Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 443 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

l " i iM sa . & * a | | | —_— =. ——wy a = ! | ' | b ‘ _ way, how do you like Hyatt, for a change? > me oe Deadwood Dick Jr. > Mrs. Hyatt closed the door, and turned upon the intruder indignantly. “Sir!” she cried, ‘‘I do not know you. How dare you intrude upon my privacy?” ‘* Because I dare!” was the cool reply, and the man laughed tantalizingly. He was of powerful physique—broad-shoulder- ed and strong-limbed, and could have posed well for a Hercules. In face he was not exactly haridsome, but ordinarily good-looking. His features were bold in cast, his eyes black and piercing, and fore- head broad. ; His hair, once black and curling, was mixed with gray freely, and he wore a heavy but gracefully trained mustache of deepest black. His attire consisted of a serviceable business suit and soft felt hat,and there was nothing particularly flashy or sportish about his appear- ance, ‘So you don’t know me, eh?” he added. “Tdonot!” . ‘Sure? Take a good look at me. Don’t my face remind you of some one you once knew?” ‘‘T never saw you, sir. You are an intruder, and if you do not leave at once I'll scream for help!” P No you won't!” His coolness nettled her, ‘* Why won’t I?” ‘* Because you dassent!” White with passion and fear, for she now per- ceived that his hand covered a short bull-dog | dramatic revolver, Mrs. Hyatt_sunk upon a chair. ‘““Who are you? What do you want?’ she gasped. “Tut! tut! not so fast. One question at a time is sufficient. So you don’t know me, eh?” » Didn't I twice assure you to that effect, sir?” ‘*'Yes! yes! but, you see, you are dead wrong!” ‘“T will converse no more with you, sir. If you do not leave my presence at once, I will scream for help—” ‘“If you d Tn scream too, and we will bring ap oe tdi here, and, madam, your hus- band—!” ** Paul Potter, you dare !” Mrs. Hyatt had arisen quickly to her feet, and drawn herself to her fullest hight, while a light of fury shone from her blue eyes. ‘‘You dare!” she repeated in a hissing whisper, and her breath came hard and fast. The stranger laughed quietly. ‘‘ Ah! you do know me, eh? I thought so.” **Wretch! what brings you here?” ‘**T desire to look upon the face that once be- longed to me, my dear.” ‘*Bah! Is that all?” ‘*No, Anna; have you not yet forgiven and forgotten the past? Do you not have some little spark of love in your heart for me?” Her lips curled scornfully. ‘** For you!” she replied, sarcastically. ‘‘ No!” ‘*Oh! well. you needn’t be so sassy about it!” And Rant Potter crossed his right leg over his ier knee, laid his hat beside his chair, and proceeded to light a cigar, as much as to signify that he intended to stay awhile, ‘* No! no! don’t be so sassy about it, Anna,” he went on coolly. ‘‘1t won’t pay you.” ‘* What do you mean?” ‘* Precisely what I say.” “Or, in other words, you intimate a threat?” He smiled significantly. ‘Hardly, my dear—hardly. WhenI threaten rson Tf generally come out, point-blank.” Mire. Hyatt paced to and fro across the room, her face and eyes only too plainly expressing her hatred for this man. ; _“T wish you were dead!” she hissed—* do you hear, I wiih you were dead!” ‘“T haven’t the slightest doubt of that, my dear, You uséd to wish that, twelve and thir- teen years ago, and really your per powers must have increased in strength, since then, It sounds like old times—” “Stop!” she cried, stamping her slippered foot on the floor, ‘‘ Do not anger me further, 29 or PUu— ** What?” She did not answer him, at once, and bis same old sarcastic laugh broke forth. ‘* Well, it’s too bad about you, Anna,” he said, ** You ought to h come an angel, when you were born. a By 77 suppose he makes a more model husband than I did eh?” ‘‘He isa very king of men!” she cried, pas- sionately. gee Kind of a soft-shelled old turtle, * ** No! he’s not! Heisaman!” | <~) ’ 4 a €7 7 ; J : & hi ena SPE gas tf. V | ” é a PA’ Va > " ' a on - - * a I could. ive gone into a convent to be- ‘Then, Heaven only knows how you manage to get along with him. You like him better than you did me?” ‘Tt I didn’t ['d killhim. I worship the very ground be walks on!’ ee Potter gaye vent to a long-drawn whis- tle. ‘“ Well, now, really, that’s a comforting as- surance to give me!” he said, grimly. “ How- ever, I’m somewhat stuck on your frankness, Ill swear! But, I'll be dashed if I can understand how you can like an old fossil like Hyatt, in preference to an able-bodied man like me.” ‘*He is not an old fossil!” Mrs. Hyatt cried, walking close to him, and shaking her fist in his face. *‘He is an honorable, upright gentile- man!” ‘* And, he’s got an honorable, upright wife!” sneered Potter, ‘or, rather, he’s got some one else’s wife, which is all the same, as long as ‘he don’t know it!” ‘Curse you, Paul Potter—curse you! Do you dare to say I am not lawfully his wife?” ‘‘ That’s about the size of it, Anna, dear!’ ‘You lie, you villain, you lie!” ‘* You shouldn’t say that, Anna, for you know you are in error. You know, or at least you ave no doubt heard, that I was brought up un- der a Washingtonian code, and that I always followed the example set by the illustrious George. Sit down, dearest, sit down! Iam not an artist, or a sculptor, and consequently your posing, in front of me is without ef- do fect. Sit down!” ‘‘T will not sit down. I hate you, Paul Pot- ter, for I know you have come here to try to break up my happy home. ‘‘Listen tome! Fourteen yearsago, to-night, when I was but a child, I married you.” ‘*Correct. You retain dates inmemory, quite well.” ‘*T was then only seventeen years of age. I married you because, as [ thought then, I loved you. But, before a year had passed, I was con- scious that I had made a mistake—a bitter, bit- ter, bitter mistake. However, I resolved to keep my secret, and make you as good a wife as We were poor, and yet I did all I could to make you happy. But, all to no use. You evidently knew that my efforts cost me pain. You took to drink, and we quarreled, al- most every day of our lives. At last, after our baby was born, you left me—deserted me, did you not?” ‘‘T did, Anna, because, as I told you, I knew we were ill-matched. I loved you, but my love was not returned, and I knew our lives would be only one turmoil of EY iness did we live them out together. So I told you to go your way and I'd go mine, but that you must never marry. ‘ And what did you do? Stop! do not inter- rupt me, for I propose to finish the story you have begun. +o ‘* After you left me you put our child in a home, and there it died. ou did not even go to see it after it wasdead. I did, and prayed over its little body, and thanked God that He had taken it!” Mrs. Hyatt staggered to a seat, and buried her pallid face in her hands. _ Paul Potter went on, his tone no longer be- traying the malice that had characterized his previous remarks: . ‘The next I heard of you, you had joined a strolling theatrical party to play small parts; but, making a failure in this line, you joined a ballet troupe. I managed to keep track of you, and made no effort to screen my whereabouts. You finally got dismissed from this troupe, and Was once more ‘on your uppers.’ Then what did you do? **'You had me arrested and hauled into court on the charge of desertion! I refused to support you, and got nine months in prison, where my associates were such estimable gentlemen as murderers, thieves and hardened wretches of every sort. Oh, it was nice—/ine! _ “When I came out I was pretty well versed in all the criminal sciences, and what honorable sentiments I had when I went in had nearly given me the go-by. ‘Years passed by, and I was searching for you, but without much success, until I succeeded in ripen 4 you in Omaha about three years ago. My search ‘and researches, however, had made me another discovery.” Mrs. Hyatt looked up with a quick start. ‘* What?” she demanded, a tigerish gleam en- tering her eyes. ‘Oh, nothing much—only that you had been married before I married you, and had put your child in a county poor-house, where it remained a number of years. Then it Was bound out, but i a ee fled the country, and was never heard of after, That’s all.” The mine-owner’s wife drew a breath of evi- dent relief at this. ‘* After I found you were in Omaha I did not take the trouble to visit you, but being well- fixed for cash, I put a detective onrthe case.” ‘* A detective, sir?” ‘*Yes. I found out that David Hyatt was do- ing the gallant toward you, and | wanted to discover whether you had any right to receive his attentions or not.” **’'You villain!” **No? Why, I thought I was doing a most clever and charitable act! Anyhow, the detec- tive set to work, and traced you back, inch by inch, as it were, occasionally unearthing some suggestive point in your life, until he had traced you down to the day I was jugged. He then made oath to his report, and submitted it to me. I then had the proof that you had not got a divorce from me, nor have you since got one; and so you are not the lawful Mrs. Davi Hyatt, but instead, are the lawful Mrs. Paul Potter!” The visitor then leaned back in his chair and indulged in a seemingly hearty laugh. As for Mrs. Hyatt, she sat upon her chair, and fairly shook, her passion was so intense. ‘* Well?” she hissed, interrogatively. ‘* Well,” Potter went on, ‘‘ knowing you were here, and happening to be in town, I thought I’d drop in and see if you had not got about tired of Hyatt, and would be willing to try your former spouse for awhile!” **No! you wretch! I can never be anything to you, again!” ** You can’t, eh?” ** Never—never!” | ‘* Well, I'm sorry about that. Goin’ to freeze onto Hyatt till he pegs out, eh? Well, maybe that’s all right. When he is dead, you will be well heeled. That will be time sa, for me, too. Wonder what the old man would say if he was to catch me here? Ha! ha! ha!” : ‘* For God’s sake, Paul Potter, go at once, be- fore you are discovered! Do not come here again. If it’s money you want send a messen- ger, but do not be seen here, again!” ‘*T don’t know about that,” Potter retorted. ‘*T’m goin’ to try and get acquainted with this | ~ Perhaps I can work | husband-in-law of mine. him.” Then, the villain arose, put on his hat, and — walked toward the door. ; Mrs. Hyatt followed him, so as to shut and fasten it. . Just before he reached the door, he wheeled suddenly, caught her to his breast, and i — one burning kiss after another, upon her ace, And at this juncture, the door opened, and David Hyatt walked into the door! Two days later, Paul Potter was to be seen acting as superintendent of the Lucille mine! What did it mean? CHAPTER IV. THE RACKET AT THE DAISY. THE prize-fight between Big Mouth Mose and California Kit, was to take place at ten o’clock, and The Daisy Saloon began to fill up rapidly, shortly after the girl from *Frisco had sta for her supper, with the roughest element of camp. Likewise, this roughe:t element began to fill up, too, on the bad bug-juice which was dis- pensed over Dutch Duff’s bar, at twenty-five cents a drink. Both Dutch Duff and his sleek bartender, Julius, were kept busy waiting on these numer- ous patrons, while a burly miner, whose belt bristled with revolvers, had charge of the sale of reserved seats. These seats were planks mounted upon trans- verse stringers, about a foot-and-a-half apart, and for the privilege of sitting-room upon any one of these planks, a charge of five dollars was made. Those who had not the requisite V, were noti- fied that they would have to run their chances of seeing the fun, from the rear of the aforesaid 8 seats. In front of the seats was a stage, about eight by ten feet in size, and it was roped off in regu- lar ring style, ready for business. As soon as the saloon began to fill wp, Dead- wood Dick made up his mind that it was pote commence business operations. He had commissioned to speculate for his new acquaint- ance, and he was really so taken u her that he made up his mind to do what he te swell her profits. Sie . Pa. _GOr ele) — le -= ee ee ee at