Deadwood Dick's Big Deal; or, The Gold Brick of Oregon — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

EZADWOOD DICK. ar CHAPTER V. The Bank Broke. To say that St. Cecil was astonished, would be but a ludicrously mild way of expressing it. He was mystified more than he had been, before, in the whole course of his eventful career. mS “There’s something rotten about this, or I’m an idiot!” was all the conclusion he could come to, on deliberation, “If Rossitur is dead, then he left his human agents to do his work—for I'll swear there’s no ghost work about this.” Resolved to maintain secrecy in regard to hs compact with Crazy Chet, he therefore must needs make no in- quiries toward sowing what was so vexatious a mystery to him. And as consideration of the case only served to puzzle him the more, he resolved to give as little thought to it as possible, After seeing the consignment of gold safely off, on the oon stage, he returned to his room, and prepared a notice of the reduction of wages of all miners employed by the firm, from six to four dollars a day. This he then posted up in a conspicuous place near the mouth of the mine, and once more sought the hotel, to await developments. He felt sure there would be an uprising against him, in consequence of the reduction, but he was prepared to face the music, fearlessty. ; The camp was very dull im the afternoon, and finding it thus, he took a nap, from which he did not awaken unttl about dusk. . | After getting his supper, he sauntered forth toward _ Gold Brick’s Palace, with the intention of again trying his luck, in accordance with his promse to Crazy Chet. The street was filled wth miners and rough-looking characters, peculiar to mining towns, and St. Cecil was conscious that more than one ugly glance was sent him, as he sauntered along; and he heard his name frequently - uttered in connection with an oath. , en eee Cconniclooolks.Comnn)