Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 375 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

<- be. & Se dn 4° 7 a fs : of wrinkles, and tiis one I’ve been saving up for my own use. There may be some more that even I do not know. nov., and keep your eyes open. I could bring in the gang and clean things up, of course, but I prefer that you and | shoulddo the work. Wait quietly; I will be careful, if it. takes an hour. When I come, let me find you just where I left you. If 1 am dis- covered I can take care of myself, and there is nO Way in which you could help me.” * Allright; Ill stick ter orders ef it bu’sts owners, When you git back, you’ll find me hyar, cr a reason why.” ‘‘T'd sooner find yoa than the reason. Remember.” Then the light went on and disappeared. Evidently the man was waiting right at the mouth of the narrow drift, which, as Jess Hurley knew, opened into a small chamber. If the brothers wanted to go further, it would be necessary to remove him from their way; a thing not so easy to do, since it would be hard to find him in the darkness, and if he had warning of their presence, he might find them most effectually. ‘We must git him,” muttered Jess in the faintest of whispers. ‘“‘Keep right by me, an’ when yer feel me goin’ fur him, you come slong, It’s Singular Sam, an’ ho’s no slouch to tackle; but both together, and him off of his guard, we ought to do the job. Vl have his tools if it takes a life; but I don’t just care to kill him.” ‘“Why not act on the square, and get his | help? it seems pretty certain they are going for the road-agent.” , ‘Square, thunder! You make me sick! That gang is worse than the other. I'd sooner trust to George twice over. Come, We're going for him, and we'll make the riffle or have the holiest kind of a pic-nic.” Together they crawled forward, carefully noting the progress they made so as to give some fair sort of guess when the time for action had come. Silently as they went, the man somehow suspected the presence of an intruder. They heard him move, and in imagination could see him bending forwerd to catch the direc- tion from whence the sound proceeded. That was enough. ’ Jess Hurley rose from his crouching posi- tion and hurled himself forward like a tiger, his brother fellowing. Chance was in their favor, and they were both good men, though single-handed, and with anything like a fair show, Singular Sam could have handled either. He went down under the savage assault before he had a chance to use &@ weapon or strike a blow. ‘‘ Ah! Lhave you,” gritted Jess, as he knelt upon the prostrate man. ‘‘‘I can hit hard when I do let go, and I think you got it for all ’m worth. Strike a match, Hank, and Tl fix him so that he won't give us any more trouble. I didn’t think Singular Sam could be taken in quile so easily; but the job is done, and it wasn’t half amusement.” While he spoke the two were acting, and in another moment or two Sam was bound and gagged sufficiently well to render him | comparatively helpless. ee “Struck a bonanza, haven't we?” said Henry, as he took possession of the arsenal of weapons with which the belt of the pris- | oner was garnished. ‘We'll make a fair divy on these, and be ready for the next party that comes along. Better shove him back out of sight und keep an eye out for the other. He may be getting back soon.” ‘You bet we'll keep an eye out for him; and when he and I meet we'll have a scttle- ment of affairs that won’t leave me much be- hind on the account. Curse him, I owe him one, and I'll pay it in full. Keep cool, We won't have long to wait.” It might have been more prudent to make their escape now, while the way was open; put they did not think of that. In silence they waited; and though it was not really go long it seemed like an age. . Then they heard the footsteps of the man returning, 2nd other lighter footsteps, while ere was the glimmer of an approaching fient that for a time came steadily forward, _ but finally stopped. After that was the scene given in the last chapter, Bess Stanley broke away; the man Frasued; and in his path suddenly rose Jess _ Miley, “t* himself about the balarce. The thing is full | in the other the revolver was leaping up, and CHAPTER XXVIII. GENTLE JOSEPH HAS A SHOW. oyal George, the Three in One. 23 owen ee oe | neighbors? Et I’d’a’-bin you I’d'a’-lit out while I hed ther chance. Whar’s ther rest At the unexpected appearance, and the | ov ther caryvan? Looks ez though you'd though the bullet had already bored his brain. * No shenanigen, my Gentle Joe, I know ing no chances. You ought to know what Jess Hurley can do with them too, and when he pulls trigger the bullet aleays goes home. | I’ve a little bill made out, here, and you'll settle it before you go a step further,” | “Don’t be a fool, Jess Hurley. A shot, and you bringa gang here that even you | can’t get away with. Stay here | stern order, the man stopped as abruptly as | let some ov ‘em git away, Jess. It’s danger- ous ter hev a stranger wanderin’ round in | what you can do with the tools and I’m tak- | ther dark, an’ ef thet brother ov yourn ain’t a stiff afore he goes three rod he knows more ‘pout this hyar region than ther man thet invented it.” As a blaze of light was thrown upon the scene while he spoke, and half a dozen men stood with pistols poised, the two men _searcely made a struggle to withdraw their | wrists from the grip that tightened on them. Better talk it over, | and see if you haven't swallowed a mistake | | and left one end sticking out. | “* All the gangs in the world can’t scare me | when I’m going to get even. They may | pull me in out of the wet, but it will be a shade too late to help you any, And then _they would have to run their chances with with. You sabbe? -I’m going to go for you, but I'll give you a showif you'll let me. If you don’t, then I'll drop you just where you may be standing.” ‘‘Much good may it do you then, but fire away. We may as well have it over now as / any other time. _ things slip up that I’m ready to stand my chances even on this. Only I’d like to know, first, how you come to be here.” ‘“T knew you were a coward if a man could only get you in a corner. coward would have taken a drop-shot from behind on the man that was risking his life, and had done it more than once, on his ac- count. Any other man could have had his shot and welcome if he thought I was in his way; but you, a side pard, that even the | Baby didn’t know of—that’s rubbin’ it ina ' leetle too thick. Good-by.” | He held his hand still. Great as was his _hate, he could hardly accomplish a_ cold- ! No one but a two men that are mighty hard to get away | | then I can’t help ‘im. I’ve seen somany dead sure | Jess looked around in some bewilderment, He had paid little attention to Bess Stanley, and supposed that his brother was right be-- _ hind him. The words of Royal George showed him how he had been mistaken. Doubtless Harry had followed off in the wake of the woman, and who could tellin what danger he might be now? ‘You see it, dont you? Better trust to ther ole man than go scoutin’ ’round in ther dark, in sich a infernal death-trap ez this. Wal, soothe yerself, He ain’t in no great danger, ‘less he gits a sickness ov ther heart; iz fur you, ther best thing I know ov is fur you ter glide back ter ther hospital yer jest sloped frum, an’ wait till ve’r’ better able ter travel. This hyar ' gentleman I hev my own uses fur, ov which _ blooded assassination—yet he did not want to | give away the advantage that he held. If he wanted to slay in cold blood he should have done it at the outset. The work looked harder at each moment's delay, | **You can’t quite do it! Well, there’s an an honest streak in you, sure. If you want to make a fight of it you will find me ready. _I only pull back when you talk about drag- ging me over all creation. I don't ask too much, either. Keep your shooting-iron out, if you choose, but let me lay my liand on mine. Then count three, and we'll fire to- gether. Tl risk it that 1 can pull and fire while you are crooking your finger on the trigger. One of us will drop, sure enough, but it won’t seem so much like red murder ” It looked like a sure enough thing in his favor, but Jess Hurley knew that when he agreed to anything that Gentle Joe preposed, he was taking the risk. He was too thorough a gambler himself not to know that when a professional proposed a stake, he had some way by which he hoped to win. For all that, he wus willing to take the chances. ‘Very few men lived that could get away with him in the game of draw and shoot, and though Gentle Joe had a reputation that was counted as gilt-edge, his own had never suf- fered by comparison. ‘foul play. I know when a man means to shoot as far as I can see him, and if I see it in your eyes I'll never wait. Ready?” ‘* Ready it is,”’ ‘‘One! Two! Three!” In one hand the torch still burned, while Jess Hurley’s finger was really crooking. There was a stunning report as the two revolvers were discharged together; then, as the sounds of the echoes died away, there was a harsh laugh. Neither man was hurt. No fault of theirs was it though. As the ‘Pll take the offer; but don’t you try any | word “three” was dropping from Hurley's | mouth two hands shot out, settling on either | wrist, and turning the muzzles upward with an irresistible force. fell the bullets hurtled, there was the stun- ning crash, but for all the deadly harm that The hammers | i | thar are no use ter say furder. Is ther man with ther rope round?” ‘He are hyar.” * That’s ernuf. Lead ’em away.” The man with the rope came forward, and Royal George loosened his hold on the wrists, that, up to this time, he had been holding, As his hands dropped away his plans dropped with them. ‘* Not thiseve—some other eve, my friend. How is this for high?” The two men had dropped their revolvers under the twist on their wrists, and practic- ally, under the half dozen muzzles pointing toward them, they seemed disarmed, Jess Hurley had accepted the situation— his treatment so far justified him in putting some little reliance in what was said to him, ‘The other had no promise but the rope—an¢ for that he was not ready. Another revol- ver appeared in his hend as if by magic, and as he spoke he punctuated his sentences with three shots, and then turned and ran, Pro- bably he knew the ins and outs of the place as well as Royal George and he was certainly very bandy with his weapons. The first shot brought down the leader of the outlaws, and to each of the cthers a man fell. The wonder was that he did not stay and try to slay them all. erhaps he would have done so if he had not thought of the woman in the darkness. If he looked for her he missed her; a voice called out from the darkness into which he bad plunged; ‘This way! Show alight; Ihave a wo- man On my arm and I daren’t move for fear of your infernal pitfalls. Your man has gone by; and if you don’t move lively he'll get clear away.” Jess Hurley recognized the voice of his brother, and catching up a torch moved away a few paces. “That's enough! and I’ll be with you. you safe, Jess?” ‘Safe enough; but there has been some bad work here and I ought to be hung for letting him get away,” was the answer, just as Harry staggered up, with Bess Stanley in his arms. And just then, from the darkness he had left there sounded the crack of a re- volver, and again the rush of distant feet. Stand there a moment I see my way. Are “‘Ah, ['ll bet my soul he went fer Singu- lar Sam. Wonder if that was a mistake.’ ‘*Scarcely,” gritted a hoarse voice at his elbow. ‘‘Singular Sam knows too much. The game is up here, we'll move next on Blazer’s Bar. lll put the noose ’round his neck ef I die a-doin’ it.” It was Royal George who spoke, and it seemed that the wound he had received was but trifling, after all. One of the others who had dropped to the was worked they might as well have saved | shots was also only slightly hurt; but the the charges. ** Ha, ha, my | Royal George’s campin’ ground? yer know shootin’ o } . yer guns ter *brin g 5 | down ther ley. _ . xf 5 “) ¥. "> , ga ECR ET Om Sor YES ass SS ees Se third was not so fortunate. »”» ‘‘Lucky fur you,” said Royal George, as ur- ebooks. m _ _- —--€oO It was Ned the daisies! What yer doin’ in | Nailer, and he had gone down to stay, Didn't | er war in danger ern’uf ’Vhout he looked up from the corpse to Hen 7 =)»; a)