Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 891 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

sine ‘ > *\ : ” " ; - — le hi . f ' A. 2 . + * be 4 & 2. ~ a a: af ‘ ie) - . aad . . . 7 ¢ ad ‘ = : * ‘an : ch ed as ¥ Ms “itn Tal oe ~~ 4 ve ~~ . 4 “= R s b wy “ ) DES yi gry we a ee 2S :. a we? - ‘, ). aay. 4 ou mean by coming to me presuming to fete what my name is? If I have another name besides the one 1 wear, that is no con- cern of yours, sir.” “Maybe not. No, your name is not Lovelaird, now, that is true, since you are a married woman. Frank Tremont.” She sprung from her chair. ‘* Leave this room!” she cried, pointing to the door. ‘“When I get ready,” said Dick, coolly. ‘‘Sit down, for 1 am here on business and have something tosay to you.” ‘* You can have nothing to say to me, and -T decline to listen to you. Unless you leave this room instantly, I shall do so. Do you understand what I am saying?” ‘*T am not deaf,” answered Dick. ‘*T mean it!” ‘‘ You do not seem to be going very fast, if you do.” ick’s manner as well as his words served to enrage her, and she darted to the door. To her amazement she found it locked! ‘* Open this door, sir!” she cried. ‘‘T have not locked it,” said Dick, quietly. “But, you have caused it to be locked, and I demand that you open it!” ‘‘T do not know the combination, Pistol Polly. If you will hear what | have to say, you may find it open when I am done—” “I'll show you the combination, curse ou! Will you open—” ‘‘Not so fast, beauty,” and Dick had her covered witha gun. ‘'I haveheard of your reputation with the pistol, and was looking for you to draw a popper onme, I have - got there first, you see. ow, sit down.” There was that in Dick’s tone and manner that obliged her to obey. She had reached for a revolver, with a quick movement, but Dick had been far too quick for her, and she had not been able to carry her point, “That's better,” said Dick. talk.” She was sullen, “Talk if you want to,” she snapped. ‘You will have to do it, if any talking is done here,” ‘Well, that’s what I have come for, and if you won't talk you. will listen, for you can’t well get out of doing that, Now, 1 have a proposition to make to you.” She neither spoke nor looked at him. ‘There is a fortune at stake, a quarter of which is rightfully yours, if you will accept it. But, you want more. Now, the other party is willing to give you half, on condi- tion that you return home—” . . She looked at him now, eyes dilated. ~ **On condition that you return home,” he continued, ‘“‘ give wp this wild life, and try ‘‘ Now, let’s to redeem the past by living a straight life iu the future, What do you say to it?” ‘‘ What on earth are you talking about?” ‘‘ You know well enough.” “And who is this other party you speak of?” , _ ** Your sister.” _ Her face flushed and grew pale by turns. “Then you know all? You know all about us, and you come from her?” o ie ? Nervously she twisted her fingers, and it was plain that her mind was busy with a problem. | : | - “Ha! hal hal’ she suddenly laughed, harshly, ‘‘ lam not to be caught with chaff, sir. She does not mean it, and itis only a e wee laid for me. That is not the trouble at . : ’ a 3? - ; I should have said—Mrs, | “What trouble? What is not the trou- a ; ble?” .° ‘She cares nothing for me; she wants to get my share along with the rest, some- ow.” “*T swear to you, woman, that you wrong ‘her. She means nothing of the kind. She A _ is anxious only for your good, and I believe m4 \ ee: . ’ Sint my x ‘ ~ ¥ % { uf f . . im ¢ ,% ne c ices 7 Lane | ‘« ‘ ae . ‘ws . = - ’ 4 : 4 " * : ya =, hag ,¥ i ie, yey Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Dead-Sure Game. : aah truly that she would surrender all, if that would save you,” ‘‘Suve me? What's the matter now? Didn’t know that I needed any saving, for I cluiim to know where |’m at and what I’m doing all right.” ‘Trying to be funny will not alter the facts any.” | ‘‘T know what the facts are.” “Then you are going to refuse the offer that is made?” ‘‘ Why does the hussy not come and make the cffer herself? Who and what are you, that you act for her?” ‘*] am in her employ.” ‘‘T took you to be her lover.” ‘‘You see here, you shall not insult that lady in my hearing, woman! She is as far above you as the stars above earth!” ‘* How pretty!” ‘‘ But the reason she does not come in per- son, she does not care to risk her life, after the close call that was made for it last night— Ha! that causes you to pale to the lips, does it!” —_—__---- CHAPTER XVI. THE TRICKS OF A TRAIL. Tre woman’s face had fairly blanched. Whatever the reason, she evidently had good cause to fear Deadwood Dick, now, and showed it. Dick waited for her to speak, but she did not do so, and’ when he had given her ample opportunity, watching her evident terror, he said: “IT am waiting for your decision, wo- man.” ‘*And you have heard it. I will make no terms. Let the matter rest as itis, and I’m satisfied.” ‘* But, it cannot rest even as it is tnless you do your part The quarter of the for- tune had been left to you conditionally, and the condition is that you return home.” ‘¢ Never!” ‘‘Then you come in for none of it. You are foolish, very, for you are offered an equal share, and your sister longs to redeem and love you—in truth she does love you, or she would never have followed you the way she has.” * Pah! you Ict me take my own view of that, if you please.”’ : ‘She is even willing to forgive and for- get all that has taken place, even to the work of last night—” ‘* What do you know about last night?” ‘Nothing, perhaps. Perhaps a good deal,”’ ‘Well if vou know anything, prove it, that’s all. And now I mean to leave this room if I have to break through a window to do so,”’ ‘* That will not be necessary, for I think you will find the door open to your touch. But, before you go, one last chance— Do you re-' fuse the offer that has been extended to EE EE _ you?” ‘* Yes,” with an impolite adjective out of place. ‘‘ I do.” | ‘* Just one question, then—can you tell me where I will be likely to find Mr. Den Hiker this morning?” : _ There was a startled look, in her eyes—her face could not grow any paler than it was, and for a second she looked at Deadwood Dick in terror. The next moment she tried the door, flung it open, and was gone. Dick smiled to himself, and passed from the room He entered the bar-room. ‘‘T want to find Den Hiker,” he said. ‘¢ Haven’t seen him this mornin’,” said the landlord. ‘‘ Mebbe you'll find him down to the Blue Bottle.” . This was a saloon that was to Nuggetville what the Prohibitionist Headquarters was to Rosy Posy—about the worst hole in the camp, and it was further down the street. \," . . , 27 . f Coys Saas ea bh i 4 r F : - . o-4h 7 / ad ” v 4 # 2 a ‘ 13 Dick left the Bungalow and went in that direction, motioning Ned Wyler to follow with the horses, And as he went from the hotel, Dick took care, too, not to expose himself to a shot, Where he could not helpit, he looked back,. with weapon ready. He had no intention of trusting to the good intent of Pistol Polly toany extent, But, then, he had not left ber unguarded, for the person who had locked her into the parlor with him was an aide. Entering the saloon, Dick inquired again for Hiker. , He was not to be found. No one had seen him that morning, so far as could be learned, and at the same lime no. one seemed to care where he was. ‘*Wasn’t he one of ther galuots what ther crowd left at Rosy Posy last night?” asked one man, ‘‘No, he got off safe there,” answered Dick, ‘‘and he had business here before he struck out for pastures new, I havea ten- dollar bill in my pocket for any man who can put me on his track.” ' A frowsy-looking fellow rose up in the back part of the room, saying: ‘*T'm yer nugget, fer that price.” ‘*’'You know where he is?” | ‘*T know ther trail he took, an’ whar he was headin’ fer.” “That is‘all we want to know, if you are giving us straight goods for our money,” ‘An’ that’s what [ am. Den had _ his pocket,ined last night, an’ do ye think he’d give mearock of it? Nary. If I kin blow out on him l'm goin’ to,” ‘*Tt will be all to your advantage.” By the looks of the fellow, Dick would not have taken his word under oath, but if it. was as he represented it, then he was proba- bly. to be believed. At any rate, it was the only information that offered. Dick called the fellow out, giving him @ view of the promised reward as they left the saloon, and they stepped to where Ned was waiting. ‘‘ Now, then, let’s hear about it,” Dick de- manded. “All right, boss, an’ I’ll talk straight: | from ther shoulder fer that greenet you hold thar in yer hand.” ‘‘Tt’s yours, if you do that,” ‘lll do it, I swear. There’s more’n a week's drunk in that tenner, an’ that’s what I’m achin’ fer most.” ‘Well, goahead, go ahead,” “Tm goin’ now. You see, Den an’ me cribbed together in our slab slap ups an’ when he kem in from Rosy Posy las’ night he woke me up—not that he ’tended to, but he done ect all ther same,” ‘* Yes, yes.” ‘Well, I seen he was packin’ up, and I asked him whar he was truckin’ off to at that time o’ night, an’ he told me to go to hot. That sort o’ riled me, an’ I 'minded him that he owed me somethin’, which he allowed that he allus would, an’ then we had et,” . ‘* Come, come, cut it short,” ~ ‘Wull, we quarreled, an’ he packed up an’ got out, an’ I follered him, on ther sly, He went to the Bungalow, where a woman handed him somethin’ at ther stoop, an’ on he trudged, down ther gulch, till I ups be- hind an’ poked ther cold nose ‘of a gun under his off ear an’ perlitely asked him to hold up a bit. hordy, [ thought he’d die right thar!” | ‘* Yes, yes, yes; but, that’s not what we want,” ‘*T’m done, now. That woman was Pistol Polly, aun’ I s’pected that she’d paid Den fer somethin’; an’ she had, as he owned. But, he got over his scar’, seein’ et was only me, an’ finally he got in a clip at me that laid me out, an’ on he went. But, he had let out that he was trudgin’ fer Placer Village, an’ I~ ‘ , nd ‘ 4 s@ a = 4 F r iP ! > —- & ~ “™ a d mt 7 » ve a | ha et ‘ BE? See — Me > ~*~ _. 7 oJ" wee.