Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 262 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

ek = ¢ ‘‘It#’s you, is it, Irish? [ll teach you to keep me out of my own house, Come along.” With that he hauled her up on her feet and said to one of his followers: ‘“ Hold her up and come along.” Kate was too much frightened to resist and for several minutes submitted to be dragged in Fighting Tom. **Go up, you Cronk, and come down to open the door to us,” said Buck, who did not want to have any more delay than he could help. ‘‘Ay, ay,” answered Cronk, and up the ladder he went, and they heard his and Nelson’s steps inside the house, coming down-stairs, The men seemed to be using very little, if any the direction in which she had come, till Buck | caution, and they came down and openedi the Jarvis asked her: ‘Well, have ye got the key?” ‘“‘No, sur,” stammered Kate. stand here, I haven’t.” ““Who’s in the house?” asked Jarvis. ‘““The gintleman, sur,” answered Kate; gintleman’s in there, sur.” “Who gave you that pistol?’ was the next answer, as they went along. ‘* He gave it to me, sur, indeed and he did.” ‘‘ Hum!” muttered the ruffian. : ‘‘ The darned fool! Might ha’ knowed better than to trust you with one. Boys, we’ve got bim.” Then they went on to the end of ‘the next block where they stopped, and Buck said: ‘Jim Nelson, that ladder ought to be about here somew teres. You and Cronk look fur it. I'll take care of this one,” The two men went off in the darkness while Jarvis turned on Kate, his manner assuming a roughly coaxing way. ‘* Now look a bere, Kate,” he said, “you have no cause to go back on me, bev ye?’ I was agree- able to your sellin’ all the stutf there was in that house and gittin’ away. You and me oughtn’ter quarrel,” Kute, a little reassured by his manner, said: “No, sur. I don't want to quarrel with no one, sur, av I can help it.” ‘‘Then why in blazes didn’t ye let me in?” asked Buck with a grow]. ‘All I want is the gal’s cloze. You know I’m her dad, don’t ye?” ‘Vis, sur,” faltered Kate. ‘Very well,” he answered more placably. “Then don’t give me no more trouble. This here snoozer’s a-goin’ to get himself into a bad box, he is, Which way did ye come out when ye came?” He had put the question carelessly, but Kate now that it had come to a match of wits, could lie herself out of any common scrape, 80 she said boldly: ** Out ar the front door, sur, and I was goin’ to me cousin Mike Fitzgerald, that lives over on the rocks beyant, sur.” “Ye was, was ye?” ‘Vis, sur.” “Then what made ye carry a pistol?” ‘*For fear of the O’Gradys, sur,” said Kate prominely. ‘‘ The Fitzgeralds and the O'Gradys as a foight, sur, and 1 was’feared ye gintlemen was thim.” “The blazes you say? Well then, you don’t object to coming back to the bouse and telling this young snoozer ye want to come in?” Kate hesitated. * Vis, sur; that is—” “Well, what?” ‘Pm afraid he w’u’dn’t let me in, sur.” “ Why not?” “He tould me not to come back, sur.” “We'll risk that. You call to him and get him to let us in.” Kate saw that he meant what he said, so sie took refuge in another lie. ““Piaze,sur, ’m not sure if the gintleman’s there at all, sur.” _ Jarvis started, and his voice had a tone of Joy ful excitement as he asked. ‘Why not? Are you sure?” ‘“*T think, sur—” And Kate rapped out her next ‘lie with the ease of long practices, **He tould me, sur, he’d go to the station to get some cops to guard the house.” Buck rapped out an oath. ‘He did; did he? We'll cop him!” With that he whistled shrilly, and the whistle was answered by Jim Nelson’s voice, a little way off, saying: “Don’t get in a cast-iron sweat, Buck. Here we come, ladder and all,” Two figures appeared, carrying a ladder, and Buck led the way to the bouse, whispering to bis confederates as he went. € When they got to the front of the houce, the two men began to rear up the ladder, and Jim Nelson whispered: ‘‘ Look out, boys. He’s a bad man to meet in the dark. Let it up quietly.” | “True as I ‘He ain’t there, I tell ye,” whis back Jarvis. ‘* Keep still, so the neighbors won't hear ye.” Then Kate saw the ladder go up to one of the front windows, and one of the men, the short, stout one, named Cronk, took bis way up the rounds, and tried the window. Then he whispered down: ‘¢ It’s bolted, and there’s a bar acrost.” ‘‘Smash it in, then,” whispered back Buck. ** Allin, we've got him.” As he spoke, he shoved Kate to the ladder, and said, sternly: ‘*Git up, Irish.” Kate hesitated, and trembled. ‘* Plase, sur, I dassn’t.” “ Why not?” | ‘«] niver wint up a ladder in me life, sur.” street door, as if they belonged to the house, when Buck Jarvis, still keeping tight bold of Kate’s arm, burried her in, and said to Cronk, | with some anxiety: “*the | might pass, and we’ve got to burry.” “Go and take down the ladder. Some one Then he ran in his prisoner, and said to her, with a fierce shake: ‘Now, Vve got ye, darn ye, Where’s the box?” ‘* What box, sur?” asked Kate, quaking. ‘The tin box, curse ye. You know well the box I mean, ye Irish. skunk.” ‘* Indade, and I don’t sur,” replied Kate, all in |. a tremor, and lying desperately to cover her tracks. ‘‘Sorra one o’? me iver saw any tin box, sur, ‘cept the bread-box.” Buck guve her another flerce shake, and dragged her into the back room, where he clutched her by the hair with one hand, and began to feel in bis pocket with the other, muttering: **Darn your skin, I’Jl teach you to lie to me! You know well enough what box. Iomean. You’ve seen it many a time,” Then he called out to Nelson: “Strike a light, curse ye. I want to see this woman’s face.” The burglar drew a match from his pocket instantly, and struck a light, when Kate, to ber intense horror, saw that Buck Jarvis was open- ing with his teeth a large clasp-knife, which he rears brandished before her eyes, drawing er head close by the hair, and hissing out: “Now, darn ye, wili ye tell, or shall I gouge your eye out?’ Kate uttered a faint scream in her terror and instantly received a blow on the mouth that would have floored the poor creature had not Buck beld her up by the hair. ** Scream, will ye?” growled the ruffian, as his confederate coolly lighted a Jamp. “ You give another sich a screech and I'll end ye right bere and now, darn ye.” And he looked so capable of. fulfilling’ his threat that Kate, who was easily cowed by violence, now that she could see his ferocious face, broke down and begged: “* Oh, for the Lord’s sake, don’t kill me, sur. I'm not fit to die yet.” “ Ye ain't, ain’t ye?’ growled Buck, his face assuming a jook of savage glee that told how the information pleased him. ‘I should» say not. Ye want to go to bell with a le on your lips, do ye? And have the devils turnin’ ye over on the fire, do ye. Well, that’s jest what I want. Tell me where that box is or I stop ou and your screamin’ darned quick, Come, will ye tell, darn ye?” As he spoke, be drew her head back and put the nt of the knife to her throat, so as to ride her, his teeth set, his eyes glaring down on the unbappy creature, Was she to blame that she cried in de- Wr: ** Don’t kill me and [ll tell ye all, sur,” “Where's the box, then?’ was his only an- swer. ‘** In the ash-bin, sur.” Buck withdrew the knife from her throat and yanked her up by the bair. ‘* Where’s the ash-bin?” he asked, ‘* In the cellar, sur.” ** And who put tbe box there?” ‘¢The—the gintleman, sur,” **Come and show me the place, and mind me, if you’ve lied to me, I’ll leave you in the cellar a dead woman, for the rats to eat.” He hauled her down-stairs to the cellar and she took him straight to the ash-bin, but he saw from a trail of ashes on the floor that some- thing bad been very recently put tbere or taken out, so that, as he came to e ash bin, he let go her bair and said eagerly: ‘*Dump it all out. Coxe, help.” Nelson, who seemed to have a complete un- derstanding with his chief, had followed with the light, and in another moment tne big bux of ashes was dumped on the cellar floor, with a resultant cloud of fine dust that filled the cellar and made vision and breathing difficult for awhile. — But Buck Jarvis, heeding nothing but the ob- ject of his desires, began to poke about and rummage in the ashes with a stick, till he sud- denly turned round on Kate, his face more fe- rocious than ever, roarine: ‘* Fooled me, did ye?’ Take that!” And so discharged a blow at her which would have stunned her but she shrunk to one side, ejaculating: “Don’t, sur, don’t! Before God, he put it there, and we dumped the ashes on it. Ob, for the love of God, sur, don’t kill me, don’t.” She was in a perfect frenzy of terror, and rushed close to him, clinging to his knees and keeping on her wail. ‘* For the love o’ God don’t kill me, sur. It’s the gintleman has taken it, sur, 9 Indade it was _ mm here. Irut it- here meself—’ ‘* Hallo!” bere came a hoarse whisper from the head of the cellar stair. ‘' Halloo, Buck! The back door’s open and the snoozer’s gone for the cops, reckon, We'd better get up and dust outer this.” lt was the voice of their confederate, Cronk, and Buck Jarvis, with an oath of bitter fury and malignity dealt the unfortunate Kate a brutal kick and rushed up the cellar steps to reconnoiter. As the three burglars came out they turned and bolted the cellar door bebind them and then went to the front door to listen, ‘* Did ye hear anything, that ye called?” said Buck, in a whisper,as they pee out into the darkness. ‘**'Yes,” whispered back Cronk, “it was a cop's club. Never beard it afore, down this way. Suthin’s up, I reckon.” They peered out and listened more intently than ever, but no sound came to their ears liko that of a policeman’s club. Indeed, the idea of a single policeman ven- turing ont on a dark night in the vicinity of Murderer’s Row was one that seldom entere! the mind of the captain of that precinet, who was generally known as ‘’ Sleepy Jones” from the slack way in which he ran bis district, Presently, however, Cronk pulled. Buek’s sleeve. ‘There it is again,” he whispered, The sharp sound of a locust club ringing on the sidewalk came indeed to their ears, closo by, and in another instant all three were back in the houss, closing the door softly, while Buck whispered; ‘It's a new man; it must be, boys. Let him go by. The Old Holler Gang will give him all he wants.” ‘*T'll spot the snoozer,” muttered Nelson, and he stole down-stairs to the basement door, and -in another moment was crouching by the steps, slung-shot in hand, awaiting the approach of the policeman. Buck also stole down beside him, whispering: “What'd we best do, Nelse?’ ‘Lay him out, of course,” was the answer. ‘*Here he comes. I hear his steps.” Very soon the slow regular steps of a man on his béat could be heard approaching the house, and the two burglars prepared. for a spring as soon as their victim came within reach of their weapons, Slowly the steps advanced on the pavement and then of a sudden they céased while tho duller footfalls showed that the man bad crossed the street to the other side, ‘Let him go,” whispered Nelson. ‘ Battle Row will fix him, you bet,”, “Battle Row” was the name given by the men of the neighborhood to what the police knew as “ Murderer’s Row.) There is a good deal in a nice name, and a thief does not like to be called a thief, Presently, as they listened, they heard the sound of the club again, exactly opposite the house, an Buck whispered: ‘ By posh! the feller’s callin’ up the rest,” “Rap! Rip! Rap! _ They all knew it well, the signal for help, and in that still night it could be heard a long way off. Almost instantly the sound was answered by responsive raps, far away beyond Murderer’s Row, beyond the domain of the Fit rerolds and O'Gradys, tiil the listening burglars Leard more than a dozen raps. But the steps of the man opposite the house had ceased entirely, and they judged he must be watching the place, though tor what, no one could tell. ** Let’s go over and double bank bim,” whis- prred Cronk.’ ‘If he goes on, he'll bring a whole lot of em down on araid.” . Buck nodded, and the three man crept to the area gate and made a sudden dash across the rond to the place from whence -the sound of the club bad proceeded in the darkness, They rushed across and nearly tumbled into the guiter in their haste; but when they reach- ed the sidewalk and bunted round for the sup- posed — no one was there, Buck rushéd one way, Cronk the other, and Nelson explored a third direction and fell down a steep bank into a sunken lot.’ But neither sight nor sound betrayed the man who had sounded the club, till they heard it again on the opposite sidewalk, some © way up the street in the well-known call for belp, instantly answered from a dozen quarters near by. CHAPTER XIII, © THE SPIRIT RAP, ‘THEY'RE a-comin’ in,” whispered Nelson. “'There’s more’n a dozen of ’em. hat’n blazes has brought ’em, | wonder?’ “It’s a raid, sure,” said Cronk, burriedly. “Skip, cules. It’s time we were outer this.” They stole across the street into the open lots in the direction of Murderer’s Row, and very mvs after a footsteps ahead, as if more an one or two men were walkin th toward them. rane eM As if by one consent, all three sunk down on MIEOOOKS (E(0) (E()