Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 816 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

Pak ad 4 > 4 eae ' | to a ;* « " a a, \ hay 4 . e * ee : | . Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Rival. ~, 4 ~~ * * a | \ * . —"* « . a : * pe a* Z er i SS A i aie “ke “That's all right, Gid, that’s all right; I hhev had my say. But, it’s so, an’ you can’t deny et. Ask ary one of our sons hyer. Ask Pete’s wife, Sally, hyer.. Ask her two boys hyer. See what they’ll all tell ye bout Gid- eon G. Gripes. By ther—” ‘Shut your head, I tell you, thundered Gideon. ‘‘ You let mestand on my own bot- tom, and let ’em find me out fer just what I am.” The old woman subsided, with many a wink and nod to the crowd around. She had had her say. Dusky Dick and his crew were all laugh- ing at the old woman’s earnestness, and the chieftain now remarked: ‘Your good word for your husband, Mrs. Gripes, is all right, and it supports the good opinion I had already formed of him. But, are all these men your sons?” ‘‘ Every one of ’em, sir,” the old hag de- clared, waving her arm proudly to indicate them all. ‘‘And [I’m proud of ’em, too, Every one of’em isa man, with most of ther good p’ints of their dad. We had no gals in our fambly, you bet! By ther great—” “If you don’t shut your infernal head, old woman, [ll knock et shut fer ye!” the old man now severely threatened. ‘All right, Gid! all right; et’s shut now; I had ter answer a proper question, ye know.” . “Ye more’n answered et. Don't get her mill ter runnin’, cap’n, whatever ye do. ‘Thar’s no end to et, ef I ain’t by ter shut her ‘trap fer her. She knows me, you bet, and when | say shut, shut et’s got ter be.”’ The old woman smiled, and such a smile! and nodded her head this way and that to the crowd, as if to say—‘‘ My Gideon is talking now.” 4 “Then you think we can get the money, do you?” Dusky Dick asked. ‘*’Course I do,” declared Gideon. ‘‘ I don’t boast what I kin do, as I said before, but if you and me puts our heads together I'll bet we kin git up a skeem that will work.” “ We'll try it, anyhow. Take the prisoner away, boys, and see that he don’t have the ghost of a chance. to get off. Don’t harm him in any way, for if we come to terms with his people, we'll have to give him up in good condition.. You, Gripes, come with Mme and we'll have a talk. | CHAPTER V. A DIFFICULT PROBLEM. GIDEON Gripes gave some directions to his family about going into temporary camp, and then followed the brigand chief into the Salgon. This was a rough-looking den, dirty and ill-kept, which the band evidently made a sort of headquarters, There was a bar, but it seemed to be dry, the supply evidently exhausted. ‘“ Now,” said the chief, as he sat down and invited Gideon to do the same, ‘‘ let me hear what: plan you can suggest.” ‘Great day o’ Goom!’ the old man ex- claimed. ‘‘ Et ain't fer me ter try ter put my head before yourn, cap’n. I couldn't think 0’ doin’ sech’a thing as that. Id only prove what a ole foo! I am.” ‘You ate over modest, old fellow. You have the advantage wf me in years, and if age counts for anything, it stands to reason that you ought to know most.” ‘ But, do ye think I could give p’ints to Dusky Dick ther Dark Dread?” ‘Who can say? That is just what I want to find out.” | «Then ye want me ter toot my baz00?” * Wos, to be sure.” ‘¢ Well, then, jest let me think hard fer a minnit, and I'll see what I kin hatch fer ye.” The old fellow rested his head upon his hand for a moment and was lost in deep study, ) : tA “Wull, mebby I have got et,” he spoke, presently, ‘* Let me hear from you then.” ‘* You hev been thinkin’ too, I s’pose.” 1 ea “ All right, then ef I git off ther track you can put me on ergain. And, ef my notions ar’ wild, jest stop me and say so; or, ef ye don’t see my meanin’, or how things is ter come out, chip in yer questions.” ‘All right.” ‘“ Wull, then, hyer is what I’ve thunk up: You send a man down ter Bristol City— that’s ther name of Deadwood Dick’s home base, ye know—and send word what’s want- ed. At ther same time let ther man carry a message in the prisoner’s own writtin’, ter show et ain’t no false report.” ‘Good enough; but, it will be as good as death to the messenger; or, anyhow, he will not come back again.” “'That’s all right; send a feller what ye’d as leave lose out of yer band as not.” ‘No, we are off the track, old man.” ‘* How’s that?” ‘* Why, they would have to send the man -back to let us know what their answer is.” ‘No, ye don’t ketch on. Deadwood Dick must himself order ’em what ter do, and they must come right down with ther dudads ‘foré they git him. See?” ‘Then maybe they'll make use of the man to guide them here.” ? “That may be. Or, if ye want to, send rer best man, and say to ’em ef he is harmed it will mean sartain death to Deadwood Dick.” ‘*T think that’s the plan.” “All right; that part is settled, then. Does yer best man know ther way out thar?” Resi Don’t think he does, but he can find it,” ‘*One of my boys kiu go with him, That will be a check on both of ’em, and no chance fer a crooked deal,”’ ‘* He’s yer man, then, and with him we'll send my son Sam, as good a one fer ther job as I kin pick.” “That is good enough so far;.now comes the worst part of it.” ‘“What’s that?” ‘How to make the trade with them.” * That's so, fer both sides will be wonder- ful’ s’picious.” ‘‘ And that is the sticking point. it to be done? self.” — ‘“Wull, let me think—I hev et, by ther day o’ doom!” ‘*So soon?” ‘Right on tap; et jest kem to me,” ‘Well, what is it?” ‘“ Kt’s fer us ter say ow et shall be did, ye know. We'll send ’em word what our rule is. They must send ther money by half a dozen men, and let ours come: back with them.” : “Well?” “Then, say further, that if one more’n the alf a dozen comes, et won’t be no: dicker; and let ‘em know w@ll have men on ther watch ter see. ‘Tell ’em ter come to a sartain place, and thar stop: and send one man on alone till he meets a man from our camp.” ‘““T see; and what then?” ‘‘In ther mean time, let ’em hold our two men fer security, and if they see anything crooked they have full leave ter kill ’em— we havin’ ther same right, then, ter do ther same with Deadwood Dick and his wife. Their man and our man will have a talk, and our man will be posted ter tell ’em what ter do, an’ I reckon et won’t take long ter dicker.”’ : ‘“T see one thing, old man.” ee ’ What’s that?” ‘You are aiming to make the trade a fair one. How is Now is the time to test your- ‘ Ain’t that what you want, cap’n? Ef et ain’t, of course them ar’ plans ar’ no good.” ‘Td rather get hold of their yoko? and kill Deadwood Dick, too. That would be killing two birds with one stone, don’t you see.” ‘* But, that would make et hot for us,” “ Any hotter than it would be if we let Deadwood Dick go free?” ‘“Wull, that’s so. Et’s about as broad as et’s long, I should say, Dusky Richard.” ‘Then what's’ going to be done?” “How would et do ter let ther noble Richard go free, and let him come with a boodle ter redeem his wife?” ‘*Not to be trusted. He is too great a general to take any chances ‘with. He is in my power, and here he must stay. I'll tell you what it is, old man, I am afraid the scheme won't work.” “What skeem?” “* Getting the ransom money.” ‘Great day o’ doom! Ain’t goin’ ter give et up so easy, ar’ ye? Ain’t et worth workin’ fer? Think of et—a hull quarter-million!” “Then you still see a hope? Remember, I want it worked so that we can get the money and still do away with Deadwood Dick. Id never know an hour’s peace with him on my track,” ‘ You could light out fer some other land.” “Po you think the world would be big enough to hide me from Aim? No, he must die!” “Then ye might as well take him out an’ hang him now, an’ make sure of him, I should say. But, hyer’s another thought.” ‘And what’s that?” ; “Why not go and have a talk with him, and see what plan he can suggest, sence he is willin’ to ante up the quarter-million? S’pose J go and have a chin with him, to see What he'll say.” . “ No, it won’t do to kill him yet, if we have any idea of getting the money, ,We'll have to have him alive to show when it comes to making the deal, you see.” ‘* Yes, that’s so; he’s worth more alive than dead, jest now.” “And then about going to see him, you | might do that—”’ ‘“ Wouldn’t et be more proper fer vow ter ary ?”” n't No, Dil let you attend to it, old man. ‘Just put it to him straight, and see what he will say. He’s a man to invent, and he'll have a way to work it, no doubt about that,” Nearly all the band were in the saloon, and were for the most part listening to this planning, At that point Stuttering Stephen, the Swect Singer, entered, He advanced to where his chief sat. “K-K-K-K-K-K-Captain,” he cackled out, ‘that p-p-p-p-prisoner W-w-w-w-w-w—” “Great Scott!” cried the chief. ‘‘Why don’t you sing?” ‘* That—prisoner—he—wants—ter — see— ye—ter—oncet, and—he—wants—ter— see— ye—bad.” ° ‘What does he want?” «He w-w-w-w-w—” ‘Sing, blast you, sing /”. ‘“ He—wants—ter—see—ye—’bout—ther— bargain—fer—his—gettin’—free; sing—idd- ley—diddledy—diddle—diddle—dee,”’ “All right; you go back and tell him that I'm going to send this man, Mr. Gripes, to him, and he can arrange every thing with him. And, you want to put a tune to it and sing it,” | ‘All right, K-K-K-K-K-K—” He kept right on cackling till he had pass- ed the door, and not a man in the place heard him finish it. ‘“Ye see,” cried Gideon, ‘‘he is anxious | bout et, cap’n, and I’m of ther mind that et won’t be no hard matter ter pick up that ’ar lump o’ stuff. I’m fer doin’ et, even ef we have ter let him go, But, ’course my voice don't count in et.”