Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 941 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

His face, too, turned white, and they looked at once to see if Murphy and Larry noticed it. Murphy was pretending not tc do so, but Limerick Larry, who had fot . lowed the direction of their gaze, let out a cry, and, grabbing hold of Murphy, ex- claimed: “ Dhere he is, sor! Dhere is dhe very man ye are lookin’ fur, sure as me name is Larry O’Keen!” ‘Where? Which one?’ asked Murphy, for the Irish lad was too excited to des- ignate clearly. “Dhere! Dhe cap an’ jacket on! gan!’ * At the moment Larry called eut, how- ever, & great shouting: arose in the street, Owing to a runaway team that was dash- ing up, and his voice was completely drowned. . The team dashed up on the curb and crashed into the windows of a store, and. in the confusion of the moment, the sailor was lost sight of, but Larry continued to declare it was the missing young man. “You must have been mistaken, Larry,” | protested Brady. “Mistaken, yure mother’s poipe!”’ re- torted the boy. “Don’t ye suppose Oi would know him, and it only six months since Oi saw him last? And, begorra, dhe j both av yez knowed him, too, dark as he | has grown!” ' “ We knowed him?” “Yis, beegorra, ye knowed him! A bloind man could tell dhat same by dhe paleness dhat came over dhe two mugs ay yez. Didn't ye notice dhat same yersel’, Mister Murphy?” “ You notice too blamed much, you do!” grated Brady, glaring ominously at the boy from Limerick. CHAPTER X, MAKING A DISCOVERY. Detective Murphy would willingly have paid a big price rather than have had Lar. ry to make such a remark. - He had pretended not to notice the pale- ness of the two men, as said, for he want- ed it to appear that he did not see their agitation. “T guess it was the sight of the runaway that gave them their start, Larry, my lad,”’ ~ he «made response. “The horses came near to running over & Woman just up the “Then you seen that?” Brady quickly _ caught up. “ Wasn't it enough to make a fellow’s hair stand on end?” | “That's what it was!” chimed in Dunn. ‘* Well, mebby dhat was what you seen,” assumed Larry, “but phwat Oi saw mesel’ was Lawrence Brannagan or his ghost. - dhe wan or dhe other, and dhat Oi wil stick to as long as dhere is breat’ in me i 2 an Oi am not bloind, and me two eyes don't play me tricks loike thot.” tee aa wan wid dhe sailor’s Hello, Mister Branna- a ee ee “Bah! ye wu dreamin’!”’ sneered Brady. “Phwat d’ye suppose he would be _ doin’ wi'd a sailor’s hat and jacket on, as ye said? Av it was him, wouldn’t he be dressed like a gentleman? And wouldn't - he be going to his uncle’s house? It is _ talking through your hat ye are, as_ the boys say. I guess that bilgewater ye have _ just been drinkin’ has gone to your head,” At that the two fellows laughed hearti- ly, and Larry would have given them a cutting rejoinder had it not been for the fact that he had caught a signal \from _) Murphy to let it pass. sa _ “Have yure own way about it,” he | said, simply. | he) “here is a big chance that the lad |. was mistaken,” remarked the detective. _ “In a place like New York, where thou- rears su ands upon thousands of men are congre- gated, it would be strange if resemblances did not oceur. Well, boys, maybe I will ) ot A Ae a3. )> 19 ives A *. ‘ r rs the 9 arp . ‘s } i" ¥ Le ay x : . ri . ‘. Pi . st F ) ie" % ae Ld ¢ The Bowlin Sls or) aye ee ee SUES See you again, but if L don’t I wish youa safe voyage.” “Thanks to ye,” responded Brady. “And ye had better put that wild Lrish lad away where he won't be doing harm to himself till he gets a bit civilized.” Again they laughed at their own poor joke. : “ Be hivvins!” cried Larry, “it is lookin’ out dhat yez don’t get put away y’erselves ye had better be!” This remark Murphy tried to offset by giving the two men a wink, and without further words he- turned away and left them, leading Larry by the arm, and the lad’s face was full of rage. “Mister Murphy, do ye think it is a liar Oj am?” Larry soon demanded. “Not a bit of it, my lad,” Murphy an- swered. “I didn’t waut you to say any more there, that was all.” “Thin phwy didn’t ye say so? Oi would have shut up as tight as a gosling wi'd dhe croup. But, Oi see; ye didn’t want thim to know dhat ye belaved me. Phwat a loon Oi am, to be sure!” “That was it, Larry.” “And ye do belaye me?” “That is just what I want to ask you about. Are you right down positive that it Was young Brannagan you saw?’ ‘Mister Murphy, Oi will swear to it, av ye will have me do thot, on a pile ay Bibles as high as the tallest stayple in dhe town, dhat it was Lawrence Bran- nagan and nobody else!” stbutly averred the Limerick lad. “And he was clad like a sailor?’ “He was thot.” “And you said his skin was dark?’ **So it was.” Then we must set it down that he has been on the water all these months, and that he has been in a warm clime.” “It looks reysonable, Mister Murphy.” “TIT am only sorry that you were not able to draw his attention. You could ‘have done so had it not been for that runaway. Now, Larry, I must give youa piece of work to do.” * Phwat is it, sor?’ ‘You must watch along these docks till you see him again.” “Oj can do that same.” “Here is some money to supply your needs. You must ask questions, and get ‘your eyes upon the boats that are Jatest in. You can make friends with the sail- ors you meet, and I leave the rest of it to you.” “And pbhwat ay Oi fall in wid, him, sor?” “ Tell him to come to my office, and if for any reason he will not do that, make sure that you find out where he is stop- ping.” * All right, sor.” “And a word of caution by the way.” “Phwat is that?’ : “Mind that you do not let temptation overcome you and lead you to slip up to Broadway to a certain flower stand theré.”’ ’ * Oi will try not to do that, sor, but by dhe same token me heart will be dhere all dhe day, and me blood will be boilin’ whinever Oj think ay dhat spindle-legged jigger on dhe cars!” Murphy smiled. “Tf L see Miss Callaway I will drop a z00d word for you, Larry.” he promised. * And if you want to find me, come to my office or inquire at the office of the steam- | ship company—you know where that is, the one we are interested in.” “Tam going to shadow those two ras- cals, for now I am pretty sure that there has been a crime of some sort committed, and that the suspicions of Mr. Powers—. | But you have no interest in all that, ' Lye . c peep, ‘ ’. } . ’ ny - . 35* —F,. t .% ~ [) te bl ot) —\ ees ‘ his us a oo Ok 4b Ye. 4% ‘r SAAS A > * é = « \ fe g Green Detective’s Drop. Larry. You keep a keen lookout for the young man, and if you see him again make sure that you do not lose him.” “Trust me for thot, sor.” “And another thing.’’ * Pbwat is it?’ “ You are aware that these two fellows have no love for you.”’ *Begorra, there is no love wasted perchune us, thin, sor; Oi have no high re- gard fur thim, aythur.”’ “What I was going to say, you will have to look out for them.” * Oi will thot same.’ “if they get a chance at you they’ may, do you some injury, for you gave them a scare that has no doubt knocked out their appetite for supper, and they will pay you back if they can.” “Oi will watch out fur thim, sor.” * Well, that is all, I guess. If I want you I will saunter down this way and find you. Take care of yourself, my . lad.” So saying, Murphy turned away, leay- ing Larry singing: ““Swate Kitty Callaway, Sure ye are a sunshine’s ray, But y’u're driving me "most crazy Vi'd yure playing fast and loose. Oi've no love for strate-car ringers, And avy dhat wan ‘round ye lingers, By dhe powers he'll find my fingers Phwere dhe tailor takes dhe goose!’’ “And dhat same he will, too!’ he ex- Claimed, in more forceful prose, doubling his fists and shutting his teeth down hard. “Maybe it is crazy Oi am, Oi dun’no’; but it is crazy he will be whin Oi am done wi'd him, and Oj see any more av his flirtin’ wi'd me Kitty!” That matter, however, did not prevent his bending himself to the business he had in hand, and he set about the work that had been laid out for him. | He moved along the street from dock to dock, looking at the various ships lying there, and occasionally asking a question. At the same time he kept a careful watch for the reappearance of the man he had seen. | Presently he gave a start as he glanced at the name of one of the ships, for it was a name he had seen before and he remembered where. The name of the ship was Victoria Royal, and he remembered that the . steamship Atlantic had passed her out- ward bound on the day when he was a passenger on the latter and steamed out of Cork Harbor. * “ Begorra, here is a ship Oi have seen before, at any rate,” he said to himself. “Not that dhere is anyt’ing quare about dhat, but it is loike meeting an ould friend from home, so it is. Oi belave Oi will venture on board av her and try to foind out phwere she has been dhe while.” ' He carried out his intention, and was accosted by an Irish sailor the moment his feet touched the deck. The lad from Limerick had a quick tongue and a ready Wit, however, and instead of being sent ashore he was soon engaged in conyersa- tion with the sailor, and in that conversa- tion he was destined to learn of some- thing that would be of interest to his em- ployer. tri 3) The ship had recently reached New York from Australia, whither she was bound at the time when Larry had seen her before tds 5; THE LIMERICK. LAD STRIKES A TRAIT. When the Bowling Green Detective left the Irish boy on guard he made it his first object to assume a disguise. He lost no time in going to a place where that could be accomplished, and — - .* Wg Bay pi teagtey ei des atlas i ro Aid