Pluck and Luck #139: Jack Wright and His Deep Sea Monitor — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

Complete Stories of Adventure. i= Issued Weekly—By Priya le hip .50 per year.’ Hntered as Second Class Matter at the New York, N. AS Post Office, °) November 7, 8. Hntered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1901 . in the office of the Li brarian Ne oF Gardens Washington, D. C., by Frank Tousey, 24 Union Square, New York. ‘. ¥ : No. 139. : NEW .YORK, JANUARY 30, 1901. Price 5 Cents. 9% } fe | bets ‘ ‘a CHAPTER I. THE BOY AND HIS BOAT. Our story opens on the afternoon of Friday, the 24th of April, 18—, in the beautiful town of Wrightstown, on the At- lantic seaboard, at the head of a small, pretty bay. A cluster of vine-covered cottages lined the shore, among which were strewn numerous seine nets, oars and overturned boats; in back of them were a number of more modern houses, stores and streets, while at anchor off an old wooden pier floated a number of boats. A. creek ran in from the bay, and a short distance from the bay shore a beautiful plot of fenced-in ground ran down to the creek bank, a magnificent house standing at the front of this garden, and a fine brick workshop at the foot of the grounds =! beside the creek. , j The house was owned and occupied by a boy between eigh- teen and nineteen years of age, named Jack Wright, who was accounted one of the most wonderful inventors of sub- marine boats in the world. By the aid of’ his father, after whom Wrishteto td was named, he had first begun to devise these contrivances. But his, only parent died before their boat was finished, and the | boy had completed and used it, and since then invented — + more wonderful under-water marvels, by the use of which he had amassed a large fortune frgm various sources under >” -the sea. ; od Jack Wright’s name and fame thus became world-wide, and me atthe time we now refer to he was a young millionaire, a sturdy fellow, with an athletic figure, flashing black eyes, a pointed nose, curly dark hair, and of a courageous, ambitious and inventive nature, that to ordinary minds was simply marvelous. % Upon the afternoon to which we call your attention, Jack Asn had just put the finishing touches upon a new submarine ves- sel of his invention within his workshop, and, uttering a sigh * ‘ ot relief over the ending of his arduous task, he viewed the graceful craft a moment with unbounded admiration and pride ag it floated in the water-filled cellar of the big brick building ae at the end of which two huge doors opened out upon the creek . to give egress to the boats. bs The vessel was one hundred feet long, fifteen feet beam, e and six feet draught. The exterior appearance was that of a BIEAY iy with , flat deck, a flat bottom, and a revolving turret pierced by round windows, over which were protecting bars, to guard against © > (breaking the thick glasses. Ae The vessel was made of a metal called aluminum, lighter 2 ie and stronger than steel, as white and bright as polished silver; Ts. from port-holes in the turret there protruded the muzzles of Sa tah) three: pneumatic guns; upon the top of the turret stood the A: how, upon wAkeh was mounted a powerful sear eh: light rposes. bu ae i. “ monitor wan + propeted by twin screws Reet, worked | be electro-motive force, a door in the turret was made for surface usage, and traps forward and aft were designed bi submarine use. hae Upon a scroll on the turret was painted the name The Sea. Serpent, and as the giance of the young inventor swept over — his singular looking craft, he muttered: ss “She’s as pretty as a siren, as swift as the lightning flash, iat as formidable as a fleet of frigates, and yet as safe to handle — id as a top! I am glad she is finished inside and out, though, for she has cost me a fortune, considerable time, and my anxiety will only be appeased when I give her a trial on the bay to- morrow. Every one in the town has heard about her, and will be down to the water to see her first trip, as they always do, \ ior everybody is interested in my boats. If she should prove ge to be a failure—but no! She can't be, for in building her I fate have not only followed the secrets of my former success, but I : He have vastly improved upon them. I won’t borrow trouble!” a Jack took off his working clothes, washed himself, and put ; on stylish garments. fh eS He then left the workshop, passed through the garden out fons to the street, and made his way toward the bay by going down — yr the main street, where every one he met bowed, smiled, and ~ treated him with the greatest friendliness, respect and defer- | ence, ; ; Within a short time ‘ihe bagi: renened the lower part of the cyte town and drew near an old, weather-beaten tavern, over the i door of which swung a sign upon which was painted the name — of the Sea See ign House. : aa the worst characters in the town. a Most of them had been drinking heavily, and were in an) talk attested. an < Jack had scarcely taken in the looks of the crowd when he. os was startled to hear a furious uproar suddenly arise within | a ) the barroom, made up of hoots, yells, and curses, the jingling 7 "ey of broken glass, the banging of furniture; and a medley of an Lat gry voices. bs “A fight! <A fight!” shouted one of the drunken loafers, excitedly. — su ie: a3 Most of the crowd went surging into the saloon, when out through the door came the struggling figure of an old sailor. He wore the costume of a marine; he had a wooden leg and- | a glass eye, and his weatherbeaten face was covered by a Bi. 4 beard. ce Ze It seemed as if the loungers were angry at the cripple, for as as he struggled frantically to get through the door, they kicked % and punched him, pushed and jostled him and heaped as conceivable abuse upon the poor fellow. ome “Belay thar, lads!” he cried, with tears in his solitary eye ea a “This ain’t a fair reckonin’, nohow! It’s only a gang 0’ Inb-. “id berly cowards as'd pile on ‘to a poor at A score ter one! eee Fer shame! Fer shame! ” ate “Out with him! ” yelled the leader of the gang. ATE he i jee one of our crowd he’ Ss got to Lanes uy whole lot, aon ss . Ae 5 et ’ ‘ +t adi WEE a % x Wy Gay @ ce ) t a - , iH PS | : pA - * rt hh Taare. Mi iy Wek i