Diamond Dick, Jr.: The Boys' Best Weekly — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

DIAMOND DICK, JR. OUT OF SIGHT. 19 “Wull, all right, all right; but I wouldn’t ’a’ done et, that’s all. But, come, you feller thar at the touch-hole— what aire ye goin’ to do about et? We want ter come in and find our leetle pard- ner, son of his dad; we do so!”’ “T am still waiting to hear your naimes,’’ said the man at the opening. ‘Oh, ye aire, hey? Wull, my name is Handsome Harry, called the Serpent of Siskiyou fer short, and I have got seven- teen rattles and a button!” Br-r-r-r-rr! He gave a shake of the rattles at his belt in evidence. ‘And this hyer,’’ he continued, ‘‘is Hop Wah, surnamed the Mascot. The rest | of our combination is non est, ez et wur, owin’ to the fact that we have jist lost a vallyble member and have not yet been able to fill his place. Is that enough? Ef et is, jist swing wide them ’ar portals, ef ye have got any, an’ we’ll prance in.”’ ‘fAllee samee that light,’’ chimed the Mascot. ‘‘If Diamond Dick, Juny, in there we want to comee in, too; allee saimee pay visit to boss of place.”’ ‘“You say DianYoud Dick, Jr.. sent for you?”? ‘‘Vou bettee.’? ‘When and how did he send ?”’ ‘Look hyer!’ cried the Serpent, be- giuning to get impatient. ‘Is this hyer a court, thet ye put us on ther stand and pump us? Ef my leetle parduer, son of his dad, is in thar, I want ter come in!”’ ‘CAll right, but you will have to wait until] you are announced at the mansion. Stay where you are a few moments, and you’]] be informed.’ Click! The stone swung to its place. “*Glee-ory to snakes an’ all gum- arabic!’’ cried the Serpent of Siskiyou, in something of a passion. ‘‘That feller don’t know the first roodyments of per- litetress, ter shut the door in our faces like that! Wake up, snakes, an’ tell him so! I bur durn ef I ain’t got a notion to go and butt ther durn wall down; I have so!”? “Allee sanmiee might hurtee head, Hally. No use kickee, otlel feller hold best hand this deal.”? ‘“‘T opine ye aire right, Mascot, I do so.”? ‘‘And allee samee 1f not lettee us in, what do then, Hally?”’ ‘*But, glee-ory to sarpents! they have got to let usin, they have so! Ain’t our pardner in thar? And ain’t he sent usa tillygraff to jine him? Wake up snakes, an’ claw cinders! Ikf they don’t open up, there will be mvsic in the air hyer, they kin gamble on et!”? ‘“Allee samee ciin music, I suppose. Don’t see what othe] kind can play; allee sainee that do no good.”’ ‘“Glee-ory to snakes, Mascot, don’t borry trouble! Hyer ye aire gittin’ me all riled up fer nothin’, mebby, an’ I don’t like ter git mad onless thar 1s some chance fer a scrimmage inter which I kin insert nyself Hello! thar’s a cuss at ther touch-hole again.’’ The stone iu the wal] had opened. ‘Ho, without there!” Wull, what’s ther word ?”’ ‘“*You are not known here. No such person as you ask for is known here, or been seen. Can’t admit you.’’ Click! The stone swung back before the Ser- pent could say a word. “Glee-ory to snakes an’ General Andrew Great Scott Jackson!’’ Hand- some Harry yelled, jumping a yard clear of the ground and brandishing his fists. “Open thet aire totch-hole again till I kin talk at ye! My leetle pardner, son of his dad, not in thar an’ not been seen thar? Wake up, snakes, an’ solve ther problem! Open thet aire hole again, I teli ye! D’ye hear me? Whoop-ee— wow !” But the hole did not open. ‘Allee samee got bad bulge on us, Hally,’’ declared the Mascot. ‘‘We no can gettee in, you bettee.”? ‘““Wake up, snakes, an,’ show cause why for! Pll git in thar, ef I have to pull down the hull durn business, I will so! Open up thar, I tell ve, durn yer ornerv hides! or I?m a bainboozled old crockv- dile ef I don’t onlimber my guns an’ begin ter bang away, I willso! Do ye hear me? I want ve to read this hyer tillverafi an’ see ef et don’t say as plain as day thet my leetle pardner, son of in‘s dad, his hyer?”? He bellowed like an anervy bull, Trt cCoOmiclbooks.c©