Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 517 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

Jim Gladden’s Deputy. 15 But ejaculations were lost on the unruffled Midge. He never answered them, In reply to a direct question, however, he oxplaited the relations of the precious trio. ‘But they will be detected, lynched!..Our man will be in the same boat with them. Then good-by to our fees!” cried the colonel, in an agony of apprehension, ; ‘* Don’t you suppose they would take ordinary precautions? They are in disguise.” ‘*Which you penetrated! But, look here! How is it that you come to know all about these fellows? You have never somuch asseen them,” ‘*On the contrary, I saw them last night. It seemed to me worth while to watch Salomans. His partners in crime were calling him to ac- count for the miscarriage of his case.” ‘*The scoundrels will balk us by watching the girl!” “ At the proper moment, Messrs. Cale and Banty will be disposed of.” ““Eh? Have you let our boys into the thing?” ‘* With tae certainty that they would at once jump upon the rascals, and blow the whole thing? Excuse me! I’m not throwing cases over my shoulder so recklessly.” ** But how will you fix them, then?” ‘‘ By my own tools, working were f *e ‘I leave it to you, Midge,” said the colonel, with a shake of the head. ‘‘Egad! I’m going this thing almost as blindly as your other tools?” **On better pay,” hinted Mr. Midge, blowing a ring of smoke. A ‘*Well, you are square in that particular,” admitted the colonel. ‘‘]t’s honor among thieves,” explained Mr. Midge, placidly. The colonel made a wry face, but said nothing. So the night came, and the Terpsichorean Hall was ablaze, and overflowing with the sounds of revelry. Of all present, not one danced with a merrier abandon than Judge Owney Maglochlin. Ah! but he did the owld sod honor that night! And where was a blither laugh than his, or a slyer wink as he chucked his partners under the chin, with speeches that come so readily only to lips ' that have kissed the Blarney Stone? Who was it that put it into his head to drink every one of a select party stone blind? The competitors he selected included the attorneys, Jim Gladden and several other leading men of the camp, and Isaac Salomans, He would have added the young deputy to the list, but Harry said no with a firmness that won the respect of even the rattlebrained Ivrish- man, ‘* Well, me b’y,” he said, clapping his hand on Harry’s shoulder, “I like to see a mon that can put his fut down and kape it thayre. Thayre’s the right stuff in yez, wan way o’ sp’akin’, but this here’s the right stuff for Owney Maglochlin, an’ don’t ye forget it!” } . Salomans was especially suspicious of this night; but, having particularly charged his men to vigilance, and with Cale and Banty also on the watch, what had he to faear? Still he resolved to be temperate. He would sham drunkenness, if necessary, to prevent the merry judge from filling him up. But lomans ‘‘ counted without his host,” -~int G That host was Dinny McGee, and gas cGee was devoted to the Three Jolly ards. ! ‘Faith! aren’t the young imps the favorite institutions 0’ the place? An’ thayre’s the Pride 0’ Paddy’s Flat, God bless her swate pictur’! Js yan’ spalpeen to step in an’ cl’ane out the camp intirely? Bod luck till his ugly mug, it’s Dinny McGee that’s the b’y to fix *um!” And he did “fix” Mr. Salomans, having the handling of the liquor he drank, Outside similar precautions were being taken. A.sweetheart of one of the men in Salomans’s employ—of course Colonel Blood knew them all —was bought over in the interest of the beauti- ful Jewess, or perhaps it would be more correct to say in the interests of the young deputy. All the world loves a lover; and, snre, wasn’t it Kitty Terryl that had pronounced Harry ‘a broth of a by b4 ‘‘Be me sowl, Pat, darlint,” she declared, having crept out to where her over and his fel- low-watchers were listening wistfully to the sounds of revel that came from the Terpsi- chorean Hall, ‘what is it but a shame that you bys should be out here in the cold an’ dairkness, whin thayre’s such rare rt a-going? Faith, » o brought yez a sup by way of consola- on. ‘‘ God bless you, Kitty Terryl!” cried honest Pat, as the girl produced two bottles from under her apron. ‘‘ Whist, b’ys! here’s rare luck! It’s not the rough-on-rats that Dinny McGee sells us f<. poor devils fur whisky, but it’s some o the r’ale owld stuff!” Flat was being persecuted, and that the young deputy had outwitted a father whom she did not ‘* And why not?” cried Kitty; with fine scorn | care to welcome. in her voice. ‘‘ Are there foiner gintlemen in yandher than out here? Dhrink hearty, b’ys. It’s the shany’s money that pays for it.” Of a sudden a t uproar arose. The whole crowd rushe toward a common center, They needed no prompting. The bottlespassed | and a fierce struggle ensued, in which men round until they were as dry as squeezing and sucking could make them. But Dinny McGee had had a hand at “ fixing ” these too, under the direction of no less skilled a person than Doc Sawyer, who had returned boldly to the camp. He knew that he was a handy man to have about, where pistols and whisky were plenty. It would be useless to fine him—he never had any money; and the boys couldn’t afford to let him go to prison. By twelve o'clock, all of Isaac Salomans’s trusted watchers had succumbed to the sedative effect of the ‘‘ r’ale owld stuff” that Kitty Ter- ryl had so kindly brought them, while indoors Isaac Salomans himself was sleeping the sleep of the just beside Judge Owney Maglochlin and not a few others. And what of Cale and Banty? There was no one to fetch them liquor. But there was a man with the stealthiness, the agility and the strength of a mountain cat, who crept upon them in the darkness. A blow, and Cale Burchard lay stunned. A rush, and Banty was in the clutches of an un- seen antagonist. Be fought like a demon, be- lieving that he and his partner were detected, and were to be handed over to the hangman. But he was choked into insensibility, and then bound and gagged along with his comrade. Then forth from Abraham’s back door crept a little knot of shadowy figures—only Tom Murphy, Dick Johnson, and the trembling Miriam. A murmur, a sob, and the door closed noiselessly again. Then all was deathlike silence, How did they ride that night? Where did they go? Inan agony of suspense, Harry him- self did not know. Before supper he had parted with Miriam, clinging to her hands, gazing into her eyes, and striving to stimulate her wavering courage. During all the evening he remaired at the Terpsichorean Hall, so that Jim Gladden should know that he was not directly implicated. In the morning the camp was treated to a lit- tle comedy. Abraham went raging up and down the street, tearing his beard and hair, and denouncing Isaac Salomans. He declared that the latter, not relying upon the issue of a fair trial, had robbed him of his child. He had gone to bed suspecting nothing. In the morning he had risen to find his home desolated. In the silence of the night, emis- saries of this arch villain had stolen in and ab- ducted the flower of his life. Even Rebecca joined her husband, wringing he rhands and moaning. | Of course everybody knew that this was all humbug. But the boys roared with laughter to see how the old fraud tried to turn the tables on his son-in-law. Even judge Owney Maglochlin, when he had had his head under the pump, and had brightened himself up with his morning ‘‘snifter,” laughed and shook his finger at the deputy marshal, calling him a “‘ young divil,” to outwit them all so, But Harry protested his innocence, and after looking him steadily in the eye, Jim Gladden be- lieved him, in spite of a pearances, and what- ever any one else might think. Jim was humiliated. He had undertaken to see that Abraham did not defeat the ends of justice if Harry performed his duty. Harry ad kept his pledge, yet the girl was gone. Isaac Salomans was furious. He went to his watchers. But Kitty Terry] had roused her lover before daybreak, and he had wakened his companions. They declared to a man that no one had approached or left the house that night. To screen themselves they started the theory that the girl had been taken from her home three days before, while the court was passing upon her supposed illness, Jim Gladden and his men knew better than this, but they said nothing. In all the crowd, the most innocent-looking persons were Dick Johnson and Tom Murphy, who had got back before daybreak. But the were not idle. They moved about in the crowd, dropping a word here and there, and before long it began to appear that the temper of the crow was undergoing a change. Suddenly a great shout arose, and the youn deputy appeared carried on the shoulders o some of his enthusiastic admirers. He was borne up and down the street with * eg and Jaughter. © boys began to feel that the Pride of Paddy’s f | tumbled over one another, and arms and legs interweaved indiscriminately. Forth from this mass of writhing humanity issued a man, running as men only run for their lives, his hat gone, his clothes torn, and a streak of blood across his ghastly face. It was Salomans, pursued by a howling mob! A moment later, and he stood panting, end swallowing spasmodically, to relieve the pain in his throat where a hand of iron had gripped it, while between him and his pursuers ap- peared Jim Gladden with drawn revolvers. ‘*Hold on, men!” shouted the marsbal. ‘*You’re all my friends, I hope, an’ I should hate to lay any of you out; but thar’ll be a few dead men around hyar before another hand is laid on this hyar man. Right or wrong, he’s stood by the law, and now tre law’ll stand by him.” In a twinkling another took his place beside bold Jim. It was his deputy. ‘No friend of mine goes any further inp this matter,” he said. ‘t Maybe I haven’t set you a very law-abiding example, but surely we have no further use for lynch-law with a regular court sitting in our very midst.” “ Boys, the thing’s off,” shouted a stentorian voice. ‘It is a leetle rough on the court. But we'll jest bow this hyar chap out o’ the camp, an’ invite him to forgit the way back. Thar can’t be no harm in that.” And the crowd compromised on these lines, Salomans was escorted to the outskirts of the camp, and there bade g , with a hint that that wasn’t a healthy section for one of his delicate constitution. At a distance from the camp, he was joined by his confederates. They had been vilaneil before daylight, and told to “‘ git.” ‘*'We don’t give ye away this deal, boys,” said the man who had laid them out, re- Pigg blindly the words that the Honorable r. Midge had put into his mouth, “‘ but ef we ketch you loafin’ about byar in, it’s yer own neral. Take a fool’sadvice. Git, an’ stay got!” Believing that their disguise had been pene- trated, they were at a loss to surmise why they had been let off. But the thing wore a sinister — When an enemy forbears, look out! o the baffled plotters were a sorry lot all round, and did not improve one another's temper. That afternoon the court adjourned and went its way. The attorneys counted their fees with complacency. The judge was as serene as a May morning. The shadows of night had scarcely fallen, when suddenly there bloomed forth a demonstra- tion which evidently had been prepared before- u while the air rung with cheer on cheer. Then a stream of men, all bearing torches, came pour- ing down the one street. n their midst an equestrian group formed ¢ center for all eyes. In the van rode a girl, vailed as heretofore, but evidently young and beautiful, as the ele- ~ contour and graceful movements of her y showed. On her right rode Tom Murphy, and on her left Dick Johnson; and this was the proudest hour of their lives. They drew rein before old Abraham’s door, where Harry, the young deputy marshal, sup- rted the trembling figure of Rebecca, while Abraham stood with baeed head, tears of grate- ful joy streaming down his cheeks, It was Harry who lifted the restored Miriam from her saddle, and placed her in the arms of her kind.cd. In that momentary half embrace, he only murmured ber name, so low that she alone heard; but it was enough. Abraham essayed to thank bis fellow towns- men, but broke down, and could only bow his gratitude. When the boys chaffed Jim Gladden, he ie *Tt’s all right, boys. I tried to do my duty, as I would ag’in; but the Jolly Pards got awa with me. I’m free to say I don’t bear ’em no ili- will, an’ hyar’s my tin on it.” Harry received the hand modestly, but told J ot that he must settle the matter with his pards. So all was mn non once more. The Jolly Pards had triumphed. THE END. ’ All one end of the camp was ablaze with light, | “com cbook 7 ~ ‘ es. ‘¥ ‘tsod - ™