Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 561: Deadwood Dick — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

; Ser errs 12 man, who has since left her; and also, that when you came to Boston, she in some way entrapped and imprisoned you.” ** Yes, you are right; I was knocked senseless, by her brother, and when I awoke to conscious- ness, | was a prisoner in a deep cellar, from whieh there was noescape. There, for weeks I existed without food or water, except, when, occasionally I could kill a rat, and devour the raw flesh. I was more dead tban alive, when rescued, yesterday, by a tramp who happened along. ut, tell me—where is she?—that she fiend who has caused meso much suffering? I am very weak, and am clinging to life, when one foot is in the grave, simply because I want to wreak vengeance upon her!” and the wronged man’s eyes fairly blazed with the passion that seemed consuming him. ‘* Your faithless wife intends to flee from Boston, to-night, on the steam-launch HLmily— George Glenroy’s boat--in order to escape arrest. Her destination is Portland. But, she will be doomed to disappointment if she expects to outwit me. When she reaches Portland, she will be immediately placed under arrest, And before the launch reaches Portland, however, I intend to have possession of tbe diamonds she stole from you, or, at any rate, all she has left a} them, to besurrendered to whoever you may elect.’ F ‘God bless you, my noble young man! God bless you! Words cannot express the gratitude Thold toward you, for youare doing for my children that woich [ am too near the grave to do. Where have my chillren gone?” ‘*Ty Portland, to be present at the trial of this infamouS mother. You must go there, also, for much will depend on your testimony!” “Yes, I will be there!” the old man said, slowly, ‘‘if Llive. But, there is no telling whea I may be called away, for the hand of death is slowly but surely tizhtening its clutch upon me, And it is well that it is so, for, after all I have ' suffered, death will be welcome. I am oll, and but a wreck of my former self, and I do not care to live to be an incumbrance to my two beautiful daughters. The legacy [ sball leave them will amply provide for them for years, and I can cheerfuily die, knowing I have left nothing undone for their interest.” ‘*Pshaw! Don’t talk in that despondent way,” Dick replied, ‘* Brace up, and be of good cheer, and {cane good for years yet!” ‘ Alast.no. I arb better than that. And, now, before we part, I want to provide for the future, for Ll may néver live to see you again. I have atrust to leave with you for my chil- dren. I need not ask you if you are an honest man, for the poorest reader of human character could tell that. You have nobly espoused the cause of my daughter, without knowiug that you would ever realize a cent for your labors, and you are the last nan to take the back trail, at this stage of the game. So listen: ‘“When I came East, I brought with me more money than any one had an idea of, not even Cora. I did not inform her of how much I carried for fear it would cause, her undue worriment, oy . “A few days befora I started, I had made a bonanza haul, through the sale of a mine, a opting to a number of thousands of dollars, Before this I was comparatively a poor man, having put all in that mine. ‘Well, when I reached Boston, I had some- thing over eleven thousand dollars in my pocket. a The remainder was sewed within the lining of Ry | my clothes. ‘IT went direct to Moses Mumb, a former ac- ‘: Pom uaintance of mine, and deposited ten of the eleven I had in my pocket for safe-keeping, tak- ing for security several of his backers, who of- fered their names to a document you will find, together with money, in thisroll. When I was z bomre, 2' to my cellar prison, my pockets were ’ searc | ed, but the remainder of my money was TAs, sewed within the lining of my clothes as | said “Car before,” Bie \ Here the old man drew from his pocket, a he bundle, wrapped in brown paper. ; iter “Take this,” he said, ‘and give if to my ide daughters. It is all I have to give them, except ngs my blessing. There’s fifty thousand dollars Fees 4 there; it will keep them well.” ie, ‘*But you are going to Portland, are you i, not?” Dick asked. Poe, ** ‘Yes, I will start for there,” Calvin Cool re- ies lied, ‘* but I nabs die on a way, so it is bet- ee r you should take charge of the money.” we y conversed a little while longer, and Bee then, after securing a promise from 1 that Sana he would start for Portland by the next train, > ie Deadwood Dick took his departure. oe The game was beginning to narrow down! "5: Tee 4 i ad ; Suh | i} } } : , Deadwood Dick in Boston. CHAPTER XIV. DEALING FOR DISGUISES,. From the depot, Deadwood Dick went back to the Revere House, and got Rats, and then to- gether, they sought a costumer’s establishment, | and after making numerous inquiries, found the | place they wanted. | It was an odd den, being the second story, | front room, over a grocery store, and choked up with a multitudinous array of carnival para- phernalia, from the slouchiest-looking suit, to the most expensive silk and satin outfits, In fact there wasn’t anything in the way of | clothing, false beards, mustaches, wigs, armor, masks, anil other pharaphernalia pertaining to disguises, buf what was there to be seen, rented or purchased, The man in charge, was a big nosed Jew, Nathan Lazarus, as the sign indicated. — As briefly and. yet explicitly, Dick told Mr. Lazarus, what he wanted for himself and Bats, ‘* My frient, Ican fit you out sbust like dot paper on der wall,” Lazarus ‘asseverated, rub- bing bis bands together in a patronizing way. **T understand your case, mine frient. I haluf plenty of gustomears, like dot alretty. ‘*T is an artist at dose pizoess, you see. I have everyting to vyoruk with, dot mine bro- thers haluf not. Besides, 1 haf dot experience vid the stage, and how to makeup. Ah! yes, mine frient, | know me vot you wants, an’ I fix you out dwice so sbeap as mine brother Abro- ham, across t’e street. You vant to be so shang- ed in dot abbearances, vot your own modder-in- law von’t know you, some more?” ‘*That’s it, exactly,” Dick replied. ‘* And you want to be lively about it, too, for we’ve got no time tospare!” ‘* Very well, mine frient, to be a sailor?” } sé Yes,” ‘** An’ der poy he ish a nigger?” ‘** Git out! [ ain’t a nigger!” retorted Rats. ‘No! no! my poy—you vant to make nigger pelief. Dot ish id?” * Now yer’ shontin’, old nosey !” ‘My young skentlemau, you should neffer mage fun of dose personal defects of odders,”’ SSS. see You say you vant Lazarus said, solemnly. ‘** You may haif siil- dren of your own, von of dose days,” Then turning to, Deadwood Dic, the costumer continued; ee ‘* Yes, mine fA { fix von ot so quick as neffer vas. Wiatie | make von nigger of der poy, you shust go down-stairs to der barper- shop, an’ you gets dose mustaches taken off clean!” ‘*What for?’ Dick demanded, caressing bis graceful upper-lip doa and feeling rather with it. averse to parting ‘*Ob! mine fr’ent, it would neffer do for you to wear dot mustaches. Dose sailor shaps haf no mustaches, as you know, my fr’ent.” ‘* Well, [ guess you're. right. You black up the boy, and [ll goand have the thing remov- ed,” Dick said, Accordingly, he proceeded to the barber-shop, and went through with the required tonsorial operation, aud wheu the job was done, his ap- pearance was greatly changed, Deadwood Dick with a mustache, and Dead- wood Dick without a mustache, were two entire- ly different-looking individuals. When Dick returned to the costumer’s rooms, the Jew put up his hands, in astonishment. ‘* My fr’ent, I vould neffer haf known you, if I didn’t know it vas you!” he exclaimed. ‘‘ Vy, my fr’ent, you ish disguised, alretty. But shust wait till T put ret hair on you, an’ some v’iskers under your chin, vot dot Irish call Galway slug- gers, and you'll look like a true man-o’-war’s- man,” Rats was soon rigged out, and most comical he looked; while, at the same time, it would have been difficult to tell him froma true mulat- to es 7 ‘*There! v’ot do you tink of him, mine frent?” Lazarus asked. turning to Dick. ‘“ Tip-top!” Dick assented. ‘* You’re a dandy, you are, and if you do equally as good with me, | make it worth your while. ever, for time is precious.” ‘Say, see here!” ejaculated Rats, who had ** Will this Be lively, how- been surveying himself in the glaes. paint wash off?” ‘*No, my frient, dot paint vill not come off. You vill look shust like dot all of your life!” Lazarus replied, solemnly, At which the buy sleuth gave vent to a howl of dismay. ‘* Lookee here, d’ye mean it?” he cried, with a sudden outburst of anger. ‘‘ Ef you do, I : : a. : i+ ; ———— Oeste nnn nn eels sellers see ae = co hope I may never see sundown if I don’t flat fix you!” And seizing a sword from the wall, he ad- vanced toward the Jew in a threatening man- man, And he was in dead earnest, too! As for Lazarus, he started back, nearly scar out of his wits. ‘*Oh, my frient—my frient!” he cried, ‘‘ dot vas all von mistake, so help me Moses! I vas only shoking, dot ish all. Dot paint be vasb off your faces, vid a little soap-suds or ammonia, shust so easy as noddiuks. Idells you the truth, so help me, und if I don’t I gif you all mine store und stock!” Somewbat mollified, Rats restored the wea- pon to its place on the wall, and Lazarus went on with his work, keeping a suspicious eye on the young man in black. In less than half an hour Dick was ‘‘ made up” and ready for the street. When he surveyed bis person in the glass he hardly knew himself. He was dressed in a full sailor’s suit, cap and all, and wore a fringe of reddish whiskers under his chin, reaching frots ear to ear, and, what with some dexterously- penciled forehead-furrows and an extra touch here and there, he resembled a jolly, rollicking Trishman. To make his disguise still more effective and complete, Lazarus had artistically added an in- cipient rum-blossom to the end of his nose. ‘There, mine frient, vot you tink about dot?” the Jew demanded, triumphantly. “I bet you baluf a dollar your own mudder-in-law wouldn’t know vou!” ‘*Thayk you, I’m not blessed in that particu- lar direction,” Dick replied. ‘* Yes, the job isa good one, How much do I owe you?” ‘*Vel, mine frent, 1 am an honest man, and I vouldn’t sheat you, so helb me Moses. But, times are very hard, sir, and I vil haf to sharge you fifty dollars, an’ Iam losing money at dot. 1 makes noddinks out o’ you, at all, but dot nexd veller vot comes along, I sock it to him for all he’s vorth!” ‘* Fifty dollars, eh? Well, that ain’t so bad. Dirt cheap! Here’s your bcodle,” and drawing a roll of bills from his pocket, Dick banded the costumer a crisp fifty-do lar note. Lazarus’s conntenance fell, when he beard that the detective did not consider tbe price ex- orbitant, ) ‘* My frient, I paf let yorjoff very sheap, and Iam money od of pocket,) he whined, “If I had charged you seventy-fi e, you would have paid it?” ‘* Why, certainly I would!” ‘‘Now shust look at dot! See vot I baf lost, through being too honest. Oh! Rachel! Rachel, I vil neffer succeed in pizness! Mine frient, I am very poor. You ought to gif me dose egsdra twendy-fife dollars.” ‘““Not another dollam” the detective replied, ‘* because, lL ain’t built that way. I shall hold vou responsible for the prscbioon:. re | of our clothes until I call for them; so go ony, my poor Lazarus at the king’s gate—good-day. Come, Rats, we must be going,” and the two took their departure, leaving Lazarus in a very unpleasant frame of mind. “T'l] bet Laz will kick the foot-board off his bed, to-night, ’cause he didn’t get that extra tives made their way toward Hanover street. CHAPTER XV. CALVIN COOL’S VENGEANCE—CONCLUSION, Dick and Rats went direct to the neighbor- hood of Moses Mumb’s pawnshop, and there found Jack Brady waiting. | The tough surveved the two recruits with un- bounded amazement. “Well, by thunder!” he ejaculated. ‘“ Ef them make-ups don’t take the biscuit, Pll swear off drinkin’, an’ go join the Salvation Army. Say, Sharkey, yer own mother wouldn’t know ye. I shouldn't, ef I hadn’t known you was comin’! That smeller o’ yourr looks like you'd been hittin’ the keg purty often o’ late.” é “Yes, [ guess it s look a trifle that way,” Dick asserted. ‘*So you think our disguise per- pect, eh?” ‘*Yes. It couldn’t be more 50,” ©“ Well, I am glad of that. How’s things at the launch?” ‘‘Oh! bloomin’! I’ve fixed matters all right with young Glenroy, and you can go aboard, at once, As for the kid, here, he’d better wait for a while—say a couple of hours—and then, ‘ ¥ twenty-five,” Rats laughed, as the two detec- | when he applies for a job, I'll see that be gets “ Yes, I reckon that is a good idea,” Dick ae- qui ° |