Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 940 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

“Not a bit of it! I like your style, as I told you, and I also told you that IL wanted just one more adventure with you before I went home, I'll back yeu up, you bet!” “Oh, I don’t doubt that for a moment. You are clear grit.” “Well, thank you; but think they mean ?’’ ‘* Business from the word go!” “Then we must mean the same. Just call them to a halt, or we shall have to open fire. I don’t like being jumped in this fashion, as you folks of the West call it. I like to do some of the jumping my- self. I'll open fire if they don’t halt!’ It was a thrilling moment. Night as dark as Erebus, and a place as wild as the road to Gehenna. Deadwood Dick and his girl pard, Nancy Jane, so called, had been forced to seek shelter from pursuers. Coming down the gulch and into the wild and rugged place,where we find the pards, vere a score or more of the deni- zens of the neighboring camp of Reilley, some of them bearing torches. They were wildly vociferating, telling what they would do when they caught the persons they were after, and were then coming so near that Dick’s pard was becoming a little nervous, although a woman of nerve and backed up by such a pard as Deadwood Dick, Jr. They had reached a spot where several huge bowlders offered protection. These rocks they located by the glare from the torches, and Dick, pushing her in behind them, bade her crouch down, while he whipped out.a gun and leveled it over the top of the highest bowlder. “Halt!” he ordered. “Pull right up where you are, galoots, or there will be weeping in the wigwams of some of you because of your goneness. What is the meaning of this hullabaloo, anyhow? What have I or my pard done that you should set upon us like this?” ‘We'll show ye what ye have done, cuss’ ye!” eried out the foremost of the men with the torches, albeit all had come to a sudden halt. \‘*Come out hyer-and give yourselves up, and then we'll talk busi- ness. We know ye, and we know what has brought ye here, and you have got to come to our terms before you do any fur- ther huntin’ in these diggin’s!” “T know what you say, my man,” re- ‘joined Dick, blandly, “but I'll be hanged if I know what you are talking about.” “You don't, hey? Mebby you will say that you ain’t here lookin’ fer Job Welch- er’s box o’ money?” > ‘Never heard of either Job Welcher or his box of money, and don’t know any- thing about it. If that is all you want of us you have run us to cover for nothing.” “Is that straight?” “ Straight as a string, I assure you, gen- tlemen.”’ “And ain’t you Doe Dalton?” “Doc Dalton? Not much I ain’t.” “hen who the dickens are ye?’ - « Well, call me Felix Fox for short.” “Tf that’s ther case we have made a mistake and had our run. all fer nawthin’; so come out and show yerself.’ “Do you mean square?” “Of course we do; what do you take us for?’’ “Well, I didn’t know what to take you for, that’s the truth. You reminded me of a pack of hyenas the way you came tearing along after us a minute ago. what do you “Well, you will find that we are just citizens of Reilley, all in good and reg’lar standin’, as we'll show you if you will go home with us. It will be our treat; one on us.”’ , “Dick, I wouldn’t trust pered Nancy Jane. : them!’ whis- Deadwo ‘think not. $$$ $$$ “Why not, pard?”’ “They have got over it too quick; they haven't even had a good look at you yet. It may be a trick they are trying to work on you,” “Perhaps you are right, pard, but I I think they made a mistake and now see that they did. They gave us a tight brush, but I guess they found they ran up against a snag when we came to a place where we could-make a stand.”’ ‘Well, be careful!” ‘Come, what d’ye say?” the spokesman demanded. “Why, that is a fair offer, stranger, and I don’t mind accepting, if it be bona fide.”’ ‘Tt ain’t nothin’ else, be sure o’ that. jome, prance out hyar till we git a full squint at ye. Even ef you meant fight we are five to one against you and you wouldn't have a ghost of a show.” ‘Don’t you bet too heavy on that, my friend,”’ admonished Dick. a dandy place, right here, and I have gota couple of five-spots that. would be good for ten of you, straight, for I never miss. So don’t gamble high on that hand, or you may lose.” ‘You have got gall, anyhow.” ‘‘ Have to have, in this world. But who are you? I have told you who TI am.’ “T am Ben Welcher, son of the Job Welcher you heard me mention, and when IT heard that you was prowling. around here in Devil’s Gulch, I made up my mind that you was lookin’ for my dad’s box of money.” “Well, Mr. Welcher, this smacks of ro- mance, truly. Should like to hear more about this box of money when we get ac- quainted.” “ An’ we ain't gettin’ acquainted a heap fast, you staying there.” “Plenty of time; no need to rush mat- ters. Who is this Doe Dalton, whom you took me to be? It is quite evident that he would get a warm reception if you could lay hands upon him.” “ Well,. you can tell your folks that he would, for fair!” the speaker for the band exclaimed. ‘He is a son of the man who was my dad's pard, and he holds half of the secret to the hiding place of the box of money, and you bet your life he won’t walk off with it if I know it!’ ‘Don’t blame you, if it is rightfully yours. Well, if you promise us a square deal we will come out.”’ “ Haven't I done that? Come right out and go with us to camp.” “All right; but don’t forget that I am on the shoot some and you don’t want to try on any funny business with me.” “You may be-on the shoot all right, but your talk is the talk of a squaw, as the Injuns say. If you are not a coward, come out and get acquainted, for we have offered as fair as We can.” | “T am cautious because I have a lady with me!” asserted Dick. “The way you set upon us leads me to put a whole lot of salt on what you say now. But Ill trust you, with fair warning that if you go back on your word I will make you eat crow, every mother’s son of you!” “Haw! haw! haw!” laughed another of the crowd. ‘Thar’ ain’t no squaw talk about that theer, Ben Welcher.” ‘Don’t seem to be, that’s a fact,” agreed, Ben. “ Come, Nancy Jane,” Dick turned as he addressed his pard, but she was not to be seen. | | He looked closer, but she was gone, and there was nothing near him but the bare bowlders. Where had she disappeared to? | : *“ Pard!”’ you?” | “ What's up? demanded Welcher, he exclaimed. ‘ Where are od Dick, Jr.’s Shake-up. “We are in. “Why, my pard is missing; that is what is up. Come this way with your torches, quick!’ “Say, is this hyer a trick?” demanded the spokesman for the party from the camp. “If it is, you needn't expect us to bite, that is all. You come out here and show yourself.”’ “No trick about it. twenty. Seems to squaw talk on your side now. I am only one to me there is some Come here -With your lights, I say, till I see where my pard is. Nancy! Naney Jane! What the mischief does it mean, anyhow?’ and Dick stepped forth, demanding a light, “ Why don’t ye give him a light, Ben?” urged the fellow at his side. ‘He ain’t a-goin’ to eat ye, et ain’t likely, and ef he does et will be your treat, an’ I'll be on hand as sure as my cognomen aire Happy Harkins! Come on an’ see what ther feller wants. Thar’ was two of ’em, that we know, and if one is missin’, we want to know ther whyfor.” CHAPTER II. BROKEN PLEDGE. Deadwood Dick, indeed, was puzzled. His girl pard had gone off without a word, or a sound, and he feared that all was not right. It was something so out of the usual that he did not know what to make of it, and yet he had to believe that she had gone of her own free will. If she had been carried off he must have heard the noise of it. “Don’t parley,’ he called; “come on With your lights!” “Hyer we come!” responded Happy Harkins, and on they came, and reaching the bowlders, they. flashed their lights around. . " As they had come near with their lights Dick had cast a hurried look over the ground and something white caught his eye. “ He picked it up. It was a scrap af pas per with just three words and no more written upon it, which he hurriedly read, and as the men with the torches Came near he econeealed the slip. The three words were: * See you later.” Then Dick knew that Nancy Jane had ~ zone off of her own accord, and guessed at the reason in the same moment. Having declared ber belief that these men were only trying to decoy Dick and herself into trouble, she had dodged fhe decoy, and of course, would be heard later; that was her “style.” nae ‘Where is yer pard?” demanded Ben Welcher, looking around suspiciously. “Just what I want to know,” iterated Dick, his gun still in hand. “That is what I called you here for, but you were an infernal while in coming with the lights.”’ Pies } “‘T take et ter be only a trick,” one man blurted out. “Why so, Hank?’ demanded Ben, “So’s one could get away. They seen we had ’em dead to rights, as it was, . and one has vamoosed.”’ “You have a big head, my friend,” spoke up Deadwood Dick. “If that had been the object, would I have called for you to hurry with the lights? I thought some sad fate had happened to my pard.” “ What could happen?” | ‘ Didn’t know but we had run upon a fissure into which she had fallen.” - “Wull, ye see thar’ ain’t none, and I don’t take much stock in that story. I believe that Hank Riggle here is more’n half right,’ asserted Welcher. te ‘‘ Well, no use arguing with you, L sup- pose,” retorted Dick. “ You will have it fi oe = «é - @4 , N 1€DOOKS-comM — 9 — = = - 2 “ ne ae ee % te