Beadle's Dime Library No. 412 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

OS a Na —— ———e ee _—_ oe EE ee ne : + . 10 ‘But why won’t ye do it?’ asked his uncle, ‘querulously, Paul looked him in the eye. ‘‘ Because I saw it all, sir. You’ve no cause to complain. You struck Larry first, and he only fought in self-defense.” Marcellus Skinner regarded him with an evil scowl and turned away. “Very well,” he said, ‘‘ I'll remember that ‘against A Tommy, boy, go and tell Mr, Scriven I want to see him.” ~ “Tommy, boy,” obeyed with the eagerness he always showed, and old Skinner remained quiet till the doctor had bandaged him up and gone away, leaving Paul by the bataide. Then the uncle said, in a low, evil tone: **So x wouldn’t obl ige your old uncle, eh, Paul? Ye wouldn’t?” “IT couldn’t, sir, if you mean to take active measures of revenge against Larry Locke, He wouldn’t have touched you if you hadn’t struck at him first.” The old man smiled in a ghastly way. _ **$o ye said before—so ye said. I suppose ye think ye’ve only to wait till I die to come into my shoes—hey, Paul?” aul started and flushed angrily. hee ‘You know well enough I thought no such thing,” he said, ‘‘ My grandfather had a right to do as he would with his own. To be sure, I did expect—” “Shut the door,” interrupted his uncle, sharply. Paul obeyed with some surprise. Come here,” continued Marcellus, to _ tell you something, young man.” Paul came to the bedside and Marcellus look- ed at him fixedly before he spoke, and then it was with some difficulty and a good deal of “T want n. : * Paul,” he said, ‘‘you never knew how my father came to alter his will, did you?” No, sir,” said Paul, coldly. **It was done, and that is enough.” 2 Marcellus smiled in the same painful way. . * Ay, ay,” he said, “that’s enough for you; _ but you weren’t treated so bad, afterall, I’ve _ only got the property for my life, and I can’t Jeaveitto my Tom. You're safe to get it, if I ¢ Py < =e % 4 “Pm aware of that,” answered Paul, still more coldly. ‘* What of it?” _. §$kinner began to chuckle, but stopped with a “ imace of pain. © Tf I die, you get it all,” he said; ‘‘ but how __ if you die first?” oa ‘Then, under the will, it goes to my mother’s next heir,” said Paul—‘‘after your <% death.” Yes, yes, that’s just it—to Em’s next heir, - afterme. To Em’s next heir. Yes, yes!” He lay there cogging to himself, as if much amused at something or other, and said nothing “more for some time. At last they heard a nofse below stairs, and - Tom Trainor came up, with a thin man whom Paul knew to be a lawyer in good practice in _ Holesburg, to whom Skinner said: - *Gome here, Mr. Scriven; I want to see you. _ Here I lie, struck down by a villain. He hit me with a sledge-hammer; wanted to kill e. I want to get even with him. How can I _ ©Why, swear a complaint, of course,” said _ the lawyer at once. ‘ Felonious assault. Have him sent up for five years.” Skinner seemed delighted, _ That's it; that’s just it. Will you draw up th pppere, and the names of witnesses; will you them ; will you?” Certainly,” said the lawyer. _. §Skinner turned his head to scowl at Paul. “Git out of the room,” he said. ‘‘ When T want ye I'll send for ye.” Paul bowed and went out without a word, It ‘seemed to him as if his cup of humiliation were growing fuller daily, and as he went to his attic room to muse, he said to himself: _ Oh, what a fool I was, when I was rich, as oe not to have learned something by which | could make an honest living! Here I -am,a dependent and a pauper, and he takes a pleasur fo insulting me. If [ had only had = an = 3 . . ~ inkling of what was coming, when my father was alive, how differently I should have behaved!” But all his thoughts brought him no sort of consolation, for as matters he was a help- less dependent. True, the will of his dfather as proved ve his uncle only the life interest in the Skin- ner estate, which was to come to Paul after - Marcellus Skinner’s death, but in the mean time here was nothing to prevent his uncle from let- bi starve to death if he chose. Te if Paul died before Marcellus, the latter ‘became the next relative of Paul’s mother, as _ the invalid had maliciously hinted to the young # 5 ° ¢ « "Buried in gloomy thoughts, Paul sat in his Sark he heard the house-door attic in the closed below at the departure of the lawyer. _ Very soon after, he heard the lumbering step of Tom Trainor coming up-stairs, and Tom 2 ata the door without knocking, to look in anid say gruffly: 7 a i ~ * x oh. 7 * oem - wee ett tL Ct CC CC LL LL LL LL LLL LLL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LLL LL tet ‘ttt ttl LLL LLBLLBBLPLBL LLL LLL LLL LLL CL ttt, a. “~ - OT a@ets LL Se _— - —m-awes o -_ P+ woe eee s | ** Mr. Skinner wants you. Hurry up.” ‘Very good,” said Paul, quietly. ‘‘ ll come.” **'You’ll come, will yer?” retorted Tom, with a growl, ‘ You'd better come, I tell you. The old man’s goin’ to bounce yer. i Paul came out of his room at once and con- fronted Tom, saying angrily: ‘*Look here, you, sir, my uncle is one man and you’re another. I stand a good deal from him, but not from you. Get out of my way, or PU knock you down!” Tom drew back in some alarm, saying: tain’t none of my doin’s, Paul, He told me, “Very well,” said Paul, sharply, “‘ then say what he told you and make no comments of your own, I’m going.” And he went to his uncle’s room, CHAPTER XIV, MISFORTUNES, Wuen Paul reached the sick-room he found Marcellus Skinner flushed with the first fever Coa injury, and looking as spiteful as pos- sible, As soon as he entered, the mill-owner began at him irritably: *“ Why didn’t you come quicker? I sent Mr. Trainor after you, and he’s next to me in this house,” **T came as soon as he told me,” returned Paul, keeping down his temper. ‘Ye lie!” retorted Marcellus. ‘I heard ye on the passage, squabbling with him, Now mark my words: Tm going to put an end to this. ve stood a deal from you because you’re ny nephew. Now it’s got to stop.” ‘* What has got to stop?” asked Paul. ‘This talking back to Mr. Trainor, He’s your rior now.” ‘My superior?’ echoed Paul, stung at last. ‘Yes, your superior—in everything. I’m boss of this concern, and I say it. If I tell you to black his boots you'll do it.” ‘*T should do no such thing,” retorted Paul. * You wouldn’t?” ** No, sir, and you know it.” Marcellus Fyraben at him with impotent fury a moment, and then burst out: ‘* Get out of my house, you ungrateful whelp! After all I’ve done for you to turn en me like that! Get out! Never let me see your face again! You're discharged! Do you hear? I discharge you. Get out! Gol! Starve if you like, I’ve done with you.” For a moment Paul was stamned by his sudden violence, and then he drew himself up proudly and answered: ‘Well, I’m glad of it, uncle. You've done it yourself. You were my mother’s only brother, and I’ve borne much from you on that account, but it’s all over now. Good-by. ‘You won't re- fuse to say that, I hope.” **Get out, ye pauper!” was all the reply deigned by ‘Marce us, and then Paul went BP to his own room and packed up his trunk wit all that remained of his former splendor—not much now—and carried the box down-stairs himself to the hall. Thence he went to the kitchen and told the waiter, who remembered him as a boy, that he would send for the trunk next day. The man promised to take it into his own room and see it was not disturbed. ‘** No one sha’n’t hurt it, Mr. Paul,” he added, ‘and I'd rather lose my Fone than let that up- start, Tom Trainor, interfere. Why, I remem- ber him jest a common ’prentice, and he puts on more lugs than a juke now,” ‘‘Never mind, John,” said Paul, quickly. ight to do what he will with ** My uncle has a rig hisown. Good-by. Then he went out into the street in the darkening twilight, and heard the clocks strike eight as he too his way toward Larry Locke’s cottage. He had no very clear idea of what he was goin to do, but he remembered Jarry’s offer of rien iP and he had but ten dollars in his pocket, the savings of a montb, He had no idea that Larry had yet been arrested, for he knew that a charge of felonious assault could not be sustained in eourt, and he did not know how far his uncle’s spite against the fr ken foreman might go. He walked rapidly along and soon cleared the outskirts of Holesburg and found himself on the dusty highway leading to Larry’s cottage on the About half-way there he met a wagon with some men in it, and recognized the glitter of brass buttons in the starlight, from which he judged that the police were taking in some prisoners. : ; ‘Tramps, probably,” he said to himself. “* It’s a good thing they’ve begun, Those fellows have got to be a nuisance. Who knows though? I ought not to talk against them. I may have to turn tramp myself, soon.” He walked on till he saw the outlines of cottage against the sky on the top of and noticed that it was dark at every su Ss the hill, window. **T wonder if they’ve gone to bed so early?” he said to himself. ‘‘ Larry isn’t usually so. Tl try to get in, anyway.” ” 4 oe re ; vied rs a i- ; y i 24 sea : i 2. vente rey bs ete Larry Locke, the Man of Iron. Sr -—— — er le —— — — —_— Phe Tole. te, He came up to the house and found all dark and silent, but the front door was wide open. ‘** Hallo\” he cried, stopping at the door. “*‘ Any one in here? Larry! Oh, Larry!” There was no answer and he went in a little to listen. Presently he heard the sound of some one moving in an inner room, and called: ‘*Who’s there? Is that you, Larry?” There was still no answer, but the sound of moving went on. Then he heard a dull shock, asif some one had made a leap down on the ground outside, fol- lowed by the sound of running feet. In a mo- ment it flashed over him that something was wrong, and he darted out of the house and round to the rear in time to see a man running away with a bag on-his shoulder toward the open fields in a crouching attitude, ** Stop thief!” shouted Paul instantly, and he set off after the man, who ran with amazing speed across tho little kitchen garden till he came to the low fence. Paul saw him throw over the bag and vault the api after it, so he followed as fast as he could, Young and vigorous, and a good runner, Paul followed, and being unburdened with a load, soon found himself gaining on the thief, who- ever he was. This became evident from the fact that the man dropped the bag a moment later and ran on, but Paul, declining to be delayed by this stratagem, pursued faster than ever, and at last came up with the thief. He had almost got his clutch on him when the man suddenly stopped and squatted down unex- pectedly. The next moment Paul stumbled over him, falling and scraping his hands severely from the rate at which he was going, and before he could recover himself, the thief was up and away again, plunging into a field full of Indian corn higher than his head, in which he succeeded in finally eluding bis pursuer. Then at last Paul retraced his steps to the house, finding the bag on the way, and in ita collection of clothing and small things that he knew to have been at Larry’s house, none of them of much value. ‘*Tt must have been a sneak-thief,” he said to himself, ‘‘and Larry must have gone out to sume nefghbor’s with Molly. Ill go and wait for them.” He retraced his steps to the house, but was surprised to see lights moving about, and sey- eral men with lanterns and big clubs hunting round it excitedly calling to each other. ‘* Which way did he go, Jimmy?” ‘* Here’s his thrack beyant the path,” “Oh, the murderin’ thafe!” ** How well he knew ‘“ Ah, begorra, av he'd wad ha’ had a hard time.” Paul came up to the fence and hailed them: ‘Hallo! I’ve found what he stole. Is that you, Maguire?” He recognized the voice of one of the crane- men, but his hail brought a rush toward bim, and one man shouted: *‘°Tis the thafe! Give him ballyhoo, b’ys.” ‘‘IT’m no thief,” shouted back Paul. ‘‘ I’m Paul Van Beaver. Don’t you know me?” “Tis Misther Paul!” cried Maguire, and he came up to the fence asking: ** And how the divil did ye come round here at all, Misther Paul? Sure, here’s blazes to pay, intirely, and they've arristed Larry Locke, and Mrs. Larry is nigh kilt wid the baby wid fright, and what does it all mane, anyhow?” ‘‘T’m sure I don’t know,”said Paul. ‘I came here to see Larry, found the door open, saw a man running off, chased him, and got this bag. That's all. at’s this you say about Larry being arrested?” The men had come round now, recognizing him, and Maguire answered: “ Sorra one of us knows, but Mrs. Locke came in like a wild woman wid the bab , and tould us how she had to jump out of the back windy, and a man was kickin’ in the front door when she left, and—” ' ‘‘ Where is she now?” asked Paul hurriedly. ‘* At my house, sir, and you’re kindly wel- come to come there, Mr. Paul.” - “But who will take care of this house?” ‘The b’ys will do that, sir. Mike Lancy and Tom Donnelly will stay till Larry comes back, and bad luck to the thief that tries any more to- night.” m I don’t think he will,” said Paul ina thought- fultone. ‘‘I think that man has taken more than was in the bag. I must see Mrs. Locke at once. . He and Maguire went over to the house of the craneman, which lay about half a mile nearer was away.” en here, the man mA and as soon as their foo were audible, Molly came out, very pale and much excited to meet them. As soon as she saw Paul, she to sob and tell him what had happened, to which he listened with much agitation. hae As soon as she had told her story, he said, comfortingly: * But the can’t hold a, on the charge, It was only a blow in self-defense. | GOMeEdoeO! ad : * . a a “ i,