Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 916 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

aN ef ie - f . abe 4 - oun em _ oe 4 ~ ~ —~ —_— _ 7. a ‘ =e . 4 - i = — - ~- - at we ee * & Sag Wg ae § UALR oem “ = = ; A = Te y _ ee x “? : ” 4 — ¥ - ’ 7 , 7 ; P ~ ~ - eat pe’ by gs ors g a ARS as ; " Se SY, Piha oP ee . . ~2 » hee = 7" bh é ‘ aD ay * fi 4 _ * . =| 4 ho Rees " 4 hy - >i co Fig : : ° ih " ie L le Py 2m 4 < aa 7. _ . ny r . hee | ‘ oa =" ’ - c » : cay Cr r r Cty? - rat CoN ot : ao Reese t fF. ~~, oo <a ae. La 4 * one wie ~~ ‘ 44 tae aa FL as 4 —— ~ Pee - My name, sir, is Edgar YVandorn- brecker—”’ ‘““ Great Scott!” “*What’s the matter?” ** Ts that the shortest you’ve got?” ‘* Sometimes I’m called Center-fire, the Self-cocker, sir.” ‘‘ Lord Harry! That is almost as bad as the first, only it’s easier to remember.” ‘‘ Yes, [think so myself.” Everybody was paying attention, full of interest. In your western town, people live by ex- citement, almost, and with each new cause the last is forgotten, or nearly so. ‘* And why the deuce are you called that aire?’ demanded the mayor. ‘‘ Come, you might jest as well interdoose yerself in full, ' while ye are about et, stranger, an’ be done — +h) . @) _ ‘. , rn M ' ‘S . : ‘herd ; é nm" ‘ { ] : y » i » J # Cs oe yl ie al | 2 os » , 7% 1 \ ir ay F ae.e i“ . : of *, {> hey a. j - a Feb'~¢ ; ¢ . as ' ¢,5 U Av] ‘ iM, + © * ‘ a y & ; ene a | a *o" 43 , » oye raf gern with et!” ‘Well, you are piling it right on, sir, and no mistake. But, l have no objection to com- plying with your request. 1am called Cen- ter-fire.. because that’s where I’m set to hit, every time; and the Self-cocker, because I lose no time in getting down to business when occasion requires,” ‘You seem to have a good opinion of — a mighty good opinion of your- self,” ‘“No; 1 merely give you the information you ask for. And, now that I have answer- ed your questions, maybe you are ready to rs a mine. That will be no more than air.”’ ‘‘Your question? What did you ask ‘“‘T inquired what has been going on here?” ‘‘Oh, yes, so ye did, that’s ther fact. Ef ‘you had been hyer you would know what was goin’ on.” ‘‘It would be a strange thing if 1 didn't, that’s true. But, the man is coming to, I see, and maybe he will have no objection to telling about it, I am interested, I assure Willing hands had by this time given help to Mainard, and he now opened his eyes and looked around. The moment he recalled what had bappen- ed, the expression of his face told it. es look of terror appeared, and he shiver- ed, The crowd resumed its busy buzz, and the new-comer was the center of interest, with the mayor and Mainard as secondary r figures. Ad Vissi ‘« As ter that,” the mayor’ af ader, **T ain't got no objections’*t«’ é. -my- self, only I wan tet maak.) + that ye didn’t know already; and I ain’t: savisfied on that head yet.” Mainard was getting upon his feet. ‘*Then you can’t accept my word for it?” asked the stranger. | ‘‘Your word is all right, but you don’t back et up with proof. You ’peared on ther scene mighty soon after et happened.” ‘“ And still you keep me in the dark con- cerning what has happened.” “Et was a ghost-coffin,” some fellow call- ed out, ‘‘A ghost-coffin? That is something out of the usual, I should say. Iam sorry that I was not here a little sooner to see it,” ‘‘ Who is thisman?” asked Mainard, of the mayor. | ‘You know him as well as [ do,” was the response. ‘‘ Says his name is Center-fire.” _ “And had you anything to do with that’ low trick, sir?” “‘T have had nothing to do with any trick, gentlemen,” now with a certain ring of sternness in his tone. ‘‘ Since Iam the ob- ject of your suspicion, I demand to know what has happened here.” All the suaveness was gone, now, and the crowd beheld the stranger in a new light. _ There seemed to be a little of the tiger in his nature. es. . A ' ' 4 4 Ly : as f 14% “Ss , he : SIs ite Pont - ae =, z > —<—<—<————— eee eee eee a —_—_———— eee Se - ~_—- «> ™ Yow Sa | - iv ~ » -* “Et Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Double-Decker. oe = > ==. es TT ae >4 *«)é a —s ar - ' = - . ne ot => i ‘ ee na yp x eS, 2. : os a cae wre eu. ear YA oe : enrietar © at 3a : - r: : 5 Bye ri “a Ov yas > * 4 . Hi ; t a“ ¥ = ae: * * e ‘Well,’ we'll tell ye what happened,” spoke up the mayor, taking it out of the hands of the proprietor. ‘‘There was a ghost-coffin seen a few minutes ago, same as you jest now hearn tell, and inside of that coffin was ther dead body of Mr. Mainard here, ther sight of which sort o’ knocked him out o’ time.” ‘*And you think that I had something to do with it, eh?” ‘**Tt looked so.” ‘Well, I hadn’t, so please set your minds right as to that. And you think it wasa trick, do you, Mr, Mainard?” ‘* Of course it was a trick!” cried the pro- prietor of the place. ‘‘ What else do you think it could have been? It wassome man- ner of optical illusion; but, it was a shock to my nerves all the same.” ‘‘l’m mighty sorry that I wasn’t here to see it, gentlemen. I have a liking for anything that smacks of the mysterious, and I would have made an effort to solve the riddle if I had been on hand. Even as it is, I would like to hear all the particulars of it.” ‘““Come, let me havea talk with you, my man,” invited Mainard. ‘‘ Il tell you the whole story.” ‘That is to my liking, sir.” The proprietor of the hotel conducted the stranger into a little inclosurc that marked the hotel office. The clerk was there, but Mainard dis- missed him for a time and invited the stran- er to be seated, taking the clerk’s place himself for the time being, so that they could be alone. ‘*'You smoke?” he asked. “Yes, that is one of my vices, sir,” the response, The proprietor extended a box of cigars, and Center-fire took one of the weeds and lighted it. “You say you like to solve the mys- terious?”’ questioned Mainard, then. ‘Yes, when it is anything that can be solved.” “Then, you are something of a detec- tive?” ‘* Might be called an amateur.” ‘‘ Well, Ill tell you what I'll do, youn man,” : Mainard himself was a man about fifty years of age, judging him by his looks. ‘And what is that?” . ‘* You find out the person who played that trick on me, and point him out to me, and I'll give you five hundred dollars, spot cash!” “But, can you be’ certain that it was a trick, sir?” questioned Center-fire. ‘ I have known of some mighty mysterious things in my time, and maybe this was something on the supernatural order.” Again the fase of the hotel proprietor paled, slightly, but the sport saw him set his jaws hard and knew that he was determined to let nothing ove*come him as he had been overcome the first time., He told the story of bh had happened, about as known to the reader. CHAPTER III. ae THE SUBSTANCE OF THE SHADOW. THEY spent about half an hour together. When they reappeared in the main saloon, at the end of that time, everything had re- assumed its normal conditions. | Music and dancing were in order, and all the games of the evening were in full opera- tion. Gambling was a legitimate business, and was carried on in plain sight of all. Of course, the strange event was still talk. ed about among the idlers, but it was some- thing that had now passed into history. The leading game of the room was the faro-bank. My ‘sy a Center-fire and Joseph Mainard parted company, soon after coming out of the little inclosure. ti | The sport sauntered around the room, and \ ! ’ — 1 ! : ' ’ * ‘ ' " ; ve ' ‘ Pai : : ate iM | Pes ‘a. Bol finally found himself near the faro-table, at the end of which was a vacant seat into which he dropped, at first making no motion to play. é‘ ‘*Make your play, gentlemen The others did so, but not the sport, who seemed to be thinking. “Are you coming into the game, sir?” asked the dealer. ‘‘ You, 1 mean, sir,” to the sport direct. ‘‘Beg your pardon; was thinking about something else, just then,” responded the sport, ‘‘The chairs are for players, only, sir.” ‘That being the case, I'll be a_ player. Give me some bones, if you please, and see how gracefully I can lose them.” He handed over some money with a care- less air, receiving chips in exchange, some of which he placed on one of the cards near him, and the game continued, but without excitement, While Center-fire was playing, the mayor of the camp came and stood just at his right, looking on. He had been there but a few moments when a queer-looking character approached the table. He looked something of a cross between a preacher and a horse-thief. Beginning at the bottom, in description of him, he stood in a pair of rough, stogy boots. Then camea great stretch of long frock- coat, open in front and disclosing the fact that its wearer had on no vest, but only ared shirt, and that without a tie. He was capped off with a coarse slouch hat, black, like his coat, and he had cbin- whiskers and long, straight hair. He was rather long and Janky in his physical make- ? y4 ¥ 7e, a : rie re - up, and any one would have judged him to be fifty years old. Coming straight to the table, he rested his fingers upon it, rolled his eyes to the ceiling, anit in a loud voice admonished: ‘« Ungodly sons, desist!” All the players, and all who stood near, looked at him in amazement. ‘« What’s the matter with you?” demanded Lacy Mulvern, the dealer atthe game. ‘‘I guess you are in the wrong pew, old man.” ‘‘Nay, nay, this is my place, misguided mortals. Let me prevail upon you to close this nefarious business at once, never more to open it. Know ye not that this is the broad highway that leadeth—” ‘““This is no place for a sermon, old sanctimonious,” interrupted Mulvern. ‘‘ We deal in goods of another kind, here. Get out of my way, please, for you are inter- rupting the game. You had better reserve your remarks for the women and children, on Sunday.” By this time quite a group had gathered round, and the attention of the whole room was being drawn that way. “Will you not heed the admonition? Will you not—” “ And will you not get out of the way? Come, now, old man, don’t let us have any trouble about this matter.” ‘““That is what [am most eager to avoid, misguided son. I call upon you to close this game in peace, and take with you my bless- ing. There are other occupations in life far better—” ‘There, now, that will do; stop right where you are.” Mulvern pushed back his chair a little, and made ready to get upon his feet, seeing which, the old fellow stepped back a pace, ‘“You refuse?” he asked. Cerny I refuse,” cried Mulvern. “You will not heed my appeal and close the game?” on “What do you take me for? Do you think we are fools here?” __ TS ‘* And it will be useless for mc to make further 2 en to your finer—” ts “It wi ' / J > ee be useless for you to say another’ . ~ sf : at? - wpe He . = - “> “eeS ms a - Py eee CS p bl A mbm ? et a er: + ae ‘eee &S ~ . he ‘ ne : : + 4 . Yor ae aes 5 ~ + . 4 4 af * ety 1) 7 Se gs: ie / 4 vt a - a4 I 4 ; Cregg > ~~ . nA “23 \ oR y er - .. Mi ‘ & Ts Ps . e..!, -~ r) . => —* = ‘ “ - - , A .* t . > . “a ‘ ah tS a he “ TS ai SS . 4 -y say /- v.2°t. 3 A ae! hd - -, « . J UPS fe i 4 . we wr a) 2s, | TORE SS Re - betel A » >. oy THe m=? ‘ 7 a, . ee iis é p * 4 ~ # 4 : ee ; uit bes: push . 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