Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 296 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

rr mrere SO ee et Re er Sh Oe ee Fe ‘ful burro, who would aptly catch it in his mouth, When he finished eating, Sunflower Sam took his weapons from bis belt, examined them care- fully, then produced a Im-book, and began to sing a hymn in a loud voice. Neither Doll nor Arizona Alf cared to arouse his anger by interrupting him, but both felt positive that his blatant voice would attract at- “¢-ention to the shanty. And they were not wrong. The huge, self-styled wsthete had not finished his hymn when the sound of a number of rush- ing feet was heard approaching. **To arms! the enemy is coming!” Denver Doll cried, dashing out the light and seizing her revolvers. ‘‘ Ready wbhentbey burstin ths door or windows to give ’em all they can hold)” ‘* All ready!” Arizona announced calmly. ‘Hyer too!” Sunflower assented. ‘Ff they bu’st the door I'll sick my dorg on ’em, an’ he'll kick ‘em so high they won't know themselves When they git back.” CHAPTER V. DENVER DOLL’s BLOW-OUT. A MOMENT later the mob halted before the shanty, and as a loud kick came against the door, the voice of Jean La Force was heard to ery out: **Open up! Curse you, open up, or we'll tear the shebang down over your heads!” No answer was given to the order, and for a minute all wag silence, both in and outside, ‘““Come! Aire ye goim’ to opm up?” the voice of the gambler again cried. ‘* Ye neean’t think we don’t know ye’re there, fer we do. Bea live- lv, or down goes the door!” “Tf you breakin here, Jean La Force, you'll find this the liveliest nest of hornets you ever aroused!” Denver Doll warned, ‘ We're armed to the teeth, and we'll make you wade through your own blood before you take us!” * Ob! will we?” was the savage retort, Then followed another silence. The gambler and his gang were evidently consulting, ‘Tf that is La Force the gambler,” whispered Arizona Alf, to the detective queen, ** you’d better not mention that [ am here, as it would only strengthen his desire to capture us,” ‘* You know him, then?” ‘* Rather, he knows me,” ‘Ah! then it was you who beauty?” ‘* T suppose I was tbe indirect cause.” Just then some heavy object struck the door —evidently an improvised battering-ram—but the door only shook, and failed to yield. Denver Doll smiled. “Pm thinking they'll need reinforcements be- fore they stave in that door,” she said. ‘ It was made to be unlocked,” ‘I'm afraid that persistent applications of a heavy ram would fetch it!” was Arizona’s opin- ion. ‘It won’t do to be off guard,” The shutters that covered the two square win- dows, were not more vulnerable than the door; consequently, the attack was continued upon the entrance, Each fresh assault was accompanied by a pandemonium of yells and curses, and each as- sault made the barrier spring more and more. “Is there any way of getting out of here, ex- cept by the door or windows?” Arizona asked. * None!” Doll replied, ‘‘except— Ha! listen!” The attack outside had ceased, and the voice of La Force, the gambler, was heard. ‘‘}if we can’t get ’em out any other way, boys, we kin burn the shebang. We'll see ef we're goin’ to be pestered with she road- agents!” spoiled his . Denver Doll laughed, sarcastically, as she vanrd the words, which caused both Arizona apd Sanflower Sam to eye her, in amazement, “Don’t see much to larf abont!” Sam re- marked, gruffly. ‘‘I kin stand sum things, but this bein’ roasted ain’t what it’s cracked up to be.” Oh! there’s nothing like getting used to it,” Doll assured. ‘ But, that is not necessary.” _As she spoke, she stooped and pulled upon a ring. in the floor, which raiséd a trap door. ‘‘ Now, then, get down there, as quickly and as reer 3 as possible,” she communded, “ and I wi | follow ae, Arizona Alf obeyed, but Sunflower Sam de- murred. “Tcan’t take Jurisprudence down thar with me! an’ ye can bet I don’t budge an inch with- out him. Go ’lang wi? ye, an’ arter ye’re gone, Juris an’ I wull makeour exit by the front ay.” 7g you like.” Doll said, lmowing the roughs ~would not be likely to harm the giant. # aad v , *- CL ALLL I IE ECLA LL ED LENA LLL LAGE YR OU Denver Doll's Drift. 0 sheen iosameet ere ee ‘She then followed Arizona Alf into the cellar, and closed the trap after ber. . In five minutes more flames were licking the sides of the shanty, despite the rain, and its de- struction was a certainty, when, suddenly, and evidently before the fire had penetrated to the interior there was a terrific explosion, that literally blew the shanty to atoms; for in truth, the whole structure was blown upward from its foundation, in a hundred different sections, and with the debris went heavenward no less a human spectacle than Sunflower Sam, seated astride his superannuated mule, Jurisprudence! The mule and its rider, however, were only lifted by the eruption a matter of ten feet above terra-firma, and dropped among the startled spectators, while the various parts of the shanty landed at some distance from its for- mer site. Neither the msthete nor his ‘‘ dorg,” were much the worse for the explosion, evidently, for the animal brayed loudly on striking the ground, and Sunflower turned a ludicrously grinning countenance toward the astounded crowd of gaping ruffians. “*Good-evening, feller-citizens!” he saluted; ‘“howd’y do? Didn’t expect me to arrive so suddint, I reckon?” ‘‘No, I should remark not!” Jean La Force growled. ‘' What caused that explosion? Who are you? Where’s the accursed minx, Denver Doll?” ‘One at a time, capt?n—one at a time. The kersplosion war excited by powder, sir—simply powder, Dunno whar it was, nor how she went off. My name is Sunflower Sam, the pocket edition of Oscar, the msthete. Can’t say where Denver Doll is; hm likely she went up in the same blaze o’ glory that I did, an’ hain’t come down yet. Any other questions ye want to ask?” ‘‘ Don’t ye be so sassy, you over grown lout, or | soon show you I'll have no shenannigan. Just you tell me where the gal is, or I'll bore a hole thr’a’ your skull!” | ‘*T tell ye | bain’t no idea whar she is, onless she’s up to the moon, blast yer unzesthetic pro tile!” Sam fired back, ‘‘ an’ wbhat’s more, [don’t want no more o’ yer sass, or Ill step over and punch yer head fer ye. That aire gal sed she was goin’ ter hide in the cellar, an’ I told her | was a comin’ out to save gittin’ roasted; but, jest afore I was quite ready, I got ua lift that helped me along—eh? Jurisprudence, old boy?” The animal brayed loudly, as if fully cogni- zent of what its master was saying, and at the same time quickly reaching out one of its hind hoofs, gave a miner a dig in the stomach that doubled him up like a jack-knife. A howl of laughter went up from the specta- tors, as the unfortunate man hobbled away to- ward the heart of the camp, howling like a loon. “Tell ye wat, thar’s a power 0’ music *bou® us @wsthetic twins when we git a going!” Sun- flower Sam announced. “G'lang, Jurispru- dence! We'll try some new lodging-house, and see ef we'll get bounced again.” And the animal struck off into a lively canter toward the beart of the camp. Jean J. Force and his pals, and such of the other citizens as bad collected at the spot, soon followed, satisfied that Denver Doll must have certainly perished by the explosion, or in its ruins, OE T Re te ON eo - -_—— In the meantime the stage had arrived and disgorged its trio of passengers, and the sus- picions of La Foree were verified by the report of old Nathan Blob, Apollo Snap, and the negro, who hore the pious cognomen of Mose. The excitement was therefore intense, until La Force returned to announce that Denver Doll had been blown to atoms, which greatly added to the Jew’s anger. ‘‘Py dam!” he vociferated, “dot vimmens mit pants on, she sdeals mine monish, und uff she p» plowed oop, so ish my monish!” On the following morning Jean La Force, armed with bis legal document, and accompa- nied by a deputy sheriff and a posse of bis own, repaired to the Drift office, and demanded the surrender of the mine from Joe Banker, the superintendent. At first Banker protested, but firally made a surrender, and posted a notice that all men who had been employed there were hencetorth discharged. , Most allof these employes were honest work: ingmen, whom Denver Doll and Little Bill had specially selected to serve them, and the blow fell upon them with unwelecme force; but there was no present help for it, as the gambler set bis own clique to work, with orders that half oe - a OO Oe eS Te ; 5 eee ee oo —— = ——o, eee -_ ee tree © eee - should work the mine by day, and half by — ould night, in order that there should be no chance for any one else to gain possession. The old Jew, Nathan Blob, sought out Jean La Force, and made him an offer for the mine, but the wily gambler said ‘‘nay,” and Blob ¢& Co, were te pce disappointed—for it: peared that the sweil really was a partne: f the Jew. Blob accordingly seg ed several men to prospect along the foothills for another good place to sink a drift. During the day Arizona Alf was again in the camp, and ran across Sunflower Sam, who started back with a cry, as though be bad met a ghost. ‘*Dry up, you fool!” the Avenger of Joaquin Muriete breathed, sternly. ‘' Not a word to any one that [ was in that shanty last night!” ‘Upon my esthetic soul, no!” the giant nod- ded. ‘* But how, in the name o’ the seedy sun- flowers o’ Sorrocco, did ye escape?” ‘By an underground tunnel, or passage, which the girl had secretly built. But not a word of this either.” " Depend onme. And the gal—wbhere is she?’ ‘‘ Safe, in a place where an army could not take her, except at her will. Keep this also a secret. To-morrow you will know more, Huw did you escape?” ‘Holy daisies 0’ Damascus! thr’u’ the aerial fluid o’ heaven, to be sure!” the giant grinned, ‘‘Sublime and beautiful was the picture—like a hen-hawk whizzin’ aloft on an autumnal breeze. Ye see, I war jest goin’ to leave the place when the explosion gi’n us a lift—me an’ Jurispru- dence—an’ no gazelle ner toy balloon ever went scootin’ inter the atmospheric ewtberia more gracefully than did I an’ the dorg. An’ when we kim down, right side up wi’ care, no Oscar evyer created a bigger sensation than us es- thetic twins.” Arizona Alf scarcely smiled, but looked the esthete over keenly. ‘See here!” he said, grimly, ** you bave got a large amount of lip for a man whose appear- ance is so rough. bat racket are you up to, anyhow?” The giant grinned. ‘‘T don’t understand you,” he said, “T am simply an esthete. No deception whatever— no deception whatever.” ‘You are something in disguise,” the Aveng- er averred. ‘‘ But mind what I told you—keep mum ubout the fire.” And with this caution be turned away. That day and night passed without further in- cident, But when another morning dawned Freshet Flats was thrown into consternation, the cause of which was a nurober of flaring posters, stuck up in eligible places about the camp, which read as follows: Or¥Fice o# Denver DOLL's AGENTS. PROCLAMATION, To AU Whom Jt May Conce:n :— This is to certify that I, the undersigned, am not dead, but, on the contrary, as live as a living person could well be, surrounded by a company of brave, self-sacrificing fellows, who are willing to avenge a woman's wrongs—the wrongs that you, the people of Freshet Flats, have inflicted upon me, by de- claring me an outlaw and waging war against me as such, Perhaps some do not know the circumstances o the case. Let me explain: . I vambled with Jean La Force and lost, -T bor- rowed money of him and gambled again—he taking a mortgage on my mine, payable in twenty-four hours, with two hours’ grace. I amived with the money one minute after the time was up, but he re- fused to give up the mortgage. This was the first outrage. I was next arrested, charged with obtaining the money by robbery, but I escaped and fled to my shanty, where I was surrounded by'an ugly gang of ruffians, headed by the gambier ruffian, La Force, The shanty was fired, and 1 must have perished but fora secret I chanced to know. Phenix-like, I arose from my ashes, to have revenge. About the stage robbery, I did the job, through desperate need of money to redeem the mortgage. I promised the passengers they should receive back cent for cent, what I borrowed, and so they shall, at any hour there shall be an election of the people who will give me byck my mine and rights—I pay- ing La Force what ] owe him, This is fair, and nv honest person can see it in a different light. Sensible people of Freshet Flats, 1 warn you to consider this carefully. You bave your choice. ' By your choice shall this matter be settled— whether Tshall be your citizen or your scourge— your friend or foe, | am ready to come back and claim my rights, hut if J cannot do so without risk of being strung up ' > com ~ Ebooks.com