Deadwood Dick's Big Deal; or, The Gold Brick of Oregon — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

> 7 *y A | a’ rs ade t: bi ej f all ye DEADWOOD DICK. ge. you ever knew Calamity Jane, for perhaps a lifetime could nor prove to you that I am innocent. “‘Calamity,’” Here Deadwood gasped for breath, and reeled as if “about to fall. But he seized hold of a bowlder, and stea- died hirnself. “Is there need to say more? Does any sensible per- son need more, for proof of her deep duplicity and guilt?” “It’s a dark outlook, boyee, an’ I dunno w’at ter say— great ham-bone, no! Ye kno’, though, that you doubted her, cnce before, an’ she proved herself innercent.” - “True, but the circumstances were vastly diferent, then, ‘She has openly defied me, and announced her enmity. That settles it.” “Well, let it drop, Dick—let it drop. Life arie but a cobweb, an’ the more ye chsae a spider, the wuss yer get tangled, no matter how fly ye aire.” “Sensible Vl admit, for an oid throttler like you, Aval- anche. But, unfortunately, I find the net more intricate, the less I try to approach it!’ “How co you mean? What brings you here, to Right Bower?” “Time will show you what. Until that, it is best_you romain in the dark. Sce here, Avalanche, who is the Gold Brick, thet keeps the Palace?” “Dunno no more about it than ye do, Dicky?” “Are you sure?” “Certain, boyee—great ham-bone, yas—tho’ she mought be C’lamity, fer all I knows on.” “Bah! not she! I'll swear to that. She is ete my cnemy.” “tiew d’ye know?” “Intuit-on tells me.” “See hyer-—I see thru the fog, now. You aire the big- whiskered feller, w’ot called hisself Cleveland St. Cecil!” Deadwood Dick laughed. “Of course. Iwondered you didn’t tumble to it, be- * fore!” “Never so much as thort o’ it, boyee!” “Weil, you know it, now; so see that you keep ignorant ofthe fect. Here is the money I won for you, to-night,” “Lor’ Jerusha! ye ain’t goin’ ter give that ter me?” _* Conmicloooksacomnn