Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 499 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

6 “ Whar'’s- Captain Ringbolt, your guest?” he asked of Yuba behind the bar. -'$ “In his room; but, hold on!” cried the mountain landlord, as the big confederate start- ed toward the stairs, ‘* Do you know that the young rat who drives the stage has played road- agent hyer ter-night.” , ‘¢On whom?” ( ‘On my guest from Denver.” | Rob waited to hear no more, but ran up the narrow steps that led to Captain Ringbolt’s chamber and burst into the room with a sharp *“ Hello!” ws . But, he stopped as if he had come suddenly to the edge of a precipice, and stared at an object at his feet. ‘* Great God! itis ther chief!” exclaimed Rob, The captain was lying on his face with his arms outstretched. ‘The lamp was burning on the table. , Rico Rob seized the body and turned it over. It was, indeed, the body of Captain Ringbolt, and the face was almost black, Neer by lay his valise, opem and robbed! CHAPTER VII. BETRAYED BY A RING. Tu finding of Captain Ringbolt insensible, if not dead, seemed to paralyze the giant of Red Flash City. Instinetively he looked up and out of the window above the sloping roof of the hotel porch, The lower sash was not shut down securely, anc one of the panes was broken, Rico knew thet the man from Denver had been surprised an attacked by some one who had got the best of him, The rifled valise—the one the captain had brought from Dolores—seemed to show _ the main motive of the attack; but the Red Flash sport put every thought aside in his efforts to -. get Ringbolt back to life. “This was a task of no small dimensions with = the limited means at bis command; but after ' awhile he succeeded, and the Denverite regained " consciousness. _ ; . And the Spy which the big sport put, to get at a solution of the mystery, brought a flash of rage back to Captain Ringbolt’s eyes. AR ell, in the first place, I was robbed!” re- ported Ring bolt. ‘That young tiger who drives *. the stage played robber.in this very house; he - took something valuable from me.” Brom the valises there?” asked Rico Rob, glancing at the empty bag on the floor, ¥ ‘No! the second Satan did that!” growled the captai The boy robbed me of a picture fie » one the Camp Folly artist took jhe winte sbanded as a brotherhood, The icture fe Babette’s hands; it passed’ from there into gs possession. I went down to. get it, but , then I sent Ah Sin, who suc- ceeded, \ ir, the boy you call Chickadee rade itup at the muzzle of his arop- » 3 7. ¢s i CU fey: _ 2 Ww é te: vo wv os tah vhad backbone!” he if, who came after the boy you on the floor choked black?” £ lé aie. answer. ‘‘ When I ar the young robber-devil went F T was pounced upon by some n the room—a man with a black od the whole of his face. Jehu! <e an eagile’s claws, and I b’lieve that was all I saw blazing in mission was robbery, too, for Ringbolt pointed to the valise. everything?” asked Rico Rob. ae: mk he found what he wanted,” and for the first/time during the interview the ie from Denyer smiled, “Of course I fought like a tiger as far as F was able; but with eagle- —. elaw hands to help iat he got the black call on me. Did Yuba Monte, the proprietor of this megs den, say anything about his departure?” Oe. ; _ ** Ah! look there!” cried Ringholt, Icaning toward the window. ‘There was no glass broken when he came. He went out hy the roof. It is no drop from the porch to the ground. Of course Yuba Monte did not see him if he went that way. Don’t you see how it ist The boy andthe man work together. One - gobs with a leveled revolver; the other dons a mask and'chokes!” | » » . Ringbolt irked up the valise at this rnoment, » and thrust his hand into its depths. . *Tet?s make an inventory of what he left,” he exclaimed, looking up. at. Rico Rob, and he began to bring various things to light. x t. Pa aa % om - ‘~~? * a? ; ry ol w at is this?—a ring : Jupiter!” me Ful gbolt was holding a man’s ring between o © i > tas . ‘ . 7 ‘ ; ke » aie z & pa . a3” s Single Sight, the One-Eye —_—- i SS _ a ! thumb and finger; a gold ring it was, with a polished nugget for a crest. ‘*Great heavens! did you fish that from your valise?” cried Rico Rob, ‘*T found it nowhere else! tome, The devil in the mask left it behind to let me get even with him!” Rieo was staring at the ring. “This man was a fool!” he exclaimed. ‘* What man!” ‘* Why, the man who left the ring. Had but one eye you say?” ‘*T saw but one, but then his hand was at my throat you know. Do-you know him?” ‘“‘ Well, if 1 don’t, he doesn’t know himself.” ‘ Who is he?” ‘‘We call him Single Sight for there can’t be another ring like this in the country. But, leave him tome, Youwdon’t want to see him. And now to business: The young proprietor takes me down to Dolores to-morrow.’ ‘‘ Ho! to-morrow! You've made thearrange- ments, eh?” ‘*[T have.” “Then I came to Red Flash in good time to close the business up.” ‘Tt would have been closed if you had not come,” answered the other. ‘Now nothing about this night attack. You must be the agent of the Great Denver Gold Union until we get further along in the game.” ‘* ] comprehend; so work the cards as you see best.” Rico Rob now returned to the bar-room where Yuba Monte was still alone, ‘You don’t want to give the Beelzebub a bad reputation by circulating Chickadee’s attack on your guest,” began the giant. ‘*T was thinking about that.” ‘‘ Keep it to yourself,” continued Rob. boy will say ie ere The packet which he took from Captain Ringbolt is of no conse- quence,” ‘‘ Chickadee. was entirely too fresh.” ‘* Yes,” grinned the big tough, and then he added: ‘* Remember! You lose the most profit- able guest you ever had if you spread the doings of this night.” ** Mum’s the word for a thousand!” averred Yuba Monte, and. Rico Rob walked from the Beelzebub. ‘So a new man takes a hand,” he ejaculated when he found himself in the starlight, ‘“ My one-eyed friend, Single Sight, tosses an unex- pected’ card upon the board. It means some- thing, and it means, too, that he shall not play another hand, Vill just drop in upon him and send an expressive look into his one optic.” The giant of Red Flash City was soom at the door of a cabin not unlike the many by which it was surrounded, ; A light dimly burning’ on the interior but half revealed the scanty furniture: but it showed Rico Rob the figure that reclined on the cot against one of the walls. ““T won’t bandy words with him!” mentall ejaculated the giant as he caught the wooden lateh and opened the door. It never belonged “The The next moment the man on the cot got up and Rico stood face to face with the one-eyed man of Red Flash City. Single Sight picked up the lamp and held it forward to see who his visitor was. ‘*Ho! itis you!” he exclaimed, and then he laughed. ‘‘ I couldn’t get Chickadee out o’ the notion o’ holdin’ Old Fatality—” ‘‘ Let him take it!” interrupted Rob; “TI am here to say that you don’t want to choke people who come peaceably to Red Flash!” The change on Single Sight’s countenance was swift and wonderful, He replaced the lamp on the table. ‘* How do you know perfectly cool. The giant smiled. “You left your nugget-mounted ring in the valise.” ‘“‘T had better have left it at home, eh?” he suggested. ‘You had better have stayed at home your’ self! Remember! no more of this work!” and Rob strode toward the door, but did not reach it ere the hand of the one-eyed man fell like a hammer upon the giant’s shoulder. “‘T have heard you—now hear me!” he cried as Rico wheeled. “‘The man whom I _ choked came here on most Pent business. He is no more the agent of the Great Gold Union than 1 amhis Satanic Majesty. Captain Ringbolt, as he calls himself, is the old ‘ Redfield’ of the Brotherhood of the Mystic Mark; and I choked him because—because—” Single Sight threw Rice Rob toward the door at his last pause, and then finished: | / 1 did it?” he asked, now ‘ We . & . e ‘ ~. en eS Se * d Sport. wr “I choked him because I, of all men living, had a right to drive my fingers behind his. weasand! Lam liable to stand on the porch of the Beelzebub to-morrow asd read his »edigree to assembled Red Flash.” ‘Tf you dare!” cried the mountain giant. ‘Captain Ringbolt has his rights as well as other men. If you attempt. to expose him, you will drop in your boots asdead as a herring! Thar?” and Rico Rob passed out. ‘¢ Mebbe I had better go a little slow,” mut- tered Single Sight. ‘ This isdangerous ground!” CHAPTER VILL IN DOLORES. Tue next morning the earliest risers of the mountain “ city ” saw Chickadee hitching up his stage team. It will be remembered that he had agreed to take Rico Rob to Dolores, and true to his prom- ise, the boy was getting ready for departure. Just as he finished the barnessing up, the giant of Red Flash made his appearance, and Chickadee, lines in hand, climbed nimbly to his seat. “ All ready!” exclaimed Rico Rob. “Off we are, boy. Let the steeds enjoy themselves this morning. They want a race with time.” The next minute the whip cracked over the heads of the leaders, and the stage rattled away. As it passed in front of the Beelzeeub Hotel, its solitary passenger threw a quick glance ata certain window above the porch. He must have caught sight of a face there, for he smiled, nodded end waved bis hand, ere the four strong horses whisked him past the building. All the time there was a wicked gleam in Rico Rob’s eyes. He threw himself back in one corner of the vehicle and drew forth a cigar which he lit, and — away like a person who enjoyed the weed. Bvery now and them he heard Chickadee speak to the restive horses, and the cracks of his whip would echo in the defiles through which. the stage rolled with no abatement of its mo- tion. When nearly one-half the distance between Red Flash and Dolores had been left behind, ae Rob left his corner and shouted to the boy whip. “ Make room forme. Dmcoming up to get a sniff of fresh air.” ‘Come along!” the Shaq 5 ed sent back to the sport, and mm @ little while the giant was at Chickadee’s side om the driver's seat. ‘Don’t you get tired o’ this?’ asked Rico. Rob. : “Tired of what?” answered the boy, with a puzzled look, tis “Why, tired o’ drivin’ over this old route. It’s always Dolores to Red Flash, or Red Flash to Dolores!” Chickadee smiled. ; “ It’s got to be a second life to me,” he replied. ** Besides, Captain Rob, what else could I do?” ‘A good deal if you want to quit the road, I tell you, Chickadee, you ought to be some- whar else.” “Tn Frisco?” “Not exactly.” “T rather like this life, and I like Red Flash,, too; but they’ve got to killing men there be- cause they hold property.” —— This unexpected allusion to Babette’s assassi~ nation made the big passenger start. * And vou have stepped into Babette’s shoes!” endinitinsd Rico Rob, after a moment’s, silence, ‘© Somebody had to.” “But not you,” the giant sport; went on. “ Thar’s nothing’ Old Fatality Mine for any- body. Itnever benefited Babette; ithasorphan- ed! Finette and—” Rico Rob stopped and looked away. “Why don’t you goon?” queried Chickadee, smiling in the gian ’s face. ‘“Well. By Jove! boy, it will send you after Babette!” was the response. ‘“* You are the sixth owner, and the document which was found in the mine says thar shall be: six then— something else!” Chickadee cracked his whip over the heads of of the horses before he replied. He knew that Rico Rob was already on fami- liar terms with Captain Ringbelt, the man from Denver; he had seen them together at the hotel,, and, as‘he drove past that way every morning, he had caught a glimpse of Ringbolt’s face at the window. He was certain, therefore, that there was a common link between the fortunes of these twa men. Since Babette’s death he had not played de COmMmIcHOOKS co - as