Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 852 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

Sat ee to ee ore , Ps s . 7 ety . * q ~~ ™, **+ a « 4 ’ = a - “=. ~ wre 7 a dee ; 4 . =a oa -—s an ~ te ae : < ip? ew, a oe . , ) ~ " * A - > ’ * 5 “ - er ” -— « ——- —o. his afflanced; then Mr, and Mrs, Sage, and their invited guests, numbering over fifty. The ceremony was to take place in the open air on the dancing platform, where rough but commodious seuts bad heen arranged, The bride-elect was a pretty girl: there was no getting around that, Bradford was not exactly handsome, as the word goes, but had a frank, intelligent face, and one in which houesty cropped out, in every lineament, “‘That feller is white!” was Magic Mose’s conclusion, And Mose was a pretty close judge. In his pretty wide experience he had learned to ‘size up” character, and none Knew better than he which was and which was not an honest person, ; When the procession reached the platform the band ceased to play. Nora Sage and Burt Bradford took their positions in front of the minister, Samuel Sage then step forward, ‘“*My friends, no words of mine can express the regret at the scene on the lawn to-night, am unfortunate enough to have a maniac brother whom I had not seen before, for years, That he should turn up at such »n inopportune mo- ment surpasses my comprehension, ** However, he is where he will not do any one barm, and as soon as wecan get hold of that young imp of a magician, we will make an example of him that will warn other tramps to give Devil’s Gulch a wide berth. Let the ceremony pow proceed !” The minister from Virginia City began the Episcopal marriage service with impressive annunciation, but he was destined never to finish it, There came the report of a weapon, near at hand, and the minister threw up bis hands, and dropped to the ground, ag if death-stri*tken, The greatest consternation ensued, women fainted, and mep became fearfully excited. A general search of the grounds was inaugu- rated, but without avail; not a trace of the would-be assassin could be found, Magic Mose, too, had disappearéd. ‘¢I¢ was the accursed magician’s work!” cried Samuel Sage. ‘‘Tt was not!” replied Harry Harris, “I saw Mose start to leave the grounds before the shot was fired,” ** Oh! you did! What are anyhow? You were not invite 46 I was,” * By whom?” 6 By yore brother, Mr, Peter Parrot.” “He had no authority to invite youor any one else!” ‘* He took that authority, andsoI came, If my ‘sip is uudesirable, T will leave!” ‘[t certainly is undesirable,” replied Samuel Sage haughtily. ‘‘I want no gamblers or other ae on my premises, on an occasion like this!” ‘* Very well, sir, replied Harry. ‘* Look you out, Mr, Samuel Sage, that you never set foot ia my place again, for if you do, Pll take gp care that you go out quicker than you came!” And with this, Harris turned and left the grounds, Just outside the gate be encountered Magic ose, ** Who fired the shot!” asked Mose, **Give it up!” was thereply. ‘* You are the one who is accused.” *AmI? Well, you can bet I’m not in the business of shooting ministers, But, [ wonder what has become of Pete?” ‘“*T reckon they’ve got him caged, eh, from what Sage made known,” ** Tt looks that way. . We must get him out of the scrape, somehow, if possible—at least J must,’ ‘Well, Iam with you, my friend; so count on my belp! He must bein the house,” ‘Yes, I reckon so. A high fence surrounds the grounds and there is but one entrance so they could not very easily have spirited him merry Think so?” ac Oo.” yout doing here, “‘Tnen, he must be a prisoner in the house, To secure his release we must, of course, gain entrance. But, how is that to be done? Blamed if I know. The fence is too high to scale, and besides that, the tep of it is studded with sharp-pointed nails,” ** And there is but one gate, you say?” ‘That's all, and that is constantly guarded by one of Sage’s cut-throat Mexicans,” * Well, a couple of them won’t guard it any more “Why? Wore they killed?” ‘They were marked for life, I guess, in that fusillade! ** Well, I don’t see as there is much show for releasing Parrot, until the guests disperse, and old Sage goes to bed.” ‘That is not likely to be to-night,” “Why not? The wedding will not come off, ter-night, 1 reckon.” ‘*Maybe not, but there’s plenty to eat and drink, and you bet the gang won’t leave until the last biscuit is gone, if it ain’t until next year! ‘Bout tke best thing we can dois go up ov the bluff, and sit down there, until things get quiet again.” * All right.” ** And if we succeed in getting your pard free, ee likeliest thing for both of you to do is to skip! P Why so?” ' ** Because, to-morrow is election, and Sage will be elected sheriff without the slightest doubt.” But before they started for the bluff, which overlooked the Sage grounds, something oc- curred that materially altered their intentions. An object came burtling through the air, and screaming: . ** Poor Polly! Poor Polly! Polly want cake!” And Miss Parrot settled down on the shoul- der of Magic Mose, “Well, Polly, what’s the matter? Where is Pete?” asked the magician. ** Pete gone! Pete gone; bad!” croaked Poll. ‘* Ah! look here,” said Mose, to Harris, ‘t Here is a piece of paper fastened around Polly’s neck, It’s from Pete!” ‘* Pete gone!” repeated Poll, witha screech of eldritch laugbter, ‘Pete gone. Poor Polly! Polly want cake!” There was light enough from the grounds for Mose to examine the paper. It was written in pencil, in a distorted sort of chirography, and ran as follows: ‘Dear Dick:—I’m jugged, and I reckon I’m a goner at last, unless you can help me out. I send this by Poll, in ee she can find you, be- fore I starve or am killed, ; ‘*'Your caged pard, ‘PETE Parrot,” Mose read this to Harris, ‘* He’s a queer duck,” said the gambler, ‘‘ He don’t seem to take matters uncommon hard, if I’m a judge.” ‘No, he is about one of the gamest men I ever parded with,” replied Mose. ‘‘ Something must be done to free him, and that too, at once, It can be done, very easy maybe, but it must be done, I’ve panded with Pete Parrot too long to allow him to rot in a dun- geon |” ‘* Pete gone)” repeated Poll, cocking her head to one side, ‘‘ Polly wants cake, Polly wants booz! Poor gee Mt ‘You'll get no booze nor cake,” said Harry, “Come More, we better get away from here. There seems to be considerable excitement on the lawn, and I allow there is a movement on foot to bunt you down, and maybe me, too, The gang is getting fighting drunk, and from what I can see, old Sage is plying them with all the liquor they can drink.” ‘That mears something!” “You bet, He ain’t dispensing all the good stuff, without an object, There’s going to be more trouble in camp, befere morning, and the best thing you and I can do, for the good of our health, is to keep out of it,” You ain’t afraid!” ‘‘’Tain’t that. There ain’t no use of spilling blood when it can be avoided, Besides, there’s your friend whom we want to rescue,” Tt was good advice, On the east .side of Sage’s house rose a huge binff, that finally merged into one of the sur- rounding mountains, This bluff was covered with low bushes, and afforded a good view of the lawn, below. Here it was that Harry Harris and Magic Mose sought refuge. The spot they selected was one where they could see without being seen or be likely to be discovered, Down on the lawn the band was blowing away for all they were worth, and the men were swilling beer and liquor and coffee pro- miscuonsly,. Songs, shouts, and hilarity were the order of the hour. Sam Sage had turned bartender, himeelf, and was doing the honors, not gry Pent to honor ame with frequent tip glasses with his ends, | Pete! » Deadwood Dick, Jr., at Devil’s Gulch. | a Burt Bradford bad taken his affianjced inte” the house, ‘*T reckon the whole gang will be dead drunk before morning,” concluded Mose, \ ‘'So much the better, Wewill have more show of rescuing Pete,” replied Harris, ‘“*Pete gone!” assured Poll. ‘Poor Polly wants cake!” “Well, now, you wait, my bird, and I'll buy fo a bakery, witha gin-mill attached,” laughed ose. ‘* How will tbat fill your eye?” ‘* Bully!’ returned the bird, ‘‘ Poor Polly wants booze. Pete gone! Polly go too!” The two men were forced to laugh at the eccentricities, of the wonderful bird, in spite of themselves, , ‘“*T was just thinking of something,” said Magic Mose. ‘J wonder if we were to tie a message to the bird if he wouldn’t take it back to Pete,” ‘* Well, I hardly think so; parrots are not carrier pigeons,” ‘¢T know they are not, but Pete, Poll, and } have traveled together for two years, and he is about as much of a favorite with one, as witb the other,” ‘‘ Well, there’s no harm trying, but 1 don’t reckon you will have much success,”’ Negba no telling: Polly is a pretty cute rd, ‘‘Porty Poll. Polly smart!” croaked Poll. So while Happ arry held a couple of matches, lighted, Mose wrote the following on a piece of paper, torn from his note-book: ‘** Yours received, by Parrot’s Express, Sorry to hear our predicament, Will endeavor to get you out of it, beforelong, At present things are red-hot. Dick,” This note the young sport fastened about Polly’s neck, ** Now, Poll,” he said, ‘‘ I want you to ge right back to Pete. Do you hear? Go right back to Be off with you!” And with this order he gave the bird a fling high up in the air, The strange creature seemed perfectly to un- derstand, for with a sharp squawk, aud two or three turns in the air, she flew away. ‘*The most marvelous bird I ever saw,” de- clared Harry, wonderingly. ‘““No more marvelous than the man whe brought her up.” replied Mose, ‘*'You mean Pete?’ ‘Yes, He is one of the queerest characters [ ever fell in with, and as true as steel, When I met him, it was up in Montana, just after I entered the detective profession.” ** ‘You are a detective, then, and your name isn’t Mose, at al], I take it? You signed your name as Dick, Dick who or what, may I ask?” ‘*Dick Bristol, otherwise Deadwood Dick, Junior, at your service,” ‘*Ts it possible! I have heardofyou. Gladte know you, Whatbrings you hear, Mr, Bristol)?’ ** Don’t Bristol me, nor give it away that I am Deadwood Dick, for it would spoil my work here, Call me Magic Mose, right along to the end of the chapter,” Dick enjoined of his com- rade, ‘‘As you wish; Mose it shall'be, But, will you not tell me what brings you here?” urged Harris, ** No objection to your knowing, since you are in with us, Harry. I have on hand a most peculiarcase, right here in Devil’s Gulch,” Dick answered, CHAPTER V. THE STORY OF HAZEL HOOD, Iv was the break of day, fresh ‘and pleasant ere Polly returned. In the mean time, Magic Mose—as we must continue to call him—explained his mission in Devil's Gulch, ‘‘T came here,” he said, * to find an heiress to a million of dollars,” | | ‘‘Tndeed? That ain’t bad game to be hunting after, if one is handsome,” ‘¢ Well, I don’t claim to be that,” said Mose. ‘‘ None of the Mantell family ever was noted for extreme beauty, but, they always managed to get there dap the same.” ‘¢ Who is this millionairess?” “‘ Her name is Hazel Hood,” ‘‘No one in Devil’s Gulch, by that name [ reckon! and I know ’em all,” ‘ Are you sure?” “ Positive.” ‘‘ But this girl may not be living amder her own name,” ‘That may be true, But, I hardly think yor will find her here. How old is she?” | “cCOmMIc