Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 970 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

“Say, kid, take me ter yer marm!” Abe di- ! rected. “I will, ef you'll give me five cigs.” CHAPTER XV, THE HERMIT, AND HIS HOUSE, NEITHER Abe nor Isaac was supplied with the | libel on the name of tobacco referred to, but the former offered young Shea ten cents, instead, and | the bargain was made. He conducted them as | agreed upon, and they took a cautious view of | the house in which Shea declared the object in | the bag haa been landed, **Old Duffy’s” house, like those surrounding | it, was old and dilapidated, and dogs and dirt | alone appeared to flourish there, As nothing | could be seen of interest to the Sharp, he, after | Jearning that the Duffys and the Sheas were not | on g terms, decided to go in and see Mrs, ee Shea, He went, and found her a ,rood-natured, but | ignorant woman. A little talk sufficed to bring | out a long complaint against Dom Duffy and his | tumnily, aiter which Abe quietly referred tv the | eventsof the past night. | ‘““[ know nothing about it,” returned Mrs, | Shea, ‘but me kids say de bag was delivered | there, an’ they wouldn't tellalie, Sure, de bag may have been innocent enough, but | have me doubts since I saw Pete Glass there, to-day.” ‘* Who is he?” Abe asked, mildly. *‘ Pete Glass? Sure, he’s wan ave the Ould Nick’s children, I knew bim of ould, an’ no good did I know ave him.” ‘* When an’ where was this?” ** Bless me! how the question does carry me back to de ould toimes, It was when I was workin’ for Hiram Bentley.” The Dock Sharp caught himself just as he was ang to utter an exclamation of surprise, Un- ess there had been two Hiram Bentleys, it was the name of Parson Joe's father, and the same man who had been stabbed in the back by Cap- tain Twiss or one of his followers. ‘*It’s many a long year ago,” continued Mrs, Shea. ‘*‘ How welll remember them all—Hiram Bentley, his wife, who died when her last child was a baby, an’ de childers, Joseph an’ Mary.” ‘What become of them?” Abe asked. ‘* Bentley died at sea soon after his wife did; | then the baby, Mary, died. What became ave | Joseph [ never knew. There’s only wan man I’m sure could tell—though maybe Pete Glass” could—an’ he won’t open his mouth ef torture was applied,” ‘*'W ho’s that!” ‘‘His name is Longley, an’ he lives over be- Cie here. He was on the vessel whin Bentley — ee eS I’ve always been thinkin’ there was onthe way. Ahoy Abe, the nered, and his sudden removal! to New Jersey in- dicated that state of affairs, was it not possible that he would seek Longley as one likely to be of service in his hour of need? The Sharp winked to Isaac, and then said they must go, He received a cordial invitation to call again, the attentive way in which he had listened while the lady talked having won her good-will, from her direction the boys had no trouble in finding Longley’s house. It was small, and but a trifle more prepossessing than the rookeries occupied by the Sheas and the Duffys, Thus far nothing had been seen of Glass, though they cs followed his tracks easily in the dusty road. As Isaac was a stranger Abe now sent him ahead to pass the house, loiter a little, and then return; all the while giving heed to the foat- oor and making sure whether they led into ongley’s yard. Isaac went, and returned in due time. ‘* Caged!” he remarked, ‘* The tracks turned inter Longley’s, eh?” ‘¢ Veg, an’ so did Glass,” *' Looks like et.” ‘* | seeu fim there,” ‘Oh! did yer?” ‘*Yes; he was at un upper winder, chinnin’ with somebody. Lcouldn’t see the other one, but I understood Dame Shea ter say Longley lived alone, so I guess et was him. ’Cording ter all appearances I should say Peter has sought his old friend, Eb?” sé Yes. ” Abe spoke absently. He was wondering if the present case was not a good one in which to bring certain matters to acrisis, Glass was in consultation with a man who, ori said, had been knowing to the death of Hiram Bentley. More than this, it seemed possible to unfold the mystery of the object brought from New York in the , if the proper means could: be used. ** Ike,” he sudderly added, ‘* will Sad back ter New York on an errand fer me?” ‘*Tbunder!—jest ez things are warmth’ up?” returned Isaac, in dismay. ‘* Parson Joe, the sport, would want ter be here the worst way ef he knew the sitterwation, an’ I'll bet he would pay you well ef ore go ter him, tell him about it, an’ lead him here,” Isaac liked excitement, but he also liked money, and this proposition impressed him so forcibly that he first thought of it seriously and then decided to go. He had a,few words more with his friend, and then hastened away follow- ed by Abe’s parting injunction: “s it, Ikey, an’ don’t let yer legs grow moss Hustle yer liveliest, an’ tell Parson strange worruk about de way the master died, | Joe that I say he’s wanted here, bad /” butit ain’t fer a poor body loike me to sift de| Left alone the Sharp continued his watch, but matter. Old Longley has been growing older | it was soon interrupted by the reappearance of an’ uglier, an’ he’s been a total ten years, hated by all.” The Sharp made a mental note of the name, A man who had been on the vessel when Bent- ley died would prove of interest to Parson Joe— oak also of interest to the police—some me, ** Longley then owned a trotting-horse, an’, as he was away at sea a good deal, he hired Pete— then a young man—to take care of the b’aste, Sure, Pete thought he cut a foine figger ridin’ around wid de outfit.” There was that in Mrs, Shea’s manner which made Abe suspect she had been Pete’s companion in more than one ride, but he did not mention the idea. ** Horses an’ dogs an’ fast com ruination ave Pete,” she continued, ‘an’ finally all of his friends had to shake him, He got into wan scrape after another, had to run away un- til his misdeeds blowed over, an’ thin come back an’ did worse than iver, T horse-tout now, an’ where could yez find a mean- er trade?” Mrs, Shea’s mind seemed to run more upon Peter Glass than anything else, but when Abe brought her back to the Bentley family, she an- swered willingly enough, but without giving more light, She had worked for them, but kntew very little about them, really, ny was the While they were talking, her hopeful son re- ; entered. ‘Say, old woman,” he remarked, ‘‘de bloke dat you said was Pete Glass has just left Old Duffy’s an’ is goin’ up de road.” ** Let him go!” ‘* He seems ter have business on his hands.” ** Goin’ ter see old Longley, mebbe.” This careless remark from Mrs, Shea set Abe to thinking. If Glass was finding cor- ** W here does Pete Glass come in?” he asked, bey do say he’s a | angry, but by the time he Abe’s ambush his mood had changed to one of milder, more to be strug- hermit for these Peter Glass. He came out looking irritated and thoughtful fashion, and he ap gling with some a em. ‘** Guess he was knocked out on some plan, in there,” was the Sharp’s ready surmise. Glass went on, and the watcher soon saw him disappear in ‘* Old Duffy’s” rookery. This left Abe without any employment. [saac was ing for New York, but it would be a long time before he would return. The sun was be- ginning to cast long shadows as it neared the horizon ; night was close at hand, The more the Sharp looked at the house in front of him the more he e of a desire to know more about its occupant. What was Longley like? According to Mrs. Shea he was a man with a dark record, and Abe had a vague idea that he must have a genuine pirate. Of pirates the boy bad often heard, but never having seen any of the fraternity, he was curious to know how they looked. Longley, as a possible pirate and a known participant in the Bentley tragedy, had a fascination for Abe. ‘* B’gosh!” he suddenly decided, ‘‘ I’m goin’ | ter on him, Glass come out lookin’ ugly, That shows he didn’t get w’ot he wanted. Longley went back on him, Good! lll see | ener A an’ find out ef the pirate has re- ormed, The decision did not seem to be of the wisest nature, but the S straightway marched to the house and knock No one answered, He repeated the summons, but failed to much noise out of it, as he had to rely upon knuckles, and the door was solid. After some further delay he decided that knocking was a waste of time, If Longley was a hermit it was not likely he would answer any such sum- eS EE TT LL ne cere TT < 13 ees te mons, and if Glass had been able to come and go freely, why could not others do the same? Again acting upon a reckless impulse, the Sharp opened the door and entered, His first view of the interior was in the nature of a surprise, Hesaw a good-sized hall, the floor of which which was uncarpeted, and where there was no furniture, but, instead, a dozen rocks, some of them weighing nearly two hundred pounds, were scattered about. This was peculiar, but if Abe had opened the doors jeading from the hall he would have found the same state of affairs there—rocks were every where. It was not until some time after that he learned that Longley never had furnished the lower floor at all, and, objecting to the noise every trifling occurrence made in the vacant rooms, he had filled them witb rocks to deaden sound, Now, after looking awhile at the singular “* furniture,” he went up-stairs. He was re- solved to walk in boldly upon Longley, but as he paused at the head of the stairs, he heard footsteps on the walk outside the house, Hurrying to the window he looked out. What he saw gave bhim a shock. The pedestrian was Captain John Twiss! ‘Great Scott!” the Sharp exclaimed, ‘‘ he’s come ter see Longley!” CHAPTER XVI, THE SHARP GETS OLD-TIME HISTORY. AHOY ABE’S discovery was, at first, some- thing of a shock, for Captain Twiss had made his reputation asa hard fighter, and the Sharp was not foolish enough to suppose he could worst the mariner in an equal fight, but it soon occurred to him that there might be no need of an encounter. He had not yet revgaled himself to Longley, and if Twiss came in at once, all previous sounds might possibly be ascribed to him; and this would give the Sbarp a chance to listen oe the captain talked with his old-time asso- ciate. ‘* Jim-hickey! I guess I’m still in it!” was Abe’s exultant comment. Twiss did not pause torap. He entered, and, after a little hesitation, came up the stairs, Abe crouched back in a corner and trusted to the darkness to screen his small form from ob- servation. For a moment Twiss paused and looked around, and then opened a door. He closed it at once, and then went to another. ‘his he openéd, and at once entered, x Hallo, Loustey !” he exclaimed, bluffly. He had pus the door to behind him, but it had failed to latch, and a slight crevice was left, unknown to him; a fact very much in the Sharp’s favor, : There was a long pause, and then a low, hoarse voice sullenly answered: ‘Why has Satan, your master, sent you here?” ‘* Come, old comrade, that’s not an amiable way to receive a friend,” Twiss remonstrated. ‘*Friend!” echoed tbe other, sarcastically. ‘*-You and I are villains, John Twiss, but we need not be hypocrites,” = Really, I have the very best of feeling for ** What favor do you want?” was the brusque interruption. ** Favor?” “Yes, Flattery and wheedling always pre- cede the introduction of a selfish ed.” Ahoy Abe bad ventured to ae the door open a little-more, and this enabled him to get sight of the second ker. It was, of course Longley, and he very well fitted Abe’s fancy of g him an ex-pirate, The man was in ; well propped up with pillows, and it needed no wise looker to discover that it was a bed of sickness. Once Longley had been an athletic man, but age and infirmities bad come upon him. The flesh had gone from his limbs and person, leav- ing the big bones and muscles very prominent, © and the blood seemed to have gone, too. His rough, gnarled, face was colorless —almost as much so as the stiff hair and long i which framed it in, and they were quite whi Piainly, the hand of death was upon him, and in that hour only his eyes retained the light and likeness of life. They were bright pierc- ing, and ryvt aided " face to crt an ex- pression of sarcasm and great cunning. “ Longley, you wrong me!” Twiss declared. ‘*T have come as a friend, to visit an old com- rade. As soon as Pete Glass told me you were ill 1 hastened here—”