Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 852 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

a Deadwood Dick, Jr., at Devil’s Gulch. eis, ‘". ee yl ‘* How do you know?” ‘‘ She is not.”’ could guess, as he always kept hid aldol fou .** Because Pete Parrot has told me all, and ‘‘She’is. I can prove it.” rolled up. , F Pe i he ought to know, being your own brother.” ‘“‘ How?” Miners are naturally superstitious, and © — Pee . ‘Young man,” retorved Sage, ‘I cannot ‘By a birthmark—a stain upon her} they began to look upon Mose as an un- J 4 help but admire your extraordinary gall. It | arm.” | natural phenomenon—an_ evil spirit, sent y ’ = surpasses anything I ever ran across, and ‘My Nora has no such a birthmark on her | to worry them out of their lives or good xy ae although you are a detective, and gunning | person,” luck, eS ae . after the wrong game, if you will believe ‘‘Prove it. Bring her here and let me The ‘‘ White House,” run by a ‘‘coon” ne me, you deserve recognition,for your un- | examine her arm and satisfy myself!” named Black,and nicknamed Nigger Jim, He limited amount of cheek! So if you will ‘“T will do nothing of the sort.” was one of the principul gaming institutions ae come down, we will touch glasses together, ‘Then that proves that she has such a; of ‘Devil’s Gulch, at and have an understanding !” birthmark,” | During his perambulations, the parrot in ‘This was a proposition that Mose had| ‘If you think you can take Nora away | perched on his shoulder, Magic Mose drop- “- Wy reason to be suspicious of. from me you are greatly mistaken,” declared | ped into Nigger, Jim’s place. te ‘* Well, I don’t know about that,” he said, | Samuel Sage. ‘‘1’ve got money, and money It was a dingy little den, with scarcely ‘Treckon you are trying to spring a trap | will command backing. To-morrow I will | any window light; so lamps were kept burn- t= b Sr on me!” be elected to the position of sheriff.” s|} ing night and day, as the place was never s “ No, I am not, I am a man of my word ‘What of that?” : closed. {Eh as any one in the camp will tell you. I ‘“ A good deal.” Jim was the biggest man in the camp, ; - i" , will refer you to. my worst enemy, though ‘* 1 fail to see it!” weighing close onto three hundred pounds, Be, _ I don’t know that i tave one, unless it is ‘Well, you will see it, with a ven- | and standing six-feet-six in his stocking feet. ies) Be. Pete Parrot, but as he is dead now, he can | geance.” The patrons of his place consisted of the pee do me no more harm.” ' ‘* How so?” roughest element in the camp—which was f | ‘* Pete Parrot dead?” “Tf you don’t leave town before I get into | saying a good deal, for Devil’s Gulch was .¢ “Yes. He had been hounding me for | office, I’ll have you arrested.” known far and wide as one of the toughest ae years, but, he will never do it any more.” . “Pil bet you won't!” places in Arizona. cg “Where is his body?” “T’'ll bet I will; and, what is more, I'll A faro game was in full blast, and so Mose iz ae ‘That is my business! He is dead, and | have you hung in short order.” bought a stack of chips, and sat down, to + AS » —_._ that settles it.” ‘What will I be doing allthis time? Bah! | try his tuck. oe rae ‘“‘ Ta-ha-ha! Pete’s all right!” | The rope is not made that will ever hang me. He fully expected to lose, but such was not ee aa And who should alight on Mose’s shoulder, | Now, Sage, allow me to remark that I shall | destined to be his fortune, for he won stead- Bi 5 but the parrot. | remain in Devil’s Gulch until I get good | ily. “aa ‘*Poor Polly! Polly wants a cracker!” and ready to leave it, and don’t you forget | Next to him sat.a man of peculiar appear- Po ‘‘Ourse that parrot,” cried Sage. ‘If I |.it!’ : ; ance. He was tall and compactly built, je | ever get my clutches on it, I will wring its “Tt will be as a corpse when you do | dark of complexion, with pink eyes. ae Se infernal neck!” leave.” His hair was silvery white although he ramet . ‘‘Tfa! ha! ha!” said Poll, ‘‘ Polly want ‘Tt will be as a mighty lively corpse. I} was evidently less than fifty, but beard he Ae cake, Pete’s Polly. Oohoo!” mean to have possession of Hazel Hood, and | wore none Peles), The talk of this wonderful bird, created a | when L rescue Pete Parrot and Happy Harry He was well-dressed, and had the bearing bee of better impression in Mose’s mind toward | my mission in Devil’s Gulch is fulfilled, and | of a gentleman. | oa “0m Samuel Sage, because that gentleman burst | not until then.”’ Every card that Magic Mose placed money 2 Aga into a roar of laughter. ‘‘Ha! ha! I will be delighted to see you] on, the stranger did likewise, and when Pe | ee ‘‘ Well!” he said, ‘‘ were I the worst crea- | when you do it!” | | Mose arose from the table, about five hun- oe me ture on the face of this broad earth, and had Seeing that nothing was to be gained by | dred dollars the winner, the stranger arose, G4 Sa a rope around my neck, I could not help | further investigation Mose now arose and | also, nearly as well fixed. Mose then went to BF a laughing at that bird, Come down with it | took his departure, being conducted to the | the bar, to get a cigar, the pink-eyed gentle- oa oe and both it and you shall have the best I | door by Sage, himself, man following him. 4 hex a have in the house!” ‘‘Remember what the consequences will ‘‘Beg pardon, sir!’ he said, tapping Mose RS, ae hy “Well, IT will go on one condition,” replied | be if you are found in this camp to-morrow,” | on the shoulder; ‘‘ but, might I make bold to : ial Mose. | , : the later warned at the door. ask you what your name is?” e a, ‘“*What is that?” ‘‘T shall stay in town at my pleasure, and “Certainly, It is Moses Mantell. But, ‘ea ~~~ * That you release Pete Parrot, at once.” | leave at my leisure,” returned Mose as he | why do you ask?” ii Bi! ‘‘T have no power to release him. Did not | left the magnate’s presence. ‘*Because you must take a drink with ht Poll tell you that he was all right?” He was not quite sure what reception he my a ‘ Pete‘all right,” repeated the bird. ‘Pete | woulé receive, when he debouched on ‘the | ‘‘ Very well, I don’t often drink but I will oe all all hunkey! Oohoo!” main street of the camp, but he must take | accommodate.” | » ae es ‘‘Well, steer ahead, brother Sage, but |} his chances. ‘‘Give us a bottle of your best wine,” the | ie \ mere bear in mind that I shall shoot on the first | Perhaps by this time the excitement had | stranger ordered of Nigger Jim. | ae Beh sign of treachery. I am a dead shot, and, | partly abated. — The mention of liquid refreshments caused es if you have done any injury to your brother | He found it so, for though he was the re- | Polly, who had_ been asleep on the shoulder I’ll bore a Hoosac Tunnel through you just | cipient of many ugly glances, no attempt | of Magic Mose, to open hereyes, | 3 as soon as I would kill a rattler.” was made to molest him. ‘*Polly want a drink!” she squawked, | ~ 3 | om . | ‘Polly want cake!” : | | — This set the pink-eyed gentleman off in a eee | CHAPTER IX. a : ae fit a8 ha Ai Sains et <a yrs 8 mp ae | APTE ‘¢Great Jupiter!” he ejaculated, ‘*‘ you don eS! ipa 7He, BEGTRNENG' CP TRI mean to tell me that bird can talk thus?” ee ae pyri So Polly, Mose, and Sage went below, Seideh chee ng hk ane ee “You bet!” said Poll, flapping her wings. eo ee Polly squawking, and Mose keeping his re-| Tue balance of that night until the next} ‘Well, upon my word, this is the most er; ae -~._-welvers in seeming readiness. one, Magic Mose rambled around from one | wonderful bird 1 ever heard tell of!” assert- ol)? ae a The room to which Sage conducted them | place to another. | j ed the stranger. ‘‘I’ll give you fifty dollars ea Ba: was one that Mose had not yet discovered, In every place he visited, the patrons of | for her!” ; a It turned off the lower hall into a little al- | that place gave him a wide berth. | ‘‘She’s not mine to sell.’ ol es - * gove; thence into still another hall. - Even Pat McKenna, whom every one knew ‘“Whose is she, then? I want to buy her, A aimee aay! This one, however, was short. It opened | to be the worst desperado next to Black ‘‘She belongs to a friend of mine, named, == -_ - {nto a room that was evidently Sage’s private | Ben, in Devil’s Gulch, fought shy of Magic | or at least called, Pete Parrot. Thereisnot mM) Co ee + office, as there were two desks. | Mose. , | money enough in Devil’s Gulch to.buy that == Sit down,” requested Sage, ‘‘and I will| In the mean time, Mose mystified the people | bird, I parded with Pete, foralong time, as _._._ ring for the servant,” which he at once did. | of the camp by his wonderful feats of | but he never accepted any of the offers he » rigs he bell was quickly answered, when | magic. _ had received for the bird.” * ope eae Sage orderet the servant to bring in ample} | Mostly untutored, these men of Devils| “ Pete Parrot,eh? Why Ihappentoknow = be ~~~: yefreshments. Gulch made bold to assert that it was their the man!” aes. i Ah ‘‘Now, then,” said Sage, to Mose, ‘‘let us | impression that Mose was Satan’s ally and {| ‘* You.don’t say so?” | ia - .- understand each other. What do you pro- | envoy. ; | | ‘Yes; I knew him when he was pilot on ase to do?” : - It did look so. He could perform most | the Mississippi. He came into a fortune, — ee 4 ‘ Rs +S Ne . : ; > Wire; | e TI propose to take Hazel Hood,” replied | wonderful feats of legerdermain, without and then I heard nothing of him fora couple ee Mose... | » Keats | any apparent mechanical devices or ap- | of years, when news reached me that he had) Oh! you will have to find her, first! | paratus. He could take a dozen and one | been] ynched through the instrumentality of = _._ There is no such a person in this camp.” things from a person’s hat, apparently— | his brother, in order that the brother ea tie "Phere is; the girl you call your daughter | things of numerous kinds, and of astonish- | get possession of his.fortuhe,” Fi) Bo ae 4s Hazel Hood!” ~~ | ing variety. Where they came from, noone What was this brother’s mame?” | ony SF" Fat TY @ sho tk *2G \ . (Ae as : ' iat . . 7* : , Pe nd Ley iG . » Jong ied La r ‘ v if nih : yt he eg pee. ee a . \ , . f / \ ind,” “wy bie hy: iv: ° je ite | , ; ORY ‘i ; i "Y 4 “4 aM ey ’ ¥ fe" et le FT “ie ts ; : . | ; ; ; f ‘“. ap ey | AS ¥ vr oI) OF es Oy (Se tha | ee re 4 2! i 4 lane? ‘ xe a yy pis rhe a end of ‘ a eakee ‘ — ; OF rm € ‘ 4M Ley ee oO ae es + i ra ‘ te Paes a ‘eds Ps ' a all i Ps ‘I ,- was % ‘ \ Aad 4 é ie A » a AI 4 ’ 4 .> — * . a Tie as : al ar he ber oe eae 2 Oe $¢ Le ee