Beadle's Dime Novels No. 213: Squatter Dick — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

78 SQUATTER. DICK. his search. Indeed he scarcely expected to accomplish any thing before the light of day should. come to assist him, but the voice within his breast, crying for vengeance, would. not allow him to, rest. The sun was nearly an honr high, and Lafiin was stout re- turning to the place where he had left the rangers, hoping that they had learned something since his departure, when a voice startled him. “Helloa, Dick, is that you? I hardly knew you, and have had you covered with my rifle for the last five minutes.” “Who are you? come out.o’ the, bush an’ show yourself,” rejoined the squatter as he recovered from his surprise. A man parted the bushes and stepped out in full view, and Laflin then saw, to ‘his. great delight; that it was. one of the outlaws who had left the main body to accompany Mat Keedy just before the attack. It was evident by his manner that he had no suspicion of the part played by Dick in the affair at the mansion, and taking his cue from. that, Laflin proceeded to pump the man, hoping to learn something definite regarding the present whereabouts of both his enemy and Ada Sollars, “Rough times, last night, Dick,” added the outlaw, as he stood beside the pony. “ You were lucky to get out of it -with a whole hide.” ' “You, too; I don’t see no hurts.” “No, I’m sound enough as far as that’s concerned. You know I didn’t stay with you.” * . “I see’d you go off with the cap’n,an’ didn’t know what to make of it. Some o’ the boys talks purty hard ag'in’ yer fellers; the softest words they. use is ert said. Laflin, in a pointed tone, “ Cowards be ——” hotly: cxelninntd the man. “ Who says so? Tell me their names and I'll show them if Jack Wapper is a coward! Who are they?” “ Easy, old fellow, easy. Don’t fly off the han’ le all to onect. But, ef you'll jest think-a leetle, you'll see thet they hed some cause fer bein’ s’picious-like. You three went off, nobody knowed whar, an’ wasn’t see’d ag’in through the whole — What else could they think?” '. “And if we did, whose fault was it? Don't the. laws of the band say thet: ‘the eaptain must be obeyed in every thing, Gonmmicloooks.conn