Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 42 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

od arris started, and gazed keenly at the apeaker ee a wrinkle disfiguring the placidity of his fore : ‘What do you mean?” he demanded, suspiciously. ** By heaven! can it be you, Leone, in disguise?” There was a bitter little laugh of sarcasm; then the answer: ‘No, not Leone; she would have more leniency on you than I shall have. Wait a moment, and you shall see whom you have to expect mercy from?”’ Saying which, No. 2 arose and glided away into the darkess of the cave. It was some ten minutes later when a slight, girlish figure reappeared and stood before the ex-road-agent; and he started vio- lently, and uttered an exclamation of astonishment. ‘*My God! is that you, Hdith Sione ?” ‘Yes, itis I, Ned rris—the girl who loved and still worships you—the girl who has schemed for many long days, and now has you in her power. Dick,’ and the beautiful girl-woman came closer, “you are mine now, forever. In this mountain cave you must spend the rest of your days with “My heaven! I thought you were dead—drowned in the rigs geese, girl,’ Deaneeot. Dick replied, gazing at her, wonderingly. ‘‘ But, ins see you before me, as foolishly and ae neat blind as you were before.”’ ‘No, not hopelessly, Dick. You are mine, now, beyond all other claim—mine, forever. I don’t sup- pose you will become reconciled to your lot, for a while, but I can ‘ bring you to red oats,’ as the ex- ression goes. If love and fe e persuasion won't 0 it, force will!” ‘“*Ah! you are comb force with infatuation, eh?’’ Dick said, slowly. ‘“* You seem to be consider- ably below what I’d estimated you to be. What force could you use, that you for one moment im- agine would make Deadwood Dick yield—give up his meno his manhood, to lead a doubt life with you bb] ‘It need not be doubtful; you could take me East and marry me. As to the force,1 shall soon come into possession of your infant son. You shall then Swear, by all you hold sacred, that you will marry me, or Corkus shall cut the brat’s throat from ear to ear, right in your presence. How like you the pic- ture, Ned Harris?’ “T cannot say that I particularly admire it!” Dick replied, in his way. “Neither do I believe I have any cause to fear in that direction."’ ‘Why not?”’ ** Because you would not have done such an infa- mous act as that. Besides, you have not got the child yet, and are not likely to get it.”’ ‘** Don’t be surprised if I have it in my possession before to-morrow, this time. As to the other part, the brat shall die, es remain obstinate, and your red-headed wife s follow suit. Don’t el fear to do this, or anyt wo- man is sometimes worse a des te man. I am desperate, and determined that you shall be mine, no matter at what cost. I gave up my father, friends and a d home and luxurious life, all for you, and do you imagine I will let anything balk my esigns? No! I would kill you, even, before I would relinquish you to that other girl. Irretrievably you are mine.’ Dick did not reply. He saw that she was terribly in earnest, and he wondered how he was to find ex- trication from this dilemma, which involved not only himself, but his darling Leone, whom he now loved tenfold more than ever before. Old Avalanche and Little Alf conducted Noisy Nell to Eureka, and set her- down in front of the Man-Trap. Then they stabled Prudence Cordelia, and with the eccentric goat following at their heels, wandered about town, using their eyes and ears, and instiga- uiries after 4 in es e. t they were not successful. No had been seen of her, and the arrived at the conclu- sion that she had not come to town. ‘*Great ham-bone thet choked old Joner,”’ the An- nihilator at last grunted, when they gave up the search. ‘‘ Ther great snow-flake ’s struck a snag an’ collapsed, I reckon. I ken’t see w’ich way ther boreal breeze kin advantageously waft now.” tistied the Woukanl Dover’ peg ge a sa e€ woman never cum here, or e could be feund.”’ a ou’re right; an’ yet ‘*Great ham-bone! I-s"pose t e noshun thet she’s I orfully hate ter give up ter becum crow fodder!”’ “Oh! no fear fer that. She's plucky, an’ got grit enuff fer sixty common gals. ? Avalanche?”’ ‘“Wal, Iruminate she hes. But speakin’ o’ spunk an’ grit, ye jes’ orter see’d a gal yer ’umble sarvent one’t went ter court, wi’ sum intentions ter ask her ter shoulder part o’ ther ag yt ye harness fer lifetime. She war a Hoosier an’ great scriptural ham-bone thet killed Joner! sech a temper as she hed! Ef I didn’t pony up a couple o’ pounds o’ candy an’ nuts, an’ a flask o’ ‘mountain-dew,’ every time I entered her presence, she'd fairly spit fire,-an’ her eyes ‘d emit ks o’ fame ther size uv a One 0’ these sparks popped out onc’t, and set ther house’ afire, but the opportune presence of yo truly prevented a disaster. Spunky? Guess go. When she got roarin’ mad she’d—”’ ! d’ye see them two fellers a-comin’ down ther ?”’ Little Alf said, pointing out from the crowd two men who were coming. into the town ont the direction of the Big Bonanza. “ D’ye see ’e “Yes—two rough-looking eviden miners—one wi’ a bag o’ sum ime ne’ behing **Karect! an’ don’t et enter yer an o’ phre- nology, thet thar mought be sumthin’ is thet the as would suit our fastidgeous tastes?’ was the query, and the young scout watched the approaching men narrowly. ‘* Jaws o’ ther whale thet masticated old Joner! e’re a sharp un, boyee. Mebbe thet very same contains an infant prodigal or whatever you it. “Twon’t do ter let them men go unobserved, that is sartin.” **O’ course not. We'll let ’em slide by, an’ then we'll foller,’’ Coyle said. The two men drew back behind a clump of bushes, and allowed the two miners to , which they did. Both were large, burly-looking fellows, evil.of coun- tenance, and huge of muscle. Neither looked too good for the commission of almost any crime. “They're genuine ‘toughs’ of the blood and butcher-knife order,’’ Coyle muttered, as they tramp- ed by. “Vas, reg’lar old cavortin,’ buckin’ hyenas!” as- sented the Annihilator, with a grunt. ‘Cusses ter lick wi’ brute force, but no more’n a bundle o’ chips ef ye git ther drop on ‘em, or work skientificall ‘ Ef *tain’t Deadwood Dick’s or they’ve got in thar, et’s sumthin’ they’re mighty keerful uv. See what a grip thet eoon hes got onter ther bag.”’ ‘** Yes, ther kid’s in thar, no doubt. Come, let us saunter along and see whar they go to. Sech game ain’t picked up every day. Keep ther goat d, or ther de’il will be to pay.”’ ‘**Not much, I don’t,’’ the Annihilator replied, grimly. ‘‘Whar wafteth this boreal breeze o’ de- struction, wafteth one or more o’ ets liar j’ints. Leave Florence Night-in-a-gale? 0, siree! I’m telling you.” ° right; cum along then or they'll—by thunder they've esca us, now. Where are they?’’ While they were speaking the two ‘ toughs”’ had led in with the crowd that swarmed in the gulch, and were lost from view. Cursing their own stupidity both Coyle and Avalanche a | forward and elbowed th t, but all in vain Their most careful efforts failed to discover the pair of villains, or where they had gone to. Like shadows they had vanished. It was a bitter disap- pointment to our two friends, who had calculated upon an victory. ‘* We're ed again,’’ Coyle said, hopelessly. “We may’s well hang up the fiddle and the bow.” “Great ham-bone, no/ We'll not give up ic Thar’s thet Careless Cambre; the babe will doubtless be delivered inter Ais hands. It tharfore behooves us ter keep our optical masheenery glued onter They wandered about aimlessly during the day— not really aimlessly, for they were constantly look- ing for bre, whom Avalanche had once seen, and thought he should be able to recognize again. Little was a good poker-player, and so they went into the Man-Trap saloon and amused them- selves for a while. Noisy Nell came around to their table shortly, perhaps because she was very fa- vorably impressed with the looks and apparent worth of Coyle. And his good opinion of her was not lessened by the fact that she occupied so undesirable a tion within one of the worst haunts in Eureka. e saw that she was modest when modesty was called for, and brave and fearless when the case demanded; and to say the little scout admired her, would be only dra it mild. e was not a bad-looking fellow himself, twenty- five summers in this wayward world having dealt with him kindly. ‘““Hev ye seen anything o’ Careless Cucumber?”’ Avalanche demanded, as she came up. wats ae lie’ aia - Been in oy sonar § av : replied, n around her. “* Have you found ~ tidings of Mrs Harrie? “*Nary a tidy, my gal. Saw a couple o’ ‘toughs’ —one kerried a bag on his back, in w’ich a baby might have been concealed—but they fi us.”” “Those same men came in here and lubricated,” Nell announced, “‘ and then went out . “ The deuce they did! An’ did one tote a 0’ sumthin’ on his nigh shoulder, w’ich mought ’a’ a ay 3 a condensed ‘arthquake?”’ “ es *? “Which way ’d they go?” “TI cannot tell. I did not watch them; only no- ticed them by chance.” Avalanche and Little Alf rose to their feet simul- eo “We ma pie ’em by visitin’ the different sa- loons,” Coyle said. ** Just my ijee, \ the old man assented. ‘“*For’a’d, march—you take the lead—the dirt allus ee Thank you,” Ait amiled, bo Nelly, and “ you,” wing to , an ] the way toward the door. “ Ayslouch some- times follows the broom, also.”’ They went out, and made a round of all the sa- loons, without result, until they were ing from the last one, when they came face to face with Car- los Cambre. way along in pursui CHAPTER XV. THE PAPERS—EYES MIGHTIER SOMETIMES THAN THE SWORD. MARTHA CAMBRE and Lawyer Bolton shrunk back in alarm as a voice from wi the m. responded to the little woman’s knock. A halloa, it was; in a woman’s voice, evidently; but it told the two ge yea pees that their coast was not clear as they had an “ mt oa vedo? This is scrape shall we a deuce of a to be caught in,” the disciple of Blackstone d, clutching Martha by the arm. ‘ Our game is ed; let us escape.” “You can go, if you want to,” Martha replied, 13 calmly. ‘“‘T ain’t quite so far gone as to back out now; and as if to carry out her assertion, she took a little shining revolver from among the folds of her dress 4 ‘*Halloa! w’at the debbil you’s want?’’ came again from the inside. ‘‘I cum along out dar, pu’ty soon, an’ mop de floor wid you rats.”’ **Ah! that is explanation,’ Martha said, in a whis- eat ‘* There is some negress inside, evidently caring or the room—making the bed and dusting. Come on 3 She glided forward and opened the door, which, as she had surmised, was unlocked, Another moment and she and Bolton were inside the room, with the door locked behind them, An old negress, with a face as black as coal, and hair white and woolly, was engaged in sweeping the room, and putting things to order. But she stopped stock still, rooted to the floor with horror, when she beheld the intruders, and the pair of revolvers the worthy attorney and counselor-at-law held leveled toward her. . ““Oh! de Lordy sakes alive! Oh! ness gra- cious!’’ she gasped, sinking back pee he floor, with a jar heavy wee | to convey the idea that she was a small-sized quake. ‘‘ Don’t shoot, marster— don’t hurt a poor ole woman w’at can’t help herself. I be’s innercent—’deed I is, for shuah!”’ ** Yes, you’re an innocent old idiot, sure enough,”’ Bolton replied. ‘“ Just * hes keep quiet, and we'll not a nor roast you, I'll guarantee. But if you ap- peal for assistance, Pll make perforated card-board out o’ you. Goon, miss, and see if you can discover the Yamin “You had better stand near the door—with your back inst it!’ Martha replied. “My villainous husband may be along at any moment, and it would be dangerous for him to discover us in his room, will turn things topsy-turvy to find the oe. She was as good as her word in respect. She set to work, first, and went through the con- tents of a large old fashioned desk; then a bureau and washstand, but without satisfactory result. The carpet was then ripped up, and every con- ceivable — minutely examined, where the lost documents could ibly have been concealed. But they were not found, much to the two counter- plotters’ disappointment. “I think there is a secret compartment in this old desk,’’ Martha said at last, pa before the struc- ture of walnut, which was an oddity in the way of curious pigeon-holes and drawers. ‘But I do not know how to findit. Is there anybody in the room below or in those adjoining, old woman?”’ “No, missus. Dar’s berry few in de buildin’, at this hour.” ‘““Good. Let me out, Mr. Bolton, and I will down and procure an ax with which to knock this old shell a ‘ Bolton cee tee by unlocking the door, and letting her out into the passage. With an injunction to fly for safety if Cambre should put in an appearance, =e areee away on a — d. toring e was not gone long, however, soon re with a heavy ore bar as a substitute for the ax which she could not find. Carlos will only stay away for a little while, we will have a chance to learn if the papers are here,’ she said. “ Yes, it. will take but a short time to find out,” Bol- ton answered. ““At least if we cannot find the papers, we can wait here for him to come, and force him to give them up to us.”’ ‘“‘Ah! but I am afraid we should have our hands full, there. Such villains as he, combining the charac- teristics of the stubborn bull-dog and the cunning wae? fox, would be a hard customer to force.”’ At his request she surrendered the bar to him, — she took his revolvers, and stood guard at the oor. He then attacked the old desk with a will, and soon had it lying apart in different sections, without creating any t noise. Sure enough a secret drawer was discovered, in which were a package of papers, tied in an oil-silk wrapper. There was also a quantity of money, which, no doubt, also belonged to Cambre. This was all. “The papers! the rs!’ Bolton cried, leaping forward and seizing them in his grasp. ‘‘ Victory is Ne: at last. “Don’t be too sure. My father always taught me never to hope until I was sure I had something to me for, sir,’’ Martha said, coming forward. lton tore off the wrapper, and hastily glanced Wincor h he said, exultantly—th “*They are here,” he ; —the genuine ones, and the copies Cambre drew from them !”’ Avalanche and Alf, Coyle uttered not a word as they faced Cambre in front of the saloon, but push- ed oe him as if they did not note eer 4 inne the scout, Little Alf did not, never having seen him, before. t Cambre recognized the Annihilator by the goat; an Soni recognized him as the same in- once knocked him down in front Oe eet we he onled, fol elapping the . o!” he olowing up, and old man on the shoulder, we “Hold up, old rackabones, if ye don’t wanter git plugged. I recog- nize you.’ “Oh! you do!” Avalanche said, turning aroun with a ‘six’ in his full ~ use. “Ye recognize thers do ye?—ther great aries—-the Norweejan snow tion? Wal, thet ain’t nothin’ ler, since I recky you. Guess thar’s a picture rubbin’ etself ag’in’ your visage, ain’t thar, 0’ how beauchiful I laid you ‘*Now, if EoOmichooks co