Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 374 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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to the door. She saw him the moment he ap- peared, and the next moment their eyes met. ‘*Hyer’s a concert, by Jupiter! an’ Adele is ther star ov ther evening!” ejaculated the as- tonished new-comer, who was Quartz Kid, the | boy spy of Custer, certed her, somewhat. what I know, ‘* My comin’ has discon- Ther pards ov Coyote can’t hev heard ov it, or they wouldn’t stan’ thar an’ lis- | ten ter thet girl as they do.” The girl sung the national air to the close. She dared not look at the boy in the door, for his eyes seemed to beam with a look she did not | like. She knew that he was the Major’s spy, movements, only to report them to the man he served. ‘“ Why don’t you pards hunt ther galoot who left yer captain in his shanty?” suddenly ex- claimed the boy, coming into the den and ad- dressing the crowd. Adele started and gave the boy anangry look. ‘* What's thet, boy?” said a dozen voices. The girl attempted to catch Quartz Kid’s eye and suppress his reply; but she failed. ** Don’t yer know? Go down an’ look at ther dead man lyin’ in Crimson Con’s cabin—lyin’ thar with a bowie wound over his heart.” A wild cry, a dozen oaths cut the close air of the whisky den, ‘* Crimson dead?” was the cry. ‘“‘Dead? I should gently remark,” replied Quartz Kid, ‘‘ Jehu! hyer ye’ve been listenin’ heaven knows how long ter a girl’s songs, while ther man who cut Crimson Con, ismakin’ tracks for somewhar.” There was a rush for the door, and the men of Coyote almost tumbled over one another in their eagerness to be first at the cabin where their leader wasa corpse. ‘*Thet broke up ther concert, eh?’ laughed Quartz Kid, as he halted before Adele, whose face was quite pale. ‘‘[ didn’t know they war entirely ignorant ov ther affair down thar. Sorry ter break up ther show, miss, but hang me ef I could help it.” ** You may wish you had kept your lips sealed,” said Adele, in a low voice, when she had reached the door with Quartz Kid. ** How so?” He looked up into her face astonished. ‘* You are Major Blister’s friend; you are in his employ; you are his spy?” ‘Wal, what ov that?” ** You don’t want him to have all these Coyote roughs at his heels, do you?” ‘** Jerusalem! no!” exclaimed the boy. ‘* Well, you’ve set them there,” said Adele, calmly. ‘6 T?-how?” ‘* By telling them that Crimson Con lies mur- dered in his cabin, They know that he went there with Major Blister, and since the Major is not in camp they will know that he killed their captain.” $ ‘But Mark the Unknown may have done it,” said the boy. “There is in Crimson Con’s bosom a wound like that ther iron dagger makes.” ‘Tt made it, for it is in Major Blister’s posses- sion. Mark the Unknown would not strike Crimson Con; he has nothing against him. What have you done, eh? You have given your mas- ter but two hours’ start of thirty men who will swear to have his life. I have been singing for him here.” You?” ee Sekt tare kept these men here till geo. ‘T don’t see why you want to save Max Blister,” was the response. ‘‘I have seen you with Mark the Unknown, and with Fred Ferret, snake.” ‘‘ Never mind,” smiled Adele. holding the bloodhounds back. the Broadway Spotter, and they hate him pd ‘“T have been Hark!” e 5 ' ” At that moment a dozen voices came from Max? here the hut of the dead Coyoter stood. Biber They have found him,” Whispered the boy spy, while he listened. ‘* Mebbe, though, they won't accuse the Major—” “Oh! we'll find him if wehave ter rake ther West!” interrupted a loud voice, ‘‘ With ther men ov Coyote on bis track, Major Blister will wish he had never been born,” ‘‘ That settles it!” said Quartz Kid, For several minutes Adele and the boy list- ened to the cursos of the men who had found the corpse in the cabin, and they were about to separate when a figure passed between them and the saloon. They saw it for a second in the light that emanated from the lamp above the cloor. ; Ret! “i r’s ver friend,” said Quartz Kid clytch- ing aye girl’s arm, ‘‘Mark the Unknown, La not gone away. I can turn ther Coyoters against bim an’ save the Major. I'll go down ter Crimson Con’s an’ set ther gang on him,” “Tf you da ro!” hissed Adele bending over the boy till her lips seemed to touch his face, “TF | at play 2 hand like that, I will not only prove | that Max Blister killed Crimson Con, but while | the Coyoters are ad Suck! ae them “o his Spy : “ware | ber a = a a rad into the flashing eyes | above him, and stood still. lL wonder if she knows | | to the dead rough. ‘‘ He’s dead enough, I mado If vou had not come, Quartz Kid, I | Major Blister, the Sport of ‘l'wo Cities. Se eS Oe eS ee 23 ae a eee ee | CHAPTER XXVII. BY CONE LIGHT. In his flight from Coyote with his hands red with the blood of Crimson Con, Major Blister came suddenly upon a man who halted him with _ahand that dropped heavily upon his shoulder. ** Shoot me for a salmon if you don’t move as if thar’s a rattler at your heels!” said Wild Alaric before the fugitive sport had fully recog- nized him. ‘*Thar’ll be thirty ov ’em thar if I stay in this camp awhile longer,” was the reply. ‘* Pve exiled both ov us ter-night, Alaric, but I had to dae. 99 } Go it. and that more than once he had watched her ** What has happened?” *Tve killed Crimson Con.” Wild Alaric let slip an exclamation of incre- dulity. *Tt’sa fact, a cold-red fact at that,” the Major went on showing by bis very soberness that he was telling the terrible truth. ‘*Wal, if ye’ve done that we ar’ exiled, sure enough,” said Alaric through set teeth, ‘ But what made yer do it?” “It war kill him or be killed. That man knew Captain Dandy and his ’Frisco faro pard.” ‘*In mercy’s name who was he then?” ** Zoe's father.” Wild Alaric said nothing for a while, but looked toward the cabin where at that moment the Major’s victim lay. **Come! you don’t want to go back thar,” Max Blister went on catching Wild Alaric sud- denly as if he noticed in his eyes a desire to go sure of that before I left him. We are exiles now, and the traps we make for the iron blades cannot be set in Coyote. What have you done? Ther boy said you went to fight a duel with Fred Ferret at the two rocks wherever they are, ‘* He did not come to time. At ther supreme moment ther Broadway Spotter played cow- ard!” flashed Alaric. ‘‘ Never mind! ther time will come when I will force him ter fight it out. Exile is it, Major?” ** Exile it is!” **T accept ov it,” grinned Alaric, ‘'I don’t think ther death ov Crimson Con at this time is for ther best; but we’ve got ter put up with it. l’ve been exiled before. It’s nothin’ ter Wild Alaric. Off we ar’, Major.” Together the two men turned their backs on the cabins of Coyote, and went toward the mountains in the starlight. ‘* Heads an’ tails for destination,” Alaric said, halting and taking a silver dollar from his pocket. ‘‘ Heads, we go back ter Custer; tails, elsewhar,.” He gave the piece a toss and sent it spinning toward the stars, watched by himself and his companion. Down came the dollar with a ring as it struck a stone and spun away, falling at last on a bit of earth, ‘* Heads!” exclaimed Alaric, ‘‘T don’t like thet!” exclaimed the Major. ‘You know what Si Slinkum did ere he left Custer. Captain Cressy and his Vigilantes know that I am Andros Ruby, wanted in New York, and in half a dozen cther places. Not to Custer, Alaric,” ‘Very well. We'll toss ’er up ag’in,” was the response, and once more the dollar was thrown into the air, and fell back this time to pronounce a verdict more in accordance with Major Blis- ter’s wishes. The two men had stopped long enough in a certain quarter of Coyote to possess themselves of the horses which had carried them from Custer City, and as Alaric climbed back into the saddle after having thrown the dollar, ho looked into the Major’s face and showed his teeth in a grin. ‘Our plan is ter baffle ther pards ov Coyote, but yot te set a trap for Mark the Un!mown ew Fred Ferret. You hev ther iron blade yet, The Sport of Two Cities clapped his hand to ay Shae and fhe Baye vent to an exclamation of disappointment. ** By heavens! it is gone!” he cried. ‘‘T had it when I left Crimson Con’s shanty. It is lost now. “Once more out of our hands!” laughed Alaric. As for Blister, he frowned, grated his teeth, and sent a wishful look toward the camp. Matt Continnat Satie tne don nine mpanion con ar evil-may- pen pore “Tt is not lost for good, Major.” J ‘‘Not if Mark finds it,” was tbe reply. ‘It is very apt to come home in a manner we won't lish, Curse my luck! Ive lost the very thing Perantid to keep. Id give a thousand dollars for that iron blade just now.” “Ton thousand wouldn’t restore it,” said Alaric, ‘Remember thet ther corpse of Zoe’s father is liable ter be discovered at any moment. I ea ; ‘SHil thinking of the lost dagger, Major Blister was compelled to follow his 1 ~d, and the two men hastened to put some miles between them, They were indeed exiles, but it was not their intention toquitthe country. Behind them were the friends of Crimson Con, but there too were: two other men who were more in their thoughts. ee Oooo oe ae They doubted not that Gideon Goldbird had met his death at the hands of Mark the Un- known, and the Major did not dream that Cyrus Slinkum the clerk of the Dolores was stillamong the mountains, ‘They won’t know whar ter find us; they may not follow us,” said Wild Alaric when the two pards exiled from Coyote sat on their horses in the first gleams of another day. “ Quartz Kid knows nothin’ ov this flight. He cannot put ther iron blades on our trail. I am itchin’ ter spring a trap on both ov those men. Hang me if I don’t go back an’ put ’em on ther right scent.” ‘** And leave me here?” “Yes. I know this country like a book, Major. Thar’sa cave nigh hyer whar a man might hide a year an’ never be found by the keenest pointer thet ever struck a human trail. I’m anxious ter get rid ov those men. Hang this thing ov bein’ hunted by men who play separate hands, but who handle the same wea- p mn—an iron blade thet has already tasted ther lood ov our pards! T ust me ter set them on ther trail ter a trap.” ‘*But you'll finish ’em an’ not give me a chance at either one,” said the Major. “ll bring ’em inter ther trap!” was the an- swer. ‘‘ Let me show yer ther cavern, Major. Pll come back ahead ov ’em.” The Sport of Two Cities consented, and again they were riding back toward Coyote, The back trail was not followed far, for Alaric turned suddenly into a mountain bridle-path and the two pards rode deep into the mountains for some distance, When a halt was finally made Wild Alaric pointed to a lot of bushes that seemed to form an impenetrable clump. ‘*Tn thar’s yer camp till I come back, Major,” he said. ‘Crawl through those bushes a little ways and you'll find yerself in a cave, which I b’lieve takes up ther hull inside ov thet moun- tain. Dll jine yer ter-morrow, an’ I promise yer now, Major, thet Pll have one if not two men on my track. Trust old Alaric ter play a hand thet’ll give you Zoe at last, an’ thet/ll rid us an’ ther world forever ov ther two iron blades,” Major Blister dismounted and Alaric leaning forward, took his horse’s rein, ‘* Thar’s a natural stable not far from hyer an’ a hoss cannot be found thar,” he said, in response to the Major’s look. ‘ Push right inter ther bushes thar. Ye’ve gotmatches. Ther floor ov ther cave is strewn with pine cones. I'll find yer to-morrow with a report thet will make yer heart thump.” In another moment the Sport of Two Cities was standing alone and Alaric was riding slow- ly away. ‘I wish I could assume the offensive now,” growled the Major, before he turned to enter the cave which as he had been assured was at his back. ‘'I have lost the iron blade whose hilt turns, but it may never find Mark’s hands, {f by Juck he does pick it up, he will try to re- store it like he gave it to Gideon, Poker Perry and Night-Owl Oll. But the queerest incident of the whole game is that I should meet Zoe's fa- ther in Coyote, The girl has no idea where he is, and I never thought that he would know the man who ten yearsago as Captain Dandy of the *l’risco Fleecers played a game that made him wince, Since then I’ve been Andros Ruby, and a dozen other men in New York and else- where. There isno man west of the Missouri who has played so many games, and won so many desperate stakes es he who now calls him- self Max Blister. With two desperate and cool men after us, each armed with an iron dag- ger, Alaric and I have led an exciting hfe for some time past, but we are near the end of the play now. My last pard will fetch them into the mountain snare, where the game begun ‘in New York four years ago will be played through. I will inspect my new quarters now, and wait for Wild Alaric’s signal which he has promised shall | not be delayed longer than to-mor- row. Major Blister plunged into the bushes, and made his way through them for some distance when he came suddenly in contact with the mountain-side. The next moment he saw him- self in front of an opening which seemed to be the mouth of a cavern, and he was soon moving along a dark corr’dor whose side and ceiling he could touch with his hands, He kept his way until the corridor widened abruptly into a chamber of large dimensions, and recollecting Alaric’s remark about the pine burrs he stooped and ran his hand over the floor. It almost immediately came in contact with a dry cone, and a moment later a match ir the Major’s band sct it on fire. “This place could hold a regiment of Uncle Sam’s blues!” exclaimed the exiled @port when he began to see the dimensions of the room he had entered. ‘‘ What a trap it would make for Fred Ferret and Mark! If Alaric will fetch them here, we'll make it a better prison than Mother Redbird’s dungeon.” * The cone burned until its light revealed the ‘gray walls of the cavern and the Major ignited a pile of cones with it. As they blazed up he threw himself on the ground and for awhile > JOOKS EColr