Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1003 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

ey = = ~~ — a 20 stopped at Kiowa, about fifteen miles from Denver, the bonds were once more in the detec- tive’s possession. He left thecar at the station, leaving Darkin snoring peacefully on as the train resumed its journey to Denver. ** Now, that I’ve got the stolen bonds and the will, | guess [ had better telegraph to Byrnes to have a warrant sworn out for Dunning’s arrest, and a couple of men sent here to serve it.” He wrote out a message to that effect, and de- livered it to the telegraph operator at the sta- tion. Then he sat down to wait until a train would stop on its way back to Junita, for he had resolved toreturn to Placer Ranchand finish his work, which he thought would not take him, at the most, more than a week. ‘* Just as soon as Byrnes’s men-get out here with the warrant we'll arrest Dunning for the robbery, and then let him explain old Scblerger’s murder. He'll havea nice time doing it, I think. The man is in a pretty bad box now, for his rooney’s gone beyond recovery, and he won't leave Silverside broke,” Joe opened the sachel, wondering what had caused the increase in weight, and found on the inside the thousand dollarsin gold which Dar- kin had stolen from Dunning before leaving the ** W hitehouse,”’ He was quite sure that the money had not been there when he had possession of the sachel before, although he had not opened it, and so he concluded that it was the personal and lawful property of Darkin. He had no intentions of taking that which he had no legal right to, and he resolved to return the money in some way to the gee sche of the ‘*‘ Whitehouse,” ‘*{ suppose that man who was with Darkin jJast night,” he mused, ‘must have found the sachel in the creek, and gave it to him to take to Denver to sell, I wonder if either of them knew what the bonis are worth? 1l’ll have to pe them where they’il be safe in the future, for wouldn’t risk them in any one else’s possession again for the world. I guess we’d better bury the whole thing in Kid Keen’s cabin until I get ready to start East, I wish that train would come along—it’s most deuced slow business, this waiting here,” The detective paced up and down the platform of the station until six o’clock in the evening, and then caught a train back to Junita. It was late. at pight when he arrived there, but he con- cluded 6 go right on out‘for Placer Ranch, and for that purpose again changed his clothing, re- suming tne buckskin garb of Germau Joe. lt was nearly daylight when he knocked at the door of Kid Keen’s cabin, and told who he was in response to a gruff ‘* Who's there?” from within, The door was thrown open, and instead of the handsome face of his partner, there appeared the angry visage of John Dunning, and behind him Joe caught sight of Limpy Dick and Nick Good- loe, while on the bed in one corner lay Kid Keen, bound, gagged and bloody. ‘* Here’s the man now,” cried Dunning, ‘* And by the greatfleternal he’s got ther sachel!” ‘ CHAPTER X, THE UPPER HAND, Wen Colonel Denmore left Dunning, after charging him with the theft of his daughter and several times threatening to shoot him unless he produced her forthwith, the later re-entered the ‘ Whitehouse.” .He was even more surprised than the colonel over the girl’s sudden disap- nce, and at once sought Darkin to seeif pea that individual had bad a hand in her escape, But Darkin was not to be found, and Dunning, becoming alarmed, went to hisown room andsoon discovered the loss of his gold, : ** He’s robbed me and gone off with the girl!” he exclaimed, rushing down-stairs to give the alarm. ‘I'll have that money back if I have to chase him to Europe!” Into Casey’s ear at the bar below Dunning poured the story of his wrongs; but to his sur- prise and disgust,that gentleman greeted it with genuine delight, **D’ye mean to say thet Jack’s gone?’ he asked. ‘* Yes, and he’s taken—” ** Gone fur good?” ** Why, of course; and—” ““Whoop-ee! Ther ‘ Whitehouse’ belongs ter Dave Casey,” yelled the man, executing the in- tricate steps of a Silverside war-dance behind the bar. ‘‘ Call in ther boys till I set ’em up.” ‘* But aren’t you going to help chase Darkin?” ‘** Chase nothin’—d’ye s’pose I want ‘im back?” ** But he’s got my money!” German Joe, the Hayseed Sport. _ ‘Ther divil wid yer money. Don’t yer sce ; Nest”? was doing very well, and contemplated thet ef Darkin clears out, this shanty an’ fixin’ | removing to hisown home the next day, comes to me?” | As soun a; he saw Dunning, bis eyes flashed Yes, Dunning said he saw all that, but also | angrily, but his Jaws were so tied up that he realized with perfect clearness that he had lost | could not speak. Pye sole a sum of monsy in gold that would build several | ‘‘ Hello, Dacy,” said his visitor, ‘ I’m glad to ‘* W hitehouses.” | see you looking so well, 1 came around after ‘‘But thet ain’t enny uv my funeral,” said | those bonds! gave you to take to the Junita Casey, gleefully. ‘‘ You'd oughter kept yer eye | Bank,” he added softly, as the nurse appeared in on der boodle, Yer didn’t ‘low thet Jack would | the room, ‘* Did you deposit them? keep his hands off’n the thousand dollars once | A pad of paper and pencil lay . the wounded he saw it, did ye?” | man’s right hand, and he quickly wrote a few Dunping said that he had entertained that | words on a sheet and handed it to his com-' tL didn’t ll thi ype idn’t suppose you were a leves ou &s iT ated hem.” here, and I don't mean to allow him to git | They wuz stole; I ain't got > ; away with that money. I want youte getsome | This wasall, Butit conveyed to Dunning an men and horses, and go with me to fetch him | intelligence that almost paralyzed him, and drop- back.” | ping the paper, he stared at Dacy in stupefied ** Nary!” | silence. ** 171) pay you well for it.” ‘‘Wh-what do you mean?” be gasped at ‘No, sir. I don't want Jack Darkin back’ere, | length. ‘‘ You are not trying to tell me that an’ ther man, thet fetches him back will hev to | you’ve lost the bonds?” ht answer to me fur it,” Dacy signified by a nod of his head that such Dunning was disgusted, was indeed the case, and, picking up the pencil, ‘*'You may think that you can play me for a | again wrote: fool,” he said, threateningly, ‘‘ Buti want you | « artter I hed put them in the closet an’ gone to understand that I’m in earnest, down-stairs with yo’, I cum right back, They wuz gone then,” “‘T think youarein with Darkinin thisscheme | Dunning could not realize for a moment the to rob me,” extent of his loss, but a deep, wild anger surged [ more than Ordinarily Casey would have regarded such | up in his heart against the man before him, half believe you are implicated.” ‘*T’'m what?” an insinuation as an insult to be wiped out in “You lie!” he sald wildly, looking into Ducy’s blood ; but now the acquisition of Darkin’s prop- | glittering eyes. You’ve got them bonds, and erty had made him so good-natured that he said, | if you dont tell me where they are, ! \l-- esmply : “ Hold on, cully; yo ain’t a-goin’ to draw a ‘TI wish I wuz. I reckon thet ef I’d’a’ seen | pop on @ man like thet?” exclaimed a voice at ther boodle fu’st, Jack ’u’d never have a handin | Dunning’s side, ‘‘ What kind uv a galoot air takin’ it, I’d adarn sight ruther hev the thou- | you to shoot a man when he's down? Pat tiet sand dollars then this place!” up, or I'll fire yo’ out’n ther room, “Then you won't help me to catch this The nurse looked more than capable of carry- man?” ing out his threat, and the person addressed re- ** Nary a catch,” turned the half-drawa revolver to his pocket. Dunning walked out of the saloon in a very ‘I couldn’t help it,” he said, angrily, * This angry and disgusted frame of mind. Everything | man here, if he is near dead, has robbed me of had gone wrong with him for the past few days, | fifty thousand dollars. lll get it back if I] have and with the loss of the thousand dollars he | to shoot all the men in the place. . became bankrupt, at least as far as ready ‘* Well, yer mought begin with me, suggested money went, the nurse. ‘‘ But until Dacy gits well | ain’t ‘Tl have to see Dacy at once,” he thought, | a-goin’ to lot no one fool around him,” ‘‘and get some money from those bonds, if he wounded man regarded tie declaration tha: fool only hadn’t gone and let himseif get | withapproval. He nodde:!.bis head vigorously, shot, everything might have turned out all | and wrote ou a sheet of paper a denial of Dun- right. It’s too dark to do anything more to- ning’s charges, accompanied by the statement night, but the first thing to-morrow morning | that . jist ez soon ez I git well Vl make him I'll go over to Little Pete’s and get Dacy to give |-sicker'n lightnin oe ; me my bank-books and checks, Then Ill be all ‘**I don’t want to interfere in no private mat- right in spite of this thousand dollars. There’s | ters betwixt you two,” said the nurse, banding just,two men on this earth that I'd like to see | the paper to Dunning. ‘* But | ain’t a-goin’ to killed. This man Darkin and Joe Winthrop, | jet a sick man he murdered right afore my and perhaps that son-of-a-gun who's took | eyes.” ? charge of the ‘ Whitehouse’ now, He's thestub- ‘But he’s got all my money,” howled Dun- bornest man I ever see, andif I get a chance to | ning. ‘I lent it tohim day before yesterday, do it, I'll make him sorry for going back on | todepositin theJunita Bank. He says LOW that me.” it’s been stolen, and I know he lies, Dunning kept growling to himself, until he The sick man here showed signs of hysteria. finally went to his room and undressed, “Ef yourvile P il much more he'll dosunthin ‘‘ There’s some satisfaction in the thought that | terrible. Jest wait fur about a week, an’ then there isn’t anything else for them to steal,” was | I reckon he'll be able to talk to you,” said the his final reflection before sleep put an end, tem- | nurse. ** Jest ez soon ez his jaws git in workin porarily, to bis mental woes, order he’ll prob’bly tell you all about it, His determination to rise early the next morn- - But my money— "erwe ing was not carried into effect, and it was near- «Tuer deuce with you an’ yor money. You ly noon when he finally dressed and went down- | can’t cum here an’ raise Cain with a man more stairs to breakiast. There he had anotber | dead than alive, not when Joe Mack’s a-tendin wordy encounter with the new proprietor of the | uv him,” roared the nurse, now thoroughly ex- ‘* Whitehouse,” whose good nature alono pre- | asperated, ‘‘ An’ less’n yo" car cut’n hyer vented him from laying violent hands on his un- | mighty soon, I’\l put yo’ out!” ruly guest, Again Dacy manifested his approval by @ ‘“T reckon ef yo’ ain’t suited yere, yo’ kin git | vigorous nod of his head, and Dunning strode out,” he said. ‘‘I ain’t beggin’ yo’ tu stay ’ere, | cut of the room, pouring mauledictions upon the am I?” heads of everybody and nig aonhe he could ‘‘No, you're not,” growled Dunning in reply, | think of. Down-stairs he met Limpy Dick, and for his angry mood of yesterday had not passed | the cripple, seizing his arm, led the way toward away, ‘“‘and I guess it’s because you know | his cabin, A there’s nothin’ more that l’ve got to steal.” | _ I wuz jest goin’ over ter Silverside fur yer, SS eee eee aaa Casey did not reply, and Dunning, still mut- | he said. ‘'I reckon we've got a plan ter lay out : tering to himself, appropriated one of tbe horses | ther Dutchman fer you.” eleetine to the nine and set out for Placer But his companion took little interest in the Ranch. 2 grat of se Dakobman, or of any one else, just ‘*When onee J get that forty-five thousan en, and he said so. dollars in my arvie.% he reflected, as he rode “I guess we'll bave. bigger game oan oy rapidly along, ‘‘ I'll leave this place a good deal | he said, angrily. ‘‘Pve just lost over y quicker than I came here, I wanted to find an | thousand dollars.” ftl out-of-the-way partofthecountry,soas not to! Limpy Dick stopped and whistled softly. be dnroeiaed and { guess I’ve got it, If that | ‘* Whar’d ye’ lose it?” he asked. ly implicit. detective was laid out now, I would be satisfied. | Dunning knowing that he could 4 y Dee 1Cl Pll either kill him myself, or get Limpy Dick to | ly on the wy Em told him the pa M4 . y Pe vk do it, and then J'll light out.” that part of it which was not already known He reached the ‘‘ Golden Garter ” about four | him, le ther o’clock in the afternoon, and was at once shown | ‘* An’ Phil says thet sum one stole boodle t> ae room in which Dacy was confined. He | frum him?” asked Dick, found that the proprietor of the ‘‘ Badgers’ ee Theta ser es ees eeu ~ > + Te in - - s s e-* : 4 + 4 @ his a i