The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1908-05-29
Kidnapped.



The mother pondered. Willie was a
very attractive boy, just such boy
as kidnapers would like to get hold
Of His parents lived In terror of kid
napers and had given Willie instruc-
lions never to so willingly with any
one who might invite him.
you may go for awhile" she said,
"but first let me put on your belt"
Il don't want 1t on. It's too heavy"
But the mother insisted and put
peculiar massive buckle. Then, Civ
Ing him kiss, she let him go.
Now, it happened that what the par
ents had so long dreaded occurred at
this very time. Pete Dugan and Gen
tleman Mike, who had not been long
out of jail, had seen the boy and upon
investigation discovered that his par
ents were well to do. The men were
flaying' for him this very afternoon.
They approached him. Each took
hand and between them hurried him
away. Willie cried and resisted, but
the few who passed did not suspect
what was going on, and the kidnap-
ers soon got him into a carriage and
drove him TO house in quiet street,
putting him in room upstairs. Later
he was given something to eat and
placed on a dirty bed, where, still cry
ing, he fell asleep.
"Now, Pete" said Mike, "you watch
the night, and I'll spell you tomor-
row."
"All right, Mike, but you'd better
keep a sharp eye out. We may be
tracked"
rats! There's no danger of that
yet"
Mike departed, and Pete threw him
self on carpet covered lounge An
hour passed, and he was falling into
doze when he started up. He heard
Willie say:
"Pm Willie Ashe. 1 live at 103 Cen
ter street"
1.-THE kids talkin' In his Sleep" he
muttered and lay down again, but not
for long
"You won't get any plumber from
me-" said the boy again. I'm an imp
o Satan. III keep you in purgatory
for a thousand years"
Pete, who had been brought up a
Catholic, shuddered and crossed him
self. He got up and looked at the boy,
who was sound asleep.
Half an hour passed. The watcher
was again doing when he was star
tied by a very different voice from
Willie's, mans rough voice:
Come, git>in therer'
Then there was q clang and q turn
ing Of bolts such as he had often heard
in prison.
A cold sweat started out all over
the kidnaper. That voice never could
have come from a boy five years old.
But where did 1t come from? Pete
sat on the lounge shivering. All was
quiet. The boy slept on, and after
awhile Pete lay down, but not to sleep.
He was appalled,. He lay trying to
think out some cause for what he had
last heard. waiting for another voice.
When it came 1t was different from the
rest and far louder than anything that
had been said:
"Police! PoliceP'
Pete jumped up, made a dash for the
window and was about to Jump down
twenty feet to the roof of neighbor-
ing building when. recovering some
thing of his equanimity, he paused.
Willie's voice followed the cry for the
police:
Say, you're poached on. One o. the
gangs told. He gets n thousand"
This information interested Pete in
tensely. He could not understand Ii,
coming from his captive. What was
meant by one OF the gang? No one
was interested but himself and Gen
tleman Mike. He wondered IL Mike
had turned traitor.
The next heard of these strange
voices, some Of which had come from
the sleeping child, others from he
knew not where, finished the kidnaper
He heard a distant call, This way"
then nearer, Here, here-where are
you goingT then plainly sound he
knew only too well, the rapping of a
club on n curb. All this
was followed by the sound of heavy
boots climbing stairs. Pete ran again
to the window, jumped to the roof be-
low and gained the street by means Of
4 water pipe.
Willie was awakened early the next
by the sun shining in his
eyes. He sat up and looked about him.
he didn't know where he was. He got
up, opened the door and went down a
pair Of stairs to the street. Wandering
awhile he was picked up by a police
man and taken to station. All sta
lions had been notified that Willie
Ashe was missing, and a telephone
message soon summoned his father to
,ome and Identify the child. In ten
minutes Willie was in his fathers and
embrace. Then the father
.ook Off Willie's belt and examined the
bulky buckle.
Bully" he shouted. ITS run down.
Worked all right. Captain" turning to
he man at the desk, "Tve made won
lerful invention. That buckle con-
aims a photograph with clockworlk
et to let of sentences to influence kid
,onor.u rho hox~ o-1 ctI..w