Beadle's Dime Library No. 412 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

a" . Se ~ > “ ¥ ; } delightedly. | 4 Larry Locke, the Man of Iron. ‘‘He ought to. There’s twenty pounds be- “Enough! Enough! My God! d’ye want to tween them. But I don’t give up yet. Your | kill me? boy’s too fat to last.” ‘There they go. Your boy’s oid muill-owner, still more dryly. me ten dollars, Paul.” Indeed, both boys had gone down, Tom Trainor on top, in a cloud of dust, and they could see that om was punching at his prostrate foe with ull his might, while Larry’s head was moving. ‘‘Not yet,” answered Paul, in a low voice, watching them intently. ‘‘ Look at that!” By some exertion they could not see in the confusion, Larry had drawn up his knees and managed to throw off his big antagonist, scram- bled up on his feet, and was jumping back ain, while Tom was following him more slowly, evidently winded by his severe exer- tions, but savage as ever. ‘* He’s escaped punishment so far,” said Paul. “‘Governor, I'll make the ten fifty that my boy wins!” ‘* Done!” cried Skinner, who was growing ex- cited himself. “‘ Give it to him, Tom. Are you going to let that kid get away with you?” The boys were close tothem now, and Larry’s face was visible. It was ve pale, but not a bruise yet disfigured it, and his eyes watched Tom as keenly as ever, while his lips were firm- ly closed, Tom Trainor’s mouth was open, and his face was erimson, though neither had he received a blow yet. As he heard his employer’s taunt he made a desperate effort, and sent a right-hand blow with all his force at Larry. **Good boy, Larry!” exclaimed Paul, with nuine enthusiasm, as the boy ducked his ead, evaded the blow, and the next moment dashed in to close, ore ae le, heard th d ey saw the boys grapple 6 soun of Seidl reper ther, "and then broke away, while Tom staggered back wit the blood streaming from his nose and mouth. Larry had ‘‘ bucked” him with all his force, and broken the hold of his enemy. ‘‘ Make ita hundred, governor?” cried Paul, ** Your boy’s whipped!” _ Not yet,” said Skinner, sharply. And he was right. Tom Trainor, through over-confidence in his grapple, had received two severe blows, but he was not by any means beaten. On the contrary, the blows, coming from so puny an antagonist, had sobered, steadied, and thoroughly enraged him. He stopped a moment to take breath, and then advanced more slowly on Larry, who kept up the same watchful, retreating game as before, a fierce smile on his boyish face. He had not ut- tered a sound since the fight began. Tom was breathing riggeite but _— on slowly advancing, till he got wit in reac , when he made a tiger spring, ejaculating: ‘“‘ Now I’ve got ye!” He had clutched Larry by the collar with his left hand, and aimed a blow with his right, meant wickedly. Down went Larry’s head, escaping it, but he could not escape Tom’s grasp, and the next mo- ment down went both boys in a heap, Tom up- Penney i th d, tugging and panti ey lay on the ground, tugging and panting but Larry had caught the big boy’s wrist and had fallen face downward, while Tom was try- ing to turn him over, and -the lesser boy was slowly working his way back out of the grip that held him. They saw him get up, first one knee and then the other, till, witha sudden wrench, he got his head free, and they saw him turn it on Tom’s arm Then came a savage cry of pain and fu from the bigger boy, as he relaxed his hold, snarling: | ** Bite, will ye?” The relaxation was momentary, but it was enough for the tough, wiry boy underneath. In a moment he had wriggled back, got one lifting him _ shoulder under Tom’s thigh and was bodily. Tor struggled savagely, but he was power- less, for his feet were off the ground, and Larry had strength enough to lift him in the air. Then both boys pitched forward again, and they heard Trainor’s head strike the hard ground with a terrible thud, A moment later, Larry wriggled out and scrambled to his feet, pale and panting, but tri- umphant, while Tom or lay still. looked down at bim, and then flun himself on his foe like a litfle demon, clutch him by the throat, and cried as he shook his ‘“* Have ye had enough yet?” Tom had been stunned, but the words woke him, and he tried toclutch Larry, who had both knees on his foe’s chest. Poe go the — boy began to ** buck” his h to Tom’s face, savagely crying: ““ Dye beg? d’ye ona “Crack, crack, crack, crack!” went the hard little head, and Tom, after a faint struggle, be- gan to roar; down,” said the | Skinner, to whom he sai “You'll owe | ' i ' ew See 2s nough!” and went to old Mr, breathlessly : Rae whipped him, boss, Kin I have the ob? Old Skinner, for the first time, showed genu- ine surprise. There lay his head boy, the strongest in the mill, undeniably witoceds whipped until he beg- ged for mercy, by a little shaver who looked not more than twelve years old. Paul Van Beaver, on his part, was so delight- ed that he clapped his hands, crying: ‘* Fifty dollars, goverpvor! You owe it to me. He hasn’t got ascratch. By heavens, he’sa boy of iron!” Skinner still kept staring at the boy asif he could not believe his eyes, and now he took hold of Larry and began to feel his arms and body, muttering: ‘* That’s just what he is, a boy of iron. Only feel how hard he is.” Then he lifted Larry by the arms with some difficulty, muttering still: ** He'll weigh a hundred—and—and—twenty— how much?” ‘‘Hundred and twenty-seven, boss,” said Larry himself, calmly. He had recovered his breath with surprising facility, and had resumed his old impudent manner. ‘* Poor-house scales said so. Doctor says I'll never be tall. Kin [ ra the job you said, boss? I’ve whipped im Larry rose up, panting, ’ Skinner looked over at Tom Trainor, who be- gan to rise up and sbamble - yciat f to the mill, and the ironmaster nodded and said, in a gloomy sort of way: ‘* Yes, you’ve whipped him. Here, come into the office and I’il send you to the overseer,” Larry, as err ene | as ever, inned tefully and winked at Paul, after which he ollowed his new employer into the office, and gazed at the huge, dark interior of the mill through the glass door with a keen pleasure that veoked itself in the words; ‘Golly, mister! This beats the County House all to fits, don’t it?” Skinner, who had taken his seat at a desk, wheeled his chair to say, with a cold stare: ‘*Shut up your head. You’re too cheeky, by half. Take this a to the overseer and he’]l tye ty on to help Skelly. Did you ever shovel c Larry grinned from ear to ear. ‘*Shovel coal? You bet your boots they sot me at that since I were ten year old. Doctor said that’s what stunted me. Where’ll I find the overseer, mister?” ‘Go and find out,” said Skinner, roughly; “*and look here, boy—” ‘‘Sir!” said Larry, innocently, for he saw there was something on the other’s mind. ‘** Don’t get the other boys down on you,” said Skinner, slowly, ‘‘ or they may club together to whip you some time,” neg nodded his head with the same confi- dent air that he had shown all along, and an- swered, as he went into the mill: ‘“* Pll take keer of myself, boss, and Ill stay in the mill, too. You see if I don’t.” Then he disappeared, and Paul Van Beaver observed to his grandfather: ‘*He’s a trump, isn’t he? How he whipped that great lout, Trainor, didn’t he? What a sullen, good for-nothing whelp that is, by the by, isn’t he governor?” Something in his words seemed to anger the old man, for he retorted, sharply: ** You're talking of what you don’t fully un- derstand, Paul. don’t see any whelp about him. He fought hard, but that little devil was too much forhim. That’s all. I don’t like to hear youcall him a whelp. Tom’s a good hand, and it’s not your place to call names,” Paul looked surprised at this rebuke of his dfather, who was usually so kind to him; ut he answered: ‘‘[’m sure I beg your pardon, sir; I was not aware he was a pet of yours.” Mr. Skinner turned red. ‘*He’s no pet of mine, but if you knew all about him, you’d say that you were the last rson to abuse him. There, that willdo, I’m usy. And the old man turned to his books, while Paul, in some dudgeon, walked out of the office, and went to his dog-cart to drive off. He had got into the seat and was just one. his horses out of the yard, when a voice accos him: ‘* Are these the Skinner Mills?” Paul looked round and saw a big man, rather roughly dressed, staring at him with a singularly intent , not at all unlike a scowl. _ y, yes,” he said. ‘*These are the Skin- ner iron mills. Whom do you want to see, my man?” The man eyed him and his dog-cart very keenly before he answered: ““T reckon I can find my man.. I suppose you’re Paul?” *T'm rong? 0 pe ae Van Beaver,” the oung man replied, baughtily. ‘ The stranger laughed. ‘Yes, some folks might. I’m not that kind. | | LL a eee I’ve got a right to call you Paul, and I’m go to do it. Good-ia Ms r cera So saying, he strode past the dog-cart to the office, and Paul, astounded and angry, saw him open the door, saw Mr. Skinner start up and turn round at the noise, and then saw him sink back in his chair, pale as death and trembling all over, asif much agitated. n a moment the young man had Jesped off the box, run to the stranger, and pulled him back, crying: “Who are you? How dare you?” To his surprise and indignation the big man turned round and clutched him by the shoulders with the strength of a giant, vociferating: “Is that your game? Aha! you'll find your uncle’s got hold of you |” CHAPTER V THE BLACK HAWK GANG. Wuen Mr. James Skelly, furnace-feeder, came home that evening to the shanty on the rocks, La Locke came with him, and Mr. Skelly told his wife: ** Tis a good boy, he is, and how c’u’d he help: bein’ g wid the name of Larry? He'll do as much as a man’s work, Bridget. Give him a good supper. Where’s Molly wid the goats?” ‘Here I am,” replied the voice of Miss Taber from the frying-pan in the next room. ‘ The goats is milked long ago.” Mr. Skelly took his seat on the stone bench outside the door and began to hum a tune with a lordiy air. ‘‘ And it’s two hands we have now, Bridge,” he said to his wife. ‘‘ Let the b’ye and the girl waiton us, Sit ye down.” Then to Molly he called: ‘* Set the table and gre us our supper. Pwhat’s: the use of havin’ help, av ye don’t make them work Miss Taber made no answer but to clatter among the dishes for awhile, but in five minutes more she came into the outer room to an- nounce: ‘* Supper’s ready, gentlemen!” She did it with a great air and a flounce, but after they were seated at the table she kept making signals to Larry which the boy did not at first understand, till mapper was over, when he ee out and whispered: ‘* What is it, Moll?’ Miss Taber pretended to be absorbed in her pepe grr till she heard Skelly and his wife o out to the stone bench, when she whispered. ack: ‘*Say, did ye er Tom Trainor bad?” Larry shrugged his shoulders. ‘*T got the place,” was all he answered. Miss Taber nodded. ‘‘T heern tell of it. Say, I’m real glad ye did it. He called me Red Moll last week and hit me a slap in the mouth.” ' ‘‘ Did he?’ said Larry,angrily. ‘lve a mind to give him another for that.” iss Taber smiled, as she rather liked to hear him say so. ‘* Yes,” she pursued, slowly ringing out her dish-cloth. ‘‘Him and me used to be great friends ons’t, till he found out something about hisself,” ‘* And what was that?” asked Larry. Molly shook her head mysteriously. ‘* Nevermind. Me and him was in the ’sylum together ons’t. Say, do you know who was your father, Larry?’ Larry stared and hesitated, rather as if he didn’t like the question, but at last said: ‘‘ No, nor mother neither. Do you, Moll?’ Molly shook her head. ‘‘Nary bit. Reckon we ’sylum children gets on as well’s them’s have dads and mams. ell, this Tom, he found out who was his dad, and sence that there’s been no bearin’ of him.” ‘‘ And who is his dad?” asked Larry, at which Molly only shook her head still more mysteri- ously, answering: ‘Never you mind. I know. Say, did you have a good time at the works to-day?” ‘* Pretty good,” returned Larry, indifferently. ‘‘'They bad a muss up at the office.” “What about?’ asked Molly, curiously, so curiously she dropped her dish-cloth. ‘‘Oh my, there’s a visitor coming.” ‘‘That’s me,” said gallantly. ‘I’m gi the visitor, Molly. ‘Id like to see any other feller comin’ arter you. Id lam him.” ‘* But what was the muss?” asked she, affect- ing not to notice bim. ‘T don’t rightly know, but the men had to run in, te part some one fighting, and they do sa — y ** What, Larry?” For he hesitated. “They do say it was Mr. Skinner’s son, had come tp from sea, and that he raised the muse,” said Larry. Molly seemed ‘to be greatly excited at the news, for she ejaculated: ‘Mr. Skinner’s son? Not Mercellers™ ‘aa that Avie A i ggat Moll. olly clasped her S. a So he's come back. Oh, the wretch!” “Why the wretch?” asked Larry, amazed, Molly drew bim close to whisper: comicbooks Gol t yt a ©