Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 237 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

aL “Yer talks straight, leetle pard, you does; bat give us yer plan,” put in Old Bitters. “Well, I'll take my stand here by the fire- light, and we can build two more fires at right angles from me, and ten paces away, and you give the word, for I believe you are square as man can be, and I'll fight them both at the same time, running the chance of their two shots and having but one each at them.” ‘* Boy, is yer mad?” broke from the lips of Qld Bitters, while all were astounded at this reckless offer of the youth to meet the two cowboys. ‘*No, I know what I am about, and I don’t want to kill them; but T’ll mark them so that they’ll remember me,” was the cool re- sponse, ‘*Mark them?’ asked one of the cowboys, in surprise, and a handsome young man of twenty-two, whose refined face and courtly manner seemed out of place on the border. ‘Yes, mark them; that is, I'll send a bullet through their ears, if they stand fronting me, and if they don’t I guess I might as well send it on through their heads.” Old Bitters shook his head queerly, for in all his wanderings upon the Texas border he had never before met with a youth like the one who stood before him, and deeply interested he said: ‘“‘Waal, ef yer is durned enough fool ter fight two men, it hain’t fer me ter say no, fer yer knows yer own business best, so all I kin do is to give thet word, an’ all shall go squar’, fer ef them two galoots chips in with a shot afore I says fire, then they’ll get a leetle cold jead out o’ my shootin’-iron.” As he spoke he gathered up a handful of wood and walking off ten paces began to build a fire. ‘Are you really in earnest about fight- ing both of these men?” asked Elegant Ed, as the young man with the refined face and win- ning, though sad manner was called by his comrades. ‘* Certainly.” ‘‘ They are both dead shots.” 46 S oam J,” ‘You are too splendid a fellow to be killed by these fellows, and I will see Old Bitters and stop it.” : **No, it must go on; I sought the quarrel with them; but they felt sore over being re- fused as captain, and were anxious for trouble, so let them have it, though, as I said before, I do not care to kill them—at least the one taey call Ralph, though the other I am not particu- lar about.” The words of the youth were heard by sev- eral of the cowboys, besides Elegant Ed, to whom they were addressed, and but added to the astonishment caused by the stranger who had so unceremoniously presented himself in their camp. With a sigh Elegant Ed turned away, and stepping off ten paces from the camp-fire, at once built another, and soon the three fires sent forth a cheery blaze. As they were situated, they formed three corners of a square, a triangle, and at the center of these, after quietly lariating his horse Out upon the prairie, the strange youth took his stand. Ranger Ralph and Lucky Luke also took their stands, each at one of the other ‘tires. This placed the stranger in front of them as they stood, and the light from the fires fell brightly upon each one of the three. In their right hands Ranger Ralphand Lucky Luke held their revolvers; but the youth did not draw his weapons until Old Bitters had carefully measured the distances, and placed all three. Between the two cowboys, and a little back out of the line, Old Bitters took his stand, and behind him were grouped thé cow When ready, the youth stood facing Old Bitters, which gave him upon either side a good look at his foes. At the’word he was to fire at each of his adversaries, having a revolver in each hand, while they were to fire upon him, he thereby taking double chances against them. And yet he seemed wholly indifferent to the danger be would run, and this very indiffer- ence rendered both Ranger Ralph and Lucky Luke somewhat nervous, in spite of the confi- dence they had in their aim. With sheer bravado Lucky Luke, as one of his comrades told him, with a light laugh, to stand so the youth could clip his ear, turned sideways to him. But Ranger Ralph, whether from accident or design, stood fronting the youth, which drew forth the remark from Bitters: ‘¢ He’s got ter shoot close ter clip your ears, Ranger Ralph, though he c'u’dn’t miss Lucky Luke’s if he stood squar’ facin’ him, as they is durned nigh as large as Balaam’s.” This sally brought forth a laugh, for in that wild crowd none seemed to feel that death was close at hand, or if so, to care. ‘* Pards, I b’lieves I holds ther sarvice,” said Bitters, addressing the three duelists. The youth bowed and smiled, and Lucky Luke answered: “You hain’t no worse than no one else to give ther word.” “T don’t care a cat who gives it,” was Ranger Ralph’s reply. ‘Waal, I is glad yer is all so waal pleased, and all I has ter say is thet I counts three, and then says jire, an’ ef any one 0’ yer draws trig- ger afore ther word fire, I sends a bullet s’arch- in’ fer his life-chist. Hain’t that squar’ dealin’, pards?” and Old Bitters turned to the cow- boys, who answered promptly in the affirma- tive. ‘““Now, pards, ready! One! two! three!” The last word was cut off by the flash of three weapons—two together almost, the third a second later. One of the three duelists dropped his revolver and turned half round. Another fell in his tracks, and the third stood like a statue. CHAPTER V. LONE STAR, THE COWBOY CAPTAIN. THE two shots that had flashed almost simul- taneously were fired by the strange youth, With a quickness of movement that was marvelous he had raised both hands, and the slightest movement of his head, or rather eyes, had been sufficient to send two bullets unerr- ingly upon their mission, one to bury itself in the head of Lucky Luke, passing through his ear to do so, and the other to clip the edge of Ranger Ralph’s ear, and momentarily cause him to think he had received a death-wound. Without a groan Lucky Luke fell dead in kis tracks, the undischarged revolver, for he had not had time to fire, dropping from his hand, Ranger Ralph’s shot had followed those of the youth immediately, but the thought that he was killed destroyed his usually unerring aim, and his pellet passed by within an inch of his adversary’s bead. Dropping his weapon, Ranger Ralph clasped his hands to his head, and tottered away from his position, until recalled by the cool words of the stranger: “You are not burt, sir; only my mark on you; but that fellow is done for.” Instantly Ranger Ralph realized that he had only lost a piece of his ear, and in fury he turned upon the youth, feeling that he had lost a part of his personal beauty. ‘“‘Hold on, Ranger Ralph! None of that!” and Elegant Ed’s revolver covered his breast, and just in time, for he would have shot the youth, who had not expected treachery, and had turned to Old Bitters, who addressed him. “*'You’ve got nothing to do with me, Elegant Ed,” growled Ranger Ralph. ‘“‘T will have, though, if you try that mean gama on a boy who has met you squarely, and I, for one, won’t see him imposed on.” ‘‘ That’s the talk, Ed! Thet boy are all man an’ no mistake,” cried one of the cowboys, and seeing that he would be most summarily dealt Lone Star, the Cowboy Captain. with, Ranger Ralph lowered his revolver and turned scowlingly away, muttering vengeance, and nursing his clipped ear at the same time. — ‘‘Pard, yer is a terrer ter sinners, you is, an’ Old Bitters offers you his grip fsgm now ontil he turns up his toes at ther Master's call!” cried Old Bitters, grasping the hand of the youth im & gripe of iron, and adding, as he felt the re- turn grasp: } ‘‘-You has the squeeze of a grizzly b’ar, an’ no mistake, an’ I don’t wonder that Luke went ter grass under yer fist; but yer sent him under ther last time, an’ 1 are a sweet-scented liar ef Ranger Ralph hain’t got a cattle mark on his ear, fer I seen where yer bullit clipt him. ‘What are yer name, so I kin imterjuce yer?” ‘‘T am called Lone Star,” was thé quiet response. ‘‘And I move we add to it the Cowboy Captain,” shouted Elegant Ed. ‘Bravo! Three cheers for the Cowboy Captain,” cried another. Instantly sombreroes were waved in the air, and three rousing cheers were given, only two lips remaining silent, and those forever silenc- ed, for they were pallid in death, though the sightless eyes of Lucky Luke were gazing, seemingly, straight into the face of the youth as the cheers echoed through the chaparral, As for Ranger Ralph, with sudden impulse he waved his sombrero and cheered, too, while coming forward he said, with apparent honesty: “You fought us square, young fellow, and I offer you my hand for my part, though poor Luke cannot.” : “Tf you offer itin true friendship [ll take it, but if it’s merely as a foil to let you play snake in the grass I won’t. “If you are @ man you will say how you mean it!”’ This bold reply of the youth caused Ranger Ralph to blush crimson, and all turned breath- lessly toward the two; but the reply came in seeming honesty: ‘*T offer it as your friend, bearing no ill-will from my defeat,”’ ‘* Then I accept it, and we will be friends. ‘** Now let us get that body out of sight, for it’s not a pleasant thing to look upon one you have killed,” and the youth pointed over to where Lucky Luke lay. ‘“Yas, we'll plant bim decent, ef he did finger cards ter win every time,’’said one of the cowboys, and several of them volunteering for the work of burial, bore the body back into the gloom of the chaparral, while Old Bitters. remarked: ‘‘Now, pard Lone Star, you jist come an’ we'll hev a leetle chat about goin’ arter ther Greasers under El Cobra, fer yer is cap’n o’ ther cowboys now an’ no mistake,”’ CHAPTER VI. THE COURIER’S TIDINGS. “First, let me ask yer, pard Lone Star, ef yer has hed any grub, fer, as I were camped here when ther boys come upI kinder looks. upon ther camp as my lay-out, an’ consequent I plays hospital,” and Bitters smiled as blandly as ever host smiled upon a boarder. “T am really hungry, I'll admit, and was looking for a place to camp when I saw your fire,” said the youth, and instantly there were cold meats and crackers produced from haver- sacks, and a pot of fresh coffee was put on to. boil, while the youth unsaddled his splendid black horse, lariated him out again, and, return- ing to the fire, ate with the relish of a hungry schoolboy. ‘‘May I ask,” began Bitters, when all the. cowboys were assembled around the camp- fire gazing upon the young stranger with ad- miration, “‘whar yer hails from when yer is at . home?” “Tam a Texan,” was the quiet response. “‘Then yer must know these heur pararers an’ ther hills towards ther Pecos ef yer lives. near heur?’ and it was evident if ques- - tioning would accomplish it, Old Bitters in-- COMMCELOCC) (E cS (C(O)