Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 1147 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

mee te oe + eee ee who furnished the information of Judge Shan- non’s expected return to camp with his daugh- ter, and helped lay the plans for her abduction, Cuba Kidd regarded the scene around him with a silent, dejected spirit, for, as one after another of his Pollowark was brought in from the field dead, he began to realize that he had but - few friends left and that his wicked career was - about to draw to a close. The party concluded to await the return of Webfoot before taking any further action re- garding the disposition of the bandit chief. The Washoes were eager to take his scalp but Shan- 1 non was afraid his death might indirectly jeop- hy ardize the lives of the girls. a Hours were passed im anxious waiting, and | Bearslayer was growing decidedly uneasy at Webfoot’s prolonged absence, when suddenly a buzz of excitement stirred the assembled band of Washoes and in an instant every map was upon , his feet. To the joy of all Webfootand the girls Bish were seen approaching from down the valley. ee. A few moments later, amid shouts of joy. tive oe and Edith were clasped to the breast of the hap- Wy »y. father and uncle while cheers for Webfoot iA ose, the hero of the hour, rung in prolonged 7 23 echoes through the mountains, a) Edith Baker, as soon as all had become quiet, < hastened to tell her uncle and friends of the he- i. roic courage of Webfoot Mose, and narrate the . ine daring and skillful manner in which he had ef- fected their escape from the cavern. Bearslayer quietly listened to her story and when she had finished he walked up to Webfoot and said: , ‘‘ Mose, youre a deceptive fraud, Confound | you! you are the very critter that played the is, Eee Dragon of the Devil’s Gap a few nights ago. » eee Ilowever, I mistrusted you’d something to do | with it, and now I want you to show up the R, oF socrets of that old club of a cane.” r ae ‘‘T’ll do so, Bearslayer, my boy,” said Webfoot fics. after a hearty laugh; and then taking RP his nt cane he drew it out section by section and hold- ef in.z it out before him said: A Ss ** Now watch the end.” - Every eye was at once focused on the end of | the cane. Webfoot pressed an almost invisible “by. button when to the surprise of alla long, slender wr cLigger fully ten inches in length darted out like ABS soe a sorpent’s tongue and as quickly sprung back p cas in°o the hollow of the cane, os ** That explains all,” said Webfoot; “ that’s > Se the dragon’s fang, Bearslayor—an ingenious contrivance of an old friend made upon the principle of a spring lancet. It’s a silent and Cadly weapon.” “T can testify to that, Webfoot, you bold, brave, fat rascal,” replied Bearslayer complete- ly surprised by the revelation of the mystery of Devil’s Gap. : Cuba Kidd was turned over to the Washoes 7 ee for punishment. What the Indians did with fae Th him was never known; but certain it is that the | Villain was never heard of again. age Joke The party, under the guidance of Bearslayer, eye finally turned their faces toward Virginia City « oe ae satisfied all dangers were passed, for a time at af least. In due course of time they reached the camp, tired and weary, though in good spirits. Pe Se) Sone Judge Shannon invited Peaelayer, ebfoot py ee and Old Redwood Bill to become his guests at eb flag the hotel where he stopped, but this ivifatiog oe | _ all three respectfully declined, _Webfoot an Cat ee 2 Redwood had previously promised to stop a few ay days with Bearslayer, and after taking leave of a el the judge and his fair friends the trio repaired “he to the humble cabin of the Boy Hunter. te The return of Webfoot Mose, the tramp, be- ‘oe gape came known through the camp before night, es and shortly after dark who should call at the P tee voung hunter’s cabin but a party of masked aes Vigilantes, who informed Mose that his time eee bat come, and that they proposed to deal with 2 5 Se him as with all other tramps who had disre- = (cae arded their warnings. a ‘ Bearslayer and Redwood iaterceded with a ae a strong plea for the fat man, but the Vigilantes -——-were immovable, and they were about to remove ‘Mose from the cabin when he said: thi ‘Gentlemen, I see you will not listen to the anpeals of my friends, therefore, I will have to make a disclosure in order to save myself. I ie cae By! o now deny the charge of being a tramp or dead- aa beat, although, at times, I have personated such - } characters. Please read that before you pro- oS ceed further.” < ege He Santied a Vigilante a folded parchment which the man unfolded and read aloud. To the astonishment of all it proved to be the commission of an agent in the Secret Service of the Federal Government—which was, at the |} time of which we write—1863—engaged in the | ss grreati war for the Union—with the rank of cap- tod ~ = 7 —‘ J ya! Wy vem Bhes » A Ce se i CoP kn. 4: - =v) - - SAS) fa * tee = ee 842 The Mountain * . Po rae —— . Webfoot Mose, the Tramp Detective. A ee me eee ee The name therein was Moses 8, Farland. It was signed by the Secre of War, and the chief of the Secret Service. There was no doubt of its being genuine, and so there and then the Vigilantes made amends-honorable for their conduct toward him. Of course, Captain Farland accepted the apology in a very amiable way, adding: ‘* But I presume I should explain my conduct and acts of vagabondage; well, you know the mining-camps, Indian villages and outlaw ranks have been the refuge of army deserters, ‘ bounty- jumpers’ and ‘ conscription-dodgers.’ It was to unt up this class of fellows that I was assigned to duty in Virginia City and outlying camps, I concluded I could work best in the guise of a bummer, my corporosity aiding me immensely in this, That’s why Ihave been content to be known as Webfoot Mose. I have been the means of having dozens of men arrested and carried away by the ete marshals, Now this, gentlemen, is all there is in it.” ‘*Confound your fat picture!” exclaimed Redwood Bill, “if you ain’t a delightful fraud I never met one. But then, you have proven yourself worthy o’ the shoulder-straps o’ a brig- adier-gineral, and ’m goin’ to reecommend your promotion to Uncle Abe. Gentlemen, Webfoot —beg parding—Captain Farland, is a rustler in fat. I’ve tested him myself, See that purple lump there on my cheek? Hoe did it Vother night, and he did it sweetly.” ‘But what in creation did you ever suffer yourself to be driven out of camp for when you could have set yourself right?” questioned one of the Vigilantes. “It was the best act of my life,” declared Mose, “‘for I was the means of saving Bear- slayer at the Devil’s Gap, and think I have been of great service to Judge Shannon’s party. My object in going into the hills, however, was to hunt out a nest of deserters that I had reason to believe were hiding away there somewhere,” Thus the conversation lasted for some time. Webfoot and Bearslayer narrated their adven- tures in the hills with the outlaws and Indians. Mose showed the Vigilantes his wonderful cane and explained its ingenious mechanical arrange- ments. It was late when the conservators of law and order left the cabin, having pledged Captain Farland their assistance in his work whenever called upon. Through Judge Shannon the destruction of Cuba Kidd’s band of outlaws became known the next day. This brought Webfoot Mose, as well as the fearless Bearslayer and Redwood tain. Bill, into greater prominence than ever; and then it was not long until the fat man’s true character became known throughout the camp and there was no one in the place so hono and feted as the gallant captain. Mose was a frequent and welcome guest at the home of Judge Shannon, and, although he ‘left Virginia City in a few weeks, he kept Son i regular correspondence with the judge, E and Bearslayer. Some two years later he re- turned to the famous mountain city and, to the surprise of everybody, except his most intimate friends, became the husband of the lovely Edith; and who dares to say that he had not won her heart by all that was fair, gallant and brave? And still a few years later there was another wedding at the Shannon mansion, It was that of the beautiful Eva to the handsome, dashing Edward Hooker, or Bearslayer as we have known him, now assistant superintendent of the great Stockholm Mine. The brave old stage-driver, Prince John, was never heard of after leaving his friends in Grizzly Pass, although Redwood Bill and Bear- slayer made a long and patient search for him. He had no doubt been slain by the outlaws; but his bravery and kindness of heart will ever be held in grateful memory by those who knew his real worth and character. THE END. Beadle’s Half-Dime Library. BY HARRY HAZARD, 828 Arkansaw Jack; or, The Scourge of the Mines. 829 Red-Skin Tomy or, The Demow’s Trail, evil; or, Yellow Jack, the Outlaw. BY WILLIAM '. EYSTER. 190 Dandy Darke; or, The Tigers of High Pine. 210 Faro Frank; or, Dandy Darke’s Go-Down Pards, BY W. J. HAMILTON, 68 The Red Rrotherhood; or, The Twelve Avengers, 66 Bingle Handy} or, A Life for a Life, M Tom W eatern; the Texan Ranger. 72 887 Ben Bird, the Cave King; or, Big Peto’s Scoop, | 265 The Tiger Tamer ; or, The League of the Jungle, ; a . . > ol « yen : _ 4 - * SS tbl ee ere iat eR ice ee? tee a BY FREDERICK DEWEY. 818 Cimarron Jack, the King-Pin of Rifle-Shots. bie aires nal, the Desert Detective. ‘he Canyon Parda. BY LIEUT. H, D. PERRY, U, & Ne 176 The Boy Runaway; or, The Buccaneer of the Bay. 180 The Sea Trailer; or, A Yow Well Kept. 192 Captain Kit; or, The Mystery of Montauk Point. BY GEORGE C, JENKS,. 485 Git Thar Owney, the Unknown, 492 Git Thar Owney’s« Pledge. 518 The Demon Doctor. BY CAPT. ALFRED B. TAYLOR, U. 8. A. 191 Buffalo Billy, the Boy Bullwhacker; or, The Doomed irteen. 194 Buffalo Bills Bet; or, The Gambler Guide, BY COLONEL DELLE SARA, 108 The Lion of the Sen; or, The Vailed Lady. 186 Cool Deamondy; or, The Gambler's Big Game, BY JOHN J. MARSHALL, 40 Roving Ben. A Story of a Young American. 97 The Qutlaw Brothers; or, The Captive of the Harpes, BY BRACEBRIDGE HEMYNG, 89 Taland Jim; or, The Pet of the Family. 91 The Captain of the Club; or, The Rival Athletes, 101 Jack Narkaway in New York. BY FRANK DUMONT. 120 The Branded Hand; or, The Man of Mystery, 127 Wild-Fire, the Boss of the Road. 140 Blue Blazes; or, The Break o’ Day Boys of Rotky Bar 171 Ebony Dany or, The Rival Leagues. 185 Evil Eve; or, The Vultures of the Rio Grande, BY JAMES L, BOWEN 107 One-Eyed Sim: or, The Abandoned Forest Home. 110 The Black Steed of the Prairies, A Story of Texas, BY CAPT. MARK WILTON, 256 Young Kentucky; or, The Red Lasso. 270 Blizzard Bens or, The Riot at Keno Camp, 286 Josh, the Boy Tenderfoot. BY J. W. OSBON. 469 The Rival Glants« of Nowhar’. 498 Cactus Burr, the Man from Hard Lack, 587 Old Buckeye, the Sierra Shadow, BY GEORGE WALDO BROWNE, 86 Dandy Rock the Man from Texas, 90 The Drend Rider; or, The Texan Duellet, 99 The Tiger of Tuon; or, Dandy Rock’s Angel, 115 The Mad Miner: or, Dandy Rock’s Doom. 181 The Golden Hand; or, Dandy Rock to the Reacue, 164 Dandy Rock's Pledge; or, Hunted to Death, 178 Dandy Kock’s Rivals or, Tho tiaunted Mald of Taes, BY ©, DUNNING CLARK, 185 Captain Pauly or, The Boy Spy of the Mountains, ° 2850 The Yankeo ajah; or, The Fate of the Black Shereof, ' BY CHARLES E. LASALLE, 50 Burt Bunker, the Trapper. 52 The White Buffalo. A Tale of the Northwest, — BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID, 78% Blue Dicks or, The Yellow Chiefs Vengeance. 87 The Land Pirates or, The League of Devil's Island, 187 The Helpless Hand ; or, Backwoods Retribution, . 289 The Gold-seeker Gulde; or, The Loat Mountain, BY CAPTAIN FRED. WHITTAKER, iz 15 The Sea-Cat; or, The Witch of Darien. 20 The Dumb Pa pel Har The Doge's Daughier. 48 Dick Darling, the Pony Express Rider. 4 150 Lance an asno yz or, The Children of the Chaco. 154 The Swerd Hunters; or, The Land of the Elephant Riders, 15 ame Leet Daptaln 3 or, Skipper Jabez Coffin’s Cruise to the ‘22 wn PoOMr One : “ he The Boy Bedoulnss or, The Brothers of the Plumed Lance, hea 14 Wolfgang, the Robber of the Rhine, : 249 we Komer, the Animal King; or, The Round the World ~ 881 Black Nick, the Demon Rider. - 895 California Joe's War Trail, BY MAJOR E, L. 8T, VRAIN, 292 Sancho Pedro, the Boy Bandit, 801 Leadville Nick, the Boy Sport. “i 812 Redtop Rube, the Vigilante Prince. BRS Ermtone Bob, and His Lightning Horse Quartette, 852 Tombatone Tom, the Arizona Boy ot “Sand.” BOY Durgiare tewee, the Young lee ron V reetler, ae 871 Kingbolt Chria, the Young Hard-Shell Detective, yet 880 Avalanche Alf, the Foothills Guide, yf ae 890 Jaguar Joe, of the Mountsin Mail-Line. N Neonat wing BY J, C. COWDRIOK. i at 860 Silver-Mask, the Man of Mystery. | S69 Shasta, the Gold K fog or, For Seven Years Dead. 420 The Detective’s Apprentice; or, A Boy Without a — “ak a ee . mea. 424 Cibuta Johny or, Red-Hot Times at Ante Bar. 489 Sandy Sam, the Street Scout. RP he 467 Disco Dan, the Daisy Dude, 3 fe : 490 Broadway Billy, the Rootblack Bravo. a 506 Redlight Ral » the Prince of the Road, -! ‘” Bad ‘The siurincer electives ee e Engineer ¢ . ; 586 Broodway Billy’s ‘ Difikilty.” | wy . A néw issue every Tuesday. . A I - ©The Hali-Dime Library is for sale by all gues Newsdealers, five cents per on; or sent by mai, ma on receipt of six cents each, BEADLE & ADAMNY, eihee k Puplishers, 98 William street, New York, ‘ot A af 4