Fritz to the Front, or, the Ventriloquist Scamp-Hunter

  CHAPTER XI.

  A FATHER'S BRUTALITY.

  After the departure of Silly Sue, Fritz sunned himself until hisgarments were dried; then rising, he began to cast about him forsomething to eat.

  "I don'd know better I go back mit der tavern, or not!" he mused. "Idinks dot vas an onhealthy blace, und yet I vould like somedings toead, very bad."

  Climbing to the top of the bluff, he passed the old mansion, andfollowed the country road for some distance, in hopes of finding anorchard or watermelon patch. And he was successful.

  About a mile distant he came to a good-sized orchard, near no humanhabitation, and hastily made a raid on it, with the result ofdiscovering all the luscious eating harvest apples he could carry.

  Filling his pockets he made his way back to the old rookery, and satdown upon the front step to finish his meal.

  "I vonder vot's pecome of der villain I kicked mit der under jaw?" hemuttered.

  "I t'ink I must haff dislocated 'im or I should 'a' seed him. I vondervere der mouth off der well is, anyhow, vot dey come up t'rough. Idmust pe somevere's vere der house stands, und probably hidden."

  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 fromit, but found them all locked, as before.

  What they contained he could therefore not learn, except by burstingthem open or unlocking them, which he had no way of doing.

  Finding no success, down-stairs, he went upstairs, remembering that hehad only tried the doors of part of the upper rooms, on his previousvisit, the second one being the assembly chamber containing theswinging head of ill-fated Bill Budge.

  He shunned this apartment now, and passed on along the corridor.

  The first and second doors he tried were locked, like those below. Thethird door, however, was unfastened, and opening it he entered alarge unfurnished apartment, containing but one window, which lookedout upon the ocean.

  Noticing a card tacked upon the wall, opposite the door, Fritzadvanced to read what was written upon it.

  But, that, he was destined never to do. Halfway across the room hegot--then the floor sunk quickly beneath him, and he went down! down!down!

  He had stepped upon a trap, which had evidently been prepared foroccasional stragglers, and he was the unsuspecting victim, until toolate to save himself.

  Down! down! he went into empty space, until he struck heavily upon ahard floor, and lay for a moment in a heap, his senses partly leavinghim. When he recovered consciousness, he arose to his feet. He was inutter darkness, and in a place where the air was close and stifling.What kind of a den he had fallen into he could not ascertain bylooking, at least.

  * * * * *

  Later that day Mr. Granby Greyville left his handsome residence, andmade his way to the bluff, accompanied by her ladyship, the countess.

  There was a terrible expression of stern resolve upon his countenance,and in his grasp he carried an ugly-looking cart-whip, which looked asif it were capable of inflicting dire pain in the hands of a humanbrute.

  Arriving at the top of the bluff, they found Grogan, the Irishdelegate, seated upon the doorstep of the old house, while, lying uponthe ground, in front of him, was the girl, Sue, bound, hand and foot,but none the less defiant for that fact, as was evident by thecontemptuous curl of her lip, and the indignant, wicked flash of hereyes.

  A little shiver went over her, though, when she saw the countess, theman she knew as her father, and the whip he carried.

  "Sure, it's mesilf as cotched her," Grogan cried, as Greyvilleapproached. "But it's the devil's own time I had at it, bedad, an' ifyez don't b'lave it ye kin look at me face. Begorra! she scratched an'bit an' fit loike tha very devil's imp she is!" and the Hibernianrubbed his torn and bruised visage dolefully.

  "So you're caged, are you, my young tigress?" the smuggler captaindemanded, gazing down at the girl, wrathfully. "I'll see that younever break loose hereafter!"

  "Ba-aa!" the girl retorted, in contempt. "I'm not afraid of you, youruffianly wretch, if you do carry a whip. You can whip me, pound me,stamp me into the earth, but you can't intimidate me. I'll despise anddefy you to the longest day I live!"

  "We shall see. I've made up my mind to cease dealing mildly with you,and instead, treat you to the harshness your foolishness demands. It'stime you were broken in, and I'm going to compel you to submission tomy will, and to obedience, or I'm going to kill you."

  "Kill, if you like--I'll still defy you. You can not make me obey amonster like you, even though you are my father! I despise you, hateyou, you inhuman wretch!"

  "A good flogging will bring back your affection. By the way, Iunderstand that by way of amusing yourself you have become the consortof a Dutch detective, and by way of furthering his game, have justbeen to telegraph for an additional force of the devils. Now do youknow what I am going to do?"

  "Any one might guess; brutal cowards always carry whips!"

  "Yes, I'm going to whip you within an inch of your life. Then, if youpromise me to ever after obey me, and tell me where to find the moneyyou stole from me, I will let you go. If you refuse I'll kill you, andend the trouble! Grogan, lash her securely to yonder post!"

  The Irishman obeyed by raising her and roping her to a post which hadbeen used for a hitching-post, at some remote period.

  Sue's face was very pale now, and she trembled in dread of the cruellash.

  It was not the first time she had been whipped by him, and she wellknew what a merciless wretch he was.

  Greyville threw off his coat now, and seized the heavy whip firmly,not a tithe of pity expressed in his stern, cruel face.

  "Beg, now!" he cried. "Tell me where the money is, and promise futureobedience and proper conduct, or I'll give it to you!"

  "Never! I'll die first!" Sue gasped.

  The next instant the wretch struck her with all his might, followingone blow with another, until he had struck her twenty, the last onebeing upon the top of the head, with the butt of the whip.

  White as death was Sue, but her eyes flashed bravely, her face wasdefiant--but she never uttered a moan or cry of pain.

  "Now--_now_ maybe you'll come to time!" the smuggler roared, more likesome enraged wild beast than a human being, in his demoniac fury."Now, will you tell and promise?"

  "Never, monster!" was the low, piteous gasp, then the eyes of the pooroutcast closed; she had fainted, unable longer to endure the agony.