Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 378 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

os - = > em « ™m ~~ ~ both in a serious unpleasantness, 7 . * boom, and when he was found out, he was treated according to the code of border justice. Whether it was your fatheror not I do not know. For your sake [ hope not!” “Oh! if it should turn out that it was my pa, I don’t know what | should do. He is all he relative [ wave in the wide world, and to lose him would be sad indeed,” “Very true, Perhaps, after all, it was not your father, but some one of a like name.” ‘‘T am very much afraid it is my peor papa, It is over a year and a half since he left home, and in all that time 1 have never heard from him. This is what causes me to fear that he and the man who was lynched are one and the same person, You say you saw an apparition when approaching this cabin. Will you please describe it to me? “Certainly. It was like a man standing in the doorway. The miners who saw it declared it to be the corpse of John Smith, or else his phantom. It couldn’t have been bis corpse, for when I sprung into the doorway where but @n instant before I had seen the apparition, no- body was there but myself. There is, of course, some infernal mystery about the matter and I mean to find out what it is if possible.” ** Was the apparition that of a Jarge man?” ** Well, no—not exactly, but of a person about five feet six, I should say, and not very heavily built. As near as I could judge, aided by the flashes of lightning, his beard, which was worn full, was of a rather sandy hue, and I should have placed him as being about forty-five years of age,” Tears sprung into Miss Polly Smith’s eyes, and she hid her face in her hands and wept: the description evidently was that of her missing parent. ‘‘It is my father they have killed—ob! sir, it is my poor father, and I am left all alone in the world,” she sobbed. ** Don’t cry, Polly, don’t cry!” cried the par- rot. ‘Poor Polly—pretty Polly. Polly wants a cracker!” but seeing that its appeal was likely to pass unheeded, the bird began to cry and snivel as if its heart was broken. ‘Do not take it so bard, Miss Smith, I beg of you,” Eagle City Ed said, laying his hahd upon her head. ‘‘ Even though it proves true that your father is dead, it is not true that you are alone and friendless, There are many hearts that go out in sympathy for an orphan, and Eagle City Ei is not one of the least of these sympathizers. Our chance meeting has caused me to take an interest in you and your case, and inasmuch as you are alone, liks myself, in strange surroundings, | should consider it an bonor to ba permitted to extend you any pro- tection or assistance that lies within my power. There seams to exist a mystery concerning the cabin and your father’s case, and I propose to. ferret it out, let the cost be whatever it muy. You may be of a great deal of assistance to me, and if you will accept my friendship, I will do all in my power to make it worth your while to do so,” He gazed at Miss Polly so earnestly as to cause her to give him a quick, earnest glance from her tearful eyes; then she dropped her gaze, and a vivid blush suffused her cheek. ‘“*T should be very glad to possess your friend- ship, sir—very glad. I have no acquaintances here—no one in the world except my parrot, I propose to sing here in Slab City, so that I shall = ably not need any pecuniary assistance, ow I will be received and treated by the miners I of course do not know.” ‘| fear none too kindly, and should, as a friend, advise you not to sing. The men of Slab City, ae vrule, are a bad set, and none too likely to treay a young woman like you with civility. You had better give up your inten- tion of appearing, for, although I should make it my point to protect you, it might involv us é If you are in need of pecuniary assistance, I shall be only too glad to assist you.” : ““T could not for a moment think of accept- ing your proffered assistance, sir, while | have it in my power to earn the money. I hope this will not give you offense, but that, on the con- trary, yon will think the better of me because of mv independence, I have sung in various mining-towns quite successfully, and prefer to adopt that as my profession, util it is proven to me beyond the shadow of a doubt that my ‘poor father is really dead. Then, I shall plan for the future as best I can,” ‘* But, Miss Smith, where will you sing, here, | in Slab City? There is no fit place for you to appear in!’ ‘There are saloons, are there not? Although distasteful to me, lam not afraid to appear in * >. ps aE hs a ho —. eS ee —_— — 4 ww Ot A Tae, % a2 ? ¥ % Pit Coal 4 *» ad > ee" « q + 7 a0 q MIEN FASE © = Ora LS aa = —- Se at ea ‘+? pe ~ ~ — oe iw, oe t > i jf* a Nabob Ned. them, as I have done so before. I came to this town to sing. and shall do so.” Bright, clever, and possessed of a will of her own was Miss Polly Smith—a fact which did not fail to impress Eagle City Ed. ; ‘*Very well. Seeing that your resolution is so formed, Miss Smith, I will not seek to change it, but rather, with your permission, will try to assist you. If you appear, it must be for a pecuniary object, and the matter so ar- ranged that your success from the start shall be substantial. Iwill contrive to bill the town for you, and transact any little important items of business for you; and thus I, acting as your agent, you will be less likely to be exposed to insult, as the people of Slab City will begiu to realize by mornivg that Eagle City Ed is not particularly on the ‘skeer,? ”’ ‘Ob! sir, that will be just capital, and Ihave so much to thank you for, in the way of kind- ness! I have been wondering whom I would get to put up some notices forme. And now, if you can but aid me in this way, I shall be nicely fixed for my stay in Stab City, after se- curing hotel accommodations. Or, do you think [ had better put up bere?” ‘*f am not determined about that matter yet, but will hold it subject to further deliberation. One thing is sure: it John Smith proves to have been your father, and we can successfully es- tablish the fact, you will have no need to sing for a livelihood, as the better share of Slab City will rightfully belong to you, and that will comprise a tortune of no mean extent,” CHAPTER VII. MANUFACTURING GHOSTS, Tuus Miss Smith and her new-found advo- cate chatt d,and the hours passed more quickly than eitber surmised, After about au hour’s time the rain somewhat abated, — Curious to know if the watchers were still keeping their vigil, Eagle City Ed concluded to make observations, Above the strong door was an opening, guard- ed by an iron grating, which ventilated the cabin when the door was closed, Mounting the stool, the only piece of furni- ture in the place, Ed was barely able to look through the hole by standing on tiptoes, As he did so, a flash of ligbtning revealed to him some half a dozen men standing where he bad left them, Like heroes they had stood the nelting rain, partly out of curiosity, but mos‘tly through a desire to earn the reward Nabob Ned had offered. ‘Are they still watching?” Polly asked, he ote informed her of the circumstances be- ore. ‘You bet!” Ed laughed, good-naturedly. ‘“They don’t intend to let me out of here before morning; and, more than that, [am not in the least inclined to vamose while I have such un- ghostly society as your lovely self, I mean, however, to have some fun on my own hook.” ‘What are you going to do?” ‘This, The ghostly manifestations around this shebang having suddenly ceased, since we got light on the sutj: ct, I propose to reorganize sauer oe ghostly on my own hook, if possi- e. **Wemay get some bona-fide ones ere long, as I see that the torches are burning low.” ‘*The light will last till nearly morning, I guess, e have been here quite a number of hours already. Now, then, lew’s seo what I can do to create a circus.” Although the cabin lacked for furniture, various Other articles were there, among which he found a keg half-filled with gunpowder. He also made examinations of the floor and walls of the cabin, but could find no part or portion wherein ghosts or bodies could possibly be secreted. Years before, ere circumstances caused him to become a rover throughout the wild West, he had learned his trade in the employ of a prominent Metropolitan manufacturer of pyro- technics, and had not yet forgotten it by any means, Fireworks of ingenious shapes and action he could manufacture out of a little paper and powder, and some of these be now set to work to pnt into shape. _ An ample supply of waste paper was found in the cabin, and as the roof leaked in a num- ber of places, he bad no difficulty in dampening his powder when occasion required. Polly watched him curiously, both puzzled and interested, 6 ‘ . o-! - . % ta» 4 aie wet on iy MA? : 7 an : a? 7 ; 7, 7 ay * apt” Tt . * JY ~ 4 a ae . : be Gi FS FSET - =. es > eee ee tae ee oe fee ae oe ee Se In half an bhour’s time, Eagle City Ed hac reas a dozen varieties of fireworks manufac- tured, He then cast about him as to the best method of giving his exhibition. The chimney was a huge affair, built of mor- tar and stone, and so constructed, probably with a view to the defensive in case of an at- tack as to allow a person to climb up within the chimney to its top. On making this discovery Ed felt jubilant, for it gave him the means of working without leav- ing the cabin. Securing several of the articles he had manu- factured, he ascended the chimney, and set off the pieces in rapid succession, with a result somewhat startling. The pieces bad been manufactured to display as snakes, and the way they went squirming down the roof and side of the cabin from that chimney was a sight which must have caused the miners and roughs a shock of surprise, At any rate they gave yells of astonishment, and several shots were fired, The effect was so near what he had expected that Eagle City Ed concluded to forego the set- ting off of the other pieces and to reconver't them into more powerful snakes, This he lost no time in doing, and out of the powder left succeeded in forming six extra. strong serpents. Then placing the empty keg on the stool, he fixed it so that Polly could lovk out of the ven- tilating window. Ascending the chimney, a flash of lightning gave bim the location of the watcbers. They had approached several yards closer to the cabin, as if impelled by curiosity and doubt. in regard to the fiery serpents. At which Eagle City Ed leughed. “Oh! Dll make you scoot!” he muttered.. **T’ll make vou mosey. in short meter or my name is not Eagle City Ed.” Poising one ot the snakes, he first emptied six chambers of one of his revolvers. into the air above him; then, igniting the fuse to the snake he hurled it out upon the roof of the cabin— then a second, a third, and so on in rapid suc- cession, until the whole six snakes were writh- ing down the walls and shooting away toward the watching miners, whom Polly, on E:l’s de- scending into the cabin, reported to be skurry- ‘ing away, at the best of their speed, with fran- tic vells of terror. ‘Oh! how they did run!” Polly cried, glee- fully, as she sprung lightly down from the perch. ‘They were frightened out of their wits, and 1 guess they won’t get so near to the cabin, again,” ‘*T am not so sure of that,” Ed replied, taking advantage of the perch she had vacated, Reconnoissance through the grated window resulted in no new discovery. The lightning bad abated, and all now was gloom, The watchers might eitber be speeding away to- ward the town, or creeping back toward the cabin. Ed replenished the fire with what little fue? remained, and throwing his coat upon the floor, bade Polly obtain what rest she c. uld, until morning. | Which she declined to do, but insisted upon remaining up and keeping bim company, until they could seek better quarters. Accordingly she tuned up tobe guitar, and ram her fingers over the strings in a manner that proved ber to be no mere novice, Then, in a clear rich voice, she sung several. popular ballads. i Ei had a keen appreciation of music, and now listened to Polly’s really artistic execution in delighted surprise, and when Polly st length laid aside the instrument, be complimented her highly and earnestly. . Again reconnoitering, Ed discovered the gray streaks of dawnin the East. It was, bowever,. still densely dark, in the gulch. ' “T've been thinking,” Ed said, addressing bis pretty protegee, ** that it will be better for you to leave the cabin before daylight, as some of . the townspeople may come to see if I am alive, and finding you bere, in my company, might give rise to remarks, distasteful to you.” ‘‘T have also been thinking of the matter my- self,”’ Polly assented, *‘ and if there is a chance of my leaving, without being seen, 1 presume it would be better to do so, and for me to ap-~ proach the town during the forenoon.” | ‘*Exactly. I will reconnoiter, leaving the cabin by the chimney. If you soon hear six quick knocks on the door, unbar it and let me in. your leaving the cabin.” « That will be a signal that all is safe for ¥ ¥ te Te a “Very well. I hope that you will run inte “a aes) ; j « ‘ , ® ‘ . : O) 0.7 am, aye = " ) hy % y ~~ ’ i \ (a | | J | | | } — ua na > —— ee ee _