Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 888 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

a* a dl, ith.) t,t a** ‘ Pe : ;' “/ ¥. WORE aes » *! . 4 s »f "tN y c ——— — rs —- 2 ~— ~ = * —= _ .ghade the soonest. —_ " . — , a* AN r = 4 e 4 ' ~~ ats a GC tye Bans he sf aes, os 4i Leki bao) fg ee hep Pn » ' *% > h Bk : aa on ted | age fe" eae fy ; 7 fs, 4" , 7 * % ~ - ' ‘ ‘ ~. If a paper wad carried as far as a lead ball, and as true, 1 would have had it right through the bridge of the nose.” “Ugh! Don’t speak about that. I don’t care to hear anything about the work of the doctor, I saw the pistols loaded, and it’s all I want to know. They will be bringing him in soon, and | suppose I ought to go out as one of the chief mourners, but I swear I’d about as soon go to my own funeral.” ‘*And that’s right where you will go to if you don’t dry up on that nonsense, You know if I turn my hand thumbs down you flicker out in the draft I can set to blow- ing. 1l’m not standing any of that nonsense, and it’s the last warning.” **’'That’s all right. if guess you’d sooner I said my little say-so to you than any one else, and if I can’t have a chance to let a bit of steam off there may be a regular blow-up. A fellow has got to die once any- how, and when he gets as far as I have on the wrong track here I[’m not sure but what it would be as well to start fresh, and see if he can’t do better the next time.” There was an air of gloomy desperation about Dick Tredgar which did not altogether please his seeming master. ‘If there was any use to reason with you I would say you are on the down-grade now, going pretty fast, and if you gota sudden fil- lip you’d godown all the faster. You want to let well enough alone, forif I startin you'll go by lightning Express, and find it a mighty long time of waiting before you get to the top of the hill again, Hands on the board, now. Are you really going to kick or not? and it’s the only time of asking.” ‘*You know you have me foul. I may cwritble; but it’s not likely I really mean to fick, After all, who wants to be hung? What are your lordship’s orders?” The sharp warning of Clark Bruce had taken immediate effect, and it was with an air of thorough recklessness Dick Tredgar answered, “That shows you know how to level your head again when it gets off of plumb. 1 want to know how they found him, and what they did with him. Some of the boys had the office to bury him right there; but there may be some fools who will insist on bringing him into town witha whoop. You can’t always tell. If they do it may make some trouble.” ‘* You might have put the job on some of the other boys, but I'll do the best I can, l’m not asking any questions myself, if I can get out of it, but Hicksey can do it for me,” ‘* Fix it to suit yourself, but don’t put it off too long, I want to know how things stand as soon as possible,”’ Tredgar went out without further delay, but as he went he grumbled tu himself: ‘‘Curse him, he wants to show his au- thority. He had better.not crack his whip too loud. He has the cinch knotted mighty tight, but what good will that do himif he’s not there to ride?” ; A noise in the distance showed there were some arrivals, and Clark Bruce did not have long to wait for intelligence. Before long Tredgar came bursting in. ‘There was a hitch in the programme somewhere!” he exclaimed. ‘You better go out and explain to the ng, Fora man who was shot through the heart Monte Saul turned out a lively sort of a stiff. He’sskipped.” “Skipped!” “Lit out. Got up and dusted. He was nowhere to be found, and some of the boys say it was alla fake, and that he never was ‘there at all.’’ ‘‘ What sort of eyes did they have, then? With a moon like that ”—he jerked his hand toward the window, through which the clear light was streaming—‘‘they ought to be able > >, eal eS : mam , n MEOP® Sate | ‘ 7 wae ; SPS ew < Gee Re oe ’ ot ee ey, ‘ . he « : 4) Bech itch i. i vine Se Ae AR Ae AEE gp = Sg bet ge wT (tab ype Sel Le Ta i : 4 ,’ - » : - ’ . aa : ; Qu I oa te es Lawit 8 iT Pe 0 ie bide 1 x. : 1 Pa9e >» ¥ on to 6] 4 hae ‘ yr ‘) ay by, Py Monte Saul, the Sport. ee ——— to lift the trail without spectacles. Some one has carried him away.” ‘‘Some of them thought they saw some sign, but the rest don’t know whether to laugh or get mad at the rise they say has been taken out of Dead Latch. Let them think soif they want to, It will make it all the smoother sailing for us. Maybe he will never turn up again.” ‘‘If he’s alive you'll see him to your sor- row. If he’s dead there is a chance he will be planted, and no more said aboutit. See that you don't chatter too free, and 1']l look after things myself,” Without any air of caution, yet, without being seen, Clark Bruce left the town alone, ms ts natn his steps to the place of the duel, He found easily enough the exact spot where he had been standing when he pulled trigger, and after that it was not hard to lo- cate Monte Saul’s position, He paced across as methodically as Dick Tredgar had done when he was helping to place the men; and then bent over and nar- rowly examined the ground, ‘The fools!” he muttered. ‘Their eyesight must have been as poor as their intentions. There is blood on the grass; how much of it did they expect to sce? A drop would be enough, for he might have bled inwardly. Now, to strike the trail of the man or men who carried him away.” Bruce professed to be something of a trailer, and he had. followed the craft in places where his life depended upon it, but it struck him he had come across some one who was as wily as a red Indian. It was almost by chance he found signs which let him a little-into the true history of the case, ‘They have run all over the trail, curse them, and I'll have to make a bigger cast about to find it, but it looks as though he might have been sitting here a bit while some one tied him up. Those little foot- prints showed their owner stayed too long in one place to be only looking around fora body that was missing. IUs a.boy, sure enough, and he knows more than the rest, if I had the time] would follow him in and choke the truth ‘out of him, Wonder if it was the same kid 1 saw about the head- qoartere, early in the evening? If I saw his ace again, [ would know it. He has struck back for town, and I wonder what sort of a yarn he will tell, A boy can be mighty dangerous when he’s not trying.” He scowled as he muttered, and then, With an angry gaze in the direction of the town, he turned away, and began to circle around the spot. In spite of the sign which he read so truly, he could not believe his aim had failed him, or that Modnte Saul still lived, ‘* No use,” he said, at last. ‘lf he had been carried away there would have been something toshow the fact. And if he has gone away on his own feet, he isa better man, and a gamer man, than I gave him credit for, It would be like him to drag himself over to Honey Dew—if he coula—to refit, but I’ve no time to follow the road to make sure, He couldn’t keep this up forever, but I’ll have to let him go for the present.” He was consulting his watch, by the moonlight, and the hands showed the hour was even later than he supposed. Without delay he left the trail, ana strode away at right angles to it, Half an hour of vigorous walking brought him to the spot which he had evidently been aiming to reach. Casting a keen glance around, he gave a grunt of satisfaction, and threw himself down to await developments, ‘“‘He ought to have been here by this time, but I’m as well satisfied he didn’t have to wait. There is no danger that he failed, ao dD _———~ ere ‘ « WOH Fak led A PP Pes i a ue and 1 wouldn’t like to give him too much | ; : meet 7 \ hot ‘ : ——_ ft ate — “oy Ok || om su J; * _ 4 an - = » a ay Si e time to think it allover. He might imagine the job was worth paying for ugain, espe- cially if there was no solid lining to the | pockets of the old man, It seems to me I | hear him now. Better be cautious, though, | It would make a high time in Dead Latch if they knew I was out, holding a confab with Hold Up Charley.” A little band of horsemen came swooping up, and Clark Bruce crouched lower on the short grass. CHAPTER VII. THE STRANGER AT THE GRAPEVINE, ‘‘Tr you are there show up without fool- ing!” exclaimed the leader of the outfit, and who was none other than the fellow just name by Clark Bruce as Hold Up Charley. ‘* Go a little slow,” promptly renlied Bruce, rising upon his elbow. ‘‘'There seems to have been considerable work of one kind and another done around Dead Latch to-night, and it’s just possible some one may be about to catch on to who were the workers, Mention no names, but give us the good word as soon as you have a mind to.” ‘‘'The good word might be a heap better without any one being hurt. We are here and alive, which is about all we can say for ourselves. if you want to curse the matter over let drive. I can stand it as well now as any Other time,” ‘What! You missed the game?” ‘*And the game missed us, which is about as much as one could ask under the circum- stances. Have to pick your flint and try it again, He said he had only a poor hundred in his pocket, and it wasn’t worth while to run much risk for that. I’ve known the time when he had ten times as much on hand, and thought nothing of it, either, I'll wait, now, till 1 know what Iam going for, and then I'll be ready to hold straight.” ‘‘Curses on it! He escaped you, did he? You don’t mean to say that one man carried too many gang for you and your gang?” ‘‘He anda boy. There was a little shaver came into the game, who barked as loud as a full grown bull-dog. He kind of scared us off, [ guess. We picked him up after- wards, but the blamed little cuss got away after all, and I don’t know but what it was just as well, Everybody will know it was the work of Hold Up Charley.” ‘‘A boy! ‘There seems to be a boy every- where to-night. There was one chipped in- tomy game, if I am not mistaken. What was he like? I’d sooner have a full-grown man on my trail. Luck never helps him like it dves the kid, and he’s twice as careful about his fool neck,” ‘‘Ask Jimmy. He had the contract to drown him in the river, but while he was trying to get in his work some one from the other bank began & remonstrance with a Winchester and he threw up the job, Of course, that was the last we saw of the kid.” “But how did you come to fail in the first place? You hardly mean that a boy bluffed you off,” Hold Up Charley told the story rather as a joke, than asa matter to be angry about. He admitted that for once he was taken by surprise and off his guard. To the question why he did not follow on as soon as Ames had broken past he said that he knew too much to leave an enemy in the rear, and that by the time he had rousted hinr out Ames was at home and behind his fortifications, There was no chance to take him by sur- prise, and they were not exactly ready to at- tempt an assault, which would be more than likely to fail, and thus put him duubly on his guard, By leaving him go the chances were that in a day or so he would have ceased all caution on account of what would be an al- most forgotten incident, ‘Perhaps it was*for the best,” said Bruce, co => +) a _ _