They were fixed upon the boy with such a beast-like glare that Clifford, sick and shaken with his heavy fall, could only lie and gaze and vaguely wonder whether he was awake or dreaming.
Gradually as his senses came back he realized that he was lying on a grassy path, and the owner of the eyes, a tall, powerfully built man, was sitting on a moss-grown log leaning over him.
But who and what he was, and why he glared in this ghastly fashion, never attempting to offer help, Clifford could not imagine.
The fixed stare was slowly hypnotizing him. He made an attempt to roll out of reach of the horrible eyes.
Instantly a long arm shot out, and fell on his shoulder with a grip painful in its vise-like strength.
"You'll do," said the owner of the eyes in a queer, hoarse voice.
"Do what?" muttered the boy faintly.
"To kill," replied the man in the coolest tone imaginable.
"Oh, I must be dreaming!" thought Clifford. But the painful grasp on his shoulder was good proof he was doing nothing of the sort.
"Nice and young and tender!" said the brute, licking his leathery lips. He let go of Clifford's shoulder, and suddenly produced from his pocket an ordinary table knife. Clifford saw with a shudder that its blade had been ground to razor-like keenness.
The man ran a finger along the sharp edge—ran it so carelessly that the thin steel ripped the skin, and blood dropped to the grass.
At the sight of the blood his dull face turned to a mask of fury, and he sprang to his feet with a howl resembling that of a wild beast hungry for its food.
The movement broke the spell. Clifford bounded to his feet, and, ducking just in time to escape a vicious stab, ran for dear life toward the house.
With a scream of balked fury the man was after him.
Bruised and shaken as he was, Clifford had never in his life before run so fast. At first he gained a little, but presently the long legs of his pursuer began to tell, and he heard the hot panting so close behind that each moment he expected to feel the sharp steel buried in his back.
The path ran right up under the blank windows of the silent house. Reaching the angle, Clifford swerved wildly to the right. A figure was standing by the door.
With a wild yell of "Help!" Clifford dashed toward it.
To his horror it vanished, slamming the door in his face.
Once more Clifford dodged, and reached an opening in the thick shrubbery which bordered the drive. As he dashed in among the trees his foot caught in a root, and down he came with a crash that knocked the remaining breath out of him.
His pursuer was so close that he could not stop, and, tripping over the boy, went over on his head, burying his knife deep in the ground.
At the same moment a gaunt, middle-aged man with a gray beard and hair burst out of the thick bushes alongside, and hurled himself upon Clifford's assailant.
Clifford, scrambling wildly to his feet, saw the big man struggling to rise. He was howling with rage, and in his bull-like fury was throwing the other about like a feather.
Clifford glanced round. A dead branch lay close by. It was the work of an instant to snatch it up and bring it with all his force across the great head of his would-be murderer.
"Well done!" cried the gray-bearded man, as the other straightened out and lay still. "I've often told them that Prynne was dangerous. But how did you get here?"
He turned, and for the first time caught sight of Clifford's face.
For a moment the two stared at one another in an amazement beyond any description.
Then staggering back, with face white as chalk, the elder man muttered, "Clifford!"
"Father!" replied the boy, unable to believe his eyes.
At this moment footsteps crunched on the gravel of the drive.
The gray-bearded man recovered himself. "They're coming," he hissed in a tense whisper. "Don't let on you know me. Moise put me here. Tell Carey."
It was all he had time to say before a wandering man burst upon them.
"What's up here?" he cried gruffly. Then, catching sight of Clifford, "And what are you doing here?"
"Dropped in a balloon," retorted Clifford sharply. The man's tone was most offensive. "This brute"—pointing to the insensible man—"tried to kill me. He must be mad."
The warder burst into a hoarse guffaw. "Mad—of course he's mad. They're all mad here."
Then like a thunder clap the truth burst on Clifford. His scoundrelly partner had immured his father in this horrible place. The boy blazed with fury. It was all he could do to keep down the rage which consumed him.
But he did it. He turned to the warder. "The sooner I'm clear of the place, the better I shall be pleased," he said. "Perhaps you'll kindly show me the way out."
"The sooner you're out the better, my lad," returned the man with an ugly grin. He led the way to a tall iron-spiked gate, unlocked it, and, with a sigh of intense relief, Clifford found himself on the highroad.
That the first passer-by told him he was eighteen miles from home, every step of which he would have to tramp, hardly made the slightest impression on the eager excitement with which Clifford looked forward to the release of his father.
Three days later Mr. Keen and his wife met once more. As for Moise, when he found that his villainy was discovered, he took what ready cash he could lay hands on, and vanished with all speed. Clifford is never tired of hearing his father tell of the shipwreck and the injury to his head, which gave his ex-partner the opportunity to declare him mad, and imprison him under a false name in the private asylum from which he was so wonderfully rescued.
Since his liberation Mr. Keen has made use of a part of his recovered fortune to force an investigation of the methods employed in the private asylum. And the owner of the house with the barred windows found himself in such extremely hot water that he followed Moise's example and cleared out of the country.
TIP FOR RABBIT HUNTERS.
A West Duluth man says he has the newest and best way to catch rabbits. He finds a creek running through a swamp and follows it until he comes to a place where the rabbit tracks are thick. Then he scrapes the snow off a large surface of the ice and piles bark and wood in the middle of the space. In the evening just after dark he lights the fire and leaves the spot. In the morning he comes back with a pack sack and picks up the rabbits.
How does he get them?
It is this way: When the rabbits see the fire they get curious and go out on the ice. They sit around gazing at the flames until the fire goes out, never noticing that the surface of the ice has melted, and after the heat subsides they find they are frozen to the ice and unable to move. The man comes around with a club in the morning and kills the rabbits.
LATEST ISSUES
MOTOR STORIES
The latest and best five-cent weekly. We won't say how interesting it is. See for yourself. High art colored covers. Thirty-two big pages. Price, 5 cents.
1—Motor Matt; or, The King of the Wheel.
2—Motor Matt's Daring; or, True To His Friends.
3—Motor Matt's Century Run; or, The Governor's Courier.
4—Motor Matt's Race; or, The Last Flight of the "Comet."
5—Motor Matt's Mystery; or, Foiling a Secret Plot.
6—Motor Matt's Red Flier; or, On The High Gear.
7—Motor Matt's Clue; or, The Phantom Auto.
8—Motor Matt's Triumph; or, Three Speeds Forward.
9—Motor Matt's Air-Ship; or, The Rival Inventors.
10—Motor Matt's Hard Luck; or, The Balloon House Plot.
11—Motor Matt's Daring Rescue; or, The Strange Case of Helen Brady.
12—Motor Matt's Peril; or, Castaway in the Bahamas.
TIP TOP WEEKLY
The most popular publication for boys. The adventures of Frank and Dick Merriwell can be had only in this weekly. High art colored covers. Thirty-two pages. Price, 5 cents.
669—Frank Merriwell's Great Work; or, Getting the Right Start.
670—Dick Merriwell's Mind; or, The Ideal of Manhood.
671—Dick Merriwell's "Dip;" or, The Mysterious Movements of a Hat.
672—Dick Merriwell's Rally; or, Making a Fighting Finish.
673—Dick Merriwell's Flier; or, The Champions of the Ice.
674—Frank Merriwell's Bullets; or, A Steady Nerve and a Sure Hand.
675—Frank Merriwell Cut Off; or, The Result of the Great Spring Rise.
676—Frank Merriwell's Ranch Boss; or, Big Bruce and the Blossoms.
677—Dick Merriwell's Equal; or, The Fellow with the Flying Feet.
678—Dick Merriwell's Development; or, The All-around Wonder.
679—Dick Merriwell's Eye; or, The Secret of Good Batting.
680—Frank Merriwell's Zest; or, The Spirit of the School.
681—Frank Merriwell's Patience; or, The Making of a Pitcher.
682—Frank Merriwell's Pupil; or, The Boy with the Wizard Wing.
683—Frank Merriwell's Fighters; or, The Decisive Battle with Blackstone.
684—Dick Merriwell at the "Meet"; or, Honors Worth Winning.
NICK CARTER WEEKLY
The best detective stories on earth. Nick Carter's exploits are read the world over. High art colored covers. Thirty-two big pages. Price, 5 cents.
633—The Moving Picture Mystery; or, Nick Carter's Blindest Trail.
634—The Tiger-tamer; or, Nick Carter's Boldest Strategy.
635—A Strange Bargain; or, Nick Carter's Dead-shot Circus Case.
636—The Haunted Circus; or, Nick Carter Lays a Ghost.
637—The Secret of a Private Room; or, Nick Carter Makes an Experiment.
638—A Mental Mystery; or, Nick Carter on a Difficult Trail.
639—The Sealed Envelope; or, Nick Carter's Search for a Lost Fortune.
640—The Message in Blue; or, Nick Carter's Clue to a Vast Conspiracy.
641—A Dream of Empire; or, Nick Carter and the Queen of Conspirators.
642—The Detective's Disappearance; or, Nick Carter is Saved by Adelina.
643—The Midnight Marauders; or, Nick Carter's Telephone Mystery.
644—The Child of the Jungle; or, Nick Carter's Ingenious Ruse.
645—Nick Carter's Satanic Enemy; or, The Case of an Easy Mark.
646—Three Times Stolen; or, Nick Carter's Strange Clue.
647—The Great Diamond Syndicate; or, Nick Carter's Cleverest Foes.
For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt of price, 5 cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by
STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York
IF YOU WANT ANY BACK NUMBERS of our Weeklies and cannot procure them from your newsdealer, they can be obtained from this office direct. Fill out the following Order Blank and send it to us with the price of the Weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return mail. POSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY.
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| TIP TOP WEEKLY, | Nos. | ______________________ | BUFFALO BILL STORIES, | Nos. | ______________________ |
| NICK CARTER WEEKLY, | " | ______________________ | BRAVE AND BOLD WEEKLY, | " | ______________________ |
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ADVENTURES OF A BOY GENIUS
MOTOR STORIES
Most five-cent weeklies are founded upon the adventures of boy wonders who perform all sorts of impossible feats and who never act or talk as a boy really does. This is displeasing to the intelligent boy of the present day, who is better educated, and who, consequently, demands more logical reading than the old-time boy did.
The boys who want to learn something from what they read, as well as to be interested by it, will never find another publication that will satisfy them so well as MOTOR STORIES. "Motor Matt" is not an impossible boy character. He is simply a youth who has had considerable training in a machine shop where motors of all kinds were repaired, and who is possessed of a genius for mechanics. His sense of right and wrong is strongly developed, and his endeavors to insure certain people a square deal lead him into a series of the most astonishing, but at the same time the most natural, adventures that ever befell a boy.
Buy the current number from your newsdealer. We feel sure that you will be just as enthusiastic about it as the fifty thousand other boys throughout the United States have become.
HERE ARE THE TITLES NOW READY:
No. 1.—Motor Matt; or, The King of the Wheel.
No. 2.—Motor Matt's Daring; or, True to His Friends.
No. 3.—Motor Matt's Century Run; or, The Governor's Courier.
No. 4.—Motor Matt's Race; or, The Last Flight of the "Comet."
No. 5.—Motor Matt's Mystery; or, Foiling a Secret Plot.
No. 6.—Motor Matt's Red Flier; or, On the High Gear.
No. 7.—Motor Matt's Clue; or, The Phantom Auto.
TO BE PUBLISHED ON APRIL 12th
No. 8.—Motor Matt's Triumph; or, Three Speeds Forward.
TO BE PUBLISHED ON APRIL 19th
No. 9.—Motor Matt's Air-ship; or, The Rival Inventors.
TO BE PUBLISHED ON APRIL 26th
No. 10.—Motor Matt's Hard Luck; or, The Balloon House Plot.
TO BE PUBLISHED ON MAY 3d
No. 11.—Motor Matt's Daring Rescue; or, The Strange Case of Helen Brady.
TO BE PUBLISHED ON MAY 10th
No. 12.—Motor Matt's Peril; or, Cast Away in the Bahamas.
Price, Five Cents At all newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers
upon receipt of the price.
STREET & SMITH, Publishers, NEW YORK
Transcriber's Notes:
Added table of contents.
Images may be clicked to view larger versions.
Retained inconsistent/unusual spellings in dialect (e.g. "leetle" vs. "lettle").
Retained inconsistent hyphenation (e.g. "passerby" vs. "passer-by").
Page 2, added missing footnote reference (original text had footnote, but no matching asterisk). Changed ? to ! in "Howdy, Matt!"
Page 4, changed "techincal" to "technical" ("talked on technical points").
Page 5, changed "Mat" to "Matt" ("mit Matt, dough").
Page 28, changed comma to period at end of "Binch me, somepody."