Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 870 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

ha ° % - . \ i a > e ay SAN ‘f . é - we face each other, sir. A step was heard without, and there came a light rapping on the door. The girl was out of Dick’s arms like a flash. . ‘Who are you?” she cried, desperately. “Tt is I, Dick Radway,” a manly voice re- sponded. Deadwood Dick was in a situation now, true enough! And how was he going to get out of it? ) The girl now screamed wildly, and ran toward the door, but fell over a chair in her haste, and lay on the floor screaming hysterically, while the man at the door de- manded: ‘‘What is the matter? Open the door, Luella.’’ Dick strode to the door, laying his hand on the bar that held it tight closed, ‘* Listen!” he commanded. ‘*There has been a mistake here, and I owe you an apol- ogy and an explanation, sir, before I-open this door,” ‘‘Who are you?” was the fierce demand, ‘* What are you doing here?” ‘‘ He is a knave and a wretch, dear Dick!” cried the girl. ‘‘ He cheated me, in pretend- ing he was you.” | ‘* Open this door instantly, or P1l break it in!” the man on the outside demanded. ‘‘ Open it! or by the living Jehu I’ drive a bullet through at you, whoever you are!” “Two can Pere that game, so don’t try it on,” warned Dick Bristol. ‘‘I want to explain, so there need be no fighting when I tell you there has been a mistake, and [am willing to explain all about it. Luella Remolon, hold your tongue for one moment!” ‘*T have had explanation enough!” thun- dered Dick Radway. ‘‘If you don’t open this door in one second I'll break it in!” ‘‘ Well, then, break and be hanged to ou!” , P Dick was disgusted, finding he would be ee no chance to clear himself, and left the oor instantly and groped his way through the room to the rear. He knew there ought to be «another door, and was not Icng in finding it, and he passed” out that way just as the girl opened the front door to admit her engaged lover, who came in like a tiger. “* Where is he?” he cried. ¢ ‘He is gone; went out that way, Dick.” He sprung to the rear door, but, Dick had fastened it on the other side. ‘* Who was he? What was he doing here? What does this mean, Luellay Are you, then, false to me after all?” ‘‘Hearken!” thundered Deadwood Dick, speaking from the other side of the closed door. ‘‘ That lady is innocent, sir, of an deception to you. The blame is all mine; had to deceive her to save my life.”’ / There was the report of a pistol, and a bul- let crashed through the door only a little dis- tance from Dick Bristol’s head, : This was followed by another, and still another, in quick succession, Deadwood Dick thought it time to get out. Noise like this was likely to bring the police ee again, and it would not do to be found there. iiss In this small rear, or interior room, where he now was, he felt some female garments hanging, and hastily seized some of them to don fora disguise, and that done he passed out to find himself ina diminutive court, surrounded by walls. : _ This did not deter him long, however, By the moonlight he saw a barrel near one wall, then a box, and not very high up was. _ awindow, To put the box on the barrel and Tae aR up was the work of a moment, | om*this, perch he could grasp the win- dow, to which he drew himself, and from there to the roof nota great effort was re- - quired. Then, without hesitation, he swung | } ever was paid to him. crowd, at the same timé asking: pe — Gathering up the garments he had stolen, he ran in the direction of the open campos- - the fields, not far distant. ‘‘ Tf there won’t be a lively lovers’ quarrel I miss my guess,” he said to himself, ‘‘ It was too bad, but, what could I do? Had | acted any differently she would have sus- pected and I would have been lost.” He had to laugh over the misadventure, too, ** But, he must believe me, and her, unless he is a blockhead,” he came to the conclusion, * Not likely she would appoint a meeting with him, and entertain another lover at the same time and place! Oh, no; women don’t manige things that way!” Finally he came to a deserted spot, where trees and bushes afforded concealment, and there he stopped to don his new raiment. He found he had taken a petticoat and an ample shawl, and they were evidently the every-day garments of the absent abuela— grandmother. ‘* No matter,” he decided, ‘‘ they will an- swer the purpose, Ill put them on and hie me to the Plaza and join in the fiestas. And then I must get Pete out of limbo, by hook or crook.” He stepped into the petticoat and secured it about his waist, and taking his hat under hisarm, put the shawl over his head and drew it around his face, covering all but his eyes with its folds. That done, he set out to retrace his steps the way he had come, unable to resist the temptation to pass the house to learn how the lovers were making it. When he came near he heard them in earnest and rapid conversation, and they had now a light within. “‘T guess they will make up all right,” he said to himself, as he passed on; and guided by the towers of the cathedral, in plain sight in the moonlight he bent his steps in the Maacton of the great Plaza. _ CHAPTER VII. A STRANGE FREAK OF FORTUNE. THERE was, on this night, some reason for a public rejoicing, and the Méxicans were enjoying it to the full, The Plaza before the cathedral and national palace was aglow with lights, albeit the moon was so radiant, and there the people were holding high revel to the oc- casion, There was music, and the people were dancing. promenading, and enjoying them- selves in various ways. Dick arrived upon the scene to find that he was only one among a thousand women of similar appearance, and no attention what- That he was old his gait attested, and that he was ugly was taken for granted from the fact that he kept his face covered. He simply idled about, looking on, and no- thing more. . | He was thinking, trying todecide how to make his next move. What he desired to do first was to rescue Pete Parrot, but how was that to be accom- . | plished? , While he was thus cogitating, he heard a name mentioned close by him that claimed his attention instantly, and he looked at the speaker, The name spoken was Soslayo! The speaker was a young man, good- looking, plainly a Mexican. : At the call another man in the throng stopped and looked around, and the two im- mediately joined each other, The one who had called seemed to be in a hurry ard in an excited state of mind, and % he drew the other aside out of the passing “* Have you heard?” > rere . Deadwood Dick Jr., in Mexico. ‘* Yes, one got away, I know. It is strange the police could not find him.” ‘*No, no; I don’t mean that at all; I mean the escape from the asylum, ‘The very devil has been to pay over there, Dick had drawn neur enough to hear all, and no one thought of noticing such a poor creature as he appeared to be. He was simply some old crone, taking perhaps her last view of the fiestas. ‘* What do you mean, Fernando?” was de- manded., ‘Just what I say, Diego Soslayo, The girl has given us the slip.” ‘*Furies! you don’t mean it! occur?” ‘*She had help. Two men cut the bars of her window, and she is gone. I hear they are scouring the city for trace of her.” ‘‘And who were the two men?” ‘“Who knows? But, there is more to the story: The escaped murderer was in the grounds at the same time, and he fought his way out afterward and made good his escape. He is the devil,” ‘I pity he wasn’t shot instead of the beg- ar.” ‘Who would have thought of his escap- ing?” **No one; but he did. Andreo did his part well, but it did not work.” : ‘But, what isto be done? This upsets all our plans, and leaves us in the lurch, badly.” : ‘‘ Nothing can be done, but to aid the po- lice all we can and so get the girl retaken and have the murderer arrested. That must be done, no matter what the cost is to us,” Dick stood as silent asa mummy, wrapped in his shaw], and he looked not unlike one, How did it too. ‘‘How is your sister taking to the new scheme?” Soslayo asked. ‘*She don’t take to it at all. She kicks ores the traces, and is going to give us trou- ov ‘**T suppose that American is in the way.” ‘* Exactly.” ‘‘T’ll have to have him attended to. He can be fixed so that Mexico won’t see his shadow on her soil again. Ican have it done.” ) ‘¢ And then I believe Luella would take her own life if she knew of it. There seems no hope there, for she declares if she must marry you she will not play the part, and there it is,” | ‘*Confound the woman! Fernando, she must wed me! I love her, and she must be mine, ing?” : ‘© And how can we make her do it?” ‘‘ By force,” | ‘* Well, it will come to that, so we may.as well take that plan at once. But, it must be sprung upon her suddenly, without giving her a chance to defeat us at our own game.” ‘The sooner the better to suit me,’ ; ‘* But, now with the other escaped, there =~ will be the deuce to pay.” ‘¢T tell you she must be retaken, somehow. | That is the only way out of the woods,” ‘*But, who helped her out of there? that. When they said two men _ had rescued her, I was knocked silly. Who is the question. can they have been?” Diego was thoughtful. ee ae ‘*T don’t know,” he had to confess. “Tt certainly was not said Remolon. | ‘*No, unless he has escaped the snare we — set for him. He isa prisoner.” i eFC ‘* And if not he, then who?” | | ‘Who, indeed?” ‘““Both were silent now, and re ee be Si ! them sharply out of the foldsof thes or serape he had around his head, noticed af ae young woman standing near them. 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