Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 262 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

\ ya ged ‘ SF _ ’ “@ | os m é ia , ‘ OY, oe es - s ‘ . «< * =? ~as . 7 Pw 7 : :* al 7 ve she’s gone to the big bridge?” ‘ 7 . ee _ — eee od oon eae ‘‘Oh my God, what shall I do? How shall I find my mother? Itseemssohard. Won’t they let us in again?” The young man hesitated a moment, and then said gravely: + Madam you don’t know me, of course, but if you will trust me, | will find your mother for you, dead or alive, My name is Harvey, Here is my card. Let me send you home in a ! carriage, and give me your address. I will bring you word within an hour.” She looked up at him through swimming eyes, “Sir,” she said, *‘ you are a gentleman. [ live at No. — West —— street, and my name is Nina Somers. I will trust + oi Harvey beckoned to a hack-driver, put the girl inside, gave the driver directions, and then returned to the bridge. ae did not see Buck Jarvis watching them th. CHAPTER III. NINA’S DISAPPEARANCE, WHEN Harvey got back to the bridge, he was co. fronted by closed gates and a policeman ata single wicket, who told him that no more le would be allowed on the bridge till the bodies had been removed. Tbe handsome youth edged closer to the man and whispered something in his ear, while ing something else into his hand, and the night of the club immediately drew back, say- ing be ps for tbe benefit of the envious crowd bind; “Ob, well, if you’ve got relatives in tho crush, go ahead. They’re bringing them out now,’ The young man saw that the lately crowded bridge was almost deserted, save for a train of - blue-coated firemen and policemen coming to- ward the New York side with a ghastly arra of stretchers, carrying the dying and the dead, Harvey went eagerly to meet them, saying as he passed each body. ‘* I’m looking for a lady in black, with white hair. She was in the crush.” **Reckon she’s one of the dead, then,” said the fireman at the head of the mournful pro- cession. ‘‘I saw one body of an old lady.” Harve pose » second to the rear and spied a black nf rt baoging over the edge of the long stretcher, the last in the file. Eagerly he hastened to it and found that it ers the dead body of an old lady with white air. She seemed asleep, but with a troubled, pain- ful expression on her features; her dress had been torn to pieces, and she lay on the stretcher covered over with a tarpaulin, stone-dead., Harvey spoke to her bearers. “Did Po find anything on the body to iden- tify her?” be asked. “Haven’t looked,” said one of the men. ‘““They’ll search ’em at the dead-house, I reckon. Do you know the old lady?’ ‘*D'm not sure. What killed ber?” The man made a grimace of aversion. ‘*Poor woman! She wasall smashed up and jay at the bottom of ’em all. Luckv for ber, she must have smothered quick. Bah! It’s horrible! Look there. There’s suthin’ sticking out of the bosom of her dress.” vey saw that there was, and further made out that it was a card-case or pocket-book, which he examined as he followed the litter. ‘* Yes,” be said, after a look, “I thought so. it’s poor Mrs. Somers. See here. I know where that lady lived when she was alive, poor sop, $09 I'll take charge of the budy, if you ike. ‘*Can’t be done, sir,” replied the man, but _ not uncivilly. “‘ The coroner's got to see them all. He'll set right over io the Hall, I reckon. If there’s any relatives to identify the body you'd better go bring them, sir.” ‘* You’re right,” returned Harvey. “Tl do it, though I confess I don’t covet the task.” Then he started for the exit from the bridge, where he soon found a hack and told the man to drive to No. — West —— street, Away rattled the coach up-town, and aftera long drive and many detours to avoid fragments of the procession, Harvey's vebicle s at the door ef a small frame house near the North river, one of those relics of the Manhattan of forty years ago that are to be found off the main tracks of business, where rents are low and the neighborhood pervaded by shanties, rocks and goats, It was a very small house for the ci containing more than six rooms, and Harvey went to the door, which was opened by a stout, honest-looking woman, who began at once be- fore be could speak: ‘‘The ladies are not at home, sur. They’ve rn to the big bridge, sur. Sorra wan of em’s at home but meself and the ould cat, sur.” “Who is it lives here, then?’ asked Harvey. “Sure it’s Mrs. Somers. sir.” “And hasn’t Miss Nina come back in a hack?’ ; The woman stared. *« And how would she come back when [ tell Harvey hesitated a moment. He had never - 7 gh -~ — a.” es , not | ‘| took a resolution and walked up the steps to = 4 w a — — | Ae -_ ., es ee LPs 4 a e as. ~ Fighting Tom. seen Nina Somers in his life before, but he bad already taken a strange interest in ber. a here, Norah,” he began. ‘*Me name’s not Norah, av ye plaze, young man, and I'll be thankin’ ye to kape yer Norahs to yerself. I tell ye the ladies is not in,” was the answer, in tones of indignation, as the wo- man tried to slam the door on him, but found | herself arrested by an _ invisible obstacle, | which was nothing more or less than the foot of the young man, which he had placed in the opening while he was talking, in the expecta- tion of some such outburst. ‘* Well, I don’t care what your name is,” he said rather sharply. ‘‘ But you don’t know what has bappened. There has been a grest accident at the bridge, and Mrs, Somers is dead. Do you understand?’ The woman uttered a loud shriek and began to wring her bands and howl in the spontaneous Celtic fasbion: “‘Oh, Mrs. Somers! Mrs. Somers! Oh, the r missis is dead! Ochone! ochone! Ob, Miss ina, Miss Nina, where are ye, darlin’?” “That’s just what I want to find out,” said Harvey, impatiently. “I put ber in a hack half an bour ago to come up here, while I went back. Hasn’t she come yet? What's your name, my good woman?” ‘** Kate O'Donnell, sur, and indade Miss Nina’s not come home, sur, Sorra speck of ber have I seen this blessed day since she left wid the ould lady that’s in heaven now,” and Kate be- an to howl again, while Harvey, hardly know- ing what to do, stood on the steps hesitating. ‘What is it to me?’ he thought. ‘‘I never saw the girl before, and I’m not likely to do it again, f can’t help ber. Her mother’s dead, Perhaps she bas ordered the backman to turn round and go back to the bridge. I’ve done all Icando, I may as well go home.” — Nevertheless, something impelled him to stay and say to old Kate: ** Look here, Kate, do you know a man who calls himself Buck Jarvis?” Kate’s face assumed a look of terror instantly as she ejaculated: **Oh, Holy Fathers! Do I know the wicked divil? Sure I do, bad luck to him!” Harvey was puzzled at the avowal. To him the man was clearly a low ruffian, well known to the police, yet he seemed to be equally well known to this quiet family. ‘* Who is he?” asked Harvey, ‘*I mean, what is be to this family? Do they know him?” Kate had stopped bowling in her fears for this | mysterious Buck Jarvis, as she saic: ‘Oh, mother of Moses, sur, don’t talk about | that divil. Sure, if he set eyes on Miss Nina | away from her mother he’ “ave her in a prison or locked up in a back room in a minute, so he wad.” Harvey looked amazed. ‘*But why! why?’ Kate backed into the house, whispering: ** Arrah, don’t ask me now, sur. ‘Tis no busi- ness of yours, sur.” Harvey followed her in to say: ‘‘Tv’s this much business, Kate, he must have got bold of her.” Kate turned deadly pale. **Oh, Holy Mother!” was all she could falter. Harvey came closer, saying impressively: “Now speak, Kate, and tell me the truth. Has that man any hold on the girl, and if so, what is it? I’m alawyer, and I want to know so that I can serve her.” Kate shook her head slowly. ‘*Tt’s no use, sur, He's her father.” Harvey started violently. “That big brute her father? Impossible!” Indade it’s true then, sur, so the missus said.” ‘*But bis name’s different?” **T don’t know about that, sur, but sure I h’ard say that—” The rumble of wheels was heard on the cobble-stones at the end of the street, and Harvey saw a hack coming toward the house. In the weg om that Nina Somers might possibly be in it, he hurried down the steps and waited.. The hack came straight to the house; pulled up; and Buck Jarvis got out. ng As he saw Harvey be started slightly, but then put on a bold face and passed him, going LL AL teas a a I'm afraid up the steps. — Harvey looked into the back and saw wi dismay tbat it was empty. : CHAPTER IV. KATE'S PERPLEXITIES. THE young lawyer gave one glance into the coach and then looked up at the driver. It was not the man to whom he had given Nina in charge. For a moment he hesitated, then suddenly SS eee where Buck Jarvis now stood on the landing, with an ugly sneer on his brutal and swollen | face, looking down at him, The big man backed a step into the doorway and put bis band to bis hip, saying: **Now, then, what’s the matter with you?” | ‘What have you done with Nina asked Harvey quietly. mers?” i . oI on > 3 * se Buck Jarvis curled his lip into a suv er, mace doubly ugly by a cut in the middle. ‘What's that to you?” he suid. his here's my bouse, and you ain’t got no call tosay nor do nothin’ tome, You jest quit.” Harvey saw that it was no use to argue with arn | the brute, and felt, moreover, that he was right in repudiating interference if he were indeed Nina’s fatber, but he said: “That young lady appealed to me to go back into the scene of the disaster and find her mother. I have done so, and I wish to tell her about it.” Buck Jarvis grinned maliciously, ‘Go ahead and tell her, then. nothin’ to hender ye.” ‘*Do you know where she is?” ** That’s my biz, not yourn.” Harvey felt his temper rising, and he said, as he shook his finger at Buck: “Very well. You may think you can fool me, my friend, but I warn you oe harm comes to that girl through you, [ll bunt you down, wherever you may be, and punish you.” Buck Jarvis scowled savagel ‘e ‘You goto grass, fura pale-faced dude, I ain’t skeered of you. Ye sot on me foul ons’t, but I’m a-goin’ fixedfor you, Git off thisstoop, , D’ye hear?” ‘ is position was one of such advantege that he could not resist the temptation, and tried to give Harvey a shove down the steps. But the young man, in all his anger, was as cool and wery as only practice can make a man, and in a moment he had stooped out of . the way, so that Jarvis missed hisaim and went : down the steps himself, clutching at the balus- pe and saving bimself from a fall with diffi- culty. , When he faced round again, his young anteg onist was quietly descending the steps, while old Kate still stood at the door, paralyzed with féar. “You see what you get for trying to shove,” observed Harvey, calmly. ‘* You're too old to face me, my friend; so don’t try it. Better keep your hand off that pistol too, or I may have you locked up for carrying it.” Somehow or other Buck Jarvis’s hand left his hip pocket, though he cast a glance of bit- ter malignity at Harvey, as the young man . went down to his vehicle and was driven away. +f ‘‘Ay, there ye go,” be muttered, “and we think ye’ve done « great sight, don’t ye? But I'll double-bank ye, yet, and don’t you furget it, Mister Dude.” Then he went up the steps and addressed Kate, who stood trembling at the door. 1 a Irish, where’s Nina’s duds and fix- n’s ‘Sur?’ asked Kate, palpitating, * ‘*Where’s Nina’s duds and n’s?” roared Buck, savagely. ‘‘Hain’t ye got no ears, ye dodrotted Mick lummix? n’t I brought a kerridge fur ’em, as if she was a princess! Go and get ’em quick, All she’s got. Pack ’em up anyhow, so ye do’t quick.” “And where’s Miss Nina and the ” asked Kate, mustering up her courage. ' “What’n blazes is that to youf’ retorted Buck, in a scornful tone. ‘*She’s my darter, . to do asl like with. The missis is dead, if ye Pad) want to know. Now go and get the duds,” hist ‘* And who'll be afther payin’ me my wages?” rad asked Kate, more boldly. >? “Wages be darned. J didn’t hire ye,” an- i, swered Buck, with a sneer, ‘‘Take what ye at kin git in the house, and sell it. We ain’t ~ comin’ here no more. I ain’t mean, I ain’t.” Kate was so much amazed at his reply that sbe could only cjaculate: ‘* Holy Fathers, sur, d’ve want me to stale my : wages? Where’s Miss Nina? I'll not give a s5 thing of hers away till I see her ownself, so I won't,” And the faithful creature, made bold by her ! affections, ran back into the house before Buck ‘a Jarvis could realize what sbe was doing, and ‘ slammed the door in his face, when he heard her shoot the bolts and then run up-stairs. Furious at bis repulse, he began to pull the hr bell and hammered at the door, till he was sud+ ee denly aroused by a dash of cold water down ne his back, and heard Kate screaming at the top 4 of ber voice, out of the window above: + Murder! Murder! Thaves! Maur- she Then he heard windows going up, and saw heads coming out to stare, while be stumped down the steps, apprehensive of a second deluge, shaking his fist and growling: “Til beeven with ye, yelrish fool! Dll come with the cons next time.” ** Ah, go "long wid ye!” shrieked Kate, made bolder still by the signs of his flight. ‘Ye murderin’ haythen, ye don’t set foot in the > house till I see the missis or Miss Nina.” age ‘* We'll see about that!” he shouted back in a tore of concentrated fury. ‘“ J’il show ye.” Then he got into the hack and drove off, while ix Kate went round the house and fastened up < everything tight before she went back to the front door and entered into conversation with | the curious neighbors, who wanted to know s. what was the matter and received in answer a & the least possible information from Kate, who, ew” now fhat the excitement, cine an ta SL ee Ehookscon I ain’t doin’ an o> Ss ~~ “» » _ r] _ r ne ** ' ~~ wane ” Pa ie , oid ol - . é - i Se ee fe x . i -- lt Geom =) Poles 5!