Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 934 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

: ~~ aie crnguate engitingtinagiipa tick ae a Det ns hot wart — -£ w * 7 « - - “ ‘ ~~ 7 - . - ~ 7 - a awe 7 — a she we AT ae fa , te <) ? i can) . Ss ee > 14 — ceeded “*Come, now, ‘inches to the yard; wo & Ce, TL ye, down hyer under this shanty, in ther suller,”” one of them made answer. “J have got a hundred dollars at the hotel to divide among you, if you will let me make my escape,” Dick proposed. *“No one will be any the wiser; you can say it was accidental.” They looked at one another, and shook their heads. ‘*Et won't do,’ declined their spokes- man. ‘Thar’ be too durn many of us, and ther boss would know we. wuz lyin’. No, you have got ter stay hyer. Fetch him along, fellers.”’ The man jerked up a batten door in the floor as he spoke, disclosing a clumsy Stairs. | He descended first, and’ the others fol- lowed, bearing Deadwood Dick by the arms and legs, a helpless prisoner. Dick was disgusted, and blamed hinm- self for having fallen into the trap so easily. Once they were at the bottom, they pro- to bind their prisoner with ex- treme care, “We ain’t goin’ to ’low ye no chance ter give us ther slip,” assured the spokes- man. ‘“ Them’s orders, and we mean to *bey orders if we bu’st owners.” “TI would like the satisfaction of tak- ing you, one at a time, or even two,, and bu’sting you,” cried Dick, vengefully. “Just give me half a show and I will go for the whole pack of you.” “Talk is cheap,” laughed the ruffian. *“Mebby ye could do up one or two of us, after what we have seen of ye, but we ain’t goin’ to give ye the chance. Bind him good an’ tight, boys, an’ then we'll-tie him to one of the timbers here so he can’t possibly ’seape.”’ And they bound him accordingly. When they had done they left him there and climbed up the rude stairs to the room above, closing down the trap door: “T opine he wull keep down thar’ all right,’ observed one of the fellows. and let’s go and take a drink on top of et. That was about the slickest I ever seen.’ All were ready to accept this sugges- tion, and the leader threw open the outer door. But a surprise awaited them there. The instant the door was thrown open, into the room stepped Nobby Nancy, with a brace of poppers in hand. * Whoap!” cried the girl sport, as the men were ready to rush out. “Hold on a minute, my pretty hyenas!” — “What ther blazes!” cried the leader of the evil gang, as all stopped short and glared at the fearless girl as if they “would devour her, their fists clenched and their mouths open. “It will be blazes right out of these guns if you move a single peg!’ the girl warned. ‘“ And, not only blazes, but bul- lets as well, and don’t yer forget it!” “What’s ther matter, gal? What d'ye want?” “T want my pard.” “Yer pard?” “That was what I said. And you want to trot him out here in-just the shortest time on record, if you don’t want to pass in your chips. I am silk warp and all- wool filling, and I measure thirty-six that is to say, I am the real stuff, and I mean shoot!” * But, gal, we aire ign to one against ae “T don’t care if you are A dozen! pard or I'll begin to peg away!” | They glared like the human wolves they were us seemed as if ready to defy sane mt ea weapons sai Mee upon i ag f ‘Te ‘ wie ‘7a, iyi . :, ‘ , ve) ie t Gi hay $4 ys 7 ane Ai . Se. A ‘ 4 AS i } 4 4 aso SD | * JY j rt a : rs 3* I <4 ” %. ‘ . Do | you hear what I ordered? Produce my see Tee et ll me 4 “ry t - : Deadwood Dick, J r., at Flush Flats, ae eee titer: but their dread of dire results de- terred them from acting in that manner. “* We'll chaw ye all up!” the ringleader threatened. ‘‘ Git out of ther way, thar’!’ he bellowed, trying to frighten her. “ By ther howlin’ hurlykanes! we'll walk right over ye, an’ knock yer beauty into a cocked hat! Git out of hyer, blast ye, or by ther—”’ Srack! One of the girl’s revolvers spoke, and one of the ruffians dropped to the floor with a bullet in his neck. At this the rest recoiled, and the loud- mouthed leader turned as pale as death. He had fooled himself with the idea that the girl sport did not mean it, or that she would not have the nerve to carry out the threat; now he found that she was “silk warp and all-wool filling.”’ CHAPTER XX. KNBW HOW IT WOULD BE. man Nobby Nancy had plunked foremost of the tough lot—a grim, gaunt, ghastly-looking specimen, whom rum and disease together had made hideous. Her bullet had probably only forestalled death by ‘natural causes’’ a very short time; but, that was no matter; she was 4s ready to serve the leader of the lot in the same manner. | “What are you going to do about it? she demanded, in a clear, ringing tone. ‘* You see I mean business, and I have got more than enough pills here for the Whole lot of you. Bring out my pard or I'll upset some other man’s apple-cart for him, you bet!” i “Hold on! Don’t shoot no cried the ringleader, cowed. fetch him, double quick!” ' “See that you do, then! Bring him out, and if he has been harmed I'll wipe out this nest in short order.” “He is all right; we ain’t harmed a hair of his head.” : ; “So much the better for you.” ; “Come on, boys; and we'll git him!” , “Hold on!” eried the girl sport. ‘‘ One Of you can bring him; I will take care of the rest until he is produced, safe and sound.” » “You are durn p’tic’lar!” » “Yes, and it pays to be with such a gang. Bring him out, if you don’t want Another subject for planting!” , “All right, all right; don’t shoot no more, and I will have him up hyer in jest two jerks of a jiffy, you bet! You means business, you does, and we ain’t sech fools we don’t know et.” The fellow had jerked up the trap in the floor while speaking. Only for the ‘fact that they had left Dick gagged, Nancy would have heard from him ere this. The man Was on the point of going down, when the girl thought of a trick he might attempt to play, and ordered him to drop his weapons on the floor be- fore he left the room. The was the 99? more!”’ “We'll , With muttered oaths he obeyed. | Having placed his. weapons on the floor, he went down, and in a few mo- ments Deadwood Dick came forth, a free man. He, too, had a brace of guns in hand, ready for business, and as soon as he was out of the hole he ordered the men to go down the steps, every mother’s son. at them! And they had to obey, or fare worse. | Dick then them; hand to his noble girl pard. i “You are a dandy, Nancy Jane!” he cried. “You have got more nerve than the © average | ‘man, and I am ae of ' eae Fr, A S Abd s- eo “3 Vv, : plenty,” stuttered Samson, ‘ b—b—be a h~—h—hog if he ha—ha—ha— stened the trap upon “ hadn’t s—s—sense enough to s—s—say so!” and that done, he offered his ed you. Now we'll see who will come out on top in this game, I think.” ‘And has Mainard got your paper?” ‘Yes; but he won’t keep it long.” “Can you take it away from him?” ‘You come along with me, and see, lit- tle pard,”’ was the rejoinder. They left the shanty, closing the door after them, and returned to the hotel by a rear way. 1D ntering at a rear door, they sauntered out upon the piazza-as if they had just got up for the day, and had stepped out for a breath of morning air. As it happened, who should be standing near, on the walk at the foot of the steps, but Sanford Mainard and Stuttering Sam- son. ; Both looked up as the door opened. Mainard’s face paled, and his hand flew to his hip. Quicker than he, however, Dick’s guns had him covered. ‘Don't try that game, if you value good health,” was the grim warning. Advancing as he spoke, he descended the steps and faced the two men. \ “ Now, if you please, I will take charge of that paper again.” “What paper?” blustered Mainard. ‘Hand that paper over, or down you go! No quarter now!” “Maybe you think you can take it away from me,” “*Hasy enough to take it away from a dead man.” “Only a coward would speak that way!’’ ‘Do you want me to take it from you living?’ “1 would like t> see you do that same!”’ “All right. Let my pard here take your weapons; or, better still, let your stuttering friend here take them, and I will hand mine to my pard. That done, I will have that paper so quick it will make you dizzy, you chief of scalawags!”’ * T'll do that, by Judas!” * All right, act on it, then.” Mainard gave Stuttering weapons, and Dick handed his own to Naney Jane, when he instantly advanced upon Mainard, his eyes flashing ominously. The manager of the Odeon tried to parry his attack, and for a few seconds did so, but he soon got a “snifter” that fairly lifted him clear off the ground. Down he went, flat upon his back. Dick Deadwood was upon him in an instant, and had fished the paper out of his pocket before the fel- low knew what had happened. Then he was up again in an instant. Mainard scrambled to his feet, boiling over with rage. “T have the paper again. If you have got enough of this thing, say 80; if not, I am yours to command!” “ Curse -you! was the retort. | The man made a rush at Dick, as if to annihilate him on the spot, But his rage made the victory all the easier for the steel-nerved detective. He played with the manager fora time, just to enrage ‘him the more; then went suddenly at him, and, as some of the wit- “he just made the fur nesses remarked, fly he Right and left he struck, every blow tell- ing with terrible effect, and in Tess than one half minute Mainard was on his: back again, completely knocked out, and cowed, for he was bellowing “Enough! enough!” “He has s~g—g—g—got P—P—p—p— ‘and he would “ Well, it is to be hoped that he is fully satisfied with this lesson; if I have to give him another peso We, ppt will be gone for- " (-#. . >! ~ LF wd d ftw ee F . 4 Lan , ~~ Samson his — I will give you enough,” | . en as Chie SE ee ——- - 3 ee ke ae ae i Ree rad ' a) vi a ; ( ! mt be keh) : " = ie Y) ) Ny C ¢) ¥ 4 2