Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 42 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

-— The Phantom Miner. 3 nr Avalanche may bring back. He cannot deceive me. And she has come after me, alone, What are her feelings, I wonder—love or hate? I hope the lat- ter; I can fight it best!” He sauntered alo , watching those about him, sharply, for now he might look for a yy naa enemy in Carios Cambre. What could the disloyal lieuten- ant want of him? “Ha! by heaven! the blow has fallen at last!’ he ar apart Rage i spore. 9 Baggage as he hae man tacking up a large poster against the wall. ,; Again, Edward Harris, are you an outlaw by the decree of the law! They have pursued you, but you will not flee . Steel to steel, face to face with his foes, Deadwood Dick will fight till the breath leaves his body. Once it was a fight for reputation —now it shall be a fight for life or death!” There was a gleam in his eyes that boded no good to those who would strike at him—a grim set expres- sion of his features which, rightly interpreted, meant defiance to the death / at he saw to arouse his old bitterness of spirit was the sheriff of Eureka posting a notice of rew upon the wall in a conspicuous place: one of those heralds that had hounded him—stared at him from every hand for the last three years, like haunting phantoms. And, in large letters, the poster read, as follows— in words that went straight home to Harris's heart, like coals of fire: **3500 REWARD! By that power vested in me by virtue of law, and whereas the Territorial Government of Dakota has repeatedly found guilty of high-handed murder and poet | the person herein-named, I offer the above reward for the cap- ture and delivery at Yankton, Dakota, of ‘ Deadwood Dick,’ or Edward Harris, the road-agent, whose form- er operations were confined to the Black Hills, but who is now supposed to be in some of the Territories. ‘ Affixed hereto, by me, Jonn L. PENNINGTON, on this the 12th day of October, 187—, the great Guber- natorial seal of the Territory of Dakota, Such was the notice Sheriff Jake McComber posted up for public inspection by the Eurekaites, and it ‘was and re-read, amid much excitement, by all who were con ted in the saloon. ‘** Deadw Dick! Deadwood Dick!" passed from every mouth. ‘** Deadwood Dick!’’ shouted the man Buckskin. ** Thet very chap was in hayr ter-night, gentlemen— thet very same galoot. He put twenty-four bullets out o’ twenty-four on ther bull’s-eye, a-flukin’—” “And Deadwood Dick is here, now!’ cried the youn road-agent, advancing fearlessly among the crowd. “You heard me say to-night, pilgrims, that Dead- wood Dick was no longer an outlaw unless forced to be one. Here I am. ave me alone, and I'll leave te alone. Come and knock off my hat, and I'll nock off yours; then it will be war to the last—muz- zle to muzzle and knife to knife!” Not a man moved for a few moments—scarcely a breath was drawn. Deadwood Dick stood confronting the crowd, his face grim, handsome, expressionless, his form erect, a r of shining revolvers upon full level in his hands. All knew that he would not hesitate to com- mence a of death, if pressed; he was desper- ate and reckless; as it were, their lives were in his hands. Yet Sheriff McComber did not hesitate to do his duty. He Serer forward, a look of resolution on his sunbrowned face. ‘I'll not knock your hat off, young man,” he re- lied, slowly, ‘‘ for that is a prize-fighter’s hold. But must do my duty and arrest you, in the name of the law, You'll see the advisa ty of yielding with- out resistance, for they’re all with me, here,’ with a nod at the crowd. ‘‘ That’s the whole family is it, eh?’’ retorted Dick, a faint smile pla sarcasti about his lips. ** Well, they’re a fine lot. Better adopt a few more, however, before attempting to arrest me. I give ou fair warning to let me alone. If you don’t cad it, ans me bo mt we'll tak the b ll *Come on, boys! we’ e the art, or we’ die a-t ’, One, two, three, and at him!” The sheriff was a reckless fellow, whose previous gor luck had made him vain, or else he would never ve made the move, for the first leap he made for- ward was a leap of death, a bullet from one of Dead- wood Dick’s revolvers plowing a passage through his heart. And that checked what might have been a bloody iis. § . The death of the sheriff seemed for the moment to inspire the Sap oom | Eurekaites with a terrible dread, and they shrunk back, their hands clenching their weapons, their breath bated, a lack of resolu- tion holding them rless to move. And, comprehen the situation, Deadwood Dick slowly backed his way out of the saloon, his revolv- ers still covering the crowd, But the moment he issued out into the gulch, he saw them spring forward triumphantly, and knew they counted upon an easy victory. CHAPTER Ii. AVALANCHE ENCOUNTERS A PHANTOM, DEapwoop Dick escaped by making a dash through the crowd, that still swarmed out in the gulch, and “worked his way along by degrees until he was half a mile up the lone gorge, with the mighty walls of mountain rock rising above him. And with his dis- appearance from Eureka, there disappeared a friend on whom Old Avalanche lavished his affection, for on his return from an interview with her whom Dick had declared to be Edith Stone, who was the cause of the parting of Dick and Leone, he found great ex- citement rife,and then learned of the death of the sheriff, and the young road t’s daring escape. “Bully fer ther boyee. Td do the same ef they kicked me onthershins. Great ham-bone! ef they'd let him alone he'd been peaceable enough, but now thet they’ve r’iled his angery speerits, look out fer a comet ter ’splode. Wonder where he'll go to?” And this the great Annihilator was left to wonder, ik the next four or five days, during which time he made determined search, but could find no trace of Deadwood Dick. He had either left the diggings, for safety or else was so securely hidden in the mountain fastnesses as to render his immediate discovery impossible. After the fourth day of search, the old man came to the conclusion that further effort was useless; then came the remem- brance of Dick’s right to the Big Bonanza mine. “I will take persession uv et, an’ hold et fer ther boyee,”’ he muttered, and immediately ful- filled his promise by selecting a dozen miners from the crowds of idlers who thronged Eureka, and riding to the mine, which was two miles and a half above the golden town. There was simply a straight tunnel sunk into the mountain side, and an easy eas to defend, once right of possession was ob- ned, Red Brand sat in the mouth of the tunnel, smok- ing away at his pipe, as the horsemen rode up, the Annihilator the lead. He was a strange unreadable and mysterious, and no one seemed to understand him. “Hello! great ham-bone that kerflummixed old Joner!"’ cried Avalanche, in his peg . “* Heer’s our man, now, me lads! Hello! Howdy do, Mr. Red Brand! How’s ther pulsating state of yer phre- nological persession.”’ *“*T am well,”’ was the reply, as the miner rose to his feet. ‘“ What brings you here, sir?’’ *“What? Wall, I don’t reckon et’s hard ter an- s'er sech a question as thet,’ said Old Avalanche. “Tam heer, wi’ my backers, ter take on 0’ ther ‘Big Bonanza,’ w'at Deadwood Dick won at shutin’. Iam called Old Avalanche, ther great In- jun Annihilator, tho’ ther acheevement don’t con- fine itself hully ter ther transmogification o’ ther In- ine race. This ‘ere hoss is my left bower, Prudence ordeliar, an’ thess ‘ere beast on my t aire Florence Night-in-a-gale—both of ’em workin’-j’ints o’ ther great Annihilator, ther awe-inspirin’, evas- tatin’ eppydemic w’at sweeps like a dose o’ castor ile flat thru these lat des and | - toads. Iam counsellor and | adviser 0’ Dicky, an’ I venture ter put in his c fer him, during absence.” “Your claim shall be recognized,” said Red Brand, calmly, though the old scout detected a fiery leam in his peculiar dark eyes. “ Dismount and ollow me, and I’llshow ye what is to be yours,” “Yes, cum erlong, boyees, but pull yer pistols in readiness, fer we don’t know what sort 0’ culty we're a-goin’ ter encounter. Great ham-bone thet e Joner! ef I was as mean as sum men is, I'd go an’ sell my head fer a statter o’ Washington, I would, true ’s thar’s soothing influence in a jack- mule’s fut. Once know’d a man so mean thet he sold his corpuss ter a fizzician, an’ then cheated ther poor cuss out o’ his rocks by crematin’ hisself in her smoke-house—/fact, by gracious. But thet’s neither here nor thar, as ther hoosier sed when look- in’ fer ther lively flea. An’ thet same reminds me uv a feller thet got covered wi' fleas, up in Colarad- do. At fust he didn’t know how ter u "em, but fin ed an army o’ fifteen thousan’, an’ went ter wagin’ war ag’in’ oppers, an’ thet same feller actooally used to git paid by ther govern- ment fer hullsale slaughter.” The Annihilator then dismounted, and he and his gang followed Red Brand in through the tunnel, which was long and dark. It fin ended, how- ever, but in a way unexpected to all except Red Brand; for once more they emerged into the open air and light of day, finding themselves in a deep, natural basin, hemmed in on every side by et dous piles of mountain-rocks. A whose bot- tom was covered with a light, fine sand, through which ran astream of clear, spar water, pour- ing down from the on one side, and sinking out of sight on the other through a huge crevice in the rocks. And this was Big Bonanza mine. A strongly-built cabin stood at one side of the basin, surrounded by little rows of spruce pines, and i desolate and uncanny in its om, ges ere we are, pilgrims,” Brand said, waving his hand around him, with a strange smile. “This Bonanza basin and the place of theaccursed, You see yonder cabin. That is the abode of the spirit of Andrew Denham—the Phantom Miner—who is the terror of this region, There is a little legend con- nected with this mine, which you should know. It was discovered first by Andrew Denham, four years ago. He is the coy one who ever took away an ounce of gold from here, even though these sands are rich with the stuff. He remained here a year, and panned out an immense fortune; then, one day, he was found dead in front of yonder cabin. Since then the mine has had ten erent owners, but never has an ounce of gold been taken away at one time. A phantom was said to guard the place, and each gang of miners has been htened away. bought the mine, and J have seen the elephant. You are welcome to the place, if you are to fight inferno and all its legions. I am not!” Saying which the man turned upon his heel, and strode back through the tunnel toward the gulch. For a few moments after his departure, neither the Annihilator nor his men spoke a word—stood and stared at each other, each ed sae waiting for the other to break the silence. At last Old Avalanche made the b teeny acest ey noe wrecked ther Como c uv Joner!”’ he e acunte shaking himself by way of pr ng for action. “So thes aire an abode uv hog-gob an’ ghastly perambulators, eh? A ‘his se dubi “Dunn sort o’ hot-house fer cultyvatin’ speerits; but ef thet cuss calkylated he war goin’ ter skeer yer ‘umble sarvent, he aire barkin’ at ther wrong coon. G’os‘s! phantoms! hog-gobblins! hurra!’’ And the eccentric Annihilator executed a jig in the auriferous sand. “Red Brand didn’t lie nary a bit,’ said Hi Samp- son, one ofthe miners. “T is a Phantom Miner, an’ I’ve see’d him ride nap te *Reka, like split- an’ we all blazin’ away at wi’ our revolvers ter no purpuss. Ye might as well try ter tumble an eart q ” “Oh! I don’t doubt your word—ham-bone and Joner, no!"’ replied Avalanche, ‘‘ but when = make this great devastatin’ eppydemic believe in hog-gob- blins an’ sech, jest expect old Gabriel ter play his trump-et card, thet’s all,” “ And are - goin’ ter stay heer?” asked one. fa aire. Ef ye don't want any o’ the ariferous ’ around loose, here, jest scoot fer Eureka, as fast as you can. J’m goin’ ter stay!”’ “ Then we’re with you, old man. My name is Keno Bill, and I ain’t no coward, ef ther court knows her- self. We'll stay, an’ we'll hold ther fort!"’ And they did yon f Camp was pitched on the bank of the stream, mining implements, provisions and ammunition brought from Eureka; sluice-boxes sunk, and mining begun in earnest at Deadwood Dick’s Bonanza. Another week passed by, and no molestation was offered the miners, whose number Avalanche had in- creased to thirty, and the rich sand of the basin-bot- tom was g out immensely. Curious miners and loafers swarmed in from Eure- ka, to watch Sp mer ign? 4 a much to the annoyance of the Annihilator, who d not desire to disturbed; speculators also came and made hand- some offers for claims in the rich basin, all of w were refused by Avalanche, **T hain’t got no say onter thes ’ere mine, gentle- men,” he would say, shaking his head in a way that was at once decisive and resolute. “Et b’longs ter Deadwood Dick, an’ I’m merely keepin’ things a- movin’ fer him, ye see,”’ And when questioned about the whereabouts of the young -agent, Avalanche would again shake Dusty, saying: 0 nothin’ about ther boyee, gentlemen. He cum hyar all along wi’ ther great ation; but he skipped out; an’ that’s the last I've see’d o’ ‘him. at he'll come back? Waal, thet’s hard to tell, as ler sed when he tuk aim at ther apple on top 0’ William’s pericranium, He may cum down on us in a way thet won’t fit our ijees. Ye've distarbed ther seethin’ caldron o’ Ta, an’ got et bubblin, an” like’s not et’ll scald ye. Great historical ham-bone! Pompe ecm] on 4 Arce deadly power o’ my ckey, pilgrims , m paralyze a r cuss over tn Deadwood once, by jest winkin’ his eye— fact, by gracious! An’ he’s a dose o’ fizzic ter them as he don’t like.” And so the da by—the soft, hazy au- tumnal days, and at the Bonanza everyt ran along in an even tenor. The miners worked indus- triously, and were well rewarded, for the yellow sands were rich with flakes of gold, in some cases panning out a quarter of an ounce to the As yet none of the gold had been en out of the basin, the miners preferring to keep it in their Own possession rather than trust it in the k of the Eureka bank, whose officers were ra distrusted by the peo le. But at last, one night, Avalanche having a con- siderable bulk of the precious stuff, resolved to into town for the purpose of exchanging it fo greenbacks, He left the camp well armed, and mounted u the back of Prudence Cordelia, no thought of - r entering his mind. But when he rode into the where all was intensely dark, his thoughts went to Red Brand and the sto the Phantom Miner, and an unexplicable feeling of dread attacked him. He was not a coward; nei- ther was he of a superstitious turn, yet he had no power to control the strange sensation that crept over him, now. His imagination conjured up éx- aggerated pictures, a clammy sweat unconsciously broke out upon his face and body; he was ner- vous, and grasped the reins with one unsteady hand, while the other rested upon the hilt of a re- volver in his belt. ‘“‘G'lang, Prudence, ye durned beast; what is the matter wi’ you?” he growled, using his heels in the place of spurs to urge the sorry animal along. * tthe luck. I feel ’s spookish as a yearling ar, in fly time. G'lang, ence— Thunder! 0!’ The latter two exclamations were caused by the sudden bolting and rearing of the mare, accompa- nied by terrified snorts. ‘*Be still, you ornery beast! Heavens! ham-bone thet led Joner! Isee w'at the matter is, H disease 0’ devastation!” cidedly suspicious—ghost-like and sa tall, in bed , around which clung a halo of bl moving slowly but surely along toward nip, one hand and arm upraised, the fore-finger of t hand, the end gleaming like a human eye, espera accusingly at the old scout. It was such a | as might make even a fearless man like Avalanche Sa and there came rather a whitish expression about his lips, though he sat motionless in the sad- die, a cocked revolver in his clutch, and a stern ex- pression on his face. “Gg h?” h li] ae 00 ope art hE ves i tter 0 e as Irishman sed when he went fer ter find ther motive- 0)(0\(0)| KS EEO) GOME