Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 840 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

oot Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Clutch. not for sale, but it did not appear that it would not be sold if the price offered ‘ came up high enough. Nothing was settled upon. ‘‘By the way, I was warned that I had better not come here,” Mr. Jones made re- mark, when they had talked out on mines. ‘Warned not to come here?” asked the mayor, in some surprise, sé Yes. »? ‘‘ Who warned you?” ‘‘T don’t know who; it was ‘at a station \ where I stopped on the way.” : | ‘That is Strange,” observed Hartz. ‘That is, unless some rival concern wanted. to lead you off elsewhere,” ‘* No, no; it was nothing like that; I was told there is an outlaw on the road here,. and that it is hardly safe for any man to Fe travel with money in his pocket, or even a watch,” “Oh! that’s the old bugaboo about, Cap- tain Crusher.” ‘Then there’s some truth in it?” ¢ ‘“* Well, yes, we had an outlaw here, but he | hasn't been seen lately. ‘Lucky for me, then, for I have a consid- erable sum of the national lucrein my clothes. I mention this privately, of course.” ’ ‘“No harm done,” the mayor assured, at $y that. ‘‘I have offered a reward for the fel- he low, and it seems to have frightened him off, At any rate, it is some time now since he has done anything around here.” ‘‘ But, there is danger that he will come, | perhaps?” | ‘‘ Well, we are on - wellas possible, sir, It will not be easy for us to be tricked by him.” . ‘But, how do you manage about shipping your stuff? Can you get it out and away safely ?” ‘‘Oh! it has been done; we don’t antici- pate much trouble in that direction, any longer.” ‘* Because, if I have to come and fight against road-agents, it’s a poor inducement for me to invest here. But, I’d make short i: ibn of your Captain Crusher, you can just ' iM 1 Ae Nae a On the following morning there was ex- : citement in the camp, Captain Crusher had been there, and the treasure of the Jack Mine had been once again despoiled. Nor, was this all, Some of the business places of the camp had been entered, and a considerable *amount of money taken. The hotel, however, had been spared on this oc- | casion. | | yap The mayor raved like a crazy man. ey He had been the first to discover that the 4 Visitation had been made, or rather some of ene his men had first found it out and told him. ote The guardsmeu at the office of the com- ss pany, two of them, had been overcome and Hound, and the door forced and all the treas- ure carried away, though how or where could not be guessed. _ A note had been found in the empty trea- sure safe, signed by Captain Crusher, bid- - Aing defiance to the whole camp and to Deadwood Dick. “YT fell you this thing has gone far fe be _ enough!” raved the mayor, ‘‘ We are not going ~to stand it any longer! Something has got to be done, and that right away Hei) quick.” Ty sage ‘‘Ha! your robber has been heard from, Bl) date has he?’ said Comstock Jones. ‘‘I guess that. party who warmed me wasn’t far ———-wrong, after all, Think I'll hold on about By soe investing until this fellow is caged, And if Sih te? you can’t cage him it is strange. Seems to me a whole cainp ought to catch one man.” apt han, ‘How would you do it?” demanded the ial ieed¢: @ngered mayor. 39h). * How would question to be answered in a second, and yet [ think it might be, too. I’m of the 2 ah LY sy R oa Ae ’ pat : . a A 7 * ‘ 7 . , —_ : at ‘a aay oak CHET Pe Va ey eT met? prowess! £3 teva. baat against him as I do it? Well, that’s not a | aft uv { / i) - : ) A” vale ¢ pr) py GA ’ ~ 2" os 44 BEE tds ba me = ow ~ It was shown that the Jack Mine was {mind that I’d employ a first-class detec- | tive,” ‘Oh, you are, eh? And how would you put him to work without something for him to work on? Tell us that, if you can.” ‘* A first-class detective would find his own clues, sir. Did you ever hear of Deadwood Dick, Junior?” The mayor glanced at the man sharply. ‘* Yes, what of him?” ‘‘T have heard of him, that’s all, and I understand he has done work of this kind. [| know he has been to Denver and performed some services there,”’ ‘“Have you ever seen him?” aksed Hartz. ‘‘ Yes, sir,” ‘Too bad you could not have been here the other day, then.” ‘“Why so? Was Deadwood Dick here? I was going to say, if the matter was mine I would hire some such man to run the fel- | low down.” ‘‘Tf he could do it,” snapped the mayor. ‘In my mind this Deadwood Dick is no bet- ter himself, or very little better, Any man that would threaten a camp as he has threat- ened this is not to be trusted.” ‘*Threatened you?” ‘Yes; and, by the great, this robbery has followed pretty close on that threat of his, too!” . ‘‘Then he was here?” the capitalist ques- tioned again. ‘“ Yes, and he gota ey, warm reception, too,” Hartz explained. ‘‘ He was mistaken for the outlaw, by a blunder, and came near to being hanged. Might have been hanged had it not been for a woman.” ‘* A woman?” = Yes; the lady you saw at breakfast this morning,” The particulars were given. All this, however, did not help the present case, and the mayor and the others who had been despoiled were wild for revenge upon the autbor of their misfortunes. they asked was to lay hands on him once, The mayor went around tearing down his former notices of reward,-and in the place of each put up a new one, raising the price an- other thousand, ; In this he was assisted by the others who had been robbed. This was quite a raise, two thousand from five hundred, and the camp was eager to see the outlaw taken. . Groups of men stood around the posters, yt go ay the situation and calculating their chances for taking the outlaw if they should undertake it. enough to win the reward, but not so willing to assume the risks. Said one man: wiley ‘Et would be all a feller’s life is worth to © up thar to whar ther death-dagger is on the tree, and nobody knows whar else ter strike ther trail.” And that was where the whole matter hinged. | While this was gding on, here and there about, Wat Cooper had been forming the acquaintance of the capitalist. ‘By the way,” he remarked, “I hear you have seen the man called Deadwood Dick, the fellow who was here the other night, or who, at any rate, claimed to be the great de- tective.” | ‘Yes, I have seen him, sir.” ‘Ever seen his wife?” ** Yes, sir.” “Ha! that’s good; of course you would know her if you should meet her again. Do you think you would?” ‘I certainly think I should, sir,” “Then you are just the man! wanted to find. There isa woman here at the hotel whom I rather suspect of being Mrs, Dick Bristol,” “<Hfatis that so? Then she could no doubt tell you where to find her husband, and he could easily be got hold of for the work of hem?” Ff: ita . ®, . 4 . bs i : . \ ‘ y* sl ’ Mee Cl } ay. iM ' ‘ r Jae ‘ . : ' ae 2) * ary, ¥ F C ukies ‘ Siow ‘. A i! P) f abe " t aoe: bh IAy, : hy ae . ; ai? re ; ' + . te - 2 i oe} y i, Ar a te ¢ oy i? \ os ee AW-* 3 ’ 4 . bi Aa te A o 2 Every man of them was eager | y P ‘ ‘ d ' - : ry “4 ] . bs ‘ '’ i “7 , , oT of ‘ Tt Bh . 4 2 +s a ya 4 H ih¢ ue x 3 f ad yp 4,4 , Mant ro lies @ RY \ | @ \ | / ! or, Ae 7 i Bp Pa. ) : 1 . | | . . . —< Soe _ 7 Snes Bon ale hunting down this Captain Crusher. Why don’t you try it?” | Cooper smiled, ‘‘ That’s where the thing hinges,’ he said. ‘‘We are not sure it isshe. And, it is only a private suspicion anyhow; we have not. mentioned it to any one.” ) “Then you are not the only one that holds it?” ‘No; the mayor is of the same mind. But, this is private; don’t let on that I have mentioned it to you. coming at was this: Will you take a look at the woman in question and see whether it’s the one or not!” ‘“ Anything to oblige, sir. Point her out. to me. ‘‘ Well, there she is, on the piazza of the: hotel now. You'd know her anywhere by that Irishman behind her chair. He seldom. leaves her a moment.” ‘That woman?. Why, she’s only a young lady, isn’t she?” ‘‘] don’t know how old or how young she. is; all I want to know is whether she is the wife of Deadwood Dick?” ‘‘ Well, let’s walk by there and I'll telk ou.” : So they sauntered down past the hotel, Cooper bowing to the lady as they passed, and when they had got a little distance be- yond, Cooper demanded: ‘What do you say?” “Tm il to disap was the reply, ‘‘ but I’m obliged to tell you. this woman isn't the person you suspect.” ‘That settles it, then.” “Will you teli me what led it was the wife of the detective? ‘‘Yes; as you have done me the favor I can’t refuse that;” and Cooper thereupon. gave briefly the particulars. ‘‘Do you know,” Mr. Jones confessed ‘‘vou have quite alarmed me, taking it alk in all, I have a considerable boodle with you think , me, and I’m afraid to venture away from | here with it.” ‘‘No one will know you have got it, though, unless you go around telling about. it, sir.” ‘‘Oh, I tell only men to be trusted, like: you, the mayor, and one or two others of ‘such responsibility. Can’t be any harm in. that.” ‘‘No; but in matters of this sort the stiller one keeps the better. Now, however, the camp is getting worked up about the out- law, and the mayor’s reward may be the . means of scaring the fellow off for good.” ‘Has this outlaw never been seen?” ‘Very seldom, and then not his face, sir.”” ‘Well, I hope they'll get him. If the don’t I believe I'll take a hand in it myself — for my own safety. Ihave money, even if I haven’t youth and ability to jom in the active work. This fellow must be brought to the end of his rope, and Comstock Jones; says so.” 3 | CHAPTER XI. SOME PRETTY PLOTS SHOWN. LATER on, Cooper made it his business to- get hold of the mayor aside. He was eager to apprise him of the point he had made regarding their suspicion against, Miss St. James, ite | ‘‘ Well, I’m not surprised,” the mayor said’ when he bad heard the story. ‘‘1t don’t look reasonable, when you come to look into HB it, that’s the fact.” | ‘‘There’s another thing, mayor.” _ “ What's that?” — , “The woman has been talking to that. boy of yours.” ys “The deuce she has!” What I was. oint you, my friend,” > “eis r* vat a 7, ‘ ’ . Ae ir Ts A ‘‘ Yes: 1 saw them together, but couldn’: at a tween them.” : ““What do you suppose she wanted with, ie * * ma at _— % : Xe © get near enough to hear what was said be~ — a e . ee Fo