Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 303 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

ee. Tom laughed. | Britisher, and don’t know about aour laws; sol | ranch, whence he sent a messenger to Mr. | ‘* But, you forget, Hank, I have not yet been | ’scuse ye. . Ef a Texas man had offered tosay as | Belshazzar Levy, to say that he wanted to see ‘ } delivered into the custody of my bondsman.” mucb, he’d had to take back what he’d said. him. The lawyer came down at once, for he . “Ob, | ain’t afeard but what you'll stay, till | Look at this paper. D’ye know haow to raad? I | wanted to get some Asay out of his client, ~ Ll come back,” retorted Hank. ‘‘ You’ve give | s’pose ye do. aal, that’s the seal of the co’t; | and found Berkeley, with his bead tied up, re- your word, ye know, and that’s good. I jest | and that’s thesheriff’s order, to deliver the body | clining in a large rocking-chair on the broad want to take some of them handy fellers, and | of Thomas Field to his bondsman, who’s his } porch of the log-palace of the company, trying show ’em what’s what. They’ve b’en crowin’ | father-in-law, besides; and naow, sir, ye’ll | to smoke a pipe, but too sick to succeed. 7 too loud.” apologize fur interferin’ with me in my dooty, As soon as Levy appeared, Berkeley groaned But here Top Notch Tom developed a spirit of | or Pil run ye in.” out: | unexpected opposition, for he said: Berkeley laughed in his face, ashe retorted: | ‘*Confound this beastly country: I wish I’ad “1 object to your going anywhere or doing ‘*Rupn me in for what? I’ve done nothing.” | never come to it. Here { am, laid out again, anything till you have delivered me to my ‘Ye bain’t, hain’t ye?’ the marshal replied. | by that marshal of yours, without « chance to | bondsman. If you go off and leave me here, [ | ‘‘ Ye were in the taown, not long ago, warn’t | defend myself. Your people bave no idea of es shall go to my own place again, and leave you | ye?” fair play.” to retake me if you can. That's flat. I didn’t ‘*Well, what is there in that?’ Levy looked his most sympathizing, for be ’ give my word to wait till you bad got through _ ‘‘ And yetook yer arms in, ag’in the taown | had need of money, and it was necessary to every fight you had on your hands, and let | ordinances; didn’t ye?” keep bis client in good bumor. He bad heard, ‘those fellows try to lyoch me into the bargain. ‘*Tve got a permit tocarry them.” from the cowboys, how Hank had “‘ creased” ; Come, Hank, be reasonable. Give me to my ‘* Let’s see it.” the Englishman, as they called it, and bad ac- bondsman, and, let me go home and see my ‘* Here it is, my fine fellow. You can’t scare | tually laughed at the mishap of the foreigner; wife. After that, l’ll belp you in anything | me with any of your trumped-up accusations.” | for there was something in the way in which you want, if you did go and arrest me for And he handed Hank the paper, with ade- | Berkeley allowed bimself to abuse Texas, when nothing!” fant smile; for the Englishman thought the | be was confidential, that set even bis own men Hank bit bis lip and looked sulky. other was trying a game of brag. against him, and they had a sneaking admira- “I think you’re the most ill-natured feller I Hank took the paper and scanned it narrowly, | tion for Hank, the Nailer, for the way in which ever seen!” he said resentfully. ‘It won’t take | the men of both parties sitting on their horses, | he had laid out the captain, without the slight- more’n ten minits to clean aout them or’nary | eying each other with their hands on their | est difficulty. critters, that calls theirselves caowbdoys, fur that | pistols, ina way that showed how easy itwould | ‘‘ My dear captain,” he said, soothingly, “ you company. lI’dcome back and give ye to the | be to provoke a fight. | must not take it unkindly, if I tell you that jedge as soon as that was over.” The marshal handed back Berkeley the paper. | you are no match for men like Hank, the ‘| prefer that you should give me to the “That’s straight. Naow, what d’ye mean by | Nailer. He knows all sorts of tricks, you never judge first, and attend to your own business | comin’ arter me, when I’ve got a prisoner?” | saw in all your life, and he will treat you toa afterward,” said Tom, hardly able to keep from ‘* Because I thought you were going to let | fresh one, every time you meethim. lt would laughing at Hank. ‘‘ When I see him, and am | him go,andI am determined that he shall not es- | take youa year of association with him, be- safe in his custody, [ll help you, but not | cape, That is why I came, and I had aright.” | fore you knew balf what he can do, and, if you before!” ‘* Waal, L ain't sayin’ but what ye might bev | try it as an enemy, he will kill you, before ‘*Come on, then!” cried Hank, after a mo- | had sich thoughts, if ye say it, sir. But naow | you have found out. He must have been very ment’s hesitation. I’ve jest got one thing to tell ye. Git, or I’ll | good natured to you, or he would have sent With that he set spurs to his horse, and dash- | run ye ip.” that bullet a little lower. He can put it where ed across the back of the town to the place| Hanksat on his horse with his pistol in his | he pleases.” where he first burst on Helen’s view, taking a | band down by his side, and spoke with slow de- Berkeley smiled ruefully. course so that the ranchers might see bim and | liberation; his eyes fixed on Berkeley. ‘‘So I found out. But, one comfort, that getting them between him and the cattle com- The Englishman, with a sneer, retorted: fellow Field has been taken, and that is worth pany’s men, ’ ‘“‘Pve as much right here as you have, and, | a good deal. Do you think there is any chance Then came a great yelling and spurring, and | if you want me to go away, you can try and | of his escaping from a conviction?” “| the chase for about five minutes was quite live- | foree me, if you think best.’ This was just the question Levy had been ex- ly, as the ranchers strained every nerve to get Hank waited till the last words were out of | pecting, and he was prepared for it. to Top Notch Tom abead of the company’s men, | his lips, when there was a sudden explosion, ‘* Not the slightest in the world, my dear ca and succeeded. and Berkeley dropped off his horse, his hat fall- | tain, if the men, you bring as witnesses, will oo Then when they were all round him, and the | ing off ashe fell, while a streak of blood ap- | swear to the story they told. But there is no i judge was sbaking bands with the outlaw with | peared, running across the top of his scalp. telling what a Texas jury will do, ina case of ee a on ee on ee. Top Notch Tom, the Cowboy Ranger. — = ~e - a ee ee -~-—2~- a = — - ; — 17 all. Thar’s too many men to mean honest, and I | his friends? You know that he is an outlaw and | to swallow, for he had set his heart on getting ain’t a fightin’ man, when I’m on dooty. S’pose we jest call a halt, hyar, and I'll go in and scat- ter those cusses, that’s stampin’ raoand my graound.” entitled to no courtesy.” the best of ‘‘ those Texans;” but the sickness Hank listened and laughed aloud. | and dizziness of his head gave bim no chance to ‘‘ Why, byar’sa man wants to Varn me my | indulge much angry feeling, avd be bad to biz,” he cried. ‘* Louk-a-hyar, mister, you’re a | make the best of his way to the log-house at the the vigor of a man who greets a friend he has thought lost, the cattle company’s men raised a yell and charged down on them. Hank, the Nailer, in a few formal words sur- rendered his prisoner to the judge, and then added: ‘“Naow, gentlemen, I call on all byar to as- sist me in stoppin’ this disturbance within the limits of the taown. I’m Marshal of Satans- taown, and, by gum! somebody’s got to pay fur this noise!” So saying, he dashed out into the plain, turn- from his simulated flight, and the cowboys followed him, yelling wildly. Before any one could make a motion, in the surprise of the shot, the marshal had raised the smoking pistol, and waved it in the air, saying, with the same absence of excitement that marked all his actions: ‘* Naow, you cattle company boys, git, ef you know when you're well off. Yow hain’t got no permits, and you’ve been in taown. Git, lL say. And, strange to say, the men of the cattle company turned their horses, as meekly as pos- sible and rode away, leaving their chief on the ground, while the ranchers and their men, at a signal from Hank, rode off in the opposite di- rection, leaving the marsbal, Judge Collings- CHAPTER XX. worth, Top Notch. Tom, and their little group homicide; and that is why I have been anxious to see you, ever since we heard that the man had surrendered to the marshal. Tbe lynch- ing scheme would have been the safest of all; but, as that has fallen through, we must get ready our case at once. I will see that Cross asks for assistant counsel, and will keep him primed. But, to work the case abe we shall want a thousand dollars at once. the company will give me that, I'll be surety that the affair is settled satisfactorily.” Berkeley winced, for he knew that the de- mand would be regarded by the thrifty man- agers of the Glasgow Cattle Company as an outrage, and doubted whether they would not at once say that the ranch was not worth keep- of friends by the body of Berkeley. ing, if it cost that amount to convict a man “ee Tere tee Cais ree Then Hank blew the smoke from his pistol, who had murdered their employee in open day- ie } THE sight of the stalwart figure of the Mar- | and reloaded it, with the care a Texas man | light. : shal of Satanstown produced an instant halt in | always shows to his weapons, before he said to ut as there was no getting over it, and as as | the cattle company’s party. Tom: the funds were in the bank at Satanstown, he st : Just before he came they had been dashing ‘You used to be a doctor, I reckon, I took | said, with a sigh: re . Along, eager for a fight: but, the moment they | that man so as to kinder knock him stoopid. ‘Well, if it must be, it must be; but you co . saw bim, they began to pull on their horses, Ef you'll take a look at him, I reckon we won’t | Texas lawyers are the most extortionate men wn ‘ They were yet witbin a short half-mile from | have to bury bim.” Lever met in all my life. Still, if you convict Aes the town, when Hank turned, and the effect | Tom gave his bridle to Sandy Bill, and dis- | the man, and drive him out, it will be worth ‘ of the sudden halt was ludicrous in its abrupt- mounted to examine the Englishman. the money to the company, if we can only bade ness. As Hank had said, he was only stunned; and | make them see it.” | re The foremost, in their eagerness to pull up, | the track of the bullet over bis scalp could be | ‘‘ My dear captain, I will engage to make ae threw their borses on their haunches, and yet | piacoiy seen, where the marshal bad taken the | them see it,” the lawyer replied sweetly. “I tay could merely cnaen them before they were almost | fight out of bim at a single shot, without even | know, of course, all your trials with themen = on the cowboys. looking at the sights of the pistol. at the other side of the sea, whodo not know — a ; a =— - en — In another winute a bloody conflict must have | Berkeley’s horse stood by its master, and the been precipitated, but it was prevented by the | Englishman presently stirred, when Hank ob- entire coolnessof the marshal, who drew up his | served: horse just in front of Berkeley, and culled out: | ‘* Reckon it ain’t necessary to run him in this ‘‘What’s the burry, gentlemen? This ain’t | time, gentlemen. He’s had his lesson in man- a raound-up, by no means.” | ners; and ef be wants more, he knows whar to Berkeley, who thought that he could gain something by bluster, his own men being rath- : , er the most numerous at the time, instantly re- ‘*Keep the boys’ eyes skinned till the trial ; comes off, jedge. It won’t do fur your side to git caught nappin’, and the sooner you git him to your ranch, and git the haouse so it'll stand a fight, the better it’ll.be fur all the parties to this hyar muss. Good-day.” Without any more formal farewell he turned his horse and rode off: when the judge took his way toward his. own ranch, and the English captain, who had heard the last words of the marshal, struggled up from the ground where he had been ssretched, with a dizzy brain, and tried to get to his horse and ride off, For the first time since he bad come to Texas he was all alone, and his men had deserted bim with a suddenness. that sbowed him he could not depend on them, as against the Mar- shal of Satanstown. ** We’re minding our own business. You mind yours, as well.” , Hank faced him, with a frown on his face that made the rest of Berkeley’s followers, bold os they generally were, shrink back; for the knew the character of the man who frowned, and dreaded him with reason. *‘ Look-athyar, mister.” said the Marshal of Satanstown, sternly. “ This is taown graound, and I don’t allow no back talk from no man when I’m on it, f ye want me to take ve in fur disorderly conduct, jest keep cn, and I’ll do it, right hyar, and naow,” ; ‘You'd better take care of the prisoner you gave your word to bring in,” retorted the En- giishman, with equalsternness, ‘‘ What do you come fur it.” Then, to the judge, he added: mean bv letting him escape into the hands of | ee LL een ——————_————————————————————————————————————E—E———————————————— the conditions bere, and insist on making regu- lations, when they should leave everything to you. Very much obliged for the check. Thanks. Now get your men ready to swear to their story, and mind they don’t get tripped up on smail points. That will be the dodge of the other side. to discredit them. Good-day, cap- | tain—good-day.” And Mr. Levy bowed bimself out, and went to town, where he visited the bank at once; and | not till be had seen the amount of the check © transferred, in solid gold, to his own pockets, did he feel easy in his mind. But the possession of a thousand dollars in gold, which a man van hear Jiosting, espe when that man has never bad such a sum in his life before, is enough to turn his bead, and Levy was no —oo to the rule. He bad to go down to the White Elephant, to bave a drink with the boys, and see Nat Cross, the dis- trict attorney. Mr. Cross was at the White Elephant, as Levy bad supposed he would be, and acide of the marsbal with bis prisoner. of the Belshezzor found him rather relieved at the fact that Tom had been transferred to the cus- It was a bitter pill for the proud Englishman ! tody of bis father-in-law, whose bond for the __ a ees BARR ry Pentre Ae | _ -ecomicbooks.con i HANS : ’ : ~ : : 7 ? a ‘ vi “ee