Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 1106 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

oo a — _ -— his gorgeous rig, gold chain, watch, spurs and all, they gazed on him as upona be another sphere. ‘‘Go a trifle slow, Ned, and let us get our wind.” ‘Don’t spring it on us all at once, for you should have written and prepared us for it,” said the doctor, who was out in a handsome new suit of buckskin, which Hop Flea had beaded in Chinese designs for him. He had expected to do some “paralyzing” himself, when he appeared in his new rig, which had been a secret between Hop Flea and himself; but when Nevada Ned came out as the Boy Gold King, he knocked the wind out of the sails of the Wizard Medicine-Man. A handsome young man, as was the doctor, with his splendid form, brilliant black eyes and raven hair and mustache, he was a striking contrast to Nevada Ned, with his fearless boyish face, long golden hair, blue eyes and gorgeous attire, and the miners gazed upon the two with unbounded admiration. But Goldbeam was in raptures over Ned’s get- up and to!d him over and over again how hand- some it was, and admired his chain and gold- mounted weapons, with his sombrero and its dazzling ornaments, until the youth said: “Goldbeam, you shall have a gold-mounted rifle too, and a sombrero with gold dellars around it, for I will get them for you.” And Ned kept his word, for some months after they came along with some goods ordered by the solitary storekeeper in Golden Gulch City, and when the young girl had donned them the doctor said cheerily: ‘‘Now we will have tocall you the Gold Queen, little one.” Thus a year passed away and Nevada Ned still remained in Golden Gulch City. He had written to his uncle by the monthly mail, telling him of his winter adventure, and that he was well and happy, and he also wrote to a boy pard he had known in the mines near Denver, and whose name was Texas Harry, stating that he would some day return to his old cabin and claim, but he did not know exactly when. Prospecting in the neighborhood of Golden Gulch City, Ned was lucky enough to find several valuable *‘ gold pockets,” which brought him quite a snug sum, and this luck, with his gaining medical lore daily, as the doctor ex- pressed it, and being near Goldbeam, filled bis cup of joy about to the brim. About a year after Ned’s arrival, Golden Gulch City became wild with delight, for the Overland Stage Company ran a weekly coach through the camps, and this so elated the miners that they thought they were in the very center of civilization. Unti) every man in Golden Gulch City had made a trip on the stage to the end of the line and back, the coaches did a thriving business; but their curiosity satisfied, the travel dropped down to the few who were compelled to trust their-lives and pocketbooks to the danger of a run on the Overland route through that wild country. So much had the stage pleased Ned, that one ride did not satisfy him, and time and again he was wont to go the hundred miles to the end of the line and back, always riding with the driver, and half the time handling the ribbons himself. Doctor Wood said to Goldbeam one day: “T puess Ned has given up medicine for the road, my child, and I’m sorry, for he has a nerve like iron, and helped me to cut that poor miner’s arm off the other day with a coolness that equaled mine. ee “Just hint to him, Goldie, that medicine Is better than stage-driving.” Goldbeam promised, and when Nevada Ned ot back from his trip, he heard a small lecture rom the pretty little Gold Queen, and promised not to go again for a month. CHAPTER XX. ON THE OVERLAND TRAIL. TRUE to his promise to Goldbeam, Nevada Ned did not take another trip on the Overland stage for a month, greatly to the regret of Dick Darling the driver, who had come to like the young miner ers é Then it was that Ned decided to make a visit to his old mining-camp to see his friends, and to work there o.. some leads where he hoped to strike it rich, and which his going away had prevented his doing. ae | He also wished to see if his buried gold, fo the amount of about four thousand dollars was safe, ing from | Nevada Ned, the Revolve | So he told Dick Darling on his up trip, that he would go through when he came back, to Den- ver, and from there make his way to the mine. ** All right, Nevada, I'll be glad to have yer, fer I’ve missed you o’ late. ‘‘But I drive my finest team when I come down ag’in, and you can handle ther ribbons all yer like.” Ned then gave out that he was going away for a month, and he bade Hop Flea to look af- ter his horses for him, and told Goldbeam he would leave the key of his little cabin with her, for the miners had helped him build a snug lit- tle log home not far from the Wizard Medicine- Man’s home. Dressing himself in his best, the afternoon he expected the stage through, Nevada Ned bade farewell to Goldbeam, whose eyes filled with tears, and with a grasp of Doc Wood’s hand and a wave of his sombrero to the boys about the Loghouse Inn, he mounted the box by the side of Dick Darling and away rolled the stage, those who saw it depart little dreaming what es ag store for it far along on the Overland trail. The stage had rolled into the station, thirty miles out from Golden Gulch City, and had there met the coach from further up in the ames for the short line met Dick Darling’s coach there. Supper, such as it was, was given the half- dozen passengers in the two coaches, Dick Dar- ling’s horses were changed for fresh ones, and a coach rolled away, while he whispered to Ned: ‘* Did you hear what Tupper told me, lad?” ‘* No, Dick.” ‘* Did yer see a box go under our feet, here?” t. Yes. 7? ‘‘Tt came down in’ Tupper’s coach from the Bonanza mines above.” Well?” “Tt is gold.” ‘Ts it, Dick?” ‘‘ Tt is for a fact, and it goes through to Den- ver.” ‘*T see,” ‘‘ Thar is thousands in that box.” ‘Tt is indeod valuable, Dick.” ‘““'True, and it has cost many a poor miner hard work to dig it, and we must look out that some thieving band of road-agents don’t get it from us.” ‘‘ Do you fear road-agents ahead, Dick?” ‘They have been pretty bad along the Over- land trails o’ late, Nevada.” ‘‘ Well, there are six men inside, and we two, Dick, so it will be a large gang of road-agents that could get away with us.” ‘‘ Lad Ned, yer don’t understan’ their way 0’ doin’ biz. ‘‘ Yer see they has thet advantage from ther jump.” “~ ou 9”? ‘* Waal, it’s ‘Hands up!’ and ef I don’t mind, why [’'m a dead man, ‘““Then they calls out to them as is in ther hearse ter git out and lay down flat on the’r faces. “Tf thar is a shot by some durned fool, why then the hearse is riddled clean through, the agents picks their geese and rides away, see?” ‘Yes, but I should think we might risk a fight with them, for the road-agents are hardly ae I have heard, over half a dozen in num- er. ** Ned, you talks sense, and I for one am a man as will take chances if t’?others will.” *T will.” “‘T know that, as does all who is acquainted with yer.” ‘‘T havea good deal that is valuable about me, Dick, my chain, watch, weapons and some little money, not to speak of m7 hat and spurs.” ‘¢ You is worth a clean thousand in dust scat- tered over yer from yer head ter yer heels, Ned,” ‘Yes, and more, so I will fight for it.” ‘“You bet yer will, but will t’others inside?” ** We can ask them.” ‘‘ We can, and I hopes they will, for ’ve got a precious load here unijer my feet, and Pll take big chances with lead to run it through.” ‘Well, ask them, Dick.” It was a beautiful moonlight night, and every- thing near stood out boldly in the silvery light. Handing the reins to Ned, Dick told him to come to a halt, : The horses were full of go, and it was no easy task to rein them in; but Ned brought them to a halt, and Dick scrambled down from the box. ‘*‘ What’s up, driver?” asked a man somewhat timidly. ‘*T will tell yer, pards, thet nothing is up r Ranger. 13 now, but I has heerd o’ late thet ther road-agents is thick on ther trail.” A murmur wes heard within the stage, while a firm voice said: ‘‘If they attack us, we must beat them off, that is all,” “Pard, you has got grit, and that is ther music Isings, and my young pard on ther box j'ines in ther same tune with us, so who else shouts?” ‘* No one else answered, and Dick said: ‘*T tell you, pards, if we shews our teeth, my idea is they will run, and if you backs me up, I'll drive through. ‘** What does yer say?” ‘*] will aid you, my man, all in my pewer.” ‘* You is the feller with sand as spoke before; but who else speaks up?” ‘*T think it would be useless to throw our lives away,” one said. “T have but little money with me, and I will not risk death te keep it,” another remarked. This seemed to be the opinion of four out of five men in the stage, and Dick frankly expressed his opinion of them by saying: ‘Waal, of all men without sand, four of you six beats any I’ve ever come across. ** ‘Waal, Ill go through on this hearse if I can, and if I do, durned ef 1 don’t ask the agents to give you a time, for I'll tell ’em en has got diamonds hid all over yer,” and with a laugh at his own conceit, Dick Darling sprung upon ther box once more, and the impatient driver moved on again. ‘Ned, yer mind ther tall, fine-looking gent we noticed back at ther station?” ‘* Ves, Dick.” ‘‘ He’s ther one as has got ther sand, and he'll fight.” ‘** And there was another?’ ‘Yas, a miner; but these two is all we kin count on.” ** Well, you'll push through if you are ordered hands up?’ ‘“‘Tll doit, Ned; only I hope it will be afore we reaches the Devil’s Backbone, fer yer know that is as dangersome a piece o’ road fer a few miles as ever man wanted to drive over in day- light, let alone at night; but you knows it, Ne- vada?” ‘“Yes; and you remember I bave driven over it with you several times?” ‘Yas: and you handles the ribbons like an old Rocky Mountain stage-driver.” ‘*‘ Thank you for the compliment, Dick.” ‘*Tt’s true: but Ned?” ‘** Yes, Dick.” “if goes uuder, will you push the hearse on?’ ‘* Yes, but don’t think of that.” ‘‘T must, for somehow I feels a load here o’ late,” and he placed his hand upen his beart. ‘*“You may not be feeling well, Dick, so stop on the way back and let Doc Wood give you some medicine.” ‘“Well, he kin fetch me round if any man kin, while the boys do say you is no slouch in doctorin’, Nevada.” ‘*Oh, ’ma kind of quack, Dick, for you see all I know I learned among the Indians, and from Doe Wood,” said Nevada Ned, modestly. ‘‘ Don’t you deceive yerself, Nevada, fer In- juns hain’t no fool doctors, fer their medicine- men is posted on what is medicine and what hain’t, what is good and what are p’izen, and it so stands ter reason they sh’u’d be, as they is children o’ natur’. **T tell yer, Ned, I'd trust a Injun medicine- man quicker than | would half the college doc- tors as I has seen; but Tl) stop on ther way back, if I gits thar, and hev Doc Wood see ef my liver hain’t flopped on me, as makes me feel so down-hearted as I does!” “He'll fetch you round all right, Dick; but we are nearing the Devil’s Backbone.” “Yes, Nevada, and—” ‘Halt! Hands up!” And a deep voice rung out sharply from the —_ of the road, breaking in on the words of the river. CHAPTER XXL A WILD RIDE. THE sudden cry that rung out aru wo swanu- side caused’all, driver and passengers alike, to give a sudden start, They had perhaps expected a summons to “stand and deliver,” and certainly dreaded it; but, coming out of the dark thicket upon one side, it had been like the call of death. Just where the stage was at that time, there were large trees overhanging the road, and be- yond it was the narrow trail known as the Devil’s Backbone. - 3 ‘ ~~ . a | _— r | = ps “a 2 a » « a ¥ ’ et fim 7 “A —_— a # \ {| () - ¥ —