Diamond Dick, Jr.: The Boys' Best Weekly — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

DIMEN |) DICK, JR. OUT OF SIGHT. 27 - still ef I can. And as to bein’ diskivered, et is goin’ to be dark purty soon and we'll be all hunk.”? The darky took his place in the prow, and began to paddle as before, and what little further conversation was held among them was carried on in whispers, for they could afford to take no risks. When darkness came on, lights were seen at the mansion. These gave Blackberry something to guide him, and he paddled toward them. Gradually the lights seemed to come nearer, as the boat progressed, and the ut- most silence and caution were observed. Of a sudden an exclamation escaped the darky. He stopped paddling and: sat up, and the others wanted to know what had hap- pened. . ‘(Ma stars an’ Sally Jones!’ theAce o’ Spades gasped. ‘‘Jes’ you look down dar in dat water, an’ see what you see!”’ Handsome Harry and. the Mascot looked, and ejaculations of excitement broke from the lips of each, for the bot- tom of the lake was glowing with white light. And not only so, but in a slanting direction they were enabled to look into one of the furnished rooms in the house of glass, and there was Diamond Dick, Jr., reclining in a chair and smoking a cigar ! The Serpent of Siskiyou could hardly believe that it was real—that he was awake and not dreaming. And the same with the Mascot. Yet they had to believe the evidence of their own eyes, after the message the Ace o’ Spades had brought them. “Hi-yil Chin-kum-foo! Allee samee he not know his friends so close by! Oh! Hi-yi! Here is thought just poppeed into head: Klackbelly, could you takee dive deep as that, allee samee lettee him know we on hand! Allee samee be a great big joke, you bettee!’? ‘““Glee-ory to snakes an’ Hannah Mariar!’’ the Serpent exploded. ‘‘Kin ye do et, Ace 0’ Spades? Wake up, snakes, an’ set yer sails! Et will be the biggest thing on ice, ef ye only kin! Glee-ory, how I’d like ter holler, ef I wasn’t afeerd of- bein’ heard! What do ye say, Black- berry, kin ye do et ?”’ “Golly! I can dive dat deep an’ not half try,’’ declared the darky. ‘““Then do et, do et jist ferfun! It is dark now, and no danger that ye will be seen. Do et!’ ‘‘All right; be only fun for de dis child, anyhow.’ , “The little coon quickly shed his clothes, and in another moment his black hody slipped over the side of the boat head foremost into the water. Handsome Harry and the Mascot watched .him, and they saw him going down and down, with almost the ease of a fish, unit] his body shone like black rubber in the electric glare. Still down, and then a turn. and he swam straight to the side of the glass house near where Diamond Dick, Jr., was sitting. Bertie did not see him, as he was not looking that way. Blackberry gave a tap on the glass with his fist to call attention, and Bertie looked quickly in that direction. It must have been the surprise of his life. Anyhow, sight of that black, shiny body, and the open eyes full of intelligent light, caused him to leap to his feet and stare. The negro youth could stay there but a very brief time of course, so he merely nodded his head two or three times, made sone motions with his hands, and darted toward the surface. His head popped ont, and finding the boat, he soon had hold of it, to find Handsome Harry and the Mascot latugli- ing heartily but quietly. “Glee-ory! but that was a good one; et was so!”? Allee samee makee dog lauvh!”’ “Golly! I guess he fink it was de deb- bil after him, shua nuff!” ‘(And now allee samee he be puzzled to know what mean. Can’t you go down again, Blackbelly, makee him stand ?”? “Shua! You jes take one ob dem dar notes what he done send wp in de bottles an’ write ‘O. K.’ on it, an’ I will take it down dar an’ hold it ’gainst de glass lone enough fo’ him to read.”? ‘Hi-vi! You gottee coop full blains, under- cCoOmiclooks.c©