Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 898 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

~~. papa, as we both know very well. - finally Clara Van Bascomb went back to the + cottage, meeting McKnight on the way and ~ er ie dill 4 ee *, nek, Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Double Drive. Clara looked to her father for an explana- ‘tion. “Tf you will allow him to do so?” she asked. ‘‘Of course you will allow it; what can he mean?” There was a cloud on Van Bascomb’s face, and he paced the floor with his hands clinched behind his back. The young girl’s face was the picture of wonderment undisguised. , ‘*His meaning is deep, my child,” he said. ‘‘Tt must be, indeed.” . ‘What do you think of the man, Clara?” “Why, I hardly know, papa; he seems to ‘be better than I thought him to be.” “ With an object in it all. Yes, he has done me a service, and stands ready to do me another, provided—”’ ‘* Provided what?” ‘That I will give ny consent for him to seek your hand in marriage, Clara. That is the long, the short and the whole of it. What have you to say to his proposition, my child?” The young woman’s face had grown death- ly pale, and she had grasped the back of a chair for support. | ‘Ts it your desire that I should marry him, papa?” she faintly asked. “* Answer my question first, Clara.” —— - — CHAPTER V. SETTLING A QUESTION. For a moment the young woman was si- lent, her eyes cast down. Then she raised her head, looked her father squarely in the face, and gave him her ‘answer: ‘‘ Papa, [ had rather die than become the ‘wife of sucha man. 1 could never marry James McKnight willingly. I hope such is not your desire.” , ‘* Spoken like my own fearless Clara!” Mr. Van Bascomb exclaimed, “‘ Have no fear, my child, for I have no desire that you should marry him, If only wanted to know chow you stand.” ‘* Well, you know.” ae Yes.” “* And what will ‘be:the result?” ‘‘ That matters not, my child, We'll meet the trouble when ‘it.comes.”’ ‘‘ But, papa, isn’t ‘there a chance to use ~ this rascal to our we ences I call him so, because only-a rascal could make such a pro- posal.” ‘‘In what way, ‘Clara?” | ‘* You say all he .asks is your consent to seek my hand.” ‘‘ He wants me'to favor his suit.” ‘That is about al, you could do anyhow, You con- eae that much and leave the rest to me.” ‘‘ What a schemer you are, my child! I ‘think I had better take you out of this wild place, for you seem to be learning too much, Or is it only the outcropping of the native craftiness In your sex?” ‘Call it the latter, then you will not send me away from you, papa.” _ “ And there’s still more of it! But, dare you trust yourself that far, if I grant what you ask?” ‘‘Do I look as if I should run away in fright? You do your part, papa, and I will take care of the rest of the matter. But, make use of him at the same time, you know.” ‘Certainly I'll do that,” ‘He says he can bring about a settlement in any manner you desire, nuw that the men are in mood for it; make use of him to the full limit.” So the little counterplot was laid, and giving him a friendly smile that quite en- couraged that gentleman, | During the day there was a new arrival in ‘town. ; _ The new-comer was a rather good-looking ae £ ae f . ae . e~ See a Pee {a tt T fen" . bw i v? <a " +? ag 4 “ . 3 we > m4 ad a ead stranger, but one clad in about the roughest manner. He had a companion, an odd-looking fel- low some years older than himself who had the appearance of being an Indian-Mexican half-breed, The first mentioned wore a big slouch hat, coarse jacket and trowsers, blue shirt and big top-boots with spurs fixed upon the heels. A pistol swung in a holster at his hip. The other wore a similar big hat, a plaid shirt, and trowsers and boots of the very coarsest. His weapons were in a belt. They came mounted, and had something like a dozen horses in lead. ‘*T’ll be hanged if they don’t look like hoss-thieves,”’ declared Tony ee as he first sighted them from the office of Mayor McKnight. Tony Young, by the way, was the may- or’s clerk and handy man. He was a young fellow, about twenty years of age, and one who was something of a Smart Aleck in his way. ‘* Yer hadn't better let em hear ye say et,” suggested one Hud Taylor, who happened to stand near. ‘‘T wouldn’t wonder if the boy is more than half right, just the same,” spoke u Mayor McKnight himself. ‘‘They loo like hard customers, the pair of them.” ‘* But all ther same et moughtn’t be easy ter prove,” Taylor rejoined. ‘* No, perhaps not.” This, as said, when the new-comers first made their appearance. The mayor and the others stepped out of the office as they came along, and the new- comers drew rein, - © Good afternoon!” greeted the one first described. ‘‘ What isthe name of this likely - lookin’ burg, gentlemen?” ‘‘This is Hardscrabble,” answered the mayor. ‘‘ Who and what are you?” ‘*T’m a dealer in horseflesh; ready to buy, sell, exchange, trade, dicker, or swap, and I'll cheat every time if I can.” ‘*What’s your name?” ‘Horse Strader. What’s yours?” ‘‘ Horse Trader—what kind of a name is that? When I asked for your name I ex- pected to get it.” ‘Same here. I asked for yours.” ‘Well, mine is McKnight, and I’m mayor of this town. Now, then, sir, give me your name, and no more fooling about it,” McKnight was a little irritated. ee gave you my name in the first place, sir,” the new-comer declared. ‘‘ That is the name | am known by—Horse Strader.” ‘*That is no name at all—Horse Trader; that is the business you follow, it appears, but you can’t wring that in for a name, not here at any rate. Come, now, show down your real cognomen, sir.’ ‘ Well, the first part of it is a nickname, T’ll admit; my name is Dick Strader, but they call me ‘ Horse ’ for short!”’ ‘*Oh! that makes a difference. Where do you hail from?” : ‘* Texas, originally; more recently from ew Mex.” ‘‘ From the Lone Star, eh? That’s a great country for horse-thieves I have heard,” ** Well, Mr. Mayor, as we are not looking for fight, I will not take you up on the insin- uation you would fling at us. I'll simply Say that we don’t belong to that class.” ‘* We can’t swear to it.” ‘“‘ True enough, you couldn’t; neither could aly prove anything against us if you tried. nougk said.” | ‘* On the other hand, can you prove to our satisfaction that you are straight? Do you’ carry bill of sale for all these horses you have brought with you? This is a matter of business.” ‘* Yes, I see; you are inclined to make that your business which is none of your busi- ness, sir. These animals are all mine, most Ly é ~ of them gotin the way of trading. Am [not right, Mongrel Mike?” he demanded, appeal- ing to his companion to bear witness to the truth of his statement. ‘‘That’s straight,” the well-named half- breed declared. ‘‘ What proof is that?” sneered McKnight. ‘* We don’t know either of you.” ‘You'll probably get better acquainted be- fore we leave your town,” Horse Strader in- timated. ‘‘Thaven’t said you might stop here,”’ growled McKnight. ‘‘ And I haven’t asked your permission, sir. You seem inclined to pick up a quarrel if you can,” ‘ — “Tt couldn’t amount to anything if I did. If you were out of that saddle I have conceit enough to believe that I could stand you on your head in about one minute, if it came to that.” ‘“Yes, you look like a conceited cuss, that’s so,”” and Mr. Strader handed his rein to his companion and slipped to the ground. ‘‘Maybe I can take some of it out-of you. This is not in my line, exactly, but you are rubbing it on a little thicker than gocd nature can stand,” ‘Tam, eh?” ‘Yes, you are! Wecame here in peace, and we have come to stay for awhile, like- wise in peace, if we can.” ‘Well, you can’t stop here, so you had better go your way in the same manner. We want no horse-traders here, with a drove of cayuses of uncertain ownership. Get into your saddle and be off.” McKnight’s hand was moving toward his if Hold on! Never mind drawing a gun; we can get along without that,” urged the new-comer, waving his hand, ‘‘ You said something about standing me on my head, and now I'll tell you what I'll do: We'll have a friendly wrestle—since you have ut it into my mind, and the best man wins, f you throw me, I go; if I throw you, then stay.” The Mayor of Hardscrabble had ‘‘ put his foot in it,” so to say, and he could not well get out of it. ‘All right,” he Lage pot acquiesced; ‘we'll have it that way. I'll send you riding up the gulch in just about two minutes by the watch. Are you ready?” ‘* All ready!” They clinched, and in about a second of time the horse-trader was whirling the Mayor of Hardscrabble around in his arms in aman. ner calculated to make his head swim, Two or three turns of this sort, in which he displayed the prowess of a Hercules, al- most; then he deposited the mayor squarely upon his head on the ground, to the delight of Mongrel Mike, the amazement of Tony Young, and the complete astonishment of the crowd that had collected! _—__ CHAPTER VL. MCKNIGHT'S TOOL REPORTS, ‘Wuxi, I ber darn!” exclaimed Hud Taylor, who was standing with the crowd a few yards off. ‘‘ Stranger, you ar’ a horse fer fair, you be!’ . And the crowd echoed the sentiment. The mayor was upon his feet in a second, and putting out his hand, he cried: ‘‘ Stranger, put it there! You did that thing in the neatest kind of way, and I am not the man to squeal. That pays your | footing at Hardscrabble, and you can stay here as long as you like,” Mr, Horse Strader took the proffered hand in a hearty grasp, and responded: ‘‘ That sounds as if you are a man of the right sort, mayor. I’m glad to have your permission to stay, though I intended to re- main fora time anyhow—that is to say, un- less you had dumped me in our brief contest, vA mA + helen 44 teal —") —— a EEE