Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 905 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

*) - é ~~" eT ~« pi Oe ‘= ' > ¢ -, . ge a * 4 ; . Ps —3~ «Te - --» - oe as, “= ’ 3% —_ . . ¥ - * ~ 3 _ Te ee, hk ee — : ~~ ' —+ ™ ‘3- : = - me . . . : > — . a e - i — SS . 4 ie ” el b < . ~ - oe te. - * } Py -* - : fA Paap ge Km -_ od he a: ‘ Fe st ok anyhow? > « - Py = “- .< ‘ ** Seasaee. oy ey = ont. Dandy Nugget took from his pocket and he shut it behind him and locked it, Then for the first time since entering the mine, he struck a light. He found himself in a smal! room with | high walls and a ceiling just discernible. t was poorly furnished, but in one corner stood a safe whose journey across the moun. tains had been the nine days’ wonder of the far West. It was a large safe, strong enough, as it seemed, to keep out all the rascals in Idaho, and Dandy Nugget knew that it had held Paul’s wealth. Not only gold, but papers, charts, trails and maps worth as much as the mines them- selves. He opened the tall door and by a display of strength swung it back. The light which came from a rough deal table in the middle of the apartment showed him the interior of the safe and Dandy Nug- get leaned forward with manifest curiosity. The sight of the commingled papers seem- ed to fillhim with excitement for he breathed hard. After awhile he grew calm and smiled at his own excitement, then he took alot of papers from the safe and carried them to the table. ie sat down upon the stvol there and went through the documents, He was an hour at this and then he looked through more papers, turning them over and over with an cagerness Which did not _ for one moment abate a jot. ‘‘They’ve been here. I thought go,” he muttered, ‘‘ The vultures have picked these bones pretty clean and they have done it well, It is not here and, in fact, not a sin- gle paper which would throw light upon the secret can I find. Black-Handed Saul has the chart; that fellow is off on the gold trail and unless Gold Golliday comes up with him he will reap the harvest.” Dandy Nugget turned for the fourth time to the safe, but the next second he stopped and looked at the door, He had locked it, there was no boubt of’ this, but a key was turning in the lock. In.an instant out went the light of the Boy Shadow and he shrunk against the safe and waited. ; He had not come to the place unarmed. _ Revolver in hand he stood in the gloom _ and heard the door open and shut. Some one had entered the room, out who? ? Captain Mascot, Tolliver Trumps, Hank Hawk or Redflint? | Not a sourd reached the ears of the boy, while he waited in the darkness, _ Why didn’t the man in the treasure-rocpm strike a light? ~ Dandy Nug-zet heard footsteps cross the stony floor, but no light revealed the face of the person, | _ It was enough to try nerves of iron and Dendy Nugget felt that his were being tried ’ He heard 4 rustling among the papers in the safe, but he could gee no one, An unseen hand had come there for theft, and some ene Was playing & game in the dark And what a game it was! Dandy Nugget Dow and then heard a fooi- step, buthe saw DO One, though he might have put forth his hand and touched the per- son in the mine vault. For ten minutes, though it seemed an hour ‘to the Boy Shadow, the Unknown remain - 4 the vault and then the footsteps glided c The iron door shut again, and he heard no more. eo), What sort of eyes had this mysterious visi- tor who could find what he Wanted in the loom of the dead boy’s mine, aad what had Dandy Nugyzet waited till the last sounds aver ~~ Dandy Niuggetythe B had died away beyond the door, and then he | the weird light; but all at hh Pm rad LOA - , * , ’ . ue. * ie \ * - ‘ i? a“ , f 4 25 of Deedes Gp Bae ea “~ .a t Me 6 “¢ wf Poor, 79 ‘ pS ee , Z » tev . ’ WwW ‘ +, es . sprung forward. : It was another brief display of power to open it, and in another instant he stood al. meg breathless in the dark and narrow corri- or, , He had not relinquished the revolver which he had brought to the mine and his fingers were wound round it as before. The intruder was just quitting the mine, His footsteps sounded in the darkness and Dandy Nugget heard them but faintly now, ‘“ He’s coming back,” suddenly. passed through his mind. ‘‘ The fiend, whoever he is, has forgot something, and I shall be run down,” ‘ Sure enough, the footsteps had grown sud- penty more distinct and were coming toward im, He believed that he would not have time to hide again in the mine-vault, therefore he hugged the wall and waited—it was all he could do, On came the unseen person and an elbow brushed Dandy Nugget as he passed back into the vault, He was there again—there for some pur- pose which must be a dark one, for he used no Jight. The Boy Shadow of Idaho waited with bated Wreath. How long would the thief re- main in there this time? All at once a light flashed up behind the iron door which stood slightly ajar. Dandy Nugget bent forward eagerly to catch a glimpse of the intruder, One look was all he would want. ‘It’s not here. It has been carried off and that this very night,” said a voice. In another instant the door seemed to fly open and the light which had been snatched from the table fell upon Dandy Nugget’s figure against the stone wall. , He could not escape nor did he try to. Me had been revealed in an instant and now he saw who was looking at him with eyes that seemed to have the flashes of an eagle’s, | t was Captain Mascot! | In person the Nabob King, socalled, had invaded the dead boy’s mine, and now he stood revealed in the guise of a robber and a plunderer. A distorted smile crossed Captain Mascot’s face as he saw the young detective against the wall. At the same time he caught sight of the cocked revolver that hung from Dandy Nug- get's hand, . He took one step forward, did Captain Mascot, his face white as ashes around his dark mustache, and then he halted, ‘*T thought so,” said he gratingly, ‘‘] suspected you all the time,” Dandy Nugget made no reply. His look was answer enough, and the captain of the Black Beads must-have seen that the boy de- tective was cooler than himself. Once more the captain came down the cor- ridor and within ten feet of Dandy Nugget he stopped and looked hia over from head to feet. ‘Don’t you think you would better go?” he asked. ‘‘I mean quit No-Luck.” “What better right have you here than me?” was the quick reply. ‘‘ You are Cap- tain Mascot. You own nothing here beyond a few shares of stock. I hold no shares at all, but this isa free land and one has as much right to breathe its air as another,” These words coolly spoken seemed to grate harshly upon Captain Mascot’s ears. ‘‘You’ve robbed the safe!” he said, ‘‘Tt is false! I looked at the dead boy’s papers, as I havea right to do; but as for robbery I did nothing of the kind,” ‘“‘-You are playing spy. You are playing ferret and we don’t need you here, crush you like an egg-shell. Get out!” He came toward Dandy Nugget with a bound, his figure looking very giant like in’ > thee eg Cel ong -_ SS -ssseses~e-sssss ell once he stopped, for the hand of the Boy Shadow had leaped into the air and the cocked six-shooter cover- ed him at a distance of five feet. CHAPTER VII. OBEYING ORDERS, Captain Mascor seemed to fall back from the menacing revolver of the Boy Shadow. He had been taken somewhat unawares, although he might have expected just such a confrontation, as Dandy Nugget was a boy of clear grit. The Captain of the Black Beads looked over the leveled weapon into the face be-. hind it. He knew that the finger of a cool-headed boy was at the trigger, and knowing this, he felt that his life depended on his own action. ‘You will find the papers in the safe as I left them,” said the young ferret. ‘‘I haven't carried off a single one, though others might explain what has become of some that cannot be found,” ‘‘ Don’t ask me,” was the reply. ‘‘I am Captain Mascot, and you dare not bar my way from this mine.” | Dancy Nugget stepped over to the wall and waved one hand down the corridor, ‘*’You know the way out.” Captain Mascot seemed to jump at the chance of getting out, and with a glance at the boy he came forward, keeping near the Opposite wall and passing Dandy Nugget. without a word. It was all over, and the man of misrule and mystery was gone, The boy ferret saw him quit the place, and his figure was swallowed up in the night without, | | ‘That’s better than a tussle with him,” thought the boy. ‘‘Itis better to keep the. peace even thus till Golliday comes bacle than to fight it out here.”’ He followed Captain Mascot from th: : mine, but not until] he had given that worthy © time to reach home. 1 He did not seem to fear a hold-up at the mouth of the treasure-place, for he walked boldly forth into the night and thence down the street to the Black Eagle, Captain Mascot, smarting under the hu- miliation to which he had been subjected by Dandy Nugget, went home and dropped into the chair at his table with a grated oath, He struck with his clinched hand a silver call-bell and looked at the door, When it opened he looked up into the face of a slim man with a shock of red hair, This was Redflint. He came toward Captain Mascot with an eager face and waited for orders, ‘‘ Wheres Trumps?” ‘* Don't know.” ‘‘And Hawk?” ‘‘Hawk’s up-stairs, ” ‘Send for him.” 7 Redflint bustled out, but soon returned with Hank Hawk, to whom Captain Mascot exclaimed at once: ‘ - Hawk, this thing must not be permitte to go on another night.” ‘What thing,’ cap’n?’ ‘‘ The, coolness, the audacity of the boy.” : A de parted Hawk’s lips. : ‘Oh, he’s showin’ off, is he?” ‘Worse than that.” Both men, intensely interested, leaned for- ward and waited for the Nabob King to con- tinue. ‘‘We crush him now!” cried Mascot, ‘‘How mary does it take to do that?” ‘‘More than you think if they lack nerve,” ‘‘ But not all the Beads, eh, captain?” _ ‘No, Lhape not. He is here for mischicf, This boy is in league with Golliday—” “‘ There’s no doubt of that,” broke in Hank Hawk. ‘‘ While they didn’t come to No- came near | Luck at the same time, they enough together to settle the leagueship. - « “> . « = ee es on . a - s