Beadle's Dime Library No. 278 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

. , ‘ te : » _ “Thet whistle wiles up ther road.” : ‘** Yes; but how long will it take ther train ter come hyar?”’ ‘Seven minutes.” Behind the few shanties that formed the little station of Bulldog, hardly ten miles east of You- Bet, sat six men on horses. It was ten o'clock at night, and the moon, which now and then peeped over the edges of the fleecy clouds; saw their well-knit figures and the masks that covered their fuces, The train for which they waited would not stop at Bulldog unlesy a passenger desired to alight at that cbeerless station, whose cabins had been cleaned out by the fate of the deni- zens of You-Bet. But the masked men knew that the train would stop there. . They were certain that at Bowie Guleh—the last stopping-place—a man had boarded fhe train—a dark-faced, big-boned fellow, who had paid bis fare like a gentleman to Bulldog. They did not know, however, that the train had taken on two passengers, instead of one, at Bowie Gulch, No; they did not see the second passenger—a Veritable giant, with broad shoulders, soft, vel- vet-like hands and a pair of sparkling eyes. The giant paid his fare to You-Bet, an inci- dent that called a questioning look into the cou- ductor’s eyes, “That’s Hercules Goldspur!” ejaculated the man going to Bulldog, as he eyed the giant from the moment he boarded the train, * He’ll give ther hoy$ trouble thar ef he ain't covered in time, He's a dandy, with his velvet hand; but Vl get ther drop on him, an’ help my pards Win ther game!”’ And from under his broad-rimmed bat he continued toeye The Man of the Velvet Hand, who was going back to Indian-raided You-Bet for a purpose, As the train got under good speed after leay- ing Bulldog, the giant settled back in bis seat as if totally unaware of the pair of eyes that watched him closely, His observer was but four seats bebind him, but on the opposite side, and in a position from which he could.cover him in the twinkling of an eye, , Minutes seemed hours to the man bound for Bultdog. He grew restless, and never took his eyes from Hereules Goldspur. Suddenly the shrill whistle of the locomotive sounded through the passes, and the speed of the train began to decrease. lt was Bulldog! There was a revolyer in the hand of Goid- spur’s watcher, and his eves were blazing with excitement, ‘ In a voice whose accents seemed to fill every pert of the coach, the conductor announced the name of the station, but the man.kept his seat. The moon, round and full, bung oyer_the sta- tion, without a cloud to obstruct her light. Before the few little tenantiess shanties, the train came to a full stop, and then— | Six men on horseback dashed from bebind the huts, and drawing rein before the engine cover- the engineer with their revolvers. t was the work of a moment, nds up!” suddenly yelled a voice at the door of each coach, and the passeogers saw a tecuaer face and caught the gleam of a pistol- rre ‘* Ladies an’ gentlemen, we want watches ana money, not life; but we're prepared ter take thet ef we're resisted. Shell out an’ hold p. Men brave under all circumstances, shrunk into the Corners of their seats, and the few ladies in the coaches turned pale and gasped for breath, A faint smile played with the corners of Her- cule’s Goldspur’s mouth. id he know that the man four seats behind him had partly risen, and had him covered ce ats of the deadliest revolvers in the moun- “Show up without squeal in’, pards!” shouted the paxig fellow, who entered ‘the coach occu- pied by The Man of the Veivet Hand. He came down the aisle with a revolver cock- ed in his right hand, and with his left outstretch- ed for spoil. The surprise seemed to have paralyzed every passenger. Mev sullenly drew forth their watches and wallets and waited for the masked collector With a certain eagerness, as if to surrender their valuables was to get rid of him the sooner. Hercules Goldspur was seen to pull his laced mbrero over his eyes as the command “‘ Hands boa. ran h the cata ee Lhe pend now ye, Gercuiles!” ejaculated the watch-dog behind him. ‘ Thet laced hat Il on ye dead away. Whar’s yer watch, my , gent?’ The co tor advaneed swiftly down the ere he snatched a wallet from an extended manu Neg there relieved @ passenger of a gold ‘. Was the first train-robbery on the Northern . . cv " Srp es \ .. ar a : naet Hercules Goldsp oe PT et - - * ~~ yore - —- -—-—— - Pacific. and moreover would probably be one that would long be remembered. At length, several minutes after entering the coach, the masked desperado reached Hercules Goldspur. ‘‘ Yer filthy lucre, pard,” he said. ‘* Quick!” and the revolver lowered instantly looked into the giant’s face. The answer came like the bursting of a thun- derbolt. Like a flash Hercules Goldspur sprung at the piece of bronze throat visible under the dark mask, and the hand that knocked the revolver aside clutched the train robber’s trachea. The man behind him leaped forward, but the giant threw his pard against him with a force that sent him back into his seat and against the window, smashing the glass into a thousand pieces, “Sell out er drop is it, eh?’ laughed the giant, as his hand.tightening at the throat he touched shook the revolver from the robber’s hand, “ Ye’ve waked up ther wrong passenger, my daisy jumper. Gentlemen, cone au’ claim yer stakes,” He held the robber at arm’s length while.he addressed the speechless psssengers. ** Don’t want ‘em, eh? Then, by George, he’ll take "em with ’im!” He began to drag his helpless captive toward the door. Suddenly the’ passengers came forward. “ Clean ’im out an’ be durned quick about it!” cried the giant, _ In an instant it was done, and then leaning over the seat in which the passenger bound for Bulidog was lying, ingersible and bleeding from a terrible wound made by the smashed glass, his left hand @osed on bis threat, “Two at a time!” he lavghed, as he dragged bim fiom the seat and broke for the door with the twain. ‘My name is Goldspur, an’ nobody knows it better than these daisy pards.” He appeared on the platform in the moon- light still clutching bis victims’ pnts pe Behind him were the ugcouth shanties of Bull- dog, before a steep bank which terminated in the waters of a little creek almost a hundred feet below. , ‘Down ye go, pards!’ he said, and the next minute two human forms went rolling down the bank one after the other ina terrible race to the bottom. ' Hercules Goldspur watched them for a mo- ment, and then turned toward the coach behind the one he occupied, As he opened the door be drew a silver-mount- ed revolver, P * Halt, thar!” rung out a voice as his right foot crossed the threshold of the car.. ‘“‘ Hold up yer hands—!” The.interruption was ‘a derisive laugh, and >: eg Goldspur fired straight at the man in alsles There was a cry and a tumble, and the car robber lay dead with his pockets full of spoil! ‘‘ Hev they tackled the sleepers?’ asked Her- cules, ‘* No,” answered a dozen passengers, The giant withdrew and swung himself to the last step below the platform, His quick eye caught sight of two horsemen facing the engine, and as he looked he saw two men leap from the steps of the Express car, The next moment the revolver of the velvet- handed man spoke the doom of one horseman, who threw up both bands and pitched back- ward, and a second shot sent another robber staggering to the very wheels of the engine! Witbout stopping to return the fire, the re- maining mounted villain turned but the moon- light enabled Hercules to stop with another shot the man on foot. Twice he spun around as the bullet hit home, and then fell forward on his face. By this time the bell-rope above the giant's head was beimg jerked violently, but the en- gineer needed no command to move on. “Their game didn’t win,” smiled Hercules Goldspur, as he walked down the aisle of the car he boarded at Bowie Gulch and dropped uietly back into his old seat. ‘* Now, if 1 kin find Zoe at You-Bet ez easy ex I cleaned thet party out, [ll be satisfied, they’!] stop another train,” He wa; not permitted to remain unmolested ong. _. A cfowd of thankful and excited passengers surrounded bim, and would have made him the lion of the hour if the engineer, making up for ye time, had not sounded the signal for You. et. Hercules rose and pushed his way tbrough the crowd. ‘“‘Good-night, gentlemen,” he saidtoall. ‘I don’t carry any cards an’ can’t exchange. My name’s Goldspur, however, an’ ef I do say it eee I’m a somebody when it comes tera tus- e. Then he doffed his laced hat ere he passed from the car and waved his hand at the engi- neer as he struck the ground and stood stalwart aud handsome in the moonlight before the frame station of You-Bet. “Three cheers for Goldspur!” cried an enthu- siastic passenger from the platform. I wonder when ee ee we wr ee ———— a ———— -© «eo -«- -- —ce-s Qayeaeesers " | 15 Cr See There was a good response which elicited s smile from the man for whom they were in- tended. ‘* Cheers ar’ cheap,” he ejaculated. “ l’d ruth- er find Zoe than hev a thousand. Now, my Mexican wild-cat, Lola, ef you’ve fetched Zoe ter You Bet we'll meet ag’in.” He started off among the silent and lightless cabins as the train moved on again, and soon | disappeared from the sight of the people whose he valuables if not lives he had saved. ! ‘Pil look in at Joe’s first,” be said. “Ill find | information thar if Lola’s come back.” Three minutes afterward he paused suddenly in front of the well known gambling-den of You-Bet, and stared at it standing black- ened and desolate between him and the moon. The door was wide open, but not a sound came from within. | ** 'What’s up?” he exclaimed moving forward. “Hey ther pards ov You-Bet pulled up stakes an’ lit out?” He was at the threshold with his last words and just then a gust of wind blew something against bis face. ta} Seeing that it wes 4 piece of paper fastened to fret the door, he struck a match and beld it up. . There was some writing on the paper and | | with some little difficulty Hercules Goldspur u read: : “The Indians came to You-Bet and did pre sy much as they pleased. There’s nothing left to tell. ne . That was all, rod ‘That’s a fact, nothin’ left ter tel],” comment- ol ed Goldspur, and as if attracted by an object _ ie on the floor, he stooped with ghe burning a. match, MP ‘Ther Injuns didcome. Tbar’s blood on ther — eater floor,” he said. ‘Ef Lola did bring Zce back (ig ter You-Bet she didn’t stay long. Hercules atk, Goldspur, you ar’ a little too subsequent. The ee Mexican wild-cat still holds the best hand.” ae Casting away the match, The Man of the Vel- ‘ed vet Hand went out from the deserted gambling- we: den and halted in the middie of You-Bet’s main. ~¥ thoroughfare. | vr, BS ‘*T li find her yet!” he grated. Ray’ ‘ ia CHAPTER XIX, one THE VELVET HANDS AGAIN. | Cia It was natural that Hercules Goldspur sb: uld te think that Lola had taken Zoe to You-Bet. | 7 Mi He did not know that the Mexican buntrese ae had been surprised and robbed in turn by tho one’ Happy Rattler, an event which the reader has | Fog witnessed. “An Losing Lola’s trail in the mountains he had - a8 boarded the train at Bowie Gulch and come to You-Bet where be expected to find Lola and Zoe, now in the arms of her father, Ferdfhand Sutter, : Ais But he was doomed to disappointhhent, ti Dee You Bet was,to all appearances, deserted, and ne be had cleaned out e portion of its late citizens * rae on the train to find himself the only occupant ee: of the well known place. erie As be gave utteranve to the words “Tl find or her yet,” he clinched his bands and left the Scare deserted gamb:ing-deu with its tell-tale paper Pee and blood-stains, and walked down the street. Ae ‘si For a lurking red skin or white enemy nm ambush he presented 4 splendid target. , e<. The wind raised the brim of bis laced sombrero tee and opened his embroidered jacket. rea ‘*Blamed ef them red-skins didn’t clean the Sasa bull town out,” he continned. “lm monarch nk ov all I survey, ain’r 1? Ef! badn’t a jobon m et: hands I'd settle down hyer an’ proclaim myse ae king ov You Bet. King Hercules wouldnt = = sound bad after all. But I'd never consent to. = be king until | cculd make Zoe queen. Oh, you «oe Mexican witch! Tl show you one ov these ya! days thet yer throat, yallar as gold, will je” Pa iy fit my hand. King ov You Bet!” Andatthe — thought the Idaho giant laughed till be awoke y pee every echo of the Indian-plundered town. it ae All at once he stopped, and turning on his ee heel walked toward the suburbs where the Pa shafts were. . a. ‘*T wonder ef they left the mines untouched? See Thar’s a bonanza byar fer some enterprisin’ indi- ol ae vidual. Don’t I mind ov hearin’ in Deadwood — as not six months ago, that thar wara gold lined _ - t~ shaft in You-Bet/ Mebbe it war a miner’s lie: tae but Pl find out. Lola ain’t byar with Zoe am’ * [ve got some time on my hands.” alias He reached the yawning openness the earth > unmolested, and selecting one from among eS RS them all, fearlessly swung himself over the ie al abyss and began to descend the Iadder which aha tt stopped only where another began. Pre Suddenly when in the micst «f cimmerian aR darkness, bd paused and looked up. “¢ ae He saw the stars far overhead, but could see ay: nothing else. Ales . **Gody* fell from his tongue es something i en shot past him with the velocity of a bullet. ute ‘ There’s somebody up yonder.” A one In another instant another unseen missile . © went pist him, so near this time that it touched sy the rim of bis hat. | a a A mad oath shot from between Goldspur’s ne Sa clinched teeth. 4 Wa ‘“Follered! by heavens!” he grated. “Tum wy not ther only livin’ scul in You-Betef the Im JOO im S) . (E() (E