Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 904 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

Deadwood Dick. Jr.’s. Trade-Mark. ‘it is a long story, sir; it will take time for me to tell it.” ‘‘“And it must be reduced to writing, as you tell it, too,” said Dick. ‘* Shamus, have you any paper?” ‘*¢Dhat same Oi have, sor.” ' **Get it, at once.” Dick made ready as quickly as possible, and then told the woman to go ahead with her story, giving it in her own way, as short as possible but at the same time omitting nothing important. it was the work of an hour, reducing the confession to writing. By the time it was done the woman had grown much weaker, and it could be seen that her time was short. ‘Now, madam, you have made this con- fession in the presence of these witnesses,” remarked Dick, **Do you swear that it is true, and are you willing to sign it as the truth?” “Yes, yes; let me sign it. true. She was assisted, and affixed her name to the page—Martha Douglas. It was her last earthly act, Deadwood Dick folded the paper and put it in his pocket. “Would you like to see either of these men before you die?” he then asked, in kind- ly tone. ‘It is too late,” was the faint response. **it took all my strength for the confession, Besides, I could not bear their scorn, and perhaps their words of reproach.” Dick saw that it was indeed too late, so he det it pass, } The girl, who had heard all, sat in the fur- thest corner, silently weeping. Deadwood Dick called Shamus out into the Jean-to, ‘You see the end is near, Shamus,” he said, ‘‘and I depend on. you, now, to aid me pa & certain work I have to do.” _ * Dhat same Oi will, do, sor, an’ it is any- ‘ing dhatis fairand honest and, not to be - «shamed av,” | “[ undertake work of no other kind, my friend.» Did’you ever hear of Deadwood - Dick, Junior?” be “‘Phwat! Are you dhat divil’s own de- tective Oi have heard and read so much about?” ‘** Yes, Iam he, serve me well,” rea Oi'll go t’rough foire fur ye, me ‘ That is enough, with what I have seen of you. When the woman is dead, make it known; but caution the girl not to be seen. J will give her a word of explanation before Du | ae vig.” ‘* Get some women to lay the body out, and“if there is a carpenter to be had, get him to make a coffin. Here ig money for it, and no one needs to know who is paying for the service. Then, let the body be properly ar- ranged for burial. By that time Pll see you again,” ‘* All roight, sor.”’ Dick returned to the room and spoke to the young woman in low tones. She looked up quickly while he was speaking, a new, light breaking upon her face, and she nodded at what he-said. After.one more look at the dying woman, noe that she was beyond all human aid, Dick left the house—rather shanty—and re- turned to the saloon, where ‘Terrell and Clancy were still playing. Just as Dick entered the door Terrell sprung to his feet with an oath, with revol- ver in hand, Clancy was upon his feet only a second later, reaching for a gun. \ * Cheat me, would you! cried Terrell, and \hflimed while speaking the words, but miss- 2 mel Dick gave a start, for the bullet I swear it is Say nothing about it, but «at yeahs ) . Me! 1 te cS ’ had come within an ace of his head, and he knew in the instant that he had been the tar- get and not Clancy! Terrell fired again, in the sameinstant, al- most, and the second bullet came even near- erthan the first, Dick feeling it graze the skin on the side of his neck asit passed. It required but a second for Dick to draw and fire, and with a howl of pain Terrell dropped his gun and grabbed his hand, and blood began to trickle from’ the ends of his fingers. Deadwood Dick had practiced one of his famous snap-shots upon him, and with good effect. CHAPTER XVIII. THE MYSTERY OF MARTHA HILLS. WHILE everybody else was making a hasty scramble for cover, Deadwood Dick advanced straight upon Terrell and Clancy, with weapons covering them, ‘*You contemptible cur!” he said to Ter- rell. ‘‘ For two cents 1 would put my trade- mark on you that would make you a sub- ject for the coroner, if you have got one here,” Terrell was still holding his hand ‘and howling, “What is the matter with you?” demand- ed Clancy, turning upon Dick, ‘‘I can take care of my own quarrels, without asking help from you.” “| see through it,” retorted Dick. was an attempt upon my life,” ** You are a fool!” ‘Maybe [am, but not fool enough to let that pass without chipping in. The man could:not have missed you, at that range, had he shot at you, but he fired at me. JI saw the second shot, aimed straight at me, and I feel the sting of the bullet on my neck,” : ‘“ Yes, and there is the mark, too,” cried Buck. Williams. ‘*T call all present to bear witness to this,” exclaimed Dick, ‘‘If anything hap- pens to me you will know where to begin your investigation, if you consider it worth investigating. And you, fellows, if you run up against me just once more you will repent it.” Clancy turned upon Terrell, to make per- fect the deception. sh You area liar, if you say I cheated ou,” he cried, ‘ ‘* You are not the man I took you to be. Take your money, and I will take mine, and we’ll stop right here,” : And that, finally, after some parley, was one, But, Dick had shown up their game, and most of those present believed what he alleged. An hour later Shamus McCall entered the saloon and made the announcement that the woman at his shanty was dead, and he spoke to some of the miners about getting their wives to lay her out, The rest of the day passed with the usual amount of excitement, and in the evening the saloon was filled to its greatest capacity. Fire-eater Flip came in and spoke to Deuce-Trey, The Five-Spot Sport followed him from the room, and together they made their way along through the snow tunnels, Fire-eater carried a lantern, and but little was said, since they had a complete under- Standing and both knew what was about to take place, and each was prepared to play his part. | | nally they came to a place where a niche had been made in the side wall of the tunnel. , Here Dick stopped, and Fire-eater ran on alone. In about a minute two men passed, stealthily, and when they had gone Dick came out and crept after them, weapons in hand, They rounded a crook in the way, and ahead were seen the figures of two men, Fire-eater and his companion, apparently, “It 15 and they were now standing and Fire-eater was talking. Terrell and Clancy had their guns in hand, and Fire-eater glanced their way, and seeing them, he dropped flat to the ground, holding his lamp so as to Pive them a good light upon their supposed living target. And, immediately, both fired, two or three shots in rapid succession. Over went the dummy, pushed by Fire- eater’s foot, and it fell almost as naturally as & man, under like circumstances. And in the same moment Fire-eater leaped up and ran rapidly, toward the two men who had done the shooting, hoiding up his lantern as if afraid they might shoot him but with an entirely different purpose in view, as the rascals soon found, Just as Fire-eater came up, Deadwood Dick placed the cold tube of a gun behind an ear of each of the murderers, and they almost jumped out of their clothes at the contact. Fire-eater, too, had now whipped out a gun, and the two scoundrels were in so tight a fix that it was impossible for them to get out. Deadwood Dick sternly ordered them tu drop their guus or he would drop them, and there was no choice for them but to obey. They were marched back to the saloon, where Deadwood Dick introduced them and himself, ‘‘ Boys,” he said, ‘‘ the time for disclosure has come, Iam Deadwood Dick, Junior, [I came here on the track of Howard Smithy, the Tucson bank cashier. He is my prisoner here, known to you as Robert Terrell, This other is his ally, whose true name is Harris King.” The cheer that went up was deafening, and, as Dick went ahead and laid out all his proofs before them, the crowd broke out again and again. Dick had identified the money he had won from Terrell as being mostly the stolen funds of the Tucson bank, and with other proofs he had picked up here and there his case was complete. It would be interesting reading, had we the space to quote all that was said and done, but we have nearly reached the limit of our space and it is therefore impossible. Suffice it to say that the prisoners were securely imprisoned in the Whoop-up lock-up, under guard, and for the rest of the evening the camp proceeded to do honor to its dis- tinguished guest, On the following morning Chin Shang, the Chinee, had disappeared, and was not to be found. The camp was no man short, however, for Frank Douglas was there, ex- plaining that he had just burrowed his way out of the snow-drifts and reached town, @ statement that was taken with a good deut of salt, however. The Chinee was looked for, but he was utterly missing, and Ben manity had toact as cook of the establishment for the time being, woman who had died at Shamus McCall’s Shanty had been going forward, and it was Deadwood Dick who proposed that the ser- vice should be held in the Cocktail, which was the largest room in the camp, and this was agreed to. The camp had no preacher, but there was one old fellow, a pious soul, who vehi performed such service for such of the citi- zens who chanced to die with their beots on —or otherwise, and he was called upon to act. Quietly, Deadwood Dick had arranged it so that Samuel Bergman and his daughter would be present, and he had given Douglas ny eee hint that his presence was re- quired. At the hour fixed upon the body was borne fn, followed by Shamus and the daughter of the dead woman, the girl wearing a vail. Deadwood Dick assumed charge. The aged citizen read a chapter from the Preparations for the funeral of the strange ¢ i COMICDOOKS.com