Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 970 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

‘‘ Wal, I ain’t seen him ter-night,” Parson Joe stood in thoughtful silence, while | As the former | w’otever her name is, will make trouble; women Abe as thoughtfully studied Joe, had said, the sport dressed in black, Had it not been for his barely visible linen there would have been nothing to break the one prominent hue of his costume. His rather fine face was without beard, but | the daily use of a razor upon it did not keep it from having the dark line which showed where a beard would soon appear, if allowed to grow. This man was somewhat of acuriosity. He was not popular with sporting men us arule, and many wholly distrusted him, but no one could give good ground fora doubt. His grav- ity was against him. No one knew anything more. And when he wagered anything on chance, at the card-table or the races, he was a reckless ** plunger.” Some observing men had ventured the opinion that Joe had seen sume great trouble, basing the idea on the fact that his face was rarely free from a look of sadness, but no amount of in- quiry ever had developed the mystery of his past life, if there was one, He suddenly aroused from meditation. ‘*Boy, do you want to do an errand?” he asked, ‘* I’m always open ter negotiations,” Ahoy Abe replied. , ‘¢ You will be duly paid, and the service is, on the surface, simple. Jt is to carry a note to a certain house, WhatI particularly want you to do, however, is to use judgment which cannot be estimuted in cash, See?” ‘* Jedgment in w’ot, mister,” ‘¢T want you to keep your eyes wide open, see all you can see, and hear all you can hear, Im- agine, if you please, that the house is one which has a secret, and be on the alert to notice all out of the common order of events. Also, watch closely when the note is read, and see how it affects the reader.” ‘*‘ No skin-game about it, is there, boss?” ‘‘Noue whatever.” ‘¢ Then [10 yer gorilla. gr the plow!” ‘¢The house is No, ——, West street, and the man is Peter Glass,” ) ‘* The horse ‘ tout?” ‘* Yes, So you know him?” replied the water- front walker. ‘‘By sight an’ repertation. I don’t number no tout among my friends, fer I ain’t in love with that sort of biped. Not much! But there ain’t nothin’ ter pervent me from carryin’ yer note, mister. Pete may, or may not, know me by sight—et don’t matter whether he does or ot. ‘‘ Here is the note, then. Go, be prudent and wise, and you shall be duly rewarded, Give the note to Glass, in person.” ‘* Right you be, bass!” Abraham was accustomed to doing errands where little light was vouchsafed him, and he received the note nonchalantly and moved away. On gaining sight of the house he found it one of more size than was the rule in that vicinity. The lower part was used for Lusiness purposes, and the upper asa dwelling. He rung the bell and a run-down looking specimen of mankin ie (oe be asked for Glass, and was informed that he was out, The messenger observed that he would enter and wait, whereupon the woman hesitated, scrutinizing the Dock Sharp closely. She conducted him up-stairs to a sitting- rgom. Wait here,” she directed, briefly, and went out. Abe was obe Parson Joe’s orders to ob- serve all he could, He had noted her hesitation toadmit him, The fact that she had now left him alone proved that she had not been afraid to ad- mithim. Then why had she hesitated? ‘Pete Glass is a sneak, an’ he’s prob’ly a amp, thought the messenger, ‘‘ Et wouldn’t surp me a bit ef this house was a crook’s quarters,” Presently Abe heard two persons come down the second flight of stairs, They an to speak, and their voices not only showed them to be women, but, unknown to them, reached the rat he sharp ears, ‘* He is mighty troublesome,” remarked one. ‘‘ Yes.” returned the other. ‘‘He is gaining strength avery. day, an’ ef I had my way, I'd poison him, Fete Glass is a fool if he con- tinues to run resk here. Why not move him away?” ‘‘Oh! Pete wants Captain Twiss’s money.” ‘« Hellof Do these cases connect?’ was Abe’s ready query. Ono of these days Pete an’ Twiss will go to Ahoy Abe, the Dock Sharp. | Sing Sing, an’ then they’ll wish they had kept out of it. Now that gal, Eliza, or Elise, or always do.” ** It’s a big lay.” “Yes, but will it pay? Now, that thing up- stairs— Hark! what’s that?” A crash had sounded on the floor above, fol- lowed by a discordant sound like that of neither human being nor animal, “s Murder!” one of the women cried ; ‘* he’s got ! ‘‘ What has got loose?” wondered Abe, as a fresh screech followed. CHAPTER IV. THE SHARP LEAVSS TELLTALE SIGNS, AHoY ABE was on his feet, He was ready to believe anything evil of the house, and did not place any charitable construction on what he had heard said, while the reference to Captain Twiss and Elise showed that the affairs of Peter Glass dovetailed with those of the mariner and his niece in some way. But that strange sound from above—what was it? That was what interested the Dock Sharp most, He did not believe man or beast a uttered the discordant cry—then what was it He heard the women running up-stairs to- gether, and a sudden reckless resolve came to him, Risky as it was, he determined to tread the same course and see if he could obtain light on the subject. Quickly leaving the room, he hurried up the stairs. The hall above was vacant, but he was not at a loss to ascertain where the women were. Sounds of a struggle came from a room near at hand. Heran to theclosed door. ‘* Beat him back!” came the cry, in a woman’s voice, ‘¢ Look out for his teeth !” responded the second female. ‘* Crack his head if he touches you!” Then sounded the discordant noise again, and even his proximity gave Abe no information, It was unlike anything he had heard before, The struggle continued, but, whatever the op- posing force was, its originator gave no further clew to his ies. Still, the ner could not help arriving at two conclusions: that it must be an animate ob- ject, and that anything less than a human being could not figure so prominently, mye his curiosity urged him on to reckless work, and he attempted to open the door, Here he was foiled ; it was locked. The struggle ceased inside, and only heavy breathing was heard for awhile, Then one of the women angrily exclaimed: t phi a good mind to pound him over the ea 7 ‘* Leave that for Glass and Twiss,” ‘‘They leave this demon to us; why shouldn’t we manage him? It is nothin’ but trouble, with the fear of the perleece always afore our eyes, Let them get wind of this, an’ descend onto us, an’ where would we go? Why, we'd be rail- roaded! Pretty place, Sing Sing is, but I don’t aspire to go there fer twenty years. ‘Must be bloody work goin’ on up here,” a Ahoy Abe, i stay: here,” pursued one of the women, ‘San’ you go down, Glass will soon be in, an’ you want ter tell him of the boy. Yes; an’ to watch the boy, too, I’m afraid of that kid; he looks too sharp to be trusted.” Ahoy Abe grimaced and turned away from the door. There was no further chance to learn anything, and prudence demanded that he ge back to where he had been left, without de- ay At that moment, however, he made an alarm- ing discovery. Footsteps sounded on the stairs below, and he saw a man ascending. An- other look, and he recognized Peter Glass, him- self, ** Jehosophat!” The Sharp uttered the exclamation in a startled way. He was literally cornered, and discovery seemed certain, What was to be done? He felt no cowvanaly fear of Glass, but it bbw be an awkward situation if he was found ere. Again he asked the mental question, What was to be done? He flashed a glance around the hall, Near him was another door. He seized the knob and a it—it yielded—a closet was revealed be- yond, Quickly he entered. It seemed to be only a reprieve, but anything was better than stupid acquiescence in the dan- ger of immediate discovery. He peered out‘and saw Glass at the top of the last stairs. As if in defiance of his name the man was any- thing but fragile. He was big, burly, coarse, dirty and unkempt. He had a face as brutal as a prize-fighter’s, and almost asrough as corru- gated pasteboard. An ill-looking person was. Peter Giass, Lorse tout and tough. Just as he planted one of his big feet on the floor, the hitherto-locked door opened, and one of the women appeared. She looked relieved upon seeing Peter. ‘‘ im glad you’ve come!” she declared. ‘‘ The deuce has been to pay, here!” ‘’ With bis nibs?” demanded Glass, quickly. ‘‘Yes, He got partly loose, and we had ter fight him shoulder toshoulder. I tel! ye, that critter is dangerous. He knows too much; his head is too long. I’ve held ducks before, but. not one whose brain worked as actively as his. One of these days, Peter, he will get wholly loose, an’ then there will be the tallest kind of @ row. See?” ‘‘- You are excited, Deb,” Giass returned. ‘* Of course he was liable to get a partial move on, but if-he wasa Samson he couldn’t get wholly free, Don’t you worry.” ‘« Well, ef you’re the man you claim, come im and tie them knots so they’ll hold,” ** All right,” Peter entered the room of mystery with her, and again the key clicked in the lock. By that time Abe Daw was in the hall with his gaze fixed on the door. His daring was such that he was ready to take any risk to see beyond that door, aud he bad decided to risk the venture, but the turning of the key settled that point. Giving the matter up for the time, he re- treated down-stairs and to the room where he had been left originally. He felt sure he would goon see some of the gang, and was not disap- inted. Quick, heavy footsteps sounded, and {ass entered, . He regarded Abe suspiciously, it seemed. ‘‘T’m told that you want to seejme,” he began. ‘*‘T do, general, I hey an epistolary docu- ment, surnamed a letter, here, w’ich is fer yer peroosal. Them female women wanted fer ter relieve me of it, but I had strick orders ter dump it inter yer own fives, an’, besides, I ain’t no great faith in women.” ‘*Give me the letter.” ‘* Correck, fer sure.” Abraham was as bland and smiling as boy could be, and Pete’s frown disa to a great degree. But when he read the letter it all came back, and he glared angrily at the mes- senger, ‘Why in perdition was this sent me?” he de- manded, belligerently. ‘¢ Don’t know, mister.” a I wish I had the scoundrel here who wrote it. ‘‘ You kin send fer him,” suggested Abe. ‘*T suppose you are in it?” “In wot?” ‘¢ The bluff.” ‘‘Nary in, boss, Wot is the rifflef” Pete’s manner changed. ‘+ Haven’t you read this note?” ‘‘ No,” replied the Sharp; and then he felt sorry he had admitted the fact. ‘> How came you by it?” ‘Met a gent on the street who hifed me ter bring it. I may say he was an unknown, fer he didn’t whisper his name in my ear. Seef” Glass thought he did, and decided that Aho Abe was only an innocent hired man, Hef to studying the note, and the messenger saw that he was stirred up all through. Anger, and perhaps alarm, gnawed at his heartstrings and photographed themselves on his face. He was still studying when one of the women entered the room, She held a handkerchief in her hand, and extended it toward Glass, ‘* Ts that yours?” she asked. ‘* No,” he answered, contemptuously, ‘I don’t carry a‘ wipe’ that has more dirt on it than West street can boast of.” ‘‘ Then it’s that boy’s!” The woman turned two hostile eyes upon ‘“‘ that boy,” who felt that he would like a hole to crawlinto. The soiled handkerchief was in- deed his, and he began to fear it had led him into shallow waters and breakers, ‘*T found it on the floor in the upper hall,” the hostile female added, **an’ ef it ain’t yours. no inmate of this house dropped it there, That boy has been spyin’ on us!” CHAPTER V, ABE MEETS DANGER AND MYSTERY. LEVELING a bony finger at Ahoy Abe, the woman poured out the accusation, and it was \ ee eee - <a ‘ en - - oe = ad * ' si @ F ih at - + ) - €y Aloe ot 7 ce? *® = ; ( * ~~ ‘ o E . rhb 7 . f - M v > ef . ’ ‘ rE a wa . i 4 + : J 1 apes 4 yh’ j ‘4 , ‘ ™ +» < v4 Pt Pa a | o4, * *