Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 38 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

Velvet Hand. CHAPTER XXII. THE SUPERINTENDENT TRIES IT ON. “Parpon me, senor, I know not what I say,” Del Colma replied, humbly. The false position in which he had so stupidly placed himself had completely tamed his wildness. Velvet Hand returned his knife to its sheath, and removing his knee from the chest of the prostrate man, rose to his feet. Del Colma slowly followed. It had grown so dark that the two men could just about distin- guish each other’s faces and that was all. ‘Senor, I owe you an apology,” the Californian said, slowly, and with evident reluctance. “Oh, don’t trouble your head about it,” Velvet Hand replied; ‘* we'll call the matter square as it stands. But who is it that told you this tale—who is that put it into your head to attack me?” ‘No one,” the Californian answered, slowly. ‘“Some one witnessed the interview between your sister and myself?” 4s se Yes. ” “ And that some one told you that it was a love-meeting?” “c Yes. ” ‘‘Tt was no friend of mine.” ‘‘T do not know.” “Tt is very evident to me that it was not. Of course the party, whoever it was, knew that the story of the meeting, told in such a way—represented as a secret love-meeting between your sister and myself, would most certainly lead to a quarrel between us—possibly to the death of one or, perhaps, both of ” “ That is likely.” ‘‘ And this man, whoever he is, is an enemy of mine, and ne friend to you, either, Del Colma, or else he would not have ex- posed you to the chance of death. He evidently desires to do me a mischief, and has used you asa cat’s-paw to pull his chestnuts out of the fire.” “Oh, no,” and the Californian shook his head; “he fully believed the story he told. He saw the meeting between you and Blanche at a distance; he did not overhear any of the conversa- tion, but saw that you gave her some trinket, and that she car- ried it to her lips and kissed it. What else could he think but that it was a love token, given by you to her?” “T shall have to hunt up this gentleman who takes such an interest in my affairs,” Velvet Hand observed, quietly, yet with menace in his calm tones. ‘* And, Fernando del Colma, this ends our acquaintanceship. You owe me a certain sum of money, that paid, we will be as strangers to each other. I am a gambler but ’tis merely because the excitement of the card-table keeps mé alive; I have nothing else to live for, but I never urge any one to play with me, as you well know. You have grossly insulted me this evening, and I have spared the life you forfeited, but I don’t intend that you shall ever have the chance to repeat the opera- tion. In regard to your sister and myself, as I have said, I have never met her but once, and I should never seek to win her or - any other woman unless they knew fully and exactly what I am; but, knowing that, if they choose to care for me, a hundred brothers should not keep me from the lady. Good-evening, sir.” And then Velvet Hand walked off in the darkness, leaving the Californian in a very unpleasant state of mind. Del Colma watched the tall figure of the Cinnabar sharp until it disappeared in the gloom; then slowly and sadly he returned to the town, and just as he came to the Occidental he encountered Redan, who was lounging about the front of the hotel. It was quite evident that the superintendent had been waiting to learn the result of the interview between the Cinna- bar sport and the owner of the mine. ‘ wal you have seen him?” Redan inquired anxiously. **T thought that had missed : entered the hotel.” Aer mora ‘¢ Yos?” “You did not quarrel, then, for I mised cipal ce dn ante en, see that neither one of you Del Colma evaded the question. It was not pleasant to relate the particulars of the contest wherein he had come out second best. ‘“He explained the matter satisfactorily.” | , ‘“‘ Indeed!” and Redan threw a strong expression of contempt into the single word. ‘Yes; there is no love-affair between him and Blanche.” “Of course he swore there wasn’t?’ Full of contemptuous un- ee was the sentence. ‘No, he did not swear; bu prttce ie Veet ; but he explained everything to my ‘‘’m afraid that you have allowed this fellow to fool you.” ‘Oh, no; I know how the matter really stands. That is all; good-night !” : And the Californian passed on, leaving Redan a prey to sullen rage. ‘‘T cannot understand it,” he muttered. “I thought I knew buth of them too well for my plan to fail; but it is evident that Velvet Hand smoothed the matter over and managed in some way to satisfy Del Colma. No love-affair between them! Then I’m no judge of a woman’s eye! 1 must take a hand in this matter, myself. I can easily pick a quarrel with this gam- bler, and if we come to shooting-irons, and I hit him, all the law and order part of the town will be on my side.” OY ‘* Aha! bully rook! I was arter you!” oried a hoarse voice, and the burly figure of the fat bummer, Joe Bowers, loomed into the circle of light in front of the hotel. ‘“ Well, what do you want?” demanded Redan, not in the best humor possible, LL7 “ Pard, inregard to this hyer leetle Cinnabar mine affair,” said the bummer, lowering his voice, mysteriously, “< Well?’ ‘I’m a-gwine to draw out.” ‘Draw out!” cried Redan, astonished. : “Yes, sir-ee, hoss-fly!” replied the bummer, “It is played, me noble dook; we air down to the bed-rock, an’ nary a ducat will we take outen it!” “‘T don’t understand.” “A kick is as good as a wink to a blind hoss, me noble and potential superintendent!” exclaimed Bowers, sagely. ‘ Thar has a new man come up—a cuss who will run that Cinnabar lode, an’ I ain’t anxious to hev anything to do with it. lLain’t tryin’ fur chances now to ride in funerals as much as I was.” ‘‘] don’t understand what you are jdriving at!” Redan ex- claimed, roughly. “Do I not. express meself in fluid accents, me sportive tricks! Well, then, listen, while I a tale unfold!’ When the boss Califor- nian is shaken out of the mine thar’s another cuss stands ready to take hold, an’ he’s got an iron grip, me lord! I jist tell you when he puts out his paw, it’s like old death a-reaching for ’em. ” “‘ And who is the man?” ‘Here he is, inside the Occidental. Oh, he’s a tearer now, I tell yer when he gets started!” And Bowers conducted the superintendent to a window, and to the astonishment of Redan, pointed out Velvet Hand. ‘‘ And he is the man who is going to knock our little plan?’ Redan queried. “J bet yer! higher nor a kite! Oh, me noble dook, you kin go ducats onto that!” ‘‘ That remains to be seen,” Redan observed, grimly. “You kin experiment ef you like, but as fur me, I’m out. No leetle ducats of mine do you rope into that mine now; my shekels I will keep an’, if you’ll take the advice of a man wot knows, you won’t try to buck ag’in’ that velvet sport onless you're tired of this hyer world; so long!” And Mr. Bowers marched off, But Bertrand Redan’s mind was made,up. He had determined to have a talk with Velvet Hand on Blanche’s account, and now having learned that the quiet sport was likely to interfere with his plans for gaining possession of the Cinnabar property, he was still more determined to run him out of the town. There- fore, when a few minutes later Velvet Hand left the hotel, Redan accosted him. CHAPTER XXIL CATCHING A TARTAR. “ WILL you step this way? I’d like to have a few minutes’ con- versation,” the superintendent said. ‘All right, sir,” Velvet Hand replied. Redan led the way to the corner of the hotel, just out of earshot of the loungers congregated by the front door of the Occidental, and then he commenced the attack. , ‘“Probably you know who I am,” he began. “Probably I do,” the sharp answered, not at all inclined to be pleased with the arrogant manner of the other. ‘My name is Redan, and I am superintendent of the Cinnabar mine.” ‘‘T don’t take the slightest interest, sir, in regard to your name or what occupation you may follow,” Velvet Hand observed, in his cool way; he had already detected the hostile feeling of the other, and was fully prepared for war. “T have explained to you who I am, sir, in order that you may understand why I speak as I am about to speak!” Redan ex- claimed, beginning to lose his temper. “Sir, I don’t care two cents who you are or what you are going to say!” Velvet Hand retorted. ‘Perhaps you will before I get through,” Redan remarked, significantly. re “‘T’'m open to bet you ten to one that I won’t!” | “Pm not a gambler and I don’t bet!” the superintendent replied, loftily. Velvet Hand winced a bit; he fully understood the taunt, and he felt a strong inclination to pick a quarrel with the speaker at once, but then it was foreign to his nature to force a difficulty with any one, and, too, he could not understand why this man, a stranger to him, for he had never exchanged words with Redan before, should desire to put an affront upon him; he felt a little curious also to learn the reason for the strange proceeding. ‘Well, then, if you don’t bet we can’t make the riffle, can we?” “I'm going to speak to you in regard to a rather delicate mat- ter, and I don’t exactly know how to begin,” Redan said, affect- ing a reserve which in truth he was far from feeling. “The beginning is a good place,” Velvet Hand suggested, quietly, “though you might try it in the middle, or tackle the end if you thought it would come easier.” The superintendent scowled. He saw that the cool Cinnabar sharp was poking fun at him. He hesitated for words; his anger was rising and he felt strongly inclined to take Velvet Hand by the throat; it was only by a great effort that he controlled himself; the time for violence had not yet arrived. “Tm afraid that you are not to receive this commu- nication in the spirit in which I tender it,” Redan said. “Well, I don’t know; it depends altogether upon what it is, I reckon,” the sharp replied, reflectively. “ I think that I can meet you half-way though, no matter how you come at me.” This was a defiance, quietly as it was given, and Redan under- stood it as such. He saw that he had better come to the point at EMME NOOO KS.) <= aes i i