Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 941 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

ee. Bis ae si ‘taken my money for nothing?” é a . “TJ tell you we have 4 ¥ 7 * » ae yy Se i be adh Ge TH Le sh roe Chie pa if ee ‘They were loitering along, not AON what to do, and afraid to venture too near the dock where the Victoria Royal lay, when suddenly they came face to face with Limerick Larry, and, acting with the same impulse at the same moment, both laid hands upon him. It happened that they then were right close to their lodging, and they dragged the lad into the hallway in a moment. “Got ye, have we?” hissed Brady. “And you bet we'll keep ye, too,” added Dunn, grimly. They had a hand covering the lad’s mouth, and he was dragged up the stairs, to their room, without making a sound. And once there, and the door closed, Brady drew an ugly-looking knife and brandished it before the lad’s eyes, threat ening to cut his throat if he so much as said peep! They were about to question the youth. when the door opened, and into the room stepped Michael Brannagan, his face dark with anger, and at sight of him the two rascals paled. How had he learned they were there? And what business had brougbt him to see them aga in? CHAPTER XY. THE RASCALS LEVANT. “ What did your message mean?” Bran- nagan demanded, ‘How did you dare to send for me to come here?” Brady and Dunn looked at each other in speechless amazement. “Trapped!” they both ejaculated. “What do you mean?’ Brannagan al- most roared. ‘ We never sent for ye!” deciared Brady. ‘You lie! What do you eall this?’ jerking a message from his pocket and shaking it at them. “What is, it?” Brady asked. “What is it but your message! Come at once, No. — South Street. Avoid other place. Very important.” . “We never sent it,” again avowed Brady. “That is why we say we are trapped. That cussed detective has led you into this thimg, and we are going to be scooped in a puneh.” Br annagan’ s face was like chalk. You think so?” he gasped. “There is the proof “of it,” said Dunn, _ pointing to the message. “Come!” urged Brady. “There is not a second to lose. We hav e got to get out of - here by a rear way. ‘Who is this?’ asked Brannagan. “The whelp that has made ail the trouble for us,” answered Brady, and he lifted his knife as if with the intention of killing Larry then and there, but both Brannagan and Dunn caught his arm. “Not here!’ warned Brannagan. “And not that way!’ insisted Dunn. “Blood will tell!” * But he has got to die for this! I'll set- tle with him somehow,” and Brady had murder in his baleful eyes. “Same as ye settled wi'd young Bran. nagan, mebby!”’ muttered Larry. “Ye didn’t scttle wi'd him good enough, by dhe same token, whin it is aloive he is at dhe Shak “Shut up!” snarled Brady, at’s that he says?” cm i ‘ “Oi say Lawrence Brannagan is aloive and well, and— ‘But Dunn struck him a blow in the face that cut off further speech. “Have you cheated me?’ -Brannagan. “Did you not do as you agreed at all? Have you lied to me and asked Bran- ov to get out of here,” Ah t iaeapte BEARS “We can en te « oe ded — thundered | The ors hae Green Detective’ S isis ooo ———— — all this later. It is only a mistake the oe has made, that was all, but he will never make another in this world!” He and Dunn had seized Limerick Larry again, and dragged him from the room. bidding Brannagan follow, if he valued his liberty. Down the stairs they hastened, and out by a rear door to the smallest of yards, from which gates opened in two directions, and taking the nearest, they passed through. Before them was the open rear door of a saloon, and they lost no time in taking refuge there, for the moment, closing the door after them “ What’s to be done now?” Dunn. “ You remember the small boat tied just by the dock ‘on the right,’ intimated Brady. 4s wea’? ‘“‘We must make a run for it. There is no other chance, and that is a slim one.” “What about the lad?” “He will go with us, until we find time to anchor him in the bay.” * And what shall.I do?’ asked Branna- gan, badly frightened. “Come or stay, just as you please. If you stay here you will be arrested, sure as you live.” ‘How do you know that?’ ‘Do you suppose this trap was laid for fun? Ha! hear that!’ A door was heard to slam in the direc- tion from which they had just come, and voices immediately followed. These, needless to say, were Detective Murphy, Lawrence Brannagan, Captain Simms and policemen. Brady's conception respecting the decoy message Was a right one. Lawrence Brannagan, going on board the ship soon after Limerick Larry had taken his leave, had heard from Captain Simms the w hole story, and they had planned to find the detective and push the inatter while the thing was moving. And this was the outcome of it all. This accounted for the failure of Larry to find his boss. Brady now made a dash for the street, dragging Larry with him, and Dunn was at his heels. Brannagan did not tarry, either. Sat- isfied that his own safety depended upon his sticking to his two rascally tools, he plunged along the hall after Dunn. Brady reached the door, threw it open, and stepped out, not daring to betray haste in his movements, however, for fear of being nabbed, but he lost no time, even there. He started across the street, Dunn assist- ing him with Larry, and Brannag ran close behind. They were nearly across when they were discovered by a policeman who was standing before the other house. The officer gave a Signal, and dashed .after them in all haste. There was no longer use of caution, s0 Brady: and Dunn made a dash for the sinall boat, which they gained. Larry was thrown into the boat, head- long; the two men jumped in after him in almost the same moment, and Branna- gan had barely time to follow when they were off, Brady having cut the painter, By the time the policeman reached the whispered ‘spot, he could just see it near the end of the dock, and in another moment, it had Naina behind the hulls of some ves- sels, A few moments later Detective Murphy was on hand, with those with him, and the detective quickly asked: “Which way did it go?” : ‘Down stream,” was the answer. * The tide is that way, then?” a aah Oe Re A —— ——— J craft that came near. “ Yos.” “That is enough; that is the way they will go. It will be their object to make distance as fast as possible. We must give them chase.” “If we only had a tug,” tain of the Victoria Royal. “We must have a boat,” exclaimed Mur- phy. “I am afraid it will be all up with that lad before we can rescue him. Yow are sure they had a prisoner, officer?” “Yes, dead sure—a boy!” “Come!” eried Murphy, “not a minute to lose. Have you a boat, Captain Simms?” “Yes; we can get it into the water and manned in less than five minutes. Right this way, sir; lead the way, Lawrence!” “You bet I will!” Young Brannagan was all activity, and, in the shortest time imaginable, he was on board the Victoria Royal and ordering one of the boats into the water, and al- most by the time the others reached him the boat on the davits was ready for low- ering. Down it was run, and sat on the water like a cork. Into it they got in all haste, except the policeman, and pushed off into the stream. There was a moon, but dense clouds hid it, which broke only at intervals. “One thing we can be sure of,” said Murphy, as soon as the tide caught the light launch, “‘they have gone this way, for they would only tire themselves for naught by trying to pull in ise other direc- tion.” * But we can never find them,” asserted the captain. “It will not be because we do not try,” declared the detective. “Keep nearest the other side, my boys,” to the oarsmen. “They will most likely hug that shore. They were in a dangerous place, with no light on their boat, but they took all the risks, keeping out of the way of moy- ing craft as inuch as possible and at the saine time pulling away with a will when- ever the course was clear for them to do So, said the cap- °° And every man of them was on the ° lookout. Presently the moon borke through, and for a, brief time the river was revealed, almost in brilliancy in every direction. Far ahead they espied a boat similar to their own, heading for down the bay! They laid their course directly after it, and the launch literally leaped over the. waters. pi CHAPTER XVI. THE GAME HALF WON, Meantime, what of the other craft? AS soon as it Was out in the stream the two rascals seized the oars, one to row and the other to steer. Larry had been rendered insensible by his fall into the boat, and Brannagap Was sitting in the bow, sides for life. He was unused to the water, and was trembling with fear. “We shall be run down,” he eomplained- “We'll surely be cut in two!” “We'll get worse nor that if we don’t get away from here,” growled Brady. ‘But we must have a light.” “To blazes with a light!” cried Dunn. “Do you suppose we want to guide them after us?” The river was rough, and the boat, which was a small one, only a dory, was. tossed about like a shell, even if it was~ quite heavily freighted. And the chief villain of all got down in thei very bot-~ tom, and there he Sat, his teeth almost chattering with terror, while the boat went on through the darkness, threatened every moment with destruction | trom the ae : » " - — > + (% Copy i ¥ 13. holding on te the. #: J {ye ~ a*