Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 684 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

— lll . «Breet t foreman that if any of our carpenters leave us, they leave for good, Can’tcome back again.” ** All right, sir.” . The bookkeeper took his bat and went out, and Barnthal drew nearer to his partner. ‘““There’s been another death in town,” he announced. Crapps started violently, and looked around as though for his ghost. ‘* Who—who is it?” he asked. **Mouthy Mose.” ‘‘ And was it—was it—the—the Nemesis?” Exactly,” ‘“Qh, mercies! When will it ever stop?” Again ho looked about him, peering intoevery shadowy corner, as though by force of habit. ‘‘T wish you would get rid of that hang-dog air,” Barnthal complained. ‘‘ Any one would think that yoware afraid of seeing the ghost, along with the rest. Brace up, and don’t bea baby.” | ‘That's well enough to say, but I can’t do it, Can’t that wholesale butcher be stopped in his career? I tremble for my life every hour.” “That is just what I want to speak to you about. Hadn’t we better put up a big reward, and see what will come of it?” ' ** You said you had promised ten thousand dollars already.” ** And so I have, but we’ll make it more.” ‘* How much more?” ‘¢ Double.” ‘* That ought to do it.” ‘‘Tt will do it, if there’s any brains in the . town.” “Well, put it up, and we'll stand toit. If they can find and bring this fellow to account, I shall know some peace.” ‘*Bah! What have you to fear? Brace up again, now, for here comes McFaddin.” That evening the following notice, posted in various places, attracted the interest of the Citizens of Nutmeg, viz:— “PUBLIC NOTICE! ‘‘ Citizens of Nutmeg, arouse! Something has got to be done! A murderer is at large in our midst! His career must be brought to aclose! He must be hunted down! ** $20,000 REWARD $20,000! This sum will be paid in cash to any person who will hunt down and turn over to the law the self-styled Nemesis of Nutmeg Bonanza. Let us see What you can do, men of, Nutmeg.” | ‘** BARNTHAL AND ORAPPS,”’ It was something that could not fail te draw abenbion, and in a little while crowds were seen at every where the notice had been posted. Tver pesay was filed with the desire r turn detective, with the hope of wiuning the big reward. Said one man: “Et would be nice ter finger ther pile, but I fer one don’t hanker ter run ther resk o’ gettin’ one o’ them silent bullets inter me,” And there were a good many more of the same mind, As Maximilian MacDuff observed: *“* There’s never a rose without « thorn, and in this case the thorn is so sharp and dangerous, that my advice is to leave the rose alone,” ‘*Them’s my senterments, too,” chimed in some oneelse. “* Durn me ef I’m goin’ ter endanger my health by foolin’ about tryin’ tery capter ther Nemmysus.” But still there were longing eyes turned to- ward that tempting poster. Next morning something else was discovered. | Over each one cf the notices, no matter where it happened to be, was another, as follows: “X¥XXXXXXXXITTIT, ‘*T bid defiance to all men! “Take me if you can. See the score!” Four more to be called, was what the score in- Cated, Who would those four be? Perhaps more than one man trembled in his boots. That morning Deadwood Dick found that he | his bands full, Carpenters seemed to spring up out of the very stones of the ground. very man who could bunt up an old saw, ham- mer or chisel, was on hand. ®y were collected in front of the hotel, and after breakfast Dick went out on the piazza to em, ‘* By the looks of the crowd,” he spoke, ‘ this seems tO be a town of carpenters. How many of You ate first-class workmen?” —_ in the crowd shouted his ability to ill that requirement. : ‘*T have my doubts about that,” said Dick, ‘* Be yer own jud ” in the front, J ge, boss,” spoke up one man = i wy f ‘ee nel, “pi” WAs j ald vis ] ‘ , i Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Dazzle. He was a keen-eyed fellow, with a full box of tools at his feet. ‘*T guess Ill have to,” Dick decided. ‘Is there a boss-carpenter in tiie crowd, capuble of taking hold of a big job?” ‘*[?m yer oyster,” said the fellow who had al- ready spoken. “ kin build anything from a dog-house toa church, All you have got to do is try me,” “* Well, I guess I will. You will be boss of the gang, and your wages will be seven-fifty a we he fellow’s face brightened, and the crowd looked on in amazement, ‘** Now,” Dick directed, “you pick out every good carpenter in the crowd, 1 suppose you have been here long enough to know them all.” ‘* Bet yer life I have, and [’ll sift ’°em soon.” The man picked up his box and advanced to the*piazza, where he turned and faced the crowd and began to make his selections, In a few moments he had picked out ten men, and there he stopped. It looked as though first-class carpenters were not so plentiful after all, **Good enough, I'll let you be the judge,” re- marked Dick, ‘‘ Dll pay these men six dollars, as advertised. Now pick out another batch, men that you know can tella saw from a ham- mer at sight.” Twelve more men were goon selected, and them Dick promised four dollars a day. ‘* Jimminy!” exclaimed the landlord, ‘ but this hyar do beat all thet lever heerd of. You is the durndest dazzler, Mister Golconder, that I ever see,” Dick did not pay any attention to this, but turned to his boss-carpenter and inquired his name, ‘* My name is Eli Hoppole,” was the reply. ** Good enough, Eli. You take your men and put down their names and keep their time straight, As soon as you get your book ready, then |'ll set you at your work.” In half an hour Mr. Hoppole reported that he was ready, Dick bad previously learned, by inquiry, that oppole wus the man who bad been foreman for Barnthal and Crapps, and that be wasa first-class man, ‘** Allready, are you,” Dick remarked. “Yes, sir, every man of us,” Hoppole as- sured, _ “Come along, then, and I'll show you what is to be done, And it must be done just as soon as possible, too.. If you can do it in two days I’ll double your pay, so don’t try to stretch it out, I may have other work for you.” “Oh, I’m fair and square in thatline, My name is Eli, you know, and I make it a point to git thar when I can,” Dick led the way to his new purchase, and en- tered the building. ‘“* Now,” he said, ‘I want this place turned into a theater, I want a good stage put up, and— But, have you ever done anything of the sort?” “*You bet! Have made three or four, from ther ground up.” “Allright. I was going to say that I would let MacDuff, the actor, have something to say about how it should be, but it won’t be neces- sary. ** Don’t want him around at all,” Hoppole de- clared. ‘‘He would be worse than no good, You will find that I can do it all right,” ‘Well, go right ahead. Put up a good stage, and good, solid seats, and as soon as the work is done come and get your pay.” So the work was given out, and so it was com- menced, And while it was in progress that day, Maxi- milisn MacDuff was scouring the town for talent to support him in a play be had selected. Rare fun was looked for by the public at large, but there was more back of it ail then any of them dreamed of. Deadwood Dick was not the man to go to all this trouble for nothing, This Esmond Earle knew, of course, and he was eager to see the ending of the interesting game, 5 CHAPTER XIII. THE GHOST SEEN AGAIN, THIS, too, was stage-day at Nutmeg Bonanza, The stage was booked ta arrive twice a week, and generally did, On this day the lumbering old bearse came rolling into the gulch about on time, and the reiu-manipulator gave his usual whoop as ue yg toa stop in front of the Bumblebee’s ‘‘ Hyar we be, pilgrims!” he shouted. ‘ Hyar’s Nutmeg Bonanzer, ther wu’st place this side Le o’— Whoap! Stop yer friskin’ thar, ye homely brute, or I’m a lunk-head ef I don’t git down thar an’ bite yer ear!” This was addressed to one of the four mules with which the stage was furnished, The hybrid seemed eager to get on to the stables, Several passengers were aboard the stage, and they proceeded to unload themselves as soon as the stage had stopped. There were four or five who tumbled down from the top, rough-looking fellows, who bolt- ed for the bar-room as soon as they touched the ground. From the inside, two men and one woman got out, The woman was heavily vailed, so that no one could tell whether she was young or old, white or black. One of the men was flashily dressed, and not bad-looking, but had a dissi- pated air. The other was a keen-eyed fellow, wearing a big diamond. The woman went at once into the hotel, and it was evident that she was traveling alone, One of the men walked leisurely to the bar- room, and the other, the last mentioned, re- mained behind to see that his baggage was properly handled. He had two big trunks, basides two or three valises, The usual crowd was around, but when the stage had gone on to the stables, and the mail had been carried to the post-office, the crowd melted away. Deadwood Dick and Esmond Earle were on the piazza at the time, and remained sitting there, Naturally, they had comments to make on the passengers. “That woman has some reason for wearing such a heavy vail,” observed Dick. ‘‘Itis no joke, such a warm day.” ‘** You are right,” agreed Earle; ‘‘ and do you know, I feel that that fellow is going to come in for a share of my interest.” ‘* Which one?” ** The one that’s going toward the bar-room.” " Perhaps he will turn gut to be the man you are after.’ ‘* Maybe he will, fixed with baggage, out to be.” ‘* We sball see, no doubt.” After a time they got up and went into the bar-room, for Earle was curious to know who the man was. As they entered, they saw the one with the big diamond talking with the landlord, and the landlord pointing at Dick, said: *Thar’s yer man, now.” Dick showed no surprise, but Earle did, The man turped away from the bar, and step- ping up to Dick, made himaelf known. ‘*My name is Murry,” he said, “Iam ad- vance agent for a dramatic company. When I inguire of the landlord about a building I might engage, he mentioned that you own one that will suit me exactly. Can I hire it?’ f ‘* What sort of a company do you represent?” “A first-class one, We are playing ‘The Jumped Claim,’ a drama of the wild mining lands of the West, and it is a big success,” ‘Well, you might have it, kod welcome,” said Dick, ‘ But there is a contract in the way. If you can buy that up, in any way, you are wel- come to the building. Iam just fixing it up as a theater, for a fellow here named cDuff, He is preparing to bring out a play as so6n as he can get it ready.” ‘* Where can | find him?” Murry asked. ‘*There be is, now,” answered Dick. Maximilian had just come in, and Dick mo- tioned him to come forward, . The situation was explained to him, and after some little talk he finally agreed to give up the place for a week for a consideration of one hun- dred dollars, The money was in his hand about as soon as the words were out of his mouth, and it was settled. The hall was turned over to Mr, Murry, who was to have possession as soon as it was ready. Before night, flaming posters were to be seen all over the town, announcing the coming at- traction. Lithographs of three charming young ladies, in stage attire, proclaimed these not least among the promised features, And these post- ers drew the admiring crowd, wherever one happened to be posted, 4* THE GREAT EasterRN DRAMATIC CoMPANY, ** PLAYING ‘THE JUMPED CLAIM! “Tt is the hit of the season, Don’t miss it! Come The other seems to be well Wonder what he will turn fal oXoxo) > —_