Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 229 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 Captain Cutsleeve. * Wor glory’s sake, don’tshute. I’m on’y tak- in’ keer ov things, an’ every snort I take I jist chalk one down. It’s all right, an’ ef that thin goes off it might bu’st ther bottle. Don’t! Ough!’ And then Billy sunk suddenly on bis knees, out of sight bebind the bar; but just above its edge appeared theinverted bottom of the bottle, while the irate ee heard a rapid gurgle, that told bim that Billy was making the most of } his last chance. Touch-Me Not broke into a laugh. It was a comical climax to the intensity of the late un- pleasantness. ** Let bim go, Johnny; I'll pay the damage. The old man must have been mighty dry, and it willdo him good to get a square mouthful. Maybe I can get him to talk a little; he seems sort of bashful-like on ordinary occasions—a cross between a booby owl and a hump-back sphinx. A silent man, if I understand him.” ‘* A silent man—oh, thunder! If he’s a silent ee what would the Gulch do if it had a talker one ‘Thar, jedge, come out ovthar. We’ll chalk it down as seven ordinary drinks; but about five more would bu’st the barrel.” Howlin’ Billy cams out from behind the bar with a subdued mien —except that his eyes twinkled with satisfaction. 6 extended his hand toward Touch-Me-Not, “| know’d it, old man, I know’d it the minnit me peepers tuk in yer face. Yer wouldn’t throw off on an old side-pard like meself, I don’t jest_egzactly disremember, but me thinks it war in Sacramento, in ‘fifty-five, that we dis- ported on ther green together, an’ when we run shole on ther bar you waltzed south ter perspect torrads Tejon Pass, eh?” ‘* About what do you suppose my age to be, a8, old man? Why, in ‘fifty-five I didn’t have my : first boots yet. Don’t try any of your dead- beat plans on me, for they won’t win a dime; but if you can tell the plain, unvarnished truth, and know anything about this region and its people, Pll be able to do you heaps of good.” | ‘*Oh, now yer hit me whar I live. Why, I 7 jist kept in me youth ther fambly in back-logs ' with ther cherry-trees I whacked off. An’ hatchets, copperheads an’ coal-ile! what hatch- ets it tuk ter keep up ther supply ov trewth! a Hitch right onto me, pard. I’m a hundred an’ . forty to ther square inch, an’ standin’ on ther ¥ first notch. Ther 8 0 ‘round hyar thet 1 ii don’t know hez bin dead ten year. <Ain’t it so, Mister Goodman?” While the two were speaking Touch-Me-Not had regained his weapons, which dropped out of sight, and the’two Peters brothers had stag- gered up and out in a dazed sort of way. Tt r mighthave been chance, or it might have been Rare? i design, but the victorious little sport bad care- wes ressly shifted his position and stood out of the range of the windows at the end of the bar and facing the doors, through which the men of Glory Gulch now came sliding in. There was no sign, however, of the routed six putting in an appearance. EY To Bender’s query Goodman yielded a ready Ys assent. | “If you want a man that knows the ropes, the judge is thar, er tharabouts; but ef you ¥ want a man that tells the truth—I ain’t got a word ter say. I reckon ther old man b’le’ves what he says, but that’s a thunderin’ sight more | than ther rest of usdoes. But 1 thort you war oe goin’ on ter Walnut Bar?” ae “Walnut Bar will keep. I’m in business Pe hy 6 here, and I don’t see that there can be much | done before morning. I want to go out by- and-by and look around.” “See here, ef yer bound ter stay in Glory Gulch, I’m kinder under contract ter back yer game; so, ef you'll take my advice, yer won’t o howlin’’round this burg ter-night. I don’t Neary ‘Veve thet anybody’ll come in ter my house an’ ore t measured for a wooden overcoat, but ef they 7 etch yer out whar they hev ther chanct— gon by) John! You sabbe? They'll double- k yer all ’round.” te *That’s so,” admitted Touch-Me-Not, reflect- mn ively. ‘I’ve been fooling all the evening with 1 Oge six men, and haven’t a corpse to show yet. I al- ie ways was kind of soft-hearted; and now I’ve got & | all my work to begin over. Never mind. Give oe e a bottle of — mildest dew, and Judge 26 der ani I wiil retire for a little private and | | confidential ‘discourse. If any of these shoot- - ists from. Peter’s Bar or California come around, tell them I’m taking a nap, but will be out at nine. And, gentlemen of the Gulch, step up ; and saturate at my expense. You're just the squarest-men here lever met. I wasastranger - here and you gave meashow. If you’re fond of fun bere, keep that up and you'll get oceans of it. I’m the most peaceable man in the world; but it don’t do for outsiders to touch my , * Pa ol ‘oe Fie re 2 ’ "> 3 ~~ ' * a, . There were a good many of the Gulchers pres- ent, for The Blizzard saloon had emptied itself, ‘g Ata nd every man that bad come drifting along _ ‘nad stopped to see what was the matter. | crowd gave a satisfied cheer, and it was eee ~ gome little time before Touch-Me-Not could Pi tear himself away. Then Goodman showed eS him into one f the little cuddy-holes at the rear of the house, ’ It was not much of a room, but it had a bed in it and a rough stand, while at the rear end was a window, or what was intended to be a win- dow, though for the present, it was closed by a heavy shutter that seemed stout enough to stand a siege.” Once alone with Howlin’ Billy, Touch-Me- Not took up the lamp and held it to the face of the bummer, while he scrutinized it thor- ougbly. *Old man, you’ve got outside of a power of forty-rod to-night without it’s running away with you; can you keep that up?” ‘Every day in ther year. Thar ain’t ther man livin’ es ever see’d me throw’d.” ‘‘ And you're fit for business to-night?” “Yer kin stack up yer duckats on that. But hol’ on; Elijer fish-bites, hol’ on! I'll sw’ar er me old side-pard, Johnny Ling, what I now’d back erlong in ‘fifty-five. It war in Sacramento ez we bloomed tergether,” ‘*Dry up on that,” said the sport, sternly. **T don’t want any side-pard business in mine. If you want a name for me, and Touch-Me- Not is too long, call me Hammond, Courtly Hammond, [’m not given much to either profanity or long speeches, The first is the mark of an idiot; and the last of a man who is trying to find out what he means himself. But I tell you short and sharp; that I don’t want to hear anything about your own ex- ploits, at Sacramento or elsewhere, until I ask vou. Now then, do you know a slab-sided Yankee doctor here; and if so what’s his kind?” ‘** You bet Coffin’s his handle, an’ he keeps his i eee jist beyond ther Blizzard. He hain’t jin hyar long; but he’s got a pile ov friends, When any one hez er knife nigher his vittals than ther law erlows, er hez got plugged in the amiable fandangs this hyar camp derlights in, | he’s ther double-derstilled extrack ov calomile what brungs ’emthrough. Oh, he’s ther pop'lar man et Glory Gulch, copperheads an’ coai-ile, es, ‘* All the same, he’s a confounded rascal, I half suspect. You know Colonel Canley?” “Thar yer hev it ag’in. Him an’ Hart Blaine hed it las’ night. I kin read yer ther pedergree outen er book.” ‘*‘ And there’s a woman in camp, that Ireckon hasn’t been here very long—Colonel Canley’s wife maybe, A black-eyed, long-haired, queen of a woman, that seems to be sweet on this Blaine. Do you know anything about her?’ ** Hol’ on!’ There was asudden change in the voice of the disreputable old man, and Touch-Me-Not looked at him with evident curiosity. ** Are you sick, old man?” ‘‘Reach me the camphene. It ar’ a suddint spell, sich ez I git when it’s too long atween drinks, Never mind. It'll beO. K.now. What's that you war sayin’? No. I bain’t never heared ov any sich woman.” ' ‘‘By the way, Billy, it seems to mo I have heard something about your ‘ side-pard,’ as you call him, and how you flourished around Sacra- mento in ‘fifty-five. You were looking for a woman then—a tall, black-eyed, long-baired woman, called Ellen.” Howlin’ Billy’s face had already a ghastly llor, but now he whitened to the tip of his ulbous nose. ‘You've ketched me this time, pard,” he spluttered out at length. ‘‘ I never war in Sac- ramento. Thar ain’t no ust ter play off roots on you; and 1 won’ttryitag’in. Copperbeads an’ coal-ile, no!” Billy’s speech ended in a sickly giggle, and he gazed anxiously at his vis-a-vis, ‘‘That’s the way to talk,” answered Touch- Me-Not, with a laugh almost as sickly as bis own. “ When a man catches youin a yarn, and you see youcan’t pull through, back square down. We won't hear any more about that southern trip. I guess you'll do, however. VU just corral that liquid lightning, and we'll be moving. There’sa beap of ground I want to get over to-night.” Touch-Me-Not, as he spoke, stowed away the bottle under the pillow of the bed, and then ad- vanced to the window. F The fastenings on the inside were easily man- aged, and at a motion Billy slid through the opening, Touch-Me-Not followed, and carefully closed the shutter. ‘* Now we'll rustle around, old man; and the first place we'll go to is Jim Canley’s lay-out. I reckon the young lady has turned up missing; but it will be well enough to see.” ' CHAPTER XV. TOUCH -ME-NOT TUMBLES. WueEn the three Peters brothers got together on the outside, they were the worst-beaten trio that Glory Gulch had ever seen. If they could have worked their own sweet will, Touch-Me- Not would not have lived another balf-minute. Fortunately for the little sport, the three had not their arms, but were compelled to look around through the crowd to find the man to whom they had been intrusted. They found also, that no one but themselves was in a bloodthirsty mood, for the sports of Glory Gulch were dis affair as the joke of the season, ' | ' a SS ed to consider the whole a aeeee ener eee esses ° —_ One little man had not only whipped three known bruisers, but had run some twenty or or sett off of their own peculiar stamping- ground, So it was that when Sam Peters went crawl- ing toward a window, with his revolver cocked, he heard a half a dozen warning voices: “‘Hold on tbar! Don’t yer run yer engine through thar till yer rings ther bell!” “Glory Gulch won’t stand that. Ther sharp was squar’ with you an’ you can’t take him foul when he ain’t got no show!” ‘“‘Ef yer wants ter play chief an’ run this hyar camp, begin outside.” Sam Peters seemed little inclined to heed this counsel; but his brothers either thought discretion to be the better part of valor, or they had some other reason. ‘hey muttered some — in his ear and half dragged, balf led him Anyhow it was a clear case of taking water, and their retreat was greeted with a low cheer, It was after this that the crowd filed into Johnny Goodman’s, and drank with the hero of the evening. If he had chosen he could have found plenty of good men who would have been proud tolead him around on the war-path, A good many were disappointed that they did not have any chance, and waited around in hopes of something developing, but thev were doomed to disappointment. Touch Me-Not, un- der the guidance of Howlin’ Billy, was patrol- ling the camp on his own account, The first place he asked the old man to guide him to wes Colonel Canley’s. It was in the nature of a test question; and sure enough Bender brought up in front of the shanty through which the little sport hac dodged to avoid the woman who afterward turned up at the close of the duel. ‘‘Thar’s whar he hangs out when he’s to home, but I don’t guess you'll find him thar now. He’s most likely rampin’ round town, Ef you’d ’a’ looked in at ther Blizzard thar’d bin some show,” ‘Don’t fret yerself. If he’s in town he'll be here to-night. That’s what I’m trying to find out. There was no light to be seen about the building; and several vigorous applications of the knuckles failed to produce any result, ‘He ain’t thar, yer kin jist stake coin on it.” “No, and I didn’t much expect that he would be. Id give about a slug for a little square talk with some man that bas seen him since sunset. I guess we'll go around and beat up Dr. Coffin’s quarters, though I don’t suppose he'll be home either.” “Yer ain’t got far ter prance. It’s jest ‘round ther ccrner. _Be thar in ther snep ov er gray wolf’s teeth. Thar’s a light in ther win- der, ez me eyes kin see from hyar,” ‘Go for it, then; and we'll roust him out. He can sing if he wants to, but }'m not sure he’s the kind that can be made to.’ ‘“*You bet be ain’t, rocks, Why he’s just ther coolest hand in this hyarcity. Heain’t no sich man ez them Peters boys; but he’s mighty bad. Ef it’s all ther same, you kin goin b yerself, an’ I’ll cool me heels out byar a leetle while.” | ‘‘ You ain’t afraid, are you?” “Well no, pard. I don’t jist reckon I’m afeared of ary man on this hyer footstool when you’re ’round ter tie to; but J jist don’t keer ter ag with him ter-night. Copperheads an’ coal ile, no. The two halted in front of the little shanty, in which a light was evidently burnirg; though & newspaper, pinned up as a blind, prevented any one from seeing the interior. By the moonlight Touch-Me-Not could see that a tin sign was tacked on the door. He gave a quick, decided rap or two, and this time speedily received an answer, ‘*‘ Jest a minute, mister, an’ Il be at yer ser- vice. Thar now.” The door flew open, disclosing the tall, gaunt form of Dr, Sylvanus Coffin, ‘““What air the diflikilty, stranger? Was it cut er bullit, and air ther man drunk er sober?’ ‘‘Neither. It is my own case that I want to have a bit of private consultation with you about. If you are at leisure I'll walk in; if not ll] call some other time.” ‘*Come inthen, I should opine thet it wara case of mount’in fever. Them three air about all I hev occashun to prac-tise my skillon, Ez I see yew air from ther East it air likely. I kin slaughter it, stranger, an’ no mistake.” ‘‘]tisno mountain fever that I want to con- sult you about. You probably recognize me?” Touch Me-Not bad stepped quickly into the room at the invitation, — The doctor gave a whistle that might indicate surprise, ‘“Yaas. Yewair the man thet war with Jim Canley. If he had it threw the lungs it air no use tew ask how he air.” ‘* Why, confound you, that’s just the question . I was going to ask you. There wassome sort of agouge game being played there and while that woman was doing ber caterwauling I lost sight of my man for a moment, and that moment tins out into some hours. The fact is, when looked around I couldn’t find him, and I J00 com G S wr fiiebead ‘= eT ae gD a