Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 905 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

orbs cone Pay will show you where to go, he give you the Clue after you have struck the \Desha Rey a Dandy Nugget, the Boy Shadow. ‘been in Paul’s employ went for a good deal. ' Vinon, the girl, known all over the camp as): Paul's “ friend,” went to his house and help- ed e dress the body for the mountain grave- ard, lt was her hand that smoothed the dark hair for the last time and hers that placed on his bosom a mountain rose, | She did this with compressed lips and a white face. ‘Those who saw her noticed that she was Te ae ed at the head of the gang by those who had heart of No-Luck Camp, Black-Handed Saul | glanced toward the Black Eagle, upon whose porch had already gathered the first loafers of the day. He knew them all. He had seen them tried in more than one dark encounter both * aed a f+ ¢ y ‘<€ (se c 4 \ P ? : ' q “ae 4 he ' ’ $ 4 » ‘y ’ Li] ry found the body, you know. Iam Gold Gol pe of Echo Canyon.” . ) o one had ever taken the trouble to find just where Echo Canyon vas, therefore this strange man had not been molested, and when he sprung upon the porch he stopped with whites and Indians, and all had seen | and took a hasty survey of its occupants. him show his pluck. ‘* Why don’t you hang somebody?” he de- But, something more than the toughs of | manded. No-Luck attracted Saul’s attention. His gaze became riveted upon a youth who stood apart from the men at one end of the ! strangely silent all the time, and that when | long, low porch. all was over, she went back to her little home in the heart.of No-Luck and shut the door. Captain Mascot the Nabob King was seat- ed in his own house at a table upon which day papers and charts. He was not alone, Across the table stood a man with a red shirt and a dark, homely face, He wore a belt about his waist and in it stuck two revolvers prominently displayed. He watched Captain Mascot, who wus singularly handsome and cool at all times, and waited for that dignitary to speak. ** You will find the old trail, Saul,’ spoke the captain at last, looking up. ‘‘ You know where the pass is and how to get to Ane as ‘‘T guess I kin find it,” was the reply. **But, aren’t you afraid to be left alone here?” | ' ** Alone?” and the man smiled. ‘I won’t ‘be alone, you see, Saul. I never am alone, no matter where [am, The Beads who pro- tect me are omnipresent,” ** Just so, cap’n. They’re willing to stand by you through thick and thin. IT’ll go and look for the old place,” © Which you must find,” and Captain Mas- cot tossed the old chart toward Black-Handed / Saul. ‘‘Take that along. You may need it if you get confused. Take the trail to the wight after you emerge from Dead Man’s Pass.” ** Yes.” ‘** Follow it well, but the arrows on the And here e mostimportant of all. Don’t lose this, but don’t look at it till you’re beyond the Pass.” _ Another object, this time something 1n- eased in buckskin, was thrown to the man, whose dark hand seized it. That's the real key, and I wouldn’t trust it toany living man but you, Saul. It will wight trail. You ought to get back by day after to-morrow,” Bagi If I have luck, cap’n.” Yuck?” cried Captain Mascot. ‘‘ Why, Man, you must have nothing else! We're _ intrenched here now; we can’t be rooted out _ of No-Luck, and here we sink or swim, and dit must be ‘swim.’ A smile overspread Black-Handed Saul’s face. “TIT hope so, cap’2; I hope so,” he an- _ Swered, und the next Moment he had fallen _ back to the door, : __ Captain Mascot watched his man until he was gone. The time has come at last to find the _ treasure,” said he aloud to himself, + It’s in my hands now, and nothing Shall take it fromme.. I’m going to be master here, more _ of a master than Paul was. Im more cal- culated to rule than he was, and there lives no man who can break the power Of Captain ia AA Wed ‘a him good to talk thus, even to hin e fa % _ He took a cigar from the box among the charts and began to smoke. | , | - Meantime Saul had left the house. He was a cool head and a man of powerful ‘ ture. _ Everybody knew him as Captain Mascot’s right-hand man, and he deserved the title. _ Striding across the little square in the a ake MAD, Cpa, \ "tis yy , ‘ ; ‘ / re a ¢ “% > i ‘9 . ™ Fe SS ae ; ‘ bea Nese tt i | ; is Shai! oa » : a ie “ae rt ite Aj - , } { r cr y nN ' Say " fy a | y “3 } [ 4 l- 9 a —s - — ; He had evidently just arrived, His trowsers bore signs of the suddle and his boots were covered with the dust of the mountain trails, To complete the evidence of recent coming there stood, in the shadow of the hotel, a It was a wiry black, with fox-like ears and keen, watchful eyes, a superb mane and a grand figure, | Black-Handed Saul saw boy and horse at the same time, ‘‘What does that mean?” cried the man, turning aside and going,toward the hotel. “That boy must just have come in and—” He broke his own sentence, for just then a wild whoop sounded on the air and Saul looked down the street. At. first he saw a cloud of dust; then a man and horse, The rattle of hoofs amid the dust thus raised greeted the desperado’s ears and he stopped to look. | ‘‘lt’s the wild wretch of the hills,” he ejaculated. ‘‘It’s the man we've got to finish some time before we can have peace. Golliday, one of these days you'll cease te cut a swath through No-Luck and the mountain graveyard or the vultures will get you,” It was a sight calculated to stir up one’s blood for down the street, sitting in a West- ern saddle and swinging his long revolvers above his head, came toward the hotel the object of many a man’s attention, No-Luck had put up with Golliday’s an- tics nearly long enough. He had ridden through the camp firing off his revolvers as he went until forbearance had ceased to: bea Virtue, and his comin was sure to cock more than one weapon an men ran out of the cabins, eager to unseat the strange man in case he did anything bordering on the destruction of life or prop- erty. | ts the street came Golliday, on this occasion, firing his six-shooters into tke air and now and then yelling at the top of his ungs, He was a typical desperado, but always good-natured and full of sunshine. His red shirt with its open sleeves showed like a crimson emblem in the sunlight, and ag he came on with dust around him he fired at the sky, while more than one man followed him with ready weapons which did not in- timidate him for a second. Black-Handed Saul’s brow clouded while he watched this man, He had no love for Gold Golliday, - He hated the man who kept his own secrets and | who had said that some day he would set- tle an old score to the detriment of some so- called gentlemen. Golliday’s ride ended in front of the Black Eagle, He drew rei last yell. Those on the porch looked at him and some smiled. : His hands still gripped the revolvers, and he gazed at the toughs of No-Luck with bubbling curiosity. | He did not seem to see the boy at all. _ “*Guess I'll go in a minute,” said Gold Golliday, springing from his steed and strid- ing across the open ground. ‘* Had a mur- der here last night. I’m the man what nat the porch and let off his , 7 y ; ah Tle a x ea fr : ; t ’ ’ 4 . brea She SR AOR OEY pea et. FBR ee a pM j dar’ we aH 4 ; v7 i ; 4 mee ot J ” ~ ("ey . + at ~) ae - 2% \% : f horse still saddled, - ¥, + - 7 7 : athe Nay . *¥ ie & ‘® p p ‘ : Bitrate "7 at Eh “ 4 7 - No one said anything, » Bisa. ‘You heard me, eh?” and he leaned to- ward the man crowd. ‘ Why don’t. you pull some one up to the tree yonder?” ‘Wouldn't you wait till we had found the right man, Golliday?” asked some one at the edge of the crowd, ‘Of course,” responded the tall tough. ‘Tt wouldn't do to pull up the nearest man, for he mightn't be the right one; that’s a fact, I say. But, you won’t do it. You men wouldn’t hang the right man if you could.” baa. This was a taunt with a sting in it, and it had its effect. Some of the men on the porch seemed to throw their hands toward their revolvers, but the hands of Golliday seemed too near his own weapons for them. | Black-Handed Saul had come near enough to hear the taunt, and his face grew darker than ever, — | | ‘‘ He’s settling his own hash and doing it rapidly,” he muttered. ‘‘ Wait till I come back from the mission. Just wait till I am here again; then we'll see who runs No- uck,” Golliday looked toward Saul and seemed to catch his eye, ‘‘Why don’t you hang the man who did it?” he repeated, Saul bit his lower lip almost, through, ** Not now; it won't do,” he murmured, “You can’t draw me intoa fight, Golliday. I’m going off. Just wait till I come back— Then we'll see who’s it won't be long. 1 master here. But the boy yonder. seen him before; but where?” Black-Handed Saul turned and walked away. . At the same time the eyes of the youth at the end of the porch seemed to alight upon him, and they followed him until he was no longer visible, ; ‘Black Handed Saul,” said the boy, ‘“‘That is one of the men I'll have to face. I’d bet my head on that. The crime I am to run to earth belongs to the merciless Black Beads, and I have just seen one of them.” He was cool and steel-nerved, for nerve was needed in the desperadoes’ stronghold, CHAPTER III. THE BLACK BEADS. . DETECTIVE DaNpDy was right. © ; pein Sandee Saul belonged to the Black eads. This was a secret organization which had a history already red; it had left its mark on many, a mining-camp throughout the far West, terrorizing what otherwise would have been a peaceful settlement, and break- ing up more than one happy home, ts members were said to wear on the left arm and above the elbow a bracelet of black beads, hence the name of the order. Their numbers were not known, and for most part no one knew the men themselves; but their deeds told where they were, and the crimes which, on more than one occa- sion had been traced to them, had roused righteous indignation in many quarters, lack-Handed Saul, always ready to obey the behest of Captain Mascot, kept on the . ' b On the mountain he turned and looked trail which led from No-Luck Camp. down upon the collection of cabins which seas up the place, and at last turned away ‘agaln. ; Ot ase aig He was reluctant to depart on his, mission as if he feared that he might be ne ot . . ag ee ee ~ “ey . ty > Os LP ah : ‘ ; : ; ' ’ osu MOS 4A " Z : 7. 4 o OF ‘ 7 , ‘ . * } - > < te 4 q * a > a t . _” - £4 nS he ~ : } Fi 4, a De sf e . Noe ‘4 “ahs : ali rea ay i 7 om i i-« ts /péaas Ce Ther 7 hf vA : ‘ 2 So ‘ 5 a 7 Bone e. oe, Pas me ee Fr OR MO AEA Ae Se eT * es “ r ) . vom le ee I = : i? wy thr « + . aCe 3 >> a 4 as a re 7 . 4. ud > eae , - . "4 a . w ' ¢ fe) " ’ { ll Looe _ f Adee xe