Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 947 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

“2 “ We had not: much faith in the theory “That is what I am going to do, and | oil had got in its work! ae that she had married Clayman,” said one| don’t you forget the plans we have-ar-| He turned a sickly hue, dropped the : | of them. “She was not the kind of girl| ranged. If you do, I shall take the thing | sponge as he uttered the exclamation, and ; ae to go off and leave her mother to worry | into my own hands and make it warm for} the next instant was plunging into a a = es about her.” Stainer. Tl stain him for a certainty!’ bucket of water and washing for all he ge aes “And you have done a prize stroke of “T won't forget. You keep right, on} was worth, wildly, desperately, while | | ~Wwork, Timmy,” complimented the other. playing with him as if you know nothing | Butcher-boy Buck looked on with a smile ; ue “ Done nothin’,” cried the lad. “If I} aboutit, and we will foolish him so that he} playing around his mouth. ey ay had found the young lady, then you might | won't know which side his hair parts on. ‘* What is the matter with you?” he de- ¢.; | say so, but as it is—what are you going| There will be a high old time when it | manded. re ae to do?” comes to a focus, you can bet on that!” “That confounded sponge!’ was the 4 es “We are going straight to Bay Beach,| So the Weasel repaired to the room. reply. ra BG and we will not let up on Hodgley a mo- He had plenty of time, for Stainer could “ What is the matter with it?” : - } ment until we find out where the young| not get there under an hour or more. “It stinks, that’s what!” ; Sat lady is.. We will find her, if it takes a Looking well around, taking in every- ‘*'That’s so?” : | week.’ thing, Timmy found a place to conceal “Smell of it, and see if it don’t.” i es “Then you are sure he knows?’ himself where discovery was not likely, ‘No, thank you; I can get quite enough . a ota doubt of it.” and when he heard Stainer coming he got] of it where lam. What can be on it?’ : ra “Pitch in, then, and iind her, and save} out of sight. “How do you suppose I know? But f 3 ae Jerry from an early grave.” The trainer entered and busied himself | will find out at the place where I bought a a They laughed, and, taking leave of the | immediately. He got things in readiness | it, and they will hear from me, you bet! 4% iv RA: ». Weasel, went to prepare for the work be-} for the work of the evening, and that done, And all the time he was swishing and ay mi fore shem. he prepared his scheme. Taking the little | swoshing in the bucket with desperate io MA. Ti Bubatiy returned to the dock, where he] bottle from his pocket, he poured its con- | energy, trying to get the stuff off his face ff vw a) H j 2 Oe i i 3 » : L/ . A et Sh ea It was certainly sonietting’ to to laugh . . ee tot «haat OS Be ' ; : ; \ Ty : ry 4 x ai. BViOL I. * f ‘ / ' ; * et : et Pw 7 F o “Tae rat “Te Weg An f ; Me Ky a‘ : trey, c ‘ x ) uy S 2 ll : Me! . if 3a) fi, DP ode ps my es , a i Pe ’ at . vw oh . rik 4 vi “: : . : ‘7 ; te ; , 7 ‘ it) * ‘ i f ‘ Pope ] ped me! ie aes ‘ ih : 4 } ; ay : = is married.” -ton’s daughter, 4 ) Can't, Timmy! I can’t!” i - boarding house, r ite 1. ys i. i. vi. so heavily. 43 ‘Ve + a ee dd ie = vet, “Aha ” Ay eae _ ; ig By . * ae - c “rt i? ' ° J P Bu Pikink you have got upon the track of ‘some one who knows where Miss Claver- ton is? We lave got fair proof that she “The mischief!” “Have you proof to the contrary 7 i “Well, I think I haye, and I guess you will say so, too.” They urged him for his story, agd when oi had heard it-they agreed that he was right. 99 patiently awaited the coming of the police- man, and, finally, on a late boat, Jerry | in a certain place, work. he appeared, his face long and his eyes hun-| ‘He had other sponges handy, for his ‘Does it hurt you?’ asked Buck, much m gry. own use and use upon the man in training. | amused. ae oe The boy would have sung a verse, but he mercifully spared him the infliction at that time, * What luck, Jerry 2" he asked. * No luck at all,’ was the ; sad reply. * You saw the detectives? “One of them, but I wouldn't have known him from’ Adam if he had not made himself known. He told me they had come to take charge of Mr. Hodgley, and advised me to come back.” “You might as well, for detective work is not in your line, nor in mine either, for that matter. Those two will land him, you bet!” “But, where is my dar—Mrs. Claver- meanwhile?’ “Safe enough, I imagine.” “What have you heard, that you can say that?” “The deteetives have ign out some- thing; they digt tell me all, but they think it is® the girl's signature the rascal wants.” “Then why don’t she give it and free herself? Timmy, you can have no idea the worry this thing is giving—giving her poor mother, For her sake we ought to be doing all we can.” | “That is what we have done, Jerry. It now rests with the regular detectives. to finish the game.” “ And must we be idle till that time? I They were on their way to Jerry's the policeman having in- _ Nited the lad to spend the night with him. Tn order to take the officer’s mind off | the? one thought, Timmy related all the particulars of the forthcoming wrestling. - match, and the plot and counterplot in- volved. The result was Jerry took an active in- terest in that, and the time did not hang Thursday passed, and Friday, and that iy - afternoon Jerry heard from one of the |G bs - Getetie, It was just a note, but it gave him hope. = Lreiet all right. On track,” Terry and his young friend had been at one,”’ added Buek. ‘Smell?’ we “The ° Bowery 3 Wrestler. _ work, too, but with no success, being prac- tically out of it for the time. If out of that, however, Timmy was not out of the wrestling match, by any means, and when Friday afternoon came round he applied to Buteher-boy Buck for the key of the room where he trained. “ Now, don’t you make any mess of it,” Buck cautioned. “You trust me for that,’’ reassured the backer. tents upon one of the sponges and laid it These he arranged close to hand, and, as the weather was warm, he made use of one of the damp sponges frequently to mop the perspiration from his face and neck. He had taken care not to allow the “doc- tored” sponge to touch his skin anywhere. Ail being in readiness, he left the room, No sooner gone than Timmy was out from his hiding place. He took the “doc- tored’’ sponge and put it in the place of the one the trainer had used upon him- self, exchanging them. The stuff upon the sponge gave out a slightly pungent, inde- seribable odor that was not by any means pleasant, and Timmy grinned to himself at the thought of what was pretty certain to follow, for Stainer would be likely to discover the cheat immediately. The Weasel only hoped that he would make the discovery too late; that was what he was noes to accomplish, CHAPTER XVI. FUN IN THE Coop, Timmy ‘had already put the mark upon the wall as agreed. . In due time he heard Buck and Stajner coming, and made haste to get into his place of concealment. — From there he could see all that was going on in the room, and was an eager watcher, as can be imagined He gave the signal agreed upon to assure his friend that all was well. “Well, now, for the final PADS, Ob- served Stainer. “Yes, and we must make it a perfect “But, what is that I “TIT noticed it when I came in, tov,” Stainer avyerred, ‘Don’t know what it can be, unless it is the new sponges. I have got a couple of new ones, you see, and fine ones, too.” mf Bet. so I see.” gat p, and let’s get to business,” " All right; in a minute. Whew! ain't itewarm, though. Hope it will be cooler to-morrow-night.” ek And so do I, tor it is just sweltering. did it handsomely, This is the way I ceol off, though, and L find that it works fine. Just try it, and see— Thunder! What ails this sponge?” The secreted backer had to hold himself hard to keep from bursting out laughing, and revealing his presence. As he spoke, Stainer had grabbed up the “doctored” sponge and swiped it over his face and around his neck in an instant, rubbing well. and the deed was done be- fore he made the discovery! The Harlem and neck before it could get in its finé “No; but it don’t smell nice, and IT want it off.’ “Any one would think it was biting you.” . “T'll bite that druggist, confound him!” “What if it is a poison?” suggested. Buck. “Scott! Maybe it is!’ “ Like enough. “ With another Sponge, the fellow was now wiping as desperately as he had washed, His lively abhutions had somewhat re- duced the power of the oil, but enough of it had penetrated the skin to make him an pect of beauty within eine and twenty ours And, as he wiped, he was looking around: to see how in the world he could have made such a mistake. “I guess we won't train tonight,” ob- served Buck. | ‘If you do you will have to do it alone,’ cried Stainer. “Is it so bad as that? Lucky that I didn’t get a dose of it, then.” “The smell of it has made me sick. I am off; I must find out what it was, quick!” And he g descending the stairs two or three steps at a stride. As soon as he had gone the Butcher- boy’s backer come out from -his hiding- place, fairly doubled up with Jaug ghter, and Buck joined\him in his merriment as they shook hands. “Wasn't that rich?” cried the boy. “You bet it was!” agreed Buck. easel!” “T thought I could, for I knew about “Yow how he went to work with you, and I set the trap accordingly.” “Well, that settles Mr. Stainer. I hope he has got a dose that he will remember for many a day!” ‘Ha, ha! That he will. Brag sald ie brine ged out x. rash on the skin, and e ma: a smallpox frame ng . fin iis Bia hi hasta a achipady My : Wal > ae pa 7 ' - a vr Lae | P re * 7 +** ae —— . i f « " se . “ ee x * ‘ : A ’ + . t i. . evs . ys ' a E is > rt 2" > . - srabbed his hat and away. he went, slamming the door after him and com micbo os