Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 559

1888 · 16 pages

Catalog Note "The Cousin's Crime" by Jo. Pierce (credited as of the New York Detective Force), serialized in *Beadle and Adams' Dime Library* (April 10, 1888). The story introduces "Happy Jack" (John Brandegee), a fourteen-year-old boy from Harlem who retrieves a baseball from the yard of the reclusive and temperamental chemist Doctor Otis Harbison. Harbison, known for chemical experiments and disliked by neighbors, invites Jack into his laboratory on the third floor. There Jack observes mysterious apparatus, bottles, and compounds—including a volatile explosive and an silent air-gun—alongside a seemingly lifeless cat and dog. Harbison makes cryptic, threatening remarks about his ability to harm the boys who play ball nearby. Jack becomes deeply uneasy and wishes to leave. The narrative promises future dangerous encounters between the two characters. The story blends mystery, domestic suspense, and hints at criminal intrigue.

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