Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 891 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

_—- — - = ie 2 - . ——————— SS Se — 2 . cs ee — oe ee Fi ~ =e 3 . toa -— “Ss . ° . ~~, os — . n a "2 Poe > * =. & : * => C= * a. SR pe ~ a Le — —— a x. oth 2. “ ba« SY _ “oy ‘ i <. - o . “7 — a vv al oe , w& . = . - = ~ — + o£ 2 ¢ - : RD aos . ek af a) ae = ia 4 e ® ae Lal ™~ —»® c . = ~~ ~~ite > 7 “ss oe. se a ~* =. : « . ae. x : t Son i « a” . iam ee es as r ? — Fes Son oe me tgp a * ; = = “te a ‘ - + Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Dead-Sure Game, eee ete room, which answered the purpose of office as well, and the young woman followed him with that easy and careless air which is found to perfection nowhere clse than in the wild and woolly West. : Joseph Juchert, the proprietor, had pre- ceded them into the room and had already stationed himself behind the desk where he kept the register. And the register, by the way, was a home- made affair. The girl was really the coolest of the three, and she took up the pen and set down her name with a flourish that a master of pen- manship might envy. ‘‘There you have it,” she said lightly, ‘shoving the register from her. ‘‘ Now my room, if you please, and |’ll wash up and take a rest, for Iam badly in need of both, I ‘assure you.” The name she had penned was: Lucy Love. ‘That ’ar’s a lovely name, darn me ef it ain't!” declared the mayor, as soon as his eyes tookit in. ‘‘’Most as lovely as its owner, by scat!” ‘‘No flattery, please,” chided the young woman. ‘‘ Here aresome handbills and post- ers, by the way,” taking them from the grip she carried. ‘' You can oblige me by filling in the blanks and handing them around.” The mayor took them eaperly. and while ‘the prettv stranger went off to her room he, ‘the mayor, turned to his friend Dimund, ‘What d’ye say now?” he demanded. ‘* Ain’t we right inet? Well, I should say so, by scat! We'll advertise at Nuggetville ‘and Satan’s Pocket; that’ll be our first move, you bet.” The whole camp was filled with suppress- ed excitement. ~ Lucy Love’s name was passed from lip to lip, and every man jack of them began to -ccalewlate upon the cost of dancing-lessons. . There was a general inspection of old stogies, and tallow was at a premium for the rest of the diy. It was safe to prophesy that the dancing-school would be a success, Very little if any attention had been paid to the other passengers who had arrived by ‘the same stage. : | One of these wasa young man, perhaps ‘twenty-four years of age. There was nothing about him to attract more than passing notice, yet a close ob- server would have noted that he was hand- ‘some, With a fearless face and a pair of eyes ‘that it would have been hard to surpass. He wore a slouch hat, blue shirt with a tie ‘knotted at tie throat, plain jean trowsers and rough but shapely boots, into the legs of which the mentioned trowsers terminated, He had a mustache, and if he carried any- hing ng way of weapons they were not e seen, | | This stranger was a very quiet, unassum- ing fellow, and when he registered at the Big Hen, some time after the young lady had done so, the few who cared enough about him to learn his name found that he had written it Dick Bristol. Tt was vot until ‘supper time that Lucy Love putin her appearance again, and then she showed herself upon the piazza of the hotel immediately after the meal. , Dick Bristol was there smoking a cigar. «Ah! do I find you here, sir?” the young lady greeted him. | _ T guess you do,” was the smiling answer, “Tt appears to me this is my corporeal self,” Hal hal To be sure; but I thought you were going to Nuggetville, and it* appears this place is a mile or more short of there, Did you change your mind?” Veg.” ‘‘Then your business was not pressing | PeevOut' «Paar ; __ * Well, no; the fact of the matter is, I have no business; I am merely putting in ' bk re 4 ° - ‘ ae! ir-: dt \} | Love, i ee ‘“‘Dq,you mean you are out of employ?” ‘'That’s putting it into plain English, Miss enough place for you it ought to be for me, so I lighted off the same as you did.” The young woman had taken a seat within a few feet of him. **Well, how would you like to engage with me?” ‘With you?” with a show of surprise. ‘That was what I said,” smiling. ‘* What in the world could Ido in your line? You want a partner toteach the art of dancing?” ‘* Ha! ha! Not at all, sir. Ican do all the teaching; what I want isa manager and some one to preserve order, and I think you will fill the bill first rate if you'll try it.” ‘* All right; I'll do it,” ‘*The people here seem to take to the no- tion of a dancing-school.” ‘‘They’d be worse than heathen if they didn’t, with yourself as teacher,” was the gallant rejoinder to that. ‘‘] sce they are fixing up their new hall for me, and have made quite a display in front with the bills I gave them, No doubt there will be a great time here to-night when the school opens.” ‘‘Not a doubt of it, Miss Love. What's more, they have sent notices to the two neighboring camps, ard there will probably be a general turnout from those places, Now that Iam your manager, will you per- a me to make a suggestion in your inter- est?” _‘* You certainly have that right, sir,” ‘‘ Well, I would charge a good stiff admis- sion fee, if I were you, and you’ will lire your pocket well the first night.” “You may be right,” — . ‘‘ITknow I am right. Give it out that you will give the first lesson free, in order to form a good class, but charge an admission into the hall, for everybody will be eager to see the class formed,” ‘‘Tbat’s true; I wish I had had you for manager long ago, Mr, Bristol. Will you attend to it for me?” | ‘Certainly; but, how came you to choose me for this service?” ‘*T like your face; and then, too, the way you handled that insulting fellow at the last relay station, on our way here, gave me confidence in you, I must thank you again for Lhat service,” ‘‘Pshaw! do not mention it again; it was nothing. I’m sorry I’m not better dressed for the honorable position you have given me, Miss Love, but I'll try to take care of your interests all the same. Hello! what have ‘we here? Looks as if it might bea delegation from Nuggetville, and 1’ll bet that’s what it is, too,” CHAPTER III. THE DELEGATION FROM NUGGETVILLE. Dick Briston and Deadwood Dick, Jr., are names synonymous Hence there is no need to say to the read- er that this man was none other than the Deadwood Dick, Jr., famed in romance. He it was, but a stranger in thistown of Rosy Posy—in fact, he was unknown in this section at the time of which we write, though his name and fame were no stranger there. That he was here on business may be taken) for granted. | But. to the matter in hand. | As he spoke, Dick called attention to a number of. men who were approaching up the gulch ina body. | They were coming with astride that seem- ed to bespeak business, and were excitedly talking and gesticulating among themselves | as thev approached, and through a force of habit Deadwood Dick felt to make sure his weapons were on call, | ‘* Hillo! what’s this hyer?” . / 4 : re . TP o> be ) ti ‘} ce Wut thee e ee ad ot he 4S ys Bo ty = Jy AN : i A Boe 4) - Ad helene s roe ; “ft ns cael 4 : ome) : ~ Je ae vs f i , hal » he See “\ fy 4 > Hi " a 4° ‘ toby sei fe 4 ees ‘ ‘ He > ¥) — nat 3 , hh \ er ae Be: Ae ee aah N Sasa by brite 83 ¥ = aa! Fae aay 84 rd Re Ne a ere ANE D 7) De ; . ¥ | cry Pepe aw sul? HES Ae G ? Ts ent yes OE Roads ~~ {, “gt Jas if 4 “ ar. 305 “et y a4 iliac tah 3. 1 ae 34 OOS TEM ty Ue ake ee Fee eR UE aoe Re ne Se — I thought if this was a likely-looking —_—_—_——— ee EO te id fff - Md yon ays So demanded Marshal Mackerel, just then appearing from the bar-room, He had turned in the direction of the : young woman on the piazza, but noting the | direction of her gaze and Dick’s, had follow- ed it. ‘* It looks Ilke a delegation coming here on business, sir,” said Dick, in answer to the in- ulry. ‘*Wull, they’ll find us to home, I kalky- late,”’ the mayor snarled, ‘* And the latch-string out, eh?” ** You bet!” The men from Nuggetville—for as such they were recognized—were now near at hand, and in a moment more one of the num. ber called out: ‘“*Come right out hyer an’ show yerself,_ Marshal Mackerel, fer we hev come on busi- ness, you kin jest bet on’t! Come right out hyar, an’ tell us what ye mean by sech—” “i ‘Shut up!’ thundered the mayor. ‘‘What’s the matter with you?” ‘‘Matter enough, by hokus!” ‘‘We.l, spit out what you’ve got to say, and done with it. If you have come hyer fer trouble you'll git all you want, you kin ‘pend on’t.” ‘““We have come to demand a ’splanation from you, that’s what we have come fer, an’ you kin bet that Bill Milligin means business this hyer time, sure as my name is Abe Arnold!” . ' ‘* What do you want me to explain?” ‘““Why you rcbbed ther stage of passen- gers What intended to come to Nuggetville, an’ what had paid their fair clean through, by hokus!”’ Pat **You ar’ talkin’ through your hat, you confounded walkin’ distillery o’ bad bug- juice, you!” stormed Marshal Mackerel, al- lowing his ire to rise. ‘‘We have taken no passengers from the stage.” ‘You li— That is ter say, ef, ef that’s ther case we hev been misinformed on ther subject,” was sharply begun but quickly modified, npon the mayer's reaching for a gun. ‘* That’s jest what we have come hyer to find out about, Marshal Mackerel, an’ Bill Milligin wants ter know.” “Then why didn’t he come and find out?” ‘“‘ He sent us,” ‘And suppose it was so, what would he* do about it?” . . | ‘*By hokus, he’s comin’ over hyer in force 4 an’ clean you out, Town Hall and all, and don’t you forget et!” | “He is, hey? Well, you just trot back and tell him that he will find us to home, and with our guns loaded for bear, every time! We don’t scare worth a cent, we don’t, and he’ll find it out so!” 3 Lucy Love had risen to her feet, some- AL: what excited, and now stepping to the edge | of the piazza, she said: ere . ee you let me explain ‘this matter, sir’ > “a | ; ‘illo! you ar’ the gal what’s goin’ to Yarn these hyer galoots of Rosy Posy to dance, be ye? Darn me ef you ain’t a posy yerself, an’ no mistake!” ‘‘Compliments are not called for, sir. I ‘a merely want to tell ibe that neither the = mayor nor the people of this place are re- sponsible for my having stopped here, and you cannot hold them to account for it, " “Then ther driver don’t tell a straight story, that's all,” ~ What has he told?” “That Marshal Mackerel coaxed ye off.” “Well, he did not. He merely called my attention to his new Town Hall, and finding it — just such a building as I wanted, I accepted: it. ) oo « ~ - “” _" oe ‘You wasn’t the only passenger that: was m, booked through, though,” “Tam the other, sir,” spoke up Dead- wood Dick, ‘‘and you, may as well under- stand right here that yow have no claim upon me, none whatever, I go where I please, | when I please, and how I please, and I_ ce : L%!. . * ' 5 | n , , r ; - RAL * * s . ‘ 4 1 ; [ow ve ¢ j ou wees a ee ee ¥ - -* * cP. ‘ 7 + é Yo ye , * , / - 7. “ws a rf! aa es . So ee AS . : ae . “> < eomicbooks.com