Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 510 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

ee — Being one of the leading gamblers ef the State he was as well known as any man in Colorado, Crooked Pat O’Neal he was called, and report said that he had passed through as many despe- rate affrays as any man who had ever “run a game” in the State. The second was a burly, middle-aged man, with a fat face, ornamented with a short, bushy red beard and straggling locks of the same hue, Few men from the looks of his countenance would have been apt to have taken him for a sport, as he looked more like a jolly cattleman, a farmer, or something of that sort, rather than a man who lived by his wits, as the saying is, He was called John Maxwell, but, after the fashion of the frontier, was better known by a nickname than by his own, and that was Mis- souri Johnny. The third man was the ee gambler. Young, not over thirty, dressed with extreme care, slight in stature, with finely-cut, expressive features, a brunette with jet-black hair, eyes and mustache, his face pale, while his long, slender hands were as white and delicate as the hands of a woman. From his appearance one would have taken him to be the son of a tropical clime. His name was Bud Poindexter and he claimed to be a Creole from New Orleans. He too had a nick-name, and few of the men who knew the spot ever called him anything but Slender Bud. These three ran the principal gambling-place in Bitteropolis, know as the Silver Moon Saloon; where the» seeker after a short-cut to wealth could be accommodated with almost any game that he desired to-play. Of course such men as these went around with their lives in their hands, for it was a common occurrence for some desperate soul, after losing all his wealth to the sports, to endeavor to get some of it back by a resort to the strong arm of force. But all three men were quick on the trigger, handy with their bowie-knives, and it was an extremely difficult matter to get the drop on any one of them. We have been particular to give a complete description of the three sports as they will have an important part to play in our tale, as the reader will see anon. The sports had been paying particular atten- tion to the trial, and when the disclosure was made in regard to the value of the Pine Creek Mine they held a whispered consultation, and, being apart from the rest of the crowd they were able to do this without attracting at- tention. After the consultation they again paid strict attention to the trial, and wheu Polly Jackson surprised everybody by coming forward as a witness, they happene to notice old Jackson, and readily detected the fact that he was in a terrible rage. Then, an idea seeming to occur to Crooked Pat O’Neal, he confided it to his companions, and the three held another conference. : After the jury arrived at their verdict and the start was made for Pine Creek the three pards brought up the rear of the procession. After arriving at Pine Creek, they were at- tentive listeners to the proceedings, but kept a little back from the throng gathered around the | cabin. Bad Man J ackson, being in a surly mood, did not mix with the rest but held aloof like the three sports. f And the pards, in the most careless manner possible, just as if it was by accident, selected a position where they could watch old Jackson without apparently paying any particular atten- tion to him. Now if any one of the long-headed miners— men who were accustomed to use their wits— had noticed the movement of-the*sports, the ob- server would have immediately jumped to the conclusion that the sporting gentlemen had some important object in view, for they were not men to do anything of this kind without a definite purpose. When. the body of the murdered man was committed to its last resting-place, and the miners set out on their homeward route, old man Jackson and the three pards brought up the rear, and soon after the homeward march commenced, Crooked Pat O’Neal took advan- tage of his proximity to old Jackson to accost im, oh. Mighty mixed-up business, eh, Jackson?” the sport observed. . ‘Yes, I reckon it is,” the old man replied, shortly, for he was not in the humor for conver- sation. eS, ‘6 -You bet it is!” Missouri Johnny cried. ' (rr Cool Colorado, the Half-Breed Detective. o ee ——— ‘‘ There isn’t the least doubt in my mind that Jackson hyer gitting a fair show with such a it is one of the strangest affairs that I ever heard of in all my experience,” Slender Bud re- marked, in the peculiarly slow, langukl way common to him, “T reckon that if I had been on that ar’ jury, I wouldn’t have been so durned quick to bring in a verdict that Cool Colorado didu’t have no hand in the killing of his pard!” Crooked Pat O’Neal observed, with an air of great delibera- tion. ‘‘Them is my sentiments to a ha’r!” Missouri Johnny cried, with more vigor than correct- ness. ‘‘ Well, sir, you couldn’t persuade me in a month of Sundays to believe that that_half- breed galoot didn’t have a hand in the affair!” Slender Bud declared. These utterances exactly agreed with Bad Man Jackson’s sentiments, and he hastened to say so. ‘‘ Tf I had been on the jury I would hev found that darned, copper-colored cuss guilty and hung him to the nearest tree!” the old man cried, - git you are, old man!” Crooked Pat O’Neal cried, ‘* Jackson, your head is level, and no mistake!” Missouri Johnny assented. ‘* Oh, the galoot killed the man, and he ought to swing for it, and the camp will find it out too some of these days!” was the Creole’s opinion. Jackson felt considerably comforted by these declarations, as welcome as they were unexpect- ed, and his heart warmed toward the three pards. ‘“Yowre right bout it, boys, and, as Slender hyer says, the camp will find it out some day. I know that the mud-colored cuss is no good and I army had no opinion of him ever since I knowed im! ‘‘ Ts that so?” exclaimed the chief of the three pards with an air of astonishment, as though he was surprised at the statement. As it had happened, neither one of the three sports had chanced to be in the Millionaire’s Home Saloon at the time when the half-breed had made Bad Man Jackson cry enough, but the report of such an affair travels fast in a mining- camp, and such stories never lose anything in the telling, so the sports were as well-posted in regard to Cool Colorado’s victory as though they had witnessed his triumph, but Jackson did not stop to think about this, and as the three had not witnessed his defeat, he believed they were not aware of the reason he had for hating the half- breed. ‘* You are right!” Crooked Pat O’ Neal declared with an air of conviction, ‘‘ the fellow is no good and—although it is no business of mine—if i were you I wouldn’t have no such fellow making up to my gal!” ‘‘ Nary time!” cried Missouri Johnny. ‘Not much!” exclaimed Slender Bud in the most emphatic manner, ‘* And if [ were you, Jackson, I would go back and tell him so, right now, and if he gave me any back talk I would warm him so that he debi s : h want to look et another woman for a ear ‘‘That’s the talk!” chimed in the chief of the three. ‘‘ And we will go with you and take a hand in the fun!” CHAPTER VIII. JACKSON TRIES IT ON AGAIN. HERE was “ backing” with a vengeance! When it came to the question of a personal difficulty, three better men than the allied sports to espouse a quarrel could not be found ina square hundred miles around Bitteropolis. The proposal was a tempting one, and Bad Man Jackson lost no time in deliberating over the matter. Here was a chance to get “‘square” with the man he hated, aud, eagerly, he grasped the opportunity. ‘* Boys, Praline, you are right ‘bout this hyer thing, an’ it pears to me that it is “bout time this durned mud-colored galoot is made to un- derstand that he had better quit foolin’ around a decent white gal.” The three sports were quick to assure the father that he expressed their opinion exactly. ** Yes, sir-ee!” and old man Jackson came to a halt, “‘ you are right, gen’lemen, for a thou- sand ducats! “Tt is time this foolin’ is stopped, an’ I will jest go back an’ talk to this galoot like a Dutch uncle!” ‘Yes, and we will go along with you, and see that you have a fair show for your money !” Crooked Pat O’Neal declared, “Thar ain’t much danger ’bout sich a man as cuss as this galoot of a half-breed!” cried Mis- souri Johnny, in a tone which plainly showed how supreme was the contempt which he had for Cool Colorado. ‘You mustn’t kill him outrigkt, you know, old man,” suggested the Creole. ‘* All you want is to smash him so that he will not feel like doing much fora week or two. Just lay him out so he will have time to reflect and see what a fool he made of himself in trying to run after the daughter of such a man as you are!” Jackson was so enraged at the half-breed that it did not require much urging to induce him to go back and Save it out with him, and so, with the declaration that he would make Cool Colo- rado keep away from his ‘‘darter, Polly,” or know the reason why, the old man, accompanied by the three sports, started for Pine Creek, It was the calculation of the pards, when they planned this little surprise for Cool Colo- rado, that they would be able to catch the half- breed alone, but in this they were disappointed, for when they came into the little valley in which the mine was situated, they found half a dozen of the settlers, who hyd their cabins fur- ther up the stream, talking with the man they sought. This was Big-nosed Smith’s party—the one which had arrested the half-breed. After the funeral they had started for their homes, but had hardly got out of the sight of the half-breed’s cabin when a discussion arose in regard to whether it wouldn’t be the ‘square thing” for them to go back and express to Cool Colorado how glad they were he had got out of the ugly scrape, and ask him not to bear malice because they beh been led away by suspicious circumstances. Big nosed Smith, with his usual obstinacy, was the only man who “‘ reckoned there wasn’t no call *‘ to take any action in the matter, but, finding the rest were so strongly against him he gave in, and so it happened that instead of finding Cool Colorado alone he was surrounded by friends. “Thar’s a gang with him,” Crooked Pat O’ Neal observed. “Yes, quite a crowd,” Missouri Johnny re- marked. ‘“Tt don’t make a bit of difference!” Slender Bud exclaimed. ‘“ For if the cuss gives you any back talk, Jackson—and he will be mighty apt to do it now that he has some friends around —and you go in to smash him, it will be just as well to have somebody besides our own a to witness the fight, for if you should ppen to kill the fellow it will be handy to have men to prove that it was all fair and above-board.” The rest assented to this reasoning, and by this time Jackson had worked himself up to such a pitch of excitement that, bulldog-like, he was anxious to get at his foe. The group of miners, who surrounded Cool Colorado, noticed old man Jackson and the three sports the moment they made their ap- rance, and their suspicions were immediate- y excited. ** By gol, Colorado! this hver looks as if old man Jackson was comin’ back with the idee of havin’ a leetle go at you!” Big-nosed Smith ex- claimed, ever suspicious. - ‘Yes, yes!” observed the others. ‘ Mebbe it’s lucky that we came back,” sug- gested one of the men. ‘““Yes, if, we hadn’t, we would not hev’ been able to see the circus—for I reckon there is going to be one,” Big-nosed Smith remarked. ‘‘ Well, I don’t know,” Cool Colorado re- marked in his quiet way. ‘““Tt seems to me that after the taste of my uality that Jackson had in the Millionaire’s Home that he would not be apt to hanker after another trial of my skill.” “Still, there are some men in this world who are hard to satisfy, and Jackson may be one of them. Of course, I don’t know, for I am not well-acquainted with the gentleman.” “‘ But if he is coming arter satisfac*ion I su — you will do your level best to accommoda im?” Big-nosed Smith remarked with a grin. ‘Oh, yes, I always try to be obliging.” ‘“Those sports are the pards who run the Silver Moon Ranch,” one of the miners re- marked. ‘* Yes, three as good men for a war-party as there is in the camp!” Big-nosed Smith exclaim- ed. ‘‘AndIdon’t r’ally understand how they came to be mixéd up with Jackson, for I never knew the old man to travel with them. ‘‘Butit is all right if they were six times as good as they are, for we have a gang hyer who — aE oy e 5 -DOOKS.cOom A os a sents = - pF 74 .