Diamond Dick's Daring Deeds — page 2: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a Dn oy wa Lat He OR: : 2 aN ae ¢: : avs AeA een re ey Dia ; ne DIAMOND DICK, JR. —THE BOYS: BEST WEEKLY. a ) Me Re : ~seratch. He’s described by those who’ve seen him as a w regular demon, and we have it pretty straight that he's loose i in this vicinity.’”’ “We haven’t seen him around here,’’ said Bertie, -“‘and I dot’t know as we care to, if that’s the kind of a wan he is.’’ se. ‘He seems to have dropped out of sight for the last day or two,’’ went on McBride, ‘‘and we haven’t had a report of a single killing. He’ll break out before long, I suppose, and start another trail of blood.”’ “Who is he, and where did he come from ?”’ “His name is Skidmore, Eimory Skidmore. He’s an old prospector and thought he had found a bonanza mine over in the Harqua Hala district, The supposed bonanza, though; turned out to be a hole in the ground, and poor Skid went off the jump. He imagines now that he's got a fabulous property, and that every one he meets is trying to take it away from him. The country is terrorized, and there isn’t a freighter out of Phoenix that doesn’t travel heeled like this,’’ and McBride struck one hand against his well-filled belt. > > ‘We'll keep an eye out for him,’’ said Bertie, “‘and, if he presents himself, will try and capture him.”’ take ‘And him > attempt to corral be sure you ’* McBride ‘Tf you enough men. eathered up his lines, ?> warl everybody: you See. 7?) Better stay here and have some supper, Mac,’’ con- ’ tinued Bertie. ‘' The boys have just got through——’ ‘NO, thanks. I’m going on to Montezuma and the Lucky Strike—they’ve both got to be warned.’’ With a parting wave of the hand, the deputy whirled his horse and wenton up the gulch at the same wild speed. Just as he disappeared from sight, Two-Spot Peters put 1n an appearance from the direction of the office. “Hello, Red-Top!’’ sung out the boy. ‘“How’s every- thing in the town?’’ ‘Tame as a Sunday-school picnic, kid. ‘Nothin’ dom’. ? ey ‘Well, there’s somethin’ doin’ up here all right, Be right.”’ . ‘(What is it?’’ queried Bertie, seeing at once that Two- as was ane stig 3 back. still hunt se ee I’ve joined, and so has Fritz © The boss saw you fellows down here and asked me to > come down and have you hot-foot it for the office.’” “This looks like bizness!’’? exclaimed Harry, with considerable satisfaction, dismounting from his horse. ‘Hyer, Two-Spot! Run this animile over ter the corral, will ye? I’ll go ter the office with Bertie.” ‘«Cert,’’? answered the boy, taking the horse by the bridle and leading it away. Bertie and Harry proceeded at once in the direction of the office. There were at least a score of miners standing around the building, talking excitedly in groups. They belonged to the night shift and carried their drills and hammers, It was considerably after the time when,they should have been below the surface, and the young sport and ~ cal a his old pard wondered what the delay and the excite- ® ment portended. Inside the office Diamond Dick sat with his chair tilted back against the wall, his feet thrown up. on the a cigar between his teeth and a desk in front of him, half smile about his lips. Higgins aud O’Neill, two foremen on the night shift, stood in front of him, their pockets full of candles and coils of fuse and sticks of giant powder in their hands. The foremen were evideutly very much worried about soinething. ‘ Hello, old pard!’ exclaimed Diamond Dick, nodding to Harry. ‘‘Glad you came up from Comet City at just this particular time. If you want to, you can take part in a little excitement.’’ “Ef I want ter!’’? exclaimed Harry. snakes, Dick, did ye ever know a time when the ole PBGOKs. rd ‘‘Gle-ory ter “9