Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 904 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

es } be ther et so ewes | ) Sor ~ ' the er ‘i = A ‘Well, then, what is the matter with you? You told me you wanted my help.” ‘*And sol do. I have a mystery on my too heavy for me, I am afraid.” ‘You are a mystery, Mr. Douglas. Any one would swear that you are a Chinee, sure enough. You are made up to perfection. Are you a professional detective?’ “Bless you, no! But, I have been an actor in my day, and am at home in almost any sort of make-up. I adopted this, in coming here, because I wanted to remain completely unknown to Bergman,” ‘‘T see. You seem to be loaded for bear, then, and this man Bergman is your game.” ‘* No, his daughter.” ** Ha!” “Tf she is his daughter—and now I have additional proof that she is not!” ‘This grows in interest, Mr. Douglas. I havea claim upon that lady myself, now, as maybe you are aware,” ‘* Yes; and that is the very thing I speak of as proof, Do you think any man would put up his own flesh and blood as a stake at cards, like he put up his daughter’s hand in marriage?” ‘‘Ajl men are not alike, Some men will do anything, particularly when on the losing side in a desperate game.” **Maybe so; but I don’t believe any man would do that.” ‘* Who, then, is this Lillie Bergman, if she is not the child of Samuel Bergman?” “She is Delia Douglas, my own daugh- ter!” ‘‘Whew! Worse and worse complicated! Don’t you know whether she is your child or not?” ‘*T can swear that she is, sir, but I cannot prove it.” ‘* And that is what you require of me— help to prove it?” *'That’s what I want.” “*It may be more of a job than I can ac- complish, if you have been unable to do it yourself.” ‘‘Deadwood Dick, Junior, can succeed where other men fail utterly. I believe you can clear up this mystery for me, if any man in the world can.” ‘* Well, I hope so; but that remains to be seen, my friend.” ‘‘T am glad that you have a claim upon girl; 1 was dreadfully afraid Clancy would win that time.” ‘Yes, I am glad of that, too. I ‘don’t like the looks of the fellow a whole lot—- so to say, and [ think such a weapon in his hand would be bad for the girl, How old is she?” “She has just turned nineteen.” ‘Does she know whether she is your daughter or Bergman's?” ‘There is more mystery, sir, She laughed in my face when I came here openly and as. serted my claim, some weeks ago,” “And how long since you saw your daughter? You see, you have not given me the facts in the case yet. Was she a child wher you lost her—if that was it? Give me the particulars.” ‘“‘She was about fifteen years old when she was suddenly missing, and I never saw her again or heard tell of her until I found her, by chance, in the possession of this man Bergman, And she is my child; I can swear to it; look at this picture, and then decide when you have seen her.” The pretending Ct.naman produced a photograph from under his blouse, — Dick—neealess longer to deny his identity —took it and looked at it critically. ‘‘A very pretty child,” he commented, ‘*T can easily imagine the changes which four years would naturally bring to such a Eo and I am prepared, to recognize Miss ‘Bergman, if things are as you think.” — ‘And you will be willing to swear it is the Deadwood hands that I am trying to solve, but it is” SE ix, Jr.'s, same person, [am sure, But, to prove it— there is the rub.” ‘“Was there any reason why Bergman should steal your child?” ‘* None that I know of, sir.” “And any reason why your child should deny you, as her father?” ‘“ Even less,” ** Well, here is a riddle with a vengeance. But, 1 am flopping around in the dark, Mr, Douglas. Give me the particulars before we tuke another step, and while you are do- ing so I will straighten out my money and stow it away. Can you lock that door there?” The disguised man stepped to the door and secured it, Dick took his money from his pockets, then, where he had hastily put it, and began to sort it out, and while he did so he paid particular attention to each bill of that which had recently come into his possession, And while he was thus engaged his compan- ion told his story, more at length than we shall quote it, ‘‘I was married twenty years ago,” the narrator began. ‘‘ My wife was a mystery to me from the hour of our wedding. She was away from home about as much as she was at home, but\ always at her mother’s house when absent. My employ asa travel- ing actor, with very irregular places, gave her some excuse for this. I found no fault. At length, at the end of a year, our little girl was born—at my wife’s mother’s, ‘This was some distance from my own home, to which I had taken my wife imme- diately after our marriage, and in order to go to see her on the occasion of this event I had to get relieved from engagement. You can understand howit was Ispent a couple of days there, and then returned to the com- pany, ut the same time preparing things at home for the weicome reception of my wife and baby as soon as she was able to join me there, I never saw my wife again!” ‘*She died?” ** Not so. She disappeared—disappeared as utterly asif the earth had opened and taken her in, as we often hear said, Strangest of all, she left the baby—proof, I thought, that she had not purposely deserted me—and I knew of no reason why she should do that, Her mother knew nothing about it and almost went wild with grief; and you can imagine, perhaps, the state of mind I was in. Every effort was made to find my wife, but all in vain, and from that day to this I have never seen her. Where she went to has ulways been and always will bea mys- tery. I had my child, however, and for fif- teen years she was the idol of my heart,” CHAPTER VIIL. THE CAMP SNOWED UNDER, At this point in the man's narration his voice grew husky, and he passed the back of his hand over his eyes. Deadwood Dick, Junior’s, sympathy went out to him, for it was evident that the man was deeply moved by the recital of these events of the past. ‘‘Yours is about as strange a story as I ever listened to, sir,” said Dick, with evi. dent feeling, during the pause the man made. ‘‘Truth is ever stranger than fiction, sir,” the response. ‘¢ And you had no clue to the mystery of your missing wife?” ‘‘Not the slightest clue, sir. She was gone; that was the only thing we know about her.” . ‘‘You had no enemy at that time, who would put her out of the way, or steal her away from you, out of revenge?” , ‘*Hadn’t an enemy in the~word, to my knowledge.” *‘Had she any such?” sé No.” ‘‘ Have I asked you if you had a rival for Trade-Mark. ed ‘same chin. —_—- her hand? Were there other lovers in the field?” ‘*She had admirers many, for she was a good-looking girl, but her mother gave me the assurance that I was the only favored one, It is useless to try to find a clue; I have spent years in trying to find one,” ‘*T guess you are right, at this late day. What concerns us now is this later mystery, the disappearance of your daughter,” ‘* Which was just as mysterions as the disappearance of the mother. But, let me finish my story.’’ ‘* Yes, proceed,” ‘‘ Well, as I said, for fifteen years she was the idol of my heart. I kept my home, hav- ing a housekeeper, and Delian grew up un. der my eye. We loved each other dearly, and [ made everything of my child—the same as Tappeared to be everything to her. 1 educated her, and she was still attending school when she disappeared, ‘That was about four years ago. She was suddenly gone, and not.a trace was to be found of her, search as I would. It almost drove me mad. When I was forced to ac: knowledge it useless to search further, at home, I sold out my place of business—for I had dropped out of theatrical service long since; and then I began to wander from place to place; hoping to find her by chance.” | ‘‘With little chance in your favor, I should say.” ‘‘So I thought; finally, in Virginia City, I found my child, and caught her to my breast with delight. It was on the open street; but, what was my amazement to have her give me a slap, and scream for help in a way that was startling. I was amazed, and tried to claim her as my daughter, but she refused to recognize me, and then I was told that her name was Lillie Bergman, and that she was the daughter of Samuel Bergman, a man who had been a resident of Virginia City for about three years. 1 was balked, but 1 held. on, ‘* Well, I thought it over, and the more I thought the more I was convinced that I had made no mistake, Hadn't I ought to know my own child? There was no room for a mistake, and I followed the man here, again pressing my claim, but I was driven out and laughed to secrn. My child declared she had never seen me in her life before that day in Virginia City, So what could I do? I went away, but 1 was soon back again, in this disguise, and here I have been since, hoping for something to turn up that will help me out. There, sir, you have the whole matter, and now let me ask you what you think of it?” Deadwood Dick had listened with absorb- ed attenion. ‘* [tis about the most remarkable story I ever heard,” he declared, ‘It isa strange feature that your wife and child should both i have disappeared in the same mysterious way.” ' Strange, indeed.” ‘Have you any theory to advance in ex- planation ?” ‘* None.” ‘* And vou have not the shadow of a doubt but that this Lillie Bergman is your daugh- ter, os say ?”’ ‘*l am sure of it.” ‘Have you any proof—but, you said you had none.” ‘‘Just. look again at that photograph, Deadwood Dick, and notice particularly the chin,” Dick complied, ‘*I see,” he said; ‘‘a peculiar double dim- ple—something I never saw before, to my recollection,” : ‘‘That is it, and. Lillie Bergman has the Oh, there can be no doubt of it —and yet, why will she not recognize me, when she loved meas she did? 1 was the light of ner life, I thought,” comicboo : | - , com »