Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1003 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

S in with some of his acquaintances, who present- ly started for Dacy’s, talking over the sudden downfall of their leader, In the saloon, Keen got into an argument with some Nilverside men, and not being able to keep quiet when he heard the followers of Little Pete maligned, he was speedily the center of an angry crowd, ** I didn’t cum hyer to fight,” he finally yelled, desperately. ‘‘But by ther great Eternal, ef yo’ fellers air dyin’ for a ruction, jist smell uv these!” He thrust a couple of revolvers in the faces of his persecutors, but they took advaniage of their numbers and spread out so that he could not keep the drop on more than two men at once, It was very evident that the scout had got him- self into hot water, for the men who surrounded him were angry aud desperate. One of them had already covered Keen with a rifle, resting the barrel of it over the bar, ‘*Put up yer hands,” he yelled, as Kid seemed disposed to makoa rush on the crowd, ‘ Put ’em up up or down ye go!” The scout suddenly switched his left hand around and planted a bullet between the eyes of the man with the rifle, He sunk to the floor without a groan, and the weapon that had Piniae him stood staring another man in the ace, ‘* Keep yer distance,” hecried. ‘‘I told yel didn’t want’r fight, but when I’m forced to, I reckon I kin hold my own, Ef any one of oO — The crowd made a sudden rush for him, and in spite of the deadly fire from his two revol- vers, were soon in a position to effectually check his further resistance. But just as Keen had given up all bope of life, aid came from an un- expected quarter, and the crowd again retreat- ed. From between the cracks of the logs in the rear of the room, a dozen whizzing bullets had scattered the crowd, leaving Keen an oppor- tunity of escape, which he quickly took advan- tage of, Once on the outside, he did not stop until he had got out of pistol-range of the ‘* Nest.” ‘* Well, that was a lively little fight,” he anted, “I thought at one time I wasa goner, ut I reckon the kernal must’r been out there oe shooters. Or mebbe it wuz German oe This thought sent him back to the ‘‘ Nest,” quickly but cautiously. He made a detour so as to come up to the rear of the building, and peering over the top of a hill at the place where the shots bad come from, saw something that made him reach for his revolver again, At the foot of thehilland near the building, separated from Keen by & narrow stream of water, German Jove stood buried up to his thighs in thick black mud. In each were f he held a re- volver, the barrels of which were on a line with a half-dozen angry men who had just appeared around a corner of the building. Keen could not imagine how his partner had got into such a predicament, but he quickly realized that he wasin a position to return Joe’s services of a few minutes ago, He lay flit on bis stomach and thrust his re- volvers out toward Joe’s enemies, calling to them as he did so, German Joe did not take his eyes from his re- volvers, although he recognized with a pang of delight that his partner was at hand, Just how this strange situation might have ended had the men tried to reach Joe, will never be known, fora sudden commotion in front of the ‘‘ Nest” attracted their attention, and they disappeared as quickly as they,had come, Keen hastened to his partner’s assistance, wading into the creek, near the inner shore of which Joe was confined. He threw himself upon his stomach, and, grasping the detective around the waist with both arms, loosened him by several violent alternating wrenches and finally landed him on dry ground, although it required all of their united strength to accomplish it, ‘‘ How in tarnation—” began Keen, but Joe interrupted him, **I threw a sachel in t’er creek here last night,” he said. ‘Do you suppose it vhas float- ed off?” i I shouldn’t wonder if ithad. What wuz in a Paper,” ** Then it must hey, Ther creek runs over ter Lode Camp, an’ we mought foller it ef yo’ want’r. uz it valu’ble? ‘“*T should t’ink id vhas. Ofer sixty thousant dollars in it,” veplied Joe, ‘ Vait until I can git some uf t’is mud off me an’I vill help yo’ look for id.” Ge rman The two walked to the place where Keen had | But he thought he would make it as comfortable tied his horse, and there attempted to cleanse their muddy clothing. They succeeded in par- tially doing so after a time, and then cautiously returned to thecreek, They followed it through the tunnel and down into Horseshoe Valley, but without finding the sacuel, Keen meanwhils had asked the detective so many questions tbat Joe finally divulged his identity and told his friend of his mission in that part of thecountry. The scont was surprised and delighted with the information, and readily promised to lend ‘his services in running Dun- ning to ground. ‘*[ hain’t seen much uv ther man,” he said. ‘*But what I hev seen hasn't impressed me with enny luv fur’im. [ve kinder got the no- tion thet he’s had a hand in this Grace Denmore business,” ‘*Tt may be,” said Joe, dropping his Ger- man accent in Keen’s hearing, ‘* He’s capahle of ‘doing almost anything. if we could only find the sachel, now, we’d have almost con- clusive proof that he was a thief, if not a mur- derer,” But thorough search through the valley failed to discover the sachel, and by:dark the partners returned 'to Placer Ranch, German Joe almost famished after his long fast, CHAPTER VIII, DUNNING LOSES HIS GRIP, DUNNING had paid Darkiu well to not reveal the fact that he was keeping at the ‘* White- house,” against her wishes, a young and beauti- ful girl, If his host knew that she was Grace Denmore, he also knew enough to keep it to himself, and Dunning thought that his charge would be safe in Darkin's care. And for a time it was; but Darkin, as sus- ceptible to a woman’s charms as most men, soon reached the conclusion that he had about as much right to Grace as any one else, And following out this line of thought after Grace had been confined beneath his hospitable roof for twenty-four hours, he soon reached @ con- clusion that gave him great satisfaction, but which threatened the peace and well-being of his guest. And so it came about that when Dunning was notified by Limpy Dick to hasten to the bedside of the wounded Dacy, Darkin imme- diately began arrangements for a hurried de- parture, He packed all the articles of value in the house in a covered camp-wagon, taking from Dunning’s room nearly two thousand dollars in gold which that foolish individual had left locked in his bureau drawer. Then he proceed- ed to Grace’s room and acquainted the fright- ened girl with the fact that she was about to change jailers once more, ‘*T hev concluded thet yo’ think about ez much uv me ez yo’ did uv thet other man, so I’m a-goin’ to take yo’ter Denver, I’ve got lots uv stuff with me, and we’ll sport in great style out thar. ‘** You surely don’t mean that you are going to take me still further away from home?” she gasped, ‘*I’m sure I don’t know what all you men intend to do with me, but if you will take me back to my father, he will pay you well for ‘*T don’t want money,” replied Darkin, reck- lessly. ‘* I want you,” . Grace sighed, but her feelings bad received so many shocks within the past few days that she seemed hardened to almost anything. ‘*{ sha’n’t hurt you,” said the man, trying to speak reassuringly. “Ill hey to gag an’ bind yo’ now, howsomever, for yo’ might git t’ yell- in’ ef yo’r mouth wuzn’t shut,” Grace did not attempt to resist as he tied a towel over the lower part of her face, She did not want to anger him, and thought that in going quietly she might escape at some future time. He carried her bodily, wrapped up in a large shawl, down-stairs and out into the covered wagon in front, hen he returned after a few small thi of value which he had left behind, bastening back for fear that in spite of ber fetters she might be able to escape. He climbed into the front seat of the wagon and drove off without drawing aside the cur- tains to see if his prisoner was safe, When out of sight of Silverside, however, he stopped the horses aid went around to the rear of the wagon to release the girl. The news of the kidnapping had probably spread all over the country by that time, and it would not have Joe, the Hayseed Sport. been well for Darkin to be caught with her. | sion of the sachel as he did so. 7 as possible for Grace on the cushions in the rear of the wagon, and for that purpose he halted the horses, . ‘‘ 'm sorry ter keep yo’in sech—” Darkin stopped, and, with one hand holding the curtains aside, glared into the small apart- - ment. ‘¢ Ther gurl aint thar!” He uttered thisin a tone of voicein which surprise, anger and awe were strangely blended. Then he climbed back to his seat, and, picking up the reins, was about to turn around, But, thinking that he had gone too far already for turning back, he whipped up his horses and rode on toward Junita, from which place he had intended to take the midnight train for Denver. The thoughts which thronged his mind were not very pleasant ones, and he cursed himself many cienee for his stupidity. But it was too late now for repentance, and he burried along the lonely road, intent only on reaching Junita in time to catch the train for Denver, ‘The gurl must hey made sum kind ov a noise inside ther wagon when [ wuz in ther house,” he thought to himself, ‘‘ An’ probably one uv ther boys heard her, an’ lookin’ in saw what wuz ther matter. Yo’ kin bet tbar’ll be sum tall hustlin’ when she tells her story. Ther country’ll be too hot ter hold sum uv them fel- lers. Hereached Junita too late to catch the night train, in spite of his haste; and, much to his dis- may, was forced to spend the night there or travel on in the darkness, He decided to do the former, first disposing of his horse, wagon and outfit to the bighest bidder. The proceeds of this sale, together with the gold he bad brought with him from Silverside gave hima lerge amount of ready money, and he felt unusually independent as he strode about the streets of the city, and rather inclined to rejoice over the fact that the girl had escaped im. ‘*She’d only be in the way now, always get- tin’ up arumpus. I reckon she’s better off ter home—ez well as myself. Ther’ ain’t nothin’ I'd like better now, then— Why, bere’s Bill Car- ter, now.” Darkin was just about to say that he would be tickled to death to meet some one whom he knew, when a miner from Lode Camp, well acquainted with the former pro- prietor of the ‘‘ Whitehouse,” almost collided with him. “Hallo, Bill, I wuz jest wishin’ I'd meet some one I knew. Let’s go over an’ hev a drink,” ‘* Allright, Jack. I’m glad ter see yo’—what air yer doin’ here?” ‘*T’'m goin’ out ter Denver fur a short trip,’ replied Darkin, leading the way to a saloon across the street. ‘*‘I’vegot considerable busi- ness thar, an’ it’s time it wuz attended to.” ‘‘’'m goin’ ter Denver myself,” said Carter, ‘* Do you see this?” He held up to the light a small black, mud- stained sachel, . ‘* Yes—what’s thet?’ ‘T don’t know. I found it in ther creek down ter Lode Camp. It’s got a lot uv pa- pers in it, and, fur all I know, they may be valu’ble,” “ An’ ye’r’a-goin’ ter Denver ter see about %em?” sé Yes,” ‘s Where wuz yo’ goin’ to take ’em?” ‘‘T Nowed mebbe I’d show ’em to a bank. They'd know ef they wuz worth anything.” es Well, ef yo’ want t’ let me take ’em fur yo’, I’ll save yo’ the expense,” Tbey had reached the saloon by this time, and entering, took seats at a card-table. ‘*? don’t know,” said Oarter, doubtfully. ‘* They may be worth a good deal of money, ’ ’ ‘¢ Waal, ef yer don’t wanter trust me,” inter- Darkin, ** it don’t make no diff’runce. [I only offered to take’em to accommodate you. Let’s see ther things,” He opened the sachel and inspected one or two of the folded papers which were still damp from their late immersion. : “JT don’t know exactly what they air,” he said, finally. ‘* But it don’t seem to me ez ef they could be worth a great deal. I'll give yo’ one hundred dollars fur ’em,and fifty per cent, uv what I kin sell °em fur—ef I kin git. more’n thet fur ’em,” Carter gladly accepted this offer, and Darkin counted out the money in gold, taking \posses- He had more