Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 510 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

ery : é = : 4 . =s —, . r Py bs x , ice ; a a 4, ‘ ‘4 Fes rn i all ‘ \» 5 ees Se So er see . hae! ; , ; am ; . st Lee ie wi m= - : Det , 7 J . 7 > oF) ‘ Cool Colorado, the Half-Breed Detective = But before he could proceed to any na ne tion the cut open money-belt upon the table at- tracted the attention of the intruders. “ By gosh!” exclaimed another of the miners ‘“i¢ thar ain’t another proof of bis guilt!” and he pointed to the rifled money-belt as he spoke, ‘‘ Soa how the money-belt has been cut open.” ‘Hold on, fellow-citizens, don’t be so durned hasty in jumping to a conclusion!” Cool Col- orado exclaimed, perceiving that he was likely to get into a bad box if he did not succeed in in- ducing the miners to listen to his explanation. “ How I came to have the blood on my hands. is easily explained,” the half-breed continued. ‘“T have been down to Bitteropolis this evening, and when I returned, entered the cabin as usual, 2 ae At last he came in sight of the little cabin : es which he and his pard occupied, and through the | chink above the door gleamed the dim light com- ing from the candle burning within, just as it had shone when he departed. A weight was lifted from the mind of the half-breed. ‘Thank Heaven that everything is all right and no harm has come to the old man!” Cool Colorado exclaimed, as he raised the latch of the cabin door. But when he entered the house, a scene of horror met his eyes. Prostrate upon the floor lay Alex Williams, weltering in his blood, while the whole back of a} the fireplace, where the treasure had been con- =" cealed, was ripped open. dead man, like one stunned by a heavy shock and then, rousing himself from his apathy, he proceeded to search for the money-belt. The belt was buckled around the waist of the old man, underneath his shirt, and the half breed found it without difficulty. The belt was empty. ' It had been slit open its whole length with a knife and the contents abstracted. This was evidently the robber’s work. He had been in too much of a hurry to stop to unfasten the belt and had ripped it open with his knife in order to save time. For a moment tke cool and hardy miner was dumfounded. Without the confessions of which the old man | had spoken how could he carry out the wishes without the slightest suspicion that anything | ¥ The’ truth was immediately apparent to the | of his dead pardé out of the common had happened during my ab- “| ale half-breed. , Then a sudden ‘dea came to him. sence. * 7 The old man had been assaulted and mur-| On the previous day Williams had complained | ‘‘ You can judge of my horror when I discov- ered my poor old pard stretched, bleeding and apparently lifeless upon the floor.” ; ) “ He wasn’t dead then when you found him?” Smith asked. | ‘No, I fired some whisky down his throat, and he recovered sufficiently to tell me what had taken place. ‘He had been assaulted by a stranger, who stopped to inquire the way to Bitteropolis, but that was only a dodge to throw my pard off his: guard, for just as soon As Wilhams proceeded dered so that the gold.could be stolen, and, ei quick as a flash, came the thought that the aa OY Siete horseman had had a hand in the af- a air. . The outrage had. been but recently committed, for as Cool Colorado knelt by the prostrate man and placed bis hand upon his breast, he per- ceived that the body was still warm. A, Then the thought flashed upon the half-b: eed vi that man was not dead and might be re- vived. of not feeling well and so Cool, Colorado had told him he had better knock off work and take it easy. Therefore the old man had remained in the eabin and as the door was open the half-breed noticed that during the afternoon he was busily engaged in writing. t might be that he was engayed in the com- position of the confession 0 which Williams had spoken, but it seemed to Cool Colorado at the time that his Tearing open the red flannel shirt which cov- ered the breast of the old man, he sought to as- certain the nature of the wound. It was a knife-thrust, and Cool Colorado shook his head sadly when he saw how terrible was the wound, for his experience in such matters told him that there was little hope for the stricken man. He resolved to do what he could, though. There was both water and whisky in the cabin, and the half-breed hastened to athe the prow of Williams with the water, while he forced a small quantity of the whisky down his throat. Life had not yet fled, and soon Cool Colorado had the satisfaction of seeing the wounded man open his eyes. Although stricken unto death, yet Williams wae in full possession of his senses and able to talk. “This is a rough deal, old pard!” Cool Col- orado exclaimed. : “Yes. I have been murdered—murdered_ that our gold might be stolen,” the old man said. “ And who did the deed?” ‘A stranger who stopped to inquire the way to Bitteropolis, and as 1 was proceeding to di- rect him he suddenly stabbed mé and then ran- sacked the cabin until he discovered the hiding place of our gold.” The half-breed thought of the horseman. ‘4 man with a black hat pulled down over his eyes, and wear- : ing a short coat like a pea-jacket!” ‘Yes, that is the assassin.” ‘‘ His horse was & “IT saw no horse—the man was on foot when he came to the door.” ‘Yes, I see, he had his horse concealed some- where in the neighborhood so as to aid him in escapin g. ‘ My wound is mortal—I can feel that my life is ebbing fast away and you must avenge my cruel murder!” “*T will! will never know rest or peace until hunted down the villain who has done this deed, ‘No rest or peace until your murder is avenged!” Cool Colorado cried, ness the vow. A faint smile of satisfaction passed over the face of the wounded man. “ Another favor,” be murmured, bis atrengt) @ evidently failing. ‘‘I have a daughter in East, a whom I For her sake I have been saving my gold. have been a bad—bad man, but for years have been repentant and led an honest life. Con- mouey-belt is my confession. Read it and then do all you can for my child cealed in m now cast upon the world without a protector.” His voice faltered—he gasped and died. CHAPTER IV. THE ACCUSATION. Coot CoLoRADo had often come face to face ap- as now. he stared in the face of the with death before but never when it had so dreadful For a moment name of his dead pard it, for he had had a suspicion ever since he nee company with the old man that Alexander New York city, I guarded expressions which the old man has drop- ped from time to time I have an idea that he either rk beard—with a soft | di dark chestnut with three white stockings and a bright blaze in the fore- I swear by all I hold sacred that I I have with uplifted hand as though to call upon the recording angel to wit- ] just budding into womanhood, and ave not seen since she was a child. ard was writing a letter. And now that the confession had evidently been carried off by the robber-assassin the thought came to the half-breed that it was ie the old man might be writing to his dau the letter some information might be gained. hter, and if this was so, if he could find He proceeded to search but his efforts were fruitless; not a single scrap of writing could he find. In despair he sat down by the table upon which he had carelessly cast the money-belt. _ Glancing carelessly at the belt while medita- ting what to do next, a bit of writing traced on the inside of the belt caught his eyes. Thinking that this mig t be a clew to the real e hastened to examine illiams was not his right appellation. ‘Katherine Blarcomb, Central Islip.” So the writing ran and Cool Colorado read it aloud. ‘‘ Now what has this to do with my dead pard?” he murmured, ‘‘Ts Blarcomb his name and is this Katherine his daughter, and where the deuce is Central Islip? ‘“In the East somewhere, of course, and near suppose, for from a few un- d business in New York or lived there once, ‘Hold on though!” he exclaimed, abruptly, as a sudden remembrance flashed across his mind. ‘‘It seems to me that i heard him say once that he was born on Long Island, near New York. That is where I must look for a clew then. But the first work in hand is to pursue the murderer. ; ‘He is mounted, while I am on foot, but if I can strike his trail, if I ean’t run him down In pees then I am not the man I take myself to ‘¢‘ First though I must warn the cat, for some of the boys will be sure to join me in the chase,” Just at this point the door opened suddenly and a half-a-dozen well-armed miners rushed into the cabin. They came to a dead halt in surprise when their eyes fell upon the body of the murdered man. “Hello, hello! there has been bloody work!” cried the foremost miner, a big, muscular fellow, known far and wide as Big-nosed Smith, to dis- tinguish him from a couple of other Smiths in ‘the camp who could not boast of the size of their noses, Cool Colorado rose as the men entered the cabin, natural under the circumstances, but the new-comers took it to be a sign of fear. “Darn me, Colorado, ef this hyer don’t look mighty rough for you!” Big-nosed Smith ex- claimed, . “Bh!” exclaimed our hero, astounded at the implied su hands!” And then for the first time Cool Colorado noticed this circumstance. . The See on was simple enough though, e : removing the money-belt. above-boar head, doubtfully, and squar’, that me notion that you was the man who had been up to some deviltry.” him out, but he didn’t rake trouble, for Barney is too fond of benzine to ever have many ducats. disputing the fact that t like the one ! e carried. icion, ‘‘ what on earth do you mean?” What do I mean?” cried the miner, excited- ly, ‘‘why, man, look at the blood on your stained his hands with the blood while to give the information the stranger stabbed. him, and then searched the cabin until he dis- covered the hiding-place of our gold. ‘You see,” and Cool Colorado pointed to where the secret hoard had been concealed. ‘‘ Wa-al, your story seems to be all squar’ and de Smith remarked, scratching his “but I will say to you, fair and my pards hyer had a The half-breed glanced at the intruders and saw that all of them were miners who had claims further up the creek. ‘‘Why should you suppose such @ thing?” he asked in astonishment. ‘‘ Because the cabin of Barney Mulligan was broken into to-night—Barney was at home, but he had been b’isting ~ so wasn’t in any condition to make much of a t. ‘ tanglefoot with the boys, h rhe robber hit him over the head and laid in much for his “The cuss got away with what he had though, and arter he lit out, and Barney came to his senses, on the floor, jest under his bunk, he found this knife.” Smith exhibited the weapon as he spoke. ‘Now, Colorado, "bout all the boys have an idee that this hyer is your knife.” The half-breed was annoyed, for there was no e knife was exactly Under the circumstances it was not strange that sp poe should be directed to him. “Well, boys, it ain’t my knife, and the best, roof of that is the fact that here is mine,” and ool Colorado drew his knife from his belt and extended it to the miner, | ‘++ Like as two peas!” Smith declared, “T can put you on the track of the man who owned the knife, I reckon,” said the half-breed, ‘Cand the chances are a hundred to one that the fellow who robbed Barney and the man who killed my pard are the same.” Then he told how he had encountered the strange horseman, and detailed the dying words of his pard, thus accounting for his being occu- ied in the examination of the money-belt when he miners lad surprised him by their unex- pected entrance, That the account was correct ought to have been apparent at once, but Big-nose Smith was a bull-headed sort of a map, not renowned for his intelligence, and it was @ common sayin that when he got an idea In his head it wont take a derrick to get it out. ; It was he who had made the discovery tbat’ the knife found in Mulligan’s cabin—which bad evidently slipped from the belt of the marauder, without his knowledge, while he had been en- gaged in searching the bunk for concealed valuables—was like the one carried by Cool Colorado, and so he had immediately jumped to the conclusion that the half-breed was the rob- He had not hesitated either to make public his conviction and had, by virtue of the de. claration, assumed the leadership of the party wae. had been speedily formed to pursue the ro . :