Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 262 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

a He heard the sound of a coarse woman’s voice scolding violently, and burst into the dingy sitting-room, where he found the object of bis search, Nina Somers, crouching in a corner, while the amiable Mag was loading her with abuse. ‘You lazy wast Pactra shrieked Mag. ** Didn’t I tell you if you cracked a thing I’d make you rue it?” - **T didn’t mean it,” pleaded Nina. ‘‘ You startled me and it dropped.” ‘*)ll startle ye more,” screamed Mag, and she ran back to pick up a broom, when Harvey, who had been too much amazed at first to in- terfere, suddenly seized the virago by the shoul- ders and sent her flying into a corner with more violence than he had intended, so that she fell down in a sitting posture with a grunt, “Come with me. Miss Somers,” he said to the trembling Nina, who cast oce glance at him, uttered a scream of joy, and rushed to meet him, almost leaping to his arms in her terror and relief. He saw that she had on only an old cotton wrapper, and asked her: ** Where have they put your dress?” ““Up-stairs,” she said hurriedly. no one there, home?” ‘*T will, so help me God,” he said fervently. Then he took her to the door and saw ber dart up-stairs, just as the amiable Mag recovered ber senses to get up and ery out: ‘Who are you and how dare you come here?” Harvey had made up his mind what to do, and he turned on her sharply, saying: “I'm a detective. Hold your tongue, or I'll run you in at ones for kidnapping that girl. Not a word out of you now, or I'll put on the handcuffs. Where's Buck Jarvis?” “Oh, if be was here, you wouldn’t talk to an honest woman that way!” whined Mag, in the criminal strain Harvey had often beard in a lice court. ‘‘ He’d run you out, darned quick. e’s in with all the cops.” “He is, is he?’ said Harvey sharply. ‘ Par- haps he’s in with the central office too. You keep a still tongue, or your place will be shut up be- fore sunset, I’ve got fi’ty men waiting to pull you. Are you Jarvis’s wife?” ** Yes, I’m his wife,” said Magsullenly. ‘He ain’t got no other wifs, senca she died, and, that al’s our darter. You'll pay fur this when Py comes home. You see if you don’t, mis- r. She tried to pass him, but he threw her back, saying sternly: ‘ You stay, there till I tell you to go.” Then he called up stairs. ‘‘Hurry, Miss Somers! Quick!” **Coming!” cried a soft voice, and then he heard a great crashing of glass below, and Mag — by him, screaming at the top of her voice: ‘* Thieves! Murder-r-r-r!” Harry knew'well enough what it was. The German Turners had repulsed the Rum Brigade, and the “ Advance” was storming the *‘Ro- treat,” with indications that the ‘Old Gang” was getting the worst of if. For a moment he hesitated, and then he heard the colonel’s voice below, shouting: “Dis way! dis way!” Then he saw Nina Somers flit down from the gt story, pale and trembling, and she clung to his arm whispering: “Take me away, for God’s sake, before I faint.” “You must not faint,” he said, as sharply as he dared to speak. “If you faint it will make things twice as hard. Lean on me.” “Quick! Quick!” cried the colonel below, and Harvey burried Nina down-stairs, where bis friend dashed with him down a dark passage and out of the side door into a narrow street, where a furious free fight was raging, with no police in sight. CHAPTER VIII. CARRYING OFF A PRIZE. THE two friends paused a moment at the door. To be burdened with a lady within a few feet of a street-fight, with beer glasses flying, is a decidedly unpleasant position; but the colonel was an old campaigner and made up his mind in a moment. He saw that the crowd lay between the “‘ Ad- vance ” and the ‘‘ Retreat,” while the street on one side was clear for a short distance. “Take de lady up de street,” he said to Harvey. ‘I will cover de retreat.” Harvey stepp-d out, whispering to Nina: **Courage. Don’t run ; but walk fast. We'll be — of reer in a little time.” ey se up the street and the colonel re- mained standing in the doorway till he saw they _ at a safe distance, when he set off sa , Walking slowly, and often looking ack, The combatants were evidently tired of the bt, for they had begun to shout at each other, while the crowd outside packed the street ‘at a respectful distance on either side, to look on, ' “*There’s Will you protect and take me i - : . *. Se a | ay Se Sie we Sir 55 Fighting Tom. Through one of these crowds Harvey and Nina were making their way, and seemed to have some difficulty in so doing. The colonel quickened bis pace and came up with them in time to see that the elegant ap- pearance of the young man had attracted attention and jealousy, so that insolent remarks were being bandied about bim and his com- panion. ‘‘ Say, fellers, look at the dude.” “ What's that thing a-comin’?” ‘¢ It’s a sick dude and his mash.” , “ Some of you fellers hit him a crack ” “Oh my! ain’t she sweet?” ‘* Ain’t hea daisy?’ “Take him in out of the sun,” ‘‘Oh, Jawge! Go’way!” They had not impeded him yet, but kept walking backward before him, when the col- onel suddenly came up, edged his way into the crowd, digging his elbows into the ribs of the passers-by, strode past Harvey and Nina as if he had noticed nothing; and caught one of the annoying roughs by the collar. ‘ In another instant the man’s feet flew up in the air and be came down on his back witha thud, when the colonel sent another man _ to earth with a blow on the neck that stunned him, and burst out laughing, crying: “Why, gentlemen, don’t you know dat de station bas been alarmed, and de police are coming on de next block? You must get into de house quick. Ve hafe business, Now, Har- vey, round de corner.” n the same moment Harvey took the bint, went round the corner, and to bis great joy saw a hack standing at the end of the block, with the driver on the pavement, toward whom he burried. The crowd behind, recovering from their sur- prise at the colonel’s interference, began to bluster and threaten, when the veteran, with a skill and activity that amazed them, suddenly ‘* sailed in,” striking out on one side and kick- ing on the other, laying out the clumsy roughs like children, more than ons being knocked senseless by bis blows, when he started up the side street at a rum just as Harvey got Ninainto the hack and the driver, alarmed at the shout- ing crowd, jumped on his box, The colonel rau like a deer for a short dis- tance till be reached the carriage, when he climbed up, while the driver was turning out, and got on the box beside him, saying hur- riedlv: _ ‘‘ Drive like de devil. I keep dem back.” Tie crowd, increased to over a hundred peo- ple, came tearing up the street, and stones be- an to fly round the carriage, as the scared diver whipped up bis horses and went away at a rapid pace. 2 Crash! went a stone through the rear win- dow, and they heard a scream inside, when the colonel whipped out his pistol and fired at the leaders of the crowd. _ ; The bullet went singing on its way and struck a cobble-stone, knocking up a shower of splin- ters and dust, when the whole crowd halted like magic, and the coach began to gain rap- idly. v Keep her up,” said the veteran between his teeth tothe driver. ‘‘ Go for de big street. vill hit some one, if dey come on again,” But they did not come on. Whether it was the bopelessness of the chase or the pistol-shot that scared them, they ran but a little further, and then gave it up, when the colonel quietly put up his pistol and called down: ‘* Any one burt inside?” ‘“No.” said Harvey’s-voice. ‘‘ Only fright- ened a little, Where do you go?” “To my house, of course,” answered the colonel and on they went at a rapid pace, till they entered the more frequented streets, when they were able to slacken up, and the colonel gave the driver directions where to go. ‘‘ How you come to be standing at dat door” he pursued, as the driver drove on. ‘“ Goin’ to have a wedding,” was the answer, ‘but I reckon I’ve time to get back before the minister comes. I seen somethin’ was up when the Jady and gent come a-running. Then when I seen the crowd, I knowed it warn’t no place for a coach; so I lit out.” ‘And just in time,” commented the colonel. “Dat could not have happen better. Now you go up dis street and here we are.” They arrived in front of the fencing-school and the veteran got down and handed out the young lady. Then he said to Harvey: “Go inside. Here is the latch-key. I come in awinit. I see de drivair.” Harvey hurried Nina up the steps and the colonel turned to the driver: ‘How much do you want, ba?” ‘>Bout three dollar,” was the answer, “And how much you want to keep your mouth shut tigbt?” The driver grinned. ‘‘*Bout what?’ ; ‘¢ About vere you come—eh?” The driver scratched his head. “Reckon I don’t want nothin’. °Tain’t no biz of mine. Wedrivers sees and hesrs a deal.” The colonel handed bim a five dollar-bill. * . 4 ~ << eee Oe RSS Pa Ne “Stick to dat. I remember you ven Is ee you again. You keep die change.” The driver grinned and nodded; then drove off; when the colonel came up the steps into his boxing-parlor, and found Nina Somers seated on a lounge, with the handsome young lawyer bending over her. The girl seemed to be com- pletely overcome, now that her peril was over, and Harvey looked frightened and bewilder«d. ‘“What am I to do?’ he asked the coloncl. ‘‘T'm afraid she’s going to die.” The veteran came up and looked at the gir! for a moment, then said to Harvey: ‘You. go to de nex’ room, You vill find de speaking-tube dere, Call de senora. Dis ladee need a voman vid ber, dat is all,” Harvey flushed up to his temples and ran into the next recom to the speaking tube. ‘** The senora,” was the colonel’s mother, a dear old Spanish lady with white hair, who lived in the upper part of the house and never went near the boxing-rooms till sent for, but who was the sole support of the house in a hospita- ble ing She knew Harvev’s voice, and called back: ‘‘Ts dat you, nor ’Arvia? Velcome! I come downa raigbt avay,” And very soon she bustled in, a spare little lady with sparkling black Pgs who cried out: ‘Eh, carrai! Vat is dis, Diego? A ladee? Here!” The colonel broke into a long explanation in rapid Spanish, so rapid that Harvey lost the thread of the remarks, and the old lady listened and nodded, then went to Nina, saying: ‘* Come vid me, mia querida,” The girl bad been lying back on the lounge, her eyes closed, half insensible to what was go- ing on, till she heard the soft feminine tones of the old senora, Instantly she opened her eyes, burst into a flood of tears and sobbed out: ‘‘Ohb take care of me, take care of me. My mother is dead, dead!” The old lady made a silent signal to her son and said to Nina, reassuringly: ‘* No von s/all burt you. ae you valk? You come vid me. I take care of you.” Nina rose up, tremb ing and singing to the old lady’s arm, when the senora sai “You cannot valk. Diego s’all carry you. He is my son. You are not afraid?” Nina looked round, and there was something in the grave kind face of, the veteran that seemed to reassure her, for she said faintly: “Thank you. I’m very weak. I fear I am going to be sick.” The colonel nodded. ‘*Dat is allraight. I carry you, and ve send for de doctor.” Then he picked her up as if she had been a child and carried her off to the upper regions while Harvey paced up and down the boxing- room till bis friend came back and said to him wich an air of great satisfaction: “Tt is all raight,” De senora say she onlee frightened. Now tell me my friend, who is dis ladee. You are young man. She have parent?” Harvey sat down and told the whole story, the veteran listening and tugging bis mustache in a thoughtful manner till he bad finished, when the older man said; ‘You have act like gentleman. But you say de modair vas killed. Dat is bad. De ladee she haf no relative, but dis Buek Jarvis. Dat is a » ‘*But I don’t believe he can be a relative,” said Harvey earnestly. ‘‘Consider, They have different names. The most he can be is a step- father.” The colonel shrugged his shoulders. ** Dat is all digi I do not know de law, But vat you do vid de ladee? You are young man. Ve must find de relative. Sbe cannot stay here, you know, very long and den—vat you going to do—ha?” Harvey colored deeply. ‘TI don’t know, I fancy that—” ‘“You fancee vot?” said the colonel as the young man hesitated. aad | poem said Harvey in a low tone, * that there would be only one way out of it, in honor to myself and the lady. I must act as her law- yer, unless she will give me a nearer title.” The colonel looked puzzled. “Vat you mean?” ‘‘T mean I must either be her counsel or her husband.” . The colonel rubbed his hands, “You are right.” CHAPTER IX. ‘ NINA’S PROTECTOR. HARVEY seemed to be satisfied with the ap- roval of his friend, for he rose up with a brighter face, observing: ‘One thing is clear. She is alone and friend- less, and it is my duty, as a lawyer, to befriend her and take up ber cause, To-morrow she may be able to give me some account of her family, that I may know what to do for her. the Morgue probably. and Twill goand seo that e Morgue pro y,a will go yee it is provided for. Do you think she could tell (E(0) 4 49S d 5 " “iis : ie micbooks.com Yip oe ue Aas Mg 9 oe y — f eel y - *. mee ¥- 4 * is