Phil Rushington's Search, or, The Unknown Rider of the Ring — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

7 ‘ x a rags ae se ne lifted Dora departed, oF Rush ‘continued his passes for a little while to make sure that the prief abstraction while he talked with Dora had not lessened his hold on Bumpers. Phil did not— delay his” experiment any longer than necessary, for he knew that the afternoon performance would soon be over, and he wanted to be out of the way when the crowd began to leave the tents. “Bumpers,” said Phil, speaking in a low, intense voice, “you had a letter that was writ- ten to Mr. Levering, had you not?’ “Ves,” answered the tramp without the slightest hesitation. “You hid it?” SV esc ‘Well, I want you to go to the place where you hid that letter and get it for me. Do you understand ?” Mw OSs “There’s a better show on the outside of the tent than on the inside,’ Rush heard Dora say behind him. “If the people only knew what was going on, they'd all be here.” Phil had no time to give to that phase of the question, for every faculty was bent on the work before him. With his bleared eyes fixed and glaring straight in front of him, Bumpers. started slowly off at a right angle. Phil kept at his side, and Dora and Frances wonderingly fol- lowed. Straight back to the band chariot the tramp led them, and at last came to an abrupt halt at one of the forward wheels, turning and turning as though bewildered. “The letter,” hissed Phil in Bumpers’ ear, “the letter that was sent to Mr. Eeverne! “You hid it about this wagon. Get it for me.’ At the four corners of the chariot were . >.atam ise _ gilded in images, carved out of wood and repre- BE ; senting: Aphrodite. Up on the front wheel mp p climbed, laid hold of Aphrodite’s egan ee a = ue P and t gan t ar a Can GS eee eres yl RE Re wisting it ve " ead oft. ve eae a sce Tae i ad Ol, . an. 6 hice © ve b _ y RE Oe « ee wae ' vm, 4 ’ ” an + . one ay } e . > ee a A, AF on “Do "AND DARE WEEKLY, 74, learned something, he never nen. before, viz.: that the heads of the figures on his band chariot were separable from the bodies and made fast by a screw and socket. The head removed, Bumpers held it away from him and shook it until a folded paper dropped out at Phil’s feet. While the tramp turned the head back into its proper place, Phil opened the scrap of paper and read the writing it contained. A look of amazement swept over his face, quickly followed by an expression of chagrin and disappointment. “Isn't it the right paper?’ asked Frances in a tone of alarm that caused Dora to give her a curious look. “Read it for yourself,’ said Rush, handing the scrap to her. This is what she read: “You come easy, Bumpers. I saw you put the letter in here, and five minutes after you put it in I took it out. Now, chase yourselt! We've got leery of you and consider that you're out of the deal. Lovejoy.” Frances was so disappointed that she be- gan to Cry. ‘Never mind, little girl,” rattled at the failure of his experiment. “\\Ve aren’t to the end of our tether yet. We'll find Lovejoy and get the letter from him.” “Tittle girl!” exclaimed Dora, drawing away and looking from Phil to Frances with gradually kindling eyes. “Is this supposed boy a young woman?” “VYes,”’ replied Phil. unwittingly, and “And what have you and she in: common, Phil?” broke in Dora. “Why is she dressed in boy’s clothes, and why have you been so much together this afternoon: Pe” said Rush, a little “T revealed the fact Dora Warren was a sensible girl ine not | given to exhibitions of of jealousy, and ush | a ik - that every ee w would be asa e ; a he - > > > j ee. >.+ 2 . 4 te a a Setter Ce i+ ~ 2 7 ‘ a Sam Mh Comes! SL he oe. he "~ a ‘ 1.72 ‘ i. 3 “a ~~? *& , 4 = _ -_ "e of % —* * 0 he ‘ 7; i ~, o< ona Py ‘ “ Tt >. tere : “a. van . ¢ -. : og ow CREO POT CR as . . es, if ~~ _ ° =: v .™ : “ . ; . r. i ~~ s . = " Pd » neh Me a rT oo PT bet ce eT t J rom z » * - . ~~" : & . 7 « pa 7 ~ i ‘) ae 4 a e+ « ® ¢ * -" . oe. b« — © -* » ee Pe at wl ——S Se al - : >= -< —_ a ee, Se “<<< *