Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 262 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

_ rr. ¥ 8 See ee help them, while he had a Jame shoulder and a flimsy frame house to defend, Just then Kate opened the door, beaming with joy, ejaculating: “Oh, Holy Fathers, sur, and is it true? Have ye found Miss Nina, the darlin’?” CHAPTER XI, THE TIN BOX, ‘* I’ve found Miss Nina,” said Harvey, in a hurried way; ‘‘ but that’s not the question now, Kate. Where's the nearest police-sta'ion to be found?” Kate mentioned a place about ten blocks away, adding: “Sure I ‘sint Jimmy Fitzpatrick there, iver so long ago, and sorra sigbt have I seen of bim since, sur,” ‘*Who was Jimmy? Did he live in this row, or up on the rocks?” asked Harvey. **Sure he lives up in me cousin Mike’s row, sur, over beyant on the bill.” She pointed over to a high rock bluff, left by | Fighting Tom. pregnable to anything but crowbars able to bend iron. Presently Kate came down-stairs with a black tin box in her arms, and be said: ‘*Why, Kate, your mistress made a regular fortress of this house, didn’t she?’ *‘ And why wouldn’t she, sur, wid three lone women, and murderin’ thaves all round us? Sure the mistress couldn’t slape ’asy till she had the bars put up.” ic She was right, Kate. Now, let me see that = He examined it in the fast-fading light and saw it to bean ordinary lawyer’s depository for papers, labeled outside: ‘“ NINA SOMERS JARVIS, 1865,” ‘Did your mistress drop the name Jarvis when she left her busband, Kate?’ he asked. ‘* Sure, they had a divorce, sur, and she was afraid the ould thafe w’u’d come after ber,” said Kate, simply. What’ll we do wid it, sur?’ ‘‘Show me the ash-bin, Kate.” The ash-bin was ip the cellar ina dark corner, the blasters, exactly opposite Murder Row, and | and into this they dropped the box, wrapped in Harvey eagerly asked; “ Have you a cousin lives over there?” “ Yis, sur. Mike Fitzgerald’s a good boy, so he is, and he works on the Bullivard.” “Then Jimmy has never gone after the police,” observed Harvey, thoughtfully, ‘or maybe they’ve stopped him on the way. Isay, Kate—” * Yis, sur.” ‘Would you dare to hold this house, if I went for the police?’ . Kate began to tremble again. Before the young man's arriva] sbe had been brave; but the prospect of ae alone again was so appall- ing that she faltered: **Oh, sur, they nearly broke down the door last time. Av they came while you were away what'w’n’d Ido? And they’d see ye goin’, sure, and know I wus alone,” “ That’s true, Kate, Well, suppose I stay and take charge of the house—would you dere go and fetch the police?’ Kate seemed struck with the idea, ** Sure I c’u’d go the back way, sur, and sorra wan 0’ thim w’u’d see me.” * Would you dare to try it?” asked Harvey. Kate hesitated a moment, and took a deep breath. _. "7 think I w’u’d, sir, if ’twere for Miss -t Nina.” **Tt 7s for Miss Nina. into the house to-day?” ‘*Sorra wan of bim, sur. He tould me he had Miss Nina, and wanted ber clcze,” ‘* He did have her, but I’ve got ber safe now, [ don’t think be knows it yet. He can never find ber where she is. But 1 think he has some motive for wanting to get into this house,” “ He’lt not get in while I’m here,” said Kate stoutly. ‘*I know what he wants, the thafe.” “Indeed? What's that?” ‘*The black box, sur.” ** What black box, Kate?” * “The wan wid the papers, sur.” - Harvey felt interested at once. _ “ Have you a box here with papers? To whom Tell me, did Jarvis get - do they belong?” ‘To the poor mistress, sur.” “Then they belong to Miss Ninanow. See here. Kate, can you read?” ‘* Sorra wan of me, sur.” - “ Well, I’ve got a letter from Miss Nina, au- thorizing me to take charge of all her effects,” said Harvev. ‘‘Do you dare trust me to see that box, Kate?” Kate hesitated. “1 don’t know, sur. If that thafe gets hold of it he'll stale it, sure; but what w’u’d Miss —~ +e! Phe-very thing Nina say if I gave it to you and it turned out ye are another thafe?” - Harvey smiled. ‘Look me in the face, Kate, and tell me if you think I'm a thief.” - The Irish girl looked at him sharply, and con- cluded by saying: _ “No, ye don’t, sur. But av I give ye the box, what will ye do with it?” Harvey looked round him. The twilight was already falling. "Tf Pd known about the box when I first came in,” he said, ‘‘I would bave taken you and it, and gone after Miss Nina. Now thas is too late. Have you any place where it can be hidden, so that if the house is broken into no one can find it?” Kate considered a moment and clapped her bands, : _ £*Put it in the ash-bin, sur, and cover it wid the ashes. . Kate. Where is it now?’ *“Up stairs, sur in the mistress’s room.” ~ *Go-get it quickly, Kate, while I look out for for the outside. Don’t strike a light.” Kate went upstairs and Harvey proceeded to éxamine the house fastenings, as to their capa- ‘city to resist a siege. He found iron bars across the inside of the windows and doors below; surprising him by their strength, while the cellar-window was barred with iron, able to resist any ordinary zssault. Back and front of the house were alike im- SY ree -sesss-tesepsnpeteser a newspaper, while Kate dumped two scuttles of ashes over it. ‘“There,” said Harvey. ‘ That’s the last ati any one would thirk of looking for it. ow, Kate, how are you going to get the po- ice? Kate began to shake a little. ‘*I’'m afraid to go, sur.” ‘Very well, then, I'll go, and you stay here. This house will be attacked to-night, or I don’t know what I’m about.” Kate trembled worse than before. ** Holy Mother, sur, let’s get out of it thin.” ‘* But how about the box, Kate? The very police we want would stop us, suspecting us as thieves, We're not safe till morning, and not then unless the police come to o:r belp. See here, we’ve no cause to fear yet. Even the men of Murderer’s Row will wait till after ten o'clock before they try to break into houses, Do you think you could reach the station-house by going the back way?” Kate drew a long breath, ‘I might, sur, but av wan of thim was to mate me, I’d drop, sure.’’ ‘Did you ever shoot a pistol, Kate?” Kate shuddered. **Oh no, sur, I'd be frekened to death.” ‘* Well, I'll show you what todo, Kate. Come up-stairs.” They went up, securing the cellar behind them and by the remaining light at an upper widow Harvey sbowed Kate his revolver, took, out the cylinder, and made ber snap the hammer again and again, till she understood how to work if. Then he put back the cylinder, showed her how it revolved and said: ‘*Now, Kate, if I give you this, remember that it will kill any man yuu peintitat. Ifycu are waylaid on the road to the st«tion, wait till the man nearly touches you, and fire into Lis breast, He won't hurt you after that. Now are afraid to go?” Kate summoned up all her resolution and finallv expressed herself willing to go. ‘* Now then remember,” said Harvey, quietly, ‘IT shall be alone in the house, with no pistol. Tell the captain of the os to send he p quick, for I’m certain the Murderer’s Row peo- ple are coming here to-night.” Kate was very pale and trembled a good deal but she put on ber bonnet and shawl, clutched the pistol and hid it, when she said stoutly: ‘*I’m ready, sur. I'll do me best.” Harvey took her to the back yard, saw her out through a small door in the fence, and watched ber make her way across the vacant lot till her figure was lost in the gathering gloom, He remained at the door till it was quite dark, listening for a scream to tell bim if Kate had been attacked, but heard nothing in that direc- tion and finally went back into the house, locked the doors and prepared for his solitary vigil, ; He knew that he wasin great danger, Kate had got his pistol, and he began already to doubt her ability to use it. If any one tried to break into the house, the conflict would have to be one hand-tohand in the dark, where skill would be of little avail against numbers and force. To defend himself, he had the brass knuckles and slung-shot, with which he could make sure of at least one adversary; but if, as was proba- ble, the assailants bad fire-arms, be might be shot down easily enough, Left alone in the dark, it is small wonder that bis imagination began to get excited, and that he grew restless, e began to wander up and down the bouse, looking to the fastenings, and at last went to one of the upper windows to look out. The night was quite dark, and he could see nothing below him, for ges wasone of the bene- fits that were yet to come in that part of the town, and he could only see the twinkling lines of light afar off beyond the limits of Murderer’s — on one side and the goat-pastures on the a As : “A 94, Noe re . "i . MEE ane Op »/ Mek ow i a OOS i — ————————— — SS — ee eee He was looking out of the front window, up the street, congratulating bimself on the silence around him, as the best hope of passing the night safely, when he saw, far away in the darkness, a little flash of light and heard the sharp crack which told him that a pistol had been fired. He could not helpa start, and then. he set himself to listen intently. Presently, far away in the darkness, he heard the sound of voices, men swearing, and a wo- man screaming: ** They’ve caught her,” he muttered. ‘‘ What am I to do now?’ He hesitated for a moment, then took his de- termination at once. ‘“* They’ve got the girl,” he reasoned; ‘‘ they’Il try to scare her into telling all she knows, and they’ll do it, no doubt. hat do they want? The box. It contains papers that belong to Nina, and her step-father wants to get hold of them. I can’t hold this bouse all night, I must remove the box, or they will be here pretty soon now.” To think was to act with him, and down to the cellar he went at once. He knew where the box was, and managed to fish it up, after striking a match with some trouble and dust. Then he took it up-stairs, set it down on the basement floor, and listened intently again, to find if any one was near. All was still silent, and he stole to the back door and Jooked out. As he did so he thought be heard voices on the other side of the house, and he stood still to listen, Sure enough they were voices, and he could distinguish what was going on. ‘*Keep still,” said one. ‘‘ He’s a bad man to get on yein thedark. Set it up quietly.” Set what up? Again he listened, but heard nothing save a low, scraping sound, followed by a slight rattle and another Destog of silence. What could they be doing? There was some whispering, and then he heard a voice say in a low tone: ‘‘Smash it in then. Allin! We've got him.” The next moment came the crashing of glass on the other side of the house, the sound of steps in the Upper rooms, and he realized what had bappened, His foes, whoever they were, bad set up a ladder and were now on an upper floor, As soon as he realized this, be took the box by the handle and stole across the garden out by the back door and across the vacant lots. CHAPTER Xil. THE BAFFLED BURGLARS, Kate O'DONNELL had been captured on the side of the rock shanties away from Murderer’s Row, as Harvey had suspected, The poor girl bad pursued her way unmolest- ed, though with much palpitation of heart, as long as the lots were perfectly dark; but when she got to tbe bigh rocks, she could go no fur- ther without entering the narrow streets be- tween their lofty masses, and at the end of each street was a gas-lamp on the avenue beyond. After muc hesitation, Kate chose the lone- liest of tlese streets, and hurried through it, hoping to get to the avenue in safety. Half-way up the block, she was hailed from the lots above by a voice, ervirg: “‘There she is, boys! Head her cff!” Instantly Kate started to run, and was merpee by a loud yell from above, seeing sev- eral dark figures come running down the rocks ahead of her, to cut ber off from the avenue. Womap-like, sbe hesitated, and soon saw that escape in that direction was impossible, She turned to retrace her steps, and run back into the dark lots, hoping to hide berself, but in so doing, ran. right into the peril she had hoped to avoid. Her strength and breath alike failed her as she ran, and when she heard footsteps coming after ber she was almost palsied with fear. She made a few rapid dashes here and there like a buoted hare, and finally crouched down in a hollow, boping to be unseen, while sbe hastily got out the pistol she had been hiding under her shawl and tried to cock it with her trembling bands, Presently she saw dark figures coming up and heard the well-known voice cf Buck Jarvis saying in hoarse tones: **We’ve got her, boys. She’s hidin’ some- wheres,” Then down they came on the rush and Kate, fully believing she was found out, gave a screech and fired off the pistol in theair. She aimed at no one in particular; for, in ber fear, sbe bad entirely forgotten Harvey’s directions to ‘‘ wait till the pistol touched the man.” She had a vague feminine idea that the shot would frighten them off, though the bullet sung throngb the air far away; but the next minute she heard the men swearing ere eh ey and down they came on ber before she could cock the weapon a second time. Buck Jarvis seized her, and wrenched the pistol away with an oath, growling: