Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 889 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 SS re A LE hat upon asofa and took the best seat in the room, ‘** Of course. ‘‘ You didn’t think I was such a fool as to stay away after I’d found you.” ‘* Well, what do you want?” ** Money.” ‘‘T have paid you for your services threo times over.” ‘‘ Yes, and you'll pay me again,” ‘* Not a dollar.” Killer Biller laughed and Ford Rayfield re- peated: ‘* Not a dollar.” **You say so.” ‘*T mean it.” ‘¢ Well, we’ll see if you does.” ‘* See here,BWilliams, our compacts are all at an end. ‘‘ When we were in the mines together pu and I were partners in an affair that rought money to both of us. ** You got your pay and left, promising never to cross my path again. ‘* You broke your word and came to me in Frisco, and again you bled me. ‘*T left the Pacific Slope and went to Tex- as and you turned up there, and again you got money from me, ‘*T came to New York and one day saw your ugly face in the paper and referred to as one who was suspected of having commit- ted a murder years ago and escaped, ‘* The pOpete stated afterwards that your guilt had been proven and your sentence was to the Penitentiary for life. ‘‘ Now you appear before me again and demand money, and the only wonder to me is that you, an escaped convict as you must be, dare risk yourself as you do in the streets of New York.” ‘*Bah! risk nothing gain nothing, Ford, old boy. ‘‘[’m here, and I want money,” * You can get none from me,” ‘* Suppose I peach about that affair in the mines, eh?’ . ‘*You have no proof, and if youhad it would only te your guilt,” ** Would it?” ce Yes.” ‘‘ We shall see, for suppose I have kept proofslyou supposed were destroyed. ‘* Tm no fool, pard, and I looks ahead, and I tells yer dead on ther level that I kin make yer pay me ther money I wants,” ** You cannot,” ‘* Let us see if I can’t, when I tells yer that I knows who ther lady is yeris sparkin’, New York Nat’s Deadly Dea ‘Then you had a game to win, and know- ing my story you got me to help yer. **T did, and you took the trick. “ You paid me, yes, and again and again, for my conscience hurt me and I lived high to drown it. ‘“Then I came here, was accused of. hav- ing murdered old Norcross and robbed him, and yet there was no proof and I would have been set free but for you.” ‘“ What do you mean?” ‘‘T means that you wanted me hanged to hide your own act, and so you paid a man to swear that I was with him the night old Nor- cross was kilt, and that I helped in the mur- der and robbery. ‘In my baggage a pin that had belonged to the old man was found and recognized, and that settled it for me and I was sent up for life, while the fellow who had pretended to turn state’s evidence, was set ‘free. ‘But he was a bad one and soon after committed a crime, and he was sent up for life. 4 ‘‘ At first we were put inthe same celi and with nothing to gain or lose, he told me how he had been paid by you to put that pin in my baggage, for it was one 1 had given you and told you then how I got it. ‘He told me you had paid him big money to pretend to be guilty and swear my life ihe ‘‘T took a solemn vow to escape and make you pay for your crime ag’in’ me, Ford Ray- field, and here I is, and J demand big money, or [ruins you, so take your choice atween them,” CHAPTER XVIII. } THE DEATH-SHOT. ‘Forp Rayrreup had paced to and fro, while Killer Bill was talking, and his brow was clouded, his lips set. At jlast, when the demand was made he turned and faced the man and said: ‘So you believe that I paid a man to testi- fy against you?” . re | do,”’ ‘What proof have you?” ‘His word.” ** Where is the man?” ‘‘ Why does yer wish to know?” ‘‘T have my reasons.” ‘‘He’s not in prison,” ‘* Where is he?” | ‘‘ He escaped, as I did.” ‘*T do not believe you.” “Tt’s a®fact, for be'was with me at the Concert Garden the other night, we was for I seen yer at ther garden concert some |. playin’ gents, yer see, and I seen you there nights ago, and I learns she is worth a couple | and jrecognized yer, and I seen yer pretty o’ million in hard cash, or her daddy will give | jad her that much. love, too, and thinks I to myself, it’s a bad deal ‘for her to marry a man I knows ‘* Now, you loves her, and her gold, and | ¢ lack bh { she is dead gone on you I hears; 1, pede yes ther black heart you does, Ford Ray she hears my story, then your last card is played, and I wins ther game.” ‘Silence, or I will knife you!” and with the words Ford Rayfield whipped out a long- ‘* You would not dare go to Miss Kingdon bladed knife and stepped toward his enemy. with your lies.” ‘* No, I'd tell her the truth.” ‘* And she would not believe you.” ‘‘Oh, don’t play that game, for I were no fool to come here without my gun, and be- sides I has friends waitin’ for me outside, ‘‘ She would believe truth when I has ther | and I tells’em ef I doesn’t come outina proofs.” given time ter come in and see if I has been ‘* William, why do you hound me as you | dealt with foul, for I knows you from ’way do, for I have paid you three fold every dol- | back, Pard Ford, so put up yer knife.” lar I promised you | would?” Killer Bill sprung to his feet, his face livid, his eyes ablaze, while he hissed forth: imp. 8 y does I hound you, Ford Rayfield? | mands, and it is big money “‘T'}l tell yer, and it won’t be pleasant hearin’. | ‘IT came back to this city with a little money, determined to lead a new life. ‘‘T was recognized as the murderer of old |'seek some land where With a low-uttered imprecation the broker obeyed, and the convict went on to say: “Yes, you has got to pay me what I[ de- wants, ‘‘T is tired dodgin’ ther perleece, and hid- in’ from ferrets and livin’ in fear o’ goin’ back to thet life in a tomb. ‘‘T wants money to go away from here to kin live in comfort Norcross, or at least 1 was suspected, and | without fear and try and be as honest in my though I shared the plunder I did not give} later years as I has ;been bad in them that the blow that kilt him. _**T told you all about it in the mines, for I trusted you with my life, and that gave | you?” you power over mo, has gone by.” hat do you call big “money, I ask ‘¢ What is you worth?” ‘‘Apparently a great deal, but in reality be, not much,” ‘‘ Well, yer credit is good so you can raise it, and I wants fifty thousand dollars,” ‘‘ Fifty thousand devils!” ‘‘No, one like you is enough for me to deal with. ‘‘But that.is the sum I wants and will have.” ‘‘T am not worth over that amount.” ‘Well, you is goin’ ter marry millions, and soon, too, 1 hears, and yer notes are gilt edge I learns, so you kin raise it,” ‘“Call it half the sum and I will try, on condition that you never again cross my ‘‘T’ll make the condition for fifty thousand and not a dollar less.”’ ‘‘ You must lower your figure.” “Pay it, or I'll ask the lady to give that. much to save her from you.” ‘‘Ourse you, I'll pay it, but you must give me time.”’ ‘* How long?” ‘‘ A month in which to raise it, for [ have some notes coming in that must be met, and this done I can raise money again on my paper.” ‘‘Give me a couple of hundred to live on and J’ll give you the time you ask; but, I will aoree no nonsense and it will be pay me within a month or go down with a crash, ‘Does yer understand now I accepts your compromise ?” ‘‘Yes, I understand. Now be off.” ‘The two hundred and fifty, please, for living expenses,” ‘* You said two hundred just now.” ‘‘Then you’d have saved fifty by not mak- ing me ask a second time.” ‘“A man of your stripe should live on fifty dollars.” ‘Don’t mention anything about a stripe, for it makes me shudder; but, you are as wicked as J am and you get the best there is, while I suffer.” : ‘‘ Here is the money.” | ‘Good! and don’t fail about the other, for you know what my threats mean. ‘‘Good-night, pard, and luck to you, for on your fortune depends mine—tra-la-la,” and the man backed to the door, as though suspicious of an attack, and not without cause, for as he opened it the right hand of Ford Rayfield was suddenly thrust forward and a flash and report followed, and ming- — ling with the sound came a cry of agony and a heavy fall. But it was not Killer Dick who had fallen, for he had sprung to one side, seeing the act of Rayfield, and the bullet had crashed into the body of poor Ditson, the valet, who was just entering the door. Ford Rayfield saw his fatal mistake, saw that Killer Bill wus in full flight, and in- stantly he turned and fired severa) shots: rapidly at different parts of the room open- ing with folding-doors into the hall, shat- tering a mirror and doing other dama e, | Then he sprung out into the hall and shouted loudly: ‘* Below stairs, there! ‘‘Stop that man, for he has killed my valet,” But he took good care not to call out until | he was sure that Killer Bill had escaped from the house. ; CHAPTER XIX, NEW YORK NAT FINDS A CLUE. TnovuaH in double irons, New York Nat felt that he must keep an eye upon his pris- oner, and also upon Sentinel, who bad once fallen from grace by accepting food from one he had been put to guard carefully. 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