Wildcat Bob, the Boss Bruiser — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 The New York Library. . after hiring digi when he suddenly came back and offered marry her. her out as a waiter-girl in a saloon, | other feller’s big ‘nuff to lick the dubbel-j'inted hhe left her. She did not sce him again for two | urs off ‘im, an’ cornfiscate persessions. Now, I’m ther coeckolorum wi’ secont-growth She readily consented, for she | spurs, w'at dug out them dockymonts, an’ con- had learned to love him long ago, and so they | sekently they’re mine!” were married before a magistrate in San Fran- her in the California mines, and by their united exortions they managed to save up considerable That year John Cameron remained with | ried here by my hus “On! no, sir, they are not. They were bu- d, and he teld me where to find them!” ‘**Perzactly, may angel o’ peace, perzactly. money. About the close of eg sed the gold | But I see’d yer spouse w’en he entoombed ther fever broke out in the Pike’s P with the swarm of Id-seekers who flocked thither went John and Ki Here the husband and Cameron. ife quarreled, region, and anymile, ha and the | doc , an’ I registrated ther spot in my noddle, an’ kim back ter-day ter explorate. I disemboweled ther pesiillence, an’ r’ed ther ents. Tharfore, I kno’ three fingers o’ F affair ended in Cameron’s telling her that they | bug-Juice more about yer auntsisters an’ anty- ad not been legally married; that the magis- | “rate had been a bogus one; and, finally, that | cedents, than ye do “eae Ha! ha!” Poor Kitty again burst into tears, and sobbed ahe was not his wife. Then he had deserted her | as if her heart would break. and fled to parts unknown to her, and she was xorced to depend upon her own hands for a live- They did not meet again for two years, and | hen it was at the Peon of the excitement ?n Pompeii’s gulch. itty had gone back to her “id occupation in the barroom of Mose Snicker: - und her betrayer was working at the “‘cradle.” —— ‘ie was greatly changed since she last saw him, 1 gs ch begging her forgiveness, he took her -o Denver and they were lawfully made man ;nd wife. This occurred two weeks previous to ‘he death of Cameron, who ail along had pro- sessed to know the parentage of her whom he -:ad cared for, but said be was under oath not © disclose the secret until his death, Now, Kitty sped away through the early zgloaming of the morning, her young heart beat- ing high in anticipation of what she was to find eneath the 8 ‘Oh! might she not be somebody’s pet, some one above the humiliating drudgery of the tion she now held? John had hinted once t she **Let me have them—the papers; give them _to me, please,” she replied, reaching forth her | hand blindly. ‘‘ They can be of no value to you, sir, and yet, they are everything to me.” |. ‘* Dixunary ag’in, sure’s thunder. Ther rags | hain’t wu’th a shiner ter me; yit ef I war ter | hand ’em over ter ye, fu’st I knowed, Id par- | Seeve ye cuttin’ an orful swell as a dukess or | lordess or sumthin’ like nor that. Jis’ pictur’ | yerself rigged out in highfalutin to oO’ 3a | ginney wine queen or peeress, wi’ di’monds, pol- | ished spurs, an’ well-trimmed comb! Wouldn’t ye be a high hen-cock o’ ther elewated roost, ' a eae ah pullet?”’ t tt , concea roe not reply. She saw that the man ed under cover of that spectral robe was | inclined to banter and jeer at her distress, and i } ow of the blasted pine-tree. | had no cause to blush at her birth—that she was | the offspring of refined and cultivated parents. Would she ever find out who those parents were? | ms On Se sped down the rugged, shadowy gulch, er s search of the blasted pine, which John Cameron had said she would find. One, two, and three miles were traversed, and still she kept on. No tree of the description had she seen, and, literally, to find it was like hunt- | ing needle in a haystack. ut the failure thus far did not discourage | job ye’ll her, and she followed the gulch along, keeping a watch out on either side. rewarded, and it was with a glad cry of joy that she beheld the blasted pine a few roc ahead of her, standing near the banks of the lit- tle Her heart beat wildly as she hurried forward, | and a moment later stood at the foot of the ¢ forest monarch, on.the western side where r husband had said was buried the box. But, insteal of joy, a feeling of rage and chagrin overcame her at what she at once perceived. A considerable amount of dirt had been | thrown up from among the roots of the tree, thereby leaving a large hole, out of which a box had been taken. This of it, now lay upon the ground; but whatever had its eontents was gone! ‘My God!” exclaimed the disappointed girl, cov her face with her hands, and b into tears, ‘it is gone! Some one has been bare and stolen pers that contain the secret | of my birth, and all is lost!” Sick at heart she sunk upon the earth, and gave herself up to the most violent sobs and moans. All was lost now; all the silver lining of her life-cloud had been transformed into an awful b and, consequently, her existence must ever be the same distasteful reality as before. Since Cameron’s death cad — hourly h for and expected something r, some- topes different and more enjoyable in the tenor of her life. Now all that dream was dis- si ‘and hothing remained but to go back to the old life. Her grief and disappointment at last found relief in tears, and she wept lang and bitterly unconscious of the presence of a tall, shrouded cure that from.a neighboring clump of bushes, and eee before —_ A ; a once startling and mysterious it was, for fece aud foemn were hidden beneath the folds of Seiad hite which trailed m the | figur an iurmense w gown, W bye thors ome disappeared in the thicket of bushes, an und. Like some accusing ter it stood in fe resence of the weeping girl, and waited for her to look up. She look up after a lapse of several moments, and when her red, tearful eyes rested upon that tall robed form she did not faint or scream, but just sat motionless up- on the ground and s —stared with wonder, eatoniannant arid horror. After a long silence between them, the spec- tral figure gave a rustle, and a rough, coarse voice exclaimed, in tones of authority: Listen, girl. W’at in the or red geo’ er cryin’? D’ye want ther yments w’a ar (pd box!” to har feet, quickly. give them tome. They belong “They do? don’t. to me.” at one this side box, or, rather, a wreck | eyes scanning each side as she went in | | | } | birth. Al that nothing could be availed by begging him to return the stolen chs Therefore she resolved to adopt another meas- ure. ** What will you ask to give those papers into 7 hands?” she asked, wiping away her tears. ‘**T am willing to py you for them.” ‘*Wat’ll I ask? Fightin’ cocks an’ crowin’ roosters! now yer begin ter talk bizness, them’s ther fust bizness-like squeeks I’ve hearn ye giv’ this mornin’. Waal, let me reflect, an’ [ll tell ye.’ For some eight or ten moments the figure re- mained motionless, as if buried in deep thought; then the same voice said: ‘* Waal, I reckon ye’ll hev ter work right smart ter gt ther papers, gal, fer 'tain’t no easy ev terdo. Fust, ye’ll hev ter confis- cate a human rooster, D’ye kno’ a feller called **I do, or, that is, I have seen him.” “Good. He’s yer subjeck. Ef ye'll assist to stick a knife in atwixt his fourth an’ fifth left rib, an’ do another job I shall plan fer ye, I will fork over yer dockyments!” With a wildly-beating heart the young girl considered the proposal. What d she not ae so long as it would insure the gift to her of the papers that held the secret of her y she had sworn enmi y ra Wildcat Bob, at the death-scene of Jo. ame- me her husband. : It would be no added crime to agree to this man’s proposition, then. Yes, she would take At last her gaze was | Wildcat Bob?’ | the chances, and obtain possession of the valu- sf at is the other work you would require me to do?’ she asked. “What? Waal, now, ye’ve is me squar’. I hain’t Cap arr enny purtickler design, yit; but [Pll think o’ sum easy job fer you to do, w’en a git rid o’ yer subjeck, Wildcat Bob.” ““Very well. You promise me, that, if I bring about the death of Wildcat Bob, you will deliver those pepers to me?” ‘* Perzactly! or, better still, ef ye'll contrive ter take him a prisoner in sum place whar [ kin reech him, Til guv ye ther rags an’a hundred gold shiners in the bargain.” ** Anything but murder. That I cannot do. But I wat vin * aig reg ore: ative me,” i ymer, setti r to- gether, resolutely. ** But where can I meet and communicate with you?” ‘“Here. When ye’ve done fer ther Boss Bruis- er, jes’ drop a rag h uts. Ill be at yer sarvice on the following morning.” “*T can, then, depend on you?” ‘‘ Sartin, my gal, sartin. Tl be reddy ter tulfili my part o’ ther agreement.” Then the spectral e moved slowly back- Aymer, her whole heart turned to- ward a desperate project, retraced her steps to the mining city of Pompeii. That day was destined to be a gala day in the gulch. Overland from Denver by the early morning stage, came a decided sensation curiosity for the gold regions—a walker. A fair blonde maiden of superb figure, accom- | panied by an old knight of the circus arena, who was proprictor, business manager, and financial agent of the concern. Long before noon the four sides of Col. Tup- ya sir!” cried Kitty, springing | per’s “Spread Eagie” had been negotiated for, ek “Tf you cases papers, | at an enormous figure, and converted into the use of bulletin-boards—pasted over and papered Wal, now, I jist squeal that they | with monster glaring posters, announcing the “inde this side of the Sourl, | arrival of the wonderful ‘‘ Ma Belle, the Queen.” genernlly ar’ bos indiwidual property, "kes sum | tional Tight-Bope £ TT LE SRN She would cross Pempeii’s gulch at the dee est plaers on a tight-rope that would be stretch- ed from one side to the other, and while stand- ing on the rope over the yawning gulf, would Shoot with bow and arrow, a pigeon, let loose from a trap below into the open air. Of course the intensest excitement, as is usual in places out of the way of ordinary amuse- ments, prevailed in Pompeii’s gulch, and as the hour appointed for the rope-walk drew near, the miner threw aside his implements and hied hiny self to the scene of action. At three in the afternoon, the ‘‘city” was quite deserted, all hands having turned out, to witness the sport. About half a mile north of the mines the gulch widened out somewhat, but on the eastern and western sides arose giant walls Ryutedkat a! ores ight. Looking up from the bottom of the ch, it was fully a hundred feet to the summit of the frowning, natural parapets. Here was laid the scene of the rope-walk, A cable was stretched across from peak to peak: Mlie. Ma Belle was to begin at the eastern side and walk over the ravine to the western side, and then retrace her steps backwards. The bottom of the gulch was swarming with ea oF ares pean es ee population of Pom- ii—lon fore the time arrived for the appear- wa of Mlle, Ma Belle, = Mons. Leek, the proprietor, had erected a small canvas tent on the eastern terminus, and in here the beauteous Ma Belle was to remain until she was wanted. The ‘“‘ monsieur” was a very authoritative in- dividual, and would allow no one of the crowd to occupy the eastern peak, with a few excep- tions. Among these were Snicker and Tupper of the rival saloons, Wildcat Bob, Mr. Chucky White, and Major Bloodgood, the latter having lit down in Pompeii for speculative As soon as the hour arrived for Mlle, Belle to appear, the crowd below grew excited and enthusiastic. Round after round of h cheers rent the air, and men shook and waved their hats on high, _But they became less enthusiastic when Mon- sieur Leek clambered down into their midst, tambourine in hand, and requested them in oily tones to shell out, cheerfully, if they wished to see the fun. And they did shell out. In most every instance you will find miners free with their money, for as a general rule, it comes easy and goes easy. And, too, when there is fun ahead, they are pretty sure to ‘‘ dish over” lively. All were in a liberal vein to-day, aud as a natural co uence, Mr. Leek returned to hig tent with a rim full of coin, dust and nuggets, and with a satisfied expression he had not ex- i ee eg 5 en, after delive a speech to his grizzled audience, requesting them to make as little noise as possible, lest it might confuse mademoi- selle, he jerked a bell-rope communicating with the tent, and Ma Belle came forth into view. An outburst of amazement immediately came from all of the spectators. They had expected to see some o cir- peace coarse and uninviting; therefore eir Ma e was a fair-faced, fair-haired maiden of eighteen; handsome in every lineament of countenance, and most superbly molded in form. A clear, beautiful blonde, with vivacity of expression, warm, blue eyes, and hair long and silken; she was so wholly different from what the crowd had anticipated, that, in their gratitude and pleasure, they fairly made the earth tremble with the volume of their wild oe and huzzas, pane © was neatly atti and carried balance-pole in ber hands. sare rn g to the on th cliff, she advanced and ae hase Rates to the crowd below, after which she tried the ro with one delicate foot, to see that it veas ie a ay 5 trifle, and shook a 6 see Monsieur Leek turned a crank of 5 Snchtelaeaes toa ity tree, and the rope immediately became like a rod of iron. Then with a piquant nod to all, Mile. Ma Belle grasped her , and glided out upon the cable, with the predision and ease of a piece of mechanism, With breathless interest the crowd here lest it scarcely daring to stir in their tracks should be the niet of Haoueen vision above them, and cause her to lose her bal- ance. = ore Enctg not have feared. e carefully alo studied effort, and reached ae P divoctly po the gulch, amid thundering cheers. Here she stepped, and, motioning for those below to clear away, she dro er balance-pol creek, after wie she detached oF 4 port bed ym her belt, and resumed a standin sition on the rope. 2 cat It was a wonderful sight to see her standing and there in mid-air, perfectl balanced, the matter quite as coolly. as though she was nck rma, It was eraagebin’ feet oy terra fi ‘more han wonderful the crowd cheered pleaded. gccordingiy. ode . 7 % ‘i . 7 p ee _ +o that fair !