Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 296 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

a ~ are : Denver Doll’s Drift. Oe ee Om et eee SS ee —_—a Did you not threaten me—did you bridal altar have my husband s by some unknown assassin?” “No! nol God bear me witness, no!” és ! do not perjure yourself further, I was sa of your guilt—am now—and swore to leave my home forever, and never to recog- ni7s pt as a father of mine, until I have ample proof of your innocence!’ ‘*T can prove my innocence—only kiss your roken-hearted father, my child, and say that ou will give me time to prove how unjust you | know where her stronghold is. I will take you are. ; ; there, and you will have a pleasant home and You have the remainder of your life to ex- | companion until I get ready to leave this place. onerate yourself in. When you prove yourself | Remain quietly here until | return, Do not be iltless, I will receive you with open arms. | alarmed if I should be detained an hour.” ntil then, go your way.” | “Allright. But hurry, please.” It evidently required a great amount of will He kissed her then, and strode away. power to speak as resolutely as she did, but He was not more than out of hearing, when a there was no expression upon her face to show | man stepped from bebind the tree, and con- that anything would cause her to relent. fronted Christie. The o d man bowed his head in silent grief for **’Sh! don’t be alarmed!” he said. ‘I heard a few minutes; then he looked up, and said: you was going to Denver Doll’s retreat, and ‘You are cruel, but perhaps just to your- | wanted to tell you something. After you get self, Will you tell me if [ am on the right way | there, if you can como back and guide me there, to Freshet lats?” I'll give you two thousand dollars. Iam Jean * You are. Why are you going there?” La Force. ‘Sh! now mind, mum’s the word, I It matters not. I have business there. | do not urge you todo it—you may desire to do Good-by, my child!” and with a sob ho hobbled | it for revenge. Then, the cash is yours. Keep on. ; _ | your own counsel, and remember!” Denver Doll arose, and gazed after him until The next instant he was gone, leaving the he was out of sight, as if tempted to call him | Jewess in a state of wonderment. back; then her oath came i tomind—the | ‘‘I will keep my own counsel!” she mused. scene where she knelt at the altar beside her | Arizona may not furn out what be seems; then youthful husband, and she shrunk back. 'Iean take advantago of Jea. La Force's offer. “No! I must not be weak. I neverdreamed | This Denver Doll may be a flame of Arizona’s— of seeing him again, and somehow his faithful | he spoke of her as a very warm friend of his. search for me impresses me more than I can ex- | In that case—well!” not, at the | ‘Our marriage?’ ot down dead oe ‘Yes, love;” and she threw her arms around his neck and bugged him. ‘Well, [should be a brute, if [ wouldn’t!” Arizona exclaimed, ‘ Let me think a moment. bier will be likely to discover your flight.” 2. oF. ‘Well, I have a plan. You have heard of Denver Doll?” **Oh! yes.” ‘* Well, she isa warm friend of mine, and I press. Why goes he to Freshet Flats? Does he | She cid not finish, but a compression of the expect to prove his innocence there? Ue is my | Ips showed that the venom of jealousy had father, and there are many pitfalls in Freshet airehas gained root in her heart. Flats. I can but feel a daughter’s interest in Arizona soon came back, leading two horses. his welfare, and will keep a watch thas ‘e is ‘We're all right!” he signified. ‘*Mount not harmed. Perhaps he may be innocent after now, and let’s be off.” | | all! Whocan say? And tears actually filled the flashing eyes. A few hours after Arizona and bis bride pros- pective were leaving the camp, Nathan Blob was sitting alone in his office, which was built adjoining his residence, when the door opened, THat day passed, without any further inci- and the sesthetic giant, Sunflower Sam, entered, dent, worthy of special mention, and night once ‘Howdy do, Nathan? he saluted, familiarly, more fell over the rude little mining-camp of | closing the door, and helping himself to a chair. Freshet Flats. | ‘* Nice weather we're havin’.” Early in the evening, as he sat in the office of | ‘‘Ish dot so?’ the old Jew grunted, with a the shanty hotel, a boy entered, and handed | Stony stare, “I vas not aware off dot fact Arizona a letter, and hastily departed. _ ondil you dells me.” ; An eager flush mounted the Avenger’scheeks, | “‘Eh? ye wasn’t? Darn me, what kind of a and he tore open the onvelope, after giving a | ™an aire you?” ab hasty glance at the chirography upon it. ‘‘ A shendlemans, sir! CHAPTER X. A FLIGHT, A MURDER, AND AN ADVENT. The letter was in a woman’s graceful hand, Sam burst into a terrific guffaw, and fairly and ran as follows: shook with laughter, until the windows rattled. ‘Dear MR. ARIZONA:— ‘““Why, thunderation, Nat, how long ye bin “Your affectionate note just received, and read affected wi’ that disease?” | with feelings of grateful pleasure—that, too, when ‘ All mine life, sir. Who you vas und vat you I find myself in dire trouble, which I will explain, | want?’ when we meet. In answer to your declaration of | ‘* Phew! don’t know me?” rp wa for me, I mi son a say that my. admira- ‘‘ No, sir.” on for you surpasses ave ever cherished for anBarnt sstheti ) , ane hake pb man. I positively despise the man, Snap; a Don’t reckernise the sesthetic cut o’ my but, if you will meet me, as soon as you get this, at | MUB‘ ‘Py tam, I never see you!” the big cottonwood tree on the bank of the creek, I ads, ‘Git eout! Why, I know you. you much more, and something import- As fer me, I ant, too. Yours, faithfully, am known as Sunflower Sam, the second Wilde Curistiz.” | Oscar, Had another name once, I’m an @s- Arizona put the letter in his pocket, his eyes | thete!” ‘* Vot ish dot?” ‘Well, it’s half way betwixt a what-is-it, and a polar bar, wi’ a little giraffe mixed in. Reck- ernise yer own fotygraff?” ‘“You ish von pig fool. Tell me vot you vont, und get right away oud, gwick, or I drow you down der steps.” vet. The old Jew was evidently getting his ire aroused, but it apparently did not concern the ssthete, for he chuckled, good-naturedly. “Well, Pl tell you!” hesaid. ‘ Ther primeval cause 0’ my wisit, Natty, dear, is for the unseru- pulous purpose of gathering in some root-of-evil —otherwise swag—alias movey. Presuming that you would know me, I ventured tew rumi- nate thet yeou would be glad tew pan ouf, on the account of old scores.” ‘Old scores! Vot der Satans you means? You vas a lunatic. I neffer knows you in mine life, so help me.” ‘““Waal, p’r’aps ye don’t reckernise me. [ uster live in Denver, an’ was known by the name o’ Pea-knuckle Pete, from the fact that I uster play the game often.” s“ Vell, vot of dot? I neffer heard off you. “Yes, and I just packed up a few things and | Vy should I pay you monish?’ : hereLam. I will not marry Snap. Ill fly to . as because et will be to yer interest to the further end of the earth, first. After re-| doso, I hold an important secret of yours. It ceiving your kind letter, I felt that perhaps you is the death-bed ession of a man yer once could protect me, until—until—-” made yer tool!” sparkling with satisfaction. ‘ ‘She is my ideal of womanhood,” he mused. ‘Why shouldn’t [ keep up this intimacy and marry her?’ He left the hotel, and strode with elastic step across the Flats to the great tree, that stood upon the shore of the roaring creek, Christie was there, seated upon a bowlder, under the dark shadows of the overhanging branches, and gave a glad cry, as he approached, ‘Tam so glad you came!” she said, impetu- ously. ‘‘Do you see that?’ and she pointed to a neatly-wrapped bundle, lying upon the ground. ; “Yes. What is it?” - “The best of my worldly effects done up, reney for a journey!” ‘“* A journey?’ , “Yes. Iam going to leave home,’ ‘* What for?” *“Necessity compels me. I overheard a plot between my father and Snap, to.lock me up In a room, and keep me on bread and water, until J consented to marry the latter.” ‘* The devil!” eevee ee ee me ad et eee “You lie!” Blob leaping to his feet. ‘‘ You ish an imboster, who tries for to sheat me mit mine monish oud.” ‘‘Nary atime, sheeny! Shall I go on and tell ye a leetle story, all about—” | ‘‘Sdop! sdop!” the Jew oars turning pale. ‘‘ Der vos no need of dot. Vot you vant to keep your mouth shut?’ ‘* Spondulics, on course. sesthetic culture, wi’ a view o’ goin’ on ther stage—me an’ my dorg, Jurisprudence. So et needs shavin’s to eddicate us. Then, too, thar’s another party in the field, who’s on the scent, rel a sg pay well fer what tongue I’ve got. Vv “YT understand vot you mean. Vila t/ousand dollar do you?” ‘ Well, I reckon that might answer for about a month. Don’t wanter be bard on yew at first, ’ca’se et’s a poor bank as suspends at ther first run, So shell out.” Without a word, the Jew took a plethoric wad of bills from his pocket and counted out the de- sired sum. ‘* There you vas,” he said. ‘ Now I shall eg- spect dot you vil keeb your mouth shut.” ‘‘Closer than the jaws o’ a steel-trap,” the giant grinned, arising. ‘* Guess [ will go now, an’ skirmish for my side pardner, Jurisprudence, Wuss’n a billy goat, that hoss. Eats tin cans, pick-axes, an’ anything that’s digestible, in the shape ©’ food.” Then, with another smile that even Oscar Wilde must have pronounced sublime, the giant took his departure. Nathan b ward, a greenish glitter in his eyes. ‘‘ Dot man vas dangerous,” be muttered, “If he vas found deadt, no one knows who kills him,” Seizing a piece of paper he hastily wrote several words upon it, and put itin his pocket; then, armed with a knife, he glided out, It was now deep dusk, but a short distance — Ye see, I’m studyin’ away be distinguished a man’s figure moving toward the business portion of the town, Like asleuth the Jew was at once in pursuit, the wind and the rush and roar of the creek wholly silencing bis footsteps. The nearer he approached his victim, the denser seemed to grow the night mist, so that even when he raised the murderous knife to strike the fatal blow, hecould barely distinguish the form in front of him. A quick uplifting of bis arm, a dull thad; then, without a groan, the victim staggered and fell forward upon bis face. “There! dot settles you!” the Jew : kneeling beside his victim. ‘Ouch! Oh, mine Got! I have made a pig mistake. As I liff, it ish Snap! Holy Moses! vot vilI do? I haff proken my own nose. Snap! Snap! Open your eyes, you fool, und dells me you vasn’t hurt at all!” But Snap was past all recall, and Nathan Blob was a wurderer. He knelt there for some minutes, nearly dumfounded by the terrible mistake he bad made, ‘‘1t vas too bad,” be muttered, at last. “I neffer haff no more chance to make money off from poor Snap. Oh! vell, such vas life. I must leaf him here und let him pe found, I vil fix dis paper on him, und fix der crime on dot Arizona sharp!” From bis pocket he took the paper be bad in- dited at the office, and pinned it upon the breast of the dead man. ; | The message was; ** Revenge is sweet! * “ARIZONA ALF, J in’s Av " Aur, Joaquin's Avenger, “Dot vil fix bim so he flirt mit Christie no more!” the old wretch muttered, as he skurried away. From off a rocky gulch there branched a deep, dark ravine, barely wide enough to admit of the passage of two horses abreast. The walls arose perpendicularly to a great hight, and from this fissure poured a noisy brook. Probably not one bunter or prospector in a score would have thought of wading up the stream into this forbidding ravine: yet had they done so they would, eventually, have debouched into a little mountain-locked pecket, the bottom of which covered about an acre’s area. Here were a number of skin lodges of commo- dious size and aboriginal decoration, It had evidently, some time in the past, been an Indian encampment, but was now the ren- dezvous of Denver Doll and her road agents, and a retreat better adapted to their life could hard- ly have been found. There were both grass and water for their lob sat in his chair an instant after-— cComicbooks + 4 CW m