Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 684 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

« i <—- 14 ** Fool!” hissed Barnthal, springing up, revol- ver in hand, But there was no time for action, Golconda the Gorgeous and Maximilian MacDuff were upon the two men, and they were handcuffed in the fraction of a moment, The wildest excitement prevailed, and trouble might have followed, but the band struck up, and the manager of the company was seen on the stage, mutioning the audience to order, Something like order was soon had, and then Deadwood Dick sprung to the stage, and, hat in hand, addressed the audience. CHAPTER XVI. WRONG MADE RIGHT. Ir needed but the appearance of ‘* Golconda the Gorgeous” to command almost perfect silence. It was a moment of the most intense excite- ment, but excitement suppressed, and every body was eager to learn what it all meant, ** Citizens of Nutmeg,” spoke Deadwood Dick, his voice ringing out sharp and clear, ‘* you have witnessed more than you anticipated. In- stead of a play you have seen a page froma tragedy in real life. You have seen a horrible murder reacted, and before you, in the persons of Stephen Barnthal and Samson Crapps, you see the murderers.” “It is a lie!” Barnthal screamed. prove it!” **' Yes, yes,” confessed the trembling Crapps, tbe the truth! Weare guilty! Iconfess to it all! ** Fool!” cried the other, ‘* you are crazy!” ‘‘ It is as I’have stated it,” assured Deadwood Dick, calmly. ‘* And now listen, citizens, to the true history of your town. ‘“‘Over ten years ago, Everard Temple and Martin Noland, prospectors, came into this valley, and here they discovered and claimed the Nutmeg Bonanza Mine. After the discovery they wrote letters home to their wives, telling them of their good fortune. In those letters, mention was made of two men who had former- iy been their partners, but wbo had left them, hese men were Stephen Barnthal and Samson Crapps. A few days later these men came into the guich, and claimed a share in the find, They were rightly refused, Thereupon they re- sorted to the foul deed which you have seen depicted on these boards.” ‘Lynch ’em! Lynch ’em!” was the ery. ‘Keep your seats, citizens,” Dick ordered, ‘Sand hear me out, There was a witness to this crime, and one whom I have found, He was a mere youth then, and as he knew none of the parties, and feared to let himself be seen, ke dis- appeared, But, it is not now necessary to pro- duce him, since you have aj! heard the confes- sion of Samson Crapps. The letters sent home by Temple and Noland built up the hopes of their wives, but they waited in vain for further tidings of their loved ones. No other letters ever came, and the busbands and fathers were never seen again. Finally the mothers died, of broken hearts, leaving three orphan girls alone in the world, These girls are now grown to young ladies, and you have seen them here to-night.” ‘* Oh! hang ther cusses! Burn ’em alive!” Such cries came from every part of the house. ‘‘In a manner which I need not explain,” Dick went on, ‘‘ 1 became interested in the mat- ter, and took the case in hand to sift it the bottom, with the pu of running the rascals to earth, and restoring these young ladies to their rights. I bave been a year and longer at the task, off and on, since I began it. My help- er, who bas been among you for months, picking up clews, has been known to you as Maximilian cDuff. He is, in truth, an able detective, and to him much of the success of the case is due. We hunted down our men, Barnthal and Crapps, got our evidence against them, and then we adopted this means of springing our trap upon them in the presence of the whole town.” ** But, pard, who be you?” was called out. oe I have no desire to make myself known fur- er— So Dick tried to get out of it, but he was in- terrupted by a loud, eager and urgent demand. That one voice had expressed the desire of every person in the hall. : ‘“* Well, if you will know,” he complied, “ I am Dick Bristol, Detective; better known as Deadwood Dick, Junior.” If there bad been applause before, there was more now, It wasa perfect thunder, The name By mete ti iet in restored, en comparative quiet was n Dick went on with what he had asp. ** Let me have the pleasure of introducing to ** ‘You can’t Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Dazzle. you,” he said, ‘tin the three so-called Cuban sisters, the rightful owners of all that has been so long usurped by the murderers of their fathers.” He looked around, and the three girls came forward, ‘* These,” he said, *‘ are Inez and Janie Temple, and this other is Elodie Noland. It is for you, men of Nutmeg, to see that they are maintained in their rights,” “We will! We will!” ** And we'll lynch ther murderers, too!” cried others. ‘*No, no,” Deadwood Dick objected, “ they must be dealt with according to law. You have no rigkt todo what you propose. They must—” But he was wonderfully interrupted. Stephen Barnthal suddenly sprung up, with a cry, and fell to the floor, And immediately after, Samson Crapps sunk down withvut a sound, Then was heard a ghostly, mocking laugh, and a piece of paper came floating down through the air, finally settling upon one of the dead men—for dead both were, That paper was quickly picked up and handed to Deadwood Dick, who, glancing at it, saw that it held simply ths completed score of the Nemesis of Nutmeg, Where those silept bullets had come from, no one could guess, It is useless to try to picture the excitement that prevailed, It was simply overwhelming. Never had the townof Nutmeg Bonanza seen the like. It was some time before Deadwood Dick could make himself heard again, and then he made known all that it was uecessary to tell, further, of the matter, He was the head and prime mover of itall, ana the alleged dramatic com- pany was merely a part of the means employed toreach the end desired. Of course it is un- necessary to mention that all that bad passed between Dick and MacDvff was mere by-play. And other points, too, need not be explained at length, since the denouement has made them clear. But, the play was not ended. A vailed woman entered the hall, about the time that Dick finished speaking, and walked straight down toward the stage, Suddenly she threw up her vail, ‘The face of a pale woman was disclosed, one older in experience and sorrow than in years, and one that had been handsome. ‘* My sister!” That cry came from Esmond Earle, who had seen ber enter. He sprung up and ran toward her, with his arms outstretched. But she motioned him to stop, and turning suddenly, faced the fellow who had registered at the hotel as Edwin Hargrave, and cried out: ** Paul Lynton, I find you at last! You did not suspect who I was, did you. I am your wife, whom you tried to murder in Mexico, and whom you did leave for dead. Now it is my turn, and you must die!” With the words she flashed out a revolver and fired, but Esmond Earle struck up her arm and the bullet was buried harmlessly in the wall. ‘* Tt is for me to deal with him,” he cried. Lynton had sprung up, but Esmond had him covered, ‘‘Come out to tke street,” he ordered, “and take the chance for your life that you do not deserve,” Tbe woman tried to interfere, but it was use- less, and the two men went out of doors. ‘“ mo crowd poured after them, to witness the gnt. ‘Ten paces, and fire,” said Earle, No other word was spoken. The two men paced off the required distance, backward, and then at the same moment both . . Paul Lynton fell forward upon his face, and died there without a struggle. A bullet of ven- geance had pierced his heart. But in such an hour of paramount excite- ment, this was no more than a passing incident. Back into the hall the crowd poured, to see what further was to be seen in connection with the case of main interest. [t looked as though it was all over, though, when pear from the rear 4 the building, a nw appeared upon the e t was the Nemesis of Nutmeg! oe Head, face, and all was covered, and the ap- pearance of thes e figure was truly ghostly. ** Men of Nutmeg,” it spoke, “‘ you have wit- | disappear forever nessed a work of righteous vengeance, Twenty years ago, when | was but a mere babe, my father and mother, and all my brothers and sis- ters, were massacred by Stephen Barnthal and Samson Crapps, and eleven of their villainous followers. They were highway robbers in Cali- fornia. They fell upon my father and his party, as they were moving out of a mining-camp where they had made their fortune. All of the party were killed save three, These were my- self and a young man who is known to you all— Fingal McFaddin. He has been my helper in this work, We were saved by his mother, who was the third one to escape. : ‘She cared for me until she died, three years ago, and told me the story of the horrible crime, She knew the names of some of the wretches, and when she died I made a vow that I would hunt them all to their death. You have seen how well I have done my awful work. With a powerful air-rifle, 1 have been a silent de- stroyer.” at oa be ye?” was the loud demand. ‘* Who ye The white robe and hood, all in one piece, Was thrown off, and there stood the Nemesis in the person of Edma Rulford. Turning to Deadwood Dick, she remarked: ‘* You see my ghostly robe is lined with black, That accounts for my sudden disappearance when you saw me last. I threw it off and turned itin an instaut, and you could not seeme, But,” facing the crowd again, ‘‘one word more and I from your midst. I, and I alone, took these thirteen lives, Fingal McFad- din is innocent of it all. He acted merely as my detective and helper,” ‘* And it’s proud I am of the service I have rendered, woo,” that individual exclaimed. Throwing down the ghostly robe, Edma turned and walked off the stage the way she had come. But after her sprung Esmond Earle. He overtook her at the door, and, in spite of her objections, accompanied her to the hotel. Only a vent few words of their long talk meed uoted, ‘’Edma, be my wife,” Earle urged, ‘What! with my hands red with blood!” she Cried. * Just as you are,” he assured, he answer, finally, was: ‘‘ Yes, if you so will ” it. So our romance ends, Next day saw Deadwood Dick and his party set out from the jen ee , The orphan girls were res s, married, and are happy in the riches tbat were rightfully theirs, smond Earle and Edma Rulford, too, were soon wed, and, with Esmond’s sister, settled at Kdma’s native place, where she desired to spend her life, Nutmeg Bonanza still exists, and is a growing town. Old Hank Woolly is stil] there, as fat as ever. He sometitnes talks over old times with the ** boyees,” and is not infrequently heard to say: ‘Yas, Nutmeg hev seen some spicy days, and some big excitements, too; but of all the royal times etever did see, ther royalest was ther time thet I allus like ter speak of as DEADWOOD Dick's DazzuLe.” THE END. Beadle’s Dime Library. BY EDWARD WILLETT. 129 Mississippi Mose; or, a Strong Man’s Sacrifice, 209 Buck Farley, the Bonanza Prince. 222 Bill the Blizzard; or, Red Jack’s Crime. 248 Montana Nat, the Lion of Last Chance Camp, ro ho Ered, the Mississipp! Sport. us ’s Fu and. 298 Logger Lem; or, Life in the Pine Woods, 308 Hemlock Hank, Tough and True. 315 Flush Fred’s Double; or, The Squatters 327 Terrapin Dick, the Wildwood Detective. 337 Old Gabe, the Mountain Tramp. 848 Dan Dillon, King of Crosscut. 368 The Canyon King; or, a Price on his Head, 483 Flush Fred, the River Sharp. BY COLONEL DELLE SARA, 53 Silver Sam; or, The Mystery of Deadwood City, 87 The Scarlet Captain; Or, Prisoner of the Tower, 106 Shamus O’Brien, the Bould Boy of Glingal, A new issue every Wednesday, Beadle’s Dime Library is for sale by all Newsdealers, teu cents per copy, Or sent by mail on receipt of twelve cents each. BEADLE & ADAMS, Publishers, 98 William Street, New York, — Ire . ‘ : he += - “2 Soe . ; . = wwe! , ™~