OR, THE VENTRILOQUIST SCAMP-HUNTER. BY EDWARD L. WHEELER, Author of "Fritz, the Bound-Boy Detective," "Deadwood Dick" Novels, "Rosebud Rob" Novels, etc.   Copyright, 1881, by Beadle & Adams. THE ARTHUR WESTBROOK COMPANY Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. FRITZ BEHELD AN OBJECT WHICH CAUSED HIM TO UTTER A GRUNT OF STARTLED ALARM.—See page 41 ....

MADGE. One bright, hot August morning a cheap excursion was advertised to leave South Street wharf, Philadelphia, for Atlantic City—that lively little city by the sea, which is so fast growing in size and popularity as to rival the more noted of the Atlantic coast summer resorts. A cheap excursion which is within the means of the working class is ever a success, and this one was no exception; it gave the masses a chance to escape from the overheated city for a small sum, and they grasped at it e

THE STRANGE MARRIAGE. In the course of little over an hour, the carriage stopped at the inlet, where Fritz was told to get out and take a small boat and row across the water to the other shore, where he would find another carriage to complete his journey in. He accordingly did as directed, and had soon crossed the inlet, found the second carriage, and was once more rolling northward, along the sandy beach. It seemed hours to him ere his conductor drew rein in front of a jutting bluff which inter

THE BLUFF HOUSE. In due time they arrived at the cave, where the ceremony of the previous night had taken place, but a thorough search of the cavernous wash-out failed to yield any tidings of the romantic lovers. "Pshaw! there's no use of further search in this direction; they have long ere this set out for some other portion of the country, and we are wasting time in tarrying here." "Mebbe dot ish so, but I dink dey vas go on up der coast, instead off cum pack by Atlantic City." "Not impossible

THE GHASTLY RELIC. Meantime Fritz had been in the old rookery some time prior to the arrival of the bearded men. No sooner had he entered the large hall, and closed the door behind him, than he felt a sort of dread of something, he knew not what. There was a damp, musty, deathly smell about the place that he did not quite like. "I don'd know vedder I vas afraid of ghosts or not," he soliloquized, pausing and gazing around him. "It looks ash uff dis might be a blace vere dey manufacture ghost sho

BILL BUDGE'S CONVERSATION. To Fritz, the scene below of course began to grow more interesting. "Dot veller vas goin' to pe tried for somedings," he muttered, "und vot ish more, uff der verdict don't vas in his favor, he vas goin' der git sp'iled." Young Hartly if his thoughts were in the same channel as those of the watcher, didn't appear very much troubled about the matter, for he perched himself upon the table, while the six jurors sat in a semicircle facing him, and the captain a little to on

ON THE SCENT. Fritz had been stunned a little, even after tumbling off from the yelping Irishman; still, he had sense enough to struggle to his feet on seeing the smugglers rush from the building. "Shut oop!" he cried, addressing Grogan. "The smugglers are upon us! Draw your wippons, if you have any, and fire!" "Dom tha wippons!" Grogan howled, refusing to hear to reason. "Och! holy Vargin! it's kilt sure I am ontirely!" "Helloo! what the devil is the matter here?" the captain shouted, waving hi

THE STRUGGLE. Both were strong, active men, Fritz in particular being well supplied with all the necessary muscle and agility of the prize-fighter, although he by no means looked as if he was an "ugly customer" to handle. After clinching the two men soon tripped and fell to the floor, where the struggle literally began in all its meaning. "Oh! I'll show ye how ther howlin' porpoise fights!" Bully Jake roared, endeavoring to get a bite at Fritz's nose. "I'll chaw ye all up like a dish o' hash!" "

ADRIFT. At first Fritz had no idea of what could have happened, but it did not take him long to come to one conclusion on the matter, that he had been captured at night, thrust into the frail boat, and sent adrift on the ocean. Who had been the authors of the job? There could be no doubt in his mind about that. The Greyvilles—or the Greggs, as he believed they were—were anxious to have him leave the neighborhood, and had probably, through their agents, caused his removal in this very promiscuous

FRITZ'S DISCOVERY. Let us return to our ventriloquist detective and his venturesome expedition. In heading the boat into the opening in the bluff, he had no idea how his venture would terminate, but was urged on by a great curiosity to explore the spot, feeling sure that it had some connection with the smugglers' league. The height of the aperture was insufficient to admit the passage of the boat with him sitting up; so putting the boat under headway he lay down and thus glided in. In high tide,

A DIVE FOR LIFE. There was but one choice left for Fritz—that of standing his ground and meeting young Greyville boldly; for there was apparently no avenue of escape for him now. Consequently, with his revolver drawn, ready for use, he positioned himself at the water's edge, facing the aperture, and waited. He had not long to wait. In a few seconds Griffith Gregg—as we shall henceforth call him—came striding into the chamber, and uttered a violent oath at sight of Fritz. "Hello! by the Satanic I

After he finished his meal on apples, he entered the old dwelling, with a view to giving it another exploration. Passing through the lower hall, he tried each door opening off from it, but found them all locked, as before. What they contained he could therefore not learn, except by bursting them open or unlocking them, which he had no way of doing. Finding no success, down-stairs, he went upstairs, remembering that he had only tried the doors of part of the upper rooms, on his previous visit, th

A PITIFUL END. The situation of Fritz was to him a decidedly gloomy one, as, owing to the impenetrable darkness his eyesight was of no use whatever. He did not know either, if it was safe to stir, as there might be another trap which he would fall into, and go headlong down into some other pit. But he resolved to test the matter, and feel out the boundaries of his new prison at once. Groping about, inch by inch, and trying the floor in front of him before trusting the weight of his body upon it,

CONCLUSION. The struggle was short and decisive. Supple though the younger Gregg was, he was no match for the man from Leadville, and it was not long ere Mr. Thornton had his man pinned firmly beneath him, so that he could not move. By this time the villagers had arrived upon the scene, in numbers, and stood contemplating the scene, in wonder. "What is the matter here?" one of them demanded, stepping forward. "Who set fire to this building?" "That I am not prepared to say, as I just came," Mr. T