Puck — December 3, 1879 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

PUCK. embossed in silver on the outside, and though, immediately Perceiving his mistake, he had slipped it back into hi pocket #3 quickly #3 possible, he had not done so before the Colo- nel’s keen eyes had detected its quality and bulk. It might have been imagination, but Archie felt almost sure that he had detected a glitter of what looked very like mingled cupid- ity and surprise in the restless eyes of his companion, and he felt more suspicious than ever. Anyhow he was on his 'd; but the Colo- nel questioned him so closely, and withal so diplomatically, as to give him no excuse, even if it had been politic, for abruptly closing the conversation, that Archie found it Tmpossible not to reveal something of his intentions, In this way it was that the other discovered how the stranger had come from Silver City, and was on his way to Duyville Ranch—‘ to see a friend.” That was how Archie put it. “ Darned now, if that ain't luck, I’m goin’ that way myself to-morrow and we'll be com- pany. ~ It’s darned nasty road it is, and you'd find it most onpossible to keep to it, but I know it—every inch, stranger—like a pack o’ kerds, So let’s shake, mate, and hev a drink on the head of it. Joe Blake never yet saw a pentleman left out in the cold for want of a What could Archie do? He was by no meansanxious to have the accommodating Col- onel’s company—was indeed extremely anx- ious, ungrateful though it may appear, not to have it. But to refuse might, probably would, excite suspicion, and that was the one thing he wished to avoid. So he thanked the Colo- nel, “‘ whose acquaintance he was proud to make, but he couldn’t think to put him to so much inconvenience, etc., etc.—he had to get up so early, etc., etc.” But the Colonel took it all quite coolly. He had taken a liking to him, he said; the road was a darned mean one, and lonesome too,— that it was—Besides it wasn’t altogether what one might call safe; and in any case comp’ny was comp’ny, and he was only doin’ his duty, he hoped, by a stranger in offerin’ to help him. It didn’t take him out ov his way—leastways not much. So Archie was fain to accept the Colonel’s offer with the best grace possible; at the same time resolving to get up in the morning at an hour when his would-be com- panion would be likely to be fast asleep. There is a proverb, however, about the difficulty of catching a weasel and which Archie might have called to mind. Shortly after this he inquired of the Boss as to whether he could supply him with a bed, to which he of the buck-eye replied that he was “‘continentally darned if he could, but he was welcome to a shakedown behind the bar.” Only too glad to get any kind of resting place for the night-Archie gladly accepted the offer, —and indeed it was not every stranger whom Buck-eyed Jim would have treated so hospit- ably, but the lad had been free with his money and had a frank open look which Jim liked— and, in spite of the noise made by the gamblers was soon fast asleep. . * * CHAPTER XXX, (Ye Search or ye GOLDEN FLEECE CONTINUED.) Wuen Archie wakened next morning the lights were still blazing in the saloon and the gamblers, less noisy, however, because silent and .serious through greed of gain or re- gret for loss, were still at their cards. He looked at his watch and saw that it wanted a * few minutes of four. In a chair in the corner of the bar sat Buck-eye Jim fast asleep, though watchful even in his sleep watchful, and ready to start up on the slightest noise out of the or- dinary. His friend, the Colonel, was nowhere to be seen much to Archie's relief, and the latter rose to his feet as quickly and noiselessly ashe could. He had settled his bill the pre- vious night and having lain down in his clothes there was nothing to prevent his leaving when he liked. So he was quietly making for the door when a voice exclaimed,— “ Mornin’, stranger; ye’r in a tarnation hurry; can’t ye hev a drink and give a fellow a shake before leaving? It ain’t Christian-like to vamose in that style after drinking with ‘em.”" It was’ the ever wakeful Jim who spoke. They used to say that he slept with his buck- eye half open and Archie could well believe it. However untimely the interruption he had to put up with it,so with well assumed cor- diality he at once returned mine host's salu- tation. “Mornin’ to you, boss. Thought as how you were asleep and didn’t like to tread on ye’r toes like; but as ye hev spunked up why an coorse there’s my fin and let’s shake. I’m real obliged to you, boss, and I wish ye bully luck and a high old time in the way ov bizness when the Spring comes,”” “That's as how it shudd be,” replied the other graciously, ‘ What's your peizun ?” “Waz-al sin ye wil/ hev it so I'll jine in in a gin cock.” So they had their friendly drink—Archie, by the way, taking advantage of Jim’s looking around for a moment, to spill Ais on the floor —and our hero said good-bye and was making tracks for the door, when his host, after look- ing suspiciously in the direction of the gamb- lers—who, however, were too interested in their game to remark what was going on else- where—leant forward towards him and whis- pered,— “Ye'r a bit green yit, lad; I kin see that much. But ye-ou er one ov the right sort an’ hev grit. Don’t be too thick with the Colonel. He’s a good man is Plug, but——,” and the buck-eye winked in such a preternaturally sol- emn and suggestive fashion as to complete the sentence better than any words could. Archie felt really grateful for this unexpected show of disinterested kindness and said as much as he again shook hands and thanked his host. After all there are worse men in the world than Buck-eyed Jim. Although the moon had long set, the sky was clear, and Archie had no difficulty in finding and keeping the path, It was bitterly cold but he met that by walking the faster, and was just putting on an extra spurt when a shrill voice hulloed from the rear: “Hilo there, friend; ye-ou er in a tarna- tion hurry. Thunder, but ye-ou ken step out,”—and in another minute, to our hero’s disgust, the long, lanky, sunken-cheeked, shifty- eyed Colonel came up panting and out of breath. . “Darn me,” he gasped as he held out one hand to Archie while with the other he wiped the perspiration from his brow, “darn me, but I hev hed a run for it. You ken walk and no mistake. A double first-class hundred and ninet-ee steam in-jine ain’t worth a continen- tal alongside ov ye-ou. So you thought to give me the slip, pard, did ye? Ne-ow I call that on-ke-eind—I de-ew,” and the gallant Colonel strove to throw as much pathos into his voice as that somewhat unsympathetic organ was ca- pable of. “Nary a slip,’ replied Archie with well sim- ulated cordiality. ‘I looked all around for you, Colonel, but nary a track ye had left. So thinkin’ you had mebbe changed yer mind I made myself scarce, Nice mornin’, ain’t it?” And so the conversation began. . * * ‘The Colonel had not exaggerated the diff culties of the road, and after a while, in spite of his suspicions and distrust, Archie was by no means sorry of his company. After all, he was on his guard; was younger and stronger than his companion; was as well armed, and had the doubtful advantage of having at any rate a clear conscience. So, throwing off the last vestige of restraint, Archie entered into the spirit of the conversation with apparent frankness and cordiality, and listened to the Colonel’s stories of his own achievements with an amount of interest that was very gratifying to that somewhat vainglorious raconteur. But all the same the journey was wearisome and the road desperately bad; so bad that at times the travelers had literally to crawl on all fours. It was also perilously slippery in parts, particu. larly in Deadman’s Canyon, along the right bank of which they had to pick their way for overa mile. To their left the bank dropped sheer down from two to three thousand feet— down to where the turbulent Chatopooka, a tributary of Green River, near which stood Silver City—could be seen flowing, black and ugly, between the white banks of snow; while on their right rose Pike’s Peak, a sheer wall of rock, leaving an uneven and broken pathway of not more than two feet wide, and in some places only a few inches, for the traveler to scramble along. “Ts this the reg’lar road to Duyvill Ranch?” asked Archie in amazement as he picked his way. “Wa-al,no. Noneed to say nary a wagon could come ‘long here. ‘The wagon-track is t'other side the mountain, but it’s a long way round, and might take us the best part ov two days to waik it. This road #s kind ov danger- ous, I will admit, but it saves time, mate, and time ’s money.” All the same Archie would have preferred to go the longer route. They were now, how- ever, within sight of their destination, the houses of which could just be descried ‘away down on the plain. By this time it was well on to 4 o'clock and both travellers were con- siderably knocked up by the time they reached Duyvill. Much to Archie's surprise he found the “Hotel” there much larger and better every way than the one he had last left, and he had no difficulty in securing a bed for the night. A further surprise awaited him in the fact that the landlord was an Englishman, and, what was more, a Johnny Bull to the back-bone. ‘Er you goin’ to put up here, Colonel?” en- quired Archie, with, let it be confessed, some - little inward anxiety. “No, I hev got some friends a bit further on, and after we've had something to eat and drink here I'll push along to them, But never fear, mate; I'll come back to-night yet, just to see that ye-ou are all squaar and comfortable. No man as lives can say as how Joe Blake ever left a mate in the lurch. No sirr-ee,”—and with that the, gallant speaker significantly tapped the stock of one of the revolvers that were stuck in his belt, and demanded a fresh whis- key hot. [To be continued.] Ask any good doctor if Hop Bitters are not the best family me cine on earth. See potice SOZODONT. To preserve the teeth and keep them pure and white, to prevent their decay, there is 00 preparation in the ‘market equal to SOZODONT. To preserve the gums in a oatur- ally hard and healthy condition, there is 00 superior to SOZO- DONT. To purify and sweeten the breath there is no rival to SOZODONT. For a perfect mouth there is no recipe like the use of SOZODONT. Consequently it is no wonder that the populanty of SOZODONT as a dentifrice has 0 bounds. All Druggists keep it. Beware of Connterfelts and Imitations! BOKEB’S BITTERS, The best Stomach Bitters known, containing most valu- able medicinal properties in all cases laints; @ sure specific against Dyspepsia, Fever and Agvey fine cordial initself, if taken pure. It is also most excellent for mixing with other cordials, wines, &c. Comparatively the cheapest Bitters in existence. LL FUNKE, Jr., Sole Agest, P. 0, Bez 1029, 78 John St., N.Y.