Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 663 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

nt 2 This is how it came about: There wasarivalry between Jacktown and Jasper City, and while the former was the older camp, it had not the ‘‘ get up and hustle” pos- sessed by its nearest neighbor, Long before the first slab shanty was erected near the spot where Jasper City afterward sprung into exist- ence, Jacktown had flourished like a green bay tree, and had boastel that it was the liveliest camp of itssize in the State, But, with the rise of Jasper City there cameachange, The best citizens of Jacktown deserted the place for its new-born rival, Some did so voluntarily and some were attracted by the tempting lures which the cunning land-sharps of the boomers’ camp dangled before their eyes, Gradually the situation in the little town in Paradise Gulch ew worse, and slowly the citizens who stuck y the place grew desperate. What could be done? This was a poser for the Jacktownites. Day by day they sawtheir glory fading and felt that they were unable to preventit. The citi- zens of Jasper sneered at them and openly re- viled them, hurling insult after insult into their very teeth. The men of Jacktown were not lacking in courage, and promptly resented every insult, although they ’most always came out second best in the pitched battles which fol- lowed. A few of Jacktown’s citizens had faith in the future of their camp, and these sought to devise some scheme whereby their lost glory could be regained. There were several promising lodes in the vicinity, and not a few believed that were some of those opened up by parties who had a, of capital, the little town would score a oom that would soon put Jasper in the shade. But, strangely enough, men of capital who were willing to invest their money in opening unde- veloped lodes were not plenty. The athletes, dead-shots and all-round fighters of Jacktown had deserted the place for the boom- ers’ camp, leaving the little town in Paradise Gulch sapped of its strength and unable to cope with its rival. There were those in Jacktown who claimed that the crying need of the place was one man able to whip the best men of Jasper at anything they might name. Had they ss og man, they would soon have the colors of the Jas- r City sports trailing in the dust. Others be- ieved in a different method. Could Jacktown secure some peculiar attraction which would draw the attention of the surrounding country capitalists might be enticed to that camp, and afterward led to invest some of their capital there. One day the desired attraction came. It was in the form of a beautiful young girl of not more than eighteen who was searching for her brother, supposed to be somewhere in Colorado, She was tired of moving from place to place, end de- cided to remain in Jacktown for a while, hoping that fortune might bring her brother to her, The girl gave her name as Luona Howard, and besides being more than pretty, she had the air and breeding of alady. She wasat once called the ‘Queen of Jacktown,” and her pleasant ways and musical laugh soon gained for her the sobriquet of Laughing Lu, But Jacktown was soon robbed of its queen, for when the news reached Jasper, the citizens of the boomers’ camp resolved on a bold move, Without delay, they made their way to the town in Paradise Gulch, coming upon the place in an overwhelming number; and when they returned Laughing Lu went with them! Then there was a stir in Jacktown! The result was An indignation-meeting in the bar room of the Silver Bell Hotel, at which time Judge Blowbugle, one of Jacktown’s pompous citizens, made a fiery speech and called for some one to come forward and champion the cause of the camp. A decidedly ragged and seedy- appearing vagrant, who hailed to the name of rastus Wagg, and called himself the “ riginal wociiy-hoadee man,” came promptly forward. He was followed by a small, foppish-appearin stranger, attired in a black velvet suit, b’il shirt, high silk hat, and wearing a bunch of fresh mountain violets in a button-hole. The in- mates of the saloon thought that they had struck a tenderfoot, and without delay sought to have some sport at the dandy’s expense. But the fun came the other way. The little stranger proved to be a “holy terror.” Without any trouble at all, he whipped Blizzard Ben, the acknowledged “chief” of the town. Then the velvet fop got at Dandy Dirk, the proprietor of the Silver Bell, and really the chief of the camp with cards, pistols or fists, and after he had beaten Dandy at draw poker, the wearer of the violets knocked him out in a fistie encounter. . Whereupon the stranger, who had given his Violet Vane’s Victory. name as Violet Vane, was promptly hailed as the best man in Jacktown, Erastus Wagg, the tramp, being among those who shouted the loud- est over his victory. At about this time the regular stage brought Owen Wilson and his beautiful daughter, Lone, to Jacktown. Mr, Wilson had been connected with an Eastern bank until that bank was robbed, when suspicion turned upon him as having a hand in the job. The gentleman was in danger of arrest when Philip Howard, Ione’s lover, confessed that he was one of the robbers and cleared Mr. Wilson. The self-confessed criminal was arrest- ed, but afterward escaped and disappeared. But the confession of Philip Howard did not entirely clear, Owen Wilson of suspicion, and one day he was invited to resign bis position or be discharged. He chose to resign and with his beautiful daughter went West. When they ar- rived at Jacktown, both Mr. Wilson and Ione saw and recognized the Velvet Sport, Violet Vane. It was Philip Howard! Meantime, in Jasper City Laughing Lu had met an old-time lover, Ned Morris. She had also seen a man who gave his name as Solomon Snide and professed to be a life insurance agent, but whom she believed to be a detective in pur- suit of her brother. Elated by the capture of Jacktown’s Queen, a drunken gang from Jasper decided to clean out the little camp in Paradise Gulch, Ned Morris had learned of their intentions and bad warned Jacktown of its danger, so that "gen the gang from the boomers’ camp arrived, they were given a warm reception and driven from the place. Violet Vaue and Erastus Wagg were prominent among Jacktown’s defenders. After the gang from Jasper City had been driven back, they demanded satisfaction for the damage sustained, for they had lost a number of horses in the battle. It was finally decided to settle the affair in a bloodless manner with cards, Violet Vane pitting bis skill against thatof High Card Harry,Jasper’s champion short-card player. 1f Vane was defeated,Jacktown should pay for the horses which the men of Jasper City had lost in the scrimmage; if Harry was vanquished, the gang from the boomers’ camp was to depart without more ado. Once more the Velvet Sport came off the victor, but the crowd from Jasper was not satisfied till Vane had defeated their cbampion wrestler, Hickory Jimmy. Meanwhile Dandy Dirk was not idle. He had seen Ione Wilson and made a resolution to pos- sess her, With this object in view, the proprie- tor of the Silver Bell hired two ruffians, Blizzard Ben and Tiger Joe, to abduct the girl, which was done while the exciting events were taking place on the outskirts of the camp, As soon as Voilet Vane learned the truth con- cerning the dastardly outrage, he and Wagg, together with a number of Jacktown’s citizens, started in pursuit of the kidnappers. Vane was the first to overtake the two scoundrels, and single-handed, fought them both and hurled them down to their doom in the depths of a ter- rible sink-hole called Pluto’s Pit. When the victorious party returned to Jack- town they found the place ablaze with light—for darkness had fallen—and wild with enthusiasm. The news of the Velvet Sport’s wonderful battle had preceded him and all Jacktown was ready to do the champion honor, A fife and drum corps wason hand, and Vane and Ione were escorted into camp amid the shouts of the multi- tude and the roar of some anvils which served as cannon. It was the grandest occasion that Jacktown had ever known and the little town did itself proud. At Silver Bell a surprise awaited the party. Dandy Dirk alias Thomas Alicar had been arrest- ed by the little detective, ‘‘Solomon Snide ”— properly Alan Dale—for being the robber of the urnton Bank. Dale had not been after Philip Howard at all, for he claimed to have positive roof that Alicar was the man who planned the job and carried it out with the aid of one or two accomplices, Young Howard confessed that he was the robber in order to save his sweethearts father from disgrace and imprisonment—a noble act. Jacktown went wild with enthusiasm. The toughs from Jasper had been defeated and their stolen Queen was restored to them, for Laughin Lu had found her brother in Violet Vane an had refused to return to the boomers’ camp, Ione Wilson was equally as beautiful as her lover’s sister and was also hailed as the Queen of thecamp, That night Jacktown had two queens and more than one happy citizen drank himself into insensibility in trying to get away with me numberless toasts to the ns of Jack- wn, The Velvet Sport found it no easy job to es- cape from his admiring friends. Erastus Wagg and Judge Blowbugle were among the most en- thusiastic, and the amount of ‘“ tanglefoot ” which they disposed of was amazing, When Vane finally tore himself from them, the camp tramp and the judge were in a decidedly ** balmy” condition. When midnight had passed the excitement began to subside, and by two o’clock the town was as silent as if nothing unusual had occurred, Between that hour and daybreak strange things transpired in Jacktown, The Velvet Sport was awakened by a heavy knocking on the door of the room in which he bad slept. : rs Hello !’ he cried, ‘* Who is there?” “Tt’s me, pard,” was the immediate reply in a voice which Vane instantly recognized as be- longing to Erastus Wagg. ‘‘ I bate most might- ily ter break yer beauty slumber, Sweet Violets, but ther fack is ther devil hes bruck loose an’ I reckon ye’d better cum see "bout 1t.” ‘“‘What’s that?” demanded Vane, sharply, being in none too pleasant a moood for be- ing aroused in such a manner. ‘‘ What are you driving at?’ ‘*He’s gone, pard,” was Wagg’s rather vague reply. ‘* ’'m givin’ it ter ye straight fer l’ve bin ter see an’ he hain’t thar. H’s disappeared like ther mornin’ dew, an’ Satan hisself only knows whar he’s gone ter.” ‘‘ Whose gone? His name, Erastus?” And the woolly-headed man answered: ‘‘Thet thar varmint o’ sin, Dandy Dirk—he’s sloped!” CHAPTER II. ‘‘ JASPER CITY CLAIMS HER QUEEN!” VIOLET VANE sprung out of bed instantly and opened the door to admit the tramp. Wagg came in quickly, looking none the worse for the night’s racket, but appeared a little excited over the startling information which be had just imparted. ane caught him by the shoulder. ‘* What's this you say?” he demanded. ‘*‘ Dandy Dirk gone? How do you know?” ‘‘*Cause I’ve bin ter see. You bet yer boots, pard, thet Erastus Wagg don’t make menny crooked statements w’en he tries ter shout Gospil facks. Hes gone, plum dead sure.” Vane hastened to get into bis clothes, ‘‘ Where is Dale, the detective?” he asked. ‘‘Give us an easy one! Thar hain’t hide ner ha’r ter be foun’ o’ either o’ them, [ reckon thet pr’aps he’s bin putt out o’ ther way by ther cusses w’at got Dandy out o’ ther scrape. It looks thet way, by ther jumpin’ jimcracks!” ‘“‘How long since you discovered that Alicar had escaped?” ‘* Jes’ foun’ it out, Violets. I kem straight ter you, fer I knew thet you’d know w’at ter do, ‘‘ How many others know of this?” “1 reckon Judge Blowbugle’s *bout ther only one, an’ he’s so numb thet he kin skeercely git roun’. I lef? him in ther room, whar he sed he’d stay till I got back. He tried ter drink Ole Wooltop off bis pins, but foun’ ther job er mighty big one fer er galoot o’ bis size.” he little sport spent no more time in asking estions, but he was soon ready to accompany the eccentric vagrant. He paused an instant to lance out of the window, noting that, although t was not far from sunrise, the entire town seemed still sleeping off the effects of the night’s carouse. Then he followed Wagg along the corridor to the room which the detective and his prisoner had occupied. The door af the room was wide open, and Judge Blowbugle was within, fast asleep in a chair tilted against the wall, Evidently the racket had come pretty near “knocking him out,” for the entrance of Erastus and the sport did not arouse him, Vane’s keen eyes took in the general aspect of the room in a moment, and the first thing noted was that there seemed to be no indications of a struggle. The bed had not been slept in, but it was plain it had been slept upon, Everything was in as good order as could be expected in any room occupied by two men, Not even an overturned chair ook er amen that anytbing of an unusual nature had taken place. ‘“‘ Jest as I foun’ it, pard,” assured the watch- ful Wagg. ‘The man in velvet said nothing, for he was not ready to talk just then. He was doing some “tall thinking,” and always made it a practice to think first and talk afterward. The aspect of the room puzzled him not a little, for he did not believe that Alan Dale was a man who could be taken a Pg and overcome with- out a struggle. Finally he shook his head, cpoo % co nN em a EE —— A | a wt