قراءة كتاب Billy Bounce
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the light."
Billy and the Ace of Spades.
Preface
Drone.
OUR PURPOSE.—Fun for the "children between the ages of one and one hundred."
AND INCIDENTALLY—the elimination of deceit and gore in the telling: two elements that enter, we think, too vitally into the construction of most fairy tales.
AS TO THE MORAL.—That is not obtrusive. But if we can suggest to the children that fear alone can harm them through life's journey; and to silly nurses and thoughtless parents that the serious use of ghost stories, Bogie Men and Bugbears of all kinds for the sheer purpose of frightening or making a child mind is positively wicked; we will admit that the tale has a moral.
CHAPTER I.
DARK PLOT OF NICKEL PLATE, THE POLISHED VILLAIN.
Nickel Plate, the polished Villain, sat in his office in the North South corner of the first straight turning to the left of the Castle in Plotville.
"Gadzooks," exclaimed he with a heavy frown, "likewise Pish Tush! Methinks I grow rusty—it is indeed a sad world when a real villain is reduced to chewing his moustache and biting his lips instead of feasting on the fat of the land."
So saying he rose from his chair, smote himself heavily on the chest, carefully twirled his long black moustache and paced dejectedly up and down and across the room.
"I wonder," he began, when ting-a-ling-a-ling the telephone rang.
"Hello," said he. "Yes, this is Nickel Plate— Oh! good morning, Mr. Bogie Man—Sh-h-h—Don't speak so loudly. Some one may see you.—No—Bumbus has not returned with Honey Girl—I'm sorry, sir, but I expect him every minute. I'll let you know as soon as I can. Oh! yes, he is to substitute Glucose for Honey Girl and return here for further villainous orders. Oh! a—excuse me, but can you help me with a little loan of—hello—hello—pshaw he's rung off. Central—ting-a-ling-a-ling—Central, won't you give me Bogie Man again, please—what! he's left orders not to connect us again—well!—good-bye."
"Now then what am I to do? I have just one nickel to my name and I can't spend that. If Bumbus has failed I don't know what we shall do. A fine state of affairs for a man with an ossified conscience and a good digestion—ha-a-a, what is that?"
"Buzz-z-z," came a sound through the open window.
"Is that Bumbus?" called Nickel Plate in a loud whisper.
"I be," answered Bumbus, climbing over the sill and darting to a chair.
"Why didn't you come in by the door?—you know how paneful a window is to me."
"When is a cow?" said Bumbus, perching himself on the back of his chair and fanning himself with his foot.
"Sometimes, I think—" began Nickel Plate, angrily.
"Wrong answer; besides it's not strictly true," said Bumbus, turning his large eyes here and there as he viewed his master.
"A truce to foolishness," said Nickel Plate, "what news—but wait—" and taking two wads of cotton out of his pocket he stuffed them in two cracks in the wall—"walls have ears—we will stop them up—proceed."
"Honey Girl has disappeared," whispered Bumbus.
"Gone! and her golden comb?"
"She has taken it with her."
"Gone," growled Nickel Plate—"but wait, I am not angry enough for a real villain"; lighting a match he quickly swallowed it. "Ha, ha! now I am indeed a fire eater. Gadzooks, varlet! and how did she escape us?"
Bumbus hung his head. "Alas, sir, with much care did I carry Glucose to the Palace of the Queen Bee to substitute her for Honey Girl—dressed to look exactly like her, even to a gold-plated comb. I had bribed Drone, the sentry, to admit us in the dead of night. Creeping softly through the corridors of the Castle, with Glucose in my arms, I came to the door of Honey Girl. I opened the door and crept quietly into the room; all was still. I reached the dainty couch and found—"
"Yes," said Nickel Plate excitedly.
"I found it empty; Honey Girl had fled."
"Sweet Honey Girl! alas, have we lost you? also which is more important, the reward for the abduction—but revenge, revenge!" hissed Nickel Plate.
"What did you do with Glucose?"
"Glucose has gone back to her work in the factory," said Bumbus, "but will come back to us whenever we wish."
"Enough," said Nickel Plate, "Bogie Man must know of this at once. I will telephone him—but no, he has stopped the connection. Will you take the message?"
"Sir, you forget."
"Too true, I need you here: a messenger." So saying Nickel Plate rang the messenger call and sat down to write the note of explanation to Bogie Man.
"Rat-a-tat-tat" came a knock on the door.
"Come in," said Nickel Plate in a deep bass voice, the one he kept for strangers.
The door popped open and in ran—yes, he really ran—a messenger boy. And such a messenger boy, such bright, quick eyes, such a clean face and hands, not even a high water line on his neck and wrists, such twinkling feet and such a well brushed uniform! Why you would hardly believe he was a messenger boy if you saw him, he was such an active little fellow.
"Did you ring, sir?" said Billy Bounce.
"Sh-h-h, not so loud," whispered Nickel Plate mysteriously—the whisper he kept for strangers. "Yes, I rang."
"Very well, sir, I am here."
"Ah-h," hummed Bumbus. "Are you here, are you there, do you really truly know it? Have a care, have a care."
"Excuse me, sir," said Billy bewildered, "I don't think I understand you."
"Neither do I," said Bumbus. "Nobody does. I'm a mystery."
"Mr. who?" said Billy.
"Mr. Bumbus of course."
"Oh! I thought you said Mr. E."
"Don't be silly, boy," interrupted Nickel Plate.
"Bumbus, be quiet."
"I be," said Bumbus.
"Can you read?" whispered Nickel Plate.
"Yes, sir."
"That's good. Then perhaps you know where Bogie Man lives."
"No, sir, but if you'll tell me I can find his house," said Billy, hoping it wasn't the real Bogie Man he meant.
"That would be telling," said
