Shadow Sam, the Messenger Boy; or, Turning the Tables

This weekly dime novel, published by Beadle and Adams in January 1882, presents "Shadow Sam, the Messenger Boy; or, Turning the Tables" by Charles Morris, author of the Bob Rockett series and other popular boy adventure tales. The story follows Sam Slocum, a quick-witted and fearless messenger boy for the American District Telegraph Company, who responds to a nighttime distress call at the home of two elderly, neurotic spinsters—Miss Maria and Miss Sophia Bounce at 609 De Lancey Place in Philadelphia. When the terrified sisters report a burglar hiding in their cellar, Sam descends alone, discovers what he initially dismisses as a stray dog, then realizes a man is actually concealed beneath a cloth on the woodpile. Employing quick thinking, Sam returns upstairs and warns the old ladies to remain silent, hinting he has identified a genuine intruder. The narrative balances Sam's brash confidence and humor against the sisters' constant, often baseless alarm-raising, establishing the conflict central to the serial's development.