Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 991 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

. a, ee Pian 4 7 ‘ -* to ~ _—- - a) AS: ee , t , ~~ <5 * - Y ee Ades ia ca = . Pp “Stee d Lo “} mA s bal : 5 gibt a hci ————en ~% Mes 42 par alt as “ LOSINS SorenantnareenenEEEEEDEE SERIE SESS ent te eee, Pena * ee Ses AA Ws ge ob 8 stain of twenty crimes. this. I have them in my bosom, but tae man himself will not deny it. Ask him,” All eyes fell upon the giant, whose head had dropped upon his bread chest ind whose breath seemed to come in gasps as he faced his accuser. “He is silent. Is it true, Kidd? Remember!” _ The last word was uttered in a voice vhich did not reach any ears but Mount- ain Kidd’s, and it swept his heart like a storm wind of passion. “Speak to your pards of Shakedown,” continued Jerusalem Jake. “Is it true?”’ The big man looked up with an effort and took in the scene before him. “It is true,’ said he. ‘Pinos Jack is doomed wherever he is,’ went on Jerusalem Jake. ‘“‘ He is the property of the law, the righteous vic- tim of vengeance. He belongs to fate, and any man can shoot him down and not suffer the consequences,” ‘‘ Let them try it!’ hissed the doomed desperado. ‘ Let them try to carry out the old sentence. I am here.’’ Once more the mountain tough was himself, and he stalked forward, his hand wound about the butt of his re- volver and his face the picture of fury. ‘‘In other lands and by other shanties I will meet my foes,” he went on. ‘“ As for the accusation you have heard, I am Pinos Jack, but also Mountain Kidd. I —=—<—— Mountain am the highwayman of the Silver Hills, but still the iron man of Shakedown! ”’ A cheer greeted him. ‘Mountain Kidd will see the mystery of Shakedown solved. He will demon- strate that he is still a power among the Mariposa Hills. He will face dude and desperadoes with the coolness he has ever maintained. The man does not live who can beat Mountain Kidd out of his hand. He is the king of the hold-up— the same man he was years ago in other jands.” The outlaw, defiant and dauntless, walked away. His face was turned toward the end of the street, and the Two Dudes watched him as he came toward them. Suddenly there rang out the sharp re- port of the revolver; the terror of Shake- down spun half-way round and fell for- ward on his face. “We have lost the game,’ said Bob Hahley, and his pard looked at the form in the dust without comment. Jerusalem Jake had fulfilled his mis- sion. CHAPTER VII, TWO BULLETS AND A BROKEN WINDOW. Not long after the tragedy of Shake- down in which Mountain Kidd fell be- fore the pistol of Jerusalem Jake, Nelly Nickell entered her little shanty, the neatest in the camp. She had come up out of the Heart-of- Gold Mine after encountering its her- mit-tenant, Peters, and now came back to her own dwelling a little too late for the funeral on the hill, and too late, also, to witness the meeting of the bravo of Shakedown and his accuser. But the girl was not permitted to re- -Main long in her cabin unvisited. The shades of another night -were deepening over the camp among the hills and the patrons of The Comet were gath- ering in. | Nelly turned, as her door was opened, and stood face to face with Bob Hanley. “JT have been waiting for you,” ex- ‘plained the young man. “ Y ou went away last night.” “Yes. I have had some strange ad- % ventures. I have come back armed as I fe never been armed before.” wi A YT « #y ! I have proofs of Tom.” ——— —__ —__ —-_ -- * Armed in hat way?’ The lips of the girl seemed to quiver. ‘TIT have lost Billy Whiskers; but, more of that anon,” she went on, “Il have stood face to face with the dweller of the old mine. I have seen Samson, the hermit of the drifts. He discovered Bandy Nickell’s papers only to lose them again. I have come back to find the thief,” : “The man who stole the papers, miss? ”’ “Yes, and I think I know him.” “Where is he?” “In Shakedown. I want to face him. The papers belong to me.” “Why to you?” “ Because they were left for me by Bandy Nickell, my guardian. He hid them in the mine and then died sud- denly. He never got to tell me where they were, but the hermit of the mine found them.” “ And lost them in turn, you say?”’ “Just so. What has happened here since I went away? They haven’t called you and your friend to account yet?” “Not vet.” Bob then acquainted the girl with the events which followed his last adven- ture at the Hotel Eden, the coming of Jerusalem Jake, the accusation and the attempt on Mountain Kidd’s life. “He lives, you say? This man still lives despite Jerusalem Jake’s aim?” ‘He lies in his own shanty—alone.”’ “T must see him.” ‘Not alone, miss.” “Let me go by myself. This man is no longer a mystery to me. I know all about him. I would have known without the -accusation, for the papers found and read by Samson tells me all.” She was at the door when the hand of Bob Hanley gripped her arm, “ Mountain Kidd, though now off the roster, is still here in others,” said he. “His death will only knit tighter the bonds of such men as Larry and Mari- posa Morg. Then, there is the veritable ruffian Gold Nick, and one-drmed Orson. All these, I believe, intend to stand by Mountain Kidd’s-cause to the last. The dead man is buried. He sleeps on the hill, and they are talking now of turning on us and Jerusalem Jake.” “On you and your friend?” “ Yes; they understand our mission.” “Tf they do you must fight.” “We will, of course.” The belle of Shakedown fell back a step and looked into Bob’s face. “In case of a fight you will be almost. alone,” she assumed. “TY know that. The camp will stand by Mountain Kidd.” “Tt will. He has controlled the fort- unes of Shakedown too long to be de- posed by a man like Jerusalem Jake. Where is the avenger now?” “He left Shakedown soon after the shooting. He did take advantage of Mountain Kidd, but his pistols so covered his retreat that he got off unscathed.” “No one even interfered? ”’ ‘““None did.” “Then the storm will break to-night. Couldn’t you and your friend go back? The stage will go up inside of an hour.” “We did not come down here to be run off,” was the reply. “ You forget that we have a mission.” “No, no. It is to discover the mur- derer ‘of the stranger found by Alkali “ That’s it, and more. After the dis- covery_comes the most delicate part of our work. I cannot tell you more now. The hand that killed can and will be found. We are on the trail now. We | have_ a clew.” : #5 4] .* &,.3 * Wd ee Two Dudes from Doomed Camp, ’ ae eT ora oe Be woe “One which you never will be able is: prt carry out in Shakedown,” cried Nelly. “Tf you will remain I will be your friend, but if you (fail 1emem ber Nell niust not be blamed for it.’ ‘* Never fear.” Bob saw the girl walk through the deepening shadows toward Mountain Kidd’s shanty and watched her until she reached the door. “ Young un?” said a voice behind him, and Bob started as he looked at the speaker. “Look yonder,’ continued the man, his hand pointing toward the door of The Comet. ‘‘ Thar’s death across those steps—death for yon an’ your pard!” Bob looked a moment without again gazing into the stranger’s face. “ That’s Orson the one-armed,” contin- ued the other. “‘ You don’t know him?” “No, but I have seen him with the rest,” “ Watch him, See what he does. He is full of tricks.” The man who had emerged from The Comet stepped to one side and seemed to take something from his pocket; then he leaned against the shanty and began: to write on a bit of paper. “He sees in the dark as well as he does at noonday. They call him Orson, the Owl.” In a few moments he straightened and folded the note. “ Follow him—with your eye,” advised the man at Hanley’s back. “ He won’t be gone long. Orson has a post-office which is not much known.” The man under surveillance suddenly stopped and dropped to the ground. Where he knelt was a large stone., Un- der this he thrust his hands. “The note’s thar now; Orson thinks he has not been observed. Would you like to read the missive? ” “I would like to read it.’” The stranger sprang away the moment the figure of Orson re-entered The Comet and Bob Hanley waited for his return. “Here it is. Now go into the girl’s shanty and read it to your heart’s con- tent,” The young Getective entered the girl's home and struck a light. The paper was a rough bit and the writing had been traced under adverse circumstances, the writer being one- armed and uncouth in orthography, but | he mastered every word: “ The time has come,” wrote Orson, the Owl. ‘‘ The hand must be played out be- fore morning. When you get this don’t delay, but sharpen the tools and meet me, you Know where. Let it be not later than three. They will be asleep then, and Shakedown will be quiet. The Un- known is buried and all is well. Now for the great play. two young chicks from the north and a few others to fight. It won’t be much of a battle. So come on when you find this, “THE OWL.” Young Hanley read this startling mes- sage twice before he ventured to look around, expecting to see the stranger near at hand; but he was alone. He stepped outside, but the stranger had departed, and with the note in his | hand he stood there nonplussed. He waited several minutes, and then, folding the message, he turned toward | the Hotel Eden. Ben was there, and he would show it to him. Bob went up stairs and found his cone. . in at the window, but before he coutd show the message there cdme a ery from Ben. “S ue us 7 x ; wry aie pig We have no one but “ Across the street yonder!” he ear is ave -—- eS il rte ~ at os =e * 4 ee a Tuy = ‘tw : ud 2 tS a Oe Sing ~ le eee Gee o~ > ey, 7 ~ books. com