Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 764 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

_ idee, boots an’ all! ly enters a camp in disguise, if he has business rt: That isthe way you wantto look for m,” ** See hyar,” the mayor demanded, ‘‘ whar did you last see Deadwood Dick, sence you know him 60 well,” **T saw bim at Mexican Mustang, sir, where he came disguised as a Quaker, or something of that sort, If he ever pays you a visit he won’t leave any room for mistake, if be can help it, you may be sure,” “'Wull, boyees, sence ther proof seems good, ye kin let ther prisoner go,” ‘* An’ that ’ar robs us of our fun,” one man growled, ‘*No matter,” rejoined the mayor, ‘ If they don’t carry theirselves mighty straight thar may be a double hangin’ ’fore long.” With a good deal of muttered disapproval, the men nearest the prisoner cast the rope from his neck and freed his hands, when he stepped for- | ward and extended his right to Dick. ‘We are strangers, Mr, Douglas,” he said, **but you have done me a good turn, and if [ can ever return the compliment I shall be only too happy to do so, though I hope it won’t be a favor of the same kind exactly, it’s rather try- ing on the nerves,” ‘One would not imagine that you are fixed out with nerves, like other folks,” observed Dick, | as they shook hands, ‘“ Or, perha ou are ail nerve, Certainly you took your fix coolly enough. No; | hope you'll never becalled upon to perform a similar service for me, May I ask your name?” ‘*My name is Carlo Waterstone, sir. Like yourself, I am a child of leisure; that is to say,a rt. ‘| do not lay claim to being a sport,” Dick refuted. ‘‘ lama gambler pure and simple,” ‘** Well, it isa distinction without much of a difference, I surmise.” ‘“‘ Perhaps you ate right; [ won’t dispute.” A man in the crowd now spoke up, “Et hits me bard,” he said, ** that somethin’ ar’ wantin’ ter make this byar job complete, We bave been robbed of our fun; hadn’t some- body better treat?’ ** Whoop!” cried the crowd, ‘ That’s ther Whuse treat is et? Ther man what got saved, or ther man what saved him? Whoop ’er up, boyees, fer a treat all around,” ‘*T suppose I ought to stand this,” said Water- stone. “If you will giveme back my money and weapons, gentlemen, we'll adjourn to the Ho vler and do the proper thing in vonor of the occasion, I hold ao malice toward you, though I hope you will be a little more sure of your man another time.” His things were restored to him, and the crowd set off in the direction of the Howler Saloon, the double-faced mayor leading the way, Dick had not dismounted, and when the saloon wus reached he rode right in, This feat was nothing new for him, but it was evidently a novelty for the citizens of Corduroy Crossing. The mayor brought bis genuine face around to bear upov him, baving secured a place at the bar, and stared at him in a manner thet was full of interest, While the crowd was taking advantage of ths free poison, Dick was running his keen eyes over the assemblage as a whole, and he came to the conclusion that it was about as villainous a gang as he had ever seen in his life, **Areyou not going to take something, Mr. Douglas?” asked Waterstone, seeing that Dick os not indulged when the crowd began to thin out. ‘* Not this time, thank you,” was Dick’s answer. ‘*T am more io need of something solid. I sup- pose you have a hotel here, eb, mayor?” ‘** Bet yer life on’t!” was the prompt response, ‘* Where is it?” ‘* Jest a leetle furder ’round by ther lake,” **Good enough; I think I'll drop around there and see about getting accommodations,” ‘* And perbaps Ill see you again,” said Water- stone, “if the boys don’t take it into their heads to string meup a second time. I’m stopping there.” ‘‘ All right, we'll have a chat after awhile. Won’t you join us, mayor? You can probabl7 hold up your end in a@ three-handed game at talk. I’m curious to hear your story, you know,” The mayor frowned. **I don’t believe you'd find me ’greeable com- pany,” he declared. ‘I don’t set up ter tie to strangers at short notice, As fer my story, any- body hyar_kin tell ye all about Double-face Duncan, Et ain’t no secret, but nobody talks _—_—— rr re a a ES St Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Lone Hand. about et in my presence, Et ain’t healthy ter do so, as they all knows,” And with that he turned away and took a seat. With a passing remark to the crowd, Dick turned and rode out, He followed down the street, which turned toward the lake, and soon saw the hotel. lt was a house better than the usnal sort in wild camps, and over its door was a sign an- nouncing its name as the— | “ BANG-UP HOTEL.” ** Just the sort of house 1 want to find,” mused Dick, ‘If it is as bang-up as the rest of the camp it is no doubt a hummer. It is a hard place, if indications count for anything.” : The hotel faced the lake, very properly, and had a piazza on that side, Dick stopped at what was the side entrance, which opened into the bar-room, and dismoupt- ed and went in, Nobody was present but the landlord, a tall, lean fellow of forty years. All the camp had been at the hanging, and were now around the saloon. , The landlord’s name was Tripham Marker, and he was about as bomely, as a man, asever lived, He was an Irishinan by birth, but one who had spent his years in New England, and hence was called the ** Irish Yankee,’ Dick greeted him in a bearty way. ‘* Any room for one more?” he asked. ‘ Can you give me accommodations for self and horse?” **T can that same, sir,” was the response, in a speech that smacked as much of Yaukee drawl as it did of Irish brogue, The important fact ascertained, Dick regis- tered and became a guest of the house, and when he had seen his horse taken away he fell into conversation with his bost, CHAPTER IV. GOING FOR RICHARD, THE door by which Dick had entered the hotel was not the main one. That opened upon the piazza, also from the bar-room, but as the side-door was nearest the rest of the camp, that was the one most generally used, >. This botel, by the way, bad been built when the place was enjoying its boom, as all new places do, and before its mining interests had petered out and left the camp stranded. This was the reason why it faced the iake instead of being grouped with the rest of the camp further back, It was also the reason why it was a little larger than the average of its kind in the usual Wescern camp, Its builders had expected the place to become a city in a short time, When Dick and the Jandlord fell into conver- sation they step out upon the piazza, where a splendid view of a charmiog lake was had, proof that the builders of the botel knew what they were doing when they chose the site. The lake seemed to be two or three miles wide, by several more in length, to judge by the portion that could be seen, and was as splendid a little body of water as any one could desire, ‘‘You have a fine location here,” Dick re- marked, ‘« A fine one, indeed, sir,” was the agreeing re- spopse, ‘‘If the camp were only as good as the sur- roundings, eb?’ Dick hinted, ‘Tf it was only half as good, sir,” was the re- sponse. ‘* You speak as though it might be better than you did yourself, sir, it is,” ‘*No more than You can see what it is for yourself,” ‘*T pretty rough hole, I take it to be, but that’s all right. 1 suppose there are worse places,” ‘*T have heard of one that is worse, sir, but no need to mention it, I have never been there, and those who do go never come back again.” Dick laughed lightly. ‘* You are too rough on your camp,” he said. ‘Why do you stay here, if you consider it such a terrible place as all that seems to indicate?” ‘Faith, me interests is in this hotel, and I have to make it turn adollarif it will, But, then, the place isn’t so bad as you might think, sir, The devil’s own fine time the boys have once in a while,” Dick “— on at once, 80 to say. He saw that the man was trying to remove the bad impression he had made, | You look at it in two ways, then,” Dick ob- served, ‘Yes; and why not? Fora lot of rough men, what’s the odds what fura placeitis? For ladies and childer it would be all dat I said of it, and more. lt tuok a big tumble when the mines played out.” ‘* So, the mines are all played out, are they?” ‘‘Every wan of them, sir.” ‘* Then what keeps tbe camp up?” ‘** Oh, it’s the panning, mostly, sir,” ‘*Most camps die right out when the mines shut down,” ‘*Begorra, so did this, too, for it is only a ghost of what it was, sir.” ‘* 1 see,” returned the new-comer, whether he saw or not, Perbaps he saw far more than any one sus- pected, and especially his host, j Some business had brought bim to this camp of Corduroy Crossing, whatever it might be, and his questions bad an object behind them. ‘“By the way,” Dick presently remarked, when be had lighted a cigar and offered one to the landlord, “‘ your mayor is remarkably em- bellished with an extra face.” ‘* He is that same,” responded Marker, with a laugh, ‘*‘ And mighty touchy he is about it, too. If any one pays too much attention to it he gets mad and is likely to knock bim down,” ‘** So I discovered, when I took a look at it my- self, It was surprising to me, and [ could not help looking. How did it come there? I imag- ine he would not tell the story himself,” ‘*Neither he would, sir, There are enough others to tell it for him, I suppose he thinks, Would ye care to hear about it?” ** Certainly; that’s why 1 asked.” ** Well, you see the mayor is a hard drinker, at times. He'll go for weeks aud never a drop will he touch; but then of a sudden off he goes and gets so blind stavin’ drunk that he won’t know anyt’ing for a couple of days or more,” ‘* (toes on benders, eh?” ‘*That’s what you might call them, sir. Well, you know he is baldheaded, Devil a Lit more hair is there on his bead than there ison a bil- liard ball, One night, so the story goes, when he was so dead drunk that he didn’t know what his name was, a fellow went to work and made an India ink picture of his face on the back part of his head, just as you see it to- day. © There must have been a lively time when he found it out,”. “*T suppose there was, Anyhow, it wouldn’t wash off, and so they came tocall him Double- face Duncan, the name be bears now.” ‘*Tt was rather rough on him, that’s the truth. But, about this fellow pa were about hang- ing when I came along: Who and what is he, aud why did they want to swing him off?” ‘¢ Who and what be issir, I don’t know. He claims to be a sport, or something in that line, The boys took bim for Deadwood Dick, an’ that’s why they were about sending him off, I saw you interfere and save him,” ‘‘T was able to tell them he was not Deadwood Dick, for I know tbat individual. Tell me though, why do they want to put Deadwood Dick out of the way?” ** Because they don’t want him prying around here, sir.” “ Then the island has secrets, has it?” . ‘* Perhaps; it’s not for me to say.” ‘* Well, you needn’t, It will be a good place for me to hang up for a little while, I fancy. But, what’s the rumpus, [ wonder? The crowd seems to be coming this way.” : “I give it up, sir, They do seem to be bear- ing this way, that’s the truth of it. Let’s be af- ter seeing,” By stepping to the end of the piazza they could look up the street toward the center of the town, The whole camp seemed to be coming toward the hotel, in something of a hurry. They were talking and shouting in loud tones, and it was evident that something had gone wrong with them. Dead wood Dick took a sly look to see that his weapons were in prime order, believing that whatever the excitement was about he was go- ing to take part in it. ‘‘They seem to mean business, for a fact,” declared the landlord. ‘‘ Let’s go through the bar-room and meet them, I don’t want them to come in if I pee help it. Lam not prepared to entertain mobs. “Come along,” assented Dick. ‘‘ No doubt they'll pretty soon let us know what is in the wind,” They left the piazza aud went through to the side entrance; just in time to meet the foremost of the mob, boo (E(@) Ee - re ee a 0 ee ee eee a ae ee ee SS ee —_——_. ee - .