Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 941 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

* And phwere is he now?” “On shore.” “Ho, ho! ye, did he?” “He did thot same, me b’y. Him and dhe captain made good friends, and got a bit chummy.” “And phwere is dhe captain? Be Hivvins, but Oi must dust around and foind out all Oi can about dhe man. Maybe it is dhe very one Oi am afther— by dhe same token it must be!” “Oi don’t doubt it,’ declared the sail- or, Whose name was Mike. ‘* We picked him up roight in dhe wake av dhe stame- Ship, and he had a lump on his head as big as me fist.” “Dhen it was foul play he had, sure enough !”’ | ** Not a doubt av it; and it was food fur fishes he had been av we hadn’t seen him just whin we did, fur he was about played out Oi’m telling ye!” “And didn’t he tell who he was, Mike?’ ‘“‘He tould nothin’, me b’y. He was clane gone whin we hauled him over dhe rail, and it was three wakes before he knowed a ting at all at all. He took a ragin’ fayver, and we thought sure he would go under.” * But he didn’t, thank Hivvin!” “Then he was a relation av yures, me b’y ?” “Not a bit; but Oi have an interest in him, all dhe same. Ye say dhe captain is good friends wi'd him?” ‘None better, my b’y.” ¢ “Thin he must know who he is, Oi imagine.” “No doubt av it; he seen phwatever papers dhe lad had in his pockets, and he made our ship’s doctor watch by him noight and day «till he was out av all danger. A brother couldn't have been more a brother to him.” * And he came back a sailor?” “Thot same he did, and as foine a sail- or he is as ever handled a rope.” Then he came back wi'’d ‘He is the very man Oj want to see,. Mike, and see him Oi must av Oi have to stay here a month to do it.” “ And phwat about him?” asked the sail- or. “Now Oi have tould ye phwat Oi had to tell, ye must do dhe same to make it aven perchune us, d’ye see? Who is he and phwat is he?” : Thereupon Limerick Larry gave his new acquaintance a brief sketch of the mat- ter as he knew it, and he had an eager listener. “By Saint Patherick, Oi only hope dhe thaves ay the wurreld will get a rope around dhe two necks av dhem dhat will yank dhem as high as dhe fore royal braces above us!” “Dhat is phwere dhey will get it, whin we are done wid dhem,” opined Larry. ‘In dhe neck, Oi mane,” he added. “And I know av another gossoon dhat will get it in dhe same place—but no nade to spake av dhat now. Will ye point out dhe captain to me whin he comes?” “Vis, av he gets here before dhe other—Ha! dhere he is dhis blessed min- ute!’ He pointed to a short, heavy man with close-cropped beard who was just coming on board. \ “Phwat is his name?” asked Larry. “ Captain Simms.” “All right! Oi will spake wi d him.” With a wave of the hand to his sailor friend, Larry ran forward and saluted in the manner he had seen observed on the steamship. “ Well, what is it?” asked the captain. “ QGaptain Simms, Oi would talk wi'd ye about Lawrence Brannagan,” explained te “ '* < Dae ¥. $ : FS * ba ." . 0c. =" i eS ees a ar w) . “MW a0. bt ro sae ¥ “er a koa so ° 4 ” ~ ~ eS on sO Ee Se oe The Bowling te tay : < ’ « ~~ ALI i & - 4A: a , ie The captain gave a start of surprise and eyed the Irish lad keenly. “What do I know about him?’ he de- manded. ‘“Dhat same is phwat Oi want to be foinding out, sor,” was rejoined. “Well, then, what do you know about him?’ “Oi know dhat he got on board dhe Atlantic at Quanestown; dhat a couple ay knaves basted him on dhe head and foired him overboard; dhat yure ship picked him up and ¢arried him to Australia and baek here again; and, avy Oj can spake wi'd him, Oi know enough to put dhe hands av dhe law upon the whole ras- cally lot ay dhem, sor!” “Come with me into the cabin, my boy,” said the e¢aptain, taking hold of Larry’s arm. ‘‘ We will talk about this.” * Larry followed willingly, giving sailor Mike a wink as he passed him. In the cabin the captain gave the lad a chair. ‘Now, my boy,” said he, “I want you to tell me this whole matter, from the first to the last, and everything you know about it.” ‘*Oi don’t know about that, sor,’ Larry hesitated; “Oi moight do phwat me boss would not care to have me do, sor.” “And who is your boss?” ‘Mister Murphy, called the Bowling Grane Detective, sor.’ “A detective, eh? And he is looking for Lawrence Brannagan?” “And he is afther dhe knaves dhat tried to kill him, by dhe same token.” “Then you need not hesitate about tell- ing me all, for 1 am a firm friend of Mr. Brannagan.”’ “Avy which Brannagan?”’ “The young man, Lawrence, of course.” “Oi wanted to be sure av dhat. Oi will tell ye, and ye will promise wan thing.” ; “And what is that?” .**Dhat ye won't go ahead and smash up dhe affair and give Mister Murphy no show in it at. all at all.” “You can rely upon it that we shall be only too glad to fall right in with the de- tective’s plans, and aid him all in our power. He will find that we are in earnest, too.” “Good enough, sor! Oi will spin dhe whole yarn fur ye, as far as Oi know it mesel’.”’ And so Limerick Larry did, the captain listening with close attention to every word he had to say, and when he had done, shook the boy by the hand and called him a jewel. Green Detective’s Drop. After this important interview Larry set out to find the detective. CHAPTER NII. LARRY’S FIND. Unhappy Larry! When he went from the dock he was seen. Brady and Dunn were looking from a window of their new lodging place, and they chanced to espy him. They were on the lookout for another personage, no other than Lawrence Bran- nagan, and, as fortune would have it, they saw him reach the same dock not a minute after the Limerick lad had gone. But that by the way. We have called Larry unhappy for an entirely different reason. He went from the dock straight up to Broadway, where his search for Murphy took him in the direction of the flower stand, and there he was just in time to see Nelson waving his hand to Kitty Callaway. Larry's face blanched. * Begorra, it is electrocutionated Oi shall be!” he cried. ‘‘Dhe blood ay dhat jack- ’ oes - an ° . " ri ; . . <* ie. a A ws nt , our em a” i ' “2 ie & ~ oo Pi » i Lie me We * > pas. _ -? a LP i — < a ss yA ra “¢ eag é — = ae? ey - % , ae **hy Th + , Sas S i. wi o - . 4 id 4 sha .*, * ~ 4 ’ ‘ =. —s oo : ou , WA ite = : * ict ' Pp: j ¥, oe delta aca Sate ook ha ‘et en Pl . wh i) # ————————s oS ass is bound to be upon dhe two hands av me! By all dhe powers, but av Oi do get at him dhere will not be enough av dhe baboon left to hould an inquist over, sure as me name is Larry! Oi will pul- verize him so foine dhat dhere won't be no more nor a grase spot left avy him! * Swate Kitty Callaway, Sure no longer can Oi stay Dhe hand ay vingince dhat upon Yure Nelson must descind. Sure dt’s not wan bit Oi’m funnin’, But fur him Ol’m goin’ gunnin’ And you bet Oji'll take him runnin’, in dhe place he takes his wind!” The wild Irish lad could hardly contain himself. He made a straight line for the flower stand, with the intention of giving Kitty a piece of his mind. When he caught sight of her sweet face, however, he changed his plan; and, instead, he walked slowly past without even 80 much as a glance in her direc- tion, to see how that would work. He had not gone far when he heard: ** Larry!” His heart gave a bound, but he looked around coldly as if to see who had called him. , ‘Come here,” said Kitty, motioning to him. Larry walked slowly back to the stand, with never a smile. He was in no smil- ing mood just then, and coldly de- manded: “Phwat do ye be wantin’, Miss Calla~ way?” ‘Miss Callaway!’ “So Oi said.’ “Ye have always ealled me Nitty.” “Oi have no roight to do dhat longer; Mister Nelson Phwat-is-it moight not loike it.” There was a depth of irony in the words, which Larry's brogue made all the strenger, and the flower girl was both pained and piqued, as a reader of faces could have told. * Yes, maybe he might,” she rejoined, firing up alittle. ‘I did not think of that”’ “And phwat did ye want av me?” asked Larry. ‘Have you got a job yet?’ “Oi have.” ‘Indeed! it, Larry?’ ‘“Oall me Mister O’Keen, av ye plaze.” “Oh, ho! It is on your dignity you are, I see! Well, what is it, Ma. O’Keen?” “Oj am working fur Mister Murphy, and it is a foine job Oi have! Oj am no longer a tramp!” “Who ever called you a tramp?” “Nobody; but phwat else was Oi, in- dade?” “ Are you mad at me, Larry?” “Not wan bit; ye have made yure choice perchune Nelson and me, and dhat is dhe ind av it.” “Made my choice—” “Dhat same ye haye. Didn’t Oi see him wavin’ to ye not a minute ago? By dhe powers ye can’t have us both, and av yure Nelson is in dhen Oi am out! Oi suppose it is Missus Nelson Phwat-is- it ye soon will be.” “And I suppose it is none of your business if I am.” “ Roight ye are.” “And why do-you eall name as that?” “ “Because Oi don’t know any other: name fur him. Oi'll bet it is Buggins, or Muggins, or something loike thot.” ‘‘T hope it isn’t O’Keen.” “So do Oi, on me soul!” Larry em- | phasized. * Larry, you are just as Mean as ean be.” Oh, I am so glad! What is him such a you. # é 7 ‘ . : ° ed, ». tre « t rt <i oy i= . “ . pe “a % - wr.