Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 104 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

aa of . — ee ee Deadwood Dick’s Device. 13 eneral handshaking, and when Deadwood Dick barat: to the mess room, he was vociferous- ly cheered and congratulated by those of the band within doors. ’ Calamity remained with the young bride for awhile, and spoke in such glowing terms of Deadwood Dick that Stella in no way regretted the step she had taken. ye Morning dawned, a wet and drizzling, dis- agreeable morning, with a cold, grayish pallor seeming to cling to everything, and a monoto- nous drip! drip! of falling rain that rendered the day Ale With the dawn of day observations were made that the enemy were still at their posts in the edge of the dead pines, although they were careful not to expose their persons as a target for the rifles of those within the Rendez- vous. Some of the men were in favor of Hee i the fight, but a word from Deadw Dic ca them to desist. Not first would the Prince or his men be to fire a hostile shot; if the people began the bat- tle, they must abide the results thereof. bout noon Calamity came into the mess- room, her face deathly pale. : ** Quick!” she gasped; ‘“‘ come up-stairs—your wife is dying.” Let us look in upon the camp of the Howells, ae this time, and note the situation of af- airs. The Regulators, as they styled themselves, were still divided upon the east, west, north and south sides of Dead Pine Tract, Alf Howell and the major commanding the southern divi- sion. The men posted on picket duty were re- lieved by their comrades every hour, and thus were kept fresh in case of emergency. , Toward morning, when the storm was at its fury, a messenger arrived in cam ng a note to the major, which read as follows: ‘*‘Come immediately. There is trouble here, and you are wanted!” As the note was signed by Mrs. Howell, the major had hastened at once toward Leadville, leaving Alf in command. Upon arriving at his mansion he admitted himself with a latch-key, and hastened to the library, which he had noticed from without was brilliantly oon Entering without cere- mony, he found himself in the presence of his wife and two daughters—also two other females, one of whom was vailed, while the other he re- cognized as the variety theater singer, Fanny Farron. ‘Well?’ he said, interrogatively,'as he stared around. ‘‘I am here!” ‘Yes, you are here,” Mrs. Howell replied, icily, “‘ and now that you are here, perhaps you can explain yourself. This woman claims to be a former wife of yours, and proposes to put forward her claim upon you.” ‘‘ My wife /” the speculator gas wheeling and facing the vailed woman. ‘ By Heaven! what infamous plot is this against me? My first wife is in her grave, seven ago. ‘“No, you are mistaken,” the vailed woman said, calmly uncovering her face. ‘‘ Your first wife, and only lawful wife is still alive, and stands before you!” It was a calm, well-preserved face, that of the n long years strange claimant, with traces still plain where beauty had once lingered. The eyes were dark and fierce, and the hair threaded with gray. Major Howell staggered back, as he saw the face, a strange, ghastly pallor sweeping over his own countenance. ; ‘‘ Aha! I see you reco me!” the first wife exclaimed, triumphantly. ‘‘I thought you would.” ‘Curse you!” the speculator gasped, his fin- ers opening and shutting convulsively. “TI ought [ was rid of you, you she-devil.’ “Look out, my dear major! Don’t call me t names, or I will fly at you and tear avery Rais out of your head. Old she-devil, am I? Who made me so, pray? Whodeserted me, and ran off with my hard earnings? Who but you, you scoundrel?” “T didn’t—it’s a lie!” the major blustered, edging off, as the returned Mrs. Howell advanc- ed. ‘‘I never stole your money—never even ied you, you old vixen!” ‘* Bah! you lie! you miserable thief!” No. 1 shrieked, growing momentarily more and more excited. ‘‘I have a marriage certificate that proves our union. Ha! ha! I shall have sweet revenge upon you, now, when I find you so rich and prosperous, and so willing to give up your all to me, and start anew in life, with your family. I should be heartless, indeed, to trouble you, after you have given me all your present wealth. a! ha!” ‘‘ Furies seize you, you accursed virago. You shall not have a cent of my money, nor shall you disturb the peace of my household. I will murder you!” And suddenly drawing a knife from a sheath upon his hip, the enraged culator leaped toward his first wife, with a frightful oath. But, the cold, deadly muzzle of a revolver peering suddenly into his face caused him to stop. The weapon was held in the hands of Fanny Farron, and so firmly and steadily that the banker dare not advance. ** Halt!” she cried, cocking the weapon, cool- ly. “If you offer to do my mother harm, I will shoot you!” ‘* Your mother! your mother! What do you mean!” “Just what you might infer from the words I spoke. I will put a _ bullet-hole through you if you offer to make us trouble.” ‘Who are you, then, girl?” ‘Your only legitimate daughter, sir. Like- wise a halver in the division of the ils,” the actress replied, coolly. ‘‘Oh! you’ll find us business, every time. You may as well tell the other females here, to pack up their ‘ Saratoga’s’ and scoot, for we sha’n’t have ’em around, you can bet!” ‘‘Curse you! Leave the house or I will have you forcibly ejected!” the - 9 cried, trembling with furious emotion. ‘‘Do you think I shall tolerate such a scene as this in my own mansion? Go! I say; and there can be a settlement hereafter.”’ ‘* Not much there won’t be! We've took the fort, and now we're going to hold it. So the sooner you clear out your second brood, the better it will be for you, mark my word!”’ Mrs. Howell No. 1, said. | ‘**He will not have to clear us out!” Mrs. Howell No. 2 answered, haughtily. ‘ We will go of our own accord.” And motioning to her daughters, she left the room, followed by them, and they were shortly after heard leaving the house. “Now, Major Howell, we are alone—you are alone with the wife and daughter whom you deserted years ago. How do you like the situa- tion of affairs? How do you fancy the change made in the internal arrangement of your household?” ‘** Furies seize you!” the speculator raved chafing under the eee of the silver-mounted weapon in Fanny arron’s hand. ‘‘ What do you intend to do?” ‘** Well, since you have asked a sensible ques- tion, I will give you a sensible mp Ap the first wife said, with a grin, her eyes flashing tri- umphantly. ‘I amathorough going business woman—my whole life since you deserted me has been devoted to business, as 1 have had to depend on my wits for a livelihood. Now, we can amicably settle this thing, if I mis- take not, or you can amicably shuffle off this mortal coil, and I will lay siege to your posses- sions when your bones are deposited in a box six feet beneath the ground.” ‘You would not murder me, woman, would ? “Yes, without the least compassion, if you refuse to do asI direct. Yonder table contains writing materials. Go and sit down, and you make me out a deed of all your real estate and rsonal property, and write me out a check tor every eraoak you have in banks or trust companies. Dothis and you are free to go. Refuse, and you will never see the day dawn again ys Curse you! you dare not kill me!” ** Don’t you believe that! We mean business, and shall not hesitate to take advantage of the present situation. The hour is then gems, and we could eats put you out of the way, and assume. po on here. Come! go ahead! [ shall not give you more than half an hour to write out the document.” With a growl that might have come from the throat of a lion, so savage it was, Major Howell went to the table, and sitting down, wrote ra- pidly, Mrs. Howell, the first, standing over him, and giving such directions as she saw fit. When he had finished, she took the document and a check which he had drawn up,and scanned them critically. ‘*That will do,” she said, a moment later. ‘You may go now, asI have done with you! Fanny, here, will witness the deed, which will make it good in law.” mm a a CHAPTER X. A TERRIBLE DEED, ** Your wife is dying!” Deadwood Dick and Avalanche sprung away up the stairs, in pursuit of the dare-devil, who only paused to give vent to the exclamation, when she hurried back up the stairs. gr, ogy to the room of Stella Harris, the new wife of Deadwood Dick, went the trio. Poor Stella lay upon the bed, writhing and twisting in fearful agony, her screams most terrible to hear, indeed. Her face and form were contorted into unnatural shapes and expressions, resulting from the excruciating pain she was suffering, and she rolled and toss- ed from one part of the bed to another. ‘*In the name of Heaven, what is the matter with her?’ Deadwood Dick gasped, shudderin as her frightful screams rent the air. ‘ Te me, Calamity—what is the matter with her?” ‘ See ean bees hash I ses — from the gs of hydrophobia or poison. e is dying, Dick!” the girl replied, tears standing a hee eyes. ‘* There, do not touch her; it will do no good, and you might get hurt. I tried to quiet er before I called you, but found it no use. oy in terrible pain, and will have to wear it off. ‘‘Death will only wear it off, and put her outen her misery, ef she’s bin pizened!” Alva said, ‘‘an’ I reckon et be p’izen, fer she cavorts around fer all ther world, like old Peter Mas- ters, who swallered a dorg button, jest because Marier Potiphar wouldn’t j’ine harness wi’ him.” ‘* Poison !” Deadwood Dick gasped, aghast. **Poison! Who could be so infernally devilish as to commit this crime? Not you, girl—?’ and sternly the Prince of the Road turned his terri- ble ee upon Calamity Jane—‘“‘ not you?’ ‘Sir?’ she replied, stepping back a pace, her face whitening, and eyes dilating, ‘‘me—I kill her? God forbid!” ‘* Now, lookee hayr; don’t go fer ter ask ary more sech questions, Dicky,” the Annihilator said, solemnly. ‘‘ Ye know C’lamity wouldn’t do sech a thing, or at least ye orter, after you *ve bin sorter era so wy I'd wager aay tas cud o’ terbacky ag’in’ a belt on ther smeller, thet C’lamity never dreamed of such a thing.” “Full well I know it, too,” Deadwood Dick responded, as he reached forth his hand. ‘‘ You should have shot me, girl, for the foul suspicion which came not from my heart. Shake, an forgive me. God knows I am not responsible for what I say or do, now, in this awful hour. Quick! somebody go for a doctor. There’sa eh below who is an expert physician—fetch im Without a word, Calamity sped back, down the stairs, but soon returned, accompanied by that member of Dick’s band, who had studied and practiced in the medical profession, before circumstances—a wrecked home and a faithless wife—drove him out upon the trail. He shook his head as he saw the horrible agony of the girl. *“*Can’t do much for her, I’m afraid,” he an- nounced. ‘‘ Has anything been given her that might have contained poison?’ Deadwood Dick turned to Calamity for the answ er. ‘* Nothing,” she replied, ‘‘ since I’ve been here, except a cup of cold tea I brought her this morning. e even refused her breakfast, say- ing she was not hungry.” ‘Where did you this tea?” _ “Tn the pantry, below. It was standing cold in = earthen tea-pot, and I supposed it was all right. if The tea was undoubtedly poisoned,” the “a bone said, “‘and the symptoms of the pa- ient confirm my first conclusion. But a drug has been used that is rare in this country. Among all the common mineral poisons, you will find none that will put a person in such horrible torture. The drug which | believe has been used in this case, is a preparation known only to the most expert French doctors, although its use is large in Paris.” ‘‘Is there no antidote?” Deadwood Dick de. manded, his voice choked with emotion, and tears filling his eyes. ‘None! The poor lady’s suffering will not cease until death claims her, which, God grant- ing, may be soon!” the pbysician said, rever- ently. ith a loud wail of anguish Deadwood Dick dropped upon his knees y the bedside, and sob aloud. Calamity, Avalanche and the sg re also wept. orrible it was to see the poor victim in her agony, such as mortal seldom knows here on earth, as she tossed to and fro upon the bed— insensible to the grief of those true friends gath- JOO €om Ss (E a ee (©)