Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 388 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

2 _— + - . —- en Svoor Fabriang quietly, with the purpose of leading him on, ‘*You’d make up yer mind to that jest to look at it. Tbe one street it’s built on was laid out, they do say, by a cock-eyed surveyo. when he was half sho:; an’ be made large allowances fur sich times as he should be clean flummuxed. It makes a sober man dizzy to walk the length of it; but when ye’re blind—when ye’re par- alyzed—when ver foot is on yer native heath, an’ yer name is O'Tool!—then, sir, ye kin tack about in that thar street, an’ jest be surprised to see how every kink an’ corner has been cal- culated, so’s't yer natural swing will dove-tail in.” **And the people are as remarkable as their town,” “They ain’t noways slow, stranger! Ye hyear me?” ‘‘The marshal seems to be the right man in the right place,” ‘Waal, now, ain’t he?” ‘Tt is he, I am told, who, in the speech with which be accepted his election, declared that as long as he held the office he was determined to have.a quiet camp or a quiet graveyard,” ‘*'Phat’s Jake, every time!” ‘*But is be not in constant danger of being assassinated by the men he wars against?” ““Kif they are smarter than he is! When he’s awake, he calculates to keep bis eye skinned; an’ he sleeps in a reg’lar fort.” **A fort?’ ‘*A shanty built o’ planks too thick to be bored by a pistol-ball. Whar’d he be ef they could plug him jest when they wanted to?” ‘* He must be a man of nerve,” “Nervy? Jake? Waal, he’s about as tough as they make ’em! ' The boys don’t stand him off none, you bet!” The Spaniard made no direct reply to this, and the stage-driver went on: ‘* He’s workin’ up a case jest now that has stumped all his predecessors in office,” ** Some mysterious murder?” **Ob, no! Nobody never troubles themselves about nothin’ o’ that kind,” ‘What then is of sufficient interest to engage the special attention of your marshal?” ‘**'Tbar’s a fly gent in these hyar parts that goes by the name 0’ Don Carlos. He levies toll on coaches, an’ paints a camp fire-red once in a while, when be wants a leetle fun an’ amuse- ment, The boys don’t mind a reasonable amount 0’ this sort o’ thing. It takes the place o’ passin’ ’round the sasser at meetin’. But when he comes to stealin’ hosses an’ knockin’ bumans in the head, why, you’ve got to draw the line 30mewhars.” ‘*T should think that about time!” smiled the Spaniard. ‘* Waal, he jest laughed at the small-pertaters o’ marshals that has tried to buck ag’in’ him so fur; so it’s a matter o’ pride with Jake to make him come down,” **T should be glad to have you put,mein the way of seeing this marshal as soon as we’ reach the camp.” Con turned his bead sharply. ‘* Got somethin’ in his line?” “* A little private business.” ‘Oh! Exactly! It’s none o’ my business, to be sure. Vil—” ‘*[ did not mean that you should take my words in that offensive way.” ‘*Oh, it’s all right, boss. I ain’t inquisitive. It'll do me proud to put you on to Probst,” ‘*T am obliged io you,” * Don’t mention it, ef you please!” But at this moment came an unexpected in- |, terruption., A horseman appeared in the road on ahead, drawn to the side so as to leave the way unob- “sa it yet bolding something up in his jAaad, ‘*‘ What is that?’ asked the Spaniard. ‘* You git me,” answered Con. ‘** He seems to wish the coach to stop.” ‘* That thar ain’t an uncommon wish in this hyar section,” ‘* You don’t mean to say—” ‘*I do mean to say that it may be a new dodge, jest as like as not, They’re always up to somethin’,” és They q” ‘** The gents o’ the road,” ‘* But this man seems to be holding out some- thing to give you; and there is no display of arms.” ** All the same, he may expect to git a thun- derin’ sight more than he gives.” ‘Shall you stop, and see what he wants?” “Waal, that’s jest as you say. I allow thar won't be nothin’ lost by pullin’ up. Ye see, ef 1 ‘ttle Oh-my. —d he wants us he’ll find a way to fetch us to his way 0’ thinkin’, anyhow.” ‘* Then I vote that we stop.” ‘* You’ll obsarve one thing,” ** W bat’s that?” ‘That he has a right smart chance o’ hair on his mug.” ‘* There’s nothing strange in that.” “Waal, no; but it makes a mighty clever disguise, ef a man bas a notion that way.” ** Nevertheless, let us see what he wants,” 4 ‘Hallo, pardner!—what’s the row?’ asked on, The stranger made no reply in words; but as the stage drew up he held out what in the gathering gloom appeared to be a piece of white paper. Con took it from his hand; and before any one could interpose further, bis horse leaped forward as if he had felt the spur. Headed in the direction from which the coach had come, he was rapidly disappearing, when the Spaniard cried: ‘“Halt! We want to know sometbing more of you!” The man looked over his shoulder, but did not draw rein, “Halt!” cried the Spaniard again, leveling a revolver menacingly at him, The man bent forward until he rested on his borse’s neck, and plied the spur vigorously. “His bebavior is certainly strange,” said Senor Fabriano, refraining from firing, and re- turning his weapon to its place of concealment, *“ Let us see what is in his missive; for it seems fo be a communication of some sort.” ‘*'You’re welcome to what you kin make of it,” said Con, whose curiosity was modified by the consciousness that the ‘‘ gents of the road ” show stage-drivers every consideration. ‘*Tt don’t stan’ ‘em in hand to kill the goose that lays the golden égg!”—i. e., to frighten off the men who fetch them their booty. Senor Fabriano took the scrap of paper, and held it before the coach lamp. On it was traced in scragg!v characters: “Look out for Don Carlos. He’s layin’ fur you in the last holler after you make the grade. ‘‘ A FRIEND IN NEED.” ‘* Well?” asked the Spaniard, when he had read this aloud. Con laughed. ‘* You enn’t make nothin’ out o’ them chaps,” he declared, ‘‘Jest as like as not, he’s on the fu’st raise this side o’ the grade.” ‘* Shall you go on?” “You bet J’m goin’ on! This byar stage runs on time, ur bu’sts ber swivgletrees!” TS toe the inside passengers ought to be warn- ed, ** You kin do that ef you're a mind to.” ‘* If you please!” The Spaniard Jeaned over to rap on the coach door; but at this moment a head was thrust out, and a voice asked: ‘*What’s all this byar funny business? Who was that thar galoot, an’ what did he want?” Senor Fabriano handed down the missive, ‘“* Here isa warning that be was kind enough to leave us. What is to be done about it?’ The note was perused, calling forth various comments. A woman’s voice expressed her terror, and urged that the coach be at once turned about. A man—the one who had ‘thrust forth his head—swore roundl Oregon couldn’t make bim “turn tail,” One tremulously asked for information re- specting the famous outlaw. Another expressed the opinion that the evil tie the result of cowardice on tke part of trav- elers, ‘* How can one or two men demoralize a whole coachful, when they are as well armed as their assailants?” be asked. ‘A little manly resist- ance would put this thing down.. I move that we go on, and try to give as good as we get,” ‘* But it is to be remembered that this fellow has balf a dozen at his back.” ‘* And that there are a half-dozen of us.” The matter being put te’ a vote, the timid ones were shamed into silence, and the coach went on. Although they held their weapons in readi- ness for a surpri-e, nothing happened until they came to the hollow where they had been warn- ed to expect the road-agent. There they beard the well-known challenge: ‘Halt! Throw up your hands?’ PLOTTING IN THE DARK. *Arst! We'll be spotted!” CHAPTER II. **In this devil’s-delight of a night? You must that all the road-agents in we think that these Americanos have eyes like cats, to see in the dark.” ‘* But your eternal cuoin-music can be heardas far in the dark as—” ‘*1f you yourself were not so fond of your own elogience, my Rubio, you would hear that some one is coming.”’ Silence fell between the speakers, and a man could be heard plodding with an unsteady step through the darkness. As he passed, the man whose voice had be- trayed his Spanish extraction thrust out his foot. The pedestrian stumbled over it, very nearly falling to the grouna, He growled out a wrathful oath, and reeled on, unsuspicious that the obstacle bad been put in his path by design. ‘*That stougbtonbottle came near falling over you, didn’t be?’ asked the man who had been addressed as Rubio. ‘* I tripped him purposely,” was the cool re- pry. ‘The deuce you did! What was that for?” ‘*T wanted to hear his voice.” “You have a queer taste, if you take such risks to bear such music,” ‘*] suppose if you had wanted to know who be was, vou would bave hailed -bim, and de- manded his neme and lineage!” ‘“‘H’m! Waal, that’s one way of gittin’ at it, I snppose you found out?” ‘*| learned that be wasn’t the man we are after. That is all 1 wanted to know,” Rube Martin saw the point, and did not think 44 profitable to follow the discussicn any fur- ther, ‘“They’re cuttin’ up bigh Dutch in that ranch,” he observed, after they had listened for a moment to the sounds of revelry proceeding from a neighboring dance-house, ‘TT reckon your young light-beels will furgit that we’re Waitin’ out pyar in the mud. Suppose wesneak up a leetle, nigher, an’ see ef we can’t git the wink to him.” “Be wary! It may put the dogs on the scent if Iam seen about here.” They crept cautiously forward, vigilant of eye and ear, until they could peer into a win- dow of the dance-house. The reflected light faintly illuminated their countenances, and discovered ‘as sinister a pair of physiognomies as one need wish to run across in a dark nigbt. One was the swartby face, delicate in feature, of a Spanish-Mexican, It bespoke for its owner unmitigated selfishness and cruelty. Its ex- pression was a ferocious eagerness which sug- gested the idea of a human beast of prey, The other was a low-grade face of indeter- minate nationality, such as appears in this country of mixed peoples. “Thar he is!” eried its owner, throuzh the window, ‘“Where?—where?”’ asked Senor Voalanquez, enger!y following the direction of his com- panion’s finger. “In the very middle of the room, cuttin’ a igeon’s-wing with the gal herself. Mvy eve! ut she’sa hummer! Jest look at that, if you please!” The Spaniard saw a couple of dancers who had attracted totbhemselves tbe admiration of the whole room, They were both dressed in Mexican costume, the lady’s short skirts and tight bodice showing off her slight yet exquis- itely rounded figure to charming advantage, Although ber complexion was olive, the rich blood mantling through it gave her a flower- like beauty. There was not a trace of tropical languor about her, She was the embodiment of vivacity. Her eyes sparkled, her teeth gleamed, her whole face seemed to speak the’ enjoyment of the moment. When discovered, she was pirouetting with an airy grace, trailing a gay scarf through the air so that it formed a spiral about ber rapidly- whirling body. Her partner was one of her own nationality, his close-fitting dress displaying a_ finely-de- veloped physique. But there was that in his face which made the bebolder hope that the girl stood in no intimate relation to him. ‘* Andres?—yes,” mattered Senor Valanquez. ‘*But where is Rafaelle?” ** Over yonder in the corner, playin’ into our hands as nicely as if he was standin’ in with us! Ha! ha! he looks like a bear suckin’ a sore aw.” ‘* He’d better make the most of his opportuni- ty. It’s the last time he’ll have a chance to how bis jealousy of the little coquette!” snarled Senor Valanquez, with a wolfish cur! of his lip. pointing ° > bs , ‘ j all » Ae ren i” 7 ; Ck oma Tt 3 Q KS.(C 4 - =) a f yi 1 r=” } — va tl = .