Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 483 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

—> r-- > * ee eee ae at *« pr hy as, — . ot Se F ~ could easily al ' 26 Flush Fred, the River Sharp. Though he got control of his speech, he could not begin to do justice to the subject. ‘¢ You here?” he exclaimed. ‘Is this really you, madam—Miss Marks?” ‘*T believe it is, if I know myself,” she coolly answered. ‘‘What are you doing here? What are you here for?” ‘‘Surely I have as good a right to be on this boat as you have, Mr. Stacey. I have paid my fare.” ‘‘- You must not be talking to my niece, Eva, I wish—I positively command—tbat you shall hold no communication whatever with this— this—Miss Marks!” ‘¢-You will hardly be able to turn me out of the ladies’ cabin,” observed Betty. ‘‘T can at least control my niece, who is also my ward. Eva, go into your state-room instant- ly! Linsist upon it!” As Eva turned to obey this order, Betty gave her a look that strengtbened her hope and confi- dence; CHAPTER XXXVIII, EXIT EVA. JupGEe Stacey, unable to stay and watch Betty Marks, and counting on Eva’s obedience, hastened to acquaint his companions with this most unaccountable and shocking discovery. They were quite as much astonished as be was, and it was mutually agreed among the Staceys there present that this danger must be watched and guarded against. ‘* She is one of the smartest critters you ever struck,” remarked Colonel Jeff. ‘‘ The fact is, I reckon, that she follered us to the river from he- yond Staceyville, and sneaked into the hoat just after we had gone aboard. That must have been the way of it, as there couldn’t be any other way.” va had gone into her state-room, and Miss Marks was supposed to have followed her ex- ample; but it was necessary that they should both be watched during the remainder of the night, and who would watch them? All three of the Staceys, having been subject- ed to loss of sleep and continued exertion during the greater part of two days and a night, were almost painfully in need of rest. Judge Stacey, who was the oldest, considered himselt the worst off; but Jeff, whose system had been subjected to a very severe strain, had a similar opinion concerning himself, and both men were sure that they were not capable of any further endurance without an allowance of rest. Tom Stacey, who was young and stvong, pro- ed that he should take upon himself the bur- en of watching, and, as he had been remark- ably temperate during nearly twenty-four hours his proposition was accepted. After Judge Stacey had firmly impressed it upon his son that he must not touch any liquor before morning, and had obtained from him a solemn promise that he would not go near the bar, the anxious father and Colonel Jeff retired to their respective state-rooms. If the old man had been a little less stringent, and had not made so strong a point of it that Tom was to drink nothing at all, it is possible that the young man might have been more mod- erate in his potations. The feeling that he was absolutely shut off from liquor gave him a consuming thirst for it and the first thing he did when he found himself free was to soak bis skin in whisky. He kept bis promise in one respect, by not go- ing near the bar, but sent there for a bottle of liquor, with which he proceeded to atone for his enforced temperance , He planted himself on a sofa near the ladies’ cabin, where he sucked and sucked at his bottle, until he became utterly oblivious of all subse- quent happenings, If he had been wide-awake and watchful, he might not have been of any use, as the curtains which shut off the sacred precincts of the ladies’ cabin at night were drawn, and its occupants sc go out and come in without being noticed y Him, When Fred Henning left Ben Stanniford in charge of the boat below, he hastened to exe- cute a scheme which he had fully formed. Ascending to the cabin to reconnoiter, he found Tom Stacey snoring on the sofa, and ess why he was there, As for judging what was the matter with him, no guesswork was needed for that. After a search, Fred discovered a chamber- maid, whom he bribed to go aft and call up Miss Marks, giving her his name, and requesting her to meet him as soon as possible on one of the upper guards. Betty Marks, who had neither undressed nor gone to sleep, was vastly pleased as well as sur- — by the receipt of this message, and she urried to the appointed place to meet the man who had sent it. Fred Hennirg was also nota little surprised at the Aaa she gave him, as she sei him is head down, and gave him an eloquent ‘You dear, blessed fellow!” she exclaimed. “‘How did you ever get here?” Fred easily explained how he had overtaken and boarded the steamboat, ‘* You are very smart,” she said. **Not a bit smarter than you are. Itisa great blessing that aS are here, and we must attend to business. Go and wakeup Miss Bram- well, and tell her that Ben Stanniford is below with a skiff, ready to take her ashore if she will go with him, and she ought to gO. ** Indeed she ought, and I believe that she will, since matters have come tothis pass. Stay might here, Fred, and I will go and speak to er. Betty easily aroused her young friend, and told her the great news of the arrival of the young men and of their intentions. Eva was not sure at first whether it was good news or not, as she was fairly frightened by the proposal that was made to her. ‘* How can I leave my guardian?” she wanted to know. ‘Just by stepping into the skiff and going ashore,” answered Betty. ‘* From such a guar- dian as he you have a good right to get away, as he is trying to use you to edvance his own interests, without the least regard to your hap- piness or welfare.” ‘* But to go off at night and alone, even with Ben, would not that be a terrible thing?” ‘* Nothing terrible about it. He loves you, and you love him, and you have promised to marry bim whenever you can, Well, you can marry him as soon as you are willing to. Mr. Henning and I will see to that, Thisis your last chance, Eva—your only chance, [f you miss it, your uncle will get you out of our reach, and will then force you to marry his son Tom, who is out there in the cabin now, as drunk as a hog—that is, if a hog was hoggish enough to get drunk,” ‘**] will go,” answered Eva, ‘*1t is the best move you ever made. up and get ready.” ‘‘T have no getting ready to do. ing all my things.” ‘That is so, and I am in the same fix. Come on, then.” j On the guard they found Fred Henning, who was rejoiced at Eva’s determination, and as- sured her that she would never repent it. ** You now know what your uncle means,” said he. ‘‘ From what he has done you can jndge what he will do, and you may be sure that you are not safe with him.” ‘*T believe you, Mr. Henning,” answered Eva, ‘fand yet I must admit that I am afraid.” ‘‘There is nothing to be afraid of—not near as much as there is here. Ben will take you safely to the shore, where he will find shelter and a team to take you on to Bolivar, where Miss Marks and I will join you.” ‘“‘ Can’t you go with’me, Betty?” ‘* No, dear. I am pretty heavy, you know, and [ am afraid that the skiff is not big enough for three of us. You will be safer alone. Be- sides, I shall be wild to see the fun when you are missed,” Flush Fred conducted the young lady silently and secretly to the lower deck, carefully keep- ing her out of sight of anybody who might be watching or lounging about, and gave her in care of Ben Stanniford. At the sight of her lover all her fears and misgivings vanished, and she seated herself bravely in the stern of the skiff. After a parting instruction to his friend, Fred Bening cast off the line. The skiff dropped down the river with the current until it was at a considerable distance from the steamboat, and then Ben Stanniford took the oars aud rowed toward the dark but not distant eastern shore. Flush Fred returned to the cabin-deck, where Betty Marks had watched the skiff untii it was out of sight. ‘* That was a good piece of work,” he said. ** Tt has cut what might be called, if I remem- ber rightly, the Gordian Knot,” ** And it could not have been cut more neatly or at a better. time. Now, Fred, you must go and lie down and get some rest, as I am sure you need it badly.” ** So do you, and you must take your own ad- vice. but one of us must square the chamber- id. **T will attend to that, and she must wake me early; as I can’t afford to miss a bit of the fun. Good-night!” Flush Fred went back to the clerk’s office, where he registered and paid his fare to Bolivar. Then he went to his state-room for a snooze of two or three hours, leaving an order to be called early in the morning, as he also felt that he could not afford to miss a bit of the fun. Hurry I am wear- CHAPTER XXXIX. AN EXPLOSION OF WRATH. — of your senses? He made his way to the bar, found it closed, and staggered back to the sofa, where he vainly tried to get some more sleep. He was, of course, on hand as soon as the bar was opened, when he filled himself up, and then - had found it easy enough to drop intoa oze. Judge Stacey and Colonel Jeff were also awake at an early hour, though Tom was de- cidedly ahead of them, and each thought it ad- visable to put himself outside of an ‘“ eye- opener” before beginning the serious duties of the day. So they sallied forth from their state-rooms and sought the bar, the judge reaching that haven just as the colonel was about to absorb his matutinal cock-tail. They ‘‘ joined” each other, and then felt so much better, after their risk and their draw, that their prospects appeared much brighter than of late. ‘‘ if that confounded Marks woman hadn’t happened to get aboard of this boat, we would be all right,” remarked Judge Stacey. “‘ But she is bound to make trouble if she can, and I don’t know how we are going to get clear of. her.” ‘*Wecan drop out from under her,” replied: Jeff. ‘‘Wemust arrange matters so as to sli off at some landing to-night while she is asleep.” ‘““) reckon we can manage that. Now let us. go and see how Tom is getting on.” ‘‘He has given up and gone to sleep,” said Colonel Jeff when they spied the delinquent on the sofa in a comatose condition. If it had been nothing but sleep that had con-: quered him, they might better have endured that disappointment; but it was i much worse than sleep—he was decidedly an disreputably drunk. His father shook him severely, and Tom sat up, rubbed his eyes, and stared at them stupid- Tie Reckon I must have dropped asleep,” said he. rx It was tiresome, sitting up here all night.’ ‘* Asleep!” roared his angry parent. ‘‘ Is that all that is the matter with you? You are drunk, and nearly dead drunk at that. Have you been that way all night?” ‘* Hain’t been drunk at all,” sullenly answered Tom. ‘I went tothe barand got a nipa bit ago, and I reckon that is what made me sleepy.” ‘“A nip? You must have been nipping it like an elephant, to get into that condition. What is that bottle doing here?” Judge Stacey picked up Tom’s empty bottle, end smelt of it. ‘‘ Have you really gone and sucked out all the liquor there was in that bottle? Of course you have. Oh, you area sweet one to trust anything to. Jeff, I believe he has been stupid drunk ever since we left him here.” 4 Perhaps he hasn’t missed anything,” put in the colonel, ‘‘He must have missed something. For all we know, that Marks woman may have got hold of Eva and carried her off.” ‘“T don’t believe we have made any landing. Let us go and see.” Inquiry at the clerk’s office developed the fact that no landing had been made by the Starlight since the two Staceys came aboard, and conse- quently nobody could have left the boat. This assurance made Judge Stacey feel much easier, and he could not doubt that Eva was: safe in his ion; but he was destined to ex- perience a terrible disappointment, After waiting a while to give the young lady time to finish her sleep and get up, and perceiv-_ ing that she did not come out, her uncle grew impatient, and sent a chambermaid—not the one: who bad been employed by Flush Fred—to her state-room to arouse her. After knocking without getting any answer,. the chambermaid tried the door, and it opened easily, but there was no person in the state- room, though it had evidently been occupied, J udge Stacey, somewhat surprised, but not as yet really troubled, caused a search to be made through the boat of all places where the young lady might possibly be; but such places were few; and the report was brought to him that she was nowhere to be found, It was no wonder that he then flew into a pene and stormed about at such a rate that e aroused the passengers iu that part of the boat who still happened to be asleep. Among those who came out to see what was the matter was Betty Marks, who was glad that she was thus enabled to get an early glimpse of the ‘* fun.” Upon her J udge Stacey opened the battery of his wrath immediately. ‘““So you are here!” he shouted. ‘This is some 0 mischief as soon as I saw you on the boat. You have been working a mean and secret scheme to get “vs niece away from me.” ** What do you mean, Mr, Stacey?” demanded the lady with dignity. ‘* Have you taken leave hat is the meaning of this un- y expec a Tom Stacey awoke before aby ieee feeling ‘* Where is my niece?” roared the judge. THE “fun” that Fred PECIR and Betty Marks were looking for came a little sooner, perhaps, than the ted it. the need of a nip, as he bad drained ‘‘T am not Miss Bramwell’s keeper. I sup- ebool Eom tied Mu. S) Ss your work. I knew that you meant ee ¥ ~