Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 42 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

5 a o 12 Beadle’s .Half-Dime Library. month ago. So you see that a are not holding on- | arrested, once, out in Mishigan, fer drivin’ ther edi- | She accosted me to-day, and we had a long talk. to the trump card, as you imagine.” tor uv a political paper crazy wi’ campaign poetry. | She knows all about our business here, and Cambre’s ‘*The devil!’’ No. 2 ejaculated; ‘* but I do not be- lieve this trash. I have a test at my retreat, that will bring out the truth of the matter. Come; rise to your feet, and march along before me. No funny — ness, now, or I'll put you out of your misery, in style!” ‘ ‘Well, I suppose there is no help for it,’’ Harris growled, rising to his feet. ‘“‘ Whither away, you cuss?”’ “Straight ahead, up the guich. Turn only on or- der, and attempt to draw no weapon, and all will be — Forward!”’ -Hot stalked off, biting savagely at his lip, while No. 2 followed closely behind, keeping hold of the lasso with one hand, and grasping revolver in the other. Bound was he that the boss ker-player should not escape him, if vigilance could prevent it. The march was a long and tiresome one, They left the gulch a mile above the Bonanza mine, strik- ing. a defile much narrower and more totuous which ae Detling into the mountains. All around were steep crags, ya chasms and dizzy declivities; and over the Caecatcnen a dense pine for- est cast its shadows. Day dawned, and tinged the peaks rosy red; still the tramp continued, nor did it end until noon, when they entered a mountain cave, far above the level of the western plains. There was only one apartment to it, and this was rudely furnished with rough stools, a table, and sev- eral piles of skins, sho that it had some day been tenanted by a hunter or trapper. Indeed, one of this ies of individuals sat before the fire now, engaged in roasting some bits of venison—a tough, blear-eyed, villainous-looking man, of five-and-forty, in whose face the word “cutthroat” was p y written. “Here we are, at last!’’ the bogus Deadwood Dick cried, as they entered the cave. ** Wake up, Cork and disarm this fellow, and bind him. He is the b I have been planning to — ge “Eh! ish dot der poy?’’ Corkus forward and scrutinizing Red-Hot, critically. dot Deadtwoot Dick?’’ “‘The same notorious reprobate!”’ No, 2 laughed, tauntingly. ‘‘The amiable gentleman I have been pe to counterfeit.” — ‘You're a liar!’ replied Red-Hot, as hotly as his name might have implied, *‘and if you'll give memy freedom, I can lick thunder out of both of you in less time than it takes to say Eureka! aie ed off one conceited lark last night, and ain't afraid to try you a whirl.”’ ‘**No, I thank you!”’ No, 2 replied, with a sarcastic smile. ‘‘I am not risking any thing when matters in my hands are sure. I'll soon show you that I let things mature before I strike.” Corkus deprived Red-Hot of all the weapons on his pesecn, and pushed him wer into a corner where here were plenty of skins to te gee This done, he and No. 2 re to the portion of the cave where the fire was burning, leaving the un- lucky poker-player to his reflections. In the Bonanza mine great excitement prevailed on the discovery that Leone and her babe, and Nell Brandon, were missing from the tent. Only two sur- mises could be made concerning their absence— either they had become frightened and fled in ter- ror to get out of the pam of the nee or else they had been captured by some of ruffians, and spirited away. is seemed the more — and search was immediately made in the which resulted in the ee by Little Alf an Avalanche, of Nelly Brandon, lying insensible, not far from the camp. An ugly cut upon her forehead, over the temple, had evidently caused her uncon- se Grese hani-bo thet paralyzed the larn ‘** Grea -bone the e uv old Joner!’’ the Annihilator ejaculated, cking the ang pn from the ae —_ . it —— y towardcamp. “ settles ther question, as ther oyster shell sed w’en it went down ther Irishman throat. Mrs. Leone an’ ther Pecan hes encoun- tered a condemned snow-starm o’ d ty, an’ bin wafted away on sum boreal breeze.”’ ““Et looks kinder thet way,”’ replied Alf, dubious- ly. ‘‘Mebbe thes gal ken give us an ijee on ther subject, as soon as she returns from thet *** Distant hemisphear From which no man returneth.’ ‘* Ef the leetle woman’s run off with, here’s what’s goin’ ter search for her.” ‘‘Hayr, too, I’m tellin’ ye!’ replied Avalanche. ‘“* Deadwood Dick shen’t never say thet ther cavortin’ old devastatin’ disease o’ these lattytudes, didn’t act levil wi’ him an’ his’n. Why, thet desarted wife o’ his’n is sweeter than all ther molasses an’ we oe in ther hull world! Never see’d only one swee female, an’ thet waz Wild Edna. She war actooally so sweet that the honey on her lips would form into shugger crusts, and she'd trade et for balls an’ pow- der, at ther fort.” Water was dashed into Nelly’s face, and her hands gently chafed, but it was some time ere she recover- ed consciousness sufficiently to tell what had occur- red. She seemed dazed and bewildered, but a swal- low of liquor from Keno’s flask seemed to right her y oops and she glanced around her with a shud- er. * Are they gone?”’ she gasped. ** Bet fe—gone Ww ther whang-doodle twineth an’ the woodbine— .- “There |’? don’t quote enny more rimes, please!” wled Avalanche, in egy if you en't do it skientific. Thar war my brother, heaigher —durnedest coon fer poetry ye eversee’d. Hed him replied, coming: theally. “Vas Anuther time, he prevented an Injun attack at Laramie, by ridin’ out an’ readin’ an everlastin’ strin’ o’ poetry about the muses, to the Injuns. Eh? miss; no, thar ain’t a live outlaw prisent, ’cept w’at’s layin’ around dead.. Whar’s Mrs. Leone?”’ ‘Oh! she’s gone! she’s gone!” Nelly cried, burst- ing into tears. ‘‘We ran out of the tent to escape the danger of being cut down by the bullets, and two men saw and followed us.. One man snatched the babe from her arms, and fled. She ran scream- ing in pursuit, and I would have followed her, only that the other man struck me, and I knew no more.” “Then, thar’s bizness fer ther great firm 0’ Ava- lanche, Goat and Mare, hullsale Injun Annihilators!”’ declared the old man, fiercely. ‘* We three ken find that innercent baby ef enny mortal can. When all ther masheenery o’ ther acchievements gits inter mo- tion, I tell ye there’s bound ter be a rupture sumw’ar erlong ther ecrater.”’ “Oh! sir, I fear you cannot find her,” sobbed Nelly, piteously. ‘“‘Those men may have omence her away and murdered her. I believe it was Carlos Cambre’s intention to do so.” ‘“Wall, we'll hope fer ther best,’’ the Annihilator said, soberly. ‘ We'll wait till daylight, and then en- deavor to startup a trail.” The rest of the miners now came flocking irregu- larly into camp, with the report that there was no one alive within the basin except themselves, nor any signs of the missing Leone and her child. ch forced the conclusion that she had been oe off by the two ruffians, to imprisonment or eath. Under the cover of darkness graves were dug, and the dead outlaws and miners were consigned to their last resting-places. After this duty was performed, the miners all athered around the en me ety and waited for day- light—sleep was not thought of after the excitement Morning came, at last, with a cold, drizzly Novem- ber rain, which in this region is about all the winter that the inhabitants experience. After the morning meal Avalanche saddled Pru- dence Cordelia, an ose apis for his de re. Noisy Nell having concluded to go back to her post in the eae tee was comfortably mounted upon the old mare, the Annihilator having volunteered to give her passage as far as Eureka, where he and Little = pro to go first, having left the mine in eno’s c ‘ Cathie, the discarded wife of Fordyce lford; was very much discouraged after she found that she was powerless to do anything on account of the theft of her proof-papers. ith Bolton, her lawyer, she still retained apartments at the Flag of Truce, hard- ly knowing what she was waiting for, now that her hopes and intentions had all been dashed by the treachery of Cambre. Still, she was a persevering woman, and was a not to give up while a chance re- m Bolton had met her in San Francisco, and becom- ing interested in her case, had volunteered to hel her prosecute it, he having been promised a libera fee, should she succeed in obtaining her rights. They had first gone East, and procured such evi- dence as they were able, after which they had po nrge Graylford to Deadwood, and then to Eu- reka. Cathie’s only eee tae in the discovery of a lost son. If shecould and enlist him in her cause, he could, on Graylford’s death, claim every cent’s worth of the prope : But lost son was not so easily found. He, too, had been traced to Deadwood, but on their ar- rival there, they found that he had lately emigrated to 3 den unknown. e day after the battle at Deadwood Dick’s Bon- anza, Bolton rushed into Cathie’s room, pell-mell, like some overjoyed esti 6 ‘** Good news, so cheer up!”’ he cried, dropping his beaver, and seating himself, with a ess-like cross of the lower extremities. ‘‘ Deadwood Dick, or Ned Harris, is here in Eureka!” Cathie looked up, a hopeful, anxious expression upon her face. ‘* Really, truly?’’ she demanded, as if she doubted the fact. “Are you sure?” ‘* Yes, [am sure. There are evidently two Dead- wood Dicks, according to all report, and then there is another fellow, who calls himself Red-Hot Harris, who looks as much like your notorious son as your- self, and you very much resemble him.” Yes, but which of these three is my son?”’ ‘*Ah! that’s the stick. No one seems to know which is genuine. But I shall keep watch, and en- deavor to find out.”’ **T have a little more hope, then. But, did you hear from Fordyce?”’ ‘Yes. Heis no better. The man in atten who pretends to have an extended knowledge 0 surgery, says that he cannot live the week out. His wounds and old age cannot but use him ot “Poor man,” Cathie said, wiping away the that had risen to her eyes. “But that he would curse me, I would go to him. Ah! that we had never ed! But he was so miserly and cruel, that I believed life with him would be an endless torture."’ ‘It will be necessary,” the attorney said, gravely, “for you to go and see him before he dies. Cog he might be to conciliate. I will keep in- formed of his condition, and take you at the right time. In the meantime, I have work on hand. here — Carlos Cambre, it appears, has a wife living Eureka, who is in the detective business, having the harness on her own back, when her father theft of the documents, which keep us from - ing. We are going to attempt to break into his room to-night, and them.”’ ““Oh! God grant that you may be successful, sir,” the lady muttered, as Bolton took his hat and arose to os ene “If nothing happens we shall get them, unless he happens to have them concealed on his person, which we doubt,”’ he said, retiring with a bow. That evening about the hour Cambre was supposed to be at supper, Bolton met Martha near the Man- Trap saloon, and they hurried away. Cambre had rooms in a lodging-house at the fur- ther side of the a and got his meals at a restau- rant some distance from his rooms, so that the plan of the two promised to be successful, if they could only find the villain out. When in sight of the lodging-house, Martha left Bolton, and went to see if the ex-lieutenant was at a neighboring restaurant, where she hoped to find him. She soon returned to the attorney with the an- nouncement that he was there, drinking with a half dozen of Deadwood Dick’s old band, who had just arrived on the evening stage. ‘*Now, come on, and the papers are ours!” she said. “Ihave a duplicate key of the room, filed to fit from an impression. Get your revolvers in readi- ness, and follow me.”’ They hurried up the street, and entered the build- ing, ascending a of stairs to the second floor. It was a general lodging-house, and no one of the two or three persons encountered noticed them. Martha led the way to Cambre’s room, and for pre- caution, knocked upon the door; and there was a@ halloa from within! CHAPTER XIV. AN ASTONISHING DISCOVERY—THE GIRL ROAD-AGENT. Rep-Hor Harris was left lying in one corner of the cave, and was not again molested during the day. Corkus on ht him a Ae 3 venison = acu ts water, at dark upon whic appease appe which had been keenly aroused by his long tramp. f A short while after, Deadwood Dick No. 2 came, and seated himself near the prisoner, as if for a talk. He was still attired in the jetty suit of buck-skin, with gloves, hat and mask to match, which made him such a clever imitation of the genuine Ned Har- ris. ‘Well?’ Red-Hot interrogated, an , Manag- ing S raise himself upon elbow, oe OF do you want.”’ ' rt td hss — a ne bs! ¢ racer ee the | or- er a strange nse —* what Well, Ts t tired of t ng to old Cor- kus, and thought I’d come and let you amuse me. I am sometimes weary of the old ‘tch’s stories.”” ‘* Well, I am sorry to say you've clumb the wro tree, for amusement!’ Red-Hot replied. ‘“‘I am no in much of a mood for conversation.”’ “Oh! you ain’t? But I reckon you will become interested, by and by. Do you know what I have me ou here for, sir?’’ “No; Lam sorry to say that I hav’n’t the slight- est eee sir road-agent.”’ “Well, then, I will tell you. Deadwood Di when you left your wife, and came here, I foun our wife was about to follow; sol came also. My eart was filled with bitterness, which gradually dis- sipated into resolve. I have lately found that she is the mother of a chil rs as well as hers: and this discovery caused a definite plan of attack you. Ned Harris, you will find that you have one to deal with, who fight out this duel—yes, exter- in th that is human, to at- tain my object.” ‘*Humph!” Red-Hot drawled, coolly. “TI do wish, if you must talk, that you would say some- thing more interesting tome. I don’t care not about your quarrel with this notorious Deadw Dick, nor your contemplated reven If you know party about poker or ‘keno, I shall be pleased to hear from you.” No. 2 evidently would have been relieved if he could have given vent to a round oath; but for some reason he withheld it. The cool indifference of this boss poker-player, was extremely provoking, and conducive to feelings of an unpleasant nature. ‘* Hang the poker,” he growled. “What I want is for you to acknowledge that you are w Dick, and then I will surprise you.” “You'll wait till your teeth decay, ’'m thinkin’, before J shall fe ee syne of the kind!’ retorted Red-Hot. ‘“ Did I not tell you that Dead- ‘Yes; but you lied.” “Did I? No, I think not. Deadwood Dick is dead; Edward Harris lives /” “ Ah! I see,’ No. 2 said, comprehendingly; “ and you are Edward Harris.” “Tam!” was the reply. “Then why this ‘attempt at deception—this Red- a Bere asi ‘ seltow call “The name was suggested caring © ellow me a red-hot customer to Heal with, en 1 left the Hills, I dropped the name of Deadwood Dick—buried it as we bury the dead, intending never to use it again. But t find that to be an impossibility. I came here as Harris, and = he er pe me, and I braved them down. Then I ved off the hair that od ey n my face, and reappeared as Red- Hot Harris. e eatin Considerable i , ‘brass,’ was su ; ess the Eurekaites are codvinced, that I am Red-Hot ! ** Probably. the eyes of love are uninterested I knew you were Deadwood Dick— andes to deceive than those of curiosity-seekers.”’ EGOmileGooo (G