Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 802 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

| | | creer er a. —_ _ = eee —— = ~. EE ~ ter come out, an’ I’m one of ’em, ee ee eee *fore ye was hurt, so ter say, Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Diamond Dice. 9 He touched his horse, and forced the animal forward into the crowd, until he made his way to where the lawyer was standing. **My goodness!” Bungle cried, as the fellow presented his revolver athim. ‘‘I don’t want ter die, my good man,I don’t want todie! I won’t say another word to you, honor bright!” ‘*Bab! youare genuine, I thought you might be the man I’m after, in disguise; for they tell me he is the devil at that,” The lawyer drew a breath of relief and his handkerchief, mopping his face with the latter. ‘Heavens! what a shock!” he- gasped, ** Verily, I am all but undone.” The crowd laughed at his fright. ** But, Wild Ward, ef that’s yer handle,” the mayor demanded, ‘‘ how do ye happen ter know that this man Daadwood Dick is hyer? And ef he is, do ye suppose we ar’ goin’ ter stand by an’ see him salted?” ** How do I know et? I'll tell ye that in short meter: I was at his home base, Bristol City, layin’ low fer him, and thar I got holt of a letter what he’d sent to bis botter-half, sayin’ he was goin’ ter Death’s-head Camp to work out a case, and that he would be bome to hislovey-dovey as soon as he had done et.” ** And how long ago was that?” ** Not much more’n long enough fer me to git bhyer on hossflesh. As ter saltin’ him, ef I git a bead on him nothin’ is goin’ ter save him, an’ don’t ye forget et. His long-termers is beginnin’ I’m goin’ ter take et out of him fer every hour I was below, you bet. Imight ’a’ waited thar at Bristol City, but [ was too impatient fer that.” ** Besides, you wanted to ketch him where he wouldn’t have so many friends on hand, eh?” * Well, I didn’t ferget that part of et, boss,” This was interesting, interesting to more than one person present. “Wull, we haven’t seen him hyer, to our knowledge,” declared the mayor. ‘“ We have a good many strangers in town, though, What fer a looker is he?” ‘* Darn good-Jookin’, they tell me, and as rich asaking, He isa millionaire, now, and don’t think nothin’ of carryin’ a cool hundred thousand around in his clothes.” Many eyes naturally turned upon White George, He rose quietly in his place, his hand clutching @ revolver, and as quietly he said: “The last part of that description turns at- tention to me, I see, I want to assure every- body present, bowever, that 7 am not Dead wood Dick, Make up your mind about it, sir, at once,” This last to the horseman. CHAPIrER X, MYSTERY DOUBLED. Witp WARD, as the horseman had styled himself, glared at the cool sport with keen in- terest. So did nearly everybody else, with no less in- terest, and trouble was looked for, Many be- lieved the man was really Deadwood Dick, ‘Ther shoe seems ter pinch yer foot, any- how,” fired the horseman. ‘' What need bad ye ter take et up, ef you ain’t Deadwood Dick? 5 te somethin’ fer ye ter answer, ef ye kin,” he fellow fingered his weapon threatening- ‘*You have already heard my reason,” re- sponded the cool sport, ‘T had a large sum of money about me to-night when I came here, as these citizens know, aud when you mentioned the fact that Deadwood Dick thought nothing of carrying a bundred thousand around with m, attention turned to me,” * An’ you took et right up, soon, Yeo jumped ) I think et looks mighty like you ar’ Deadwood Dick,” “f have given you my word that I am not.” *Wull, kin ye prove et?” * oe you prove my statement false?” ®Vv got a bullet hyer that is hun find ve.” y gry ter ‘You had betrer not risk firing it this way, for | am handy on the draw.” _ “So is Deadwood Dick, so they say, See hyer, sport, f believe you ar’ that cuss, Ef ye him, yer life is mine!” ‘‘ Let me put in a word here, please.” It was a WOMan’s yoice, and every eye turned upon the speaker, : Fearless Fan had made her way quietly to the horseman’s side, and now she held a glitter- ing revolver aimed at his head. ‘Say yer say, gal,” the man growled. — “T once knew Deadwood Dick, and this man is not he, Will you take my word for it?” “ Whar did you know him?” ** No matter where; he once did me a service that I cannot forget, and even were he here I would defend him with my life,” ‘*Haw!haw! That’sruther pooty, gal, but et’s allwash, I know Dick has a good many admirers ’mongst ther fair sax, an’ a good many of ’em would die fer him, an’ all that; but when et kem to ther pinch I reckon they wouldn’t,” Lawyer Bungle was looking keenly at this wo- man again, He had seen her before; but, where? Hecould not recall that scar, nor was her dark skin a re- minder, ‘* You make a mistake in your estimate of me, as I will show you, sir,” the woman firmly re- joined, ‘ This man is not Deadwood Dick; but, since you seem inclined to believe he is, I will take the same stand that 1 would were he that noble and generous man,” ‘And what stand is that ’ar ef I may ax ye that?” ‘** 171] defend him,” ‘‘Haw! haw! haw! sound!” ‘* Lady,” spoke up White George, now, ‘I cannot permit this, You are running arisk, I am well able to take care of myself,” ‘* Fearless Fan never backs out when sho has turned her hand to a task, sir,” the young wo- man made response to that. ‘* You, sir, turn and leave the room at once,” This order was to Wild Ward, and her wea- pon came up yet more threateningly as she ut- tered it. The fellow turned a sickly yellow, and at- tempted a grin, but it wasafailure. He was at the business end of a bad fix, and knew it. ‘*'Yer, yer don’t mean et,” he parleyed. ‘I ain’t done nothin’ ter you, an’ yer ain’t got no call ter do nothin’ ter me, Jest p’int that ’ar thing another way, gal, fore thar’s trouble hyer.” ‘There is going to be trouble here, and that in short order, if you do not obey me,’ ** Do ye mean ter shoot me?” ‘* Just as sure as you are here, if you do not obey quickly. You have shown by your words what you are, and I would be justified in drop- ping you, after the threat you have made a aman who is not here to speak for hims- elf. The fellow was trying toedge away, and was finvering his revolverin an anxious manner, ‘*Keep that arm straight down,” the woman ordered, ‘for Pll drill you. And now, go, or Vl drop you off that horse in one second,” There was a ring to her command this time that was not to be doubted, and with acurse the fellow started for the door. **T’ll pay ye fer this hyer,” he growled. ‘ Ye think ye ar’ darn smart, but I will square ther count with ye, even ef yebea woman, You had ther drop, but you won’t have et next time,” ** Take care, sir, for you are not out of range yet. I could drop you even yet. Some one near the door there please see to it that he does not turn and fire at me after he has passed out, He is evil enough for such a deed.” Said one man: **Pll make et my business ter see ter that, lady. Let him try et on, an’ thar will bea job fer ther crowner,” The horseman went on and out, still growling, and the woman put away her weapon, ‘“You have made an enemy for yourself, Fearless Fan,” spoke White George. ‘“My enemies are harmless, for I am not afraid of them. My name is not a misnomer, sir. ‘* We are well aware of that.” ‘*] want to assure these gentlemen once more that I know Deadwood Dick by sighv, and that ou are not the man, sir,” ‘I think they will be willing to take my word for that.” ‘Maybe so. Well, I now return to the hotel. I will bid you good-night.” ‘Hold on,” cried the sport. ‘ You must not venture cut alone, I will go with you ana—” ‘‘No, no, sir; itis mot necessary. I prefer to go alone. I can take care of myself against such rascals as the fellow I just turned out from here,” With a smile, then, she was gone, ‘‘ Goodness bless me!” cried Lawyer Bungle, then, ‘ Did anybody ever see such a woman ag that? Really, she did the very thing 2 was thinking about doing. Sbe got ahead of me,” ‘You tho’rt about doin’,” cried the mayor, ‘You was too skart ter tell whether ye stood on yer head or yer feet, But, boyees, did any- body ever see narve ter come up ter that, in a woman?’ The ‘‘ boyees” admitted that they never had, How pooty that ’ar do a LU Interest in the games was now at an end, ex- cept in the case of Sportive Sport, and the men dropped away from the table to discuss the re- cent events, Sportive Sport insisted upon being allowed to play out the balance of the bour, and White George agreed to keep the game open that long, showing his willingness to give the former owner all the chance possible to recover his losses, When the end of the hour came, though, the bank was ths winner, and Sportive Sport had ‘* gone broke,” as it was expressed. ‘*You have done for me,” be said, bitterly. ‘*T will try you again to-morrow night, though, if I can raise money to start with, I will have back what you have wrested from me, or—” He stopped, however, and uttered no threats, The excitement of the night was over, gradu- ally the citizens retired, and finally the camp slept. On the following morning the early risers made a terrible discovery, During the night another crime had been com- mitted, one which recalled vividly the tragic fate of Buck Banton, Outin the street, between the Sarcophagus and the Skull-and-X-bones, the body of a man was found, cold in death, with a terrible knife- wound in his breast, The man was Ike Hokley! The discoverer gave the alarm at once, and speedily the camp was astir. Men came running from everywhere, and the excitement was great. Who could the mur- derer be? That was the question, ‘* This hyer thing has gone too fur,” cried the mayor of the camp. ‘‘ Hyer is another poor cuss checked in, as good a feller as ther camp could show,” ‘*Td vas a poody goot blaces to move out mif, ain’d id?” observed Hans Yager, the Dutch ped- dler. ‘*Id vouldn’t peen nice to vake oop some mornings unt found a hole like dot in your pody, maype.” And everybody else had some remark to make, all talking at once, Lawyer Bungle did not reach the spot till the crowd bad grown large. In fact, nearly the whole camp was there ahead of him. ** W bat terrible thing is this?” he asked, aghast ag he came up, ‘* Et’s another murder, that’s what,” cried the mayor, ‘ And it’s as great a mystery as t’other one was, too,” **My goodness! Another murder! What are we coming to? Now I have adouble case on hand, Gentlemen, let the law take its course, Do nothing rash, I beg of you.” ‘* What in hot are ye talkin’ about?” demanded the mayor. ‘*] mean to say, sir, do not go to lynching promiscuously, but let me have time to bring the crime home to the right man,” “Do you think you can doit this century, sir?” asked Manager Armstrong, ‘Or at all?” asked Bob Keeler, The latter, who had been the dead man’s bosom friend, was taking on like a madman about the terrible affair, ‘‘Give me time, gentlemen, give me time,” the lawyer begged, ‘‘ Time worketh all things, We must make haste slowly in this matter, A proper inquest is in order, when a proper ex- amination must be mace, and so the law—the law, I say—can be brought to bear upon—” ‘* Wind!” cried Keeler. ‘‘ Here is my pard, dead, and I want him avenged! I'll give one thousand dollars to the man who will point out his murderer to me!” “Tm your man,” cried Bungle, ‘I’m after that reward, hot, All ask is time, sir, time.” ‘* Well, take time, but don’t make it Eternity.” The case made a great sensation, as can be imagined. The camp stopped work, and the citizens thronged the Square all the forenoon. An inquest was beld, after a fashion, and an examination of the body was made, The deed had been done with the same weapon, evidently, with which Banton had been killed, But, no weapon was to be found, and there was no clew, same as in the other case, The citizens—bard citizens as most of them were, were made afraid. Whose turn would it be next? CHAPTER XI. BUNGLE’S BUNGLE. ‘Tue forenoon baving been passed in idleness, as said, the citizens were in no mood for work during the afternoon, and they did none, The murdered man was buried, for your wild camp has no use for dead mea around, they being neither useful nor ornamental; and after com ebooks.com