Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 510 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

elma eee eee eee And as he uttered the defiant speech he placed his arms against his sides and glared in the face of the stranger. That the speech was intended for the other fore the critical moment was reached, Jackson, by instinct, seemed to guess he was in danger, and managed to wriggle out of the clutch. But on the third attempt the half-breed suc- was plain, and he must have beena dull fellow | ceeded. indeed to misunderstand the meaning of the burly blusterer. ‘“Stranger, I suppose you intend your re- marks for me,” the young man observed, ** but I am not the kind of a man to allow myself to be drawn into a quarrel with every fellow who is anxious to display his abilities as a fighter. ‘* Hain’t you Cool Colorado?” ‘“That is my handle.” ‘* An’ ve heerd that you was a war-hoss, and no mistake! Now, I want you to understand that I am the big bazoo of this hyer camp, able for to knock down an’ drag out ary man in it. My name is fight, and I’m a grizzly b’ar from wy head to my heels; so, Mister Colorado, cool or hot, I’m yer chicken!” “* Well, I reckon I can hold my own if I am forced into a difficalty,” the young man replied; “*but Iam no bar-room brawler, eager to fight for the sake of fighting, and I don’t care to quarrel with the first man I encounter just because he thinks he is called upon to go on the war-path.” ‘* Say! you don’t seem to understand the way things ar’!” Jackson exclaimed. ‘‘I ain’t been long in these parts, an’ that is the reason why I hain’t run ag’in’ you before; but I am a-runnin’ this camp, I am, an’ these fellers hyer, who are afeard for to come out an’ face me, hev been throwing a chap ’bout your size up in my teeth, an’ now you hev put in an appearance, it seems to me that you ought to try a go with me jest for to let the camp see who is the best man.” ‘‘T don’t care the toss of a cent for the opinion of the camp!’ Cool Colorado exclaimed, bluntly. ‘¢ Ror the love of massy, stranger, jest have a go with me, jest for greens!” cried J ackson, ap- lingly. ‘‘ Say, mebbe you don’t know that hey got one of the nicest gals in the town—m darter! Why, stranger, she’s a beauty, now tell you, an’ all the boyees in the town are jest wild fur to have a chance tomake her acquaint- ance; but [ hev said right out to them that nary man in this town will have ary chance to do ary chinnin’ with my gal until he has shown he is a better man than I am.” ** Do you live on the north road?” ** You bet.” ‘Well, I reckon I have had the pleasure of making <our daughter’s acquaintance, then.” ‘*The blazes you have!” growled the burly fellow, in rising wrath, ‘Yes; as I came along the trail she happened to come to the door, and when I saw what a blooming beauty she was, the thought suddenly occurred to me that I was mighty thirsty, and so I made bold to ask her for a drink of water.” ‘‘Darn yer impudence!” exclaimed the en- raged father. She, of course, was glad to oblige a good- looking gentleman like myself, and we had a nice little chat together; she told me ber name was Pauline Jackson, usually called Polly for short, and that she lived in the cabin with her father, who she said 1 would be apt to meet in the Millionaire’s Home,” ‘*Wa-al, cuss me if your impudence don’t beat anything that I ever heered tell on!” cried old man Jackson, who had worked himself up into a terrible fit of rage. ‘‘Now you hev got to fight or be ‘tarnelly chawed up!” Then, brandishing his arms, he rushed at the half-breed. But he found Cool Colorado prepared for the attack though, for, bracing himself firmly, the half-breed clinched with his antagonist, neither one attempting to strike a blow. Over the floor. backward and forward, swayed the two men, while the bystanders watched the contest with eager interest. From the beginning it was apparent to the lookers-on that the half-breed was the best man of the two, although Jackson appeared to be the largest. But Cool Colorado was a | as strong as his opponent, and what he lacked in size he made up in skill. Jackson depended entirely upon brute force, while the half-breed was skilled in the tricks of the wrestler’s art. For fully a minute the two struggled, the old man endeavoring with a bear-like hug to squeeze the breath out of his opponent, while Cool Col- orado’s. game was to get a “‘lock ” upon his an- onist, so as to throw him heavily. wice the trick nearly succeeded, but just be- i — Just how the thing was worked neither Jack- son nor any Of the bystanders could tell, but, by a dextrous twist, Jackson was lifted from his feet, held for a moment on the hip of his oppo- nent and then flung with terrific force to the floor, his head striking first with a thud which was heard all over the room. The concussion stunned the old man and he lay like a log. A long breath came from the lips of the by- standers, and then they yelled with delight, for there wasn’t a man in the room who wasn’t glad to see the boaster conquered. ‘* Hope to goodness he ain’t killed,” the land- lord observed. ‘*Oh, no; no danger of it,” Cool Colorado re- tlied. ‘‘ His head is too hard ‘to mind a little crack like that.” It was sooa apparent that the half-breed was correct for almost immediately Jackson began to recover consciousness, In a moment or two he sat up, then looked around him in a dazed sort of way as if he did not exactly understand what had occurred. But when his gaze fell upon Cool Colorado, standing with his muscular arms folded across his brawny breast, the truth immediately flashed upon him. Slowly he rose to his feet, shook his head as though he didn’t know what to make of it, but manifested no intention of renewing the con- test. ‘*Tam ready whenever you are,” the half- breed observed. ‘**Oh, no; no more in mine, thank you. I’m no or I allers know when I’ve got enuff; you are a better man than I am, an’ when you are ‘round Pll lay Jow. I bear no malice though.” And in proof of this Jackson invited Cool" Colorado and all present to join him in a drink, an invitation which the bystanders were glad to accept. The half-breed, coming to town after supplies, had dropped into the saloon to hear the news. He reported that things were booming up his way and after tarrying for an hour or so de- parted. ‘“* He’s a man, every inch onto him!” was old Jackson’s declaration. CHAPTER III. THE HORSEMAN. AFTER leaving the saloon Cool Colorado went to the store where he got the groceries which he had ordered and set out for his lonely cabin up on the head-waters of Pine Creek. The half-breed, although he had lived all his lifein Colorado, was a new-comer in this region, only having been a resident of the distric‘ for a couple of months, and the way in which he happened to join company with his present ‘‘pard,” Alex Williams as he was familiarly called, was odd in the extreme. Attracted by the stories which he had heard of the remarkable ‘‘leads” which hud been discovered in the neighborhood of Bitteropolis our hero had resolved to try his fortunes in that camp. At the time, he was in ‘‘ hard luck,” owing to some unfortunate mining speculations, and so was compelled to journey on foot to the new Mecca of the fortune-seekers. Approaching the town from the north he en- tered the valley through which Pine Creek ran and there encountered Alex Williams. After the sociable custom of the frontier the two entered into conversation, and the half- breed inquired in regard to the chances that Bitteropolis offered to a man who was not afraid of hard work. Williams, who was an old, gray-headed, gray-bearded man, with a plainly perceptible air of refinement, a decided contrast to the usual miner, took a fancy to the young stranger, and after a few minutes, conversation made him a proposal to become his partner. He had a rich claim, and not being strong, nor skilled in minin , was not able to work it as it ought to be worked. Then too he had a constant fear that if the fact became noised about that be was making a good thing out of the lead, some ruffians would be apt to attempt to ‘ jump the claim,” that is, seize the property by force of arms. Our hero reflected upon the matter for a few moments and then concluded to accept the offer, and so he became Alex Williams’s pard. For two months now he and the old man had Cool Colorado, the Half-Breed Detective. 3 worked together and yet he knew no more of his companion than at first. There was evidently some mystery connected with the man’s past life, for he never referred to it in any way. Cool Colorado was a quiet, reserved fellow himself—no talker, and when he discevered that his pard was averse to conversing about his past life, he never mede any attempt to question bim. The claim the pair worked was a rich one, and during the two months they had taken out a small fortune. According to Cool Colorado’s estimate they had nearly ten thousand dollars to the good; the gold securely hidden away. This was against the balf-breed’s advice, for he thought it would be much safer to send the treasure away by the aid of the Express com- pany, but as the old man seemed reluctant to adopt this course, the other did not insist upon it. It was a lonely trail that Cool Colorado fol- lowed—the one which led from Bitteropolis to the isolated cabin up on Pine Creek. After leaving the neighborhood of the a there was not a single house until the lonely cabin of the pair was reached. No danger, though, was to be expected on the dreary way, for no road-agent, or kindred out- law, bad ever appeared in the neighborhood of the camp. And there was a bright, full moon, too, so that all objects were almost as visible as by day. One man only did the half-breed encounter after leaving the vicinity of the town, and this was at aspot midway between Pine Creek and the mining-camp, just where a trail branched off to the eastward. It was a horseman, mounted upon a dark- chestnut steed, which was marked with three ‘* white stockings” and a large “‘ blaze” in the forehead. The man was muffled in a rough, short-skirted coat, pea-jacket style, with the collar turned up around his throat, although the night could not be called a chilly one, and wore a broad- brimmed slouch hat, pulled down over his eyes, and, thanks to this precaution, coupled with the pl collar, but little could be seen of his ace, The horseman rode as though in haste, and as Cool Colorado did not recognize him, he took a good look at him as the stranger rode past, but owing to the way in which the rider was attired the look profited him but little. As near as he could make out, though, the horseman was a dark, surly-looking chap, with a short, black beard. ‘** He rides as if he was in a hurry, and he has the anpearance of a man ‘who has been up to some mischief,” Cool Colorado trommented after the horseman had dashed by him, and the miner again went on his way. He had halted for a moment so as to geta good look at the stranger. The half-breed did not like the appearance of the unknown, and the more he reflected upon the matter, the stronger became his sus- picion that the night-rider was a bird of evil omen. Just exactly what mischief the man had been and ig in of course he could not determine, here were a dozen or so of miners to the northward, though none of them were nearer than a quarter of a mile from the claim worked by himself and his pard. And the moment the suspicion that the horse- man had been on some evil quest occurred to him, the thought came up in his mind that per- haps the rider had been up to some deviltry in his neighborbood, Williams was alone, an old man, and one not calculated to offer successful resistance to a rob- ber, and there was gold enough concealed on the premises to tempt the cupidity of any ruffian. Of course this fact was not known, for the partners had taken particular care to keep quiet in regard to the richness of their claim, and al- though they did not hesitate to say that they were making good wages, yet they were careful not to allow it to become known that they had struck a small-sized bonanza, But it is one of the hardest things in the world to keep a fact of this sort secret; as has been often said, the very birds in the air seem to carry the news. There wasn’t the least doubt that there were plenty of men in the neighborhood who would not be apt to resist the temptation if they sus- pected that only a poor, weak old man stood be- tween them and a rich booty. Worried by these dark apprehensions, Cool Colorado hurried home as fast as possible, « - ~~ Comic b reye) Kk a aie on ' se + ? a j az ~ , ye ie é af 2 ° . . . Zs ae - st Sy \tows an