Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 375 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

? ~ Tt believe I have a sure indemnity against hears nothin’. of ultimate success, and if you have nothing a dozen lying in wait for you at the nearest | not stir outside of this place save by day- light.” me keep you any longer. iO” right; I’m a-goin’. Heven’t nothin’ more ter have something interesting to relate. You say.” are not to be trusted to run matters; and I He turned, and then looked back over his | will have to take hold in earnest myself. shoulder. Mrs. Ormsby was glowering at | Good-night.” him in no very amiable way, while the face Mrs. Ormsby did not even glance in his of Mr. Cathcart wore a smile of amusement. | direction as he went out, closing the door ‘Neither cared to stop him. 6 easily and carefully behind him. ‘It’s jest ez well,” the bummer continued, Perhaps she understood him better than after a moment’s hesitation. ‘‘ Yer ain’t a he thought she did. Further expostulation bit curious, an’ ef yer war, that’s: all ther | would only have been so much lost time and good it would do. I’m used ter ongrater- breath. He did go down the street a few tude, an’ I ain’t a-blamin’ yer fur givin’ the | rods, but with no evident purpose in view. grand bounce. I don't, as it were, keer a He loitered around in an aimless way for a continental, an’ I’ve jest one word ov advice. | few moments, and then silently returned, Ef yer knows w’ot’s good fur yer everlastin’ | slipping into his own little six by nine cubby- health an’ happiness, you'll git afore ther | hole of a room without any one being the time ov trouble hes arove. Ef not, look out | wiser. fur squalls. Eberneezer’s on ther way, an’ CHAPTER XIII. when he comes—thar’s trouble afoot.”’ MR. CATHCART HOLDS A LEVEE. With this parting shot, that did not seem | Ir was rather late in the morning when to go very wide of its mark, Ragged Rufe Mr. Cathcart made his reappearance, and he vanished, leaving the two to their own so- | came blinking, and rubbing his eyes, as ciety. | though he had been unwillingly roused from .For a moment both were silent, Mr. Cath- | his slumbers. cart fondling his mustache, under which was As a matter of habit he steered first of all lurking an oily smile. into the bar-room., The woman was sitting with her head| Mr. Byles greeted him with a cordial good- bowed on her hands, and when at last he | morning. The worthy proprietor had his spoke to her, she looked up with a wild sort own share of curiosity, and was shrewd as of stare. they made them. If he had hold of the ‘Tt does seem to me that the menagerie at | small end of a mystery it was one that paid Blazer’s Bar would fill out a complete cargo him, and he did not intend to drive trade for Noah’s Ark. If there is anything of fur | away. or feather wanting, if you wait long enough ** Hyar’s yer hammer, an’ thar’s yer nail,” T'll wager it will turn up here. Butis this he continued, setting a glass and a little chance, or what brought them all together black bottle on the bar. ‘‘ Drive her in. here?” ‘You'll find it the extra sort, ez I brought ‘Chance? No, it is fate!’ responded Mrs. it along fur my own private use. Not Ormsby, moodily, ‘‘ The fight is to come enough brimstone an’ akyfortis fer ther right here—so be it. When we leave the av'ridge run ov ther boys, but ile an’ honey Bar, if leave it we do, there will at least be fur a kerrect taste—like yourn.”’ nothing more to learn,” | Mr. Byles was not far off of the truth in ‘And this Bess Stanley, of whom we what he said, either. Cathcart, after a mo- have incidentally heard—who is she? Is mentary hesitation, sampled the hardware, there a girl of her age who, by any possibil- and set his tumbler back witha sigh of relief. ity, might be mixed up in the affair? When ‘*Better than I could have dreamed of, ou begin your explanations, you may as sir, better than I could have dreamed of. well include them all. Here are two or Opens a man’s eyes wide, sir, very wide, and three already, of whom I had never heard; gets him ready for breakfast. Has Mrs, and yet they seem to have an important con- Ormsby shown up yet?” . nection with the story. This man of rags, ‘Haven't seen hide ner huff sence ther for instance—who is he?” leetle confab in ther parlor, Guess ther ride ‘He has nothing to do withthe matter,” | war too much fur her yesterday, an’ she’ll responded the woman, hastily. ‘‘He is a’ hey ter hev her own time for shakin’ it off, drunken, worthless brute, whom I knew | Very fine woman, but looks ez tho’ she’d hed slightly years ago, before he had fallen so lots ov trouble. Anything special?” low.” |_ “As you say, sir, lots of trouble; though ‘‘Primrose, I believe he called himself. | I hope she is about through with it. We - Odd name, that, yet it seems to me it’s not have come here to obtain final proofs of altogether unfamiliar. Is—is he a relative of several things which, when they are settled, yours?” will make her immensely wealthy—a million- ‘That is a question I refuse to answer. | aire in fact. Perhaps, from what you have Of all the needed points in my life, I have | heard let fall, you may alr ady have some given you a full history. For the rest, I | idea of the facts in the case.” prefer to keep silent.” ‘Excuse me. A man thet keeps a hotel, ‘‘ Just as you choose—just as you choose. | which the same are worthy ov ther name, What might be remarked on possible loss, and a rare chance for large re- | in confidence—that’s a different thing. An’ muneration. I rather prefer the latter view | ef I could advise—l’ve bin hyar since Blazer of the case; but I can be content with the | war a baby.” ormer. What next? It is best that we| Mr, Cathcart did not immediately respond. should consider what we have learned here, | He looked Byles in the face in a critical sort and decide upon our best course. There is | of way, and seemed to be revolving 4 ques- no time to lose.” tion in his own mind. When at last he spoke “‘T shall talk no more to-night; I want | it was in an altered, confidential tone. rest, and a chance to think it all over. There “There is a great deal in what you say, are some things here that I cannot under- | Mr. Byles, and [ thank you cordially for stand, and I believe I have made a fool of | your generous offer. If { do not take ad- myself to-night in more ways than one ” vantage of it at once it is because Mrs, ‘‘In regard to Gentle Joe, I should say | Ormsby insists upon managing her own ou had; and I rather suspect that it would | affairs. Nevertheless I think she and I are aye been as well to have deferred the recog- | yenerally of the same way of thinking, and nition of the ragged Primrose until a more | if she takes the view of matters that 1 hope appropriate season. Still, I do not despair | she will I would like you to meet us in con- ference immediately after breakfast, and be- fore the major makes his appearance. As I judge that we have not much time to spare to suggest you may as well retire to your room. The hour is growing late, and I | would like to have some further talk with | would you have the kindness to have some the major, if he is to be found.” one rap on Mrs. Ormsby’s door and tell her ‘Qo, then, but beware. There may be | that I am waiting for her?” ‘Guess ye’r’ “bout right. They’re savin’ corner, and twice as many willing to shed ; up fur ye; but ther boys hev mostly shoveled your blood for the wealth they imagine is in , up the’r grub an’ left. Hold on a minnit an’ your pockets. It would be safer if you did | I'll see.” , Byles was gone but a moment; when he returned his fa¢e was the picture of aston- ishment. ‘‘T sw’ar I dunno what ter make of it,” was his ejaculation. ‘‘ It’s awful.” ‘Thanks for the warning, but I am able to take careof myself. [have been in worse places than Blazer's Bar, and I came out un- harmed, It’s a little way Ihave. Don’t let ‘‘What do you mean?” asked Cathcart, I will see you in pire the morning, and I have no doubt I will' ‘ Miss Ormsby—she—she ain’t thar.” -_ oi ‘% om, t=. rf ~ s Royal George, the Three in One, 1 i | hallway. ‘* Not where?” ‘In herroom. Don’t look ez though she’s bin thar all night. Suthin’s happened.” That was enough. Without stopping to ask further questions Mr. Cathcart dashed past the landlord and down the narrow little Fortunately the bar-room at that moment was deserted, :or he would have created considerable excitement by his abrupt departure, and Andy Byles would have led along a murderous delegation, as he darted in the rear. The two men stared into the little closet that was, by courtesy, styled a room, It looked too completely undisturbed not to be suggestive. The feminine fixings were all there, just as they had been laid down, the bed was untouched, and the little window was wide open. ‘‘She couldn’t ’a’ crawled out ther winder ter take a promernade,” queried the landlord, in a hopeless sort of way. ‘*Crawl—blazes! She has been carried out. There was foul play of some kind. Were you in it?” The cold, concentrated manner of Mr. Cathcart made Andy’s flesh craw], From that moment he had more respect for his guest than he had ever had before. ‘Pon my sacred word! Ax the people ov Blazer’s what Andy Byles’s word ave wu'th, an’ they'll all tell ye he’s square ez adie. I don't know more ner you do—not ez much. An who would ‘a’ kerried her away? ‘Thar ain’t no man at Blazer’s Bar ez would run sich reesk.” ‘*How about the girl that was missing last night? Has she turned up?” The question was a poser. Bess Stanle had not. turned up, and the Bar was suffi- ciently excited about her. What might not be said if another woman was missing and from the Golden Lamb? ‘*But nobody could ’a’ took her without givin’ some sort ov sign. it must be a mis- take. Look arounda leetle. You'll find her takin’ in ther Bar. It ain't in a woman to be snoozin’ round while she hez any kind ov a contract on hand. No use to be skeered; but it’s jest ez well ter hunt her up.” Andy made a dive for the door, as if to lead the search, but Mr. Cathcart held out his hand and stopped him. ‘No. If she has gone of her own accord, she will come back by the way she left. Tf, as I believe, she was taken away, then the best plan will be to wait. Whoever the men who did it, they will show their hands if you give them time. After that perhaps brains will tell. This thing has not heen done without a reason; and it may well be wortha million to know who the abductors are.” ‘You talk right down to ther line, pard, an’ mebbe you won’t hev ter wait ez long ez Andy thinks ter find out.” The two men started, though to one of them the voice was familiar enough. Turn- an they saw Singular Sam standing in the door. ‘By mighty, I b’lieve ye’r’ right; an’ glad be I ter see yer, Sam. Hyar’s ther man fur a side pard. What he dont know ain't ww’th thinkin’ "bout, an’ ther sooner yer let bim in on ther ground floor ther sooner itll git cleared up what it’s all about, I’ve an inter- est in this thing, Sam; an’ want yer ter count Mr. Cathcurt in, an’ take hold ez ef yer meant it. Ef there hes been anything snide at ther Golden Lamb it’s got ter be squared er me reputasbun’s gone.” “All right, Terry. We know you hadn't any hand i it; and I came right hyer ter see ef you couldn't give me some points on who did. Ifthe sentleman means business, I’ve no objection to having our horses pull to- gether. Let's take this thing up right now. What do 4 think has become of Bess?” Singular Sam did not belie his name. Evidently he knew all about the disappear- ance of Brilliant Bess; but he was as cool as though it was none of his funeral that was under discussion. 5? ‘Now you talk,” said Byles, with positive enthusiasm in his voice. «het settles ther job, Mr. Catheart. You hey Sing’lar Sam on your side, an’ he !! pull yer through ag’in’ all ther toughs an road- agents thet ever bloomed ’round Blazers. Give him ther points, an’ we'll hustle things along lively.” i ‘Yes, give me ther p’ints. Ef we kin make a double team all ther better fur us, ‘comic - oat a JOOKS.«