Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 339 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

‘e aN 4 A A . wal ‘i . - he 44 * ' dressed after the same fashion. | Daniel Trickett, alias *‘ Old Misery,’ _ once more in place, seldom at rest, but without aught of furtive shiftiness in them for either friend or foe. His face was strong and bold, without being rugged. His garb was that of a professional hide- hunter, who has an eye single to business; over- alls and jumper of dead-grass colored canvas or ducking. The jacket buttoned close up to his throat. On his head was a hat of the same ma- terial, and his yellow hair was the only point of bright color about him. Jesse Purchass, his present companion, was In stature he was several inches shorter than his herculean comrade, of comparatively slight build, but with ample muscle for any ordinary emergency. His hair, eyes and beard were black as mid- night; his skin of a healthy olive, slightly tinged with warmly flowing blood. e, too, was far handsomer in face than the common run of men, though of an exactly o posite type to that of Spread Eagle Sam, He might have been a Spaniard, or an Italian, so far as features went; and like them, a close ob- server would have set him down as hot-blooded, passionate, swift to anger and quick to strike, easy to take offense and slow to forgive or for- get. In short, one who might be an honor to mankind, or a curse to humanity, just as cir- cumstances might shape his life. Besides Purchass, Spread Eagle Sam had three hunters under his command. There were others belonging to the party, for each hide- hunter, when on the range, has two “ skin- ners” assigned him, whose duty it is to strip his game of their hides and see that they are roperly dried, But only the hunters were at hens on this occasion, the skinners having been scattered in different quarters, foo up cabins and drying-sheds where they would probably be most convenient when the season was fairly opened. With them, for the present, we have nothing to do. The reader has had a passing glimpse of so called from his doleful longings for his far-away home in Missouri. Also of Michael Donovan, the fun- loving scion from green Erin, to whom the pet name of *“‘ Johnny Bull,” first applied by Sam, was like a red rag waved before a veritable bo- vine, so great was his hatred for England. Jean La Vic, a half-breed Canadian, who an- swered to the nickname of “ Kanuck,” com- leted the quartette of hunters who owned Bpread Eagle Sam as their employer. CHAPTER II. SPREAD EAGLE SAM AND HIS PROTEGE, ““T> look at them two critters, One wouldn’t take *em to be wu’th the powder it’d take to blow ’em to monkey-heaven!” uttered Spread Eagle as he followed the slouching Iris n with a quizzical glance. “ But right thar’s whar somebody’d git left mighty bad! ’*Course %twouldn’t do fer me to leton afore them, but.ef I was makin’ hides on a big bet, they ain’t no two men atop the footstool I'd rather hev on my side then that same Paddywhack an’ Ole Mis- ery.” His comrade gave a little gesture of disgust, sa : NTF they were not so abominably filthy! The very idea of having to follow his cookery, is enough to turn the stomach of a starving man!” Jesse Purchass glanced toward the dug-out as he uttered these words, when Sam proved his true gentility by lowering his voice and moving away from the vicinity of the cabin. ‘‘Tt’s the way o’ the bringin’ up, I reckon, Jes’. I reckon a angel’d be bothered usin’ his wings the fu’st time, ef they wasn’t pee ‘round to show him how the riggin’ worked, an’ to set hima ’zample. The ole man does the an he knows how, an’ it’s on’y fer a day, any- ow.” — While talking, Sam was approaching the little eorral, and letting down the ‘Nari the two men led the horses down to water, in couples. Not until this duty was completed did either of them speak again. But then, when the were Spread Eagle Sam suddenl ed upon his mate with grave face and kind- ly tones: of Ef I hain’t told ye afore, Jes’, it wasn’t be- ca’se the fac’ was buried so deep I couldn’t see it. I did see it—I see it at the jump-off, full as plain as I see it now; but when f started to hint at it, the words wouldn’t come out easy, an’ so I lay by, thinkin’ mebbe the day’d come when you'd save me the trouble by spittin’ out the same senterment yourself.” ‘** All of which is clear as mud,” shortly laugh- ed Purchass; but there was an uneasy light in the glance which he covertly cast at the g, handsome face of the herculean hunter. | “It’s fer your own good that I say it, Jes’,” gravely added the giant, turning and placing one huge hand gently, almost caressingly, on the shoulder of his companion. ‘‘ You don’t want to git onto your high hoss, nur chomp your tushes when I say it; but you ain’t the _ sort 0 stuff they make hide-hunters out of—no you ain’t, Jes’. ‘*Ts that the mighty revelation? Is that all?’ cried the young man in mock surprise and dis- appointment. ‘‘I expected to hear something gravity. ‘‘ ll $a" Spread Eagle Sam. marvelous—something sublimely awful! | I was my father’s great aunt, or the man who struck Billy Patterson, at the very least!” Sam removed his hand, as though a trifle hurt by that mocking tone, and his voice was a shade graver. ‘‘Tt’s the gospel truth, Jes’. You'll never make a hide-hunter. You hain’t hed the fit trainin’ fer sech a life, an’ ef you’re a wise man you'll haul out afore it’s too late. I tell ye this as a good fri’nd, Jes’.” ‘‘In still plainer words, you think I lack the sand?” A motion of that big hand cut his impetuous speech short. ‘*No, I don’t, Jes’, The grit is thar—dead loads of it. But it ain’t jes’ the right sort fer a hide-hunter. Ef you was cuttin’ bresh fer a clarin’ you wouldn’t take a barber’s hone fer to sharpen your grubbin’-hoe, would ye?” ‘** You think me too fine-haired, then?’ **T don’t stop to think when I know it a’- ready, Jes’. at is a hide-hunter? A mer- chine put up in the rough, ’thout paint or platin’, made fer work an’ nothin’ else. An’ the mer- chine as kin come the nighest to fergettin’ he ever lived a white man ’mongst civilized crit- ters is the one that’ll do the most work with the least w’ar an’ t’ar.” ‘* Yet Spread Eagle Sam is a hide-hunter, and i. is proud of his position,” half-laughed Pur- chass. ‘Proud in spite of it, little ’un,” quickly in- te the Hercules. ** And the lowest of the profession would fight uickly enough were a hint dropped to the effect that he was less than a man,” added Purchass. ‘*Human natur’, lad, that is; human natur’ clean through. But it’s gospel truth I’m givin’ ye, all the same. You hain’t see’d nothin’ but the sunny side o’ hide-huntin’, as yit. It’s jest the difference atween gineral trainin’ an’ a pitched battle whar bumshells is more’n ripe. ‘* When the pelts is prime an’ the season fa’rly opens, you don’t hev but one thing to do, an’ that is work. No matter what the weather. Blow, snow, wind or blizzard, work’s the word. An what sort o’ work? Huntin’? Knockin’ over a few bulls when the humor hits ye jes’ right? Comin’ in to kiver an’ a hot fire whenever fingers, or toes or fly-flippers begin to git tle? Waal, sca’cely ! rit- That , our ‘* Whar the bulls go you’ve got to foller, an’ | no matter what the weather, no matter how fur | *way from fire an’ food an’ kiver they lead ye. Ef | you don’t, others will; an’ you’ve got to keep nigh the top o’ the count when the hides is turned in ef you want to be more’n a low private jn the ranks. ‘* Mebbe you'll hev to lay out night on top o’ night, when it’s cold enétagh to freeze the ears off a cast-iron monkey. Mebbe you cain’t hev no fire to thaw out by, fer want o’ wood or sich- like. Mebbe a blizzard’ll ketch ye, an’ nothin’ but burrowin’ into a snowdrift ‘ll save ye—ef that does. It don’t al’ays. My two han’s hain’t got Soe wee an’ thumbs enough to count up the mates I’ve holped dig out o’ whité graves sich as them! ‘With all this afore ye, *tain’t a little dirt ee less that kin sp’ile a hide-hunter’s ap- rti ‘““*In time of ce, prepare for war!” laughed Purchass, A Practice dirt-eating be- forehand, to:prepare one’s stomach?” ‘““That’s only one p’int ’mongst a hundred, lad,” said the big hide-hunter, with affectionate You ain’t cut out fer sech alife as this. ey ain’f no _sport into it, after the fu’st few shots is fired. ey ain’t no. big money, nuther; you kin make ten dollars fer one, back thar in the towns. You kin live like a gentle- man while doing of it, an’ git shet o’ the dirt an’ grease an’ filth at the same time.” ‘Any other argument?’ dryly asked the oung man. ‘‘One, an’ that’s the biggest,” was the ve response, ‘* You cain’t stan’ no sech a winter as this'll prove to you ef you won’t give over your fool notion. Your grit’ll make you keep up with the percession ontel you drap in your tracks. An’ like a blooded hoss, when you do drap, it’s no gittin’ up ag’in fer you ontel Gabriel toots fer roll-call.” ‘* That’s a risk you all run.” ‘‘ Not one that’s fitted hy natur’ for a hide- hunter. He’s got more o’ the mule then hoss into him. An’ like a mule, when he’s clean tuckered out, all he needs is a little rest an’ a bite an’ a roll or two, when up flirts his heels an’ tail an’ he’s fitten fer to do it all over ag’in.” Up to this point, Jesse Purchass had listened with something between a smile and a sneer his occasional remarks having something of flippancy in them that strongly contrasted with the earnest gravity of Spread le Sam. But now his face grew grave and hard-set, his voice cold, almost dogged: “Then you wish to cancel our pqrenmene: You drive me away? Not to put fine a point upon it, you kick me out?” There was a look of pained reproach in the big blue eyes as they encounte that hard, ery gaze. ‘“Them’s mighty hard words to fling in the teeth of a fri’nd, Jes’,” he said, slowly. | 3 —» ‘* Are you a true friend?’ sharply breathed the other. ‘*The fu’st time I see’d tosay know ye, Jes’, you saved my skelp from—” ‘** Not quite that, Sam.” ‘‘Them p’izen coyotes o’ the city hed me foul,” continued the hide-hunter, checking his comrace with a wave of his hand. ‘‘ They poured p’izc» into me ontel I didn’t know my head from a bal’-hornets’ nest. They was all ready fer to snatch off my hide, when you tuck a han’ in an’ played the game fer allit was wu’th. The odds was allag’inst ye, fer I couldn’t do nothin’ to help; the coyotes knew they was big money in my rags, fer ’d just hed a settlement with old Kirkendall fer the season’s work; it was wuth fightin’ fer, an’ fight hard they did: but you come out on top, an’ I was saved. You got a bit or two o’ lead into ye, to say nothin’ of cuts an’ sich-like.” ‘‘Only scratches, Sam,” and Jesse blushed like one prin oe in some disgraceful action. ‘* That didn’t make my debt any littler, Jes’. An’ I swore then that I'd pay ye back ef ever the chaince come to me this side o’ the grave. I meant it all then; I mean it jes’ as much now, though you kin ax ef I’m your fri’nd.” “Tt was only the shadow of a doubt, Sam, and you can forever dissipate that by saying one word.” ‘‘Name the word, Jes’, an’ out she comes, ef it takes all-two-both jaws with it.” " y that I may stay with you this season through.” ‘* An’ more’n welcome, Jes’,” was the prompt response. ‘‘ I was only tryin’ to show ye what I tuck was the best way fer ye; but ef you think different, why, stay an’ welcome. I'll try to make it come as easy on ye as I kin, by doin’—” Sam ceased with a puzzled stare as Jesse cried sharply: ‘*No, you won’t! I ask no favors—I’ll take none, even from you!” The big hide-hunter leaned back against the bars of the corral, scratching his chin through the yellow beard. If ever man was thoroughly pam and perplexed he was that personage, as e gazed anxiously into the flushed countenance of his mate. ‘If I stay, I start even with the rest of your employees. I'll accept no odds, will stand no favoritism. I’ma man, if not a man-mountain and maybe I'llcome out further from the rear than you think, old man, greenhorn though [ am. What I want is a fair chance to ea record.” He paused, flushing more vividly than ever, for a queer expression was stealing into the countenance of Spread Eagle Sam, and a low whistle came through his teeth. Ph that’s the way the cat jumps—is it, For a brief space Jesse Purchass seemed about to turn away with an angry word, but something in the mellow laugh and genial smile with which Sam greeted his confusion, softened and subdued him. A brief struggle, pcs ssh ees Sane: bexevened ups Be hand was exten wa y grasped the giant. “Tl trust you, Sam. . “Why not, Jes’? "Tain’t so much you kin hide, annyhow, ef you should try. I’ve hearn tell o’ that record business afore to-day, ef I ain’t badly mistook. Didn’t old Morris Kirken- dall sow the fu’st seed, lad?’ ‘If you know that much you can guess the rest,” muttered the younger man, with a darker frown; but Sam still c the hand which rape arcane hin vas is voice was earnest, of s y without being too conspicuous, as he added: ‘Ef a man’s a fri’nd, he’s wu’th trustin’, clean h, Jes’. I kin guess they’s a woman mixed up in the a’fa’r, fer the hot blood in your face tells that much, let alone this idee o’ makin’ a record on the range; but ef I know more, I kin do more—ef only to wish you sure win- nin’s.” It was more the look which accompanied them than the words themselves that broke down the last barrier, and his peculiar reserve giving way, Jesse Purchass made full confes- sion. ‘* You know the old gentleman, Sam. You know how he was raised, and can at least guess at some of his peculiarities.” ‘*I know him like a book, Jes’. I tuck my fu’st lesson at hide-huntin’ under him. Go cn.” “When I first met you, I was a clerk under Morris Kirkendall. It was not for the wages he id me that L served him, though you are the to whom I have admitted this much.” | ‘“T reckon mebbe you'd ketched a giimp’ 0’ the little gal afore you tuck sarvice?” smiled Purchass flushed a little at the term, but re- “You are right. I met Miss Kirkendall in society, and— ! I said I'd confess all. I fell madly in love with her,” is An’ I don’t reckon she got overly mad at it, “T never told her—then. I had a foolish idea, Isu you will think. Though I was rich, of a y good as the best in the land, I re- Gom i ey ebooks-com