Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 374 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

‘* We came to Coyote together,” she laughed. ‘He thought I would not come because I was likely to find the Major and Wild Alaric here. Well, I have not seen them yet.” ** An’ perhaps yer won’t ef you stay hyer all ther time,” said the boy. “I kin tell yer, Adele, they don’t intend ter interfere with a wo- man first.” ‘Really, don’t they Quartz?” laughed the girl, shaking the boy merrily. ‘‘How kind those gentlemen are!” ‘¢ Thet’s sarcasm; you don’t take my medicine,” cried Quartz Kid, drawing back. ‘* No,” and Adele spoke suddenly with striking seriousness. ‘‘ Before morning I will be visited by one or both of these pards. Major Blister interviewed me in Custer the night Captain Cressy and his Vigilantes took Mark from my house, and when he left, it was with a threat of future vengeance in his eyes. I am confident that he knows that [am now in Coyote. Ah! he is a sleek one, Quartz; but I need not tell you this. You know it.” ‘“*Don’t I?’ queried the boy. ‘‘This man, Major Blister, will fight ther iron blades ter ther bitter end, an’ my hat on it, Adele, he will come out with ther last stakes in his fist!” ‘* Very well; if he can get them, I will not ob- ject. Go and tell him that I am here, Quartz; tell him that Adele, Mark’s friend, is ready to receive him whenever he chooses to call.” ‘You don’t mean that?” cried the boy, star- ing into the girl’s face. ‘‘ You don’t mean ter invite ther Major hyer?”’ ‘*T mean nothing less,” was the reply. ‘*He might not make it Sgt for you if he came,” stammered Quartz Kid, ‘*] will make the visit agreeable to him,” was the answer, in a light, mocking vein. ‘‘ Will you bear a message from me to your master?” ‘*T—don’t—know.” ‘Oh! yes you will! Goto Major Blister, an’ tell him that Adele is ready to see the man of the night of the second of May!” + Tetoea chat!” exclaimed the boy. ‘‘I saw thet date mentioned on the sheet of paper I found in your house in Custer. Ther Major warn’t called Max Blister thar?” ‘Perhaps not. What did you do with that per?” ‘**T showed it ter ther Major himself.” “Well?” ‘* He said it war a lie out o’ ther hull cloth.” A sneering laugh rippled over the girl’s ns “The villain!” she cried. ‘But go to him, Quartz. Take the message I worded a while ago. You will do this?” ‘* Hang meif I don’t!” said the boy. ‘You will not run away?” “Trom that man? No! Remember—I wait here for the man of the second of May. That is a date Major Blister is not likely to for- et.” Quartz Kid found himself at the door before he was aware that the interview had ended. ‘*T recollect that I‘was once ther bearer ov a message from Mark the Unknown ter ther Major,” he murmured when he found himself on the outside of the cabin. ‘That war ther time he turned ther handle ov ther iron dagger an’ saw a message fall out. Now I am ter tell him that Adele wants ter see him. I didn’t make much by ther interview, did I? Kind ov a bad investment, strikes me.” And with a look over his shoulder at the cabin-door, which was shut, he hurried away. . Adele returned to the little window, and waited quietly for the man for whom she had sent, There was a singular gleam in the girl’s eyes, and it seemed to increase as the seconds wore on. Five minutes passed away; nobody came. Adele began to grow restless, ‘“‘Must I go out and hunt him myself?” she said. ‘‘Did I send too pointed a message to Andros Ruby? Iam in his trap, as he calls it. Why don’t he come?” While she spoke, the man for whom she wait- ed was moving upon the cabin. Quartz Kid had found him, but not at Wild Alaric’s cabin; he had been picked up at Terrapin Tom’s, ‘“‘ Wants ter see me, eh?” chuckled the Major. ‘‘By Jehu! if I take a notion, it may be ther dearest meeting she ever sought. Wild Alaric talks about keeping her ter bait his trap for Mark, ther Unknown, an’ Fred Ferret. I don’t know about that. I will not promise thet I won't finish ther interview with my yellow fin- gers behind her windpipe! She istoo dangerous to be permitted to play a side-game when we have ther iron blades ter fight.” He was on his way to Burt Browne’s cabin while he spoke thus. The girl was still wait- ing calmly for him at the window alongside the door. ‘* Major!” as The Sport of Two Cities stopped and turned toward the voice. “* Gideon is gone for good,” continued the stal- wart man, who reached Blister by another stride. ‘You hedn’t leff ther cabin twenty minutes before I heard suthin’ strike ther door en ther outside. Quick as a flash I war out thar myself, an’ what dyer think I found?” ‘Heaven knows!” Major Blister, the re a ** This—stickin’ in ther wood almost half-way up ter ther handle.” And Wild Alaric laid in the Major’s hand a terrible-looking dagger with an iron handle, ‘** Hades an’ horns!” exclaimed Blister, seizing the blade. ‘* Let me see—is it the one whose handle turns?” Alaric looked on while Major Blister essayed to turn the hilt of the dagger. It moved, turned, and then separated from the blade. ‘‘A paper—a message from the black-eyed hunter!” said Blister, as a bit of paper dropped from the hollow hilt. ‘Well read it by match-light!” cried Wild Alaric, and the next moment a match flashed up in his hand. ‘*T suppose it is another threat,” the Sport of Two Cities growled, as he unfolded the message. ‘* Hyer we ar’, Alaric! Listen: ‘**The blood on my blade is Gideon’s! ‘**TrRon DaGaer.’” **T could hev guessed thet,” exclaimed Alaric. ** When I saw that blade stickin’ in ther shant; door, I said, ‘ lhet means Gideon.’ So it does.” Major Blister threw the paper to the ground and crushed it under his heel; then he reunited the two iron pieces, and looked into his com- panion’s eyes as the match flickered and went out. ‘“T’m going ter begin now /” he cried. *¢'W har?” ‘At Burt Browne’s cabin!” ‘** Not on thet girl—ther bait fer my trap?” ‘Hang yer trap!” burst out the Major. “I can strike two mena master blow to-night, an’ in Coyote at thet. I'll do it! Dll promise you one thing, Alaric—I’ll not use ther iron blade on her!” The next second Wild Alaric was alone! CHAPTER XXI. BEFORE THE TRIGGHR, ‘“You had best follow that man; that’s my opinion anyway,” said a boyish voice at Wild Alaric’s elbow, and the Coyote sport turned and looked into the face of Quartz Kid, the young spy. ‘“Why, Quartzy?” ‘‘ Because she’s waitin’ for ther Major with a purpose. Her eyes said she’d do thet when I left her in the cabin.” ‘Let him go,” said Alaric, looking after the man who had already disappeared. “If he goes ter bite an’ gits bitten, it will be his own fault.” ‘* Oh, certainly not; but if you have any re- gard for him, mebbe you'd better look arter him a little—thet’s all.” The boy turned away, but he had not taken six steps when a hand grasped his arm. ‘Did you see anybody nigh my shanty awhile ago?” said a stern voice, as he stopped and look- ed up again into the face of Alaric. ‘*] warn’t lookin’ for any suspicious person thar,” he said. ‘‘Then you didn’t see ther iron blade come back.” Sport of Two Cities. I'll wait for ther Major hyer. He didn’t in- tend ter hold a lengthy interview with ther girl, Promptness war in his eye when he went away. He must be comin’ soon.” And Alaric looked toward Burt Browne’s cabin as he con- cluded. Quartz Kid bade the sport good-night and walked off, “Till go down ter ther shanty an’ see for myself,” he murmured, ‘ My private gr expressed ter Wild Alaric is that ther Major | didn’t get ther best of ther angel pard. He’sa tiger, I know, but he’ll find ther girl his match.” Wild Alaric went back into the cabin and dropped upon a stout stool at a rough table an’ in the light of a tin lamp that occupied a shelf just above his head. He had nothing to do but to wait for the Major, and to occupy the time with any thoughts that intruded themselves. ‘*Mark saved ther Coyotes a job,” he said to himself. ‘‘They would have given themselves no rest until they had found ther man called Lariat Lige. It war astrange concidence—that two men should hev a mole in exactly ther same piace: Gideon never was Lariat; he could not ave been that man for five years ago, when the alcalde ov Coyote war killed, we war in Gotham in other bizness. Poor Gideon! he got out ov ther fryin’-pan inter ther fire. I wonder if he died game?” Wild Alaric sprung up almost before the sound of the last word died away. The door had opened without the slightest noise apparently, but Alaric knew that it had been pushed ajar. The bronzed hand of the mountain and cit desperado was on one of his revolvers; the loc clicked coldly as it left the belt. “You will not touch your trigger, Wild Al- aric, as they call you here,” said a voice. ‘I have come for a moment’s chat an’ on business that concerns us both. Sit down!” The lJast sentence was a command which made Alaric wince. He already found himeelf covered by a revolver in the hand of a man who was his physical equal and whose eyes were of a cold, steely gray! ‘‘Hred Ferret!” exclaimed Alaric as he went back to the stool before the leveled weapon. The man laughed low and with biting cool- ness. ‘*The man you left in Mother Redbird’s dun- geon four years ago,” he said. ‘‘ You haven’t changed much, Alaric. You look like the same man who used to crack safes and beat men to death with iron bars.” The sport of Coyote started and moved uneas- ily on his seat. ‘You've changed your name, I see,” the Broad- way Spotter went on. ‘‘ Let me see: what were you called in Gotham?” Alaric made no reply, but bit his lips anew and looked at his tormentor as if he wished looks could kill. ‘* Never mind,” laughed Fred Ferret. ‘‘ We'll pass that and call you Wild Alaric, a name which I hear fits you splendidly now. My old The eyes of the boy instantly dilated with | fellow, do you recollect what I said to you last wonder. ‘Did it come back?” he asked. ts Yes.” ‘Who brought it?” ‘¢Ther killer with ther black eyes, I guess, fer it war ther bowie with ther hollow hilt.” ‘War thar a message in it?” ‘Yes, lt told ther Major an’I that it had just finished Gideon.” ‘‘Then he fetched it ter Coyote!” exclaimed Quartz Kid. ‘‘Has the Major got ther dagger now? ‘‘He has. He went off mad enough ter drive it inter ther girl’s heart.” ‘But he won't!” cried the boy. ‘ Adele is Major Blister’s match. Yes, as you say, Alaric, if she bites, let bim blame only himself. Let us do some work now. Ther black-eyed man may be in Coyote yet. Thirty minutes have not passed since ther iron blade came home, Tl stake my head that he is still in ther shadows of ther shanties. Whar’s yer trap set?” ‘* Wharever I find him!” hissed Wild Alaric. ‘““Tf he is hyer we will find him, Let us be- gin at once,” Leaving Major Blister to meet the strange girl pard waiting for him in Burt Browne’s cabin, the Coyote and Quartz Kid started out on the hunt of Mark the Unknown. The dagger was undoubtedly the same one which had taken Poker Perry’s life in Custer; the hollow handle was proof of this, and the writing that proclaimed the end of Gideon Goldbird was the same that met the Major’s eyes after Perry’s death. Quietly and with eyes on the alert, Wild Alaric and his bo camp. They seemed to see everything, and their trained ears missed no sound. ‘*He did go away, sure enough.” said the Co- yote sport when he and Quartz Kid came back to the cabin with the knife-marked door. ‘‘ He only came ter stick his accursed blade in hyer | night in Co ter let us know that he had wiped out another member ov ther New York five. Like a cow- ard he would not stay, Quartzy. He must ’a’ guessed that Wild Alaric’s traps always hold. ' ; companion searched the | ere you turned from me in the Mulberry street black hole?” ** Ov course I do!” snapped the Coyote sport. ‘‘Well, lam here! I have come, Alaric, with an iron dagger which is the counterpart of that one wielded so mercilessly by the man who calls himself Mark. There is one slight difference in the two blades; the bilt of his turns and carries messages, the handle of mine is fixed. Mark is not to have all the glory of this vengeance hunt which began in New York. I am here to de- prive him of part of it now.” * Ter-night?” The question bubbled to Alaric’s lips without the slightest effort. ‘'Yes—to-night!” ** All right!” The man of Coyote left the stool with the suddenness of a person hoisted by a torpedo. He leaped up despite the menace of eye and re- volver, ‘‘T am ready! This game can be played by two.” Fred Ferret was taken aback, for a movement like that executed by the Coyoter would have beaten the most alert. The wrist of the New Yorker was clutched in an instant, and instead of laughing in Alaric’s face, he saw Alaric’s eyes flashing in his own! ‘My trap is always set!” cried Wild Alaric, and his revolver looked into the Spotter’s eyes, ‘‘ Wanted ter see me, eh? Wal, hyer I am, Mr. Ferret! Coyote is worse than Mother Red- bird’s dungeons ter sartain men! Ther next time shoot yer men on sight!” It was a wild tableau which the little tin lamp saw. There was ‘“‘shoot ” in Wild Alaric’s eyes; he was not the man to give the iron blade a chance to get the upper hand. ‘¢ Bizness is bizness!” he hissed over his revol- ver. ‘I never play with a mouse in the trap. Fred Ferret, the end of yer man-hunt ends ter- ote. The deadly six-shooter dropped a trifle lower, ane the tiger eyes of Wild Alaric took on a new are, : In another second the head of the man from y Comicboo (E ‘“S Cc | | | » . i) #35 00