Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 730 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

, ETS Orth eee i ee > ra rn) + = = a r 8 Violet Vane’s Verdict. “ Well, [think he bath had enough,” agreed Jonas, Adam sunk into a chair, pressing his hands to his throbbing head. ‘You are a pretty bird to let your poor old father lay on the floor!” he snapped, wishing to change the subject. ‘* There I was curled up in that corner like a dog!” ‘** | twied to get you into the hammawk, paw, but yon wath too heavy.” ‘‘ Well, you are a weak, puny thing, anyway! Why can’t you be a man, Jouas?” ‘* You made me what [ am, guv.” Peer. you think of are cigarettes and pretty girls.’ “Two doothed good things! By the way, om I bave sthwuck a doothed fine-looking girl eah, ‘“*Eh?? exclaimed Adam, instantly becoming interested. “Is that so? I don’t believe I have seen her! Who is she?” ‘* Her name ithn’t werry refined, but she ith a lulu. Her name ith Mith Duthenberry, and she _hath got the meaneth old dad I ever thaw; but she ith a bwick, baw Jove!” **Duazenberry!” snorted Adam, in supreme disgust. ‘*Sbe must be the ‘gal’ I have heard that old long-legged vagabond telling about. Ob, yes, sbe must be a brick! Ill bet she is red- beaded and freckle-faced !” ‘* That ith where you are w’ong, old boy. She ith a weg’lar daithy! But I bad an encounter with the old cuth, and, baw Jove! he vewy nearly got the betht of me, ye know!” ‘* How did you get away—run?” . ‘*Wun—me wun! No, thir! [thook my cane in hith face and told him I would bweak it ovah hith jhead if he touched me. That fwightened bim, Adam looked incredulous, but Jonas insisted that be spoke the truth. ‘*T mutht have thome amuthement, if 1 am going to sthay in thith howible hole,” declared the youth. ‘* When are you going to get your handth on that coutbin of mine?” ‘* Well, I can’t say,” confessed Adam, ‘ Slink has promised so much, and made so many fail- ‘ures, that I am not sure of anything. We are having & beap of trouble over this busi- ness,’ ‘* It would have been better if you had let me theen the girl and twied to marwy her.” ‘* But we would have secured only half of the property in that manner. I did not let you see the girl because she was pretty, and I knew you would make a fool of yourself over her. She was Te) unfortunate as to fall overboard in the Missis- sippi. onas winked, knowingly. ** Yoth, werry bad affair, baw Jove! But ye know [I heard you mubtterwing in your sthleep one night, paw.” The elder Jayne turned pale, and uttered ne Ng that sounded suspiciously like an oath, - Jonas calmly continued: ‘You mutht have made a znithtake when you puthed her overboard, paw, It wath—” ** Jonas!” thundered Adam, his face growing still whiter. ‘' Be careful what you say, sir! Men mutter ’most pecan in their dreams,” . ** They thometimeth mutter thingth they wish they hadn’t,” was the young dandy’s insinuating retort, ‘‘ It ithn’t any uthe faw you to sthquirm, uv, [ am onto you.’ * At this, Adam turned on another tack, hold- ing up his hands with a pretense of holy horror. ‘Oh, Heavenly Father! my son, my son!” he moaned. ‘* That you should think such wicked thoughts of your own father! I have tried to bring you up as a Christian parent should—the Lord knows [ have—but I fear the crown of my efforts and prayers will be failure, I fear it! I fear it!” **Oh, thay, old boy! hadn’t you bettah let up on that kind of sthuff? I am getting too old to sthwallow it, ye know. I weckon you are a sthly old rat, paw.” The elder man drew down the corners of his mouth and knotted his face into a look of un- /utterable sadness, ‘‘In these degenerated days even one’s own son suspects him,” came solemnly from bis lips, as he slowly shook bis head, ‘Jonas, if you ever become as worthy a man as your father—” ‘*] sthall sthand a good chance of getting a hot corner down below, Oh, don’t pweach any more to me, old man! I am tired and thick of tho much guff!” And, lighting another cigarette, Jonas flung himself into the hammock, advising his father to put his head to soak in a bucket of water, ith another half-expressed oath, the older man followed the advice, Me Tit ley \ £7 — ‘ t . . c 4 Pek be . y, vs " . : er ‘ a 7 ‘ er “A . wee : . 4 - Seed 27 7 Le 5 aoe ‘ AAR, 7 e eo “lus, + ess = we a = . nnn ee CHAPTER IX, RED LARK IS PUZZLED. THE Mexican, Juan Pacheco, was given the duty of trailing and shadowing Violet Vane. Simk suggested be have an assistant, offering to furnish one, but Juan protested be could do much better alone, ‘“If you give me an assistant, senor, I shall have to watch him as much as I do this vel- vet American, for the chances are the man will drink, and no one whodrinks and allows liquor to dull bis senses is a match for Violet Vane, The task will be much easier if you let me have it all to myself.” He easily brought the lawyer to the same opinion. ‘* But, my dear sir,” cautioned Slink, ‘‘ even if you bave a good chance to get revenge on Violet Vane by knifing him in the back, you must not do so unless you are positive you can lay your bands on the boy. Make sure of the boy first, then you may do what you please with the Velvet Sport.” ‘* Si, senor; I understand. I have not any care to kill this man too quickly, That would be too small revenge. Do you know Violet Vane, senor?’ ‘* Know bim?” ** Si, know his face.” * Well, I bave never seen him but twice, dear sir. To be sure, I made no study of his features o1 those occasions, but one cannot easily mis- take his manner of dress,” ‘*That is true, but he is very shrewd in the way of disguises. Do youthink you would know bim in disguise?” The lawyer was obliged to confess he might nor. ‘* Well, it matters little,” fell from Juan’s lips. ‘*‘ J would know tbe dog in any disguise! Ab-a! Car-r-ramba! He shall not escape my vengeance!” The Mexican and Slink finally left the office together. ‘¢{ will hunt up the boys and put you on good footing with them. If I did not, you might work at cross-purposes, and we cannot afford any of that business, Time is money, dear sir, and time wasted is mopvey thrown away.” So, in company, they sought out ‘‘ Judge” Benjamin Hogg, finding him hanging over a bar, fat, greasy and half-intoxicated. ‘“*Ah! I’m derned glad ter see yer, pard!” gurgled the ‘‘ judge,” extending a pudgy band and grasping that of the Mexican, ‘‘ So you’re lookin’ arter ther cuss called Vierlet Vane, am ye? Wal, aJl ve got ter say is thet he’s er mighty bad man ur else they lie ’bout him. Hev heerd he is in town, but I saw ther galoot once’t, an’ | don’t keer ’bout seein’ him erg’in. Thet is, [don’t keer ’boutit’less he’s tied han’ an’ fut an’ is a pris’ner up fer trial afore me, W'u’d I like ter hev bim thar? Wal, I sh’u’d cough upaciam! Ef I hed him thar, his chance ~ scapin’ ther rope ‘d be mighty slim, you et! ** You cannot tell me anything of the velvet American,” declared Juan. ‘‘ I do believe he is in league with el diablo/ Bullet or steel do not seem tobarm him, But Juan is relentless; he will not know rest till the dog lies dead at his feet. First, I would have him in my power— I would make him cringe and beg for his life—f would scorn him, spit on him! You know noth- ing of the fire in my heart.” His manner was so fierce and his eyes fixed on them so strangely that they involuntarily shrunk back before bim. ‘* Holy smoke!” croaked Hogg. ‘I don’t want to get you arter me, pard!”. Juan smiled, bitterly, his yellow band caress- ing his dark mustache and imperial for a mo- ment, “‘ It is the way of my people,” he said. ‘* We love with all our heart and soul; we hate as fiercely as we seem to love. A great passion consumes us,” | At this moment Lank Ike and Sweet Jim en- tered the saloon together, the r appearance |be- ing bailed by an exclamation of delight from Elias Slink, ‘‘We were looking for you, gentlemen,” de-* clared the oily lawyer, rolling a half-smoked cigar across bis mouth. ‘‘ Fortune has made it unnecessary to look further.” Introductions followed, after which Juan in- vited them all to have a drink at his expense, something they were not loth to do, ‘“‘ Hyer’s luck ter ye in downin’ Vierlet Vane,” mumbled Hogg, as he lifted his brimming glass, Juan was evidently a light drinker, for he barely tasted of the liquor. “Tr once I get started, there is no stopping ., - ‘ ° ® “ : * s si . ? ~ a me,” he said, in explanation. ‘‘1 have to use caution about drinking. When my vengeance is complete, I will drink as long and as muck as the best of you.” “Pll go ye on thet, ef youll pay fer ther stuff,” promptly declared the ‘‘ judge.” ‘‘ An’ ef I don’t drink ye off yer feet, I’m er liar!” ‘*-You will find the job no small one, senor.” A short time later, Juan left them, Later in the day, the Mexican made his way down the creek to Daddy Duzenberry’s cabin, Liz was sitting in the open doorway, and she was startled when Juan suddenly appeared be- fore her, ** Buenos dios, senorita,” and the fellow bowed low, sombrero in hand, ‘‘ A beautiful picture you make. Are you alone?” Liz looked somewhat alarmed, ‘* Daddy bain’t so fur away but he kin hear me yoop,” she answered. ‘* You’d best git out, fer be don’t like ter hey fellers roun’ hyer. He’s awfully ugly, is Daddy.” ‘‘Him I do not fear,” was Juan’s boastful declaration. ‘*] kave no fear of any Ameri- can,’ ‘‘ Wal, now, you must be a reg’ler hero,” came somewhat sarcastically from the girl’s ips. ! "The Mexican drew himself up proudly. ‘‘ Juan has passed through many dangers,” he asserted. ‘‘To him they are as nothing. ) has no fear of one old man.” ‘** T guess you never saw my dad,” ‘Si, senorita; I saw him in Coffin City to- day. They told me he had a daughter—one fair as the wild flower.’ I was interested, and her I came to see, I have found her.” ‘Oh, you talk like a poet, and you are nuth- in’ but a Greaser!” At this Juan scowled. f , ‘‘ There 1s Spanish biood in my veins,” was his assertion, ‘* Ts thet so?” ‘* Tt is true,” : ‘¢T don’t s’pose thet’s liable ter cause any dis- turbance in Spain, is it?” : The man looked puzzled. ‘*T may not understand you,” he confessed, ‘‘T think you may be laughing at me,” The girl’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, you’re too s’picious! think you’d best git?” “Why? . ‘‘ Daddy will hear voices and be comin’ roun’,” ‘t Let him come,” ‘‘ He don’t like ter hev fellers come snoupin’ roun’ hyer. It’s strictly ’g’inst his principles.” ‘* Why does he not like it?” ‘* Oh, he says I hain’t old enough ter heva feller. I don’t ’gree with him on that p’int.” ‘*Nor dolI, senorita. It is not right for him to hide such a rare flower. I would not endure it of him,” ‘Oh, I don’t care about no fellers!” protested 1%.’ ‘‘You have not the chance to see them, If you did—well, something might happen. Quien sabe?” (Who knows?) At this the girl giggled and shrugged her shoulders. ‘¢ What kin you mean?” she asked. ‘“Why, you might get married.” ‘Oh, no, no! | hain’t never goin’ ter do thet, I’m jest alwus goin’ ter live with Daddy an’ look arter him.” The Mexican smiled, knowingly. _ : ‘‘Many of them do talk that way,” he Said; ‘¢ but they do not mean it.” At this Liz fired u p somewhat, ** Now, look hyer!” she cried, her eyes flashing ; ‘‘do you mean to say I lie? I won’t stan’ thet, mister! If thet’s w’at you mean, Vm goin’ ter punch you in theeye!” And she clinched her fists, menacingly, a Juan hastened to apologize, ‘‘Wal, if yedidn’t mean thet it’s all right,” said the girl, *‘ Bub you want ter be kinder keerful wat ye say. I hain’t ther gal ter stan’ any nonsense, even from a good-lookin’ feller like you.” “ Gracias — mil gracias! (thanks — many thanks.) If anything I do say that is not right, my apology shall be that Iam not speaking in my own language,” ‘ ‘Wal, I s’pose you kin crawl out of it thet way. But say, you’re a putty sharp-’pearin’ feller. Wat fer did you want ter go be borna Greaser!” Again Juan’s face darkened, but he replied: ‘‘{ could not help my birth, senorita; it is something we cannot control. Butam I any the worse for it?” | ‘© Wal, Daddy’d never consent fer me ter hey anythin’ ter dq with a Greaser nohow,” But say, don’t you = « - - a + * : —s =