Beadle's Dime Novels No. 213: Squatter Dick — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

ras : 81 ere rifle-bar’l as rests mighty oneasy, mebbe you'll think twic’t afore you titch that thar pistol. It mought be onhealthy like, you know.” y Why, Dick, what do you mean? Why should you “talk to me in that way ?” queried Keedy, his eyes roving restlessly about him. “You'd like to know, would ye? Wal,T al’ays was ’com- modatin’ an’ I don’t mind ef I do tell you, bein’ as we're goin’ to keep comp’ny fer a spell. But fust, you see this string?” at the same time drawing a stout cord from his pocket. “ Thar’s # iittle story connected with it, too, thet T'll tell you by- n’- A i don’t understand you,” faltered the outlaw leader, anx- jously. “You will afore long. This means thet you're my pris’ner, én’—” “Thornton, shoot him! he betrayed us all last night !” yelled Keedy, in a loud tone, at the same time gliding around the body of the tree. Laflin turned his head quickly, and instinctively bent low down in the saddle, thus raising his rifle, for as he did so, a rifle cracked and the hum of a bullet sounded unpleasantly close above his head. He saw the form of a man standing at a little distance with a rifle still at his shoulder, while the smoke oozing from the muzzle plainly told from whence had proceeded the sudden shot. Quick as thought the scout’s rifle rose to his cheek, and be- fore Bill Thornton could dodge behind cover, the report rung out, and with a wild, thrilling yell, the outlaw sprung ‘into the air, failing headlong‘to the ground, a dead man. ba Almost simultanously a report sounded from close behind Laflin, and a sharp twinge between his shoulders told him that he was wounded. “Then he wrenched his pony’s head around to behold Mat Keedy drop his useless pistol, and flee through g the swamp. Laflin urged his pony after the fugitive, and as he gained ‘rapidly up«n him, the heavy rifle-barrel was swung aloft and then descended with fearfiil force upon Keedy’s right shoulder, , “hurling him beadlong as if he had been shot. Ina few mo- ments the senseless satlaw was securely bound, hand and foot cad Cconmicloooksaconn |