Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 728 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

oe he St * : i ~ © ¢ > Boke RC x. ie ee et 7 r ee * * “ at - 6 Now don’t look around when I ask you this _ question, as that will give it away; but do you ’ know who that man is over there by the table near the Queen of Diamonds?” - *©¥You mean the one with the girl in red with PF? - * Have you ever heard of Deadwood Dick?” - Yes:*ne’s in the camp, or was,” “‘ This isn’t he, then.” ‘‘Oh, no; nary. Dickey is younger, better him?’ ‘* Exactly.” 4 “Giveitup. He’s a stranger here, same as i you are. He’s been here an hour or more, and bs seems quite stuck on Rosy.” resent.” ‘Disabled, eh? I wanted to see him, if he is around, Do you think he will be in here to- night?” ** Another man who wants to see Deadwood Dick, are you?” Iron Ivan looked at her questioningly. ‘¢ What do you mean by that?” he asked. ‘Why, the stranger over there with Rosy, asked Queen of Diamonds about him this after- noon.” ‘* About whom!” *“ Deadwood Dick, of course.” * ‘* The deuce he did,” and Ivan looked across at / the stranger with renewed interest. ‘‘ I wonder what he can want with him,” ~~. ACP never tell you. I was in here this after- ~<—noon when he came in, and I heard him ask rai Queen if she would point him out to him, if he “i came in this eveuing, and she said she would.” ‘ “Perhaps, then, they mistook me for him, i. when I entered, for [ noticed that the woman gave him a slight negative nod.” Ses _ ** Likely enough, if she did that.” |) ** And you don’t know who he is,” Y Ae “*Nary, as I said before.” ‘* Well, perhaps we shall see when Deadwood I hope he y ~~ & -~ “Dick comes in, if he does come in. means bim well, that’s all.” mf ‘‘ Then you are Dick’s friend, I take it.” ie i ““Oh, yes, sure,” with a smile that was a FR puzzle to the girl. She did not know how to take such a smile as it was, Tron Ivan was looking in the direction of the _. front, just now, and entered as he spoke a young man with hisarminasling. It was the | for whom he had | , Deadwood am can 4 — we paar’ Hello! perhaps this fellow is he,” he re- marked, . ‘“« Yes, that’s him,” said the girl, with a glance | around, ‘But how is it you don’t know him, if ‘s you're bis friend” “Tt is not uncommon for a man to have z) ‘ friends he bas never seen,” Ivan responded. a And he watched the wounded man’s approach, } >» What was to come of a meeting such as this? eta CHAPTER XII. TROUBLE ON THE TAPIS, THE man sauntered down toward the center of the room with careless 2ase, - Known there, much attention was turned to him as soon as he was noticed, and many eyes ‘ upon him with keen curiosity. With a reputation such as his, Deadwood Dick ‘was aman to draw just such attention, wher- ever he made himself known, His recent doings | _ further north, and now bis bavinz killed Guer- P] Filla Jake, Vionized him, _ | Tren Ivan had bis eyes upon him, as said, and . ae ek Soe caring attention to the Queen of ia Diamonds and the stranger who bad made in- 2 | ~~ quiry of her concerning Deadwood Dick, |. The Queen noted the glances turned toward 1 | the front, and quick to follow them, saw who it + |. ‘was had entered, > |. With a glance at the man at the table near <| her, she gave him a signa] that his man had come. AG wey 4 The stranger bad quickly looked, and seeing i- |. tbe man indicated, rose from the table, CR RL he’s wounded!” Iron Ivan heard him ° exclaim. ; oe Os Yee, & bullet in his arm, received the night | "he killed Guerrilla Jake the outlaw,” the woman answered. | Her reply was not in tones loud enough for Ivan to hear, but be saw that the wounded man had heard what the stranger had said, He turned him glance upon his immediately. ' There was no sign of recognition in the look he gave him, but rather an expression of sur- prise upon his face. Ye . : at hb. ] s AS | ce |. _He came steadily on, turning his attention : | tothe gaming-tables as he drew near to them, * and evidently giving no okey ng thought to the | man who had spoken Conterning his wound. a ~ db - > ey. We s Con] , oy Pe f e , ~~? . 4 Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Disguise. ee. ne ee ee ee ee ee ee ey oe looking, and has one arm in the hospital at. Rosy, the girl inred, had risen at the same time the stranger did, greatly surprised, no doubt, at his sudien move, and stood just bebind him. Iron Ivan was observing everything. He saw a look upon the stranger’s face that boded 111 for Deadwood Dick, Hastily paying uis score, he took abrupt leave of his Daisy and moved out toward the center of the room. As the wounded but lionized hero came on, the stranger moved out to meet him, and presently planted himself right in front of him, demand- ing: ** Are you Deadwood Dick?” ‘‘That is what I am called, sir,” was the easy response. . ‘*T’m glad you own it, for 1 have got a bone to pick with you, and l’m sorry you’re wound- ed, ‘*A bone to pick with me, eh?’ repeated the lion, not at all frightened. ‘1 don’t know you, and can’t imagine what your ‘bone’ can be, as you call it. Still, you need not let my wounded arm make any difference.” Spoken like Deadwood Dick, truly. ** But it does make a difference. Were it not for that, I would give you a cut in the face that would make you hot for a fight. As it is, I can’t strike you.” ‘‘But who are you? Where does your pain seem to lie?” ‘““Who am I? Who but the brother of a man whom you sent to prison for twenty years! You have got to answer to me for that, if not now, then at some other time. I can wait for your arm to get well,” Iron Ivan was moving near them, and now the attention of the whole room was upon them, The Queen of Diamonds had left her place, and now touched the stranger upon the arm, Her manner was fall of tigerish resolve. ‘You told me that you meant this man no har,” she reminded, **Neitber do I, any more harm than he de- serves,” was the response, ‘You deceived me, and I demand that you drop this quarrel at once, in my establishment.” ‘‘No harm shall be done your establishment, madam,” was the rejoinder, ‘*‘ The man is in no shape to defend bimself, so for the present I must let the matter drop.” ** But J do not let it drop, not the wouvded man spoke up, dressed me in a manner that you must answer for. If I sent you brother to prison for twenty years, you ought to join him,” ‘* You offer that as an insult!” “If you want to take itso. If I am wounded, I can still shoot, and if you want anything of me, let us go out and settle it—twenty paces,” ** No; Pll wait for your arm,” was the retort, ‘‘and then we’ll have it out at a shorter range. In the mean time, take that as a reminder to keep your blood boiling, so you will be in the right trim,” . _With tbat, he reached out, quickly, and gave his wounded enemy a stinging slap on the cheek, Quick as a wink the man’s well arm shot out. aimed at the ruffian’s nose, but the blow was neatly parried, and the rascal laughed. “You will have to wait till your arm gets well,” he sneered, ‘‘and then it will give meé satisfaction to do you up,as the boys say. You have the name of being something of a terror, but if you are you do not prove it with that crack,” ‘* Pil skow you about that,” was the fierce re- yan tort. ‘ Wounded as Lam, I am pot going to stand your abuse tamely. Look out for your- self. will whip you with one arm, or take a whipping, just as it happ’ns.” And the man stepped forward, with arm ready to begin, when lion Ivan took a hand in the affair. . ‘*Pardou my interrupting, gentlemen,” he spoke, ‘‘but I bare a word to say before this goes any further, Are you Deadwood Dick, sir ‘Yes, I am Deadwood Dick,” the wounded man answered, ‘Very well, then. I am a man.whom you know, and yet who is unknown to you just now. You arein no condition to fight, or even defend yourself. Allow me to take up your cause against this cur,” ‘Have a eare,” cried the stranger, “‘or you will have a cavse of your own to attend to, I allow no man to call me a cur or any other name, For a single penny I would knock you off your pins, Tbisis no affair of yours, and you want to keep out of it.” “Knock me off my pins, would you!’ Ivan sneered, ‘* Let me know when you begin tu co 9 J ‘You have ad- 11 it, coward, And coward you are. No other would strike a wounded man.” oa The Queen of Diamonds had taken steps to have the men put out, or at any rate to separate them, but by the time she gct her forces to- gether the crowd was two great for them to do anything. | And tbat was just the kind of a crowd that had rather see the difficulty to the end, than to bave it nipped in the bud. The men shouldered up closely, and refused to make way, so the chances were that the trouble would have to be settled by the three men concerned. “You seem to want to get yourself into trouble,” cried the stranger. ‘‘T care little whether I do or not,” was the response. ‘* You can’t impose on this wounded man when I am around,” — ‘* And who the deuce are you?” ‘* A match for you, I fancy.” ‘We'll see about that, curse you!” “All right, whenever you please. May I. make your cause my own, while I am about it, sir?’ to the wounded man, | “Tt is asking too mucb,” was the response, ‘Tam not afraid of him, and he can no more than whip me anyhow, I will show him that Deadwood Dick is no coward, in spite of report.” ‘And whip you he probably would, sir, dis- abled as you are, Step back, and let me polish bim cff, ‘**'You seem to speak as though you are sure you can do it,” the stranger sneered. ‘‘T have that much conceit for you to knock out. of me, anyhow,” Iron Ivan declared, ‘*Come for me, now, and let me see what you are made of.” | ‘*Gentlemen!” the Queen of Diamonds con- tinued tocry out, ‘‘Gentlemen! This must go no further! I will not bave such scenes here in my palace! I forbid it. You must desist and withdraw to the s reet!” She did not want such scenes, that was true, but they were of almost nightly occurrence in her gilded den of iniquity. Quite often she could — the storm before it burst, and get the belligerents outside, but quite as often she could not, and the trouble was settled there, So, little atterltion was paid to ber just. yay, € to keep her men from interfering t05j-- “fe be un. ‘* Tl show you what I am made of,” the str#a- ger retorted, ‘‘l don’t know who you are, and don’t care, Dll show you that you can’t frighten Idaho Jo, and don’t you forget it!” ‘‘Ha! so you are Idaho Jo, are you? Glad to know you. Perbaps we shall become better ac- quainted before we leave Pond Lily.’ I hope so, anyhow,” , ‘* What do you mean by that, curse you?” “Just what I say, of course, I’m going to introduce myself to you now in a way that will - mark a beginning, Are you ready?” ‘** Yes, I am ready.” . ‘*Tben look out. Where will you have it?” | ‘* Right there!” With the word, his arm shot out, intending to take Ivan squarely on the jaw, but the blow was warded off easily. ‘* That is a tunny place to hit a man,” Iron [van taunted. “If I bit you there I am not likely to do you much damage, I fancy. See how you like it here,” There was a feint, the stranger warded, and before he could recover again, the intended blow followed. Ivan’s fist caught him on the chest with a tap that made him stagger. ‘*T don’t want to spoil your beauty for you,” Ivan remarked, ‘‘ or I would bave let you have it on the nose, Maybe a few like that will show you that you have taken hold of the wrong pig this time, What do you think about it?” The stranger was too enraged to answer, He was white to the lips, and his eyes gleamed murderously. With a snarl, he sprung forward, deliveri two quick, powerful blows, first with one fist an then with the other. Both were turne’ aside wits the utmost ease, and Iron Ivan stood there laughing at him, while the crowd gave a round of applause, For the crowd it was the best kind of sport, e CHAPTER XIIL PECULIAR HAPPENINGS. IpAHO JO was not an unknown character altogether. There were men in that room who bad heard of bim, one of whom, by the way, was Dead- wood Dick. Not only bad he heard of him, but he wasa man whom he wanted. With the others who \ *. ha - (OK @) ° « _ % ~~ oes ™“S