Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 904 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

> ee : : » seem to have no name. ‘knew I was still in the game his remarkable offer.” ‘you have «clerk, who accepted it with a look of great relief. The Five-Spot Sport sat apparently only half interested; Clancy, the gambler, was cool and possessed; but Terrell was now ex- cited, and Bergman was nervous and had an expression of desperation. For a little while the interest was only or- dinary; then eame what was to be the most exciting play of all. It came on Clancy’s deal. Terrell threw down his cards in disgust, after drawing three fresh ones. ‘The others had made no change, except Deuce-Trey, who took one card. Bergman, the mine-owner, opened the fight by putting up all his remaining inter- est in the Squint-eye Mine, saying to Clancy as he did so: ‘** Now, call me if you dare! If you raise it, Ill put up my coat, hat and boots, and verything else I’ve got in the world. But, are you going to stay in, Mr. Five-Spot Sport?” ‘‘That is my intention,’ sponse, From an inner pocket the sport brought forth a pocketbook, from which he took money enough to pay his way in; then he looked to see what Clancy would do. ‘I’m going to raise it fifty thousand dol- lars higher,” the gambler informed them. **That is too much for ycu, Mr. Bergman, ‘but if you want to call me you can put up our aughter’s hand in marriage against ’ was the quiet re- ‘‘And Ill do it, by Jericho!” the mine- owner cried, desperately. ‘‘ Here, I’ll put that in writing for you,” making haste to pencil the promise, which he dashed down upon the table as soon as written. ‘‘ There, confound you, now let me see what you have got!” But the Five-Spot Sport was yet to be heard from. CHAPTER V. GOING FOR THE SPORT. CLANCY now showed a little of excitement, spite of the fact that he was a professional. For some time he had been trying to win the hand of pretty Lillie Bergman, the mine- owner's daughter, but without success, Here, now, was his chance, at last, to force what he had not been able to get by favor. Little wonder that he could not quite con- cenl the excitement he felt. As for the crowd, every man was almost breathless, Clancy looked at Deuce-Trey. ‘* Are you out of it?” he asked nervously. ‘‘ Well, hardly, though I have not the amount of your raise in cold cash.” **Ttis cash or nothing, now!” cried the gambler, excitediy, ‘If you can’t put it up, drop out.’ . ‘Thank you; but I am in it, as I have said. “Jl put up what cash I have, and my name for the balance, for I am well able ito back up my—” - Your name is no good here,” asserted Clancy, eager to force the sport out of the contest. ‘ You ae a Mpbt i ane nobody | ws anything abou ou—in fact, you mo y S Money talks!” v « And so does this,” was the cool rejoinder, ‘as the sport brought a five-shot revolver to bear to back up his argument, ‘Dll put up what money I have, and call you, and ot to let me stay in} that’s one of the rules of poker, Ifyou win you take my ‘«But, Mr. Bergman’s ‘stake was put up against my bet, and you cannot claim that—” if I win this Mr, Bergman when he made ' * Be your pardon, sir, but t I ta everything it holds. ‘‘Then you mean to force—” » “I mean to have my rights in this thing, gir. Iam in to stay, and there are just five Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Trade-Ma rk. 5 a 8 eee | spots in this gun that say so! Sport is not to be bullied out of his rights, you bet!” Clancy had to ‘‘ take water,” but there was a dark look on his face. Deuce-Trey dropped his pocketbook upon the pile in the center of the board, and looked to learn what cards the gambler held. There was nothing left for Clancy to do but to show down, and this he did, but not with all confidence that he beld the winning hand. Ip fact, his face was the picture of anxiety. He let fall his cards, fuce up. They were four queens and a king, and at sight of them Bergman dropped back in his chair with a muttered oath, A look of exultation instantly lighted up Clancy’s face, and he turned instantly to the Five-Spot Sport, eagerly demanding: ~~“ Can you beat it?” For answer, Deuce-Trey showed his hand —four aces and a jack! The crowd instantly drew a breath of re- lief, and one man among them proposed three cheers for the Five-Spot Sport. The cheers were given with a will, while the men sprung down from the chairs and tables upon which they had been perched, aud the sport and Clancy had risen to their eet, Clancy was glaring at Deuce-Trey as if he would like to rend him, The Five-Spot Sport had one hand on his winnings, while the other still hwld his five. shot revolver, ‘¢ Well, what do you mean to do, sir?” he demanded, as soon as he could make himself heard. ‘Do you acknowledge that I have won fairly?” ‘¢You have won,” the gambler admitted, ‘“but I won’t swear bow fair it was,” ‘‘Tt was upon your own dealing, sir.” “T’ll toss off with you, for that bit of paper against every dollar [ am worth in the world.” ‘‘ Which may be a very meager sum. No, thank you; I prefer to keep my prize, and now I am naturally eager to see what man.- ner of lady my future wife is, I may be willing to sell out after I have seen her,” ‘‘No fear o’ that,” cried’ Fire-eater Flip. ‘‘ Little Bergman is ther finest bit o’ calico this hyer camp ever seen.” ‘‘Ha! glad to hear it. If that is the case VH hold fast to my claim. No disrespect to your daughter, Mr, Bergman,” “I’m glad you have won, sir,” declared the broken mine-owner, ‘‘ Yet I’m a stranger to you.” ‘* Which this other man isn’t,”’ With an oath Clancy gathered up what money he had left, while Deuce-Trey was gathering up his winnings. ‘‘T wish you luck with your prize, any- how,” the gambler remarked. ‘* That bit of paper is one thing, but | imagine the young lady will have something to say about it, for all.” ‘‘“That will be between her and me,” Deuce-Trey calmly answered, The gaine was at an end for the night, and & glance at the clock showed that it was after midnight. : Not a sound came from without, and now . that the excitement within was over, and the intense strain removed, it was noticeable in great contrast with the noise of the storm as it was again recalled, | ‘‘ Hello! is the storm over?” cried Henry Hurston, All glanced toward the windows for the answer, and great was their surprise at what they saw. very window was a solid blank of white. ‘‘Snowed under, by thunder!” cried Ben Banty, the handy man around the saloon. ‘You are right, fer a drink,” echoed Fire- eater Flip. ‘‘ Hyer we have got ter stay fer the remainder of this night, éf not fer a good deal longer.” | The Five Spot ‘* How is ther fuel, Ben?” asked another. ‘* Got lots of that,” was the reply. ‘** Got half a cellar full,” “Then wear’ all right in that respeck, How is ther whisky; Buck Williams?” ‘Plenty of it.” : “Then we ar’ all hunk. Let ’er snow ef it wants to; we kin hold ther fort till it is over, | reckon,”’ ‘* But, this will hinder me from_ getting home,” urged Samuel Bergman, anxiously. ‘* Lillie is all alone, save for the colored wo- man, and she will be greatly worried if she is awake.” He stepped to the door and opened it. Nothing but a white wall of snow was there, with the imprint of the door upon it. ‘*Durn me ef et ain't purty serious,” de- clared Williams. ‘‘ This hyer is ther deep- est snow we have had this season, an’ no tellin’ when we will git out of it,”’ ‘* Well, no need to worry,’ added Hurston, ‘‘for Grudge & Higgins have got ina good store of supplies, and we are safe against being starved. There’s nothing to be done but to make ourselves comfortable,” ‘‘T guess you are right,” agreed Bergman, ‘‘T wish I had another stake to put up, we’d have another game.” ‘‘ We had better have a game at sleep, 1 am thinking,” suggested the Five-Spot Sport. ‘« Easy enough for you to say, now that you are flush,” '* You are right,” cried Clancy. ‘* By the way, Hurston, are we going to allow this stranger to come here and clean us up as he has done?” ‘* Don’t see what’s tbe use of crying about it, now that it,is done,” was the philosophi- cal response, ‘*] mean, are we going to let him get away with our wealth?” ‘* No danger of my getting away with any- thing, I guess, by the looks of things out there,” assured Deuce-Trey. ‘* We don’t know him,” declared Clancy, ‘‘and the question has been raised as to whether or not he isn’t the runaway cashier from Arizona, I for one don’t feel like giving up so easy,” ‘Well, what are you going to do about it?” demanded the sport. Clancy and Terrell had been holding a hurried whispered consultation. ‘ You should have been debarred from the games,” ‘* You were willing to take some of my money if you could get at it,” ‘‘The money does not matter so much, but here you have fleeced Mr. Bergman completely.” | ‘* Bergman can take care of his own mat- ters,” that gentleman spoke up, ‘* I am not squealing yet, George Clancy, Plead your own case, but leave mine out of it, if you please.” “ All right, sir; but, here is this fellowa stranger, holding your written consent to his marriage with your daughter,”’ ‘* And you heard what I had to say about that, did you not?’ ** Well, May. are willing to give up, we are not,” said Clancy, be and Terrell draw- ing their weapons simultaneously. ‘* Up with your hands, stranger, for we mean to know more about you before we let you get away with our pile, you can bet on that!” CHAPTER VI. DEUCE-TREY’S TRADE-MARK. ‘TF you are robbers here, why did you not proceed to rob me at once on my arrival?” demanded the Five-Spot Sport. He had made no attempt at drawing his own weapons, though a quick man would have had time enough todo so. He stood with folded arms and looked at the two men facing him. | : ‘We are not robbers, though,” retorted | \ “ev ’ 74 . | : ja } Ly % 900ks.c = bat J re ; “—". rat Er v ~ a te Dag a =