Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 67 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

MON .#) hed ““Let me see,” said Arthur, referring to the ment. ‘*I am to bet much or little, as I , not under ten cents, not over your pile; and neither is to stop without the consent of the other, nntil one is dead-broke. I see nothing about giving any show in that.” “Oh, well, that’s understood, of course.” ** Nothing is understood which is not expressed, in a written agreement.” **Confound your written agreement! Do you suppose I’m going to let any galoot beat me out o’ ry money in this way?” ** | suppose yow’re going to stand by the terms of the agreement.” ** Blast me if I do, if that’s the way you make it out! Stranger, you’re welcome to what “ody got; and you’ve learnt mea lesson. But reckon, now you’ve got your money back, I say mye ‘Hold on, boss! This thing hain’t played out yet. A go's a go; and you’ve got to stand to it until you're bu’sted. You hear me—F lash Light- ine, miner and prospector!” Pama looked surprised, and then smiled. The bold challenger was a boy of not more than seventeen years of age. As he spoke, he drew a pistol and cocked it in imamediate readiness for use, CHAPTER II. THE BITER BIT—A NEW FRIENDSHIP—BERENICE. PATENT-LEATHER JOE stared at his young an- nist. “Who are you, and what do you mean?” he demanded. “Cap,” said the boy, carelessly, ‘‘ ve just give you my handle—Flash Lightning, miner and prospector. That’swholam. And I mean business |” ‘““ You’re a doggoned meddling fool; and you mean to git your mouth slapped!” amended the bler. The boy laughed. “Now I reckon, Cap,” he said, ‘“‘you’d jest like to break me in two, Perhaps you could do it, if it come to muscle. But these little trinkets ” —referring to his weapons—“ make big and little even, if you only know how to handle ’em. And { allow I can hold my own with the best man in the mines. Boss, I reckon you’ll have to cave.” With a fierce oath Patent-leather Joe reached ‘or his own revolver. ‘““ Oheese it, eully !” commanded Flash Light- aing, bringing his weapon into line with his eye und the gambler’s heart. Patent-leather Joe was nobody’s fool <A nce showed him that the crowd was against im, while this determined boy “held the drop on him.” He yielded to stern necessity, with such grace as he could command. , “T reckon you’re the gent ve got my _busi- ness with,” he said, sullenly, to Arthur Hamil- ton. ‘Of course, you want to do the fair thing?” “Yes, I want to stand by our agreement,” said the young man, quietly. The gambler scowled. “‘ That’s a clean beat,” he said. “Tr was a fair bargain.” The gambler thought a moment. “Stranger,” he said, presently, ‘‘you’ve got me. Icave. But of course, you don’t want to be too hard on me. The agreement says that either can stop, if the other is willing?” a“ 7 “You've won back all the money you lost with me?’ ac Yes.” “ Suppose I give you as much more, and then wall the thing off?’ It was now Arthur’s turn to make terms. “Wait until we investigate this thing a bit,” he said. ‘I suppose you will admit that where men bet at ean, as they ordinarily do, this eisall in your favor? Although it looks fair, the fact is your are bound to win.” “ A man may be lucky enough—” ‘No; luck or no luck, from the nature of the game, the odds are all in your favor.” r Well, that may be.” ‘““In fact, is! on the other hand, the way I have played I amsure to win allof your money, if we play long enough.” “That's just what makes the thing a beat.” ‘*At any rate, under the terms of this agree- ee I can take all of your pile, if I choose!” ‘Yas,’ “ And if I let you off short of that, lam giv- ing you just so much money.” he you can call it that.” . ‘‘ How much money have you beat these men out of, when the sure-thing was on eer side?” ‘‘T may have won a hundred dollars, per- ha 7 os How much had you when you began?” ‘*¢ A little over four hundred.” ‘Well, this is how I will let you off—pay these men back their money, and give me two hundred.” “I'm blowed if I do!” = Very well, then! We’ll go on with the e. ** Hold on, dner! You don’t want to skin me like that? ‘*T’ve offered to give you a clean two hundred and over, when I can take the lot just as well as not. There was no other way out of it. Every- body who had lost money to Patent-leather Joe was immensely in favor of the plan, for a very obvious reason, ‘Blast my eyes!” cried one, “I think the nt’s doin’ a mighty white thing. Blow me if wouldn’t gobble the whole pile if it was my chance.” “Divy up, Joe!” laughed another. ‘‘ The greeny’s you foul, sure.” A dead-white pallor overspread Patent-lea- ther Joe’s face, and set about his tight]y com- pressed lips. His eyés began to glitter, and his nostrils quivered with su Sgr passion. Without another word he spread his money out before him on the table, and began to pa back the several amounts he had won from dif- ferent miners. It was not long before there was a disagree- ment, one of the men claiming more than the gambler awarded him. Then Patent-leather Joe stopped, and said, in a low, husky voice: ‘*Pardner, I’m doi ever heard of before. deal square; but blow me I var iat that is what 1 won from you. give me the lie ?” The miner *‘ caved.” Having satisfied the other claims, Patent-lea- ther Joe handed Arthur Hamilton two hundred dollars out of what was left. Then he arose, drew himself to his full hight, and glanced around on the crowd. ‘* Gents,” he said, slowly, ‘‘ every dog has his day. It'll be queer if I don’t get even with some that are in this room!” ee thing that reg tA rn Fa in for it, Pll if Jl stand any hog! 0 you As he ceased speaking his eyes settled upon | Flash Lightning, with a scowl of intense hatred. The boy returned his look with a quiet half- smile. The gambler turned on his heel and walked out of the saloon. og Lightning grasped Arthur Hamilton’s and. ‘‘ Stranger,” he said, heartily, ‘‘I like your wit. You got him where the hair was short.” “And I,” said Arthur, smiling, ‘‘ like your grit. You held him where I had got him.” ‘“‘Ha! ha! ha!” laughed the boy, with relish. ‘““You’re not slow with your answers. Have bP] you gots pardner? “Nor have I. Suppose we strike hands on it?” | ‘e A !” ‘“Tt’s a go, then! I’m yours to command, while wood grows and water runs!” ‘And [ll back you while I’ve got a leg to stand on!” The new-formed friends clasped hands with a that bespoke genuine heartiness. sac ten isn’t the we'll hear from Patent- leather Joe,” said Flash Lightning, lightly. ** He’s an ugly customer.” ‘He'll always find us at home, won’t he?” ‘You bet!” “ And now, gentlemen,” said Arthur, turning to the crowd, “‘ you will all favor me and my partner, I know. Bartender, we don’t want anything but the best.” _The crowd cheered the joint heroes of the occa- sion. ‘ —— Lightning again grasped the hand of his riend. ‘Youre a trump!” he said. ‘‘ Everybody wouldn’t have thought to give me a share in this, as you have done. That’s the way I want it to be. We're pardners in everything.” ‘*Of course” Meanwhile, the gambler left the town, walk- ing rapidly through the moonlit night, until he came to a densely-wooded pocket, nestled away among the cliffs where nobody would think of penetrating, unless they chanced to stumble upen its entrance ELLE EE - Beadle’s Half-Dime Library. | | | leather Joe, a little nervously. Walking down the little valley, he approached the face of a precipice where a dense growth of vines hung like a vail. Before he reached the spot, an animal came to meet him and fawn about him affectionately. It proved to be a huge bloodhound. he drew nearer, a musical voice was heard to a A **It’s Walt!” Then the curtain of vines was pushed aside, and a young girl of exquisite loveliness shyly awaited his approach. He quickened his step with a pleased smile of greeting, and spoke her name: ‘* Berenice!” Shyly she let him take her hand. ‘* You are earlier than ” she said. He bent until his lips tou her eheek, & caress to which she must have been accustomed, since she did not shrink away, as he said in a low, meaning tone: “T couldn’ stay away from you, Berry. Do you know why?” CHAPTER IIL BERENICE’S GRIEF—THE SERPENT CHARMS. As he spoke, the gambler his arm about the supple waist of the girl, and drew her further out into the ome ts so that he could gaze upon her fresh young beauty. Seen in that light, she was very lovely. At “sweet sixteen,” life in the open air had iven to Berenice Granger a roundness of figure yond her years. Yet in her manner was all the coy timidity of a girl at her first outlook on. womanhood, Her long, flossy hair, that had never known restraint, fell in natural waves to her waist. From its blonde beauty, one had not to look at oe eyes to know that they must be of softest ue. They were full of strange questioning now, as she raised them to Patent-te fae Joe’s face.’ What was it in his manner that thrilled her so? She had never felt it before. For the first time in her life she began to tremble, feeling herself held so close to his side —feeling his breath on her cheek—feeling (yes, she could feel them!) his eyes upon her. And the consciousness of something new, something different from all that had gone be- fore, startled her with a sort of vague appre- hension. Patent-leather Joe knew, thovgh the girl did not, why she looked up at him uneasily and half drew away from him. For the first time a thrill of passion had crept into his caress. He had always designed her for himself, and had watched her growing from year to year noting jealously every budding charm; but until now he had always regarded and treated her as yet a child. To-night, for the first time, he gazed upon her as a woman. To-night, for the first time, his heart glowed and his ulses beat high with a de- licious thrill of exultation, as he gazed upon her, and felt that the fruition of his hopes was near at hand. Patent-leather Joe was not a goodman, In his love there was nothing of that half-wonder- ing reverence which sets its object apart as something sacred above others of her kind. And when, without waiting for her afiswer to his question, he bent and Irissed her on the lips, his kiss was hot with passion, instead of being ten- der with affection, as it should have been. Perhaps an intuitive perception of this was conveyed to the pure heart of the girl. She caught her breath and sought to disen- gage his arm. ‘. Don’t, please,” she said, in a low, startled ne. Still she had no clearly-defined fear of him, or “so Si ee toward him. ot “Don’t draw away from me, Berry,” he said gently. ‘Let us walk in the moonlight. i want to talk to you.” — hand, in the old familiar As he now took her way, the girl yielded herself readily to his guid- ance. The momentary lifting of the vail only left a faint flush on her cheek and a dreary thoughtfulness in her eyes. | After they had walked in silence a moment, he asked: . ‘How is Aunt Sue? “This has been one of her dull days,” an- swered the girl. ‘* Yesterday she wept a great deal, and wandered more than—” ‘‘What did she say?’ interrupted Patent- She kept talking to her ‘‘Nothing connected, Andrew, telling him that he had deceiv (Eo naliicel exeyo) <S Gol