Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 728 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

oe * \ny- ae ee ee! ee + x nt ES See “= 7 /12 r ~ a f ; = : yy’ ” - + 4 eard of him, be. had heard little good of Dust he was a blackleg of low degree. ‘the moment Idaho Jo was thoroughly hadeh amazed. Such neat and easy sparring as this was some- thing he was not accustomed to, Something of an artist himself, in the fistic way, he did not know what to make of this, ** You will do, stranger,” remarked the wound- ed Deadwood Dick. ‘I couldn’t doit any more neatly myself, and in truth not haJf so well. Go for him, and give him a gentile reminder for me while you are about it,” ‘* He will not do it again,” declared Idaho Jo, boastingly. ‘‘1 see be 1s a little better posted in the art than I thought be was. Til try you again, my fine fellow, and see what you will make of it. Now put up your dukes, and I'll settle for you in short order.” *“Tf you can,” remarked Ivan, smiling. Idaho Jo advanced, sparring his ablest, and ‘fora few moments there was as neat an exbibi- tion as is rarely seen. , Then came a moment when there was an open- ing, straight for Ivan’s nose, and it was an op- portunity too good to be missed. Idaho Jo’s arm shot out with lightning quickness, But that opening proved to have been a trap —a delusion and a snare, as it were. It disap- peared even quicker than the blow, and the blow was turned aside, almost taking Jo off his feet. [t was asurprise again. It did not end there, however, for when the force of the blow had carried Jo around, side to his opponent, [van:caught him by the neck and seat and pitched him bodily over the heads of the crowd, where he fell sprawling in the most undignified way that can be imagined, The crowd cheered, to a man. ‘Who are you, stranger?” was the shout that was raised. ‘“‘A better man than [ am, at present, at any rate,” declared Deadwood Dick the wounded, ‘*But no better man than Deadwood Dick, when he is in good order, of that I assure you, gentlemen,” [van declared. There was no time to say more. The crowd moved back from where the fallen Idaho Jo had dropped, and he was scrambling t-~@4s feet, cursing in’ his rage. ou Will never do that dirty trick to any othe? man!” he eried. ‘Curse youl” Twillenut your heart ont!” . And rushing forward, be drew a knife as he came, But he stopped, for into the hands of Iron Ivan leaped two revolvers, at full cock, ‘* Better hold up there, and go slow !” he quick- ly warned, “If you don’t, there will be a fu- neral in thé near future,” . “Curse you!” the enraged man cried again. ** My quarrel was not with you, but now I chal- lenge you to come out and meet me with revol- vers at thirty steps, and if I don’t settle with you Pll take what you give me,” ** Do you want to commit suicide?’ Iron Ivan asked, ‘*That is a coward’s bluff,” was the retort, ‘‘I dare you to come out and face me!” * ‘“*A ecoward’s bluff, is it?’ repeated Ivan. **Do you see that top row of bottles on the most distant shelf over the bar there? Well, keep your eye on it for the space of five seconds.” The bottles in question were fancy bar bottles, with glass stoppers with ornamental tops. They were a long pistol range distant, and not very large targets, but were in good light, and Ivan raised one of his weapons and pointed at them. There was a sharp report, and one of the glass stoppers was shattered. Then another report, and another top leaped into a thousand frag- ments. Yet another, and the third stopper was demolished, Another still, with similar result, And so on, until five had been broken straight, ‘* Are you satisfied now?’ Ivan asked. ‘‘If not, come on, and I will pick off some of your vest buttons,” ‘** Curses upon you!” the baffled Idaho Jo hiss- ed, as he turned and walked to the rear of the room. ‘“*I may get a chance to square the ac- count with you, And when I do—’ He did not finish the threat, ‘*When you do,” completed Ivan, ‘you will probably find me ready for you,” “TI beg of you, sir, stop this awful business in my place!” cried the Queen of Diamonds, almost hoarse with her protestations. ‘‘ Ycu will ruin my palace, if you keep on,” ‘It is all over, so far as I am concerned, madam,” spoke Ivan, politely. ‘ Say how much damage I have wrought, and I will pay the score with pleasure. The pisto] practices were well worth the coat, I do not doubt.” Bi ee me out ——Mame Win! Py we See = - > #,, — ' Deadwood Di a LLL LLL LLL LL LL LL tiie ; = % : OO ON Ce i MID 0 pets * — ee OO Si eae _—< . li rt Ye Re = rt Tay ” ne ee ee ** A hundred dollars will no more than repair the damage,” the Queen declared. ‘‘And here is the sum,” said Ivan, handing over a bill. ‘* I consider myself fortunate to get off so well,” ‘‘ You are a gentleman,” the woman flattered, as she received the money. The height of the excitement had now been reached and passed, as it seemed, and the crowd began to break away, Rosy, the girl in red, had deserted her dis- graced companion of the hour, but Daisy, the one who had made the acquaintance of fron Ivan, pressed forward to congratulate him. But Ivan evidently had no further use for | her, so she got no encouragement. And be- sides, many were demanding to know who Ivan was. ‘You all seem eager to know who I am,” he | st ' Diamonds to the leading hotel, was found the responded, finally. ‘*‘ When Iam ready to take my leave, and that will be shortly, I will tell you. For the present, Deadwood Dick, a word with you,” ‘““As many words as you want, in a friendly way,” the wounded man responded, ‘‘ Shall we take a seat? ’ ‘* No; I can tell you standing. I shall meet vou again, ere long, when we will settle a mat- ter of business we have between us. I have helped you out of this trouble to reserve you for myself,” The wounded man looked surprised. ‘*T fail to understand what you mean,” was | his response. ‘* Well, you cannot fail to understand this: You want to look out sharp for this man Idaho Jo. He means you harm, and is none too good to stab you in the back, I can say no more,” ‘But, who are you?” ‘* As iam about going now, I do not mind tell- ing you that,” was the answer, He did not tell, however, at any rate not yet, but worked his way nearer to the door, keeping his eyes well about bim, ‘Well, who are you? the wounded man again demanded, Tron Ivan had now gone far enough to bave the crowd before him, and whipping ont his re- volvers, covered the #row?l, exclaining: 6 § will now tel! you whe ‘Lam, Th. ward Diek and citizens of Pond Lily, Tash er tha | | | | | | ck, Jr.’s,: Disguise. | ruise again, left the room, and descended to the bar-room, And there be met another bearded man, one with whom be held a long talk, Finally the two parted company, both going out and each setting off in a different direction, It was a late hovr when Iron lvan finally re- joined his man Jonah and set out for the rendez- vous at Coftin Camp. On the way bhetold Jonah something of what had taken place, coloring it to best tickle that worthy’s fancy, and leaving it to him to tell the others at the camp, Next morning, when Pond Lily got up—so to put it, the whole camp went howling wild. In various places were notices signed by Iron Ivan, bidding defiance to the camp, its mayor, Deadwood Dick and everybody else! But a greater surprise was in store, Oy the street, half-way from the den of the Queen of body of a man witha cruel knife-thrust in his breast. The body was still warm, and the deed must have been done within the hour—in fact, since daylight. Andon the breast of this dead man was a card, on which was penciled: ‘By the hand of Ivan, Man of Iron.” CHAPTER XTYV. A THRILLING SURPRISE, THE dead man was a stranger. At firet—a0~ one recognized him, but finally came others who" said they bad seen him about town on the pre~ vious evening, Andif Pond Lily had been in a furor over the finding of the placards left by Iron Ivan, much more so now at this finding of bloody work done by his hand, Mayor Kentway rose more furious in his wrath than ever, and de- clared that the Lily Mine would not do a tap until the outlaw band was wiped out. Dispatching a messenger to Deadwood Dicky the wounded captain of the besieging hosts, he himself got together another body of De ae od est. ‘with them went out of the valley toe the tron iven, presént captaimmet the Land oi Ccilin | Camp. Lam here to give you my best compli- ments, and fo say that Ccffin Camp bids defiance to you, one and all, Whatare you going to do about it? Hal ha! ba!” For a few seconds he stood there, enjoying the consternation and surprise his words bad made, and then with a bound he was out and away, With bis disappearance the spell was broken. ‘Tron Ivan!” cried Deadwood Dick, ‘* It seems impossible. It can’t be that he has dared to come bere, can it?” “Yer heerd what he said,” responded a rough voice, ‘‘ He said he saved you because he want- ed yer fer himself, After ther cuss, boyees! After him!” A wild whoop and yell greeted that shout, and the crowd broke for the street, many with wea- pons drawn, eager for the blood of this most no- torious of daring road-agents who had ever ap- peared in that section, But search as they would, Iron [van was not to be found. Within the hour the whole camp was scoured, so to say, but the man had disappeared. ** [t is too bad,” remarked Deadwood Dick, the wounded, *‘ but we shall soon have him now, To- morrow will open a surprise for him, if I mistake not,” In the mean time, shortly after the disappear- ance of Iron Ivan from the saloon, a stranger entered the leading hotel, making inquiry of the clerk for one Madge Marble, who, as will be re- membered, had come to Pond Lily by the special stage, Told that she was there, he asked to be shown to her room, explaining that he was Howard Marble, :he lady’s husband. He wanted tohave a brief interview with her, he said, He wasa man of medium height and well pro- portioned, wearing a full beard. Without delay he was shown to the woman’s room, where, as soon as he was adinitted, he snatched off the beard and clasped the woman to his broast. The man was Iron Ivan! Their first fond embrace exchanged, with kisses, Ivan led the woman toa seat and there, hands clasped in hands, fondly, they held an hour’s animated conversation, What that conversation was concerning is not for us to disclose. At the end of an hour, the man put on his dis- Whither he was going none knew, but it was plain that now had come the decisive moment in the warlike situation, Such a determined move as this must settle the matter one way or the other, The body of the dead tran had been. taken | and laid out in a Vacant shed, to be iden tea” during the day, if possible, The strange woman, Madge Marble, seemed to have interest in it in some way, that is—in the crime, She viewed the body, but without any sign that she recognized it, but she hngered around the shed fer some time, and after that, was seen wandering from place to place about the camp, seemingly aimlessly, A close observer would have noted, perbaps, that her movements were in accord with those of Idaho Jo. Butif watebing bim, it was done so skillfully that he was none the wiser, As for bim, Idaho Jo, he made bimself free and easy about the camp, hoping that the raid would be a success and that Iron Ivan would be brought in for banging, In that event, he declared bis intention of doing a little pistol practice at his body as it swung. He had viewed the body, too, but like others, did not know tbe man. The stockholders of ‘the Lily Mine gathered at the company’s office, some time after breakfast and there awaited the outcome of the battle at Coffin Camp, That affair, by the way, was the great event cf the year, and it required all the best efforts of the leading men of the home guard to keep the town from being Ceserted, Everybody wanted to go out into the valley bebind the besiegers, at the point of rocks, and there witness the struggle, or what they cenld see of it, keeping out of danger themselves, And many did go, too, As it was pointed out, bowever, that it was leaving the camp open to attack, in case the out- laws, taking advantage of their sceret means of * egress, saw fit to make such a counter move, all who had family or property to defend, re- mained. And they were in sufficient number for defense, At Coffin Camp, to change the scene to that delectable spot, the morning sun bad found things about as usual. Iron Ivan and the Terrible were up bright and early, and presently they set out to the point of rocks to reconnoiter, And they went under protection, as before, When they peered around, a strange sight met their gaze. A board fence—for want ofa better name for it, about four feet high and cbhoo tawin . Ht > yo Ey’ oe :cO