Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 891 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

Ce yee, Ft CT years . tt ing? * ™ held Ts ae 5 eYgur™ iis y ST QF te me —we - ab ee Ee OE ye nr enuer eee eee ee 6 | Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Dead-Sure Game. -andif you serve me I’m going to pay you | or words to that effeck. That is ter say, he well.” ‘‘Kive hundred, you said.” ‘‘That’s the figure, five hundred dollars; | and I'll make it a hundred more if you can put this fellow Bristol out Of the way.” “Then that hundred will be a clear an’ perlitely tells you to go to blazes, and that he’ll do as he pleases!” ‘* An’ that was the word he sent, was et, curse him? He feels his oats sence they have stuck up that shanty they call a Town Hall. But, we'll make him take water be- clean present, fer I'm goin’ ter do that job | fore he is a day older, an’ don’t you forget anyhow, you bet! He hasr’iled up ther tiger | et that’s in me, an’ nothin’ but his blood will make ther beast down,” The woman broke suddenly into a peal of laughter. ‘* What’s broke loose now?” the whiskered !?? CHAPTER VII. SOMETHING OF A COUNTERPLOT, A cLoup was appearing on the horizon, as tough demanded, with a voice something | yet no larger than a man’s hand but of de- like the subdued roar of a lion. ‘¢*? was only comparing your assertion with your appearance, that’s all. You said he had roused the tiger in you, while it looks to me as if the tiger was turned into a scare- crow, Ha! ha! ha!” ' The fellow’s hideous face grew more for- bidding still, as he tried to frown. ‘Don’t you go ter make no fun o’ me, Pistol Polly,” Le warned, cidedly sable hue, Where the cloud would burst and what the damage would be, remained to be seen, Mention has been made of the leading saloon at Rosy Posy, the Prohibitionist Head- quarters, and itis to that resort that atten- tion is now invited—and a pretty hard place it was, | A curious name for a saloon, and the more so for a mining-camp saloon, admitted; but ‘Bless you, Abe, that’s not making fun! | it was only a name, after all, though there You simply don't know how comical you look. But, now to business.” ‘*Well, what is ther business?” was a good deal of it. In fact, the front of the saloon had not been able to contain it all. The painter who had done the lettering had ‘‘You will be on hand at the opening of | missed his calculation. the dancing-school in Rosy Posy?” The name began 9]l right, and ran along ‘‘That’s what I’m goin’ fer, you bet. And | all right for several letters, and the point ef that smart Alex gits in my way he is | could be seen where the artist had first dis. goin’ to hear somethin’ drop—” | ‘‘ Just what I’m afraid of. You will get into trouble with him and he will do you up for fair, and then where will your five hun- | sree be? I want you to attend to business rst,” | ‘‘Wull, ain’t that business?” : “Ttmay be the business that will finish youif you don’t go slow about it, that’s so.” ‘Then how d’ye want et done?” ‘‘Couldn’t there be a inystery there at Rosy Posy, don’t you think?” “ What kind of a mystery?” | | ‘* A murder mystery,” in whisper. ' “Thar might be, I s’pose.” “Tf this girl should be found dead in the morning, couldn’t it be made to appear that this fellow Bristol had done the deed?” ‘“*Mebby.” . | ‘*And how, much money would it be worth, do you think?” | ‘*A cool thousand, in clean cash, and rot a penny less, Not that I’m sayin’ I'd do et, mind ye.” | ‘‘And not saying that I’m offering any such reward for the service, You are nota fool, Abe, nor am I, I have got justa ‘thousand dollars laid by, however. understand ?” **Reckon I do. _ eyes open, I’m your domino.” ‘* Then there is nothing more to be said. See that you keep sober, and that you say nothing to anyone. I am putting a big trust in you, Abe Arnold.” | | The womun had risen, and now showed the tough out,of the room. Rtg Her took on a dark look immediately, as h appeared. | | | ‘Tf he willonly serve me,” she said to her- self, ‘‘ My interests here are too great for me to throw them up, and yet it will speil all if Lucy Love comes here—as ske certainly will if she learns that Iam here, But, curse her, she shall be removed from my path!” In the mean time Mayor Milligin had been waiting for Arnold to come forth, | ‘Well, what have you got to report?” he “What apology did Marshal -demanded. ! Mackerel make? What did he say about taking advantage of usthe way he has been doin’? That's what I want to know. your fault.” you wanted a dose of ther same medicine you knowed where to find ther doctor, an’ that I could tell you so with his compliments You | If I kin git these hyer, If, you was foolenough to git licked, that was covered that he was going to be cramped for room, for the next letter was just a trifle smaller than the first three or four. And the next was smaller still, and closer to the rest, and soit ran until the end of the line was reached, There the letters stood as close together as it had been possible to place them, and they were very thin at that,-but even that last measure had not saved them from slopping over, and in order to read the whole sign the curious.one had to step around the cor- ner and view it from the side. But, that was only a matter of passing moment and did not amount to anything. Enough of the name stood in front to enable any one to guess the rest of it. The entrance was on a level with the strect, by a door that would have done better service as the door of a barn, and the bar was the most conspicuous object in sight, at first blush. | It was astructure of rough planks well spiked upon a strong framework, and be- hind it were some shelves of similar planks stoutly braced, _ On these shelves were bottles of many sizes and kinds. Upon the bonrding of the shanty itself, over the mentioned shelves, the name of ‘the saloon was repeated in smaller letters— the artist had evidently painted this after doing the job outside, and had measured his space. And then, under this sign, and in brackets, were the words: (Wuart's Pronrprrep? WAtTER!) The proprietor of the den considered this a huge joke, and on one or two occasions when temperance advocates had wandered into the place, deluded by the sign without, he had enjoyed the joke tothe full, | Further back, beyond a space that was | left bure for dancing, were some tabies and chairs, and at one of these tables were two menin whom we have interest. , One we have seen before, Barth Dimund, The other was 8 man who had come by the stage, as an outside passenger, and who had not registered at the hotel, | a was a man of ragged hair and unkempt beard , but who had a pair of keep and flash- ing eyes that did not agree with either hair or beard in color, for they were of the black- est. His hair and beard were of a rusty color. He was roughly clad, carried a reyolver ‘ P, é ; . la » Th : “ vat ‘, : a : : : ° ; : 4 7 4 4 “ae : i on, 1 ; Tet taet tae Fat y 0d 4h ay a oe ete Bh . ; b> yh € Par ° Wa ie te i Res . : a UMEreS SS tees pre ies: a NS. / “7 . a ? Tie & | | Pies Hf A ret . Ano cx he, Oh ie m' te, Ny Ps ae in a swinging holster at his hip, and might. have been taken fora rough cowboy from a. pretty tough section of country. A close observer, however, would have noted that his hands gave the lie to this im- pression, for, though dirty enough, they were soft and evidently unused to hard knocks and rough usage. ‘*And that is the way you expect to find her, eh?” Barth Dimund was just just say- ing, ‘“That’s the way. The little gal will run. her down, sooner or later, and then I'll step: right into the fortune and bag the game, ‘‘ Yes, I see, and I see also a snag in your way, too.” ‘A snag? What’s that?” “This man who ealls himself Dick. Bristol,” ‘*T have been thinkin’ about him, and I have got his goose over to cook all sight.” ‘You may be all right if you have, but you have seen what that fellow is made of, and you will do well not to run up against: him, that’s all 1 have to say.” ‘Not the first time I have seen him show his muscle.” ' What do you mean?” Thereupon the stranger related a cireum~ stance that hai occurred at the Jast relay station, where a big bully of a fellow had offered insult to Lucy Love and Dick had taken it up for her. | ‘‘ And then what is your iatention with re- gard to this young ludy?” asked Dimund, ‘‘T’ll marry her, of course, if she’ll have it. ) I must say.” = eel te ‘‘What’s the matter with it?” ‘A good deal—with you. Do you think for a moment she’d wed you?” — ack ‘‘She won’t get a dip at the fortune an other way, that’s certain.” | € According to the story dees have told me, she will come in for it all, soon as she gets the papers from this other woman, whem she discovers her.” ‘* Yes, soon as she does—which she never will by the way. I tried to find her, but: failed, and then I took up the task of follow- ing this other, for it takes a/woman to fol- low a woman, every time,” ‘‘ You mean you think she’ll never find: her?” . pee | ‘* No, no; that she'll never pane papers!: “Ha! ha! Well, that’s a cool proposition, She’ll find the woman all rig in and take the papers, and she will have to dance to my tune or not at all.” “ And what about the other party?” . “She'll not be in it at all. : for her treachery to me in the past, you bet!” ‘‘There’s one thing strikes me as peculiar in. all this,”’ a ‘‘ And what's that?” ap “That you should make sapestice of go- ing about and telling your priva strangers—for instance, me.” take of your life, old loss.” Aue ** But, you have told. me.” — * Yet, I don’t make a practice of doing it, You are the exception, and I have told you help.” Barth Dimund gave a start, ‘* You know me?” he gasped, © I have told you, and yours, you said, is Joel icks?” ab ain have chosen.” Bee Ci Both were speaking in low, earnest tones, and now Dimund leaned over the table, h face decidedly pale. ©” #) ‘y ot Ae eth Oy ak By ’ it thy Gore - aioe Weer nee To lt ' i ; Ri, i oe ha 7 a. iT “Y e . we & Ip r et La is ett FAS ey rs dl ly wae Te | rhe: a LVS A. thee i cia Ree NM NO ; a - ’ Var ’ + ’ a ay ‘cae 13; ene + a Ard . r At tbe! _ iy y ° Pode io uf ‘ _ . ‘ i } cae j Na Dera | Ne ] bs 5 r ; s Kh \ ° J 4 anit te » : . EB hs é y¢ ; ‘ll pay her off" _ ‘* That's where you make the grandest mis-. ‘“Trather think I do, my friend.” _ es ‘Then you have greatly the advantage of me, that’s all, My name is Barth Dimund, as- ! t, but I'll step» - te affairs to- because 1 know you and because I want your — “Joel Hicks, that's what I said, and that name fits meas well as Barth Dimund fits — you, if nota good deal better, There is a sort of give-away tone about the name you We 7.