Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 285 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

\ —_ Murdock Brothers, from the fact that whei one went the others could generally be found. 2 _ - - —o Denver Doll’s Decoy : LITTLE BILL'S BONANZA. Being No, 3 of the “‘Denver Doll " Series. | BY E. L. WHEELER, Or “epEADWOOD DICK ”’ ‘ ROSEBUD ROB” NOVELS, ETC. _ CHAPTER I, A VILLAINOUS BARGAIN, “Se! Hush your clatter!” The speaker was a dark-browed, black mus- tached personage, of some forty years or more, whose face showed the scars resulting from sev- eral wounds, and whose general aspect was in no way pleasing. ’ He was of heavy build, and dressed in miner’s habiliments, while his belt bristled with wea- sSUTHOR NOVELS, The scene was the interior of a rude log cabin, against ove of the walls of which the speaker sat tipped back in a chair. His remarks were addressed to a quartette of fellows, eminently as evil-looking as himself, who were congregated around a table wrang- ling over a game of cards. ne of these—a long, powerful-looking ruf- flan—turned a scowling face toward the speaker. ‘‘ Reckon ’tain’t your game, Cap!” he growled. ‘¢] don’t allow no skin game when I’ve got a hand in, an’ ye can bet on that!” ** Look out!” the captain cried ern ‘* none of your back change, Muggins, or I'll remind you who’s boss here. [said bush that clatter, and I mean it. I expect visitors to-night, and I want order.” The others exchanged glances, but none of them offered a reply except Muggins: ‘‘ It’s about time you tackled suthin’ to fetch in shekels. ef ye want ter keep the gang to- gether. This bein’ shet up like a rat in a veP aint what it’s cracked up to be,” he grunted, angrily. Maybe you'd rather leave the trap, and fall into the hands of the handsome horse-thief catcher, Big Buckskin,” the captain sneered. ‘¢ You know he’s on our trail, and has sworn to wipe every mother’s son of us out, for running off his famous stallion, Star Face. He ain’t the only one as wants ter see us. The Murdock Brothers have que an extensive acquaintance, you know, and Monk Muggins isn’t exactly bold iene 2 to look the law in the face.” . ‘Pm every bit as brave as you are, Burk Murdock—brave enough, anyhow, that I’m devilish sick o’ bein’ cooped up here.” , ‘* Well, distinguish . answered, resuming his pipe, a strange gli ine eyes. / e Murdock Brothers and the man Muggins had, for a long period, made themselves notori-— ous as a band of desperadoes throughout thef West, the mining districts of Idaho being the scene of most of their cepnenaeee | There were two of t « ‘Murdocks, but the whole party. were generally wn as They were stage robbers, murderers, and horse-thieves, and were wanted by the author- ities for several other pha of criminal of- fense, one of their most relentless foes being a miner and scout known as Big Buckskin. Burk Murdock was'well fitted to take the leadership. .He was a man whom nature had evidently created dead to all moral and honest purpose; he was wily and cunning as a fox in mavy things, while in others he threw off the. cloak of the polished villain, ——— ee = a 0 but the of th dear sir, as I am bullet-proof. with ¢ rou may have a chance to get out dd , yourself, after to-night,” the ie fous bao whatever. Gum is my name—George Wash- ington Gum, at yer sarvice—a man of nerve enough to chew off the paint from a duke’s tally-ho. I am a book-agent, sir—a canvasser Denver Doll’s Decoy. —s + + ee - —_———_ -- oe = ee the heart pf a deep mountain-gulch, which was densely wdoded with fir-pines. A person unacquainted with the fact could have passed within a dozen yards of the cabin, Hh atl suspecting the existence of such a habi- tation. It was for this reason that the Murdocks had lately taken possession of it, when dodging a hunt that was being made for them, led by Biz uckskin. ‘‘ Who are these visitors?’ Muggins demanded, ange played his eards, and finally threw up his ‘* An old cove frim Boise City—an’ would ye believe it, he’s a parson, they say! Got a note from Red Eagle, by the carrier-pigeon, sayin’ as how the old gent wanted a job did, an’ was willin’ ter slap up t e swag liberally.” ‘‘Some pious-faced detective, PJ) bet!” ‘“No, I reckon not, or Red Eagle wouldn't ‘a’ recommended him. The Injun never’s got us inter trouble yet, and he’s sent us many a pointer. I can read the chap, as soon as the red-skin fetches bim.” “Will they come alone?” ‘*T reckon so. Hello!” | | The exclamation was caused by a heavy rap | upon the door. " Every man was upon bis feet in an instant, and while the eaptain stepped toward the door, with a revolver in his grasp, the others glided behind a curtain that divided off a portion of the room. ; Without apparent trepidation, Captain Burk opened the doorand peered out. ‘Who's thar?’ he demanded, gruffly. ‘George Washington Gum, at your sarvice!” a cracked, wheezy voice replied, and at the same time the speaker pusped forward into the cabin. Murdock closed and barred the door, and then turned to survey his visitor. He saw before him a long, exceedingly lean individual, who was dressed in a very loud checkered suit, white shirt, Piccadilly collar, and white silk hat—an individual with a face somewhat resembling that of a monkey, with its esthetic mouth, flat nose, and startling side whiskers, of a decidedly ‘* valler ” color. His face was distorted by a profuse grin, and his large, cat-like eyes beamed resplendently upon the outlaw. chief. ‘“ Who are you, and what do you want?’ the ‘captain thundered, so ferociously that a man of y nerves would surely have been startled; intruder grinned’ the harder, and ad- ced and peered with one eye into the tube veapon Murdock had leveled at him. ywder on me, have been shot balls countless times, and ‘‘Tt’s not necessary to waste of it; I haye been strucls upon the ith li htniig apd ft glanced et ang y washerwoman, who was? act of " sentin ber bill; yea, I have embr ie for great and useful books of knowledge—any- thing, in fact, from a spelling-book to the Holy Writ. I have a very useful little work here, entitled ‘‘How to Get Rich.” Let me show it 2 you—costs nothing to read the first four nes,” “Don’t want it,” the captain growled. “I get'my stamps slittin’ weazands ‘Exactly! This work will be of incalculable value to you. Itisa complete and systematic disembodying spirits with treatise on the art of-d quickness and safety, including several notes compiled from distinguished executioners,” “Git out! Don’t want it!” ~. ~ “No?, Well, I have another book on How to brutal. rie _ | Make Love!” Jack, his own brother, was h as bad as} ‘Bab! Don’t want it!” este his brother, although he- was of many | — *‘ Do you wanta cook book? ©} misdemeanors. He did not bave so much e ** No!” : alee eee es NS in his heart—was wild and reckless, and was| ‘Nor a Materia Medica—a complete doctor managed pretty much to suit the will of his | and drug store all in one?” ‘ “ ” elder brother. He was some four-and-twenty years of age, and although@hardly gpod-looking, bast perhaps. less of the viciousness expressed his counte- nance that his comrades had. < The real names of the other two outlaws were Jim Sanders and Hank Hartly, and whey. were ruffians to the core, serving as tools for Captain Burk to work with. The rendezvous which we find the gang occu- pying was a tumble-doswn log-cébin, down in ~~ “ Ah! but I have it now—a book of Oscar Wilde’s poems. You greatly resemble Oscar!” “J don’t want none of your books, I say. Clear out of here!” - “But, hold on! It just occurs to me, where I can tickle you ina tender spot. I bave a neat little book here on farming, by Greeley. Just the thing for aman who contemplates growing up with this beautiful country !” ‘No! no! no!” the cap roared. “If I aced death | here, entitled ‘How to Live Forever.’ ed ways, but ’twere no use—none | © J é ent books were found, in addition to his steck in trade of cash, consisting of ten old-fashioned co ee eS have to tell you no, again, ’ll blow your fool’s brains out.” A “No ye won't,” G. Washington Gum de- clared, emphatically. ‘‘Why, I’ve been banged away at by forty cannons, an’ hit that many times by thousand-pound balls, and wasn’t even fazed. Got hit on the cheek wi’ a fiery meteor, but it recoiled ten mile, while I went home com- plainin’ about the size of the musketoes that season. Fell into a red-hot blast furnace, once, and put the fire out just to pay up a grudge I had ‘against the boss molder. Been rum over by several train of ears, and was the only man to escape alive,”. , ‘* You are the most infamous liar of liars I ever met!’ Murdock growled. ‘‘You have plenty of gab, no. doubt, but I'll guarantee I can take some of thé conceit out of you. Boys!” he four outlaws advanced from behind the curtain, with drawn revolvers, and formed in line, in front of the lean individual, who nodded with a supremely ludicrous grin. ° ‘ “How are you gents? Glad to meet you. My name isGum. | have the honor of repre- senting a number of prominent book publisbing firms, in the East, whose most popular works Fi am introducing. I have an interesting book l know it is just what you want.” The brothers Murdock did not reply, but eyed the canvasser with grim and suspicious glances. Captain Burk made the answer: ““D’ye see them fellers, young man?” he ce- manded, ‘* Well, they’re my brothers, an’ four as bad customers as walk in boots. Now, d’ye know. what we’re goin’ to do?” ‘* Purchase this beautiful little work I have here, entitled ‘How to Escape Justice ’!” Gum said, with a bright expression of antictpatien, ‘‘ Not by a cussed sight. D’ye know what an outlaw is?” ’ ‘You bet! I have a beautiful little biography of some of the more prominent outlaws of the century !” ‘Curse your books! We are outlaws, ef ve want to know it, and this is our trap. Te let you escape would be too dangerous, and there- fore there remains but one thing else te do, We've got to kill you. How do you like that?” “Notatall. It is important that I should live, as my work is of vital importance te tho reading and ag: rat world. Let me depart, and I’ll vow I won’t never tell on ye.” ‘Ho! ho! That would be sort of @ snap, wouldn’t it? But, you see, 1 am not doing business that way. This hyar’s a partnersbip concern 0’ ourn, and if you want to put im five thousand doJlars, and become one of us, we'll ashow fer your life. Otherwise you ve ye but five minutes to live!” “Five thousand dollars? Why, bless your dear heart, I haven’t seen five thousand dollars in twenty years! My whole.cash assets is ten big old-fashioned coppers!” : “Search the man!” the captain ordered. The book-agent was forced to throw up his he canvassing samples of a number of differ- “Ti and be was thoroughly searched. Me ati was all. here was nothing more to show that he was aught differen what he claimed to be. tain Murdock appeared to be disappoint- ed. had suspected that the book-agent was a detective, but the failure to diseover any evi- denes of such a fact seemed to annoy him. ‘“¢ Well, it don’t matter, anyhow,” he grewied. “You've got to die, and so getready. You bave five minutes in which to say your prayers. Boys, when I say ‘ Ready,’ blow his gizzard out!” : . What the result would have been is not hard to say had not three ~ cant taps came upon the door at that instant. : The taps, however, caused the captain te start n the book agent. and glare down u “Get you quietly behind yonder eurtain!” he ad, “and if you utter so mueh asa sound while I’m gone I'll send the boys in to cut your ‘heart out!’ Evidently glad to escape punishment, the man of gab glided to the cover with alacrity. Captain Murdock then advanced te the deor and called out: ‘* Who's there?” wh goo Eagle,” was the. answer, in a guttural De ; ‘‘ Give the password, then.” ‘‘ Pigeon carries news,” came back. The captain then opened the deor and admit- ted a stalwart young savage, who wes im turn followed by two other persons. 9 | CS ~ « . nt ae . . ~ comicbooks co