Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 940 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

wrt —S a a ~ . _ dered Riggle, taking a bead-on him . ¥ives, L hope. | ‘burn the camp!” 12 *)39 What is her game? She will ““And she? * Oh! she is as true as gold. — —-~- --- - be back again, all in good time, if no ac- | cident happens to her, which I fear may, in this wild town. I ought to go out in search of her, but I should only be shot down at sight by those ruffians.”’ “It would be suicide to try it, know.” * Unless in disguise, as one of them.” vou are.” And so had Dick himself, almost! He received a new idea like a revelation. Why should he = suspect anything | crooked about Harding, for, knowing that he was Deadwood. Dick, would he have shown his hand as he had if it had not Deen honest? He thought not, unless it was a bluff. and if that, then it was about the bigvest one on record, for it meant not only the risk of the mine, but perhaps his life as well, if he. had killed Trivet. They presséd on to the gates. Outside they heard a yelling and hoot- ing mob at a little distance. Then was heard a roar of laughter, and a voice followed, singing: “Hurrah! Hurrah! We'll sound the jubilee! Hurrah! Hurrah! For whisky that is free! So we'll sing the chorus, just as full as full can be, And you can bet that we won't go home till morning!’’ “Shut up, you drunken idiot!” eried the woice of Hank Riggle. “ Give somebody @lse a show, will you?” “Sartain, sartain! Have all the show you want, Hankey! Thar’ will be a show fer everybody when that happy day ar- We'll soak our skins so full that—’’ “Shut up, or I will let some of the bad zum out of you with a bullet! We have no time to listen to your nonsense. Hil- to! inside thar’! We aire here with a flag o' truce, and we want to have a word “with ye.” “ That’s so,” said one of the men at the loopholes. * They are under a white rag, Sure as you live.” “Well, what do you want?’ shouted Harding. “A talk with you.” , “Well, talk away; I can hear you.” “Yes; but git up whar’ ye kin be seen, So’s we kin talk face to face.” * All right; I think I can afford to oblige you that far, my Man; we are on the winning side, as you must admit.” “You aire on the inside, that is sar- tain.” Harding mounted to a rude platform ‘built just inside the fence for just such a purpose. wa ' He showed himself fearlessly, sinee he .had no idea that the men wonld play any trick after coming under a flag of truce, and he demanded to know what “was desired. ‘We want our mayor sot free,’ was the demand, | : “You can’t have him,” was the firm Tesponse. “I am acting mayor and he is 4 prisoner.” “Then you refuse to give him to us?’ “Yes, I do; positively refuse!” “Then you will have to take the corn- sekences, that is all. We aire goin’ to “Don't! Fer the Inv’ ov. goodness, don’t!’ cried the voice of Happy Harkins. “Think of the good stuff you will destroy! Fer the luv’ ov goodness let me have time to roll out a bar’l before—” “Shut up, or I will shut’ you up!’ or- with a gun, rat ' ‘Good-by!” cried Happy, and he made ; ’ a.‘ , oo” a\4 & oft % > oA. wu a iT oe on’ 0 Ee aes ; i! 148 Ps oo ’ ; ' ; that I | | ) “What do you say?” Riggle then de- manded. Go ahead and burn it if you want to,” Harding invited. “You will be doing yourselves more harm than you will do us,” “ Yes, but what of the citizens in thar’ with you? Boys,” raising his voice still louder, “aire you: goin’ to back up this fel- | ler and see your homes laid in ashes? I “Ah, yes; I forgot for the moment who ! Should opine not!” LS “Pay no heed to that,” said Harding, looking around. “The Blue Wasp will Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Shake-up. a | ! —$—$< OHAPTER XV. FALLING INTO A SNARB., It Was a thrilling moment. This, then, had been their object, and they had played well their hand. But they held a sword that was likely to cut either way if they did not handle it With extreme delicacy. Deadwood Dick stopped short. He was quick to see that it was the only chance for the man’s life. “Let him down!” he eried. “ You will be his murderers in one minute if you pay for your losses if the ruffians carry keep him there.’ out that threat.” “Hooray fer Harding!’ But immediately that was followed with | & cry of surprise. A rope was seen to whirl up over the manager’s head, a loop settled around him, and the next instant he was jerked over the fence. | The yell that arose then was deafening, and the crowd beat a-hasty retreat, drag- ging their prisoner after them on the ground by means of the rope that had given him into their hands. Shots were fired, but in such haste that all went wide of the mark, and in a few seconds the crowd was out of pistol range. : “ What is goin’ to be done?” asked one of the mine men, “We, must charge them!” answered Dick. “Open the gates instantly.” Men set about this in haste, but it oecu- pied some moments, and meanwhile the others were getting away. The gates were open in a brief time, however, and out the mem dashed, but suddenly Deadwood Dick turned anf faced them, throwing up his arms as he did so as a signal for them to stop. “It won’t do, boys; it won’t do!’ he shouted. “What won't do?’ ‘We must not all go; it may be a trick to capture the mines! Twenty of you, at and hold the fort until we get back. The rest of you come on.” the camp, fearless as a tiger, glancing back over his shoulder as he ran to see that his order was carried out. And he saw that it was being done, about a score of the men having re- mained. On they dashed after Dick’s lead. As they came to the camp and rounded into the street a sight met their eyes that chilled them. In front of the Shanty Palace was a big He turned and led the way down into | “Will you trade?” * Yes.’’ * Even?” * Yes! Yes!” It was a time when anything had to be promised, But at that moment another party took - a hand in the game; a report was heard and the rope was cut by a bullet. The shot had come from the other side of the crowd, the side opposite to where Deadwood Dick and his men stood, and immediately from the same direetion came a horse and rider, All recognized the rider, for it was no other than Tulip Tilly, and in her hands she held a brace of guns, while the rein was thrown over her head and.was hang- ing on her neck. She dashed forward with the speed of an arrow in its flight, shouting as she came: “ Back! you cowards! Out of my way, or I will give you a dose from which you will not recover in a hurry!” And already Veadwood Dick was com- ing from the other side. . With a call to his men he had started’ immediately om seeing the man drop, for it was Row or never, But the others had had a lesson in war-' ‘fare, and with unexpected quickness they least, must stay here and close the gates | — - tree, dead, with its gaunt limbs stretch- | ing out as if in dumb eloquence, and over one of those limbs the rope had been | thrown. At the other end of the rope was Hard- ing, apparently half unconscious from the rough handling he lad received, for some of the men had to support him. A yell from Dick and his men caused the crowd to look their way. “ Stop!" Dick ordered. “If you pull on that rope we will riddle you!’ “Shoot an’ be ripped!’ was sent’ back. “You will hit your man ef ye do, and that will settle him!” . “Charge!” Dick cried. And he ran for- ward swiftly, the men with him, but be- fore they had taken a dozen strides the rope was pulled and the new mayor of the camp was swinging in the air, and a dozen guns weré aimed at him as he hung there. “Hold up!” yelled Riggle. “Stop! or we will blaze away! We will trade even, your mayor for ours, but you will have him!” dv if a4 Fa to speak out lightning quick, you bet, or dead man before you get he will be a > f rr & tae * / 7 > J vA f ‘ye 4) . . it, , (4 , ule 4 “xh "IP ‘ on. UA - - i ad . : 4 ' i‘ 4 ret - (Eo BERIT AS Te LES ILS NY Nh TEED TTI TS TOES 5 SRE at oo. . Serer. - ‘ tiles formed themselves in a double. line the same as they had seen Dick form his men a little while before. “ Stand off!” cried Riggle. “The worse for you if you don’t! We are boss of the ring yet, you will 'find.”’ At that moment Tulip Tilly bounded in among them. Harding was lying on the ground uncon- scious, and she leaned from the saddle and caught hold of his coat. She had hardly stopped to do this, and > with a word to her horse was off again, holding fast to the rescued man, whose heels dragged along om the ground as the horse ran. . : It was such a surprise to the rascals that they forgot to act until it was too late. When they thought to fire, horse and rider disappeared. Tulip Tilly had turned short around a corner of the Shanty Palace, and the bul- lets that flew in that direction sped harmlessly by. Deadwood Dick and his men sent up a rousing cheer, and the others having turned to look in the direction the girl - had taken, Dick improved the opportunity find poured a volley into their ranks, Which had the effect to throw them into Maes OA se disorder. And following up that, he made a charge, and as a result the rascals broke and seattered in every direction. “Saved! Saved!” cried a voice... And at the door of the Hog Pen appeared Happy Harkins, with a quart bottle in hand. “Thank Heavens! saved! And I have saved this!” “What is saved?” some fellow asked. “The country!” cried Happy. ‘That is to say, the supply of whisky on hand, which amounts to the same thing.” And then he took a long pull at the bots tle, after which he sang: “Oh! I'm happy as a clam,” ete, — —_ oT aes . . ‘7 . ; : 3 ’ "ht , : : ‘ ‘ Sf 7 eT bed, 7 : ; | ‘> : Wve! : ~~’ e ny i” } ny . 7 . t ' “ qn” ‘/ * ’ Ne ae id ‘i <5 cia>¥, oe ‘ " iba ’ 4 2” ] 9 P| y i ~ " ’ aa 4 ii r “ 7 > ; ee 7 pene raran er