Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 822 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

As he spoke he reached out with one of his long arms and tapped the Little Brown Jugg on the cheek. There was instantly a howl from the little, thickset fellow, and he sprung into the fight like a game bantam, striking out in a lively manner but not doing any great damage. “hi fact, he did not do any damage at all. The seedy lawyer met his blows and parried *them neatly, and at the end ofa minute Mr. Jugg stopped. ‘*Wull, I be darn!” he exclaimed. ‘‘ You do know how to handle ’em don’t you? I never believed half I’d heard of you.” ‘*T used to be able to handle myself pretty well, in my younger days,” was the quiet reply. ‘*'Then you must be in your younger days yet, 1 reckon.” The crowd was pleased, or a certain por- tion of it, for this fellow Jugg had been a bully in his way, and most of the men were afraid of him. And then, too, there were those who now felt sure this must be Deadwood Dick, in a disguise, and if so, the outcome of the fight was known beforehand. The redoubtable Richard could not be downed. ‘* Well, do you take it back?” the seedy lawyer asked. ‘‘Naw, I don’t take it back,’ was the de- fiant retort the Little Brown Jugg gave him, “‘ That was only one try.” ** And this will be the second and last,” ‘the cool stranger declared. ‘If you do not take back your words, now, I’m going to wipe the floor with you. Those three drinks seem to have given me a delight in fight- ing.” ‘Sail in, then, fer I take nothin’ back!” ‘“ All right; it’s your funeral.” Putting up his fists again, the seedy law- ‘yer took a step forward, and before the Lit- tle Brown Jugg could realize what was go- ing to happen it had happened. ‘The stranger had made a sudden thrust with his left fist, and Mr. Jugg was lifted Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Boom. of him by the fact that I am able to handle my fists a little, I will explain that.I used to be quite a boxer at school.” ‘‘Wull, we will take your word for it, but all the same we don’t believe it,” said Mr. Jugg, taking care to remain out of reach. ‘Why, even your own friends recognize you, now,” put in Mr. Stonecut. ‘‘ Mistaken, mistaken,” averred the law- yer. Witha wave of the hand he dismissed the matter as unworthy of any further debate. Mayor Carleton had now entered the sa- loon, and Soapstone Sam privately addressed him. ‘‘ What’s your opinion, mayor?’ he asked. ‘Do you think the man is Bristol?’ ‘“‘T hardly know what to say about it,” Yarleton evaded. ‘‘ We shall have to take the man’s word for it, for the present.”’ ‘‘ But. it does not seem reasonable, sir, that even Deadwood Dick could so disguise himself as not to be recognized by those who have known him so well.” ‘*You will change your mind when you come to know him as well as I know him.” ‘Well, it isa queer case, and lam grow- ing interested init. Ishall be glad to see the outcome of it all.” While these remarks were being exchang- ed the lawyer had made inquiry about a hotel, some place where he might make fa- vorable terms upon an empty pocketbook, and Garry invited him to the Grand Pacific. When they had left the saloon opinion was outspoken. Said one man: : “Ef that ain’t Deadwood Dick, then it’s his ghost, and I know et; but, thar ain’t much of a ghost about et, so et must be Dick. What ye say?” And there wasa general murmur of ap- proval. ‘* Well,” said Carleton, ‘‘1 only hope you are right, for then this question of propri- etorship here will probably be settled soon.” ‘‘Only one way ter settle that,” cried one of the lYot-headed ones. ‘* And what way is that?” Flea ° or SO ee ee - - the little schoolmarm was no exception to that rule. She had a lover in Huber Stempler, a prosperous young business man of the place, a fellow of good looks, with fair hair, blue eyes, and a light mustache. Then, again, the course of true love seldom runs smoothly, according to the old saw, and this, like the other, was proved in the pre- sent instance. Stempler had a rival for the hand of his lassie. The mentioned rival was one Lucius Blackwall, a portly man of middle age who had now been some weeks in the camp. He was a well-dressed man, and one who had the appearance of being a gentleman of means. Stempler was the favored suitor, but Blackwall was persistent. And this state of affairs, naturally, made it anything but pleasant for the little lady whose business it was to teach the young ideas of the camp how to shoot, as the say- ing has it. Stempler was on his way to his place of business, on this morning, when his riva\ came up with him and stopped him. ‘‘A word with you, sir,” he said. “Well?” Huber demanded. * You and [ are rivals, ag you are aware.” ‘We ought not to be, now, sir,” the cold rejoinder. “And why not?” ‘Because Miss Steyger is now my prom- ised wife, sir.”’ ‘What! Curse you, do you mean to tell me that you have won her promise—that you are engaged?” ‘*T do, sir; and, while I am about it, I will tell you more than that: If you trouble her any further with your attentions you shall be made to answer for it to me. Do you understand ?” ) ‘“‘T take in your meaning; and, I shall have to be answerable to you, for it is my inten- tion tomake that lady my wife in spite of you and everything else. And now, sir, if you want to settle this matter, you know where to find me. Weapons of any kind will suit me,” clear off his feet and sent headlong under a ‘‘He must give us titles clear to our hold table at some distance, where he landed all | ings.” in a heap. “Right there comes up the main ques: ‘‘Hooray!” yelled one man, and a wild | tion,’ here put in Soapstone Sam. ‘ How mei ti immediately followed. can he give you titles clear, if, as you claim, ‘‘ Bully fer Deadwood Dick, ther Prince | he has no right to the land himself?’ of Pistol Pocket—that was!” cried one of ‘‘'Then ther Government must do et, that’s Dick’s friends. all.” ‘Great old rampagin’ signs of cavoortin’ ‘“The Government has aiready awarded demolishun!” cried Avalanche. ‘‘ That was | it to one party; it cannot give it the second ther best I’ve seen sence ther time ther Great | time.” Triangle tackled forty Injuns and wiped The mayor looked at the sport keenly. ° out—” ‘“‘T find you are taking sides with Mr. ‘You mistake, gentlemen, you mistake, | Bristol pretty strongly,” he observed. you mistake /” Mr, Burr urged earnestly. ‘I ‘* Only because I believe that side to be in am not the man you take me to be. Iam | the right, sir,” wastheanswer, ‘‘It is noth. only what lam. Pray do not deceive your- | ing to me.” selves further.”’ ; “Well,” one man bellowed out, ‘‘ we '“Tt’s no use, Richard,” spoke out Joe | reckons we ar’ the people, and that we kin Garry. ‘‘The crowd is onto you in good | make our own laws hyer. This camp don’t With that he turned away and entered the hotel. Stempler looked after him for a moment, then continued on his way to his place of business. ' ‘Curse the man!” he muttered to himself. **T cannot understand him. Hecame here a stranger, only a little while ago, and seemed to fall in love with Claudia at once, I am half inclined to think there must be some- thing back of it all, and yet she had never seen him before in her life. Well, I will stand no nonsense from him, and he wants | to understand it so.” The first stage to the camp on this same morning brought with it some new-comers to — the little city. ert This was nothing unusual, since strangers were coming and. going continually, but these, or some of them, were personages fx te — > : Pe P| yaa i, ok a o-, 4 ‘ = ’ 7a ——s ade tel ! - geo Nt alt ». Ss - ay’ = ° ee S oe “yas ~ ?- _-. + ~ a _ oa ~ wy 2... os ® A " a a. es a — a shape, so you might as well own up.” ‘‘ No, no, you are mistaken—I tell you you are mistaken,” “ All right, then, mistaken it is.”’ Joe gave it up at that, though his convic- ion was not changed. He believed Dick _ ‘wanted to carry on the deception further, The Little lt Jugg was crawling out from under the table, now, and he was about as silly-looking a man of his age and __- $ize as ever was seen, - “Sa-ay,” he drawled, ‘‘did anybody else git hurt?” | - -—s- ‘That caused a laugh, moon “Are you satisfied?” asked the seedy law- re yer. “Yas, I’m satisfied,” was the reply. ‘“ I’m b’long to one man, but to all of us, and we ar’ goin’ to have it, right or wrong. See?” “Yes, sir, I see,” responded the mayor; ‘put, I fail to see itin just that light. May- be you will see it differently, by and by,” The mayor went out and to the hotel. There he found Joe Garry, the seedy law- yer, and some others looking at the mani- festc the council had posted. Prog At the bottom of it were these words: * Buy out, sell out, or getout. | Drapwoop Diok, Jr.” Before the next morning the same words and the same signature had been appended to every poster in the camp. ' CHAPTER VI. display of diamonds. who are to figure in our romance. Let us mention first a man and a woman, rather sportishly dressed, and not very far — along on the highway whose mile-posts are years, and who at first were taken to be man and wife, but were not. Then there was another, a tall, dark man , of thirty-five, at a guess, neatly dressed in the finest black, the good effect of which, however, was greatly marred by a too lavish That he was a profes- sional gambler did not need to be told, It. could be read at sight. — 53 The two first mentioned entered the hotel at once, but the latter took a look around him before doing so. ‘© So, this is Deadwood Dick’s home base, a * _ 9! r : a E 2 - —s a te is it?’ he observed. . i THE PRETTY SCHOOLMARM. “That’s what et’s called, sometimes,” a — OnE of the fairest girls at Bristol City was | man near him made response. | APA atte, © Claudia Stey ger. , ‘* And can you tell me whether Deadwood, Every lassie has her laddie, ’t is said, and | Dick is here now or not, my good man?” et 7 ’ ‘Satisfied you ar’ Deadwood Dick, now. All ec whey have said of ye is so; [ have had proof |, ~ _ “T still declare that you are mistaken, sir. te - Tam not Deadwood Dick. 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