Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 374 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

—_~s rs ~~ Major Blister, the Sport of Two Cities. ‘the form of a bullet and put it back into the hollow of the dagger when he screwed the handle back to its place. ‘*You left Aim near Faro Frank’s, eh?” he said. ve Yes.” * All right. contents of the dagger handle. figure too conspicuously as Poker Perry’s pard nt the present time. This man Mark, the Un- known, said nothing more when he told you to take the blade to me?” ‘“Yes. He said that for my trouble he would remember me kindly to my sister when he saw her. What does he mean? I have no sister, and I told him so.” “Wal” Major Blister leaned forward with strange eagerness and looked into Quartz Kid's face. “He laughed and repeated his words,” the boy went on, “ and then left me to show you the mystery of the iron dagger,” The Sport of Two Cities looked at the youth a moment longer, and then took up the iron ene without making any reply. ‘Tf they have transferred the battle-ground Not a word to any one about the 1 don’t want to to the Black Hills, we will fight them to the grave!” he said through clinched teeth, as he moved toward the door, ‘* There must be two of them in town—one with black eyes, the other with gray. One steals a letter intended for me, the other kills Poker Perry with a talking knife. By the saints! we will make it hot for the banded avengers, for that’s what the two men are.” He went down-stairs without taking any further notice of Quartz Kid, who was left to follow him at his lcisure. He seemed to see everybody in the reception-room at a single glance, and passing through he went into the little apartment where the corpse of Poker Perry still lay on the floor, oo had been there since his last visit, for a sheet had been thrown over the dead, and the lamp on the counter close by was burning low. Major Blister had shut the decor behind him, and he now advanced to the corpse and threw back the sheet, so as to expose the marble, face and the breast of the dead man, Lamp in hand, he looked down into Poker Perry’s face and hissed forth a terrible oath of vengeance, ‘Thar are four of us left, old _pard, just started for New York. other two in from ther mines. One has I can call ther If I dow’t give ther owner of ther iron dagger ther whole length of the blade, may I wear chains in Hades!” He got up and put the lamp back. At that moment he glanced at one of the windows and saw a face disappear. ‘Watched already! woman's face!” He darted from the room, leaving the face of the dead still exposed, and soon reached the street. ‘* Hello, Major!” exclaimed a voice, and the Sport of Two Cities uttered a wild cry as he beheld the speaker, ‘*T was just thinkin’ about you, Alaric,” he cried. ‘“ You have come in from the mines just when I need you. Come in here.” He took the bronze giant who had accosted him to the dead room before he could reply. “Take the lamp and look into that man’s face,” said the Major pointing to the dead. They obeyed, but the next moment he sprung back with a wild ejaculation. ‘My God! it is Poker Perry!” ‘Certainly it is! We must fall upon the man who did this like famished wolves. Did the Night-Owl come with you?” ‘That is just what I want to talk about. ‘You wouldn’t give me a chance on the street. Night-Owl Oll was found dead in camp, one week ago to-night!” ** Impossible!” * Tt is truth.” ** Who killed him?’ ‘‘Some unknown murderer with an iron- handled dagger,” Major Blister recoiled with a startling cry. His face for a moment was without a semblance of color. ‘* What became of the dagger?’ he finally asked. ‘‘ Tt disappeared from Camp Coyote the same night of the murder,” ‘* Did you see it, Alaric?” “*T handled it.” Major Blister drew the iron dagger from his bosom and extended it toward the man from the mines. ‘‘ Thetis it—the very same knife!”’ was the cry, *‘Tn Satan’s name where did you find 1?” ‘In the breast of Poker Perry, Don’t you see, Alaric—don’t you see? The same hand killed ’em both!” Wild Alaric, as he was called where best known, stared at the mute witness of the double murder like a man suddenly confronted by some terrible thing, as indeed he was, ‘This infernal dagger talked,” Major Blister went on as his fingers dived into a pocket and By heavens! that war a Alaric took the document carefully and read its contents amid profound silence. **It is pretty clear to me now,” he said sud- denly. ** What is?” ‘Why the man who came to Coyote the night before the murder killed Oll.” Major Blister seized Alaric’s wrist. ‘‘ Had he black eyes?” he cried. ‘* No; his eyes were cold gray.” ** By the devil’s birthright! there are surely two of them!” Blister exclaimed. ‘' One steals letters, the other kills!” Wild Alaric’s answer was a stare. CHAPTER V. SPOTTED BY TELEGRAPH. MEANWHILE, Gideon Goldbird was on his way to New York. He had left Custer by stage for Sidney where he expected to take the cars over the Umon Pacific and by their assistance reach the work- ground, Major Blister was confident that Gideon would well perform the task assigned to him. He knew his man, and while Gideon hed shrunk from the journey when he saw that the orders were imperative, he resolved to carry them out to the letter. In the same stage that carried Gideon from Custer was a woman who occupied one of the forward corners. She was cast in shadow by her position most of the time, but now and then Blister’s messenger caught a glimpse of her face which he noticed was pale but well shaped, and rendered striking by a pair of very black eyes, It was a new face to Gideon. He had never seen it in Custer, but then he was not a society man, and his duties as waiter at the Gold Queen Saloon circumscribed his observation. There were seven other passengers inthe stage besides Gideon and the strange woman, but they were men with whom he wa; more or less ac- quainted. He watched the passenger in the corner with agood deal of curiosity at first for his journey rendered him naturally suspicious, but at length he laughed at himself, and totally forgot her before the stage was many miles from Custer, In due time we will say without wearying you, reader, Gideon Goldbird had the pleasure of reaching safely the first stage of his trip—Sid- ney. He alighted with a feeling of relief and wrote a note to Major Blister which he intrust- ed to the stage-driver who'was to deliver it on his return. Gideon did not think of the female passenger after the arrival in Sidney until she had entire ly disappeared, **T might have watched her awhile any how,” he said to himself. ‘*I remember thata strange feelin’ passed over me when I first saw her hud- dled up in one corner of the stage, but I didn’t think of her long. I hope I won’t be fellowed’ on this trip. JI don’t want any spies on my heels, an’, by heavens! I won’t have ’em thar long!” \ If Gideon Goldbird had placed the woman un- der espionage after arriving in Sidney, he might have seen her enter the public telegraph office and taxe up a blank with tapering fingers. Without a word, she leaned upon the counter and wrote rapidly with few strokes the follow- ine messare: ‘To Joun LEOPARD!:— ‘No, — Broapway, New Yorr:— ‘*Mr. Gideon Goldbird leaves here for the city at nine to-night, His destination is No, — Mulberry street. ** SELAH.” The operator took the dispatch, counted the words and looked up. **T will have to have your name if you expect an answer,” he said. ** None will come,” was the answer, and the young woman paid for the telegram, after which she saw the words clicked away on their long journey. It was evident that the signature to the dis- patch would be understood by John Leopard of Broadway for whom it was intended. The beautiful sender walked from the office with a gleam of triumph in the depths of her fine eyes. She had accomplished a task with which she was thoroughly satisfied, . In blissful ignorance of the message that had been sent ahead of him, Gideon Goldbird rest- ed in a chair on the pial of one of Sidney’s best hotels and enjoyed the best cigar that Ma- jor Blister’s money could purchase, He had had a good time since leaving Custer City for he had fallen in with several old acquaintances with whom he had done the town in true West- ern style. And now in fragrant smoke, and with the strange woman entirely forgotten, he was resting him:<elf for the long journey ahead. Night settled down upon Sidney and Gideon was driven to the depot in a stage where he purchased his ticket and declared himself ready to fathom the mystery of the sealed-up apart- ment in Mulberry street. While he sat in the depot waiting for the train with his little leather valise at his feet, he did not dream that he was closely watched, and 5 laughed the person who regarded the Major’s messenger from a point of safety. ‘' You will be surprised at the reception you will meet with in New York. John Leopard will receive you with open arms, and you must be very careful or those arms will close on you like the paws of a bear. You didn’t want to go, Gideon, but now that you’re in for the trip, you_ are eager to see Gotham and some of its sights again. Good-by, Gideon Goldbird; if you knew what 1 know, you'd like to have your fingers at my throat, ha, ha, ha!” The speaker was the woman who had come down in the stage—the sender of the dispatch, and the person of all persons that night who needed watching by Gideon Goldbird. Asif to reward Gideon’s patience, the train came in on time that night, and the thin-faced fellow with the waxed mustache was among the first to take possession of a choice seat. ‘‘OfF IT am now!” ejaculated Gideon, ‘ It will bea long time perhaps before I see Custer again. All 1 have to do when I land in New York is to go right to business, an’ not go to paiine head-quarters an’ make my presence snown. Let mesee. I will be Mr. Stephen Sel- kirk, of Denver. I know that city well enough to play Stephen to perfection. Aha! they don’t entrap this weasel from the Black Hills!” Gideon lighted a fresh cigar and settled him- self back in the seat for reflection and a good smoke, He intended to stretch his limbs in a sleeper by and by, but he wanted to enjoy one more cigar before he did so. ‘*T didn’t see our peri get on the train,” said a man in the seat behind Gideon,” “The woman who came down in the Custer stage?” be Yes,” ‘*Oh! she stopped in Sidney. She was in the telegraph office when I, went in this afternoon,” A strange feeling took possession of Gideon, and his half-smoked cigar almost dropped from his mouth. That woman with the strange black eyes in the telegraph office in Sidney? He was grows ing suspicious again, Te got up and looked back at the man who had spoken. feck ‘Was she sending a dispatch?” passed his lips seemingly without the least effort. ‘‘Hello! is that you?” cried the man, recog nizing Gideon as one of the passengers of the stage. ‘‘ She wasn’t sending any when I went in, but appearances indicated that. she was pay- ing for something of the sort.” “Sho had the blackest eyes I ever saw in a woman’s head,” said the man who had called up the subject. ‘Dll bet a thousand that she could look through a fellow with them, She'll make her mark in an affair of some kind one ot these days, or Vm no judge of woman. cind! Gideon had to be content with the information he had already obiained. He was convinced that the woman had sent a dispatch somewhere, and so great was his curiosity he would have given his last dollar almost to have read it, ‘Why didn’t I watch her in Sidney?” he ex- claimed, ‘‘Confound it! I took it for granted that she was not interested in Gideon Goldbird, and like a fool I let her slip. Wait till I come back! By the plated Crown of Hapsburg! Pll know whether that telegram concerned me an’ my business to New York.” Gideon at last sought repose in the berth of a sleeper, and was soon oblivious of his surround- ings. In dreams, thanks to the potent qualities of the last cigar, perhaps he forgot the black- eyed woman and her telegram. It is not our intention to follow Gideon Gold- bird during his trip to the great city. Day after day the cars bore him along with unvary- ing rapidity. His traveling companions left him one by one, and when he bade the last one adieu in Chicago he found himself alone. It was night when Gideon sprung from the train in Jersey City, and hurried on board the ferry. He looked in good trim for a man who had made the long journey from the Black Hills to New York, He still clung toa good cigar, and his mustache was waxed in a manner that be came him gracefully. Gideon was almost at his journey’s end, Across the ferry on the New York side stood a man who was apparently waiting for the, boat. He was an inch or so above the medium hight, with a short but full black beard. He was © plainly dressed in a close-fitting business suit, with a soft hat of rather wide brim, end an im- maculate shirt front. He had rather large eyes, whose color was midway between black and brown, and his hands were incased in dark loves. When the boat struck the pier and began to discharge its bustling human freight, this man took a step forward, but glanced significantly at a certain hackman. Gideon Goldbird was among the foremost people who reached the street, and the eyes of the stranger seemed to single him out without any trouble. ‘On time, Gideon,” he muttered under his — ee ee _> 2 6, te eee - ey a a oy a the paper he had taken from the iron | that by eyes that had seen him before. breath, and then he delivered a certain and ‘“‘Isee you are ready for your trip, Gideon,” secret signal to the hackman. . micbooks.com Boe ~ . * Rae | nt Sa ema ah an 1 TEC)