Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 294 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

Broadcloth Burt, the Denver Dandy. In the intense stillness that succeeded the Denverite’s concluding sentence *he fall of a pin might have been heard. ‘W Alice felt the contact of his hand and heard her heart throb. ‘‘What do you think of it, girl? I have re- peated all that she wrote,” the sport said. “And she is my mother!” burst from the girl’s throat. ‘‘Ob, Heaven! how men will lie. | have been told all along that sbe was dead, Is it not true, Broadcloth Burt? Were not those words from my mother?” ‘Yes, Alice, from your mother.” Paradise Paul’s ward clasped her hands and uttered an exclamation of joy. ‘* And sbe is waiting for me?” she cried, ‘“‘T left her in Denver.” ‘“‘So near! Then let it be farewell to Dead- wood. Come, Broadcloth Burt. You are not the villain Paradise Paul calls you; you have come from my mother. 1 want to know no more. She shall wait for me no longer.” The fair creature seemed carried away by en- thusiasm, and started toward the door, but the quick band of the Denverite detained her, “If Lam here for the purpose of mesoging at you to your mother, £ am not going to spo matters with haste,” he said, calmly. “ must not lose your head for joy.” **T will not. now,” The sudden change in Alice’s voice seemed to confirm her last sentence, and she stepped back from the door and stood at the sport’s bidding, ‘7 don’t like to steal you from Deadwood,” he said looking down into the girl’s upturned face. “These men-tigers and Paradise Paul hate me so that I’d like to show them that Broadcloth Burt is no coward—that Denver shuns not the revolvers of Deadwood, Paradise Paul bas said that between us it should be war to the knife and the knife to the hilt, and by heavens! I would like to prove it somehow,” He hissed the last words from behind set teeth and Alice saw his eyes snap. “Tam ready to leave Deadwood in any man- ner and at any time you choose,” she said. ‘“‘I have not come back defenseless. A dead man on the Denver trail left me his six-shooters. Say the word and we will not quit Deadwood like thieves in the pight, but boldly, aud in the teeth of the thirty toughs!” “‘T am not here to get you into danger; my last commands were about your safety. No, Alice, you mast not go from Deadwood amid the cracks of revolvers, I will beat my desires down and we will leave the place peacefully, but not in a cowardly manner. Let them inter- fere, though, and the war-knife shall be buried to the hilt at once. Get ready,girl. Within an hour.” ‘Ready! ° Cover the shanty door thar!” sung out a loud voice in tones of doom. ‘* We'vegot the Denver fraud in a box this time! Broad- cloth Burt, the shanty is surrounded by the thirty toughs oy Deadwood. Come forth an’ die like a man if ye dare!” In the cabin two revolvers clicked. CHAPTER XXVI. THE HANDLESS DEAD. ‘‘ My God!” almost gasped Alice as the fierce words died away. ‘* We have deferred the mo- ment of flight too lone, and the eagles of Dead- wood have swooped upon us.” ‘‘They are bound to force the war to the knife,” said the Denverite. ‘‘I1 am ready for the contest.” ‘* Against those thirty men?” ‘“Yes, against them all! I have discarded my gloves. Henceforward I operate in Dead- ete TT A It was a momentous time. ; The man from Denver had seen af a single look that he was covered by at least five repeat- | ing rifles, and double that number of revolvers. f the toughs of Deadwood were as hardened as those of Denver, they would not hesitate to riddle him with bullets. ‘Kid gloves can’t win hyer!” continued Colorado Clate in derisive tones. ‘‘ We've got no use for’em in Deadwood, an’ then we hate everything thet comes up from Denver anyhow, an’ you bail from thet snide town. Please ele- vate yer grapplers, Broadcloth Burt.” ‘* For those villains?” said the Denverite under his breath. ‘*Ican kill here or svare, just as I like. Alice is bebind me, and a mother made me swear that I would bring the lost child home,” In an instant, as it were, he seemed to have altered his resolution. When he stepped from the cabin and faced the Deadwood toughs it was with a mad in- tention of pitting bimself and his deadly revol- vers against the whole lot, but the girl in the shanty and his solemn oath had conquered. All of a sudden up went his hands. ‘‘Thet shows a grain ov sense,” said Colorado noticing the action, ‘“‘Advanee ten steps straight toward me, Broadcloth. No stratagem. I will be caim. I am calm | Ther fingers at ther triggers before you hev killed time an’ ag’in.” More like a victor than a captive the man from Deadwood walked toward the captain of the tcughs, with his bands—empty now, he hav- ing returned his revolvers to his belt—above his sombrero. ‘* Halt!” Broadcloth Burt stood still, but his quick eye saw several figures glide between him and the cabin and he knew that he was completely sur- rounded, : ‘* We don’t take you to the Casino for a treat this time,” said Colorado with agrin. ‘“‘Some ov the boys tried that once afore, an’ suthin’ interfered ter spoil ther subsequent proceed- in’s. “‘T believe something did occur then.” The coolness and suavity of the Denverite was galling. ‘‘We go straight to the captain now,” con- tinued Colorado, ‘“* Your fate hangs on his tongue. Wo all know what fetched you to Deadwood, an’ Deadwood holds her own ag’in’ the world!’ ‘“‘1f be goes to Paradise Paul’s I go, too,” said a voice in a different key, and a young girl bounded from the cabin and landed at the Den- verite’s side so suddenly that the toughs started amazed, ‘* Suit yerself about thet, girl,” said Colorado Clate, ‘ You'll besafer thar in a certain sense than hyer; but blast my fortunes! ef you hevn’t picked out a pard at a mighty onsart’in time.” ‘*] have chosen a friend and I mean to stand by bim!” answered Alice with flashing eyes. Broadcloth Burt now stood in the midst of all the men who with tbe stealth of panthers had surrounded the cabin, Without a single exception they were bronzed giants who thirsted lke tigers for his blood, aud not a friend] y glance shot from their eyes. “To ther cap’n!” commanded Colorado Clate. **He’s weak, but he kin talk. Broadcloth, he bade us save ther hash-mixer what choked ‘im till be got stronger, but my opinion is that he'll | not be thet easy with you. “Vill give up the stake when it’s squarely won,” said the Denver dandy coolly, and witha swift glance at the gir! at bis side, ‘‘] hevn’t seen Pees cap’n for some hours— | not since he sai meee em a ee 21 —— ns ee + ee — ee brows, but not a particle adhered to the dandy’s garments, and his mustache was still waxed as when he first reached Deadwood, His only change had been in the removal of his kids, as if, as he had said, he intended to fight the remainder of the game through with bare hands. ‘‘Too nice ter be soiled,” Colorado had re- marked under bis breath, after a close study of bis prisoner. ‘‘ Dirt an’ bim ar’ sworn foes; but, in spite ov it all, dust’ll claim bim arter to- night.” The conduct to the shanty inkabited by the leader of the toughs was devoid of any enliven- ing incidents, and when Colorado Clate called a halt, the man from Denver looked ahead and saw the apparition of a cabin. Alice sbrunk immediately to his side. ‘We are here,” she said, in the lowest of whispers. “This is my old home. For Heaven's sake, don’t stir up the wounded lion inside!” Broadcloth Burt gave her a glance, which did not reassure the girl, and then turned bis at- tention to the man who had stepped to the oor. The portals of the Deadwood shanty stood slightly ajar, ond all caught beyond it the faint- est glimmer of a light. Not a sound came from the inside, Broadcloth Burt and Alice saw Colorado open the door a little more, and put his head in- side: the next minute his body crossed the threshold. All outside waited for bis reappearance, Thirty seconds had not elapsed ere the form of Colorado was again visible, and all at once a terrible announcement fell from his lips. *‘ Great God, boys, ther cap’n’s dead |” There were twenty exclamations of incredi- bility and an instant rus’ for the cabin. ‘‘Come in an’ see fer yerselves, but bring the prisoner along,” said Colorado. ‘Dead eza smelt he is, an’ he’s been thet way some time!” Need we say that the famous Deadwood shanty was soon filled with a mass of mad hu- manity that stared at the figure on the floor, over whose ghastly face Colorado Clate held the candle he bad snatched from the table? “Thar’s yer cap’n!”’ hissed the head of the gang. ‘Tber loss ov his hand war too much. An’ then thet infernal chokin’—thet didn’t help ther case.” ‘“No! We kin pull up ther choker fer it, but thet won’t restore Paradise Paul.” ‘‘Thet’s a fact: it won't bring ther cap’a back, but it'll cool our blood. Kernul Sand- banks is in the pit under Monte Mark’s shanty. He helped send Cap’n Paul across ther river. We kin send him thar, too. Ther kernul shall hang!” This decision was assented to with deep-seated curses, and the crowd moved toward the door, “Don’t forget the prisoner you bave now in hand,” continued Colorado, ‘* We brought bim byer for sentence, but Cap'n Paul’s beyond thet now. Ill kiver ther cap’ up while yer deliber- ate. Remember what brought Broadcloth Burt from Denver, an’ don’t forget thet ther death ov Cap’n Paul makes Alice ther ward ov Dead- wood!” — Colorado turned from the hard crowd and — over the stiffened figure of his leader. aa All at once be sprung erect withacry that — echoed in every corner of the cabin, Pt). “Ther Mormon tigress hez been hyer!” he exclaimed. “Ther cap’n bezn’ta hand ter bis name !” oA Colorado Clate proved his terrible words by * = . . ¢ e, sf a es - ws ~~“ that twixt kim and me it | the hbandless wrists which he held upto the gaze } Wars, wood with bare bands,” He had barely uttered the last word when the vs voice outside sounded again: ‘‘We mean bizness, Denver, an’ we can’t stand byer all night waitin’ on yer pleasure. should be war ter the knife.” _ of all! RS “Thet’s what it is,” and Colorado Clate! ‘She warn’t satisfied till she took ther other .. laced himself at the Denverite’s side as the | band,” he went on. ‘‘ Who shall say thetshe = band moved off with the handsome captive in.| sha’n’t be bunted from trail ter trail? Thar — the center. @ f Come forth an’ die like a man, Broadcloth. We've got ther drop on yer, ef you ar’ bebind a shanty door.” “It is’ Colorado who speaks,” whispered Alice. “He is in command of the toughs at present.. They will obey him as implicitly as they do Paradise Paul.” ‘Let them obey bim. I may command in Deadwood when this game is played to the close. They want me out there. He moved toward the door, but the hands of the Deadwood flower encircled his arm and rs d him. “Tet me go,” she said. “They dare not shoot me. Let me try the effects of a parley.” “With the Deadwood skunks#—never!” and he shook the girl’s grip loose, The next moment, with the courage of a lion he reached the door, threw it wide, and step out with a revolver in each hand. His sudden appearance in the brilliant star- tight made the sta! wart figures before the shanty recoil an inch. ‘“Whar’s your captain?” he asked. **]’m byer in his place,” answered one of the The distance from the scene of the capture to Paradise Paul’s cabin was not great; it led past the still smoking ruins of the Setemup Hotel which had been fired by the band of some en- raged tough, and Broadcloth Burt threw a look toward the scene of desolation as be came up. “From ther window ov ther colonel’s hotel you dropped Bowie Bluff.” said Colorado, look- ing into the sport’s face, ‘Yes, He found me thar an’ then betrayed me. I hate a traitor!” “It war ther deadest sbot ever given in Deadwood. Tbe man from Iron-Grip never kicked.” A faint smile of satisfaction appeared on Broadcloth’s face and he turned away. Colorado Clate continued to regard the man with more than passing interest. There was something in his personal appear- ance striking enough to command the attention even of a desperado. He did not look like a rough, although his uickness with the trigger, and the eyes that med in his head, told that he was when aroused a bal man to deal with, lies ther grittiest pard, boys, thet ever Sropped his enemy. Deadwood never saw such a Me | cap’n, an’ thar never kin be another Paradise ul! | + eee The men were bless: horror, revenge, | ig and madness combined to close their lips, a: “To the kernul, anybow!” suddenly shouted — one. “ We kin pay him for the chokin’,” » eh ‘“'To the kernul! to Monte Mark’s!” ne The excited crowd surged toward thedoor, __ but with a bound Colorado Clate reached the threshold first. ; a ‘Deal with the map you have before you!” he cried. “‘If you intend ter let him loose,do it now.” i ” > eae “Yes, since that man is dead andIlam ro one’s ward, let this man do his sworn duty without molestation,” said Alice as ber hana = fell on the Denver Dandy’s arm. ae ‘No one’s ward? e sball show you, girl! me You wey. ter Deadwood, an’ no man Ou 5 | ane Bape out the consent ov ther Thity rds!” Ashe The girl's heart seemed to sink within a eed f but = Denverite appeared toincreaseaninch — in stature. ee >a oe on8 “If you want to keep that womau in Dead- ee res at whose shoulder was a cocked Win-| His 4 os Deadwood, his frequent deser- 6 p Sere SS ————————————=— ‘ehester. “I am Colorado Clate, for the nt | tions of ace, and his movements every- | wood make sure of it now!” hecried, striding . zn command ov Deadwood. Hands up, Broad- | where had not in the least soiled his clothes. ae toward the man at the door, “Iam ie rah The meet By completely surrounded, | There was dust on the coarse ents of the | here for her. I've lost my gloves,andlookinto =| pe ee boys ar’ riled.” | Deadwood toughs, dust io their sandeye- this, Colorado Clate!” > va i ad