Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 367 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

see it is necessary to keep him from escaping. A Royal Flush. die cursing you, but he wouldn’t utter a syllable If he dies without revealing tke rendezvous of | to be of service to you.” his gang, it may be fatal to your mistress and her child. You understand?” The wounded cowboy nodded as he clutched | ing upon his the weapon, Enoch Dodge noted the wild, deadly light that filled his sunken eyes, and frowned a little as he muttered in a low tone: ‘You kin trust him, Scott? Looks to me as ef he mought fergit all but the shootin’ part!” ‘‘T can trust him,” was the calm response. ‘‘ And now, suppose we take a little walk? It won't do any harm to discuss matters a bit be- fore going any further with this rascal.” He did not wait for any response, but led the way to one side, from where it would be impossible for the prisoner to overhear their words, * You know how much is depending on this, friends,” he added, his tones hard and forced, his eyes alone showing how terribly his heart and brain were affected by the peril of his loved ones. ‘‘ You know that a single false move ma be fatal to those who are dearer by far than all the world to us—to Brown and myself.” ‘‘ With the rest throwed in, pard,” muttered Dodge, his bright eyessuddenly dimming. ** Not so close an’ precious to us, in course, as to you two, but nigh enough to make our hearts ache when we think of ’em in the grip o’ hellhounds like them! Say to all of us, pard!” ‘*So dear to all of us, then,” amended Sol Scott, something rising in his throat and mak- ing his words sound indistinct. ‘‘ Think of them, and cast all other thoughts aside. When you have done this, stop and tell me if we are acting all for the best.” ‘‘ Bearing in mind that money is of no account save as a possible means of ransoming our pre- cious ones,” added Dan Brown. “Pll tell you what I think, an’ ef it would make my ’pinion weigh any heavier, ’'d be will- in’ to bet my head to the clussness of my shot,” deliberately spoke Enoch Dodge. ‘* Aces-and wants your money bad enough, or he wouldn’t ’a’ pitched into no sech desprit game as this. He wants revinge, too, heap bad. Ef he kin git both, won’t he take ’em? There was no response. Dan Brown and Sol Scott knew what the tall pard was driving at, and it coincided with their own fears, only too closely. ‘* Sart?in he would, an’ thet’s jes’ what he’s bin figgerin’ on,” was the confident addition. ‘ Ef they ain’t wuss back o’ that, then I’m a lunk- head. Ef he ain’t countin’ on playin’ both eends ag’in’ the middle, I never looked over the board!” ‘* You think, then?” hesitated Dan Brown. ‘“‘T think this. Aces-and sent Johnny-jump- up hyar to bulldoze you. He wouldn’t even per- tend that you was to git back the pris‘ners at the same time you paid over the gold. He was to hold on to them ontel he got the gold safe out o’ yer reach, an’ put ground atween you an’ him to make sure of a mighty oe chase afore you could ketch up. For why did he hold out fer all this? To git double squar’ with you two men, the ones as broke up his payin’ business in these parts. Totakea black an’ bitter revenge onto you, through your famblys! ‘‘ As heaven is my jedge, gents! I b’lieve the dirty cut-throat means to strip you clean, an’ then butcher your folks on top of it!” ‘« Tt does look like it, I must confess!” mutter- ed Nor’ West Nick. t ‘¢ A double cross, or I never smelt one!” added Turk Elder, in his hot indignation falling back on the slang of the ‘* squared circle.” ‘Pm afraid you are right, old friend,” gloom- ily uttered Brown. ‘“Tf so, how can we hinder him?” asked Sol Scott, calmly, but with the terrible calmness that is so close akin to utter despair. ‘‘If his mes- senger fails to return on time, he can and will carry out his horrible purpose!” ‘¢ Not ef we get thar afore the time runs out,” uietly uttered the gaunt member of the Royal lush. ‘ A ces-and is no fool, whatever else he is. He will guard against all chance of surprise. He will set out pickets to watch for any one not of the gang, and before we could close in, he would—” Strong man though he was, Sol Scott could not pronounce those terrible words. No need. All within the sound of his voice understood his meaning. ‘‘Ef we was to go blindly ‘long huntin’ fer somethin’ which we could on’y guess at, I grant you,” coolly retorted Enoch. ‘ But ef we went to work as we would with somebody else’s dear ones in trouble, how would it look then? Not nich so hopeless, I'll go bail!” ‘You count on wringing the truth from the lips of Johnny-jump-up, then?” suggested Nor’- west Nick. “ Jest that,” and Enoch Dodge nodded vigor- ously. Both Sol Seott and Dan Brown shook their heads despondingly. ‘“You don’t know the rascal as well as we do, or you’d never count on that, old friend. He’s a devil incarnate, but he’s true grit. You might tear kim limb from limb and he would tt LLL RR LL till a CE LL eee Ee —— Ww OLOOON! aw _—: EEO ‘‘T’m afraid we have thrown away our only hope,” gloomily added Sol Scott, his head droop- bosom. ‘‘Aces-and might have played fair—he might have kept faith with us!” Enoch Dodge gently took him by the hand, his tones canbe and almost fatherly as he spoke: ‘“T don’t wonder you feel that-a-way, pard- ner. No doubt I’d think jes’ the same ef it was mein your shoes. But I don’t stan’ thar, wuss luck fer Aces-and and better luck fer your dear folks! Though I love ’em like they was my own flesh an’ blood, I kin look at the pickle with cooler narves an’ stiddyer eyes then either o’ you kin. Whar you kin on’y see them in danger, I kin take in the surroundin’s as well. An’ doin’ this, I tell you that ef you hed paid down the gold that vile hell-hound axed, you'd bin so much out an’ your folks still fur- der from you an’ a heap nigher thar death! ‘* Aces-and ain’t goin’ to be in a hurry to do any killin’. He wants gold, an’ he wants it bad! He'll grow oneasy ef J ohnny-jump-u don’t come home on time, an’ he'll keep a sti clusser lookout fer snags, but while he sees the ghost of a chaince o’ gittin’ the gold fu'st, he won't do no wuss. This muchI’d be willin’ to take my oath on. ‘* Now thar’s sohnny- JumpUp. He knows jes’ whar the gang holds out while waitin’ fer hint. He kin tell all we want to know, an’ tell it he shell, ef you two on’y putt the doin’ in my han’s an’ let me work the thing jes’ as I see fit. ‘*T wouldn’t ax it ef you was pian your own selves, mates, but you ain’t. ou’re too tur- ribly interested fer that. You cain’t think or reason clean. I kin. Iwill make him squeal, ef you give me the right.” Dan Brown impulsively caught his hand and cried; ‘Tl trust you, old friend! Do as you think best, and may a merciful God lead you to per- fect success |’ ‘*And I will give way, too,” muttered Sol Scott, but in less hopeful tones. ‘ If you fail —well, there remains revenge!” . ‘‘But I ain’t goin’ to fail,” laughed Dodge, cheerily. CHAPTER XIV. ENOCH FREEZES JOHNNY-JUMP-UP OUT. ‘‘Er he was ten times grittier than a grin’- stone I could fetch him to Limerick, an’ that without drawin’ a drop 0’ blood from his runty carcass,” added Enoch Dodge, a grim smile in- creasing the wrinkles on his honest countenance. ** All Lax is full swing at the p’izen critter, an’ men to kerry out my orders jes’ as I give ’em, without stoppin’ to argy why this is which an’ why it ain’t t’other.” ‘We leave everything to you, old friend, and may you be as successful as you hope,” muttered Dan Brown, despite the confidence of his tall pard feeling a heavy sinking at his heart. The die was cast now, and they must abide the consequences, be they for good or evil. And oh! the chances seemed so terribly against them. ‘*T never lied to ye yit, mate, and I’m too old a dog fer to take up with new tricks at this time o’ day,” gravely uttered Enoch, the wistful light deepening in his honest eyes, so eager was he to lend comfort to his partners. ‘‘I give my word that afore I git through with Johnny-jump-u he’ll tell everythin’ you want to hear. He'll beat a trained dog fer answerin’, I tell ye!” ‘“*The sooner he’s put to the test the better then,” interposed Sol Scott, in a cold, metallic tone that told how great was the restraint he was ie on himself. | ‘* Dm ’greeable to that, though I ain’t one o’ the breed that rushes things so fast they break ’em clean off afore the rest o’ the machine kin git fa’rly started. ‘* Fu’st an’ fo’most, we don’t want too many eyes an’ ears ©’ the human ’suasion floatin’ ‘round our workshop. We three chickens, with you two gamecocks, is allthey is room fer. Ef you'll jes’ send the boys over to your ranch,” nodding toward Sol Scott, ‘‘itll be all hunk. Needn’t tell °em in so many words that we don’t want ’em snoopin’ ’round, but give ’em a bit o’ work todo. Say to pick out a lot o’ prime crit- a an’ fit °em fer hard ridin’, Most anythin’ ll 0. ‘If they stay in the pen where they are they can’t see anything,” ventured Dan Brown, a little dubioualy. ‘* But they kin use thar years, cain’t they? I know what you think, but I ain’t.so pesky sure of it—wish’t I was!” retorted the tall member of the Royal Flush. ‘* They’s just a chaince that Johnny-jump-up let out a bit o’ the truth when he swore that we couldn’t make a crooked move *thout the word makin’ a quick trip to the hole whar Aces-and is hidin’, We'll play he was right, anyhow.” “And so make sure of its getting to Aces- and?” Enoch Dodge laughed softly. ‘‘ They hain’t pone on ’em see’d or heard any- thing yit that would sot the river afire, nur yit blister the years o’ Aces-and even. That’s why I hed you shet ’em up fu’st-off. They won't know any better when you tell ’em to mosey fer the Scott ranch. An’ ef they git s’picious—by . A ee nn en EE EE EE EEETL—IIIIIIIIIIIIIiIwMwM—IZZIV—I———————EEEE——————E—EEE—EE—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————_————————————n cca, ort 19 —_—_ which I mean them as Aces-and hes bought over to play the spy fer him, ‘lowin’ thcy is any ccc in the outfit—that they’s somethin’ rotten in Denmark, how kin they make sure? An’ ef they try to kerry what_they don’t know, won't. some 0’ the hcnest part be mighty apt to smoke ’em slippin’ off?” If not thoroughly convinced, the two detec- tives were silenced by the arguments brought. forward by the gaunt member of the Rcyal Flush, and immediately moved off toward the distant corral where shrewd Enoch had had the: | cowboys rounded up. ‘* Now, lads,” and Dodge turned quickly to Nor’ West Nick and Turk Elder, ‘‘ we want to eit down to our own doin’s. Fu’st, them boys don’t want to see how we've got Johnny-of-the- posy trussed up. reckon we kin play the little. game onto them, ef we try right smart.” ‘* And be so busy discussing the affair of ran- som-money with his lordship, that we have no time to bid them good-by,” laughed the fat detective, with a shrewd wink of his little pig- eyes. ‘‘-You’ve hit it right in the bull’s-eye, mate!” ejaculated Enoch Dodge, his eyes snapping with satisfaction. ‘‘It does a man gocd to see one o” the hand in his old fix. Those pore boys! Ef this was to last much longer, they’d go clean crazy ‘long o’ thar loved ones,” ‘‘They are all broken up, that’s cert: in, but it will come out right in the end,” acded Ner” West Nick as he moved after his partner toward the lone tree, where Top Dancer still held Johnny-jump-up under the muzzle of his revol- ver. Enoch Dodge was rolling up a pocket-hand- kerchief as he strode along, and without a word of preface or explanation, he stooped, caught the little desperado by the threat, choking him viciously until his clinched jaws relaxed suffi- ciently to admit the rude gag. ‘‘That’s the quickest way to argue with ducks o’ your feather,” grimly muttered Dcdge as he fastened the gag in place, then lifted the angrr. dazed prisoner to a sitting posture, taking ce7c° that his back was turned toward the ccrr*” from which the cowboys might be expectec i emerge at any moment. ‘‘ Now, you want to set like you was tryin’ to bu’st the machine of a pictur’ artist wide open. Ef you don’t—waal, mebbe you'll wish ye hed!” “You two do the talking act, and I'll cover these pretty ornaments with my fatness,” chuckled Nor’ West Nick, dropping to the ground in a position of careless attention, his mammoth body effectually hiding all but the head and shoulders of the prisoner. And wiih Enoch Dodge and Turk Elder sitting in front of the desperado, the gaunt member of the Royal Flush gesticulating with one bony forcfinger, and J ORpRY-Je Pap apparently listening as in- tently, it would have fooled keener eyes than even those of the cowboys who, as they left the corral and rode off toward the Sol Scott Ranch, cast curious glances toward the little group be- neath the lone tree. ‘* Ef they’s any hounds o’ your pay in that out- fit, Johnny-with-the-nosegay, I’m thinkin’ they ll be mightily puzzled to do what you wish they mought—'deed I be,” chuckled Enoch Dodge as: the cowboys vanished from sight behind the main corral. ‘‘ They’ve pulled out. They’ve looked to you fer signs, an’ you didn’t give ’em none. They see you on your hunkers here, talk in’ sweet as lasses to your uncle. They say things is swimmin’ with the current, an’ we ain’t got nothin’ to bother our fool’ heads *bout!”” What a savage piers there was in the eyes of the thoroughly defeated desperado as he was obliged to sit and listen to those mocking sen- tences! He was already reaping the just re- ward of bis crimes. | Enoch Dodge leaped to his feet as he saw Dan ~ Brown and Sol Scott returning, and hurriedly whispered a few words into the ear of Turk © Elder. The ex-pugilist grinned until his gocd- _ natured countenance seemed fairly tin | halves, then ducked his head and Survie of at a rare pace, his huge form shaking and quiver- ; ing. with suppressed glee, noch Dodge pulled the gag from between the jaws of Joonny-jump-up as he rose again at — the approach of the two detectives. fat aa ‘*So fur so good, mates!” he exclaimed, with — a nod of satisfaction. ‘The field is cl’ar, an’ — they ain’t nothin’ left fer us todo but to teach — this little runty cuss to 5 out the tune we © want to hear the wu’st. I don’t reckon that'll — be much of a job.” | a ‘If you mean me, you gangling cur!” savage- — ly snarled Johnny-jump-up, with a venomous — glance upward, “ yon'll hear nothing sweeter — than curses from me though you spend a year — in the attempt.” eo ** Waal, ef one year won’t fetch you to ti mebbe two year’ll make some difference, chuckled Enoch, blandly. ‘Time ain’t o’ the © least use tous, Johnny. We got dead loads of © it, an’ would jes’ as soon spend a century or so a-slobberin’ over you as a onrepentant, onre- | generate, contrairy cuss as not. Wouldn't we, | mates?” Oe Neither Sol Scott nor Brown ventured a re- | ply. They more than ever doubted the wisdom — of the course taken by their old friend. They ' AS J * ‘ = . a ak x £ . a ) a? "GO Mile