Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 684 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Dazzle. ch es ie a ‘* Your Nemesis certainly means business, then. ** Well, this is rather a serious pledge to re- | horse and rider disappeared into the darkness Now, as a person never begins a vendetta of this | quire of a stranger,” Dick made comment aloud. | leaving the dead man lying there in the moonlit In sort without some good reason, what is the reason | ‘I must know all the particulars befure I can | space. in this instance? i have no doubt but you seven | promise anything of that kind.” Deadwood Dick had much to think abouf, rascals, and perhaps more with you, have ‘It is your right to know them. About ten | now. he wronged some person greatly, and are paying | o’clock last night a citizen of the town fell sud- He had passed through a’ strange and peculiar of | the penalty. How about it?” denly dead in the street, with a bullet in his | adventure. Mt | “Ther fact is you’re right. But thet aire all | heart. His names was Joe Gables, and it was To be stopped by a road-agent was nothing [kin tell ye, as I’m swornter hold my headshut | by my hand that he fell. Only a little time | new in his experience, but to be helped out of le | aboutit an’—” earlier in the evening he had had a quarrel with | the dilemma by a ghostly deliverer was. se “ But, with death at band, as you believe, you | the young man [ have mentioned, whose name | ‘‘ Adventure seems determined to spring up ought to make a clean breast of the matter, | is Esmond Earle, Tha quarrel was provoked by | in my path wherever I go,” he mused as he rode , eand—” Gables, and in the heat of it both men uttered | aloug. ‘‘Here I find myself pledged to protect 1e ‘* E¢ can’t be done. Ef I ‘scaped ther Nemesis | threats of a serious nature, a man I have never seen before, and that pledge P; which I ain’t likely ter do, I would meet a fateas | ‘I knew nothing of this till afterward. When | given to a ghostly self-confessed slayer of 0- sure from another direction, Then too, there’s | Gables fell, some of his friends set up the cry | several men, What is back of all this? Richard, ve my pards, what isleft of ’em, they’d be— But | that Earle bad killed him, and soon a mob was | my boy, you may find that you have taken hold 8A look hyar, I’m done talkin’, I reckon I’ve Said | howling for his life. He was captured, and as it | of a sizable job before you get done with it. It id too much now, You'd better ride on.” happened, one chamber of his revolver was | is better, however, to stand in with this ghostly Pa ** What was your intention in stopping me as | empty. Then twoor three rascals swore that avenger than to fight against her, I imagine; ur | you did?” Dick further questioned, ‘“‘ Had you | they ha@ heard a shot fired, and the case against | and since she is opposed to evil, the combination _ any other purpose than thatofrobbery?” —_—_| him looked bad. may not proye amiss. She may be able to help 1- ** No, thet wur all, Et would hev beena daisy ‘**A young woman at the only hotel of the | me in the Gase I have on hand, and that has v- haul, too, only fer th’ ghost appearin’ when it | place, however, appeared upon the scene, and | brought me here.” did and upsettin’ my narves,” said that she was looking out at her window} So musing, he rode on through the dark and -**T am not so sure about that,” Dick asseverat- | when Gables fell, and that she did not hear any | dismal defile, r ed, “Still, I feel grateful to the ghost for its | shot, She called upon the honest men of the Finally the loud hum of we commingled ; timely coming. I—’ town to see that Earle hada fair trial, and he | voices came to his ears, and a little later he He was about toadd more, when the rascal | was taken and locked in a deserted log cabin | rode out into an open glade, or pocket. F before him suddenly clapped his hand to his | that was pressed into service as a temporary it broadened rapidly from the head of the s breast, and cried: jail. canyon, spreading into a valley of a goodly ‘* Pve got it!” ‘“* Now you have the case just as it is. The | acreage, in the middle of which stood a town of With that he reeled, fell back on the bowlder, | young man is still there, and his trial is to come perhaps a hundred buildings, all told, n and dropped to the ground in the thross of off to-morrow. I have fears that it will go hard But Deadwood Dick gave no more than @ ¥ death. with him, for the bad element is greatly in the | passing glance at these points. Dead wood Dick was mystified, now. majority in the town. And now I come back to There was something of more immediate im- He had heard no shot, but recognized the | the starting-point, I want you to pledge your- portance to claim his attention and attract his work of a bullet. self to see that he comes to no harm, for I assure | interest. While he hesitated, in doubt whether to get | you that he is as innocent as you are.” The one street of the town was alive with peo- * f off his horse or not, a voice called to him out of ** You seem to have unbounded confidence in | ple, and the bum of voices that he had heard the darkness, me,” Dick observed. ‘‘ What would one man | while yet in thecanyon was now grown to a e “Stranger, attention,” were the words! be against a mob? Are you not asking too| mighty roar. spoken. much?” Under the radiant moon the gulch was almost ‘ ‘* Do you address me?” Deadwood Dick asked, | ‘‘Il hopeIam not, An ordinary man would | as light as day, and Dick could see what was Ss looking in the direction whence the voice came, | amount to nothing, of course, to oppose such a | going on, The excited crowd was moving to- but seeing nothing. bloodthirsty set of rascals; but I am satisfied | ward him, and in the hands of the foremost was y ‘‘I do,” was the answer. ‘‘I have something | that you are more than ordinary.” a prisoner, ’ Pg, t0 you.” ‘*Thank you for the compliment, anyhow; hey were ov Bently heading toward, or 8 “Well, I am al! attention,” Dick assured, | but tell me, what gives you this opinion of me?” | rather for, a big tree that, was only a little dis- 6 “and you are welcome to say anything you| ‘I noted the coolness with which you met the | tance out of the town on that side, please. I would rather have you come out | challenge of Blossom Bob, No ordinary man ‘**It looks like a neck-tie party, I’m blowed if ] where Ican see you, though, for I like to face | would have acted as you did.” it don’t!” Dick muttered. ‘‘ Possibly the mob 1 a person I’m talking to.” ‘*Pshaw! But, we will let that Why | intends to lynch that Esmond Earle that I am et *‘ prefer to remain invisible. Youhave seen | do you not appear to the citizens of the town | pledged to protect. If that be the case, the | me once, suffice, Iam the ghostly per- | and assure them of their mistake?” campaign is destined to open with a lively sonage that appéared before you a few moments ‘| have notified them, in my own way, but I irmish, and my debut at Nutmeg Bonanza is y | ago, Iam the Nemesis of Nutmeg, socalled.” | am not sure that they will give due weight to | likely to be accompanied with the lively jingle f It wasa woman’s voice that spoke, but Dick my words,” of bells. Anyhow, I must know what is going ) could not decide just where it came from, He ‘Did you add a threat to your communica-| on, Forward, old fellow, or we miay be too late | had the direction, but it seemed to come from a | tion?” to be of any use to the unfortunate victim of pes high up, as though from mid-air in the ‘* No, I did not think of that.” the nocturnal jollification.” | ranching canyon, : “That would have checked their ardor a Touching his horse, the animal sprung into a well, I will not press the point,” he ac- | little, [imagine. There is time enough for that run, and Dick aimed to meet the crowd at the 2 = SF ‘* Ver q theded, promptly. ‘‘I have due respect for Greats and especially those of the gentle sex. hat do you desire to say to me?” ‘* You still admit, of course, that I have done 77 fen Rfar © your appeating pon th ou refer to your a ng u @ scene at the time when this fellow h the advantage of me?” ** Yes, I refer to that,” ‘* Well, yes, you certainly did help me a rather ugly fix.” ** You are a stranger to me, but I have been studying your face from the darkness here, and am impressed that you are an honest man. do not ask you whether you are or are not; I sat Iam not mistaken. I want a favor in re- urn ” ‘You have oaly to name it,” Dick assured, *‘and if it is anything within reason, and in the line of honest work, you can depend on my doing it.” ‘*Thank you, sir. It comes within the re- quirements of both your conditions, so I will tell you what it is,” ‘‘ T shall be glad to have you do so,” ** Are you going to Nutmeg Bonanza?” * That is my payeceive int, Lady Ghost.” **T thought so, from what I cau ht of your talk with that miserable wretch, Blossom Bob. out of yet, if necessary. You might threaten to put them on your little list, if they harm Earle,” ‘“A good idea, and I will bear it in mina, But, your promise—will you undertake what I have asked?” “I will, If [ can be of service to Esmond Earle in any way, he can count on me, and to that I pledge myself.” “Thank you. You will Now I will say good-night.” ae you not allow me to see youere you go $ You have seen me once, let that be enough.” _ ** But tell me something about yourself,” ‘Not now. Once more, good-night,” Deadwood Dick responded, and silence reigned over the scene, lose nothing by it. CHAPTER III. SPOILING A SOIREE, DICK waited some minutes. Not another sound was to be heard, He was alone, now, save for the dead man, While he waited he was debating whether or not to investigate the pockets of the late Blos- som Robert, Finally he decided against that proceeding, In the first place, he was not likely to find any- tree, He had much the greater distance to cover, however, and the mob got there first, and so noisy were they, and so intent upon their des- perate mission, that they did not see him ap- proaching. r As he came near he heard a voice call out: ‘‘ Now, then, Esmond Earle, ef yer has got anything ter say, say it mighty quick. Yer hain’t got no more’n a minnit o’ time hyar on ‘arth ; ‘‘Ha!” exclaimed Dick, “it is my protege, sure enough, I shall have tochip in here, sure.” He halted a few yards from the outer edge of the crowd, still unobserved, and took in the situation. : 4 rope was around the intended victim’s neck, that rope was over a convenient limb, anda dozen men had hold upon the other end of it. ‘* All I have to say,” rung out a clear voice, in response to the first, “tis that lam an inno- cent man, and that you are a pack of comeen murderers, AlJl I asked of you was a fair trial, and you are too villainous to allow me even that. Go ahead and do your worst. You'll find that I’m no craven cur. Go on with your hellish work,” hare ; Deadwood Dick listened with glowing admira- tion, ” . He is ,my second victim within twenty-four pen of interest, he reasoned; and next, it | Here was 4 manof nerve, and one well worthy hours. tig would be an ugly business to be caught at, if | of the help he had promised, ., rbhen it was you who took his life?” any one happened along. ‘* Yas, we'll go on, you bet we wull!” cried er fepereies a ‘It is well to leave good-enough alone,” he | the first speaker, ‘‘ We has got all ther proof ' Emagine, then, that there is little about ided, ‘‘ My little difficulty with the gentle- | we wants that you is ther cuss what done it up you Wo. is ghostly, save your appearance,” man is over, and I will be on my way. rry I} fer poor Juve Gables, an’ you got ter swing. Lie. that. I must come to the re- | didn’t ask which one of these canyons leads to | ’Cause yer says yer is innercent, that don’t make quest ave to make, PT ah Nutmeg, but I guess it’s the main one. Goalong, | itso, not by a hatful it don’t. Grip ther rope, , Well, let me know what it is. old fellow,” to his horse, ‘‘and we'll see if we | boyees, an’ when I say three, jest elevate him.” , There is, at Mntmeg, a young man whose | can reach onr destination without further ad- he men at the rope gave an answering st life is in danger, I want you to pledge yourself | ventures by the way.” saying they were ready, and the mob yell | to see that he comes to no hari. The horse started forward, at the word, and wildly anapproval, x ’ F; « , o A : é ‘ 7 -—-