Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 858 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

; the enemy, but we haven't sigh 2a SBS. Bo short a time, could we?” Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Death-Hole Hustle. «You shut up, or I’ll bore ye! What do | ye mean by sayin’ [ hev fergot ther toad an’ snake, young feller? Mebbe ye willsay they ar’ in me boot again, Ef they are, I’ll walk ther life out of em, I warn ye. Ye’ll never play ther snake an’ toad on nobody else.” “They are not in your boot, sir, but in your hat.” With a yell, evidently feeling them at that very moment, the fellow jerked off his head- gear, and, sure enough, out fell the toad and snake, as lively as ever, greatly to the delight of all assembled. “ Curse ye, I'll git square wi’ ye fer this,” Towser growled, shaking his fist at Magic Mose. ‘‘I’ll see yer heart ’fore ye ar’ ten days older—I swear et!” “Take good keer that Mosey don’t have er own out an’ on exerbishun,” warned arrot Pete. *That’s what’s the matter!” Polly. ‘‘ Ha, ha, ha!” But, Towser Terrel was gone, ‘‘Young feller, that was the cleanest knock-down I ever seen,” complimented the proprietor of the place, then, ‘* Et done me more good ’n big a dinner, Idon’t begrudge the house a drink on that, an’ l’ll set ‘em up myself.” ‘* Bully boy!” cried the parrot, promptly. **You kin bet yer beak he is, Polly,” agreed Booze, the old bum, who was the first ‘at the bar. ‘But, what about the snake and toad?” one man asked, ‘‘Thar they go, wigglin’ on hoppin’, as though they’d lost some- suns out ‘“Ah! sure enough,” said Mose, as though he had forgotten them. | ‘‘ I'll dispose of them; I'll make them eat each other, and so do away with them. Here, you two!” _ He snapped his fingers, and the snake and toad stopped short and looked up at him, ‘*Come here, you rascals!” And cher came! | When they reached his feet, Mose picked them up and placed them on the bar, in plain sight of all, and commanded: : ‘‘ Now, snake, you swallow the toad, and then proceed to swallow yourself, or I'll swallow both of you; andif I have to do that it will be all up with you. Now, then, proceed to business,” Immediately the snake made a snap at the toad, and his toadship was not; it had disap- peared; and turning then, upon itself, the snike made a twist or two and it, too, was gone, to the utter, complete and_ paralyzing amazement of all who had beheld the trick. Exclamations of wonder were heard on every hand, but the crowd soon gave its attention to the treat thet had been offered by Murray, after which Pete Parrot and Magic Mose took their leave of the Horn of Plenty and set forth in quest of quarters for the night. , | _ Both whe agreed on one point, that they had struck a mighty lively town, » | CHAPTER IIT. POLL AND PETE MISSING. MOSE IN TROUBLE. ‘True United States Hotel was at this time the leading place of the kind in the young and thriving city. _ However, the two pards were not high- toned, and a more humble inn would answer their purpose quite as well, and suit their purse a good deal better, so they sought a smaller bouse. | . Here they registered as Moses Mantell and ate Parrot, and were shown toa comfort able room, | That is to say, after they had first played havoc with a Pepe. fs _ “Well, Pete, here we are,” remarked Mose, ‘when they had closed the door of their room and had kicked off their boots. __ * Yes, hyer we aire, Dick, in ther camp of our game But, we couldn’t hardly expect to, in BP Le rc\Rhe Ef aot ae PA vw : f ian {F.." wy > 1 ee, ' : io 7F : - “4M ¥. ete nt ite ve af 4": ; bal $3 Met Era bt>: 2a Lag sok >. e errr”. = <9 wh Py) <7! 3a, = ai 4 *. RS - o : ‘ So CT nt the ah io Pe 1 Cia eae bas 2 ; “5 ~ mr de ‘ *’ ie * —— re midst, the leader said: **That’s so, Pete.” ‘* But, we have succeeded in makin’ a foe. Wonder ef thar’s anything in the threats the | galoot made?” ‘‘ Hard to tell, Pete. He's gotit in for me, ‘Now, sir, you may speak, You cam shout, if you want to, but Ill tell you at once it will only be a waste of breath. We have disarmed you, as you must be aware—” ‘‘So I found, when I reached for a gun I don’t doubt, but J’ll havea sharp eye out | in the room, when you told me to dress my- for him, and if hetries any funny work on with me I’]] give him a dose of lead that he won't digest in a hurry.” ‘‘An’ serve him right, too. But, let’s bunk, and take a fresh holt in ther mornin’.” So they “‘ bunked,” tired from their long travel, When Magic Mose awoke, it was with a start. A light was glaring in his eyes, and he found himself looking straight into the tube of a six-shooter! Back of the weapon was a masked face, and back of that several more of the same, one of the maskers holding a bull’s-eye that was nearly blinding their surprised prisoner. ** Don’t you say peep!” was the whispered warning. ‘‘If ye do, it will be the last peep you'll ever make in this world. Git up and dress yerself.” Mose had already noticed that Pete Parrot was gone! Without a word, knowing that it would bé useless, Mose slipped out of the bed and proceeded to put himself into his clothes with prompt dispatch, His captcrs stood around waiting while he dressed, and as soon as he had done so, the man with the revolver said: _ ‘* Now, follow us, and at the least sign of trying to balk, or the least word from your lips, you will die sosudden that you will never know what hit you. Don’t ye forget what I say.” | Magic Mose nodded, and was ready. IIe had noted that his weapons had been taken from his clothes, and he was about helpless. And he wondered what had become of Pete Parrot, and how he bad gotten out of | the bed and out of the room without waking him. : : Mose expected to be taken from the room by the reguiar door, of course, but he soon found out his mistake in this. The way of exit was to be by wayof one of the win- dows, t There were three of these windows in th room, two in the front and one on the side, or so it had been supposed, from their ap- pearance, hut now the one at the side of the room proved to be only a sham, the drawn curtain really hiding a door that had been made to represent a window. This curtain one of the maskers now pulled aside, and a push parted the seeming win- dow, and a flight of descending stairs was revealed. | Down this the way was led, ® couple of the maskers going before, then Mose, and the other three following. There were fivein all, if he bad counted straight. : It wasa narrow passage, seeming to be built between two walls, and at the bottom the way was blocked by a heavy door, This was readily opened. Another passage was beyond, and into this they filed, the last man closing the door after them, and here they continued on for a considerable distance. At last another door was reached, which was opened like the first, and they came out into a low, square room of consider able size, which was almost destitute of furniture. — When the poor had been closed, it looked like all the rest of the wall, and not a break was to be seen on any side. | Magic Mose could not but wonder where he was. f In the center of the room was a single hanging- lamp, and when the company had gathered under this, with their prisoner In the a ae ' self,”’ ‘*We had taken care of that, you see. And having disarmed you, we have not taken the trouble to confine your hands, for you are harmless here, Now, sir, give a straight account of yourself.” “Ali right; ’'m a freeborn American cit, of full age, of white persuasion, and with as good a claim upon the—” ‘* Bosh! We don’t care whether Chinee, Injun, or what.” ‘Then what did you ask for?” ‘We want to*know what brought you here to this town of Deming, that is all we are after.” ‘‘What brought me here? I came in on the train—” , ** Now you look here, if you try to be fun- ny you will find there is no fun init. What business brought you here? What did you come here for?” , “Tf I answer your questions, will you an- swer mine?” ‘* We don’t promise.” ‘«Then I don’t answer.” *<What do you want to know?” ‘‘T want to know what became of my pard,” J Well, he has been you are 4 ‘Ta! is that all? eee care of, the same as you are likely to ee | ‘* How fashion, for instance?” ‘* Curse you! let up on your nonsense and . answer my question!” : “If I did, and told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me, so what’s the use of it?” ‘* Answer, anyhow,” ‘‘] like to know who I am talking to, be- fore I go into confidences with anybody, an: you'll have to unmask and let me get a look at your phiz.” | | ** What do you take us for?” ‘‘From your appearance, for a band of cut throats.” ‘‘Curse your impudence! But, if you ‘won't answer, we’ll take it that our suspi- cion was right, and you must die,” ‘What did you suspect ?” ‘““That you are a spy, come here for the purpose of hunting us down!” i ‘Then you are away off, for I didn’t come here with any such intent. Never heard of you, that ’'m aware of. Whatdo you call yourselves, anyhow ?” “You are asking too much, now, But, there is just the bare chance that we are, mistukep, and we are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, if you will do just what we direct.” i ‘* And what’s that?” ‘Take oath that you will never mention this night’s adventure, and then take pas- sage straight for the East by the next train, and never set foot in this town again. Do that, and we’ll believe you.” ‘‘ But, suppose I fooled you?” ‘‘ We'll take care of that. A man will fol- low you, and at the first sign of playing us false, you will be gathered to your fathers— so to say.” ‘, | There was grim humor in this. “And if I refuse?” ‘You die here and new.” “ Then it’s hoss sense not to refuse.” ‘You are right. Are you willing to take. the oath and do as we say?” | ‘‘T want sometime to think aboutit. I ean’s desert my pard, you know, Without. knowing his fate.” ah | “If you want to share his fate, it is only astep. We have another ; on hand now, and if you are anxious we will send you right along with him. We only offer — you a chance for your life out of pity. ’