Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 339 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

oy — ee — —>S —y EES 22 Spread Eagle Sam. chuckled and grunted and muttered and oma ed his strong teeth in almost insane delight. It was a revival of his past life, doubly delicious after so many years of abstinence. He felt as though his life depended on the success of each shot, and when one of the last bulls, by moving a little, just as the herculean hide-hunter was pulling the trigger, escaped immediate death, he groaned aloud and beat his hot forehead against the cold rock on which he was lying. **Durn an’ double durn the cussed contrairy luck to gemently!. Did you eversee sech a durn fool of a buffler? Cain’t stan’ an’ take— Good boy, Sam! tency! fer our side!” He fairly hugged himself in his wild glee as another puff of smoke came from the dry grass and the wounded bull dropped in its tracks as though suddenly stricken by lightning. . How's that, critter—how’s that?’ he chuck- led, turning his head to glare exultantly upon Laughing Leo. ‘Well, not so bad as it might be, though a single hide is hardly worth a double shot,” cool- iy retorted the handsome rival to Spread Eagle am. ‘It spoils his clean score, and leaves me an opening. Still, nineteen out of a possible twenty is very fair.” ‘*Waal, I will be darned!” spluttered the as- tonished trader, while Luada whispered into the willing ear of her nearest companion: **Now I know I hate him—the ugly villain!” Four more shots Spread Eagle Sam fired, and then the last one of the bulls lay motionless upon the blood-soaked ground. Twenty-three head and only twenty-four shots fired! As Laughing Leo admitted, this was do- ing. very fairly! hrough their glasses, the party on the rocks saw Spread Eagle Sam wave a hand toward them, and then cautiously alter his position facing the densely packed mass of cows and young bulls around the salted margin of the pond. Here he fired more rapidly than before, know- ing well that there was even Jess danger of stam- ing them, but he remembered how much here was at stake, and sent each bullet as true to the mark as though he had but one shot, and on it his very life depended. Rapidly his score mounted up, and Morris Kirkendall could hardly keep from leaping to his feet and yelling aloud in his intense excite- ment—but then a fierce oath burst from his lips, and he hurled his glass to the ground, shivy- ering it to pieces as he pointed with trembling finger to a small buffalo cow that had just come out from the rocks a little to their right, ene almost directly in line with Spread Eagle m! ‘* Ef she ketches his wind— By the double- horned devil! she’s done it now!” he howled savagely, as the cow suddenly flung up her tail and gave vent to a wild bellow of alarm, then dashing straight for the Kegon wiper herd. Spread Eagle Sam had 7 red a shot, and though he whirled around at the first bellow, it took a few precious seconds for him to extract the empty shell and reload, and though the inter- meddling cow dropped as though under a thun- derbolt, the mischief was done. What the frequent reports, the falling of their mates, the scent of blood, the dying bellows and moans, had failed to roduce, that single bellow of alarm effected. Roaring, routing, climbing upon and over each other in their desperate efforts at flight, the frightened beasts created an uproar that almost deafened the watchers, mak- ing the very earth tremble. And knowing that nothing could check them now, Spread Eagle cat his rifle with all possible speed, pouring _astream of lead into the swarming mass as it rolled further and further away, only ceasing when his last bullet fell short. And then, one by one, he knocked over the three cripples that lagged behind the rest; as the last one dropped oat, leaping from his cover and uttering his celebrated shriek as he flung his hairy cap high in the air! He stood still, asin om, engaged in counting his victims, then tucked his hot rifle under his arm and striding back to the hills where his friends awaited a coming, Luada gh ied smiling, her eyes org: er cheeks flushed; Jesse chass silent, but with a triumphant glitter in his dark eyes; Morris Kirkendall still grumbling at the stupid cow who had spoiled such a remarkable score. ~ On’y for her, the eee critter wouldn’t never ‘a’ stop bowlin’ the hides over! Wouldn’t ’a’ 'eft a durned one o’ all the big herd to go to seed! Durn sech a fool’ cow any- how, J say!” And as Spread Eagle Sam came up, smiling all over his honest face, his first words were to Laughing Leo: ““Thar’s a leetle copy fer ye to foller, mate! "Tain’t as good as I counted on makin’, but mebbe it’ll sarve the puppose.’ CHAPTER XVII. LAUGHING LEO TAKES THE FIELD. ” EXCUSE me, dear fellow, but please change ‘your word copy to mark or example, and omit the termination altogether,‘‘the plains Adonis mwetorted, with a read or admurably affected Bm A a RR - a ee awn behind his shapely hand. ow; I am original or nothing.” ‘*T never fol- | Reckon so—but ef I know what you're try- | in’ to git through ye, hope to break my neck = next time I go to set down onto my left fly- ipper ! k You have done well—almost as well as I anticipated, and I beg leave to congratulate ie coolly added Laughing Leo, grasping the and of the giant hide-hunter and shaking it with hearty grace. I am perfectly honest in my congratulations, too, though a stranger might suspect me of spe to speak in the py an What a pity you lost our nerve when that inquisitive cow came up vehind you! have been almost perfect!” Spread Eagle Sam withdrew his hand and fell back a pace or two, scratching his chin du- biously as his big blue eyes stared at the smiling s er. He did not know what to make of ughing Leo, and for once his tongue was par- alyzed. ot so with Morris Kirkendall. The trader ‘* Believe me, dear fellow, | aking one word for you and two for myself, | Only for that your score would | was gone, and in its stead mg 4 saw a closely fitting suit of dead-grass color; but of the soft- est velvet, instead of harsh ducking. On his head was a helmet of the same material, trim- med with a long ostrich plume, dark gray. In addition to the pistol-belt around his waist, he hi a Sharpe’s rifle in slings at his saddle- ow. With a respectful bow and lifting of his hat, he said: ‘**Mr. Kirkendall, I am about to follow the herd, and select a place where you can witness my work to-morrow. It will save timeif you will kindly permit one of your men to bear me company, to returnand actas your guide. May 1 ask this favor?” ‘It’s your right, not a favor, critter. Take who you want. Ef he don’t come back afore day, he'll find us on the move, ‘long the aidge o’ | the open ground. ’Course, ef the stompede lasts too long, so’s we cain’t ketch up in plenty time, your stan’ will hev to go over ontel the next day.” Ten minutes later, Laughing Leo was riding swiftly away from the camp, accompanied by listened with open mouth to that drawling Dike Widgeon. speech, and the ridicule, the final slur which it Was it only a coincidence, his selecting the tried to cast upon his pet model, set his peppery | spy of the She Wolf for a companion on this oc- temper on fire. Almost fiercely he assailed Laughing Leo with: | ‘* if stale wind wasn’t cheap, critter, you’d be the richest man in seventeen States! “Sech | talk! Lost his narves, eh? Done pritty well, | did he? Waal, I should remark! Sixty-odd | - casion? But Morris Kirkendall could not rest easy in camp. He had hardly gained it before he was casting longing, impatient glances in the direc- head at a single stan’ does soun’ pritty well, now tion of the pa See at length he called Spread — don’t it? Why, durn your double-geared tongue, it’s the best score on record!” Morris Kirkendall lifted his wooden leg and glance toward brought it down heavily to emphasize his state-_ ment, thereby almost coming to grief. The | wooden peg entered a crack in the rock, and his | balance destroyed, the irate trader plunged | headlong into the arms of Laughing Leo, who withstood the shock like a rock wall. He gently restored Kirkendall to his perpen- | dicular, without cracking a smile, then quietly | made reply: | before the le Sam to take a little walk with him. e giant obeyed, only casting a reassuring uada, whose face grew paler and her merry eyes troubled, for she, too, had rightly divined the suspicions which the old trader had taken into his never-resting brain. In idle conversation, which requires no record here, the two men made their way to the mouth of the pass, as being far easier than to climb over the rocky trail ending at the cliff from whence they had witnessed the feeding herd t shot in that strange match was E ** You will not have that to say when the sun | fired. goes down on the morrow, my dear sir, if all | ’ goes well.’ Already the rearmost ranks of the immense mass had disappeared from sight, but the cloud “You hain’t any idee you kin beat it, hev ye?’ | of dust marked their course plainly enough for almost snorted Spread Eagle Sam, his flushing such old hands. face and glittering eyes showing how rapidly his | temper was rising befere that cool and careless demeanor. ‘*My money says so,” laughed the ee | dandy. ‘‘ And why should [ not? A buffalo is a big mark to shoot at. They are by no means | difficult to kill, when one knows where to | plant his lead. You scored sixty-one out of a | possible sixty-nine. You fired several shots when only chance could send them home, and thatis why I said you spoiled a fair score by los- ing your nerve under the pressure of excitement. ‘Tf the plain truth offends you, so be it. Good-day !” With a bow, he turned on his heel and strode away from the party, leaving them half-pro- voked, half-relieved. Morris Kirkendall took gear of the hide- hunter as they slowly made their way over the difficult route to the camp, but not until Luada, blushing like a red rose, half-crying, half-laugh- ing, pulled his head down to her level as she stood on tiptoe, then kissed him thrice in succes- sion, squarely on his bearded lips, whispering oh! so softly: ‘*FWor him—for me—for you—you glorious great big Eagle! And Ill give youat ousand more when he is defeated! ‘*Give’em back, Sam, you scoundrel!” chuckl- ed Morris Kirkendall, his gray eyes twinkling his broad, massive face fairly aglow with delight and good-humor. ‘* Don’t let her bamboozle ye this airly in the day, or I know who'll w’ar the trowsis after to-morrow—'deed I do, now!” ‘*Then you stick to your barg’in, boss?” eager- ly asked the hunter. ‘* You hain’t forgot you said I mought ax ye fer any pay I wanted best ef I got the ‘ big rifle’ over that critter?” ‘*T said it, an’ I meant it, boy,” was the prompt response. Spread Eagle Sam flung aloft his hairy cap and uttered a shriek that far overtopped his best record in that line. ‘Then, no matter how the match eends, we'll hev a weddin’ an’ a dance an’ a drunk an’ a— Good Lawd! hold me somebody, ’fore I spreads my wings an’ floats off to heaven o’ love an’ blissful licht—amen!” Morris Kirkendall looked at the wildly enthu- siastic hide-hunter fora moment in doubt, his brows beginning to lower, his smile turning to vinegar and eg esc as a dread suspicion assailed his mind. ‘*Sam, you don’t mean to—” ‘* Take the best an’ the —- thing I kin lay my ole han’s onto? t your sweet life I jes’ do, honey!” ‘By this time they were near the camp, and from a neighboring clump of timber a black horse stepped, bearing a rider on his back, handsome and graceful, smiling as only Laugh- ing Leo could smile; but it was Laughing Leo in still another character. The gay and flashy garb of the plains Adonis ‘* They won’t stompede so fur’s I was skeered of, or they’d tuck straight in the eyes o’ the wind,” muttered Morris Kirkendall, nodding his head until the joints of his neck fairly creaked. ‘* They'll come to astop as the sun gits low down, an’ I’m open to bet odds they’ll be nigh enough the range fer the critter to drap ’em from ahind the rocks, ef he wants.” ‘* Like enough,” assented Spread Eagle Sam. ‘Ef Dike don’t post him on the dried liver pint, or ef they hain’t got any, I ain’t goin’ to git bad skeered *bout losin’ the match; in a hurry, anyway.” ‘Which ’minds me,” slowly uttered Kirken- dall, covertly but keenly watching the effect of his words. ‘‘’Course you was only jokin’ in what you said bout thar bein’ a weddin’, no matter whether you won or lost the match?’ Spread Eagle Sam laughed, lightly. ‘* Not ef my mem’ry hain’t made a fool out o’ me, I wasn’t. Didn’t you sw’ar that ef that snickerin’ critter won, he mought hev whatever he axed you fer?” ‘“Yes; but I was red-hot, then, an’ didn’t stop to think.” ‘‘ You said it, an’ the young feller clinched it right off. That’s ef he won an’l lost. Then you told me the same thing, only more so; you swore I could hev Luada ef i axed fer her, with- out any hintin’ on my side. Now didn’t ye?” ‘‘ But you’re twice as old—an’ then you ain’t no marryin’ man—you know that, Sam!” ‘‘How much older then you wheh you tuck her mother? No, boss; they’s only one way fer you to git out o’ it, an’ that is to take water afore the hull crowd. Ef you kin go back onto your own free word in sech a style, I won't ‘le a mite!” With a sullen snarl, the baffled trader turned and stumped away, leisurely followed by the grinning hide-hunter, who gave Luada a reas- suring wink as he reached the camp. Until then, Jesse Purchass felt that paradise was very near him, Luada smiled upon him, He was permitted to bear her company, to touch her hand now and then, to whisper soft words into her willing ears, while Morris Kirk- endall had apparently forgotten that any such rson exi But ares suspicious old fellow called Luada away, and openly snapped and snarled at the presumptuous critter who dared to re- mind him of the she wolf. Without giving the young hide-hunter any actual handle for reply- ing, he managed to make him utterly miserable, to mock and shame him before the face of the maiden for whose love he was famishing: and in a spasm of sullen fury, Jesse Purchass fled from the camp into the night. [t was past midnight when Dike Widgeon re- turned to the camp, bringing news that drove slumber from the eyes of at least Morris Kirk- endall for the remainder of that night. The big herd had not stampeded far, for it is <€om (E CS JOO (E(0)