Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 858 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

**{ want a little time to think about it.” S | ‘All right; we'll give you twenty-four ¢ hours, here in this doorless room, and at the end of that time I guess you willaccept | anything.” flere was a respite that young Deadwood Dick, Jr., was glad to accept. It has not been thought necessary to in- form the posted reader that this Magic Mose, of our story, was no other than the redoubtable Richard. | At this time he was entering upon that | career which in after years was destined to | make him the most famous detective of his day. If we have turned backward to re- | count some of his unrecorded adventures, it has not been without a purpose. | ‘‘T accept that offer, anyhow,” Dick : promptly decided. | ‘All right; and now you will witness something that will convinee you that we mean business.” | “And what’s that?” | “The death of a suspected spy.” “ The chieftain of the maskers turned then and made a sign. | Two of the men went to one end of the | room, where they opened one of the hidden doors, and a bound man was_ brought forth. , He was not only bound, but gagged as | well, and a look of terror was in his eyes. He was a young man, not over thirty, and | not by any means bad-looking, as Magic | Mose decided, pa He was brought forward to the center of the room. a “Well, Henry Clavering,” the leader of the masked five addressed him, ‘‘ you see what your prying has brought you to.” There was that in the eyes of the prisoner | Which plainly showed his desire to speak, so the gag was ordered to be removed from his mouth. as ‘Yes, curse you! Noel Namara! | what you have brought me,” was the fierce 1 response the prisoner immediately made. athe. ‘Make sure of my death, forif I escape you this night, woe to you!” ‘Ha, ha, ha! Little fear that you will es- cape. We will take good care that you are made dead enough. Have you any last word to leave?” ‘To you, yes: God permitting, my spirit shall haunt you till you die, you wretéh!” Rg does not trouble me any. Is that all?” ‘*T would leave a word for—” ‘Well, for whom ?” ““The woman I love; but, I know you ‘would only mock me, I will not’ give you - ‘the chance.” ‘“Mock you? My dear fellow, you are in no state to be mocked just now. Just as well that you do not mention names, though you have mentioned mine, for your message 1 would not be delivered,” : 4 I knew it well enough.” _ “Then there is no reason for further delay ~~, in your case.” ‘‘ Proceed, if’ you intend killing me, and ; let it be done with; but, remember my oath!” vie ‘¢Hnough; we will delay no longer,” A sign made, two of the maskers stepped T see to eo Se EE SS Se eR o ~w << + ’ 5 4 ‘ bined weight. Viet _ While this was being done, and while the a others of the band and Magic Mose were looking at them, the prisoner stepped to the vgs: side of Magic Mose an ckly but very pee distinctly whispered: ; ~. “Should you escape, avenge me! Get information to Etta Elmertine how I died _ and who was my slayer. I know you not, but you are my only hope. You can do thing to save me, but you can do this, | Ei) gether, both pulled down with all their com- ' qui . 7 ies - > ” _ Quickly spoken, and the prisoner stepped forward; and taking hold of the lamp to> Not a word. You have heard me speak his |’ ee , Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Death-Hole Hustle. back to his place, just as the head member of the maskers turned. ‘* What are you doing?” he demanded. ‘* Not as | would like to do, Noel Namara, be sure of that.” The chief of the band whipped out a re- volver and thrust it forward, but another caught his arm. ‘* Don’t do it!” this man cautioned, ‘* You are right; it would stain the floor; but I would have done it had you pot stopped me. Twice he has mentioned that name—name of the person he takes me to be, by mistake.” “The person I know you to be,’ the prisoner maintained. ‘‘ Liar! take that, since you will have—” He threw forward his arm and fired, but in the nick of time his arm was hit by the man who had the second before detained him, and the bullet missed its mark. Just then the men pulling at the lamp | were seen to be drawing it toward the floor, and as it came downward a great gap ap- peared in the floor only a few feet away, out of which came a breath of damp air. And that was not all that came out, either. There was an eerie screech, a flap- ping of wings, and a bird flew up into the room, circling around for a moment at a mad rate, as if bewildered, and then _ it suddenly broke out in words as plainly x eames as a human could have uttered them, ; ‘‘Where’s Dick? Where’s Dick? Pete in a fix!’ 7 CHAPTER IY. THE MESSAGE, STARTLED by the sudden appearance of this bird, and more by its startling words, the masked men fell .back, for the instant, in dismay. The trap in the floor having been opened, the two men who had opened it had let go of the lamp-lever, the gap remaining open of its own weight, or balance, however it was worked. ‘It’s that cussed parrot!” exclaimed he called Namara. ‘Kill the confounded thing!” cried an- other, and he blazed away at the parrot with his revolver, Some of the others followed his example, and for a few seconds it was made exceed- MOSE HAS A SCHEME, ingly hot for poor Poll, who cried out with } all her might: ‘*Sock it to’em! Sock it to ’em!” It was plain that the bird did not realize just what the firing meant, but was repeat- ing, as it happened, something it had heard spoken on some other similar occasion. Nevertheless, the men had to laugh, and so ceased firing, and the parrot flew to a dis- tant corner and settled down. ‘‘So, your name is Dick, is it?” asked the chief of the band, addressing Mose. ‘*My name happens to be Moses,” was the se 8 ‘* Moses what?” ‘* Mantel.” 3 i Then who is this Dick the parrot calls or ‘‘A pard who used to travel with the bird’s master, who went by that name, I take it.” ‘‘ Maybe that’s straight; we won’t stop to question it. We have business to attend to now, aS you are aware. Men, take oe prisoner and hurl him into this trap, head- long.” A cry escaped Henry Clavering, as we have learned his name to be, but he was seized immediately, and being pushed to the edge of the opening in the floor, was sent over, and disappeared into the dark depths ow. Immediately two of the masked men closed the opening, the lamp uses to its place near the ceiling as the gap close Bite Deadwood Dick had found it impossible to repress a shiver of horror, ‘*There, now you know the fate of your pard,” observed the leader, carelessly, ‘‘ And that same fate is likely to be yours,” ‘*]’m not anxious for it,” responded Dick, ‘*’There is only the one chance for you.” ‘* He hadn’t ought to have even that, now,” another of the masks declared, “Why?” ‘‘ He now knows too much ” ‘‘'That's so; but, he could never find his way here again.” ‘* But, he has heard a name mentioned,” ; ‘That amounts to nothing; the person whose name it is does not know of this secret omen and it would do him little good if he . id.” “Then you are going to leave him here?” } a ; pe Se as —_—--—— * Sa ‘* Yes, we'll keep him over, anyhow.”’ * All right; nothing to say.” ‘* You don’t approve of it?” a6 No, i don’t.” : ; | . ‘What would you do?” cad ‘Send him after the other.” | | 1 There was a pause, and one which was not at all pleasant to Deadwood Dick. | The chief of the maskers was thinking, | and Dick’s fate trembled in the balance for a. | few seconds, , 0 | ‘‘No, we'll Jet him stay here,” came the i] final decision at last. ‘‘He'll keep all | right, and we'll have more time to think | | about his case. Put out the light, and we'll »? ‘‘Hold on a minute,’’? Magic Mose now spoke up. : ‘Well, what is it?” “Won't you leave me with my hands free?” | ‘* What for?” ‘It’s a bad fix to be in for twenty-four _ hours, bound up this way.” eye They had bound him just before bringing | the otber prisoner into the room, as should | have been mentioned. ; ni of : _ “Well, that’s so, seeing that there is no | possible chance. for you to get out of here. You were only bound to keep you from try- | ing any foolishness in the way of rescuing | the other prisoner "’ Ee “ Ha, ha!” laughed Dick, ‘A fine figure I would cut at that, against five of you.” | ‘We didn’t know, what you might try. Release him, men,” | | This was done, | | ‘And now, out with the light, and we'll go. There will be two absent when the breakfast horn blows in the morning, at that little hotel.” ‘* And One more somewhere else,” ‘* Yes, that’s so; right you are. But, come . along.” | iad The light was put out, and Dick heard _ them move away toward one corner of the strange room, All was silence fora moment; then aclick- _ ing was heard, then the closing of what _seemed a mufiied door, and darkness and si- lence reigned, | Muute Moss waited a time before he ven- tured to speak, forit washis intention tocall the parrot to him as soon ashe thought it prudent todo so, but while he waited his thoughts ran freely. Boe ‘“Well, this isa deuced fine fix to bein,” he mused. ‘‘Seems to me it is pretty earl in the game to get ina box of this kind. And how am I going to get out of it? That’s _ the sticker. Poor Pete! I guess it’sall up with him, for the fact that Poll came out of that hole is proof that he went down there.” __ It was more than he had looked for, so soon after his arrival in Deming, ye eae “Tt's a wonder Poll didn’t give warning when these fellows entered the room the first time,” he mused further. ‘Don’t see how it was she didn’t squawk out at them. ae 4 aybe she was in Pete’s pocket, where she likes to sleep. I'll never know, but I do not a) care; she is here now, and IT must call her + fi * .