, and he would sleep in na cell that night. In this excited conversation Jugs Brown had been Overlooked for the time, but he was quite as eager as Stanford to get away, and he hailed an order from his friend. ‘Stop them!” cried Ruthven, suddenly. The pair flung themselves upon Walker and Jingo Jim. Several blows were given with rapidity, and when it was all over both of the latter were sprawling on the sidewalk. ‘* Cheese it!’ added Ruthven. He dashed off, with Jugs at his heels, and they soon made themselves invisible. Jim and the doctor had been roughly used, but the boy was soon on his feet. His eyes were somewhat dim, so he rubbed them and looked around eagerly. “They’re gone!” he lugubriously mut- - tered. Walker gerambled up, with his nose drip- ping a few red drops. “Why didn’t you ketch them?” snapped the doctor. “I did ketch them, an’ I ketehed it!” The Sport of Two Cities. just what it is—my liver has got out of order.”’ He whipped a box out of his pocket, se- lected two pills, and swallowed them with avidity. . “Take some,” he advised. “They will act on your liver, and ward off the ill ef- fects of this fight.”’ “I pass, doc. men,” * Hang it all, so we have.” “Do you really mean ter say that the sport was the man who stole your span- gled horse?” * Well, I can’t swear thaf he did, but he put in an appearance at the Plains just before the horse. was lost. I will swear he was there, whoever stole the horse.’ “ Doc, I advise you ter put the perleece on this job—” “Not for the world!” exclaimed Walker. “Why not? It’s only a hoss-case—” “Oh! but it is more—far more. Lost horse? Bah! Do you think I would leave imy patients up in Hamilton County and come all the way down here just to hunt | for a lost horse? Not by a long chalk! It is more, far more, and it is a matter of vital importance!” * What?” “I can’t tell you that.” -“ Wot is the need o’ mystery?” “It is impossible to explain, but I tell you life and death may depend on us. We must ketch the spangled horse!” Well, we've, lost our . CHAPTER IX. JINGO JIM’S MYSTERIES. Doctor Walker was not a man of aris- tocratic appearance, but he had an in- telligent face, and, though Jingo Jim was inclined to joke him at times, there was something about him that told the peddler he was not a mere green countryman, and not to be looked upon with disdain. Now he was interesting the boy. “Case 0’ myStery, is it?’ inquired James. “ Mystery and life or death,” added the doctor, “Tell me #1 about it an’ I kin help “No, no; it would not do!” hastily de clared Walker. Jim was silent. Ruthven Stanford be- gan to look to him like a man of more than passing interest. Both Walker and Aldrick Lee had something in which the Sport of the Two Cities played an import- ant part, and neither would tell what it was. This was puzzling and attractive, and. now that the two cases had centered around Stanford, Jim arrived at a de- Cision. | | “Vil get right inter this game for keeps,” he thought. “Then, when the bugle blows, I shall be in the hunt.” With this he turned to the doctor and added: “ All kin be fixed ter suit ye, mister, an’ yer horse thief shall be winged an’ bagged. I am jest about the kid fer the job, too, an’ I'll keep along with the \game until I end it, ef you remember our bargain on cash.” Walker quickly pulled out a dollar. “ Here is a day’s pay in advance. Take it and do your best. I have heard it said that the street boys of New York are about as sharp as anybody can be, and you have a shrewd face.” “Tt was the best I could buy when I —_——_ —- — - ——— -- ee a ee “Maybe I can find him for you. T'll try a raid on him, anyhow.” James was about to mention Aldrick Lee and ask if the doctor knew him. but he thought better of it. He ranked the boatman above Walker, and was in- clined to give Lee the first chance. The doctor felt his hurts somewhat, and when Jim suggested that he go to his hotel and put in the night in peaceful rest, there was no opposition. Jim saw him inside the door, and then the latter turned away briskly. “I'm off ter see Al!” he muttered, em- phatieally. As quickly as possible he made his way to the extreme East Side, and, reaching the boatman’s residence, he rang and asked to see Aldrick. He was disap- pointed; he was informed that Lee had gone out at dark, and had not returned. nor was it known when he would be home. “My name is Got-left!” murmured James, as he moved off. .‘ Can’t compare notes ter-night. Sorry, fer Al ought ter know that Sporty Stanford is aware that at least one o’ his victims escaped from the river. Ef the sport makes a brace fer Al, he may get it where Adam got the- apple.” He did not know of any way of reach- ing Aldrick that night, especially as he had heard the latter say he often worked at his calling somewhere along one of the twin rivers at night, so he wended his way toward Chatham Square, He was proceeding along a side-street, when he chanced to look up toward the sky—why, he did not know, except that it was an impulse and that he followed it. — ‘No moon, but sky clear as a girl’s com- plexion,”” murmured James, poetically. “I reckon we shall have a fair day—” He stopped short in both his speech and his steps, and then added, in a ditf- ferent tone: “ W’ot’s that?’ He was nearly opposite a shed which was used as a coal office. Next to this structure was a three-story brick dwell- ing house, and right there was the some- thing which puzzled Jim. The. latter building presented a bare wall on the side next to the shed, and first view would have led one to think there was no break in the wall, Jim had discovered more than this. He had seen something white fluttering up mone to the house-top, and it impressed im. “It’s gone,” he added, after a pause, “but I believe I kin see a small winder there—jest about big enough fer a base- ball ter go through handy. Yes, et’s a win- der, an’—hey!”’ | The white thing fluttered again, and this was not all. “IT kin see a human face, and there’s somebody wavin’ of a white cloth. W’ot does et mean?” | A hand came out of the window and seemed to beckon to him. , “T'll be jiggered ef I don’t think some- body is in trouble up there. Like as not they are shut in by accident, an’ can't git out, or it may be somebody is held prisoner there. The stars shine pretty bright, but the winder ain’t big enough fer the persom ter make much show.” Now, James had a heart in his breast which beat with sympathy for all who were in need, and when he arrived at the f “ You let them get away!” was at the market,” replied Jim, seriously. | conclusion that such a ease was before | | “ How about you?” * You are an eccentric youth, but that | him, he threw all personal interests to he ks “I'm a fool and an idiot,’ roared the | does not lessen your value. I want you | the winds and began to plan how he could ee man from Hamilton. “I don’t seem to be | in my service right along.” best aid the unlucky stranger. belay ee any good. Why, thirty years ago I was “T 's’pose you would like ter see The result was that he walked up to the OR ee the best fighter in Partridge Plains, but | Sporty Stanford again, wouldn’t ye, mis- | coal-shed, took hold of its rough side and Pa) now it don’t take much of a man to thrash | ter?” | begam to climb. 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