Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 38 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

Velv Yn desperation the Californian consented. He cut the cards and displayed a jack. Velvet Hand cut and showed a queen. “These women always did favor me,” he said, laughing. —___-—_—_— CHAPTER XXIX. AT SHERIFF’S SALE . THE morning of the day appointed for the sale of the Cinna bar mine property came bright and beautiful. Ten o’clock was the hour set for the sale, and quite a crowd had collected around and about the premises as the time drew nigh, Preise among the idlers who were plainly collected out of pure curiosity, and who had no idea of investing in the property, was Joe Bowers, who was the center of a little group, as he generally contrived to be. ‘“Oh, I tell yer wot it is, gentl’men, I know this hyer pro- perty from A to izzard !” he declaimed with lofty accent. ‘I knew it in the time when this hyer town was furst started. I was one of the furst pilgrims that hoofed it up this hyer valley, I was! Oh, them were lively times, you bet! I’ve seen more good old gold dust taken out of this hyer mine—why, gentl’- men, talk ’bout yer Big Bonanzas, an’ yer Consolidated Virgi- nia, an’ yer Mariposa grants—why, this hyer mine could knock the socks outen any of’em! Oh, methinks, me noble bretheren, in me mind’s eye, Horatio, I see them times ag’in |” | ‘‘Get out!” cried an irreverent bystander, ‘‘this hyer mine is a fraud,anyway! Ireckon that l’ve heered all ’bout it. It’s bu’sted every party that has took hold on it!” ‘‘That’s so, me noble dook; to the p’int you talk, and straight, by jingo! but it’s a bully mine for all that! You don’t understand; thar’s a spell onto it!” and Mr. Bowers sunk his voice to a sort of mysterious whisper as he made this wonderful announcement, ‘‘A what!” cried Yuba Bill, who was in the crowd, “A spell—a charm, gentle William!’ responded the bummer. **Oh, give us a rest!’’ ejaculated the tall son of Yuba. “Tt’s a sure enuff fact!” cried Bowers. ‘Don’t I know it, an’ don’t I say it; an’ wlar, oh, whar on this hyer footstool is et ' Hand... the man wot says that I, Joe Bowers, kin lie? Thar’s blood on . this mine, feller-citizens! I see’d the fight when good men an’ true went down like sheep with the rot; an’ the bad spell that’s on the place will never be worked off till Injun Dick Talbot comes to his own ag’in.”’ The name of Injun Dick was tolerably familiar to most of the crowd, and nearly all had heard some account of his connec- tion with the settling of the town of Cinnabar; but some of the bystanders were ignorant of the man and his doings, and one of them, happening to ask for information in regard to Injun Dick, afforded the bummer, who was never so happy as when spin- ning some outrageous yarn, a ciance to go into a long story about Injun Dick Talbot and his wonderful adventures. Of course the veteran did mot tréuble himself in regard to facts, but he just ‘‘waded in,” as Yuba would have remarked, and told one of the toughest yarns that mortal man ever lis- tened to. : A few minutes before ten the sheriff, Shepard Blum, arrived apon the ground. Blum, as the readers of Injun Dick will probably remember, was formerly chief of police, but at the last election had succeeded in getting in as sheriff. With Blum came the superintendent of the mine, Bertrand The good folks of Cinnabar had been on the lookout ever since the affray between the Cinnabar superintendent and Velvet Hand for a first-class ‘‘shooting-match.” The gossips of the town, after hearing of the discomfiture of Redan at the hands of the agile and strong-armed Velvet Hand, had looked to see Redan arm himself and assault the card-player on the first favor- able occasion. But Redan had manifested no idea of doing any- thing of the sort, and when questioned in regard to the matter— some anxious souls could not restrain their curiosity—had simply said that he was a fool to allow himself to be drawn into a quarrel at all, and that, as far as he was concerned, he should pay no further attention to the matter. This was ‘‘taking water’’ with a vengeance, Cinnabar was woefully disappointed, and the character of the superintendent suffered accordingly. As Joe Bowers had remarked, ‘‘ Things wasn’t now as they used to was.” Civilization had come and the glories of the old-time Cinnabar City were on the wane. The hour of ten arrived. Blum mounted a box, and unfolding a legal-looking paper pro ceeded to read the terms of the sale. ‘‘The Cinnabar mine, machinery, buildings, tools, etc., to be sold to the highest bidder, ten per cent. of the purchase-money to be paid when the property was knocked down, forty per cent, more in thirty days, and the residue in one year from date,” And just as Blum commenced to read the terms of the auo tion, Velvet Hand, accompanied by Clint. MacAlpine, the mayor of the town, joined the throng. As the two came up and the velvet suit of the Cinnabar sharp was recognized, many in the crowd exchanged glances, and those individuals who were in the direct line between the pnew-comers and the Cinnabar superintendent began to edge out of the way. These considerate citizens were not anxious to interfere in any way with the settlement of the quarrel between the superintendent and the Cinnabar man, provided the pair were desirous of settling the matter by an attempt to “‘set- tle’ each other. 23: -—= But neither took the slightest notice of the other, much to the disappointment of a great many in the crowd. “Now, gents, let’s proceed right to business!” cried Blum, after he had finished reading the conditions of thesale. ‘‘ ’Tain’t necessary for me to dilate upon this hyer mine. You all on you knows the Cinnabar lode, gents, like a book, and a richer mine don’t exist on top of this hyer airth! It’s in tip-top run- ning order, as my friend hyer, Mr. Superintendent Redan, says, and I reckon he’s posted on mining matters! Now, gents, as life is short and time is flyin’, we'll pitch right in to one’t! How much am I offered for this hyer mine? On behalf of the own- ers of a mortgage ag’in’ the property risin’ twelve thousand shek- els I'll bid seven thousand dollau’s!” This announcement took the crowd by surprise, for one and all expected that the property would go dirt cheap, They had not anticipated this action upon the part of the wily gentleman of California street in that thriving burg of Fr’isco. But these sharps had put considerable money into the Cinnabar property, and they intended to either have their money or the mine. ‘‘Seven thousand. dollars!’ cried the. auctioneer, thousand—do I hear the eight?” “Right thousand!’ exclaimed Mr. Superintendant Redan. “Right thousand dollars—eight thou—nine! Thank you, sir|’’ and the sheriff bowed, apparently to an individual on the out- skirts of the crowd, Everybody looked to see who had bid nine thousand, for no one had heard the bid; but the look was vain as far as infor- mation was concerned, for the men in the locality where the auctioneer had directed his bow were evidently as much amazed as the rest, And then all at once it flashed upon the keen-witted ones of the crowd that the nine-thousand bidders were the Fr’isco sharps—the bulls and bears who roamed unchecked around the Bank of California, “ Nine thousand—who says ten?” Ten!” Tt was the clear voice of the Velvet Hand that. spoke this time, and Del Colma, standing gloomily by the door of the little cottage, dull-eyed and wan of face, started. ‘Ten thousand—eleven!” another rise from the mortgagees. ‘‘ Now who says twelve?” ‘‘ Twelve thousand |” A woman’s voice this time, clear as the ring of a silver coin os ‘seven : and sweet as the breathing of a lute. It was Blanche del Colma in the cottage door. “Twelve—twelve thousand—no advance,’”—the Fr’isco gente were done. ‘Twelve thousand dollars, going, going—gone ! Miss del Colma!” : Blanche had bought the mine! CHAPTER XXX. A DARING DEED. A WOMAN buy the Cinnabar mine! a nine days’ wonder! And that woman, too, the proud and haughty Californian girl. ‘Miss De] Colma—twelve thousand dollars!” from lip to lip in the crowd the words passed, and every eye turned to gaze upon her, but she had discreetly withdrawn within the cottage. Upon the face of the late superintendent of the mine, the cold- visaged Redan, sat a look of angry astonishment. The prize he had toiled so hard to gain had been wrested from his grasp right in the moment of apparent victory. Redan was fully prepared to pay ten thousand dollars for the mine, but to “rise” twelve was too much for him. Another thoroughly astonished personage was Fernando del Colma. If the hoary head of old Shasta’s peak had nodded and cried out, ‘‘Twelve thousand dollars for the Cinnabar lode!” he would not have been much more amazed. As for the other party interested in the sale, the cool and quiet Velvet Hand, he did not seem in the least surprised, but took it as a matter of course. ‘““Why didn’t you give thirteen thousand, old man?’ Clint MacAlpine exclaimed; ‘‘thirteen would have corraled your elephant.” ‘Oh, it isn’t manners to bid against a lady,” the sharp replied with a laugh; ‘‘ besides, twelve thousand sized my pile. When the blind is too much for my hand,I always ‘stay out’ of the e.” The sheriff approached Del Colma, who was still standing moodily by the door of the cottage, the little throng in the mean- time rapidly dispersing. “Ten per cent., you know, must be put up now,” Blum said, supposing as a matter of course that the girl had bid the mine in on behalf of her brother. “T know nothing about it,” Del Colma answered. ‘‘Well, I reckoned that you and the lady had fixed the mat- ter between you,” Blum exclaimed, astonished. “T don’t know anything about it,” Del Colma repeated, “and what induced the girl to bid twelve thousand dollars when she hasn’t got twelve thousand cents is an utter mystery to me.” The sheriff expressed the astonishment swelling within his manly bosom by a loud whistle. “ Blazes and Thomas!” he ejaculated, ‘‘here’s a nice go! Have I got to sell the thing over ag’in, and the hull caboodle gonet Well, this is a sweet mess! Why, the gal must be crazy!” ‘Perhaps you had better go in and see what she has to say about it,” suggested Del Colma. ‘‘I for one am utterly be- wildered by her action. Twelve thousand dollars! Why, I don’t believe that she has got ten dollars in this world. I took all her money o put into the infernal mine, and like a EljOOLKS com (E@ EE ee ee ee ee ee ee re ee ei ee me a ee ee ae ee ere et me ee Fe ee eee ee ee + > OR & oa ee - a ae e-_ ~~ ene TP vie ao