Detective Bob Bridger — page 218: what you’re looking at

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

DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. 211 Ted, the bartender, and “Jack, the Fork,” were so astonished that they had not moved to replace the gag. Goucher flew into a passion. Giving vent to a volley of curses, he called the watchers at the bedside ‘‘wooden men,” and bade them “throttle” the ‘‘bloke,” and tie him down tight. ‘‘But I vould speak vid you, Mr. Goucher. You shall have an arrangement, a good arrangement!” cried Mug- gins, endeavoring to spring from the bed. “You don’t know who you’re talkin’ to. We're officers,” said Goucher. Muggins could make no reply, for, stung to the quick by Goucher’s curses, Ted, the bartender, and ‘‘Jack, the Fork,” had seized him like two tigers pouncing upon their prey. Venting their fury upon the helpless cause of Goucher’s - wrath, they tied the gag in the unfortunate Jew’s mouth so tightly that it was a wonder it did not break the man’s aw. The band about their victim’s eyes and head they tight- ened with all their strength, and while he moaned in torture they lashed his limbs with a vigor that almost broke his old bones. ‘‘Lively now, boys,” said Goucher, when they had ended . their fiendish work. ‘‘Tom can’t work the combination, and if we fool much longer with it it will be daylight when we get done. Wemust burst her!” As he spoke he unbuttoned his overcoat, and produced a brace, a pair of ‘‘jimmies,” a handful of brace points, a can of powder, an exhaust pump, and other implements of the trade. Placing these upon the floor near the safe, he turned in fury toward the bed on which Moses Muggins lay moaning piteously. ‘‘Is there no way of gaggin’ that bloke’s nose?” he cried. ‘‘Stand by Tom now, the two of you.” This command was addressed to Ted, the bartender, and ‘Jack, the Fork,” and they obediently approached the safe, and awaited *‘Tom, the Frog’s” orders. He carefully selected a brace point suitable for the pur- pose, and adjusting it in the brace, gave the tool’s handle into the bartender’s hand, and, guiding the steel bit against the crevice about the safe’s door, bade him bore away. Ted, the bartender, worked with a will, and ‘‘Tom, the Frog,” and ‘‘Jack, the Fork,” eagerly watched the opera- tion. GO Eomichbooks m