Jack Wright and His Electric Stage | Page 2

and the sheriff in the cab.
The bandits glared from their coverts at Timberlake like so many wild
beasts as he sped by, ignorant of the trick they played upon him, and
nearly all of them gripped their pistols with a burning desire to fire at
him.

It would have been too rash to do that.
In fact Jesse observed their anxiety, and hissed in warning tones:
"Don't drop him!"
In a moment more the locomotive was gone.
The outlaws emerged from their places of concealment.
"How long before Timberlake will discover our ruse?" asked Frank.
"If the train goes on, not for an hour yet," replied Jesse, as he cast a
swift glance around. "But we are in a sorry plight now."
"How do you mean?"
"You know we all lost every dollar we had, playing faro in the city.
How are we going to ride back to Missouri without a cent? It's my
opinion that we'll have to do some work about Wrightstown to get
ahead. The last dollar I had went for the purchase of tickets to Missouri,
which we gave the conductor."
The gang looked very glum.
"What sort of a place is Wrightstown?" asked Cummins, finally.
"I've heard that it's a fisher village. A young fellow named Jack Wright
lives there. He's an inventor of electric machines for flying through the
air, navigating under water, and running over the land. Everybody has
heard of him. He has the reputation of being one of the richest boys in
the country. By means of his famous inventions he has made a barrel of
money."
"Then he's our game," said Frank, decisively.
"Yes," assented Jesse. "He's about the only one from whom we could
expect to make a rich haul. I hope he's at home. I've got a plan in view
now by means of which I can bunco him out of several thousands of

dollars, if we can operate the game before the Wrightstown Bank
closes."
"What are you going to do?" eagerly asked Miller.
"I'll show you when I try the trick. It's a very smooth game, and if I'm
clever enough I'll succeed. Come on to the village, and see if we can
operate it. We've got to have money. If we can't get it by means of the
plan in view, I'm going to lay out the first man I meet, and go through
him."
The rest chuckled at this remark.
Going to the village, they found it to be a thriving place at the head of a
beautiful bay on the Atlantic sea coast.
There was a bank on the main street, and when it was located, Jesse
said to Frank:
"In nearly all banks there is a desk or table, for the benefit of depositors,
on which are pens, ink, deposit slips, and blank checks. You go into the
bank, and pocket several of the checks. There's an old hostelry down
there near the bay called the Sea Spider House. We will register there,
and you'll find us in the bar room."
Frank James nodded, and in a moment his compact and wiry body was
going rapidly down the street.
Although Frank was a desperate, fearless ruffian, he had a pleasant face,
keen gray eyes, a light mustache, and a most quiet air and unassuming
manner.
No one would have suspected him of being a bandit, and as he was a
fairly good talker, full of grit and coolness, and best suited for the work
in hand, Jesse trusted him implicitly.
The outlaws registered at the hostelry with as much sang froid as if
their pockets were lined with gold.

They patronized the bar liberally, had the drinks charged to their
account, and ordered a fine luncheon.
Frank soon returned.
He had the blank checks.
Handing them to Jesse he said in low tones:
"No trouble at all. The clerks paid no attention to me."
"They'll soon have reason to remember us," grimly answered Jesse.
Telling his companions to remain there until he returned, he left the
hotel, asked a pedestrian the way to Jack Wright's house, and having
received the desired information, made his way there.
It proved to be a magnificent mansion, standing in the midst of a
handsome garden which sloped down to a creek.
There was a fine big workshop standing at the foot of the garden, upon
the bank of this creek, in which the young inventor constructed the
machines that made him world renowned.
Jesse James boldly ascended the piazza, rang the bell, and an old sailor
with a sandy beard, a glass eye and a wooden leg, answered it.
His name was Tim Topstay, and he lived with the inventor and not only
aided him to build his inventions, but always went with Jack on the
adventurous journeys