Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 499 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

/ 2 world through Dolores, a mining city larger than Red Flash, and but ten miles from an arm of the Union Pacific. A stage made weeklv trips between Red Flash and Dolores, starting from the former place and Single Sight, the One-Eyed Sport. and when Chickadee drew up in front of the | ‘ coming back to it, which was the home of the | | appearance, as he was scrupulously attired, and owner of the line, The distance was twenty-five miles, and twenty-five miles of as rough a country as any one wished to see. | ‘ ; Sometimes the stage would go down to Dolores | with a full complement of passengers and return with zone at all, and sometimes this order of things would be reversed. Whenever Red Flash had a consignment of gold for the outer world, the s re would con- | tain six good-looking, dark-faced fellows in big | hats, armed to the teeth and on the clert. These men were known as the Gold Guard, and their aspect told that it would not be safe for road-agenis to attempt tostop the stage that | carried them. Up to the opening of our story the stage bad never been attacked, but the men of Red Flash did not abate their vigilance on this account; the Guard always accompanied the precious eargo to Dolores and left it not until they saw it in safe hands, lt was an early morning in the late summer when Red Flash City’s first real sensation came, and in the following startling manner. Daylight was just breaking over the camp when the piercing cry of a young girl thrilled the air, and the first man to rush from a cabin saw her throw berself upon the body of a man, who lay face downward on the ground in the dust of the main street. In a little while the girl, who was a beautiful creature of seventeen, was surrounded by a dozen startled men, and a pair of big kindly hands lifted her gently from the man in the road. . ‘Te is dead! re hd’ be see?” exclaimed the girl, pointing to the body. ‘“* He has been killed by some assassin, Look! I have not removed the knife that did the work!” It was then discovered that the girl had made a terrible discovery, for the man on the ground carried a large dagger in his back. Another discovery was made when the dagger was examined. The handle was wrapped with rice paper which, when unrolled, was found to bear a mystifying sentence of three words: * One of sia.” The girl appeared thunderstruck; she stood silent and trembling in the midst of the group of men; and made no resistance when she was led back into the cabin from which she had come. y | S man was the ab Sig aera a srson Cs abette, though nobody believed 4 was h name. e had been one of the founde the ‘‘ city,” and was the nabob of the pls int of wealth and position. He was t th owner of a mine which had obtained ame of Old Fatality Mine, for all been killed in some mysterious , ane the girl Finette were much at- to Ope another. He did not pretend to father, and when anybody spoke of her ice, be always said that she was the : who was dead. , the mysterious killing threw Red Flash. high state of excitement. No stra had been seen about the camp and whenever men came together, a score o theories were to clash. The dagger was examined and re-examined. Té bad an almost straight blade of seven inches, ana an iron hilt with a polished hand-guurd. There was nothing abont it to suggest a solu- tion of the puzzle, only all agreed that the weap- on be to nobody in the camp. Babette was not known to have any enemies; but then the fatal mine had lately passed into his hands, and certain citizens shook their heads when they said that nobody would be allowed _ to hold Old Fatality in peace. It Was high noon on the same day when the meee Polled in from Dolores. in a cloud of dust almost hid driver, steeds and vehicle, The driver was a youth of eighteen; hand- some with his brilliant black eyes and well-cut features. He was not very large for his age, but he was by no means dwarfish. He was called Chickadee wherever he was known, and his control over the powerful horses, that made the stage spin over the mountain trail, was quite wonderful. All people trusted him, and more than once Dolores had tried to get him on the line that ran from there to the railroad. The stage on this occasion had two passengers, — two-story, weather-boarded building that went by the name of hotel, he leaped from his seat and opened the door to assist his passengers out. The first person to emerge was a man about forty-five. He was somewhat of a dandy in wore his mustache waxed like a Frenchman. His hands were incased in a pair of skin-fitting brown gloves which he had worn all the way from Dolores, and the moment he stepped nimbly from the stage, several spectators marked him down for a sharp of the first water. The next passenger was the representative of a race of people who were not very welcome in Red Flash City. He was a Chinaman, apparently fifty years old, and was attired in half-civilized garments which gave him a rather odd appearance. The two passengers did not seem to be ac- quainted, and the dandyich man evidently held the Celestial in contempt. John did not notice the scowl which greeted his appearance, but quietly proceeded to fish out his luggage from under the seat—a small black box almost square, with brass orna- ments at the top corners, Of course no Chinaman would be permitted to become a guest at the Beelzebub Hotel; therefore he would have to seek accommoda- tions among the few Celestials who inhabited the lower part of the town. The American was escorted into the Beelzebub by its proprietor, while che Chinaman was left to take care of himself. ‘* You’ve come back in time for the funeral,” announced a gaunt-looking man, tapping the boy driver on the arm, ‘What funeral?” ‘Why, don’t you know#—of course you don’t, How should you?’ and the man smiled as he said: ‘* Babette is dead |” The boy started and gave the speaker a look of unbelief. ‘Who killed him?” he asked. The thin man laughed as if he could not help it. ‘¢ How do you know he was killed ?” ““The fatal mine!” exclaimed the boy. bette is the fifth owner, you know?” The man nodded, ‘Tell me all about it, Gaunt, while I put the horses away. ‘Tell me everything.” ' For the next ten minutes Chickadee was doing two things at the same time, stabling the horses and listening to all Gaunt George knew about the dy. He did ae interrupt the narrator once, but let him relate the story in his quaint way while he leaned against the stable door with folded arms, “It’s almost killed Finette, the poor thing,” said the talker. ‘“‘She war wrapped up in Ba- bette and he in her. If we had some of them sharps who hunt out mysteries in the big cities, mebbe we'd get ter know more about our puzzle. It’s sure death for any one ter own Old Fatality. Nobody ll want ter claim it now.” Chickadee’s eyes gave a sudden flash at Gaunt George’s remark. ‘* What do they talk of doing with the mine?” he asked. “They talk o’ lettin’ it be,” answered. the tough. “‘‘ I’ve heered Rico Rob say be wouldn’t touch it for all creation, and that man war raised on sund, yer know, Chickadee?” “T know him,” replied the boy driver. “‘ But, the mine is not going to remain without an owner.” “Who'll take it?” “Twill” Gaunt George’s hand rose in protest, ‘“We won't let you,” he cried. ‘*We don’t want you ter be ther an’ last owner o’ Old Fatality.” ‘You can consider me such from this moment. I will take possession of the mine before night but [ continue to drive between Red Flash and Dolores all the same, You say that Babette’s body is in his cabin?” ‘Yes, we took it thar, of course.” ** And Finette, too?’ ‘ An’ Finette’s thar, in course.” A few moments later Chickadee entered a large weather-boarded cabin near the middle of the camp, and down into the face of a young girl whose eyes showed traces of long weeping. In one corner of the room lay the sheeted figure of Babette. Chickadee did not go to it, but drew the girl into a small adjoining apartment and said: ‘This shall be my work!” ‘What do you mean?” exclaimed Finette. ‘* Ba- en ae ee + ee ‘‘T am going to solve the mystery of this mur- der! In the first place, | am going to proclaim myself owner of Old Fatality, and, next, I in- tend to find the person who dealt the blow last night!” The girl drew back with a tremor and looked him in the face. ‘‘ You know the document Babette found in the mine when he took possession of it?” she cried. **'Yes, I do!” ‘¢ He is the fifth owner killed. The paper said that when the sixth owner had fallen, the mine would revert to its original owners.” ‘“They are the assassins!” exclaimed the boy driver. ‘“‘I hear that none of the sports or miners want to claim the mine, therefore ] shall, Before night I will a myself pro- prietor from the porch of the Beelzebub Hotel!” And his eyes glowed as he made the announce- ment, CHAPTER It. THE MAN IN KIDS. In the meantime one of the passengers of Chickadee’s stage had been formally installed as a guest of the Beelzebub Hotel. He was the passenger in kids and registered himself as Captain Ringbolt. He had said, furthermore, that he had come almost direct from Denver where be was one of the officers of the Great Denver Gold Union, an organization which was to assist in bringing out the metallic resources of the mountains. Captain Ringbolt had ‘‘a slick tongue and good address, and Yuba Monte, the proprietor of the Beelzebub, did not doubt that he was en- tertaining a very great man, ‘“Monte affected to have heard something about the Gold Union when, to be plain, he Lad never heard of its existence, and every now and then Ringbolt would smile at Yuba’s nods of ap- proval. The Beelzebub was not a very roomy hostelry, but the best apartment in it was at once set apart for the grandee’s use, and he was escorted to it by the proprietor himself. ‘‘Have you a man here named Rico Rob?’ asked Ringbolt. ‘“‘T should say we have!” exclaimed Yuba. ‘““Everybody’s heard o’ Rico Bob, Friend o’ yours?” ‘No, Ihave merely heard of. him, and my business here will naturally bring us together. Can you send bim up?” “Certainly. Do you want him now?” “Tf you can find him.” : Eager to obey, the landlord made quick time down the rough stairs, and in less than five min- utes’ time had found Rico Bob, Captain Ringbolt’s only baggage was a small leathern valise which he had taken to his room with him, and which had not been out of bis sight for a moment. When the landlord had left he opened the valise and thrust his hand intoits depths as if to satisfy himself that a certain article was safe, for a sat- isfactory smile overspread his face and he closed the receptacle withasnap. » ‘“Ttll take mea little while to get down to business, but when I do, Red Flash will open her eyes!” he ejaculated, glancing out of the window from which he could see a smal) portion of the camp and the mountains beyond. “ It’s about time for my agent to get his work in again. He will report when he comes. Ah! the landlord has found Rob, already!” At that moment there were footsteps on the stairs. Ringbolt fixed two shining eyes on the door, which the ae were approaching, and when the door opened and revealed aman whose burly figure almost filled it, he could not keep back an exclamation of pleasure, ‘The ‘‘ best man” of Red Flash stood before oe, eta his dark-brown pantaloons buried in the tops of his boots, and in a new, open jacket, whose front wore a lot of new braid with a plen- tiful sprinkling of silver threed, Rico Rob was as handsome as he was big. . His rounded face had a large black mustache, the ends of which, unlike Ringbolt’s, bad never known wax; his eyes were a derk bazel and full oe — Te, while his hands had fingers that 00 sitively dangerous. Ringbolt leaned back in his chair with his va- lise very close to it, and scrutinized his vis- itor’s face. Rico Rob closing the door took a step toward the guest and held ovt his hand. ‘By George! you're still on duty, I see!” ejac- ulated Ringbolt. *“* Did you see me come in ss Yes.” ** And you knew te?” ‘Not at first.. 1 did not look for you in a I00 com Cc cS com