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“gible. one, and he left their “office to return. ‘to the
ferry. Not being any too familiar with: Jersey
». .City, Fred got confused by the fog, and walked.
some distance out of his way. along the water:
front. Although it was not- quite four. o’clock,
if -the overcast. sky; in conjunction with the mist,
“made the afternoon dark and gloomy. .As soon
as the young banker was satisfied that he had
'. lost his bearings completely he stepped into a
“ferry.
' -bed.
. ‘chain, studs, scarfpin, and. whatever loose money
“pened to him.,
‘small-cigar.store and inquired his way to the
Two rough-looking men who were hang-
ing. about the place followed: him out and kept
close at his heels as he retraced his steps. As
he was passing an unoccupied building, they sud-
denly jumped-upon him from behind, tripped him
up and choked him into insensibility in spite of
the vigorous resistance he put up. hen, carry-
“Ing him between them, as if he was helplessly
intoxicated, they made their way some distance
‘down the street to-a low-class rum mill and
.. sailors’ boarding house, into which they entered.
“After a short conference with the man behind the
‘bar, who appeared to be the proprietor, they car-
‘ried him upstairs-to a room and laid him on a
‘Then they leisurely took’ his watch and
he had on his person, after which they left the
‘room, locking the door. Fred lay like a dead
‘fone for several. hours, during which he was once
visited by-the landlord.
o'clock, and pitch dark outside, by the time he
|. recovered his senses, sat up in the bed, and be-
gan to wonder where he was,.and what had-hap-
t By. degrees he recollected the
assault that had ‘been made on him by two power-
‘ ful rascals, but’ that was the extent of his knowl-
edge. .As soon as he realized that he was sitting
ona bed he knew that he was in a room in some
“house.
\
“Now, why. should they bring me here?” he
asked himself.
ject; and I have been cleaned out, I can see that,
- it’s a wonder they didn’t leave me lying in the
‘~street, to be picked un by the first policeman who
came that way. Maybe they thought it too risky
to go through me on the thoroughfare, and car-
ried me into this house to do the job. At any
“rate, they carried out their object, and I’m. out
.and injured to the extent of about $100. This is
the first experience of the kind I ever had, and I
hope it may be the last. 7
now is to make. my way out of this building, and
try to find the ferry. I must have been here some
“time, for it’s dark, or else this room is a window-
° ”
less one. -
Fred rose from the bed and began to prope his
‘way about the room. He found there was a win-
dow, but it looked out on to a kind of shaft. He
pushed the sash up and found the space full of
fog’ Looking upward, he saw only the densest
‘obscurity. ~ ,
* "It’s night, Yl right,” he muttered.
. Casting his eye downward‘ he saw lights flash-
ing from a pair of windows, and heard the clink-
ing of glasses and the coarse talk and laugh of
many men. The sounds came from the barroom
--two floors below, but Fred did not know the
- character of the place.
He caught. the bare-out-
line of a window across the shaft, ‘but, there was
no light behind it. Partly closing the window,
: i he ‘felt his way to the door, tried the knob and
In fact, it was ‘eich?
“If robbery.alone was. their ob--
What I’ve got to do .
ma A GOLDEN ‘SHOWER
- then realized that he was locked in.
- consciousness.
_tered.
“the life out of him almost.
yet a-prisoner—what more was in’store for him?
For the first time the seriousness of his situation
into the hands of.a pretty. bad lot. How was he
to get out of the tran? He threw-himself.down
on the bed and began ¥o consider what he should
do. While he was turning the subject over in his
mind, he heard footsteps in the corridor outside.
They paused before his door, a key rattled in-the
.er
19
‘Robbed and ~
- began to dawn upon him. He had evidently fallen.
lock, the door opened. and a short, thick-set man. :
with. a candle in his fingers, entered the room.
Fred, on the impulse of the moment, feigned un-
The man approached the bed and
looked down at him.
“He’s a long time insensible,” the fellow mut.
“Dorgan and his pal must have squeezed
I reckon he’s good
for another hour, maybe two, yet.
the better. He’ll be as weak as -a:cat when he
‘comes to, so I won’t have much trouble giving,
-any moment. and make trouble for me.
the candle light over his vest.
him the dope. I must take a look in at the sea
cap’n now, and see how he’s gettin’ on. Along
toward midnight we’ll dump the cap’n into the
river and. ship this young chap aboard the Wind-
sor Castle. Before J let him go.I must take off
his good clothes and rig him out in a suit of
slops. They’ll stand me in a “couple of bones,
at any rate, and everythin’ is fish that comes
to my net. I wonder how he panned out to
Dorgan? The fellow wouldn’t tell me, but I have
an idea he had a watch, anda pin-in his tie.
Yes, I’m sure of it,” he said, bending down and
feeling of Fred’s four-in-hand,; and then flashing
“Dorgan is a close
rascal—a mighty close one.”
He turned and moved toward the door. In an
Well, so. much ’
instant Fred had conceived a plan of escape and -
was or his feet.
the -bed, with a sweep of his arm, and jumped_on
the thick-set man as he was-in the act of leaving
the room. He enveloped the rascal’s head and
arms with the folds -of the spread and tripped
‘him upon the floor.
The candle fell and was extinguished in the
struggle that ensued.
CHAPTER. XIV.—Captain Storms.
Fred was'a strong boy and he was ‘desperately
in earnest. The man was tough and even strong-
er, but the young banker had taken him by sur-
prise, and his head being completely covered with
the coverlet, which half smothered him, he was
placed at.a great disadvantage... Fred knelt on
He tore the rude coverlet from »
his chest and pressed the coverlet close about his”
face.
weaker as the lack of air got the. better of him,
and finally he lay quite still and inert. Fearful
of smothering him completely, Fred removed the
coverlet from his face. The fellow. was uncon-
scious. Although the door;had been open all
this time the corridor was dark and silent.
of the inmates of the house was stirring in that
direction.
“Vil
thought Fred, “for he may recover his senses
rT wish
1 had a light.”
He felt in the man’s pockets and found : several -
The man’s struggles became weaker and
None.
have to bind and gag -this: scoundrel,” ©:
eee