Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 262 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

4 ' 20 Then be sunk all into a heap, curled up on the floor, groaning dismally and gasping for breath, while the colonel calmly arranged bis rumpled hair, put on his hat, and said to his fallen foe in the sweetest way: ‘*Meester Blessing, my dear friend, I have leetle bit advice to give you. Keep your guard down on de mark, It is bad place to be hit.” Then be turned on the bar keeper with a scowl pts entirely changed the look of bis face as he Sain: “You put dat club down, or I take it from you and break your back.” Jim turned pale and dropped it saying: ‘*T bain’t got no club, sir.” *“See you do not find it,” answered the col- onel, sbaking his finger at bim. “I am man dat play with those things. Now you make me noder visky sour. I paid youfortwo. Vat yo take me for? I know de price.” “Certainly, certainly, general,” replied Jim, hurriedly, and he made up the seductive mix- ture, while Blessing still sat, curled up and groaning, on the floor, The colonel sat and sipped his drink till Bless- ing ma d to crawl up to his feet and totter out of the saloon, all bent up, and went away. » As he departed, Syenson observed: ‘* Dat vas foolish man, my friend. You take lesson by bim. Never try hit man, you do not know you can lick bim.” Jim gave a rueful grin. ‘*T ain’t likely to bit you.” ss *, t’ink not, my friend,” answered Svenson, ryly. Then he heard steps on the stairs, and Harvey eanie down with his men, looking gloomy, while Buck Jarvis wore a sneer of badly concealed triumph on his features, and the young man said shortly: “You were right and I.was wrong, colonel. She’s not here,” The colonel got up from the table and came to Buck Jarvis, at whom he looked keenly. “* Dis is Meester Sharvis?” he said politely; Buck sneered cpenly. ‘Yes, this is Buck Jarvis. What d’ye make of that now?” The colonel smiled. ‘Nothing now, sare. But you did me de hon- or to come to my place to-davy—” *‘T didn’t do no such thing,” returned Duck evading his eye. ‘I tell ye, ye’ve got hold cf the wrong man.” The colonel shrugged his shoulders, “You are very prudent. You know vat I vould do to you if you vas dat man?” Buck tried to sneer again. “[Tdunno. You might get sucked in at it.” The colonel shook his finger at him. ‘*T yould give you licking you nevair forget, sare. You mind dat, Take care youdo not meet me some day, ven dere is no officer round, I teach you come to my place ven lam avay.’ Then, without another word, he marched out of the saloon, followed by his friends, CHAPTER XXV. THE O’GRADYS’ SHINDY, MURDERER’S ROW was unusually quiet that night, though the houses were lighted up as usual and plenty of women were to be seen gossiping on doorsteps or gadding from house to house to hold mysterious conclaves in whis- pers. eeput something was missing. Usually the bouses were full of noise and shouting, while the three saloons which flour- ished on the community resounded to the strains of pianos and violins, to which the frequenters danced all night at times. This night hardly a man was to be seen, and every now and then the glitter ofa Broa onee buttons showed one of the knights of the locust patrolling the place, where, till that day, no ‘cop” had dared show bimself. There were only three or four of them; but the careless confident way in which they walked sbowed that they had plenty of help within call and, asa matter of fact, one of the houses which was distinguished from the rest by being dark, contained the whole reserve of the precinct, waiting for the reappearance of the regular residents of the row, while Captain Samuels kept a buggy running to and from the station- house, to overlook the matter in capture the ringleaders if he cou ‘“break up the gang.” Captain Samuels was a young and ambitious officer, who had set his heart on distinguishing himself by exterminating the desperadoes that had so on terrorized over bis colleagues, Jones, in the next precinct, and he bad set his heart also on capturing the tin box of bonds which Harvey asserted to have been stolen by an un- known man in police garb, though the captain thoroughly disbelieved the story, and hoped to find the box in Murderer’s Row. It was, therefore, with some irritation and considerable contempt that be greeted Harvey, who walked into the station-house that evening a little after dusk, accompanied by Colone Swenson. * Well, popherg and d,so as to gentlemen,” he said, ‘‘I suppose Fighting “Tom. you’ve made up your mind to do the sensible thing at last, and make your complaint against this Buck Jarvis for the assault. I told you you'd have to do it.” ‘On the contrary,” returned Harvey, ‘ we have cajled to notify you that we are going to occupy the house of Mrs. Somers to-night, and that we shall require no police protection.” Samuels stared contemptuously. ‘“What? You? Didn’t you get enough last night? Why, man, if I withdraw my men, it will be known in ten minutes, and they’ll come back in a flock and double-bank you.” “Then why not let them come?” observec! Harvey, ‘‘and make a swoop, near morning. You're not likely to capture any one, if you don’t.” The captain scowled. ; ‘*P’r'aps you’d like my place, sir? I guess that the commissioners are satisfied with the way I carry on this precinct, I was not asking your advice.” Harvey shrugged his shoulders, ‘‘ As you please. Good-evening.” He was walking out of tke station-bhouse when the captain said sneeringly: *‘ Suppose I took my men cff as Probably you feel competent to yourself in that house,” ‘“‘If I did not, Ishould not go there,” returned Harvey coldly, as he walked out wilh Svenson, and he took his way quietly past Murderer’s Row, where he noticed the police patrolling and wonien eying them furtively from the doors, The colonel said nothing till they bad passed the place, when he observed: ‘Dey vill get no one to-night. Dat. captain be vill nottdo vatany one say but himself, “He is hombre insympatetica, muy insympa- | tetica,” The colonel, who bad lived. much in Spanish America, from whence his mother came, though bis father was a Dane, had a way of lapsi: g into Spanish occasionally, and a great dislike for what he called _ MRAP EES men,” by which he meant disagreeab‘e ones. “For all dat,” he continued, “if I mistake not, he vill follow your advice.” ** How do you mean?” “He will withdraw his men after dark, on purpose to give you trouble.” Harvey’s fece contracted in a frown. ‘Let bim doit. We can take care of our- selves.” He had been very gloomy and taciturn since Buck Jarvis bad outwitted him by taking Nina cut of bis reach, and bad come here to the house from whence tbe girl had cova the day before, with a vague hope of finding some trace of the missing box of bonds, ; The colonel bad rather encouraged him in the idea of going: but now he said gravely: ‘* Meester ’Arvie, my dear friend, you must not bope for much to-night, I hive idea cat ve shall not find much.” ‘* Probably not,” returned Harvey gloomily; “but at least it is my last night of liberty. I must go back to the office to morrow, aud if I don’t find anything to-night, 1 must give up the whole thing, I suppose.” “You are right, my dear friend.. You are oung man yet and cannot affcurd waste time. tis a pitee, I admi', dat sweet young ladee; but it isno business of ours, We must miod our own affairs. Here is de house,” They came to tbe little house at the end of the row, and went in by means of the key that Harvey ¢c?rried, finding everything the same as it had Teen when they Jeft it in the morning. The policeman in charge seemed to be glad to be relieved, and went away, bidding them good-night, when the colonel observed: ‘Now, my dear friend, ve are here. going to do?” “To wait till all's gales and I beer the rap of that man they call the ‘Night Walker.’ Then I propose to go out and foliow bim up. He bas that box, whoever he is.” The colonel nodded bis head wisely. “Tsee, Isee. Uncle Joe’s story runin your head still, You tink—” “T think that this man, whoever be is, must be crazy; and the fact of bis wearing a police uniform, or part of one, mekes me think be must be Jake Vredenburg. Who else can it be? He was crazy and to the last remained fond of the old uniform. What more natural than that he should bave a recollection of the place where he was last conscious, and haunt it? The colonel seemed struck by the idea. ‘You have de logic of it, my dear friend. I admit it may be possible. But if so, how is it de oder policeman do not know him?” Harvey jooked at his companion keenly, ** Are you sure they don’t know him? I have an idea they do.” The colonel shook his head. ‘You are wrong, my dear friend.” ** What makes you think sc?” ‘*They would have him long ago.” ‘* But they might not be able to catch him.” “ De ple of Murderer’s Row would have found him out.” ** Perbaps they have too.” “What make you say dat?” ** Well, I noticed that they seemed to be much yeu suggest. ke care of a Si et Sl Vat you excited about bis rapping that night, but Miss Somers said that they were all used to it, and that the noise in Murderer’s Row ceased every night about the time that he began bis raps.” he colonel shrugged his shoulders. ‘Dat was superstition. None so full of dat as de criminal. Dey ipugh at de law of man, and try defy de Jaw of God, but dey believe it all de same, and dey shake ven someting make dem tink of de next world.” ‘*‘ Perbaps you may be right,” said Harvey, in a thoughtful way. ‘‘ At all events I have a strange feeling that we shall find out something about that box to-night.” They went through the bouse again, and saw that it was in good condition to resist any as- sault if such were to be feared. * But dey vill not come,” observed Svenson, ‘*Tt is not de same as last night.” ‘“‘T should say not. Then I was. alone, and hadno weapon. By the by, colonel, poor Kate O'Donnell lost your revolver for ycu.” ‘Dat is all one. I get him back.” ‘‘Get him back. How?” “From dat Jarvis. I have not dcne with bim vet, Arvie, my dear friend. Yu bear vat I tell him? I mean it.” And the old warrior lookrd dangerous, in a way he bad sometimes, as d fferent us could be from bis usual placid, smiling a) peerance. ‘*T get dat pistol from him. It is like bim to, come here to-night, and he vill not know lam here. Datis why I.came, my friend,” ‘*T thought you cz me to help me, colonel.” ‘Dat? Yes. But also to help. myself. You do not know me yet, my friend. Dat man he go to my house ven I vas ony, and he frighten de senora, I have not punish bim yet, but I¢o £0, 1doso. You see.” ‘Then you think he will come here to-night?” The colonel laughed. ‘Mr. ’Arvie, my dear friend, you are young. lam old sport, I discount you in know de tricks of de villain, Yes, he vill come. I told ou, you vould not see de senorita to-day. He as bide her avay. But he vill not keep her so very_lorg.” —“ What.do you mean?” “*T mean be want de meney, not her, If he do not get de mcney, be vill give her up... Vat does be vant vid a ladee?” Harvey felt a thrill) of joy for the first time, ‘*Do you think so really?” ‘“T know it. Put yourse)fin bis place. You vas ascamp like dat—pard:n I mean suppose you vas—vat you vant vid a girl dat cry ail de time, dat is not use to work, dat onlee vant to get ay hd You ssy, let her go. So vill he,” ‘** But if he finds the money ?”’ “Aba, my friend, dst is different. Den he say I keep de girl and de money too. My cear friend, you pray dat ve find dat morey, if you hope to see de senorita again.” ‘TI certainly do, colonel, but 1d ratker see her than the money any time.” 3m ‘So vould not 1. my dear friend.. You are very young man. I have seen de world, Isa cat de money ver’ good; ver’ good to keep de hcuse, But ve vill not get it to-night.” “Why do you think so?” The colonel winked at him, ‘*Too many police round,” he said, in a low tcne. ‘‘Dey go avay, ve have chance, Vat yousay? You have a cigar. Ve have noting to do till de time ccme ven he rap.” | They lighted their cigars, and the colonel pro- pcsed to g0 tp on the roof of the house, which was nearly flat. | ‘Ve see vat goon, Vebeardenoise. Maybe ye have charce even to-night,” be said. They went up on the rcof and hid themselves Lehind a chimney. All was quite qu‘et round them, and as they Legan their watch the city clocks were striking yine and the last flush of sunset was dying &way in the west. hey were on camparatively bigh ground, end could see the North river by the glimmer cver the tops of the }cuses toward the river- Lark, while on the other side, over the dark empty lots, stretched the lines of sewer pipes, like chimneys, ard beyond them rose the steep rccks Of Shantytown, just where the work of the blasters who had cut. the streets bad left them for the O Gradys and Fitzgeralds. Lights twinkled frcm the shanties, dotting the recks, and the sbrill cries of women callirg to their children to come in and go to bed came down at intervals, On the side toward the river Marderer’s Row stood, full of twinkling lights, but all was quiet there, so quiet that the colonel remarked: “De police have nct gone. We bave no luck til] they go, my friend.’ Harvey was sogn turied in a pleasant dream as he listened to the distant noises from Shanty- town. There was something so picturesque in the ir- regular crags, crowned with cottages, some- tbing so unlike the rest of New York city, that it took bis furcy at once, ‘‘T shouldn’t wonder,” he said thoughtfully, “if those poor people there live quite bappily their way, in these shanties.” : The colonel puffed out some smoke, “ Ay, ay, it is like de old countree, de rock o-_e:: Eomicboo (E Ss) co S a Pp 1s ' ei oO il cc at TO Oh Pe