Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 489 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

seat; many of them spent the greater part of | the night in wild revelry in one of the two sa- io0nus of the camp. T'he most proniinent saloon of Bed-Rock was one that displayed auove its huge sliding-door a sign tuut read as follows: ‘*KENT’S PLEASURE PARLORS.” ‘The time is evening. The big door of the **Pleasure Parlors” is thrown wide open, and vroad flare of light shines out into the street, ira.us of music and the sound of many voices «in >e heard within the barn-like structure, Within, at one side isa Jong bar, over which tvore is a constant flow of all kinds of liquid decoctions, ‘The musicians are mounted upon a }ilntform at the rear end of the room, and the space immediatelv in front of them is thronged with dancers. The big red-shirted miner, who has paid for his dance and secured his partner, is ‘‘hoeing in” his level best, intent on getting his money’s worth. Through an open door a glimpse can be caught of another room, in which are monte-tebles, faro-banks, and other gambling schemes. With- in this room is an eager crowd, nearly all of whom are fiercely trying to ‘‘cut the tiger’s claws,” Ovcasionally a small, dark-clothed man could be seen, sauntering carelessly through the throng. This was Cool Kent, the proprictor of the establishment. He was a man much below the medium hight, but he was reputed to have steel-like nerves, to be a plumb-center shot, and ‘‘chain-lightning on the draw.” He wore his black hair cut close to his head; his mustache was coal-black, as were his flashing eyes. Once or twice, since opening the ‘* Pleasure Parlors,” he had been forced to show his proficiency in y telling a disturbance or disposing of an ‘‘ucly rniner.” These jobs he performed with his little e jd-mounted revolvers, and did them in a way that excited the admiration and respect of the spectators. Those who knew him cared nothing ehout ‘riling” him up. Near the bar asmall 4 of men had gathered around a ragged, red-headed man, who was tal'sing in excited tones. ‘* { tell ye what,” he cried, slamming one dirty fist down upon the bar, ‘it war jist er rip-roar- i” ole skirmish—er reg’lar high ole jamboree. Vhunder! how dry I be!” He abruptly closed his remarks, and began to ‘spit cotton” and wipe his lips with the back of his hand. Some one took the hint, and ordered the drinks. When he had ‘‘liquored up,” the red- headed man continued: ‘‘Thar war six passengers aboard ther ole hearse, four inside an’ two atop, along with ther driver. A parsonish lookin’ galoot, a cross-eyed Jew, an’ an ole man an’ gal was the inside passengers. I wanted ter ride inside, but ther durned parson elevated his nose, an’ simp! refused ter hev me get in. I war mad enough ter chawed an ear off ther galoot, but ruther than ter create er disturbance afore a lady I consented ter ride atop. Ther other outside passenger was er dandified-lookin’ feller in patent-leathers, black velvet suit, with a big diamond in his shirt neck-tie, big white hat, an kid gloves—kid gloves! What dy yer think 0’ that?” A murmur of disgust came from the listeners. ‘Tt are an actooal scandal’us fact,” the red- headed man continued, speaking slowly and with great emphasis. ‘‘I made some remark about his style, which caused him to invite me ter dry up. Ruther than create tr’uble, an’ un- is cal delay ther stage, I complied, ‘‘ About er dozen or fifteen miles out o’ Bed- Rock, we was commanded ter halt, by half er dozen masked horsemen, Ther driver war about pullin’ up, when ther durned kid-gloved galoot yanked out er couple o’ guns, an’ let fly among ther agents, Thunder! how ry. I be!” This time half a dozen eager listencrs ordered the drinks at once, After thoroughly ‘* wetting his whistle,” the red-headed man again took up, the thread of his narrative: ** Kid-Gloves hadn’t mor’n let inter ther agents when he snatched ther whip out o’ ther driver's han’s an’ let ther leaders hev it. Almost afore they knowed it, we war by ther agents an’ er flyin’ down ther gulch, They guv er yell an’ started after us, er firin’ right an’ left. Some- how they managed ter sock it ter ther driver first thing. Kid Gloves again grabbed ther reins, an’ sung out fer me ter ketch hold o’ ther driver ter keep him frum fallin’ off. But, holy Moses! I hed my han’s full! Kid-Gloves man- aged ter get ther driver down inter ther boot, at’ hold him there with his feet. About this time sumbuddy inside ther hearse began pop- SL ee nuke The Diamond Sport. pin’ away, but I don’t know what they war _tirin’ at, an’ I guess they didn’t know them- selves, Ther air war pritty ginerally full o’ lead, an’ you may bet er feller war in danger 0’ bein’ safe fur erwhile, Ther road-agents chased us pritty nigh inter ther camp, but it war Lo go. Kid-Gloves played ’em fair an’ square, an’ we got erway.—Hello, there he comes, now!” Sauntering leisurely ihrough the throng was a man a trifle above medium hight, The red- headed man had given a very accurate descrip- tion of his clothes, but he had imparted no real idea of the man. Hewasa perfect Apollo, built from the ground up, His black velvet suit was cut to fit, and it displayed the perfection of his form excellently. His complexion was dark, and a heavy black mustache shaded a mouth that seemed ever to be curved in a careless, cyni- cal smile. His eyes were dark and piercinz— eyes that might beam with laughter or glare with fiercest anger. The curling mass of mid- night hair that fell from beneath the white sombrero reached his shoulders. He was care- lessly smoking a costly cigar as he sauntered aimlessly through the throng. One of the crowd around the red-headed man started, as his eyes fell upon the dandified stran- ret’, . ‘“That man?’ he exclaimed. Velvet Vane, the Diamond Sport, one of the most reckless devils that ever slung cold lead. He’s a bad man. from the word ‘ go,’ and don’t you forget it! If any of ye don’t believe it, tread on his corns, and see him let himself loose.” ‘* Thankee,” said the red-headed man, dryly. ‘¢ Sum day, when I hev er plenty o’ leisure an’ am bilin’ over fer fun, Pll jist try ’im er whirl. Thunder! how dry I be!” ee “Why, that’s | knew that a fair fist-fight would only other attraction for the Pleasure Parlors, ‘What's Dandy-Mug say? Durn ’im f dassent!” cried Rearin’ Bob. ‘*‘T desire no quarrel with the rough,” replied the Sport. ‘f Ye dassent! ed the bully. ‘do not wish to participate in a disgraceful fight, as I am sure it would be,” persisted the stranger. ‘*He takes water!” cried some one in th¢ crowd, A. fierce glow leaped into the dandy’s eyes, For a moment he glanced around in search of the speaker; then he turned toward the bully, saying: ‘If I refuse to fight, I suppose every one here will consider me a coward, I desire no trouble with you, but it seems I cannot avoid it. Make ready for the circus, Robert!” Chuckling with delight, the half-drunken bully made haste to do so. He wasa man of terrific strength, and so anticipated an easy victory In u few moments he was ready for the fray. A ring was formed, and the antagonists face” each other in the center. The bully had strippea to the waist, while the Diamond Sport had sim- ply thrown aside his velvet cvat. To an inexperienced eye the advantage would have seemed to be wit’ Roarin’ Bob, but a close observer would have hesitated to decide. ‘* Are ye ready?” growled the bully. ‘** All ready, Robert,” was the quiet reply. ‘“*Clar ther track, then. Hayre cums ther boss bruiser er boomin’. Whoo-cop!” The giant rushed upon his opponent. Straight as a cannon-ball, bis huge fist shot out, aimed straight at the Sport’s face. It was a terrific Durn ye, ye dassent /” repeat- But, although he spit cotton profusely, no one | blow, but Vane played an old trick on the bully seemed to take the hint this time. All eyes were centered upon the dandy Sport. Seldom was such an outfit seen in the rough mining country, and naturally it attracted much atten- tion. Seemingly unconscious of the batteries of eyes turned upon him, the Sport sauntered on, idly puffing at his cigar, and “taking in” all there was to be seen. Suddenly a huge, red-shirted miner came stageering toward the Sport. He was consid- erably the worse for ‘‘ardent,” and his blood- shot eyes were full of fight, ‘Hello, Store-Clothes!” he roared, bringing a dirty paw heavily down on the dandy’s shoul- der; ‘* when ’d you crawl out—” e did not continue. The open hand of Vel- vet Vane struck him fairly under the Icft ear, sending him reeling up against a man, ten feet away. With a wild shout, the big rogue reached for a revolver, but the words of the Sport rung gy A throuzh the room: ‘‘Hands off! Pull a pop and you'll swallow lead! Easy now!” The music and dancing stopped; there was a hasty scramble to get out of the line of danger, in which the red-headed man joined, wildly plunging under the table behind which the mar. that sold the dance-tickets ‘‘ held out.” For a few moments the infuriated bully gazed fiercely at the calm, smiling Vane. He was fairly trembling with rage, but dared not draw a weapon, for the revolver leveled at his brain was held by a hand that never trembled. ‘* T) yer know whol am?” hesnarled, through his clinched teeth, ‘* Im ther rip-roarer o’ ther Rockies—’m Roarin’ Bob, the Boss Bruiser. I’m hungry for gore. When I list on steam, ye want ter clear ther track. Say, you dandy, giv’ me haff er show an’ I'll swaller ye.” Cool Kent came sauntering up. ‘*Easy, gents, with yer guns,” ke warned, ina soft voice. ‘‘I can’t afford ter have you use them here. Apt ter damage the furniture, you. know. Sorry; would like ter accommodate you, but’s impossible. If you are going to use your pops you'll have ter move out on the street.” ‘*Durn ther shooters!” shouted Roarin’ Bob. ‘*Let me get at ’im with me jukes. I'll sp’ile his dandy mug, cuss ’im! Tl knock ’im vw. .> eend-an’-crooked, I will. He dassent stan’ up an’ let ther Boss Bruiser knock ther linin’ out 0’ him, durn ’im fer er sneak!” ** Go fer ’im, Kid-Gloves!” came a voice from under the ticket seller’s table. ‘*1ll back fi Tl bet on your head. Twenty ter one on Kid- Gloves! Who climbs it?’ “And, the danger from stray bullets seeming to be over, the red- headed man came crawling forth from his place of refuge. : ‘* Tf the gentlemen wish to settle their little difficulty by a quiet little mill, I have no ob- jections,” added Kent, smiiingly. He well | | Quick as lightning he ducked to the left. Hurl ed forward by the impetus of his own blow, Roarin’ Bob tripped over Velvew’s footand went crashing to the floor, ‘* Whooray fer Kid-Gloves!” shouted the red- headed man. ‘‘ All down; set ’em up t’other al- ley. Thunder! how dry I be!” Hastily the bully scrambled to his fect. He was fearfully surprised at his unexpected down- fall. He glared angrily at his smiling antago- nist. ‘*Dodged, did ye?’ he growled. ‘* Might» sharp trick that. Jist let me git er wipe at ye an’ Pll square that. Stan’ up, now, fair an square.” The bully had learned a lesson. He was more cautious. For a few minutes the men sparred cautiously. Posen. Vane made a feint with his right, the rough threw up his hands to ward off the blow, when, like a flash, the hard knuck les of the dandy struck Roarin’ Bob fair in the mouth. Making a wild grab at vacancy, the rough went over backward and measured his length on the floor, A squeal of delight came from the red-headed man. ** Geelory to Gideon! *Nuther drap, an’ was- sent it er daisy! Brace up, Bobbie, an’ try it ergin. ssoon as the half-stunned Goliah could re gain his feet, he rushed to renew the attack. The heavy blow he had received had loosened some of his teeth and cut his lip badly, It bad also knocked all coolness dnd judgment from his head. Without a word, he made another wild rush at his still smiling foe. Again the old trick was repeated. A dodge downward to the left, the dandy’s right fist shot out, taking Roarin’ Bob just above the belt, fairly in the pit of the stomach. The blow doubled him up like a jack- knife, He only bad time to utter a wheezing asp of rage, when hereceived a terrific blow, airly on the temple. It hurled him senselesy tep et away. ‘ Velvet Vane donned his coat, lit a cigar, and with a glance of disgust at the fallen rough, sauntered away. The music struck up, the dancing was re- sumed, and things moved on as usual, As he ‘‘ sidled” up to the bar, the red-headed man murmured: ‘¢ How thunderin’ dry I be!” CHAPTER II. A HASTY SHOT. FEOPLE who claimed that they knew him, said that Velvet Vane belonged to that class who make the first rush for any promising new mining-strike. It was said that he fol- lowed the none too- honorable occupation of a gambler. The Diamond Sport—as he was commonly named—indeed, had the reputation of being a8 “bad man,” ‘When he gambled he usually Eomichboo cS