Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 383 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

‘ heap of fun out of it. $y SO a. —_ ~~ Silver sam, Detective. Dave Boreman and his father, with several | ‘‘That’s about the ticket,” said Ripley. of their followers, hastened to range them- | ‘‘It seems to me that all parties can pool selves in front of Dick Herries, and things | their chips on that basis.” looked ugly enough. ' Andrew Birkett loudly declared that he But Matt Grace stepped forward between | had evidence enough to satisfy any reason- the two parties, and immediately made him- able man or set of men. self the central figure of the occasion, | ‘*We've got the verdict of a fair and In his right hand he held a bright and hand- | square coroner’s jury,” said he, ‘‘ charging some revolver, and toyed with it and patted Dick Herries and Angus Dameron with the it gently as he spoke. Se pears of Jim Boggs at Indian Bill’s Hole ast winter.” His gaze was directed rather piercingly at | Andrew Birkett, but his words were uttered | Dick Herries came forward to speak for himself, in a slow and drawling tone, as if he con- | sidered himself the boss of the business and | ‘‘ This matter can be settled peaceably and was in no hurry to settle it. easily,” said he, ‘‘unless those men from ‘‘But go slow,” said he. ‘‘ This isa nice | Butte want to try to bulldoze somebody. I little picnic, and I reckon you will get a | admit that I killed the man; but | killed him in self-defense. He was about to murder a But you don’t want to hurry through life. Better straighten out | sick man, when | happened to drop in just in time to preventit. Then he turned upon me, the business end first, and that warrant, as | vou call it, means business. Let us look at and would have killed me if I had not shot him down. Jj can prove this by my partner, it.” Hank Dormley, somewhat taken aback by | Angus Dameron, if he is well enough to give the young man’s cool and overbearing style, | in his evidence ” ; ‘*That scheme won’t work,” sneered Bir- gave him the paper. | » merely glanced at it and handed it kett. ‘‘He was accused by the coroner's e merely g \ jury, too, and is as deep in the mud as you back. ‘That’s no good,” he said. ‘‘A warrant | are. I sent acouple of men to arrest him; P , but they are making a long job of it.” from a justice of the peace up in Lodge county is no better than a bit of waste paper Dick Herries was startled and angered by down here. You will have to show some- | this statement. ‘‘ What's that you say?” he demanded. thing better than that.” ‘We've got enough to show to take our ‘ You sent mento arrest Angus Dameron and charge him with murder? Why, he is too man,” angrily interjected Andrew Birkett. ‘Have you? That sounds like war talk, | weak to stand, and the shock may be the death of him.” and surely, my beloved brethren, you don’t ‘*'That’s another scheme that won't work,” want war. Not yet, Lhope. Thisis anew | camp, and the folks have not started a grave- | replied Birkett. ‘‘ You wanted to get hold of him first and fix up a yarn, I reckon; but yard yet. Wait till they get a nice little | cemetery laid out on the slope yonder, and [ve blocked your game. Here come the men | sent after him.” the lots ready for market. ‘Then there will be an auction sale, and the camp will be They had just crossed the creek, and were ready for business. But you don’t want to | rapidly approaching the scene of excite- ment; but it was evident from the*manner hurry things up.” It was clear that Matt Grace was talking | of their coming that they would introduce a new element into the controversy. to gain time for more reinforcements to ar- There was no third man with them. rive, and it was also clear that every minute | If they had found Angus Dameron, they he gained increased the chances of Dick | : Herries’s friends. had not been able to bring him away from his sick bed. If Andrew Birkett wanted to seize the | mine-owner by a cowp de mai, the precious | As they came they were watched by the entire crowd, and the interest of all was for moments were passing too rapidly. the moment concentrated upon them and the But he could not afford to fight unless his point could not be carried without fighting, news they brought. nor even then unless a fight should be forced | They were rough-looking men, and the upon him. expression of their faces was that of sullen- It must be admitted that he was a little ness and disappointment; but they said irresolute, and that his followers were not nothing until they had forced their way into disposed to admire his dallying style of do- the throng and joined their leader. ing business. ‘What's up?” demanded Andrew Birkett. But he had taken considerable pains to ‘‘ Where is that man you went for? Didn't gain a reputation, if not for probity, at least | you arrest him?” for respectability, and he was not inclined to ‘Net much,” answered one of the men, peril it by engaging in a conflict whose re- | ‘Why not? If there’s anything the mat- sults might be unsatisfactory. | ter, spit it out. Where is that man?” Sure that he had the law on his side, he be- | ‘* That man ts dead !” lieved that he must succeed in his object, though circumstances had unexpectedly CHAPTER XXVIII. turned against him. An opportunity for a peaceful solution of A HORSE AND A MAN. ‘THat man is dead!’ the difficulty presented itself. _ One of the visitors to the mine stepped to; The announcement of Angus Dameron’s the front. | death, such a sudden commentary upon the This was Ben Ripley, of Bannack, a tall recent words of the man who Was accused and portly middle-aged man, one of the big- | with him, was stunning to most of those gest ‘‘ operators” in that region, and a man | present, and fora moment was followed by whose character as well as his personal ap- | silence. ar’ pearance commanded respect. The two principal parties of the as yet un- ‘‘Matt Grace is right,” said he. ‘‘ You | settled controversy were especially affected don’t want to start any funeral here, and it | by it, but in different ways. is hard to say whose funeral it might be if | When Andrew Birkett heard Dick Herries the game should begin. If you folks have | declare that he could prove by his partner the law on your side, the law must be re- | that the killing of Jim Boggs was in self- spected. But I agree with Matt that a paper | defense, it was easy for him to jump to the from some justice of the peace up about conclusion that no other evidence to that ef- Butte don’t seem to fill the bill.” | fect could be adduced. ‘“We only want to take the man to be | When Herries went on to say that an at- tried,” said Andrew Birkett, ‘‘and he shall tempt to arrest Angus Dameron might give have a fair trial.” ‘him a shock that would cause his death, it “Now you are talking sense,” observed | was natural that the prominent citizen of Matt Grace, ‘and I will tell you what seems Butte should wish that the words of his to me to be the fair thing for all hands. | enemy might come true. Here’s a lot of men, strangers to Whitewood, They had come true, so soon after they all good and solid citizens, who have no in-/| were spoken. terest in this matter, and who are apt to be| The only evidence for the accused had found on the side of law and order. Let been destroyed by death, and what was to them form a court right here, with Ben Rip- hinder Mr. Andrew Birkett from having his ley at the head of it. Then you can Swing own way? out your evidence, and if it’s good enough The situation suited him so well that he to take the pot they will see to it that Dick could scarcely conceal his satisfaction. Dick Herries, on the contrary, was touch- ed to the heart by the death of his partner, Herries goes with you and stands a regular | trial,” nd faa a - . 19) He had grown to love Angus Dameron: for good and sufficient reasons. His partner had lovable and _ sterling: qualities which were calculated to endear him to any real man, and it was through him that good fortune had come to the battercd. and weary outcast. Moreover, Dameron had lately been feeble: of body and largely dependent upon him, and that condition naturally begets affection. for one whom we can care for at all. That. such an unexpected and brutal blow: should have suddenly caused the death ot’ this dear friend was a terrible stroke to Dick. Herries. For the moment he was stunned, but: anger flamed up in his breast and filled him, with life. It is probable that he did not then give a thought to the important fact that the death of Dameron had deprived him of his only evidence, so absorbed was he by a consum-. ing rage. His wrath burst forth in fierce and bitter words that were calculated to turn the con--. troversy into a quarrel and provoke blood-: shed. ‘You infernal scoundrel!” he shouted, 7 his eyes blazing as he faced Andrew Birkett. ‘“You have killed him. You knew that: your mean and brutal deed would be the: death of him, and you are his murderer.” ‘‘Ain’t this nice, now?’ sneeringly ob- , served Birkett, as he turned to ask the opin- ion of the crowd. ‘‘A fellow who was. kicked cut of Butte as a loafer and a thief has the cheek to call a decent man a scoun- i drel.” " “And you are a scoundrel,” thundered Dick Herries—‘‘as mean a villain as ever went unhung—a sneaking scamp, who will never get his deserts until his neck is. =) stretched.” ? This turn of the affair was “nuts” to An-- drew Birkett, who perceived that the rage of — his enemy might excite sympathy for him-. self, and he naturally sought to aggravate: the angry man. ‘Better think about your own neck when you talk about stretching,” said he, ** as it is. easy to prove that yours is the one that needs. that sort of treatment. You know well. enough, and plenty of other people know it, that you were driven out of Butte as a leafers and a thief, and since then you have turned. murderer and robber—that’s all the differ- ence.” . ‘‘More of your villainy, you scoundrel!’”’ shouted Dick Herries, and he rushed at his. - .enemy without stopping to draw his revol-- ver. Andrew Birkett was better prepared. Such arash action on the part of his ex-. cited antagonist was just what he had been | endeavoring to provoke, as it would enable ane to shont Herries down and justify the: ey . ie - His pistol was out and ready for business: | a) instantly. ; ike Other revolvers clicked, and excited men _ be” on each side sprung forward with hostile in-- tent. ee The situation was more serious thanever, —s and the peacemakers saw no chance to avoid. a conflict. eed But a sudden commotion interfered with = the intentions of the belligerents, and possi-- bly spoiled some of their plans. ‘ here was a noise of rapid hoofs nearby, mingled with loud but unavailing cries of — *Whoa:” iy A horse that seemed to have got beyond. the control of its rider came bursting into the: throng, snorting, rearing, and plunging. This unexpected performance upset things. immediately, and the men, to avoid beingy knocked over, and perhaps seriously injured, — hastened to get out of the brute’s way. As they backed and scampered andtum- bled over each other, they hurled cursesand =~ =, in profusion at the beast and his. rider. The horse forced his way into the midst of the throng, and between the two principak © belligerents before the man on his back, in —, spite of his apparently strenuous efforts, was. able to subdue him. Ps acl Then it was seen that the rider was no: — other than Sam Slevin, who was personally — known to most of those present. * ‘*Beg your pardon, gentlemen,” he said, as. he finally reined in his panting and per-- vs - 4 J te pe Py. ~~. = , -* ; me Ye" 4 -* : J C NiGodoo co