Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 499 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

=e ‘“* Here I am!” he cried, when he reached the trap-door, and placing his shoulders against it, he raised it with little difficulty. The next instant a shrili cry saluted his ears, and the captain caught a glimpse of a figure in the light of a lamp, ‘*Great God! what is this?” In a second he was out of the opening and his eyes, dilated with wonder and horror, saw before them the frightened face of the beauty of Red Flash—Finette! , The girl was no less asturisbed than the cap- aln, She had been looking at the door in the round, when, lo! it opened, and the face of the enverite came into view! ‘You have tracked me!” cried Ringbolt, as he pounced upon the breathless girl like a hawk. ‘“*'You have turned spy! You think I am ‘ Red- field’ of the picture! No, my she-ferret, you don’t get away !” Finette drew back, but too late; the clutch of Captain Ringbolt was at her arm; his eyes seem- ed about to leap from his head, ‘*T know itnow! You are ‘ Redfield’!” cried the girl. The Denverite broke into a derisive laugh. ‘“*T am more than ‘ Redfield.’ | am Satan in Colorado!” he exclaimed. Half an hour later Captain Ringbolt sat in the midst of a crowd on the porch of the Beelzebub, and his theme was the Great Denver Gold Union. Not far away was Babette’s little cabin, but it was empty, like a robbed nest! ‘ CHAPTER XI. A CELESTIAL IN A TRAP. “THEY'RE a little slow, but they’ll get hyer. od started for this place; I'll bet my head on 1 ; Single Sight muttered these words while he waited beside the window of Chickadee’s room at the Saints’ Rest in Dolores. As we know, he did not find the Boy Whip in bed, but instead of leaving the room on hunt of him, he had resolved to wait for certain parties whom he believed to be on their way thither. The One-Eyed Sport of Red Flash was keenly on the alert. He had seen enough of Rico Rob and Ab Sin in Dolores that night, had heard enough of their conversation to keep him at the window, re- volver in hand, and reacy for an emergency. It was some time after Single Sight’s arrival when there was a slight noise on the roof of the porch upon which the window looked, The sport did not move nor look out, but a smile appeared on his sallow face. ** At last!” he mentally ejaculated. ‘* Which one will come first?” For some moments the sound was not repeat- ed; then it again assailed Single Sight’s ears, and a figure at the window blotted out the moon- ht on the wall. he following minute the lower sash crept up without noise, and the one eye saw the head that was thrust inside. ‘The advance guard is a celestial one!” mur- mured the sport. ‘‘Come on into the trap, my yaller heathen; the nest is occupied, but not by the bird you’re looking for.” The figure at the window continued toadyance by degrees, and in a little while Ah Sin, the Chinaman, dropped to the floor of Chickadee’s room. Se He did not see the nning man beside the he pad for his shadow did not fall upon the wall. ‘*T guess Captain Rob isn’t comin’ up!” ejacu- lated Single Sight, for there was no longer any noise on the roof. Ah Sin was entirely in the room, and his somewhat grotesque shadow fell across the couch - fecone le reoe welt at once the ash sport ste uick- ly toward the Celestial; his right hach'eas lifted above his head, and the next second it descended like a hand of doom. ‘‘Not a word! You’ve made your own tra you miserable yaller fraud!” hissed Single Si ht in Ah Sin’s ears. ‘he Chinaman was thunderstruck, and seemed to lose all vestiges of color as he looked into the sport’s face. ‘What is that lying along P her) sleeve thar? Hold it up!” continued Single Sight. Ah Sin hesitated. ‘Hold it up, I say, or by Jupiter! Pll paint the wall with your brains!” Slowly the Chinaman’s hand came up, and something was seen to glitter in it. “Aha! A heart hunter!” ejaculated Single - =! eo | Sight, as his eyes fastened their gaze upon a long-bladed knife about whose hilt were wound the yellow fingers of the Chinese assassin. ** You were lookin’ for Chickadee, I presume. Well, come forward and do your work. Now or n“The One-Eyed Sport drag e One-Eyed Sport ed Ah Sin toward the bed, and laughed in his ieee when he showed him that it was empty. Ah Sin showed his chagrin in a disappointed look, and the Red Flash sport. heard him grind his teeth. ‘I'll take the knife,” continued Single Sight reaching for the dagger which the Celestial mechanically drew back, but he clutched his wrist and gave if such a wrench that Ah Sin uttered a cry of pain and let the’dagger fall to the floor. A look of discovery came from the sport's eyes when he saw the blade quivering in the spot of moonlight where it had fallen, and a moment = a on later he forced Ah Sin back over the bed and | let his hand slip to his yellow throat. ‘* Where did you leave Rico Rob?” asked Sin- | agility, he could easily master him. But gle Sight. Ah Sin was inclined to be stubborn. ‘* If you think you can afford to play mum in this game, go ahead,” the One Bsol Sport went on. ‘* lam somewhat famous for merciless plays when my opponents act mulish. Where is the captain?” ‘* Down below.” ‘* At the porch?” sé Yes. bP ‘You were goin’ to use your dagger on Chick- adee?” ; Ah Sin did not reply. ‘Yes. This isour fight,” was the answer. ‘Well, I am at your service,” exclaimed the Bac bac ‘** Whither shall we go?” “There is an empty house within a stone’s throw of the Saints’ Rest.” ‘**Tt will do.” Once more Rico Rob looked up at the window, and then lowered bis gaze to the door by which Single Sight bad left the hotel. ‘**Come! the sooner the better!” he exclaimed, wheeling about, ‘‘I see you have tracked me from Red Flash. You have probably killed the Chinese. Well, he was no chum of mine!” ‘* Redfield took some stock in him, eh?’ smiled Single Sight. ‘‘ Well, Redfield can have him, if he wants that kind of pards.. I ought to have finished the yellow rat when I had him in my hands,” The two men were walking from the little hotel; they were watching each other like a pair of rival hawks. Rico Rob towered a head above Single Sight, and his shoulders were broad and massive, If he possessed one-half of the desperate sp ei ingle ‘Sight seemed to doubt Captain Rob’s ability to | | | Si win the contest. ‘** This is the house,” said the Red Flash giant, halting before a small house, and turning upon the man who had kept at his side. “Is 1t empty?” ‘* Yes. Besides, Dolores has branded it as be- ing haunted,” and Rico Rob with a sarcastic > kicked the door open and waved Single t inside. he interior of the house was dark, and the small amount of moonlight that entered when “The proof of your intent was lying along | the door was open did not dissipate the gloom. your sleeve awhile ago,” continued Single Sight. **T will go down and deliver your report to the captain,’ The Celestial started. ‘“ You’d rather deliver it yourself, I see,” smiled the sport. ‘* You will stay where you are. Maybe Chickadee will drop in upon you.” The Chinaman was completely in the sport’s ead, and within the next five minutes he was ashed to the bedpost, and gagged in an efficient manner Fire darted from his eyes when he saw Single Sight step back with the intention of seaving him there, but he could dono more than lock. The man from Red Flash did hot withdraw until he saw that his captive was well secured. ‘““The web has caught the spider,” grinned Single Sight, as he opened the door, and then Ah Sin was the only occupant of the room where he had expected to deprive the fatal mine of its sixth and last owner. He did not disturb Dado Dan sleeping at his post behind the counter in the lower room, but passed on tip-toe to the porch, and disappeared. ‘* Now for the giant,” he murmured, when he felt the wind in his face and heard the laugh of some night owls in a den near by. ‘‘ Where is my ped Rico Rob? Ah, here we are, old fel- ow At that moment the keen one eye had seen the bur] figure that leaned against one of the wooden pillars of the porch directly beneath the window which had proved a trap for Ah Sin. The form of the Red Flash giant was big enough not to be mistaken for any other. Sin- gle sight knew it too well. The man at the pillar heard the door open; he must have seen the figure that tripped forward. At any rate, he saw it soon, for Single Sight halted at the edge of the porch and leaned for- ward with triumph in his solitary eye. Rico Rob drew back. ‘Hello! Captain Rob!” ejaculated the Red Flash sport, and then the giant saw who it was. ‘** You?—I thought you were in the old camp!” he cried. ‘*No, I'm hyer,” snd Single Sight jumped from the porch and covered the distance between | he had followed Rico | | | s futur | contest!” he muttered. — | | The two men entered at nearly the same mo- ment, and one of Rico Rob’s hands caught the door and shut it. Single Sight stepped back till his heel touched the foot of an unseen well. ‘One eye is as good as two in here!” he ejacu- lated to himself. ‘‘Captain Rob hasn’t the ad- ven e of me in that respect. And then he drew man and waited, He knew that a duel in the dark was nota’ e dagger he had taken from the China-’ ~ f; new thing to the man who faced him somewhere __ between the walls of the oy ed house. If stories related often at the giant had fcught more than one such duel, and in every instance with succ 4 —— eda Noe - the sag say posed it,” ou ought to know. You pro it,” ar swered the One-Eyed Sport. “ze ‘* Yes. Itis to put an end to What kind of a weapon do you hold?” oa ‘*T have the iron-handled dagger I foun along Ah Sin’s sleeve ov bileaae t would pro- duce a sensation in Red Flash if I shoulddrive —_— it into the door of the Beelzebub, for a dagger — = just like it has killed the five proprietors of Old atality Mine!” | a a as,» ‘* Then, you think—” a i Be . A moment’s Ree ioe i the last word; a then the voice of Ca Rob came through the — ‘“‘T have a bowie just as god," it said. pe ae ready! The fight is on, The best mah goes back to Red Flash” ie Single Sight stepped n and ipped the captw: “The blind colonel’s CHAPTER XII. i = ’ e * % - « our trailing, — aut e* a 7 * i , wa" vy ed Flash were <n aa. a! a HOT WORK. It was Single Sight’s first duel in the dark and tween four walls, : There was something thrilling in the meeting; Rob from Red og he D them with a single stride. ‘‘I have just left had already connected him with aero R it r had your friend Ah Sin. He didn’t find the person he war lookin’ for. JZ happened to be in the room instead o’ Chickadee,” You?” ‘f Why not?” words, the silence of the dark house was not. Rico Rob threw a glance up at the window | broken. a8 3 above the porch. | | bolt, and since the iron-handled d en into his hands, another thought had across his mind. ei For several minutes after Rico. Rob’s last If a light could have been flashed into the ‘Oh, he won't come down just yet, captain,” | room, it would have showed the two men, stand- smiled Single Sight, and then he laid his left ing face to face a short distance a ‘* Let us go an’ hunt | hand of each about the hilt of a bowie, and ready — hand on the giant’s arm. Chickadee, think I know whar to find him. Thar’s another place he visits sometimes,” “Td rather see you!” came through Rico Rob’s teeth, and his look gave his words a start- ing eoopbasis. gle Sight straightened and drew back. ** Shall it be alone?” he asked, | part, the right for the duel. , All at once a rap sounded on the door, one, | oa two, three times it struck. “ Didn’t I tell you this house was baunted™ ‘ laughed the Red Flash giant. ‘‘ This is the ghost. He always knocks The last rap died away, and then the Ecomicbooks.. fore he comes in.” ~ J ' ess. +¢ sein By Jove! what is this fight for?” suddenly — t es et, a : a” sel " to, the FigHA Doe io ORS . q ae ‘tay ‘a y = + - ¥