Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1005 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

“You will fight?” “TT said I would not. No, but I will give you an even chance for your life, as promised.” “Well, I accept it. What is it?” ~~ +“No matter whether you accept it or 4 - not, it is yours. Some of my men will oa | be here during the night, and when they | arrive I will carry out the plan.” “You do not mean to let me know what it is?” ed it will do you any good, I will tell you.” “I am somewhat personally ested.” The outlaw laughed harshly. “Yes, I guess you are, too,” he said. “Well, it will be an even chance for your life, I promise you that,” he added. Pe ia ““An equal number of white and of black ears: h beans will be put into a bag, and you will be required to draw one out. If it be white, you live; black, and you die at midnight.” Dick smiled grimly. “Suppose I should draw a white one, inter- — e 5a | does that give me my liberty?” he io Be _asked. ee “Not at once. You will be taken away from here blindfolded, and detained ten days, at the end of which time you will | be set free. Meantime, I will have pulled / «up stakes here and given you the slip.” ae “And you will give me no other chance oe ‘oa a Whatever? ” Bee! Bae “No, sir.” poise: WOR “All right, I’ll have to,take what is Fi Nas offered, of course, and be glad to get it, ro Phe I suppose,” SM “You may be thankful for it, for, if you should draw the white, as you say, ah it will mean a deuce of a lot of trouble \ tor me, and all because I feel bound to give you this chance,” ae “You are in honor bound to do that, | . no matter how small the chance may be, st By after the way I risked my life against es ae yours, giving you the benefit of a doubt ~} where I did not believe that a doubt | existed at all. I'll expect you, then, -) ss when your men arrive.” | an “As soon as they get here; I will not keep you waiting.” CHAPTER X. DICK IN A DBEATH-TRAP. Deadwood Dick was again left alone. A grim smile came over his face as he looked at the door that had just closed. a ae ~“JTt is a bitter pill for him to swallow, , this giving me a chance for my life,” {| -—s*ihe said to himself, “and I’ll bet ten to Py! one that I don’t get it on the square.” ele The chances were that he would not. , “T was a fool, perhaps, to take the | risk I did with the fellow, when the |} Jaw was all on my side, but I took him |) —* go _~utterly by surprise that it did not seem exactly fair. The trouble is, my - heart is entirely too big and too soft for the profession I am following.” It was not that; the trouble was, he was too honorable with the desperate a Raspeere es with whom he had to deal. : ae But, that was Deadwood Dick’s way. . | The day waned and night came on at + ——-‘ Jast. Dick had been well fed, by the old negress, and he felt grateful toward her. He had seen nothing more of the ae young woman, but had heard her sing- dng at different times during the aft- >. ernoon. He had no reason to look for Pon Me Gs any assistance from her. ~ 4 i eo In the evening she and Captain Joa- | ‘quin sang together in the main room, sk “th and it was singing well worthy atten- _ tion. ) a fee rat - Aa eS i it he ey PY : per ~~. ay¥ « ~s m + ai, ;- ites ; of 2? ' .é : a” ) a ¥.. 1% * : saat - ea so Pe. sy - 2 f Audit rok Rey. tet a 74 = oo soo Py. "e - a" “ane 0s Sr C.F oe 1 « ae ‘ 2 3 " + il oe oe eve ee ‘Deadwood Dick, Jr., Branded. It caused Dick to sigh for a life so misspent. Finally, after some time, the door of the room Dick was in opened, and @ flood of light streamed in. Captain Joaquin entered, and Susana came as far as the doorway, where she stood framed in the light, clad in a gown that made her appear beautiful in the soft radiance. “I suppose you are still here, eh?” said the outlaw. He could not see at once, coming out of the lighted room. “You might be sure of that,” said Dick. “I would remain, even were I free, to listen to your singing.” “IT have not come in for fiattery nor praise, but to make sure that you are secure. Let me feel of those handcuffs before I retire for the night. My men may not be here till morning.” “ Here they are; feel to your satisfac- tion.” He did so. “No getting out of them,” he said. “You are as safely my prisoner as I was yours once to-day, if not more so, Deadwood Dick.” “You need not remind me of it,” said Dick. “Well, good-night. If the men come, I will call you up, for some deeds are more agreeable in the dark than in the daylight.” ' “Yes, I suppose so,” “T mean, luck to draw a black.”’ “I understand you, I guess, captain. You will find me here when you want me. I may be a little hard to awaken, ‘but shake me hard and you will bring me out oi it.” “You will be awakened, never fear.” The outlaw withdrew and closed and secured the door, and after a time the cabin was dark and silent. A little longer, and Deadwood Dick rose silently to his feet. Lifting his wrists to his face, he was occupied for some moments at some- thing, and presently there was a faint click. He removed the handcuffs from his wrists and put them into his jacket pocket, and took a key from his mouth, Where it had long been concealed, and put it into the pocket of his vest. Taking care to make no sound, he moved to the window and carefully worked the sash open to its widest ex- tent. ‘That done, he put a chair under it and prepared to take leave. | He listened. No sound was to be heard within. Putting his head out he listened again, and all was silence the most profound. Satisfied, he began to worm his body through the small opening, and present- ly had succeeded in getting his head and shoulders through, with his raphe wf ward. Pausing a moment, he Sentinnad pressing through, and at last came as far as his knees, holding fast to the lower sash with his hands the while. In that position he stopped a mement to rest and listen. Hearing nothing, he let go with his hands and swurg down, hanging by his legs, and his hands came in contact with the ground. It was an easy thing, then, to let go with his legs and turn over and land upon his feet, and he did it with scarce- ly any more noise than a cat would have | made. » Bike if you should have the ill He was without his weapons, but he was free. ) Knowing the direction he must take, he set forward immediately, taking the greatest care that his steps were too light to be heard. In a few moments he was out of hearing distance from the cabin, so far as his steps were concerned, and he then struck out at a rapid pace in the direction of the gulch. He was going straight to the treasure cache to secure the treasure, and would then put all the distance possible be- tween himself and the outlaws before daylight. He could cache the money again, and in due time return with a posse and secure it. “There will be something of a sgsur- prise when they find that I am gone, I imagine,” he said to himself. “I would like to be there to see Captain Joa- quin’s face at the moment.” Not as a prisoner, however. He knew he would have no chance whatever for his life, or so, at any rate, he _ be- lieved.” The night was dark, but there was enough light to see general outlines, He pushed on, keeping to the trail as he remembered it, and he had taken good care to fix it well in his mind. At length he came to the place where the duel was to have been fought but 1 ae where he had been cut down by the Bite bullet that had plowed the gash in his scalp. Still on, and at last he came to the rough way that led to the top of the little peak on which the treasure had been cached, and here he had the -hard- est climb of all. In daylight, it was not easy, but by night, and unfamiliar as he was with the ground, it was doubly difficult. But it was at last accomplished, after an hour’s work. He stood on the plateau. Sitting down on the edge of thé table © to rest, before proceeding further, a sound presently reached his ears. It caused him a start, and he was on his feet instantly. Again he hard it, and knew that he was not mistaken this time; it was voices. With all haste he turned to the boul- der and applied his shoulder to it at the point where Captain Joaquin had put his strength to it some hours before. At first it did not move, but remem- — bering how the Red Rover had put forth | all his strength by surging against it, Dick now did the same, and presently the boulder moved and finally turned over. : Lighting a match, Dick looked into the cavity, and there was the bag of money exactly as it had been deposited. He had it out in a second, and did not | stop to replace the stone. | If he could get away from the top of the peak beforegdiscovered, he would - ye have a chance. | It would take Captain Joaquin some time to climb up to look for the treas- = ure, and while he was doing that Dick could be putting distance between him- . | a ye self and them. What was the best of all, he would eal leave no trail that they could follow, having nothing but bare rock for his yi ae A ef j , : ‘ = TS See A A ES eee os Sad = é ‘> ee a Le = . -_ * as «: ‘oe galt ae © a ‘e — — — footing. ‘ae He readily imagined what had taken place at thé cabin. | The men had come, and Captain Joa- ae Dole quin had entered the room to bring him — | forth and discovered him gone. oe a r