Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 1003 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

eyes SS PG. Leese - . se ee ee eee, OE ee ee | eee linn — > ° ee mr rr ree re ee ‘Yes, he is no common man. I belivve that if I wont to the eed of the earth he would find me.” “If he comes to Corinne point him out to me and I'll soon pet tie him for you,” the Danite observed, carelessly. ‘‘I run that tovru, and there’s uo ten or twenty men in it that dare to even ercok their finger when John Clark takes the war-path.” “Good! then in Corinne I’U hide, and if this man comes!” the stronger criad, eagerly. : * Be won't trouble you but once,” the outlaw remarked. CHAPTER IV. AN UNEXPECTED GREETING, Qurrz a lively place was the “city” of Corinne now that the grading parties of tho trans-continental railway had reached the neighborhood. And where the sons of toil congregate, thither, too, come the birds of prey—the liquor-dealers, the gamblers, the dance-houso belles, rogues and rascals of every grade, every age and sex. Like a mushroom the vity of Corinne had sprung:into exis tence almost in a night. No iiracle Aladdin’s palace to the followers of the iron way across the continent; a “city” of tente and shanties sprung into life and being every time the railroud ~rmy halted to take breath. ; First, the barien, treeless prairie covered wiih sage-brush aud flecked with alkali; then the prospecting gang of graders, and, then, presto! a city of a thousand souls almost in a breath. Debatable ground was Corinne; iirst a little Mormon settle ment, a scattered house here and there along the banks of the river; but with the sudden rise to the dignity of a ‘‘city” of hotels, saloons, dauce-houses, and gaming dens, interspersed with a few stores now and then, the vast rush of the outside barbari- ans—the ‘* Gentiies ’—stified the Mormon influence so that it amounted to very little, althoush the “Saints ” strove hard to retain coatrol over the motley denizens of the mushroom town, At the time of which we write, although numbering over a thousand souis, Corinne was utterly without any local govern- ment, although with that peculiar instinct, so natural to the Anglo-Saxon breast, the inhabitants had talked about organizing a regular government and electing the proper officers to run the thing; but as this had not yet been done, each inhabitant was a law unto himself, One could never bave told though from the appearance of the town that the lively city was “running” itself, for there were few brawls, considering the number of rough and vio'ent men songreg: ‘ed within the limits of the town, their passious unre- trained by the stern control of law’s powerful hand. But cuen, overy man, nearly, carried arms, was ready to use ghem, too, and everybody knaw it; a quarrel meant ‘ business,” and few of the roughs even were anxious for sudden death. Still the desperadoes would fight among themselves, would kill each other; there was “a nian for breakfast” every now and then; but it was rarc that a peaceable citizen, minding his own pusiness, was interfered with, and so, upon the whole, for 80 prisk a place, Corinne had reason to boast of the good order which generally prevailed within its limits. Built after the usual fashion of railway towns, nearly all of she buildings being strang along a single street, through the eeuter of which the railway ran, it would not have taken a stran- ger long to “‘ do” the town. As we have said, every other house was either a hotel, a saloon, a dance-house or a gaming den, and sometimes ali four collected together in one building, as was notably the case with a pal..tial establishmeat—palatial for the frontier—which displayed os its sign a turreted stono building with flags flying, aud over it the inscription: ) Tus CastLE oF DURANGO, Here, under one roof was a hotel, a saloon, a dance-house and a gambling hell. The Castle of Durango was, by a long chalk—to use the com- mou expression—far ahead of anything else in the city of Cor- inne. saloon, boasted the prettiest girls in its dance-house, and ran the squarest aud largest game in its apartment sacred to the goddess Fortune. Michael Castana, a tall, broad-shouldered Mexican, of middle age, kept the place, assisted hy a woman whom he called his sister, and whose fame extended far and wide. Katherine Castaya—Kate of Durangs, as she was generally term*d—was po common girl. > ‘Yall and queenly in stature, superbly formed, with a figure that would have excited the admiration of the old-time sculptor who sarved the Roman Venus; a face, pure Spanish in its type, and as fair as had ever sat upon the shoulders of a Castilian maid; eyes black as night and as lustrous as the suu-kissed waters of ‘he arrowy Guadalquiver, Hispania’s fairest river; lips red as the eactus fower of the Mexican dezert and formed after the arch of Cupid’s bow; hair soft as finest sitk, and shining in its jetty black- ness like the wild cherry’s coat, gathered in a simple kuot at the back of the head and held in place by a gold-handled dagger, the blade Toledo steel, that boasted the ice-brook’s temper, she was indeed a wondrous maid! | - And this superb creature, as fair as ever painter dreamed of, perfect as ever sculptor wished for, was simply and purely s > y a ealied, and over the varded tablo she gebling don “Sbuaed, arane eight “eee | bane Tt was the best hotel in the town, kept the best liquors in ite . 5 ‘. 4 >. ~~ EON, ee ‘SO Te OD : ag © - EL TT ED teen men Fem Great attraction was she, too, for many a dollar was risked ia the saloon simply because the owner desired to feast his eyes wpon the beautiful face of the Monte Queen. Fair as Diana, the fabled goddess, was she; and as chaste, too, for no living man could boast of favors received from Durango Kate. A charming smile and a pleasant word for all—but no mors, and so strong the influence of her proud way that the worst ruftian in the town hesitated to provoke her wrath. ‘Twas said, too, that the dagger in her hair was no cbild’s toy, but was a poisoned weapon, the merest scratch of which would bring certain death, and that she, if affronted, would not hesitata to use it. And now, having described this strange flower, who seems to bloom with grace and purity in this hotbed of vite, we will loo« in upon her at the hour of nine at night as she holds her court in the gambling saloon. The place is full of people; ’iis the common resort of the mon of the town after nightfall to hear the news and talk over past events. No oneis pressed to either play or drink; the plice is as free to the looker-on as to the man who desires to speud money. Katherine, reclining in a richly-cushioned arm-chair, just back of the monte-table, over which an assistant was now presiding, was smoking a dainty cigarette, the one peculiar weakness of the Spanish-Mexican dame, and chatting with tis frequenters of the saloon as they sauutered by. There was very little playing going on at present; gambling in earnest rarely commenced until after ten. The occupants of the room were conversing together and watching the new- comers, and as nearly every eye was fixed upon the door, the entrance of a man, peculiar both in face and dress, at once excited general attention. He was just a little above the medium hight, splendidly built, dressed in a full suit of buck-skin, wearing upon his feet the pointed moccasins of the Pawnee tribe, and upon his head ths raccoon-cap of the hunter, the snout of the animal projecting down over the forehead, the bushy, barred tail dangling agains’ the neck, behind; keen brown-black eyes, a bronzed, manly face, the chin boasting a full brown beard, the bair, dark brown in color, pushed back behind the ears and reaching clear to the shoulders, and we have the pen picture of the new-comer. Men in deer-skin were common enough in the town of Corinne, and yet the entrauce of this man excited general amazement. Plenty of men in deer-skin, but no trapper, mule-driver or Indian guide who carried upon his person 4 small fortune in the shape of buttons made out of gold-pieces, Hundreds of dollars’ worth of the precious metal at least he carried upon his person in this peculiar way; and few in the city of Corinne who would not have recognized Gold Dan, the wildest dare-devil on the frontier, at a single glance. ‘Gold Dan, by hookey!” an old gaunt fellow cried, and the crowd took up the exclamation, much to the astonishment of the individual in question, who halted at the door, evidently com- pletely astonished by the reception. And the good folks of Corinne were aston- ished, too. Upon good authority Gold Dan had heen reported slain in an Indian attack, a month before, on the Montana trail, yet here he was, looking about the same, except that he had let his hair and beard grow. ‘Why, I heered you were dead, ole man!” one of the crowd exclaimed, “Oh, no; I’m alive,” was the careless reply, but it was plain from the way he looked around him that he felt ill at ease, “Dan, I want to speak to you!” exclaimed Kate, abruptly, aud speaking as if he were an old acquaintance. “Certainly,” the man responded, and at once made his way 6 where the haughty beauty reclined in her chair, ‘You foolish fellow! don’t you know that it is as much as your life is worth to come here?” ‘“‘No; why? What have I to fear?’ Gold Dan asked, appar- ently mystified, and yet endeavoring to look unconcerned. — “After running away with that Mormon’s wife—fly at once— ah! it is too late!” John Clark, with six or seven other Mormons, at that instant: sauntered into the room, CHAPTER V. GOLD DAN’S MISDEED. | “Too late! what do you mean?” and perceiving that ber - “Ts 4 La, Vea ep } + 4 >? »y mA a , i - f - , 7 + . we 4 AN , 7 . +f : 4 * Vw P my Pio at ~y oie *“ PA r by , . ’ a : bas ~- eS » ak u ~ % ef o> YS? . - = + ¢ * % ‘< A, * wite glance was fixed upon the door, he turned his head and looked — in that direction. Clark and bis companions had advanced to the bar, which was close by the door, and had called for drinks, without troub ling themselves to look around the room. _“ Don’t you see the Duke of Corinne?” “ And who is it that rejoices in that highsounding appellation” Dan asked, apparently in blissful ignorance, ‘“What is the matter with you?” Kate cried im astonishment; “you know John Clark well enough!” ~ ‘Oh, yes—certainly!” Dav responded, quite readily; “ but touching this Duke of Corinne that you spoke of—” “Why, that’s John Clark!” the girl returned, amazed. 4 Don't i remember?!” tte “Oh yes, of course, now that you speak of it,” the man com fessed, with seeming indifference; “ but I’ve such # pow bead tw : - . — —_ a - f “ a dam = al s ° a - » | a ‘y ai } | =i a - —_ Fi. arc ea | 4 2+ ™ © “ —_ ~ ein a ee ke ? tgs re - =p ~ -) . te € 4“ . a a - .- w ae 4 € a” ad - =cOomM , . ¢ * B ale — $ * . . =. 3. X. .