Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 941 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

Sew ss —————— Ee ee — é ~ rr ad 3 . the detective. -_ er’s rapturous strain by flinging a bunch of wet moss in his face, - Murphy had to laugh, but he doffed his hat and said: * Pleased to make your acquainiancee, Miss Callaway. Larry has often imen- tioned your name, always with the great- est respect, and ¢ am convinced that he has a good eye and sound judgment. Let me have a tiny bouquet, please. Larry, I am ready to take back what I said an hour ago; you were right.” The young woman, somewhat confused, Was unable to make much of a response. ‘‘ Begorra, Oi knowed ye would change yure moind, Mister Murphy,” Larry de- glared. ‘* But, botheration to her! dhat wet moss don’t fale war bit comfortable down me neck, no more it does.” “Then don’t be making a gillie of your- self!” chided Kitty, spitefully. The detective selected a bouquet and paid for it, and while he affixed it to the lapel of his coat he remarked: “You must not blame him, Miss Calla- way; there are good grounds for his en- thusiasm. Yat, Larry, if this is the way you are looking for employment I am not surprised you have not found it.” “ Dhere, now, Mister Murphy, ye are too rough wi'd me,” Larry protested. “Sure, Oi have wellnigh walked dhe two fate off me, looking fur a job, and whin Oi come along dhis way dhe timptation to stop a bit and rest me weary bones is more nor Oi can resist.” ““Oan’t you find him something, sir; something that will keep him busy from five in the morning till ten at night?’ asked the young woman, as if in earnest. “T see you are inclined to be rough on him,’ remarked Murphy. *T want to be rid of him.” ‘“By the way, Larry,” ehanging the subject, “did you not tell me that you landed in New York about six months ago?” “Thot same is phwat Oi did, sor.” “What steamship did you come over in?’ . “Dhe Atlantic, sor.” “* And you sailed from Queenstown?” “Sure, ye have it down foine, just as Oi tould it to ye, sor.” ‘“T must talk with you again, Larry. T want to learn something about that ‘voyage, if it happened to be the particu- Jar trip in which I am interested. By the way, you told me your last name, too, put I have forgotten it.” “Larry O’Keen, sor, and it’s from Lim- erick I’d have ye to know I am come.” “What a name!” exclaimed Kitty, with fa snicker. “Oj know it isn’t high-soundin’,” re- torted Larry, bristling up a little, “but begorra it is as clane and honest as any in Oireland.” “Pray don’t have a, spat,” interposed “What date did you sail from Queenstown, Larry; do you remem- ber? Was it the last week in January?” “Phwat a divil ye are at guessin’,”’ eried the Limerick lad. “Oi am sure Oi b ‘never said a wurred about dhe _ toime. ~Yis, dhat was it, sor, and dhe divil’s own voyage over it was, too, by dhe same token.”’ ‘** Rough, eh?” large ae "Ye would ’a’ thought so, an’ ye had been dhere.” “Were you the only passenger who got on board when the stop was made at Queenstown?’ ‘No; dhere was a young man who said his name was Brannagan, or something loike dhat. But, quare it was, Oi did not set me two Pe has onto him wanst afther dhe ship sailed.” Detective Murphy was decidedly inter- ested now. ee the Bowling Green Detective’s Drop 3. EE _— ee He had picked up the trail a good deal sooner than he had hoped, and was likely to get important information right then and there. * How came you to know what his name was?” the detective made inquiry. * Sure, he paid me to carry his luggage for him, sor,” answered Larry, “and he was free wi'’d his tongue.” * How old was he?’ : “About me own age, Oi should be thinkin’, sor.” *And what became of his luggage? Did you see anything more of that, at any time?’ * Divil a glint had Oi ay it at all at all, Sor, “Well, I must be going on, but I want to talk further with you about this matter, Larry. Maybe it will put some money into your pocket, if you can aid me in finding out what became of that passenger.” “Oi am yer shamrock!” exclaimed the boy from Limerick. ‘Ownly tell me phwat it is Oi am to do, and begorra Oi'll be doin’ av it while ye can count tin.” “T will see you later, when we will talk it all over, my lad.” ‘ All roight, sor.”’ Murphy passed on, and Larry turned to his sweetheart. ‘A foine man is Mister Murphy, Kit- tie” he declared. ‘Sure, no foiner ever walked the strates ay New York. Av ye was stuck on dhe loikes av him, Nitty, sure Oi couldn’t say wan wurrud; but whin it comes to a little bit av a runt av a gossoon dhat rings up fares on a Broad- way car, begorra, me blood—” “There, now, Larry, that is enough,” interrupted the young woman, impatient- ly. ‘You are jealous, that is all that ails you, and if I want to flirt with Nel- son, I am going to do it, and not ask your permission; so, there, now! He is a good deal better looking than you are, and if he is a conductor on a car, that is a good deal better than being a do-noth- ing on the streets; and you may put that in your pipe and smoke it!” : “All right, Kitty, darlint; cling to your Nelson avy ye want to, but, by dhe great boori-booroo, you can’t cling to me at dhe same toime! Me name is Larry O’Keet. and ye know my address, and— By dhe same token, phwat is: dane other half o% yure Nelson’s name?” “T never asked him. know, find out.” “Oj will make it my business. Oi will bet it is Jones, or Smith, or some high- flown name loike dhat. Well, good luck is dance at yure weddin’ Oi will! Dhat is dance at pure weddin’ Oi will! Dha If you want to is to say, av I dont’ fall in wid yure Nel son before dhat; av Oi do, by dhe powers av I don’t pulverize him! Well, dhe top av dhe mornin’ to ye.” With that he lifted his hat and turned away, the young woman turning up her nose at him as he did so, and as he went off he sang: ‘ Swate Kitty Callaway, Sure Oj love ye all dhe day, Wid yure eyes loike two star diamonds, And cheeks just loike a rose; But for Nelson now Oi’m slighted, Though, before yure troth is plighted, Yon'can bet that he’ll get blighted Phwere his collar button goes! He sang it loudly enough for her to hear. and his pace was slow enough so that she could get every word before he passed out of hearing. ‘The girl blushed more rosy than ever, and passers-by looked at Larry. and smiled. “Yis, begorra!’ he exclaimed to himself, as he finished the strain, “he is going to get it in dhe neck, phwere dhe chicken got dhe ax, as dhe boys say, av he don’t ae switch off and lave my Kitty alone. Sure, it is turned her pretty head he has, wid his waxed mustache and his baboon av a smoile; but, Oi'll fix him! By dhe harp ay Tara’s av here isn’t his car!’ Sure enough, it was the‘car Larry knew well, on its return,trip, and the wild Iris lad stood and watched it with a tinge of green in his eye, while he sofuy hummed: ‘* By dhe bloomin’ rod of Aaron, Wid me two eyes Oi am starin’ At me NKitty’s pickled herrin’— Her jigger on dhe cars!’’ And he continued to watch while the car passed the little flower stand, to see whether the flower girl would notice the conductor or not. CHAPTER III, SAMUEL POWERS’ STORY. Detective Murphy boarded a car soon after parting from Larry, and rode for a considerable distance. When, finally, he alighted; he walked some blocks in another direction, and at last rang the bell of a handsome house, where he inquired for Mr. Samuel Pow- ers, Who was at home, The detective was shown into a small business room on the right of the hall, and presently a man of middle age en: tered. , “Tam Mr. Powers, sir,” he announced. ‘*And I have been sent here ‘by Myr. Selim Hedgewood,” informed Murphy. ‘Hal’ with live interest immediately. “Then you must be the detective he spoke to me about.” : “Il presume I am, sir. Mr. Hedgewood mentioned something of the matter in which you are interested, and sent me to get further particulars. 1 have already learned something of the missing young man.” ‘*Indeed! What have you learned?’ “That a young man named Brannagau certainly did take passage on the Atlantic from Queenstown on the date in ques- tion,” “ Then my supposition is correct; dollars to cents that it is right! And you may safely set it down for a fact that Michael Brannagan is up to some more of his ras- cally business here!’ *T have no idea who Michael Branna- gan is, sir.”’ “Just as well for you that you have had no intimate acquaintance with him, I can assure you. He is one of the prime rascals in this city.” ‘ “You. have a very ill opinion of him, evidently.” ‘And with good reason. He has robbed me of a clean half of my fortune, and ip such a manner that I cannot recover a penny of it. Oh, he is a sly old rat, and as sharp as he is sly.” » * Perhaps it is out of revenge that you are taking up the matter in which you are now interested?” | * Exactly, sir, exactly. You have hit it just right. At the same time, if what I suspect is true, then it is a matter that some one should take up and sift to the bottom.” . ‘* Well, let me know more about it.” “There were two brothers, I believe, in Ireland—a gentleman’s sons—one being Michael, the rascal I have mentioned, and the other Antrim. Michael came to this country, Antrim remaining im Ireland, hav ing inherited a vast landed estate there An- trim died, leaving a son named Lawrence, who would fall heir to the same estat¢ on coming to age. The matter is in such shape that, should Lawrence die, the prop- erty will fall to Michael, the uncle.” “T see, sir.” | ‘During my business conneetion witlt Michael I learned these things, and other items, and one Margaret Hull, who used to : ‘ / 5 tena oe ee ac Se a jae bar Or Bie 9 aay Pee pe” Pe 2