Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 443 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

—~ = OS TA > - - AS arr ~—*,* ae - . > ——— - - ~_ Soe . : « »~¢? Wagy | ai ’ ~— — ~ - 7 . _ $ - ee 7 aie * -* — - ’ * ' e- * é ‘ Tits ~ a - tA _ off my mind? . PD on - ° eta PE - ” : ai, - \ pcre 4 ‘ > > en: 7 . < 12 gave me a job as superintendent of work in the | river—she whom I have so long mourned as nine.” ‘* Well?’ ‘Well, now that you know so much, I want you to join me in making a big haul. If we win, you get half. If not, we can skip.” ‘“ How do you propose to work it?” ‘‘ Well, you see, ve learned that Hyatt has uarter of a million in clean cash, but got a Savent een able to find out where it is, though I am satisfied it is in this camp.” ** Doesn’t Anna know?” “ Yes, but don’t think she’d give it away. She worships Hyatt, and he appears to think a good bit of her.” ‘‘Worships him, eh?” ts Yes. ” ‘‘ But, she might be worked, under threat of exposure. ”' ‘True. But we shall bleed Hyatt, first, on the girl question, We can work a big boodle out of him, I reckon, Now, then, having done that, Anna will disgorge, handsomely, before she will risk exposure.” ‘*'You_ bet. al ha! we will make Hyatt’s fortune look sick, eh, before we are through with this business.”’ ‘‘T should smile! It’s a pity about losing the girl, as, if we could get nold of her, we could get more money outof Hyatt. But, you may bet that’s all knocked in the head, for that raft could pot live for a mile, on Reese river, and the two prisoners are doomed, long ere this.” _ ‘*T hope the boy is, anyhow. Curse it, 1 have feared him, and hunted him, ever since his mo- ther ran away, and joined him. We chased them for a whole day, but they finally eluded us.” ‘It's lucky you came here, in disguise, for the kid would have killed you, at sight.” ‘‘ How did you know me?” ‘‘] knew you were coming here—it matters not how. I dropped to you, when you _ sug- gested it was Dick who stole the money, I saw you pick Hyatt’s pocket, and slip the money into the barrel... — **T beli you lie,” “Not a bit of it. Now, we’ve talked long enough here; let’s go to my room in the hote and spend the remaining portion of the night in perfecting our plans of operation!” ~~** All right. oll have a drink first.”’ They arose from the tableand went to the bar. They had been sitting close to a window, from which a pane of glass was wanting. This win- dow looked out upon the vacant lot at one side of the saloon. As they left the table, a man outside skulked away, with a low chuckle. He had been both watching and listening—for the conspirators had not talked below an ordi- nary pitch of voice. When David Hyatt turned away from the scene of the trial of Deadwood Dick Jr., and California Kit, it was with no feeling that he had done wrong, in not making an attempt to save the prisoners. He was a man who detested a thief, above all other classes of criminals, and he felt convinced that it had been Dick who had robbed him, and that California Kit knew all about the aifair; hence he argued that it was no more than right that they should be punished. ; He went to his cabin, and found that his wife had retired for the night; so he turned up the light, and sat down in the front room, and lis- tened to the howling of the storm, without. He tried to direct his thoughts to business, but could not. His mind would, in spite of all his efforts, wander back to the roaring river, and the two human beings whom he had consigned to its mercy. — ‘* God in heaven!” he gasped, as he arose and paced the floor, ‘‘ why cannot I get that matter j It seems to haunt me like some grim phantom. * The boy may not have been guilty, after all, andif not, lat responsible for two lives. I ' wish, now that I come to think of it, I had heeded the 1ad’s request, and spared the girl.” Thought gave him no ease, and as the wind moaned round the house, dashing the torrents of rain against the window-panes, and the thunder rolled and lightning hissed, he nearly grew dis- _ tracted. j ‘*] can’t stand this,” he muttered, after he had paced to and fro for some time, ‘It seems as if I had committed some terrible crime, and a feeling of guilt comes over me, What have I ~done—consigned two human beings to a watery grave: Good God! what have I done? The : a rushes back upon me, with sickening effcct. iI fancy I see my own child drowning in the | — - Deadwood Dick Jr. dead ! ‘* What brings to me this strange thought? Can there be a possibility that—that—” He covered his face with bis hands, to shut out a vision too terrible to bear. | He paced the floor rapidly, but could not dis- pel the haunting thought—what if it should turn out that California Kit was his long-lost daughter, and he had consigned her to a watery grave? The more his mind dwelt upon the matter, the more excited he grew, and he finally seized his hat and went forth into the pouring night, with- out any vague idea of where he was going. Involuntarily, however, he made his way to the Daisy Saloon, and entered, a strange glare in . his eyes, as if he were eager fora fight with some one of those who were lounging about the room, As he entered, the majority of the habitues were gathered about a long settee that stood at one side of the room, and to which no less a per- sonage than the self-styled Judge Lynch was securely strapped, in a reclining position. There was a wild light of insanity burning in the tramp’s eyes, and his disheveled hair and haggard face gave him a terrible appearance. He gnashed his teeth with rage, and bis hands opened and shut convulsively, while a white froth gathered upon his lips. ‘** Let me up!” os fairly shrieked—‘‘ let me up, I tell ye, or by the gods I'll cut your hearts out, and trample them in under foot! Release me, ye accursed wretches, till I hunt down my bit- ter foe, for 1 know he is here in this very build- ing, and [ll have his life’s blood for the wrongs he did me. Oh! curse ye! curse ye all!’’T see it all now, when it is too late—when it is too late! My poor boyee—my poor long-lost boy hev gone down the river to destruction, an’ who sent him there? It wasn’t me, his father—no! no! no! Et war you coyotes who live here in ther town o’ Bummer’s Bar, You sent my two babies to death, and I shall hold you responsible. And you, David Hyatt, war the chief cause 0’ their death—ay! you! you! you!” And here the man uttered shriek after shriek, and tried with almost superhuman efforts to burst asunder the cords that bound him. But care had been taken to secure him firmly, and all his efforts were unavailing. ‘What is the matter of him?” Hyatt demand- ed, uneasily. ‘** Ye see, boss, et’s a case 0’ the trimbles, I al- low,” replied a miner. ‘' He got tuk wi’ a fit a bit ago, an’ went to cavortin’ around so dan- erous thet we had terrope him. Yender’s Big- Iouth Mose, a-lyin’ under the table as stiff an’ stark as er dead herrin’. Et war the Jedge, heer, who friz onter Mose’s thrut till he had choked the life clean out o’ him. An’ he war a-comin’ fer ther rest 0’ us, only thet we lassoed him, and roped him, as you see.” ‘His is evidently a bad case,” Hyatt said, half pityingly. ‘‘ He isanalcoholic wreck, and it is the lack of drink that makes him so violent now. I fancy if he had a few drinks he would straighten up.” ‘*That’s just what I’ve been tellin’ the boys, bo s. Shell I fetch some o’ the bug?” ‘*Yes. The poor devil is evidently a hard sufferer, and I feel inclined to do what I can for him, as | fancy that, perhaps, he may be able to give me some information I want.” ‘** But, boss, he’s killed Big-Mouth Mose,” in- terposed another miner, Hyatt shrugged his shoulders, ‘*Small loss to the camp,” he allowed, ‘‘ be- sides, this poor devil is crazy, and not respon- sible for his actions. Bring the liquor, Pll pay for it!” A brimming glass of whisky was procured and placed to Judge Lynch’s parched lips. He gulped it down with a gusto that showed how much he was suffering for the want of stimu. lant, | As the effect of the liquor went coursing through his veins, he grew less and less wild and crazy, and by the time he had gulped a second glass the immediate signs ot alcoholic mania had disap A Ky you feel better now?” David Hyatt ‘‘-Yes! yes!” was the slow response. ‘‘ They’ve gone — the demons—but they will come back again, soon, unless I have liquor. But let me o—set me free, for I must go in search of my Cow cemtt brave, handsome boy! Set me free, I say, till I search for him.” ‘How do you mean? Whois your boy—not the peg dare-devil who robbed me?” ‘He did not rob you! It was,not him, but his enemy and my enemy, who was present in ? the room to-night. I heard his voice, and then my memory, which has long been clouded, came slowly back. But not until it was too late—not until my precious boy had been sent to destruc- tion, in eg gow! with my ward, Kittie. Ha! set me free, I say, until | go in search of them!” ‘‘ It will be useless for you to search for them, for it cannot be but what they are drowned long ere this,” Hyatt said, sadly. *‘ But, you speak of the girl as your ward. Have you two been traveling together?” ‘‘For about a year. She found me dying in the mountains and nursed me back to life, and since that time we have wandered about to- gether. She wasasa daughter to me, and for a year has been searching for a friend whom she had lost all track of. But my boy—my boy! Great God! can it be that, after all these years of my wandering, I have found him only to lose him again? No, no! He still lives, and I must find him—I must find him, and together we will unite in striking down the infernal villain who has been the cause of my ruin, body and soul! He is in this very camp, for I heard his voice to-night, even though he did not recognize me. Release me, I say, for I must find my boy!” ** Poor fellow!” Hyatt said, pityingly. ‘‘ Your mind is evidently wandering again. You must remain quiet for the present.” ‘No, no! T must not. My mind is not wan- dering, but is now as clear as your own. The memory of the past has at last returned to me, after all these yedrs, and I see plainly my line of duty. IL must find my boy, for something tells me he is not dead, but is searching for his misguided and Cain-cursed fatber. For the love of God, do not detain me longer, but let me o! ‘You speak like one who had known better days, sir.” ‘Ay! sir, I was once comparatively a rich man, but drink conquered me, and was the curse of my life; then something happened that sun- dered me from those who were dear tome, and I became a wanderer upon the face of the earth.” ‘‘But, what assurance have you that the young fellow who was sent dewn the river is your son?” ‘‘Did he not state that his name was Richard Bristol?’ ‘*T believe he did, although he first called him- self Car] Clyde.” ‘* Well, Richard Bristol was the name of the infant son, whom I left in Nebraska years ago, and there can be no doubt but what this young man is my ownson. My very heart tells me so and also that he did not perish in the river to- night.” ‘**] begin to hope that neither the girl] nor boy erished, but I fear it is hoping against hope,” avid Hyatt said, candidly. oP will release ou now, if you will accompany me to my ome, and accept of some refreshments and bet- ter clothing. t be at liberty to do so, Will you accompany me?’ ‘*T will, with pleasure.” Accordingly, Byron Bristol was released, and accompanied the mine-owner from the saloon, and to his cabin. Here Hyatt set out some better liquor than was dispensed at the Daisy, and also some eat- ables, which Bristol] did full justice to, and after- seemed a good deal refreshed and recupe- — ward rated. He more tees and the change in his appearance was striking, ‘‘Now, then,” Hyatt said, seating himself near his new guest. ‘‘Il want you to answer me a few questions, for they concern me much, and I have become impressed that you can throw some light upon the subject.” ‘“T will gladly give you any information in my power, sir. About what is it you wish to inquire?’ ‘** About the girl, California Kit, Tell me all you know about her.” ‘ ‘That is not very much. As I told you, w ran across each other, about a year ag Pe she nursed me over a siege of the ‘jams,’ and since that time we have roved about, frcm camp to camp, where the girl has given spar- ring exhibitions, and I have managed to eke out a living at the monte game.” BP ce did the girl acquire the pugilistic art?” ‘In ’Frisco, I believe, at school. She was so clever at using her fists that she ran away from school, in order to search after hor former com- was next supplied with an equipment of hen, if you wish to go, Yeu will . suitable attire from Hyatt’s own ward-— panion, an elderly spinster, who had reared her — —E 7 7S ty Foe