Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 262 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

> lg eel tnt, eet ™ a r aes ithe —— 4 ‘ Reape pay 6 ear el Ae ew, ae Se rhe ies <a te ORS = Mas. - aes. sd ae —- — bowlder, and the fragments Jay all round the hole of various sizes, About twenty feet off rose one of the tall chimney-like sewer-pipes, and they could see the others in a line stretching either way to the rocks and toward the river. Harvey did not ask why his companion had stopped, for he began to see that the old warrior understood the situation far better than he did himself, Presently they beard voices approaching, and Harvey could not_help a start as he recognized the tones of Buck Jarvis. *T tell ye, boys,” he was saying, “‘no cops won’t be here to-night, but they’!! be in hvely in the mornin’, What's to be done has got to be done to-night.” “And what is to be done?’ asked another voice that Harvey knew not. ‘We've got to find that box,” replied Buck. **T made the gal own up her snoozer had got it, and I reckon he’s a-tryin’ to fool her ’bout it, too, ‘ Why?” asked the other man. The voices were so close that Harvey turned his head and saw three figures skirting the broken fragments of rock toward Murderer’s Row, as if they knew the way. “Tried to make her believe a man stole it,” answered Buck, indignantly. “I know what he’, done, He’s hid it away somewhere in the house, and I’m going through it again.” Svenson squeezed Harvey’s arm to call his attention to the words and as Buck passed on, whispered: ‘*'You see what I teli you? He has come.” “What shall we do” whispered back Harvey. The colopel’s only reply was to flatten himself out again, with another squeeze, for more voices approached, “Ve arein de good place,” he whispered at last, almost inaudibly, as the voices got loud in Seng, and very soon afterward a group of about a dozen men came on stumbling over the broken rocks, cursing and quarreling. “| tell ye it was a Fitzgerald that laid out the first cop.” ‘* Arrah, ye make my toe ache!” ‘What are ye givin’ us. It was Tom O'Grady mashed his head wid a rock.” “* And didn’t I ses Maurice Fitzgerald hit him wid the stick meself?”’ “*Tt was afther he was down.” “* And what’s that got to do wid it?” *“*Sure he finished the spalpeen.” 1t was the rival clans disputing over the vic- tory and the quarrel terminated in one man falling over a sharp Bar of rock, Saat ‘* Bad luck to the O’Gradys and all t of them! OW!!!” Then there was a laugh at his expense and another man cried: ‘“* And it’s Mike Fitzgerald that’s got a hard shin, 80 he bas, Luke how he split the rock, es e rest “It’s all full of ’em. Come this-a-way,” cried another man, and the group sheered off, to Harvey’s relief, for he thought they were com- ing right on top of bim. ** We are in de track,” said the colonel. ‘‘ We hear all as well as in de house. Keep still. I have an idea.” ‘* What is it?” asked Harvey, after a pause, during which silence prevailed. The colonel turned bis head. *“You see dose sewer-pipe,” he said: ‘Certainly, What of them?” ‘Dey make a good place to hide. No one would tink of looking for us dere.” - a how should we get in and out?” we get in easy enough. Dey are but six feet high here. To get out, difficult, but I see a way.” Harvey looked at them doubtfully. He had heard of men hiding in sewers before, but only in those of Paris which are large enough for a man tostandupin. The New York sewers up- town are made of three-foot pipes. A man in an emergency might craw] through them if they were empty, bnt the prospect was not a pleasant one, oe ‘*Let us wait, colonel,” he said. “If the worst comes to the worst we can do it.” ‘The colonel laughed almost inaudibly.. ‘** You do not admire de prospect? No more do I, my friend. But I tell you 1 have'an idea, If dat crazee man live here dere is de place we find bim.” | Od Harvey started as his friend spoke, — ote heavens, I believe you’re right! he Dat is more sai CHAPTER , XXVIIL. THE NIGHT WALKER, For some time after this they lay still in the little hollow, groups of men passing by on their way to the spree at Maginnis’s, till the stream slackened, and after what seemed to Harvey a long time, both men were startled by the solemn tones of the clocks striking all over the city. Fighting Tom. They counted the strokes, and Harvey ut- tered a smothered exclamation. ‘By Jove! Eleven o’clock! we had been here over an hour,” The colonel lifted his head cautiously. ‘‘It is time we move,” he said; ‘I think we have no more visitors.” Harvey was just rising, when his friend clutched bis arm again, and sunk down, A slight noise near them had attracted the vigilant veteran’s notice. Harvey heard it, too; and they lay still, un- able to account for it. It sounded like something clinking on hollow earthenware, and came from some little dis- tance off. It ceased, and then began again; and at last the colonel clutched Harvey’s arm, and point- ed to one of the sewer-pipes. ‘It is dere,” he whispered. right—de man is alive.” Harvey, much excited, was about to rise again, when the colonel pulled him down,” *« Quiet,” he said. ‘It is our only chance.” They lay perfectly still again, but the noise ceased entirely. Harvey was watching the sewer pipes eager- ly, when he saw a head rise out of the fourth chimney above him, and he in turn pulled the colonel and pointed to it. Svenson nodded, and they watched. Presently the figure of a man was seen to emerge slowly from the chimney. At first. came only the bead and shoulders, and these remained still for some time. The bead turned round from side to side, as if watching and listening, but no other motion was perceptible. The sound of voices from Murderer’s Row came down the breeze, and instantly the bead disappeared in the chimney, ‘Tt is the same man!” whispered Harvey; in great excitement. ‘‘It must be. What a strange life tolead! He must be crazy. Ina sewer!” ““De sewer is emptee up here, my friend,” answered the colonel. ‘‘ Dey make dem for de future here, De shantee do not emptee into dem, and dere is no house. Dat is all dry pipe up here.” The voices died away, and after a long in- terval of silence the head came into sight again out of the chimney. Presently the figure of a man, as far as the waist, emerged, and the man finally sat. down on the edge of the big pipe, and looked round him, A moment later they saw him throw his legs over and drop down on the earth outside. Then he disappeared entirely, and Harvey was puzzled what had become of him, till he caught sight of a skulking figure, flitting from pipe to pipe, toward the rocks of Shantytown, The colonel rose up at last. ‘* We see where he go,” he said. They got into the line of the pipes, and fol- lowed the flitting figure, which was perfectly noiseless in its passage. A little while later they heard voices again, and looking back toward the house they bad left so.opportunely, saw that it was all light- ed up, the windows wide open, and that. Buck Jarvis, and three men with him, were turning things upside down, and throwing them out of the windows at times. The colonel shook his finger at the house and said quietly: ‘‘Aba, Meester, Jarvis, it is your furn for to-night. You wait a leetle,” Just at that moment came a sound that startled them, and they saw that it made the ruffians in the house start too; for they stopped what they were doing, and stood still to listen. It was the loud, clear ring of a locust club on a stone, echoing through the dark stillness for many a block. It. was followed by deep silence, and. then the two watchers saw the men in ‘the house rush to the lights, which went out in a few moments, “Aha,” said Svenson,. *‘ Vat did I tell you? De superstition is powerful, is it not?” The two watchers shrunk close ‘into .the sbadow of the big sewer-pipes and waited. The sound of that club seemed to have caused a deep silence to fall on everything. es Then as they looked to the summit of the rocks of Shantytown, they saw lights flitting about, and heard women calling to each other. Presently came another sound, that of men running in haste over the empty lots, and the colonel pulled Harvey down, I didn’t think ‘You were ' ** This way, boys,” cried the tones of) Buck Jarvis, evidently much excited. ’ ‘I tell ye it’s alla skin game, It’s no cop.” He was coming straight toward thém and the colonel end Harvey began to nerve them- selves up Lo a new struggle, when the attention of all was again diverted, “Rap! Rap! Rap!” The sound of the old locust again came to their ears from another direction, and Buck Jarvis and his party stopped and listened, whispering among themselves, not twenty feet from the hidden men. “Ra ! Rap! Rap!” A third time came the sounds, and Jarvis cried out: “This way! Ill get him yet.” Away he went with his friends, and the col- onel drew a long breath, ‘*‘T am glad dat man is gone,” he said. Harvey could not belp a smile, ““Tcan’t say I’m sorry myself,” he answered; “for we should have bad a fight; with no sense about it,” The colonel shook his head, **Tt was not dat.” ** Indeed?” ** No, it was not dat, men, easee enough.” ‘‘Then why, colonel?’ ‘You see, my friend, it is dark night.” “Yes, what of that?” ; ‘‘ And dis Jarvis do not know me.” “So much the worse for him.” _ ‘‘No, Ido not mean dat either,” ‘‘ What do you mean then?” ‘“*“You see, my friend, we cannot afford to fight to-night. We must drop every one we meet, and make no noise,” ** Well, colone]?”’ ‘‘ And I have to slug dat Jarvis, so he never know who bit him.” ‘‘ What of that?” The colonel’s answer was given in a tone of some hesitation. “Ven Ilick dat man I want daylight to let him see what hit him. I want to give him a chance, Ido not care to lick man dat do not fight back, My dear friend, I am very glad we do not meet dat Jarvis. I want to lick him properly, properly. And by de seven Rooshan gods I do itin de right way when I see him in de right place, my dear friend.” Then he stood up by the sewer-pipe and lis- tened, for the mysterious raps came a fourth time from the direction in which Jarvis had gone. A moment later came a fearful yell like that of a wild beast and the sound of a blow that echoed with a duller crack than that of the locust ona stone. It was followed by the sound of shouts and curses, with several pistol- shots, and very soon after they saw tbree fig- ures running swiftly across the empty lots, The rearmost was a man of gigantic stature, and he seemed to be pursuing the other two, who were fleeing for their lives. The big man gained on them, and Harvey saw him raise a club. Yes, it was a real club, and it fell on the fugitive’s head with a sickening thud, while the poor fellow dropped like a log, The other man stopped sbort, turned in his tracks and they saw the flash! flash!.of two shots from a pistol, The big man dropped at the first shot, leaped up again at the second, and they saw him tbrow bis club, * oe atone There »was another dull thud, followed by the same wild-beast yell, they bad. heard be- fore, as the big man sprung forward) ‘once more and the fugitive fell. They saw him stoop over the man who had fired, pick up his club and deal the fallen ‘one another sickening blow,. erst Harvey drew in his breath with a sense of pain, whispering: ; ‘‘ Heavens what a smash!” ' Colonel Svenson on the other hand, seemed to be delighted, for he whispered: ‘Well done, well done! “Dat ‘man’ know how to hit.. It must be Jake” ’ But. neither of them cared to go out of the shadow of the sewer-pipes, and they were curi- ous to see what this unknown man would do, and whether he were indeed the mad policeman of Uncle Joe’s story. They saw him stoop over the body, and the he rose up, muttering something to bimeelf that they could not distinguish, and went to- ward the very place where they had been hid- ing in the hollow but a little time before. We could handle dose COMMIS)