Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 971 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

. {eo hd f = = — — ~~ 4 e * ~~ Ad 7 Z 4 “ " a » "ser? a eee 2 ee ee. ee ‘ - - - 4 . - ‘ - -— - - . =~ Pre.) , ss) - - i. _- «4 * J¥ ya c “ - See 4 wd = ae eee toe : OA ~ 7 y-" ~ ¥ ~ > ae . Ps aT 4 a= ceo “ ar z oa “tere § ° . _> < m ~ ot MOS = : ey , =e bd as “ * — ae, 4 me * ' Toh Ps =} . — “74 > ty ~ aio * a ~ . -, - —- — m — - = . . a Dig Ra aS - - ve : is cs @ they were not friends, anyhow. Has it never struck you that perhaps some friend of Eastwood’s has taken a hand in the game and killed Hamilton to put the property all in Eastwood’s hands?” “The mischief! I never thought of that. If that is the case, it is certain . that Pete Eastwood does not know of it, for he wouldn’t countenance that.” “T am inclined.to think that he does know it.’ éé No! +B * Look at this.’ The doctor held out a crumpled letter for Turner to see. “Thunder!” the man exclaimed. “It is the very letter that we wrote to Dead- wood Dick this afternoon.” “Proof that your mayor did not mail it, as he promised to do. I hope I have satisfied you, Mr. mayor is not the man of honor that you appear to have thought him.” , “IT wouldn’t have believed it. I will see him, and I will demand to know what he means—” “Not on your life,” interrupted the doctor. “Why not?’ “ Because I afh here to deal with him and get at the bottom of the ‘matter. All I need is your help, for we are only two against the whole camp.”’ “Except Gil Rogers—you can count on him to the last gasp, for he liked Dave Hamilton as well as I did.” “ But he is not here.” ** Ain’t he?” “Do you mean to hint that he is?” “You have trusted me, and there is no reason why I shouldn’t trust you. I know where Gil Rogers is.” “Then we are four against the town, and if we don’t solve this mystery and bring the guilty wretch to justice it will be no fault of ours. But, are you willing to aid me in what I proposed?” “What is to be gained by it?” — “ That is another matter. If I am suc- cessful, it will be the gaining to the foolish man his reason. That ought to be enough.” ’ “ Well, I'll do it.” 4 Bully all light!’ exclaimed “Chop Wong. ‘You muchee goodee fella, alee samee me anothel!”’ Job looked at the Celestial in a puzzled way, but could not make out the mo- mentary suspicion that had come to him. Chop Wong appeared a Chinee beyond any question of doubt. “Well, where do you think he will be found?” asked the doctor. “In one of half a dozen places, sure.” “How is the pain in your back? ” “Pshaw! you have made me forget all about it. I believe it is almost gone for the time being.” “TI believe it is‘ gone for all time, un- less you neglect your medicine. Let me make a little confession to you. Shall I? ’” “More puzzles?” “No, but I want to inspire all the con- fidence in you I can.” “Go ahead, then.” “Tt was not necessary for you to come here at this time of night; I only wanted to enlist your service. Knowing that Hamilton had been your friend, I knew we could trust you if we won you over. we “Yes, I seen that, after you showed your hand, You ain’t made no mistake, sir.”’ “Well, will you go out, quietly, learn where Kyler Kyle is, and, come back here and report? Then we will go and _ see to carrying him here without arous- - : Ane any one in the camp a doing so.” : ° 5 + “¢ bd i ‘ta ae NB an Dy of 7 >» é & al 7+ * yo F & ty rs oa ke tet a (CT - - * oo 7 a =< ry Ve Turner, that your) in de . - Deadwood Dick, Jr. 'S, Oath. rr Se CHAPTER XVI. A STARTLING SCHEME. In about half an hour Job Turner re- turned, He knocked lightly upon the door of the cabin as before, and was as prompt- ly admitted. “T have found him,” he announced. “Where is he?” asked the doctor—let us still call him so. “He is snorin’ away under the end of the hind porch of the Jolly Polly, in one of his reg’lar bunks.” “Poor fellow! Do you think we can get him out without disturbing anybody in the building?” “I don’t know about it. If he wakes up and sets up his sereechin’, ye can’t.” “Tl take care that he does not wake up, never fear about that.” “Well, in that case, I think it can be done,” “Lead the way, then, in the most shadowy course you can find, and we'll be about it without delay.” No more was said; Job was ready to do his part, and they filed out of the cabin as silently as three shadows, and away in the direction of the Jolly Polly. The camp was wrapped in darkness, and the silence was profound. Cautiously they proceeded, taking every care not to make a sound that any one could hear, even if awake, and final- | ly they came to their destination without having been discovered. There Job pointed out where the sleep- | ing Ky-Ky lay. By this time their eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, and it did not take the doctor long to locate Ky- Ky’s head. Taking a small sponge from his pocket, he saturated it with something which he poured out of a small bottle, and, having so done, he handed the sponge to his body servant. Chop Wong took it, and crept like a cat under the porch. He was under there for a minute, per- haps, and when he returned the sponge was not in his hand. “Him all light,” he said, in Nos 28 whisper. “You are sure?” asked the doctor “Yep, me muchee sure.” To prove it, the Chinee stooped and caught hold of the sleeping Ky-Ky by the heels and dragged him forth. When the sleeper come out of the utter blackness into the lesser darkness, it was seen that the sponge had been se- cured to his nose and mouth by a hand- kerchief that was tied around. “ Ketchee on,” the servant whispered. The doctor did so, taking hold of the sleeper under his arms, and thus they bore him away in the direction of the cabin. Like shadows they moved, and their venture proved an entire success so far as reaching the cabin without discovery Was concerned. They entered, laid the body on the floor, and while Chop Wong lighted the lamp again, Job Turner secured the door. The body was then taken up and laid out on a board across the table. The next thing in order was to cover every known crack and crevice so that no light could be seen from without, should any one happen to be awake. Presently that had been done quite satisfactorily. ; “Now for the examination,’ whis- pered the doctor. “ That is the first thing in order.” The Chinee servant took up the lamp and held it SO that its light fell fav- ae Z a? s i RaPY ve , . lel dF ain ste To me Ci oe ve ar Se * of hair, and when he had done he shook OS eee orably, and the doctor first of all re- moved the sponge from under the man’s nose and felt his pulse. “ All right,” he whispered. ‘‘ Not the first time by many that I have done that trick.” : Job Turner stood by, his eyes bulging with curiosity. “Can you lend me a hand, sir?” the doctor asked of him. “I will do the lifting, so that it will not hurt your back,”’ “ Certainly,” said Job. * Well, pull off the man’s jacket, while I hold him up.’ The doctor lifted the unconscious man by his shoulders, and first one sleeve and then the other was pulled off. . The jacket was old and ragged, and it had to be handled with extreme care in order not to tear it all to pieces in re- moving it, but it was not a circumstance compared to the shirt. They had no need to remove that— they could look through it anywhere, it was so old and worn. The doctor and his servant immediate- ly gave all their attention to the left arm. A touch of the finger tore the sleeve all away,’ and there, between the elbow and shoulder, in India ink, were a scroll and the letters “A W”’ in red. “My brother!” cried the doctor. “The sole survivor of the massacre! ” exclaimed the Chinee. Job Turner, more surprised than ever, could only look from one to the other. The seeming Chinee had dropped his lingo English for the instant, thereby supporting a suspicion Job had almost formed once before, and yet his appear- ance gave it the lie. ‘““T see you are puzzled,” said the doc- tor. “I’m worse than that,” detlared Job. “IT am completely knocked out of time for certain.” , “You have heard of the Cottonwood Meadows massacre?” asked the seeming Chinee. “I'd like to see a man in these parts — that hasn’t,’’ the response. | “Well, here you see the sole and only survivor, as you heard me say. I hap- pened on the spot only a little while after the tragedy had been enacted, and saved this man from the fire.” “Ha! then you are—”’ “’Sh! Do not mention it. Yes, I ar’ he; but it must be kept secret to thu’ end.” “You can trust me now. I'll go my last drop of blood in the game, for now | I am beginning to get my eyes open, and I think I see the hand behind the | mystery.” . ‘And I hope that the mystery of that awful affair is now to be cleared up at_ last. But, allee samee, it all ’pend on . you, doctol.” } In spite of himself, Job had to laugh at the sudden transition. | “And it all depends, perhaps, upon — whether or not I can bring my poor | brother back to his right mind. Poor | Andy! I never thought to find you in such a sad plight as this.” } “We makee that vely muchee all light — by’m by,” said the Chinee. | “Yes, I hope we can.” . The doctor felt of the man’s head as well as he could through all the tangle his head, but his face wore a less anx- jous look, ' “T feared that his skull had been in- jured, and that bone was pressing on be | brain, ” he said, . ‘ (€ b oo! Ks. “com a ni | ‘