Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 902 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

oe ee In a short while a form appeared through the darkness. The Chinaman arose and peered cau- tiously, as though both with fear and hope, but soon muttered: ‘Him allee right!” It was New York Nat. He approached the trees as though prepared to meet friend or foe, ‘Well, Wing Lung, here I am!” he an- nounced, in suppressed voice. ‘* Me too, allee same!” was the Chinaman’s reply. ** You have news for me?” asked Nat. ** Muchee news,” ‘* Well, out with it!” ‘Satan Samee he win muchee monee; then he go home with three badee ’Melican men; Wing Lung he hidee in shed and hear talkee; Satan Samee say—boy pards go on trail to-morrow—have much monee; so they catchee boys at Canyon Spring, where they camp allee night; then Satan Samee killee boys, gettee horses, guns and monee, scalpie boys, makee believe Injun kill ’em.” ‘That is good! said Nat. Wing Lung, you are a dandy detective. Did you hear Satan Sam say whether they would lie in wait for us, or attack us when in camp?” ‘‘Satan Samee say he shootee you when asleep!’ answered the Chinaman. . ‘‘If he catches us asleep he may shoot, but you had better hurry back now, Wing Lung, as Wide Awake Tim wil! have finished his supper and be calling for you. I[ will manage to call you again before I go.” Nat warmly grasped the hand of the Chinaman, who then glided away back to the hotel, while New York Nat’s thoughts ran: , ‘¢That Chinaman will make an invaluable detective. He is slyer than a mink, and shrewd as the fabled serpent. His cousin, Loo Choo, too! They’d make a famous re- cord, I am sure. I must contrive in some way to take them back to New York with me, and make them members of the Boy Police Band, ; ‘But now, to return and tell my com. rades of the dead fall game Satan Sam has sel. for us. Our little act of sympathy in putting flowers upon his dead brother's grave has made the Celestial our friend until the end,” : With this New York Nat returned to the hotel, nnd found Wide Awake Tim, the night clerk, cursing the Chinaman for bring- ing him a supper which, he said, was not fit for a dog, Anxious to save Wing Lung from further trouble, Nat approached the clerk and began totalk to him, the Chinaman seizing the waiter and quickly making his escape ont of the office. Unhaunted by the death of the Chinaman he had shot, without one pang of regret for his deed, Wide Awake Tim had lighted his pipe and comfortably seated himself for a smoke’ until the Midnight Express should come in, | Glad of New York Nat’s company, the clerk began to joke with him regarding the very clever defeat of Satan Sam at the game of cards they had played. ‘“‘Ttell yer, young chap, you're a Daisy from Wayback, for I seen the game. “Satan Siam played yer for a tenderfoot jist out o’ the cradle, and you called him down in great shape, “Tsay, whar did you l’arn to draw a gun, for you is quicker than greased lightning? Sam he had to take the bluff, and it were amoosin’ ter see him crawl, but he wilted and got out o’ the game without being en. tirely downed. Puard, you is goin’ to be a gilt-edged sport,” | : ‘Thank you,” dryly responded New York Nat ; and the night clerk having brought up — the subject of Satan Sam, the young Ferret appeared to be deeply interested in the. ~ desperado’s history, so he asked many ques- tions nhout the tough and his following. _ fee. + Re SRY “New York Nat in | TO see ss 8 , — = — , ~ : i » 4s ~ oo oe ry ~~ - Pe vt Wy . > ~) —-— i . ¥ | The information gleaned was of much , benefit to New York Nat, for he learned that Satan Sam certainly deserved his name, and his following of half a dozen men of the same stripe formed aclique in Junction City that terrorized the community, though, out- side of committing murder, they had never been caught in any lawless acts, Bidding Wide Awake Tim good-night, Nat started along the dimly-lighted hall- way, on his return to his room, when sud- denly he heard his name spoken in a whisper. Turning quickly, he beheld Wing Lung, who whispered ; ‘Satan Sam lookee through window and hear allee Tim talkee about him. He muchee bad man!” and the Chinaman disappeared without another word. ‘*] believe that Satan Sam really suspects me of watching him and of being other than 1 represent myself; but I shall down him yet ;” and the young Ferret disappeared through the door of his. room, where his comrades anxiously waited his coming, not yet having retired to rest, in their anxiety. CHAPTER IX. A GRAVE’S SECRET. New York Nat and his two comrades left Junction City after dinner, determined to take the advice of men who knew, to ride as far as Canyon Spring and there make their first camp. They haa been told to follow the pony trail instead of winding along on the stage trail, as the former would cut off for them fully a dozen miles. But, for some reason best known to him- self, New York Nat did not cut off distance by the pony trail: rather, he stuck to the broader one of the stage coach. They pushed rapidly on, and if was not long before they came to the scene of'the road-agent attack on the coach, as told in the first chapter of this story, Here Nat halted, the three Ferrets dis- mounted, and, taking from their pack-horse a pick, spade and shovel, they looked’ about until they discovered a grave, evidently dug only a few weeks before, for the ground was yet fresh. Setting to work, they rapidly threw out the earth, Nat remarking: ‘‘ Now we will know, boys, if Gentleman Jack was really killed by the road-agents und lies in this grave, as is reported in Junc- tion City to be the case.” ‘‘)f he is, Pard Nat?’ ‘* Well, Keno, that will end our search for him and our duty will be to then report that he was murdered, where his body can be found, and then hunt down his murderers.” ‘*But, how will we know if it is Gentle- man Jack, Pard Nat?” asked Freckles. ‘Yes, those who seemed to know him in Junction City, reported that it was his body found here on the stage-trail; and, in fact, the miner who was along the day we were held up said so, and he was his pard,” Keno remarked, ‘‘so I don’t see how there can be tiry doubt.” ‘IT know all that, boys,” auswered Nat, digging away at the soil; *‘ but that miner may or may not have been his pard, and it may have been to his benefit, for some reason, for Gentleman Jack to be thought dead. aad} the poor feilow is so; that we will now ffind out. But, that miner who was with Jack, that day, I am sure is none other than one of Satan Sam’s pards, and if so, then he had a motive in saying Gentleman Jack was dead—ah! we are getting near to the body,” and the boys dug more carefully, ‘How will you know the body, Pard Nat?” asked Keno as they came to the blanket- enveloped form lying at the bottom of the grave, Ie . ‘*When | clothes, and I noticed 4 at “ . ~ ~ = , \" 1 at » \ hi ot i : titer , 44) \ . &, ,* : : : - i ‘ : eee oy taal , f ade - * they a ™, 4 7 »% st We ATT FP Al o~w f 5 * A J , : " fy 2 he ry en : net et dee "a i. é a p : . ; j : . + s<\4,"* i' 2? ’ = yd, £¢ 2 . 4 u oF . ti vata oni Genii acids ua ic . VERS a7 > bh Mile oe “ ef 2 Shy ‘ya I went into Gentleman Jack’s ! room at the hotel he was changing his | she went to on Bs iol arm 2 crest ' discover all Colorado. LL LOL ‘ AT ‘caf =~ * ib y 4 ny y : oye ay oe “Dee oe - ™” . .3 a. | he - sie ee pricked in wh India ink, and he has not. been so long dead but that it will still be vis- ible—ah, here we are!” They did not raise the body from the grave, for they were ina hurry to press on to their camping-place, but, cutting a slit in the blunket, the face and form were revealed. ‘It is a young man, and does look like Gentleman Jack; but we will soon know,” and New York Nat raised the muscular left arm, bared it by rolling up the sleeve and, in a chorus, the three Ferrets exclaimed: ‘Tt is not Gentleman Jack ” The flesh was becoming blackened with decomposition, but there was pomark upon it of the crest Nat had seen on the arm of the young miner, Then, too, though the face resembled Gen- tleman Jack’s, in a striking degree, New York Nat’s keen eye detected that the features were cast in a conrser mold: the hair was a shade darker; and particularly he noticed that the hands and feet were large and ill-shaped, when he had remarked that those of Jack Hammond were small and shapely. ‘‘ Boys, thisis not the man we are looking for, and to find him we must ask Satan Sam.” ‘* Will he tell?” Freckles asked. ‘“‘A bird that can sing but won’t sing must he made to sing,” was Nat’s significant response. The three then rapidly filled in the grave, cast some ieaves over it, and mounting their horses rode on rapidly toward Canyon Spring. The sun was yet half an hour high when they rode into the canyon. It was wooded, and a large spring flowed from under the cliff several hundred yards. off the trail. | There was the appearance of many having camped there before, but no one very lately. The New York delegates staked their ponies out, unpacked their traps from the pack-saddle, cooked a good supper and then. spread their blankets. They seemed to pay no heed to the warn- ing given New York Nat by Wing Lung, - the Chinee, or to have forgotten it, for they evidently intended to camp there for the 4 night, and had placed no guard, forallthree | sat around the camp-fire as the shadows of the night began to cast the canyon in gloom, At last darkness fell upon the scene; the camp-fire flickered low, though one log burned on, the blaze dying out now and then to again spring up and brighten up the scene, | Once it seemed as though it would not. burn up again, but at last it did, and by its. light it was seen that the young Ferrets had retired to their blankets. Its light also revealed three dark forms. creeping toward the little camp! . ¥ CHAPTER X. THE FAIR FERRET. , OxIvE, the Mascot Queen of the Boy Po- lice, went to her position in the Hammond! mansion as lady’s maid and companion osten-- sibly, but in reality as a spy and detective. The talk she had had with her brother,, New York Nat, before his departure, gave’ her full knowledge of the secret service she: was to perform, and she understood just. — . 7 ‘ 4’ i ; wh S i \ o. 4} - Je. ’ f 7 - a 7 i‘ m ‘ 7 Mrs. Hammond, Helen Benson and the ser- | what his impression had been of Helen Ben- son and‘the othersin the household from. what he had said of them. ie Bk Ye He had told Olive to keep. here e upon vants one and all, using the butler to: glean allinformatiop he might possess. regarding; the family history. | Olive was a born nocent manner and Jook about her that would prevent her coming undersuspieion; so whens ' : oh * 4 a ’ % Fy Pe i Z . 5 ; j 4 f : ; - cboo ‘ es LY Pee e pecs . ‘*, ‘ ; a* : - 8 - } re" ¢ : hia y.? f | * detective, sie had an in- her post she was determined to» | she could and show Nat.and. the: ‘ f \ “ wa ’ “4 4 : . Pe a | a oes 2. ee iJ), ' eat f rial « * v ofl * 0 f yy c 4 wm a> - an) 7. « = ig