Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 858 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

2 Deadwood Dick's Death-Hole Hustle: , THE DOOM OF SATAN’S SEVEN. BY E, L. WHEELER, AUTHOR OF THE *‘ DEADWOOD DICK ”’ NOVELS. CHAPTER I. PLENTY OF FUN IN THE HORN OF PLENTY, Demina, New Mexico. A peerless night in that land of peerless sunshine, Two passengers have just alighted from the incoming train on the Southern Pacific. One of these is a handsome young man of twenty-two, with black hair and magnetic, flashing eyes. Heis well dressed, sporting a@ high hat. - His companion—the two are pards—is a bearded man of forty, as homely as can be ‘imagined, wearing a long frock coat. His ‘hat is the well-known broadbrim slouch, a hat never out of style. These men might have escaped with but passing notice from the crowd, but, for one striking peculiarity of the man last described —on his -right shoulder was perched a parrot! ao | © “MPhis wasso unusual a sight that everybody stopped to gaze at the bird and its master, as well as at the younger man, . ‘* Well, Mose, which way do we truck?” So asked he of the parrot, when the train had pulled out and was once more on its y way. a Hardly know, Pete,” was the res onse, “« We want to finda roost the first of all, I spon some place to call home while we’re ere ” ‘You bet!” chipped in the parrot, whereat every body laughed. | This was something entirely new and novel, even in that fly town of strange de- lights. | ‘‘You know 4 thing or two, don’t ye, the bird. | | If the crowd had laughed before, they fairly howled now. | ae ‘‘Want booze, do ye, Poll?’ the: raphe | man repeated, twisting his head to get af view of the bird, Ae TaN abet ese laughter that went up when the parrot said this, was enough to bring out the whole town, ** Whar’s bors?” the homely man made inquiry. ‘‘ Right around the corner, stranger,” one man made answer. --- egn’t miss et ef ye ain’t stone blind,” ~All right, Come along, Mo pes sa down the cinders that’s ged in my are “I'm with you,” the younger man agreed, tke ed ON pushing’ their way out of the throng, they passed up the street, -—— the’crowd following them, + PRS their notice was a huge g} : | ee door of a well lighted saloon, and the name _ on a sign prominently displayed was— “THE HORN OF PLENTY. hey, Polly?’ the man with the bird laugh- ingly. suggested, . : — * You pees: the parrot promptly croaked. This saloon was the le kind in Deming, and was kept by a man ' | - 4 + " . , . + j r : Jis.: aa. Poll?” remarked the homely man who carried | ‘Polly wants drink! Polly wants booze!” | snooze,” ‘You bet!” eas Died cy ae “ Allright, you shall have it, if there’s a booze-mill in town,” ‘er : : " eae Pete! Polly paint town red; ha, | a, hay’ a _ Nearly everybod y at the station had crowd- ed around, by this time, and the roar of | ain’t no use ter offer, our nearest dispensary, neigh- f "inguin : | marked, as he made change. “ ‘You'll see ther sign; down from Montana rd; we'll find et, you bet. oses, me boy! I want to. a great number of | M iE Turning the corner, the first thing to strike | v7) ilt horn, over the That's the kind of a/horn we are after, leading place of the | Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Death-Hole Hustle. | d — hr am a ee ee _—— ——-—-—r—“<i—‘ tC‘ + + _—— Murray was a big, round-shouldered fel- | booze any more,” advised Magic Mose, in a low with a fat face, and went by the nick- name of Merry Murray, for he was always smiling, and his pleasant smile won custom for his place. The new-comers entered in an easy way, as though well accustomed to the role of stran- gers in a strange place. They stepped to the bar, and the homely, bearded man called for drinks, A couple of glasses were set out, and a bottle. | “Me too!” croaked the parrot on the elder man’s shoulder, Merry Murray started back, looking at the bird with astonishment, and for the moment his smile deserted him. ‘Did that bird talk?” he gasped. ** You bet!” Polly herself gave the answer. ‘* Well, ’m blowed!” Murray exclaimed. “Does ther darn thing really drink, stran- er?” 5 ‘Polly wants drink! Polly wants booze! Est, ‘em up fer Polly!” promptly ordered the bird, , ‘‘Put out another glass, pardner,” the | homely man directed. ‘The bird has got ter have some, or thar will be a sarcus hyer? sy 2 | - “* Bet yer life on’t!” ae Everybody in the place was on their feet, and all pushed nearer tothe bar to see what was going on. The proprietor obeyed the order, and an- other glass was set out, and when the beard- ed man had poured for himself and pard, he also poured for the parrot. The bird sprung down from his shoulder, and diving its head into the glass, began to gulp the flery stuff with great gusto. ‘‘Hyer, ye darn glutton, don’t drink all that!” the homely man suddenly ordered, } and he jerked the bird’s head out of the : a b'iled owl lass. ‘* You’ll be drunker’n fore ye know et.” Po . ree more!” By | Well, Polly won’t git no more now, you kin bet! You hev hed enough. You go ter bed fer a spell, now, an’ take a With that he took the bird and poked it down into one of the capacious pockets of his coat. | The crowd laughed heartily, and Merry Murray asked, , >. «Bt ain't fer sale,” “Tl give ye a clean ““What’ll ye take fer that bird, stran- hundred ‘dollars fer A clean thousand won’t buy et, so et Hyer’s ther ante fer ther stuff,” and he flipped a coin upon the bar. | \ ‘« T’d like ter have et,” ther proprietor re- ere do ye hail from, gents?” “We've drifted “ Any harm ter ask yer names?” ‘Not a bit; I’m Pete Parrot, which title [lay elaim to by right o’ bein’ born into ther Parrot fambly when I was young. My pard hyer is Moses Mantell, young an’ bash- ful, as ye see, He's better known as Magic “That was what I said ” . ‘Magic in tossin’ off his booze?’ _ Mose now spoke for himself. , ‘*Tf you took less of it yourself, old man, ‘\he remarked, ‘‘ you wouldn’t have snakes | creeping around in plain sight,” | - Just as he spoke, Merry Murray gave a and yell and a start, made a frantic grab at the back of his neck, flinging a live and | Pm wriggling snake half way across the room. ‘“Great Goshen!” he cried. ‘‘ Whar did that come from?” ; snatched off his hat frantically as _“ Wull, hang et, ef ye ar’ boun @ fool of me, hyer goes; but Lwarnye, Mis, | ter M ret T take off my oe fer nothin’ g/ goin’ ter bu’st yer eye fer ye, an ef ther Yi quiet way. The laugh was against Merry Murray. ‘Do you mean to tell me that was a trick?” he demanded. ‘If you'll now take that toad out of your bosom, maybe you will think theres no trick about it.” There was anything but a smile on the face of the proprictor now, and he clapped his hand to his shirt-front, grabbing some- thing which he held away from his body with one hand, while with the other he tore his shirt open. 4 ‘Snakes and toads!” heroared, as he flung a toad out upon the floor to keep com- pany with. the snake. “If ¢Ads is your magic, young man, don’t play no more of it on mé, fer the luv ov goodness!” - The crowd roared. ‘“ Whar did them critters go to, anyhow?” demanded .one fellow, who was looking around on the floor to find them, as were several others. : , “Why, they're in your hat, siy,” ** Helen Blazes!” Whether this Helen was a former sweet- heart, or a tartar of a wife from whom he , had taken French leave at some time or’ © other, let us not stop to inquire, but he e mention- ed her name, and dropped the snake and the toad together. Now there was excitement, sure enough. ‘But whar the deuce did they go to?’ yelled another fellow, who had made a jump to get out of their way as they dropped. ‘*T’ll bet drinks for the house they are in your right boot,” spoke Magie Mose, in his quiet way. : **In my boot?” “* Exactly.” . RE a , Git out! Wouldn't I feel ’em ef they-+ ~~~ was thar?” ~ You might and you might not; many a man has had snakes in his boots that he didn’t feel.” 3 The crowd laughed afresh, but this man was rather pale, and was trying his foot around in his right stogy. to learn whether there really was anything there or not, and he certainly couldn’t feel anything. ‘“What do ye say?” Mose demanded. — ‘‘Let me warn ye that Mosey never makes a mistake in a bet of this hyer kind,” spoke up Parrot Pete. RA Baer Ake 8 RP He was called Pete Parrot, or Parrot Pete, just.as.it happemed cle ht ‘Take off yer boot an’ see, Towser,” some ia one sung out to feo: St) a was in the | unhappy quandary at the moment. a eed mee No, I ber darn ef Iwull,” Towser growl | | . ‘IT guess I’d orter know whether J hev. ot anyt ing in me boot or not, hadn’t I? e ain't goin’ ter make no fool out o’ Tow ser Terrel ef he knows et.” Pe eae ‘They sartainly ain't on ther floor, any- ' how,” apprised another fellow who had taken ee ae a good survey around, i a i Rl “Are you quite sure they are notin your = boot?” asked Mose. eae ‘*Sure I am sure; don’t ye s’pose IT know?” ‘Then off with your boot and win.” “That's what’s the matter!” shouted one . old toper of the place; ‘‘ we want ther proof, fer et means a free flowin’, 0’ bug-juice fer = | us, either way,” | Seeing it in this light, the crowd set up & howl for the proof, — ss he ee “Off with that ’ar boot, Towser,” was the. 3 ery, ‘‘or we'll take et off fer ye. 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