Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 38 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

to the ground, completely demoralized, took all notion of fight out of the crowd. It was plainly evident that the velvet sport knew how to handle himself. And, with the letting go of the rope, down came the celestial all in a heap. A nickel-plated revolver glistened in Velvet Hand’s white fingers, and not a man in the crowd cared to test the marksman-’ ship of the sharp. “This is the only washee-washee in the town that can do up a’ shirt fit for a gentleman to wear, and I’m not going to stand by and see him abused! Now what is the trouble?” Dick Velvet cried. ‘‘ Pardner, lemme explain!” Joe Bowers replied, with becoming dignity. that reside in yonder doocal mansion,” and Bowers pointed to the shanty from whence the crowd had emerged, the celebrated Break o’ Day saloon, notoriously the worst place of the kind in the town. ‘The John had the rocks; wid me own two lookin’ eyes I see’d ’em! We_inyited him fur to tackle us with the kerds. Games, he sed, he did not understand; but we, like men an’ brothers, offered fur to teach the poor heathen. He was a stranger, an’ we were ready to take himin, but we slipped up- on it; he took usin, he did! He flaxed us right outen our boots; he won our ducats—four dollars an’ a half of mine he corraled, an’ then all on us went in to get hunk. We put up a job on him —Yuba carbined the kings, I yanked two aces, the Doc got the jacks, Col. Pipkin salivated the queens; we got him whar his ha’r was short, an’ we slung out our pile an’ went for him lively; and what was the result? 1 weep when I think of it! He saw us every time, an’ arter all our shekels were up, we called for a sight, and he had three aces and twokings! Whar is our boasted civilization ef sich things kin be, an’ overcome us like a summer cloud without our special wonder! We went fur him! W’at we couldn’t get by cunning we took by force; an’ then we calc’lated to swing him up, jes’ fur greens, but you hev played a full hand on us, an’ raked the pile.” : ‘Boys, I wouldn’t interfere with your fun for the world,” Dick replied, perfectly serious, “but put yourself in my place. This John is the only man in town who can do up a ruffled shirt. If you hang him, where is my washee-washee to come from, eh?” The crowd shook their heads; the question was a conundrum, and they gave it up. ‘Now, (ll tell you what I’ll do, boys; call it square on the heathen—you ve cleaned him out, anyway—and Ill stand two rounds of drinks at the Occidental bar!” ‘‘ Bully for you!” cried Bowers, joyfully; “‘ that’s a heap sight better nor hangin’ the John!” The majority of the crowd agreed with the bummer; but the Doc, who had been so roughly handled, Yuba Bill and Col Pipkin objected, “No, no!” Bill cried, doggedly; “we're going to hang the heathen.” , wie ** Yes, of co added. ” Certainly ” the colonel assented. “You are not going to hang him!” and Velvet Hand spoke firmly, as with a single motion he threw the noose from the Chinaman’s neck. ‘“ Scoot!” Hop-Ling-Ki did not wait for a second bidding, but sped away up the street as fleetly, almost, as a grayhound. And not one of the crowd dared to follow him, no matter how great the desire, as long as the velvet sport was to the fore, the revolver gleaming in his hands. The heathen disappeared around the corner of a shanty, and then the preserver turned to the three men, who stood, scowling, together. “* Now, gentlemen, if I’ve trod on any of your toes, I'm ready to give you all the satisfaction that you may require. Don't be. bashful about speaking. I'll take you one at a time or two together, or three, or I’ll fight the whole crowd at once!” “‘Hol’ on, me noble dook!” cried Bowers, impressively, “ this ain’t any of my funeral. You acted bully, and it does me proud to say sol* Say, sport, if these aged eyes do not deceive me, I hav’ seen you somewhar afore; your name is—?” “Oh, I don’t think you ever saw me anywhere!” Dick replied, carelessly, ‘Oh, yes, I hev; and I knows you—knows you like a boo me noble count! You kin run this town, ef you want to fur me, The three discontented men had taken advantage of this diver- sion to sneak off; not a man of them cared to measure strength ) with the cool and plucky Velvet Hand. The rest of the crowd adjourned to the hotel to accept the prof- fered hospitality of Dick, and as he followed the crowd into the Occidental, first bidding the stately Californian adieu, he hap- pened to glance down the street and there beheld Blanche del Colma, half concealed behind a shanty. She was still on horse- back, and it was plain that she had been attracted by the noise of the hanging match, and had witnessed the whole affair. ‘Gambler and bully combined! A nice opinion she will have | of me!” Dick muttered. CHAPTER V, BUCK OF ANGELS, As Velvet Hand entered the hotel he encountered a stranger in the entry; a tall, brawny-built fellow, roughly dressed, miner- fashion. There was just about light enough in the passageway to enable him to discover this much in regard to the man, and that was all, Velvet. Hand. 5 ‘This hyer yaller cuss, fat an’ ugly, has a-bin a-playin’” it on us. He kem with the washin’, he did, for the noble ladies “Say, stranger, where kin I find a doctor round?’ asked the man, hastily. ‘‘My partner has jest been h’isted over his horse’s head down yonder, an’ I’m mightily skeered lest his durned neck’s broken; leastway, I ’spect he’s pretty badly hurt. Mebbe you might. be willing to give a feller a lift with him up as far as the hotel.” ’ ~ “Certainly,” answered the sharp, readily; “ where is he?’ “‘ Oh, a leetle piece down the road. We were a-comin’ up from Angels, an’ my partner had bin a-h’istin’ in more p’lson than he oughter, an’ he rode his mule—like a durned galoot —right over a bowlder, an’ the brute jest r’ared up, an’ then he pitched t’other end skyward an’ sent my partner outen his saddle like a blamed old sky-rocket, an’ if his meck ain’t bu’sted it will jest be a won- der!’ “Go ahead; we'll fetch him up to the hotel, and I guess I can scare up a doctor round the town somewhere.” The man led the way straight through the hotel to the back aoe and out into the street, while Velvet Hand followed, close behind. “‘He’s right down thar, jest round the bend, ahind them air bushes,” the fellow explained, as he hurried along the road. - And now that Velvet Hand got a good view of the man’s face, he saw—as he had thought—that he was a total stranger to him. He was not a particularly good-looking chap, and if the Cinnabar man had chanced to meet him alone on a dmrk road and at a dark hour, he certainly would have given him a wide berth and had his weapons handy. [is “Tm from Angels, I am,” the stranger informed his volunteer nurse; “‘Joe Smith of Angels, an’ my pardner’s Dave Buck. Mebbe you've heern tell on Dave? He’s jest the finest card-sharp in Northern Californy.” “No, I never heard of him,” Velvet Hand replied, but “in his mind’s eye, Horatio,” he determined that if Mr. David Buck’s neck had not been dislocated by his unpremeditated downfall — and gentle Providence generally protects the helpless devotee of jolly Bacchus—he would speedily ascertain by what right the man from Angels held such a reputation. As the twain hurried round the bend in the road their ears were saluted with a strange discord of groans and curses. It was very evident that Buck of Angels was still in the land of the living. The man was lying on his side in a little clump of bushes which had plainly broken his fall and saved him from serious “Whar air ye, ye durned ole Joe Smith?’ he howled. “ Air ye goin’ to leave me hyer fur to die like a spavined mule, eh?” “‘Hyer I am, Dave!” answered his partner, hurrying up t him; ‘‘an’ this hyer gent has been kind enough fur to come all the way from the Occidental fur to help you. Whar are ye hurt?’ “‘ All over,” growled the prostrate man. ‘Blame my eyes! ef I think that I’ve got a whole bone left in my body, Ef you air ary friend of mine, jes’ cuss that blamed mule till you’re black in the face.” **Do you think that you can walk?’ asked Velvet Hand, ap- proaching the prostrate man and kneeling down by his side. The Cinnabar sport quickly decided that the “pride of Angels” was more frightened than hurt, and that the strong liquor, so noted a product of the ‘‘ Bar,” which Mr. Buck evidently had been largely imbibing, had more to do with his inability to walk than any shock he had received by his fa!l. ‘‘As quiet a mule as I ever see’d, too!” Joe Smith explained, and in truth the gray beast, grazing peacefully by the roadsid seemed gentleness itself. ‘““Wa-al, stranger, ef you would be so kind as to gi’n m8 a bit of a lift, mebbe I could walk a leetle,” Buck admitted. iT Certainly.” as Velvet Hand, bending over the fellow, took hold of him under the arms, while Buck grasped the’ * man’s shoulders, grunting with pain as he moved. Velvet Hand half raised the fellow from the ground, Buck got a fair hold with his feet on the earth, and then, suddenly exert- ing his strength, gave a twist that tossed the Cinnabar man— who was totally unprepared for such a thing—over on his back. And the moment that Velvet Hand’s shoulders fairly touched the ground, the other fellow sprung upon him. Then out from the clump of bushes came a third man, who also assailed the prostrate man. Crushed to earth, despite his struggles, the three men, with stout lariats evidently provided for the emergency, bound Velvet Hand securely, first déxtrously muffling his head in a thick Mexican scarf, to make any alarm impossible. But the cool and acute sharp had never for a moment thought of crying out for help. Accustomed to ‘wholly depend upon himself, to call for assistance was foreign to his nature. - The moment that the Cinnabar man was fairly on his back the truth flashed upon him—he had been entrapped. Buck of Angels was a fraud. | | Why they had selected Velvet Hand he was at a loss to gu What foe in the Shasta land was bold enough for such a plan of vengeance? His assailants were taking particular care not to harm him. They had trussed him hand and foot, like a turkey ready for the roasting. If his life was sought, one good blow would have settled the matter. Once securely bound, the assailants lifted him carefully from the ground; Buck of Angels mounted the gray mule; Velvet Hand was seated on the saddle before him, the other ruffians taking care to lash him securely to their companion, and then off they set. The eyes of the surprised man were securely bandaged, but his hearing was not impaired, and therefore he was somewhat sur- prised to note that no words were exchanged between the three GOnmGcsvooks (©)