Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 776 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

2 It was the darkest hour of the dark night, too, the hour before dawn; and the camp of Basalt Butte was for the most part wrapt in slumber profound, Not a light was to be seen anywhere, and the wind and the darkness beld bigh revel in the deserted street. The windows of the Silver Bugle Hotel rattled fitfully, as though the house was suffering with chills, and the Palace Saloon and otber buildings near were no exceptions, Impenetrable gloom was every where; and if it was more dense in any particular spotit was here in the center of the camp, under the brow of the frowning basalt bluff to which the place owed its name, Here, too, the ghostly sounds were more plentiful and awe-inspiring than else- where. There was, occasionally, a thump or thud that was not easy to account for, first on one side of the street and then on the other; now against the a of the Silver Bugle, and anon against the front of the store opposite; a dull and beavy, dead sound—a sound inexplicable, But, then, it was not heard, or if heard, was set to the account of the wind, and no second thought giventoit. The citizensof Basalt Butte, keeping late hours as a rule, were heavy sleepers when they slept, and were not easily disturbed, Presently, while the darkness was yet intense, a light was discernible far down the guich, It had the appearance of a lantern, and as it drew nearer the clank and creak of a heavy wagon were to Le beard. There was nothing mysterious. about this, as any good citizen could have told had one been abroad to see and bear, It was only a farmer coming in with bis load of milk and truck—an early bird in quest of ths fabled worm. Men must eat, and miners are far from being exceptions to the rule‘ and your mining-camp has to be supplied, in one way or another, with such of the necessaries of life as are to be had, Basalt Butte was fortunate in having farmers within an easy journey of her doors, This tiller of the soi], one Hedgeman Blunt, with his son, a lad of twelve, was a regular purveyor to the campor “ city ” of Basalt Butte, coming in every day with a load, disposing of it as, early as possible—and he had never long to wait; and then returning home again at once with a light heart and a lighter wagon. On this occasion he was a little earlier than usual. The wagon came on up the street at its slow, lumbering pace, the lantern swinging on the axle and sending its fitful light along the road for a few feet ahead when the wind permitted it to burn with mpeg | like steadiness, Farmer Biunt sat on the seat in front, half asleep, while his son was well asleep on ar of the load, his head propped a some sacks of turnips and potatoes, In this manner they came into the camp. The.wagon was about opposite the hotel, that ie, the Silver Bugle, when something pe emee Some dark, shadowy object loomed up suddenly out of the darkness into tre faint lantern glow, coming toward tho wagon like some mighty birc of prey making its death swoop, and striking the load heavily in the middle,it car-ied the sleep- ing Master Blunt, together with some sacks of turnips and potatoes, to the ground: the affright- ed youth acing out ascream of terror as ho went over, not knowing what had ha peer The farmer drew rein at once, witha sharp word to his team at the same time, and looked around, wondering what the mysterious object had been. He was of a superstitious turn, and his bair was on end ina moment. What was it? What bad struck bis boy with such force? He looked in evory direction, but could see noth- ing. Whatever it was, it had gone as mysterious- ly as it bad como, Only a couple of seconds elapsed, bowevor, when suddenly the object loomed up out of the darkness again, coming from tho opposite direction this time, in tho very teeth of the wind, with the swiftnoss of o hawk; and before Blunt could move to get out of the way it struck bim and carried him off the wagon, Forward the man went, clear over bis horses, and struck the ground with force some distance ahead of his team, where, tho first thing be knew after seving the creac. object coming toward him, ho found bimsel. sitting, considerably shaken up. Tho boy wc still lotting out yell after yell, and nov !s fother joined him, and together they lifted their voicoc in a way well calculated to awaken even tho souncest sleepers of Basalt Butte. Tho lantern cast its Uitful glonms around, making everything taco on a thostly .ppear- ance, and, filled with terror, the farmer and bis ‘son vied with each other as if trying to see which could make the most noise, A window in the hotel was presently thrown up, and a voice demanded to kuow what was the Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Resurrection. trouble. This was follove’ by others, andin a few minutes all that part .f the camp was astir. Meantime the mysterious object bad come | ' striking the piazza of the hotel | Red Roy!” another man cried, back once more, with a thud, and then veering across the street and banging against the front of the store, After that it disappeared for a few seconds, only to reappear again, bearing down straight at the farmer’s team, which bad now become restless, Still bellowing for help and ligbt, the farmer | managed to get up and take his horses by their heads, and he was leading them toward the place where be usually stopped to a of his load when the grim, dark, mysterio It was a way the mayor had of addressing his fellow-citizens, calling them bis “ cbildrun, *“Et’s ther cuss we kem 80 near +5, 4 fer ‘**Et is bim, all | but ther tufts o’ whiskers,” us sometbing | ther warnin’, or he “You ar’ right,” assented the mayor, “ It’s him, sure’s you’re born, It’s ther same Henry Whipple, as he called himself; ther only differ- ence is that be has shaved off bis Donegals,” ** An’ who has bung him?” “That's ther question, now. He was warned not ter be seen byer again,” “Yas; an’ et’s plain he didn’t pay beed to wouldn’t be byer in this rushed down upon bim again, taking more bags | fashion.” off the load as it struck it with force, and dis- appearing immediately in the gloom beyond, “Great storm-king!” suddenly broke in the voice of Mayor Arecbibald Grimm, as be dashed into the street. ‘‘ What’s ther meanin’ of all this hyar rumpus?” H- could see nothing, save the flickering light of the lantern swinging on the fore axle of the wagon,and be bad taken barely half a dozen steps when something struck him on the bead and shoulder with terrific force that sent him flat to the ground, ** Who done that?” the enraged ee cried, as he scrambled up, a revolver in bis grasp, ** Jest show yerself, ye skulkin’ coward, and b ther livin’ Jupiter if 1 don’t settle with ye! Who was et bit me? Great storm-king! if 1 wouldn’t like ter see who et was!” Even while be was shouting there was a crash on the piazza of the hotel, and another voice lent itself to swell the excitement. It was the voice of the proprietor of that institution, and it gave rounded fullness to some expressive *‘ cuss words” in the most approved style. Rushing out Upon the piazza be had been just in time to collide with something, and was sent back against the building with force, By this time lights were beginning to appear in windows, and the darkness was in some degree dispelled, A dark, dread something was seen flying this way and that; up the street, down the | street, across, back, to and fro; yet ever within a given radius that would have proved at once to a close observer that it was swinging, sway- ed by the wind, and that it was suspended from a considerable hight, to have such force and so wide a circuit, The street was nowinanuproar. The citizens were pouring out from every direction, and more than a dozen men Were sent sprawling to the ground before they knew the cause of the excitement or where to lock for the danger. Not for some time had Basalt Butte experienced such an excitement as this, and torches, and when thoy were brought to the scene of commotion the truth was learned, and borrible it was, This camp of Basalt Butte was built under - very Lrow of a cliff some hundreds of feet hi the crest of which, the face of the cliff having an outward slope, overhung the middle of the street, its highest point being just above the Silver Bugle Hotel; and now, suspended hy the neck from the highest point of that cliff, the body of aman was swaying to and fro within less than six feet of the ground. And that was the hideous object that bad caused all the tumult. “* Blazes!” cried the first man who discovered the truth. ‘“‘ It’s ther dead cadaver of some poor cuss, sure’s I’m a sinner!” There was no mistaking it. There was the deathly face, seen now and again asthe swaving object turned, while the flying arms and legs wore only too plainly outlined. ** Great storin-king!” cried themayor, ** Who kin ther poor divil be? Who kin bev hung him np thar? By ther livin’ Jupiter! if ther rope t..u't fastened clear to ther top of ther cliff!” The farmor bad now got bis wagon out of the way, and his boy had joined bim, having had an experienco be was not likely to forget to bis dying day; and tho truth being known, some men scot about catching the swinging body. They wore soon able to do that, and those with the ag gathered around. Aod around them po the crowd, every man eager to get a look at the face of the victim, to see if he was known. ‘Pull et down,” ordered the mayor, ‘ and cut ther rope,” This wac done, some of the men drawing down while one reached up and cut the rope with bis bowie, The body dr limp and lifeless into their arms, and they laid it on the ground, holding the lights so as to get a good look at the face. ‘* Great storm-king!” cried the mayor, “ Don’t ye know ther man, me cbildrun?” In a little while the | Archibald Grimm. men who had been first up procured lanterns | cazique of the camp, and besix | : | SS ———e ss OO OO es Ta mela | See =e. Ce “ But, who hanged him? What man could ’a’ thought o’ sech a thing as hangin’ bim from ther top of ther cliff, an’ leavin’ him ter swing byer in ther street?” ‘*‘ Nobody but Red Roy.” “Red Roy! He ain’t been heerd of fer a month,” ** And et’s nigh a month sence ther pore devil hyer was sent off with ther flea in bis ear.” ** He was « fool ter come back.” “Ye kin "pend on et he had some good reason ter come, whatever et was,” ** Well, be’s past al! help now, fer be is colder’n a stone, He ain't been so many hours dead, though, or be’d be stiff.” ‘*That’s 80. Whoever done et fer bim done et well, that’s sure. We'll have ter wait fer day- light, fore we kin find out much, Mebbe thar is some proof up thar on ther cliff.” ‘* Mebby; but I doubtet, Ef et was Red Roy, as ye think, all we'll find thar will be ther rope an ther thing et’s fastened to,” So they talked for an bour, and by that time it was daylight, and the whole camp was out. And now could be seen the slender rope on which the man had been suspended, reaching to the top of the towering cliff. Placing the body of the victim of the nigbt’s tragedy out of sight, the mayor headed a crowd of citizens and made his way to the cliff. There was found the end of the rope, secured to a pee that bad been driven ina crack in the rock, but nothing more. Not a thing forther was to be discovered; no clew to the mystery; and after drawing up the — and removing the peg, the crowd re- turned to the gulch bottom, carrying these things with them as dumb witnesses to the ter- rible deed that had been done. CHAPTER IL. | ICICLE ISAAC OF FROZEN FLATS, THe chief man of Basalt Butte was Mayor He was, 80 to say, the les him there was none otber. And not only was be mayor, but coroner, justice, constable, and almost judge and jury besides, His word was law, and he ruled with an iron band, But, as it happened, he was a just man, and one who beld the respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens. He was about fifty years of age, tall, broad-shouldered and heavily built, and wore a dense, full beard that covered his face almost to bis keen, gray eyes. On the return to the camp, after the visit to the cliff, as shown, the mayor gave notice that be would take no further action in the matter until after breakfast, when be would bold an in- quest in due formin the Palace Saloon, Accord- ingly, every man set about getting his break- fast, and every citizen who could possibly shirk work for the day was early on band at the zaloon. By the \time the mayor made his ap- pearance the place was well filled. The dead man had been laid out upon a table, and a couple of men were on guard over the body pending the mayor's coming, to see that nothing was disturbed. To this time the man’s pockets bad not been searched, the mayor having forbid it, reserving that for himself when he should get around to the business of “ sitting on” the body in his capacity as coroner. When he came into the saloon, where the crowd was patiently awaiting bim, he took bis seat on a chair that bad been placed on a box just back of the table on which the body lay, and called the crowd to order. “Now, me childrun,” said he, “I am ready ter look inter this hyer thing, ter see if there is any way we kin come at the truth of ther mat- ter. It is plain enough a murder bas been dore, and et is our business to find out, ef we kin, who done et, In ther first place, now, I want Hedge- mon Blunt and his boy as witnesses,” Blunt, it will be remembered, was the man who had first discovered the body. He had now sold out his load, and he and the boy were pres- ent in the room, eager to learn all they could be fore setting out upon their return home. | GOmiGvoo — at o—— ee | TT TT 1~: RR ———— NE