Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 104 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

ing her foot, her eyes blazing. Deadwood Dick’s Device. a —— —— ——“—C —_—- — — ed that she was even as handsome asshe had mently. ‘I shall hate you, if you cont.nuc appeared upon the stage. Her skin was fair your annoying proposals. At every stand you and pure, her teeth even and white, and her have dogged my footsteps, for the last year. mouth sweetly fascinating in its expression. | What satisfaction can you derive out of constant Deadwood Dick gazed at her, admiringly, for refusal?” a few moments; then turned to Calamity and | ‘The satisfaction of knowing that I will | Avalanche. eventually win,” Frouch replied. “Then, let me tell you that disappointment * Are either of you hurt?’ will be the crowning of your hopes. Were I “T am not!” the Girl Sport replied, coolly. ‘‘Old Avalanche must answer for himself.” ten times to marry, it would not be you.” ‘‘ Great ham-bone that shivered the timbers ‘‘Perhaps you would choose that gay road- of old Joner, no, I ain’t harmed,” the Annihila- | agent devil, to whom you did the whole of your tor replied, with a chuckle of triumph. ‘‘Didn’t | acting, this evening?” it stung oncet, though the bullets hummed ther | ‘*'You couldn’t have guessed closer!” was the oxology around my years like fun!” | cool answer. ‘He is the very man lam going ‘¢ Then I guess it is a lucky termination of the | to marry, if I have to spend a whole season in battle, for us,” Dick said. ‘‘ Lady, if you will ' Leadville in order to doit. He isa man—the show us the way to the open air, l shallbe much ‘one man in a hundred whose glance has the obliged to you.” power to stir my heart, or set my pulses bound- Fanny Farron bowed, and led the way through | ing. To himI have already given my heart, a wing entrance out into a back yard in the | and he shall not long be ignorant of the fact.” rear of the theater. An alley led from this to ‘*We shall see him marry you—in your mind!” an adjoining street, which they soon gained. the Frenchman muttered, with a villainous si You had better all come to my hotel, until | chuckle, as he turned and left the room. the storm blows over,” the actress said, address- ing Deadwood Dick. ‘‘ Youare at liberty to re- On the following morning the news of the main there until it is safe to leave the town.” i in the variety theater was fully ventilat- “ Thanks, lady, but I must decline your invi- | ec by the Leadville News, which was the prin- tation,” Dick answered, a spice of bitterness in | cipal organ against Deadwood Dick. A column his tone. ‘‘ It is as safe now as it will ever be. | of description of the affray wound up with an of- To-night I have been forced again into crime, | fer of two hundred dollars reward for the arrest and am an outlaw, by the decree of the people. | or capture of the famous Prince of the Road. Let them look out, for I will not stop now, but But this time there were two sides to the case, they shall learn to fear my name as an omen of | for upon every approach to the town, a notice death. I thank you, lady, for the intervention | was posted as follows: ae mee occurs.. For the present I will | «4 pai. + ‘Having recently explated my crimes ony renee , by being duly hanged, in Leadville, and having been And turning, he strode away in a northerly | restored to life after having been pronounced dead, direction, followed by Calamity and Old Ava- | and thereby rendered a free man by the law or laws lanche. of the United States of America; and— Fanny Farron watched them afew moments, “ Whereas: As a free and lawful and law-abiding urned : citizen, I was set upon and attacked by the people, — oe yews aad on |<, eS in the Coliseum Theater, on the evening of fhe 6th “ At last I have met the man after my own inst., for the purpose of again being hung, contrary to the law, and its mandates: heart—wild and free,” she muttered, a flush “ Resolved; That I issue a proclamation, ining burning upon her cheeks, and a strange gleam | for myself entire innocence in causing the aforesai in her dusky blue eyes. riot, and charging the loss of life upon the people; ‘He is the man whom I could and | and love, unselfishly—and he is the man who shall “ Resolved ; That, as the ple refuse to receive ; me back as a citizen among them, preferring to raise yield to wm fascination. The first seed planted | their hand in war against me cao the death— ‘night, the germ will quickly form, from | “ Resolved; Finally, that I shall meet them as which will grow the sprout of admiration, and | they have met me—that it sMall be a bitter, bloody then the stalk of love. Ha! ha! my Deadwood | war to the knife, until they shall cry “ enough,” or Dick, you little know that you are idolatrously = ap gs hy Deadwood D ne ae ss —— a png of the t—a memento of a reign of terror loved one woman, and that woman, pretty that a vengeful populace brought upon their own Fanny Farron. heads. Every man, woman or child who shall raise, On the steps before the Clarendon, where she boarded, the actress came face to face with the actor, Wildcat Jack. “Ha! he exclaimed, springing forward, at sight of her, and raising her hand to his lips— vi a and safe, ma belle Fanny; and I am so g ‘**It is not your fault that I am alive!” the actress ee ae away her hand. ‘* You are a coward, Jacques Frouch—a coward, and I despise you. Why did you leave when I wanted e mans oulders cantly, and fo a sinister smile. ea ; ‘It is my policy, ma’m’selle, to let every man fight his own battles. I finds it ze best, all around.” ‘Bah! If I had your cowardly nature, wo- man though I am, I’d poison myself!” Miss Far- oo assured, contemptuously, as she entered the otel. or shall have raised a hand of hostility as me, shall die, and ye all shall know how and why, by the See of the Double Cross, which shall mark ‘their es. ‘* Beware! for such is the wecing 5 ve to all. Let me alone, and I'll let you alone. ckle me, and I'll tickle you! **Deapwoop Dicx!”’ Major Howell read this notice, as he was rid- ing out of town upon his horse, toward the Dead Pine Tract. **Curse the luck! I dare not venture there alone, now, lest the young ruffian attack me. He is to be feared, evidently, if that row at the Coliseum is any illustration. Instead of going to the Tract, I will hunt up Alf, and we will see what we can do.” Riding back into town, he hitched his horse to a post on Chestnut street, and proceeded to make a tour of the saloons and ing dens, for it was in one of these that he expected to Frouch followed her up to the parlors. find his son. And in passing along the street, ‘“‘T hope ze ma’am’selle will forgive me!” he | he caught a glimpse of Fanny Farron, standing said, apologetically. ‘‘i didn’t like to fight ze | in the Soot of a dry goods store. road-agent, for he looked like a bad man.’ With a start of surprise the speculator half- “Pshaw! lay aside your mongrel French! | stopped, to gaze at her a moment, his face flush- You know I despise it,” the actress said, impa- | ing strangely. tiently. ‘‘ Wh dlid ou come here to torment me, But, as she paid no attention to him, he fin- Jacques Frouch? You know I dislike to be an- | ally continued his walk, his face still wearing a | noyed by your presence. "You had much better | puzzled expression. **T could have sworn that it was she, at the first glance?” he muttered, hoarsely, ‘but I am probably mistaken. Her face is the same, nearly—curse me! why should I not know, for certain?” But know he evidently did not, for a frown rested upon his face as he hurried on, from sa- be studying over and perfecting your dizzy drama.’ ‘‘ Hang the drama!” the actor growled, chang- ing from his French accent to the pure Ameri- can tongue. ‘‘It pleases the ruffianly element we cater to, and that is sufficient. I come again to wait upon you for an answer—” “Stop!” Fanny Farron cried, suddenly stamp- | loon to saloon. ‘**T will hear no Mr. Alfred Howell was not.to be found, so more of your proposals of marriage. I have al- | easily, it seemed. ready refused you a score of times, and Jet this | He wasa scapegoat of a fellow, with little or be for the last time.” 'no honor, or pride, and an inordinate passion ‘‘No, not for the last time. You will yet | for gambling and strong drink. A bitter dis- change your opinion, and render a decision in | appointment was he to his mother and sisters, my favor!” the Frenchman said, coolly. ‘* You | while the major got along the best with him of love me now, if you would only own the truth!” | any of the family. “T do not love you,” the actress cried, vehe-! In the Casino, he was at last found, engaged 5 $$ — atagame of poker with a Chinaman; but he paid the wager, and threw up the e ata beckon from the major, and the two retired to a private stall, where they could talk unob- served and unheard. An odd-looking individual this son of the speculator was—so odd as to attract notice, in any crowd. He was short and fat, with stumpy legs that had a tendency to bow; a capacious stomach, and a face that was so fat and swarthy as to be repulsive. Black eyes, hair, and mus- tache gave him the additional appearance of a first-class desperado, to.say nothing of a greas buckskin costume, an extraordinary broad- brimmed hat, and an infant ‘‘ battery ” of wea- pons in his belt. He was the superintendent of several of the Freyer Hill mines, over which the major exer- cised control, and was generally known and feared as a lawless character. When seated, Major Howell rapped for the drinks, by way of getting on the right side of his dutiful son, by his first wife. ‘**'You’ve heard about the fight at the variety theater?’ he interrogated. ‘‘The devil! yes. I wasin that row, and near- ly got my brains blowed out!” “How did Deadwood Dick escape?” “You can’t prove it by me. kon he hed help frum ther stage.” “‘T would give a thousand dollars if some one had killed him. As it stands he has possession of the Dead Pine Tract, and we cannot easily dislodge him, short of an army!” cs No?” ‘“‘Of course not. Have you not seen the post- ers he has 7 on the outskirts of town?” ‘* Yes. hat of them?” “Well, do not they go to show that he means business?” ‘*Probably. But he shall not possess Dead Pine Tract, long. I’ve seen Beautiful Bill, and sev- eral other toughs, and I allow we can soon get enough together to take the Tract!” “Have you sent a spy to keep watch of mat- ters about the mine?” ‘Yes. Isent Yuba Sam. He will report as soon as anything of importance occurs!” “One thing more I wanted to ask you about. | Have you seen afemale in town who resem- bles—?f” and here the major lowered his tone to a whisper, and uttered a name. Alf Howell laughed. ‘Why, yes. t's the singer at the Colise- um—Fanny Farron, she calls herself.” ‘*‘What do you think about her? Do you not believe she might be the party I mentioned?” ““Pshaw! no. She’s gone to the dogs, long ago. This girlis not the same.” ‘“*T wish I had proof of it.” ‘‘Pshaw! take my word for it she’s a thou- sand leagues from here,” the son persisted. a ao eadwood Dick yet communicated with tella?” ‘“Not to my knowledge. Ihave directed Mrs. Howell to keep her indoors, until we can dis- pose of this road-agent!” “That’s right. If she but gets a glimpse of Deadwood Dick’s face, my goose is cooked for getting her for myself.” “Perhaps you won't care about ing her, if she does not get her claim on the Dead Pine Tract, eh?’ a ee not!” the gambler chuckled, villain- ously. “ most. Hello! what’s that?’ Two men had entered the Casino, bearing be- tween them the body of a third individual, who was evidently dead. ‘‘By Heaven!” Alf Howell cried, springing to his feet. ‘It’s Yuba Sam, whom I sent to Dead Pine Tract!” ‘Yes, and he’s got the sign o’ the Double Cross plum upon his forehead!” added one of the bear- ers. ‘‘We found him a-lyin’ on the trail, back heer, a piece, wi’ a bullet-hole thru his buzzom.” It was even so. Yuba Sam had died of a bullet wound through the region of his heart, and upon his forehead was slashed with a keen-bladed crosses. Deadwood Dick had opened his campaign of terror! CHAPTER IV. DONE IN DARKNESS—THE SPORT VS. BEAUTIFUL BILL. NIGHT'S grim shadows again settled down over Leadville. The heavens were overcast with skurrying clouds,and darkness reigned supreme, in the absence of the moon. Few people were to be seen abroad, except in the heart of the town, for, terrified at the threat of Deadwood Dick, they preferred re- EOMiicdooks ife, two bloody j y game’s to play where I win the ~ a com