Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 262 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

— oie t ee ava < Vw “s ce Te 4 ‘All right,” replied Nelson. ‘I'll swear any way you please, so you let me go.” ‘‘Den come clasp dis tree, we three,” said the veteran. ‘‘So. We mako ring round him.” The three men made a ring round a small oak tree, band in hand, and the colonel said: ‘Speak after me. We three, by dis tree, swear to be, each to me, true as steel.” Harvey and Nelson repeated the words, and the colonel continued: “Let go hands, Nelson, you clasp de tree, and repeat de second oath.” The mystified burglar obeyed and threw bis arms round the tree, when the colonel made a quick signal to Harvey. In a moment Nelson’s wrists were seized by the two strong men, there was a click of steel, and the colonel said quietly: ‘“Now, Meester Nelson, you can go home if you want to. We have finish with you.” The burglar’s wrists had been handcuffed round the tree; but at first he thought it was only a part of the oath. *“How can I go?” he said. ‘I'm fast.” The colonel shrugged his shoulders. “Dat is your affair. You can go. We have no more use for you. Come, ’Arvie, my dear friend, we have business to do.” And the two friends moved away, when Nelson suddenly yelled: ‘““My God! You won’t leave me alone here, will you? Help! help!” The colonel instantly sprung back to him and dealt bim a blow on the nape of the neck that knocked him dizzy. . “You will, will you?” was all he said, He took a large silk handkerchief out of his pocket and tied it in tbe burglar’s mouth, making a large wad, so as to form a perfect gaz, and then said, in the quiet, smiling way he had used all along: “JT tell you you could go, I did not say to yell for help, my friend. Now you cannot go or yelleither. Sit down.” He fumbled in his pocket, brought out an- other pair of handcuffs of much larger size, forced Nelson to sit down, and, in spite of des- perate struggles, with Harvey’s help, brought the man’s legs together and fastened the ankles at the other side of the tree, leaving the pria- oner as helpless as a trussed fowl. Then the colonel shook his finger at him, saying: “You think to foo! de old man, ba? You go to alarm dis Jarvis, ha? You think you can get away from me, ha? Dis man is a terror, is he? Let him take care of himself to- night. Dere are toughs in de house, are dere? Well, we will show dem dat two honest gentlemen can be a terror to all de toughs, I play with men like you.” He said no more, but strode away with Harvey, and when they got back to the road, observed to his companion: ‘* Now begins de fight. good order?” “Yes. Brass knuckles, slung-shot, knife and pistol. I don’t like such thieves’ weapons, colonel.” The colonel gave a short laugh. ‘*Why should de thief have all de effective weapons, and use dem on de honest man? Dey will surely have dem on deir side, and we may as well be on equal footing. Now you leave dis to me, and come on. 1 run dis affair. YoudoasIdo. De odds are against us. We must not lose a card,” Your arms are in CHAPTER XXXII. THE GANG AT HOME, Tae fence on the road proved to extend along the edge of the wood for about a quarter of a mile, when they saw oped sky again, and Harvey very soon said: ‘‘That must be the house, colonel. I wonder if there are any dogs there.” ‘ They spied two haystacks, standing back from the road a little way; beyond that a large barn and a small house. ‘ We soon find out,” said the colonel. ‘ Fol- low me, I show you how to fix a dog.” They climbed over the fence and the colonel instantly dro on all-fours, “Creep,” aga inalow tone, ‘‘ We must take lesson from Indians when we fight de hu- man wild beast. Who say dat de romance of life is gone?” Harvey followed his example and they crept across the field to the back of the haystacks, when another fence confronted them. hae! \ a = -~ : > si? « ~ 7 4 4 poe = oe Lard «<i a > ~ - Ps Oe a, OC nd in This they skirted to a place where some bars stood, and then softly removed the bottom bar and crept through. The colonel laid his hand on Harvey’s arm and whispered in his ear: ‘“‘Tf dere are any men in de barn, we must slug dem. You understand?” Harvey nodded, and they went round the corner of a baystack. ; The next moment, with a frightened rush and a chorus of grunts,a dozen pigs dashed past them and scampered off into an orchard making Harvey’s heart beat tumultuously from the suddenness of the affair. The colonel clutched his arm, whispering: ‘* Steady! listen!’ They listened intently, but all was silent for near a minute, when the snort of a horsein the barn made Svenson say: “Quiet! He smell us! Quiet!” Presently, all being still, they went on and executed a regular exploring trip round the barn, discovering noone up and no dog around the premises. Under a shed was a large and roomy vehicle of the ‘‘cart” variety, with two wheels, and the colonel appeared to be struck with an idea on finding it in the dark. ‘Pull it out,” be whispered; ‘‘ we may want it when we go. Dere is horse in de stable.” They pulled it out in the faint starlight and found it to be quite a handsome thing. ‘“T bet five dollar dey stole it,” said the old soldier with a smothered chuckle. “It will be joke to take it—ba? I tell you it is hard to beat de old man, Come, let us see de horse. Quiet, quiet!” They went softly to the stable, and the colo- nel went in first. The frightened snort of the horse was heard, and the veteran said soothingly: ‘© W’oa, my friend, w’oa! Ah, dat is it.” He had gained the horse’s side and was pat- ting and soothing it. ‘“‘It is fine animal,” he said. ‘‘ I know good horse in de dark. Skin like silk. Come, dere must be harness somewhere,” A little careful fumbling in the dark had the result of bringing out a set of harness with handsome silver mountings, and the colonel chuckled again, observin:; ‘“] tell you dis was stolen, all at de same time. I hearin de papers of gang out in West- chester county, steal horse and wagon and get off safe. Dis is de gang. Come, we shall want a ride to take de ladee home.” And so saying he led the horse very slowly out, pausing frequently to make it seem as if the noise of the animal’s hoofs was only the result of natural movements in the stable. The feat was accomplished at last, and they could see in the starlight that they had a large and handsome bay horse to deal with, ‘‘He big borse,” said the veteran, admir- ingly. ‘‘De English style for dog-cart. Come, be vill do.” They harnessed the horse without any sort of trouble, the animal seeming to be quite reconciled to any change of ownership, and then the colonel observed: ‘* Now we have de means to run, we get de ladee, We tie him here.” He led the horse down a sort of lane, that evidently communicated with the road, but found a locked gate dividing them therefrom, ‘De old soldier never forget to reconnoiter,” said Svenson, dryly. ‘It is lucky we come here dis time: De jimmy is good thing for de honest man on a pinch.” He took from his pocket a small steel-jointed ‘‘jimmy,”’ and wrenched the padlock from its staples without noise. Then he performed the same operation to the hinges of the gate, and the two mey carried it out of the way, up the lane, so as leave only a small opening. “In de dark,” said the colonel, “it is well to know de way. We may have to run. If so, come down de lane, go for dis place, and de gate will puzzle dem. We tie de horse thus. A pull on dis set him loose. You understand? Boots off. Put dem in.” Then they went back in stocking feet toward the house, and the colonel pointed to the east. A faint tinge of white was coming up among the stars, and a cloud that bung there was showing a pearly line at the lower edge. ‘‘De dawn come. We are just in time,” the veteran whispered. ‘‘ Now for it.” He strode boldly up to the door, rapped on it with a slung-shot, and waited. . ¥ “oy # ws « ~ va <> ie we aL Almost immediately some one inside made 6 spring, and ejaculated: ** Who in blazes is there?” ** Nelson, Nelson,” said the colonel, in a low tone, and Harvey was startled to hear how closely he imitated the burglar’s tones ‘Where's Buck? I want him.” The man inside instantiy came to the door, ani’ ovened it, saying sleepily: ‘‘Tbat you, Nelse? Where’: blazes—” He got no further. The colonel was on one side, Harvey on the other; and Harvey saw a head. There was a dull thud, and the colonel caught the man in bis arms before he had time to fall, when be whispered: ‘Well done, my pupil. Carry him outside.” Harvey tock the man’s heels, the colonel his head, and they laid bim on the grass, Then the colonel felt him. ‘He is safe,” he whispered, ladee. Now for de ladee.” They stole into the house, and heard the snoring of more than one person. “Dey sleep bardest now,” whispered Sven- son. ‘‘ We find de ladee, Surely she do not snore.” They counted the senores of five people as they stole on, and presently Harvey heard a low sigh, as if some one had woke up. Some- thing in that sigh made bis heart teat hard. It came from a room at the end of the passage, and he stole toward it, and tried the lock, It was fast, and he signed to the colonel, for be dared not speak. The colonel came forward, and applied bis jimmy to the door. ‘* Get ready!” he whispered. noise, de fight begin,” “ Orack ! er-r-r-sh |” Not much of a sound after all. Not enough to waken a sound sleeper, as many a house- holder has found to his cost next morning. Merely the sound of small screws torn out of wood somewhat rotten from holding them so long. But the sound had evidently wakened some one inside the room; for Harvey heard the sound of a creaking bedstead, and the low, smothered exclamation: ‘*My God! what’s that?” The next moment he was in the room, for he had beard the voice of Nina Somers, “It is I—Harvey,” he wh spered, eagerly. “Come to save you. Are you dressed?” He trembled for the answer and for the self- possession of the girl. Ard he heard some one turning in bed, in anotber room, and mutterings. After what seemed an age of waiting, he heard the rustle of sqmething near, and a soft band touched him, The next moment Nina Somers was in bis: arms, and whispering in his ears: ‘*The woman—sbe’s asleep there. would not trust me alone,” “‘Are you dressed?’ whispered Harvey- ‘* We have a wagon outside.” ‘* Wait,” was her only answer, ina minute. Go outside,” Harvey let her go instantly and stole back. He found the colonel at the door of the house: listening, and the veteran beckoned him to the grass outside, ‘You found her?’ he asked. ‘*'Yes, thank God! ment. She understood.” The veteran nodded. ‘Dat is good, if she do not take too long te. fasten her hair. It grow lighter. Hark!” They heard a voice in the house, that of = woman, harsh and angry: “What are you doing, you minx?” , Then came a scuffle, and out of the house came flying the half-dressed Nina, carrying « bundle of clotbes, while the figure of the amia- ble Mag, fat and burly, in the scantiest_ possi- ble attire, came rushing after her, And Mag was screaming at every jump, while the house was roused, from the sounds of scrambling and swearing inside, Nina rushed out panting, and Harvey caught: her in bis arms without further ceremony, and ran off toward the lane, ; The colonel sprung toward the big woman with the buggy whip which he had brought. with him, and dealt ber a cut around the body- that caused her instant collapse and retreat, with a shrill scream. Then the veteran called out: ‘* Now for de They “T'll come “Good-night, gentlemen. Make my com- RS pliment to Buck!” (¢ DOO S ‘sy 4 i . ~ - - “ea y @ = ae She'll be out in a mo-~ ] | cS. ww E - ~ = én “Ifdereisa a A -" - ¥ = a e o* —— — hy * £ - ’ * Lan a + os ~ ge ~~ i i” neo x,