Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 383 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

oe “Tt will be a mercy to put him out of his pain» -and if 1 had to stay here any longer I -crazy. Sometimes I don’t think 1 am straight, as it s. ‘*We made a written agreement before we settled ‘down here, by which, if one of us shall die, the money and the mine will belong to the other. We ugave the ig! ad to a friend of ours named Jack Marvine. I don’t know where he is now; but I will find him, and then the money question will be all straight. “1 will mail this when I get out, and all IT want to say is that you must keep your tongue still and stay where you are until you hear morefrom me. “| must quit now, as that cuss is staring at me in 7a way that takes the sense all out of me, “So no more at present from * Your affectionate brother, . ‘* James Li. Boaas,” This letter was a stunner—a delightful one to Dick Herries and his friends, but a crusher to Andrew Birkett and his party. The date was the day previous to that ~which had been fixed by Dick Herries’s ad- missions as the day that witnessed his arrival at the cabin in Indian Bill’s Hole and the death of Jim Boggs. The letter furnished convincing evidence from the dead man’s own hand of his mur- | -derous intentions toward Angus Dameron, ~exactly corroborating the story told by Dick ih Herries. "4 It was enough. The jury of visitors had enother brief con- sultation, the result of which was thus an- ihre ane by Ben Ripley: ‘“We say now that Dick Herries is inno- «cent, and that he won’t have to go.” CHAPTER XXXI. MUGGS ON A SCOUT. ‘| Tue change in the position of affairs at \ “Whitewood that was produced by the arrival \ of Muggs of Muggsville was as striking as it was sudden. sits The miners and the other people of the i ‘camp, including the visitors, were rejoiced at the result that had cleared Dick Herries -of the charge of murder, and the only dis- -contented ones were Andrew Birkett and his Sy party. Rie But the prominent citizen of Butte and his ‘partisans found themselves so decidedly in the minority that they could do nothing but grumble inwardly or among themselves. The visitors would be against them ina ‘fight, as well as the residents of Whitewood, and against such odds it would not pay them to attempt to change the issue by a forcible appeal from the verdict of the impartial six men. i: Therefore they quietly hauled in their ‘horns, mounted their horses, and rode away peaceably in a body. ‘ie | Some of them were inclined to believe that ay the business had been botched, and to accuse _ Andrew Birkett of cowardice; but he was ___-gonvinced that the affair had been managed just as it should have been, and that they ide would have brought away their man triumph- -_- antly if it had not been for the extraordinary _. Jaecident of the discovery of Jim Boggs’s un- ___- fortunate letter. Rip, Luck was against them—that was all. Ryo, Luck was most decidedly against Abner ' - Boggs, who was the most mournful and ' «© .downceast of the party. Not only had he by his own evidence help- Ny ed to set free the man who had killed his | _ brother, but he had seen his chance of clutch- 1; _ ing a valuable mine and a goodly pile of }. money fade away until it was scarcely visi- ue His only consolation was furnished b | __ Andrew Birkett in the suggestion that Jac ia Marvine might not be found, and that his _. prother’s letter might not be good enough /, evidence to defeat his claim in a court of At Whitewood Muggs of Muggsville was the hero of the hour. pers A joyful procession accompanied Dick _ Herries to his home; but the center of attrac- + tion was Maggs, who might have absorbed a barrel of whisky if he had accepted the in- _-vitations that were showered upon him, but who was more than content with the brief | __-but pointed praise of his chief, Sam Slevin. | ____ From the house the procession turned back |. after giving three rousing cheers for Dick Herries, which reached the ears of helpless | Angus Dameron, and brought a flush into his pale face. ‘It also brought a fresher color to the _ eheeks and a brighter light to the eyes of would go — = => ee — - Silver Sam, Detective. sweet Kate Herries, who was at the door awaiting her father and her lover. The poor girl did not know what had hap- | pened, but could judge that a great danger had been safely passed, and a great triumph had been won. As soon as possible the story was told to her, and her joy was so great that she pounc- ed upon Muggs as the angel of the occasion, | and kissed him again and again. This great honor caused every knob of the ugly but honest fellow’s face to shine like a carbuncle, and his eyes bulged until they seemed likely to drop out of his head. The condition of Angus Dameron claimed the attention of his friends, and they were glad to perceive that, although he was quite helpless and incapable of speech, he did not seem to be suffering any pain, and was able to understand what was said to him. His partner made him acquainted with the accusation and its outcome, and he found means to express bis pleasure at the happy result of that unpromising affair. Harry Cline was at once taken from the mine and installed as the pltysician and | nurse of the invalid. He was also instructed to procure, if neces- sary, the best medical assistance the Terri- tory could afford, regardless of expense; but he was of the opinion that there was nothing that could be done‘in the case as it then presented itself, which was beyond his medical ability. As for Muggs of Muggsville, he found himself in clover, and was so praised and petted that Slevin was afraid that he would be spoiled. Muggs was of the same opinion, and so expressed himself to his employer. ‘‘This won’t do for me, boss,” said he. ‘‘T’m gettin’ to be as soft as putty, and won't be wu’th shucks if I don’t clear out of here.” As there was plenty for him to do else- where, he was advised to ‘‘ clear out.” This he prepared to do, after imparting to Sam the information that had been the ex- cuse for his visit to Whitewood. It appeared that he had not been idle or useless since the departure of Slevin from Butte. Shortly after that date, in obedience to the instructions he had received, he made ready for a journey over the divide, and relieved Butte of his presence for a while. His preparations were few and very sim- ple, his outfit consisting merely of the tough little pony that afterward carried him to Whitewood, his weapons and ammunition, and a few pounds of hard-tack. He expected to be able to satisfy most of his bodily requirements by picking up game on the way, and in this respect he easily came up to his expectations. Indeed, the bird or beast that could get away from Muggs of Muggsville when he wanted it, would need to be possessed of un- usual shrewdness and capacity for scamper- ing. Following the directions that had been given him by Slevin, he came in sight of Bet Rawson’s cabin, and then the problem of getting admission there presented itself. But this was a question which he had ar- gued out with himself as he came along, and he proceeded to carry into effect the plan which he had formed, He would go there as a tramp, as a poor devil who had met with misfortunes, had been set afoot, ind was starving in the wil- dernéss, First, he must dispose of the gallant steed of the Piegan strain that had brought him thither. He searched the hills until he found a nar- row glen with grass and water, that would suit his purpose and that of the pony. One end was naturally impracticable of exit, and the other ne barricaded with pieces of rock and branches of trees, until he had formed a corral from which even a climbing pony would not be likely to escape. ithin this corral, after turning his horse loose there, he concealed and covered from the weather his rifle, revolver and ammuni- tion. Then he added additional dilapidation and dirtiness to his personal appearance, ap- ee the cabin, and presented himself to pe Rawson as she was emerging from the oor. That strong-limbed and strong-minded fe- A St Tp. / , a S . . - | ih | sae a - ‘es ~ 7) ¥ =i 7 : RAS | male had been occupying herself in her lone- liness with cherishing grudges against man- kind in general and Andrew Birkett in par- ticular. The soft and balmy air of the opening sea- son, with the sight of the fresh grass and the budding trees, and the pleasant odors of the pine trees and the fruitful earth, instead of inspiring her with a desire for continued sol- | itude and poetic contemplation; had filled | Bet Rawson with what she was in the habit of styling a spring fever. A spring fever, in the general acceptation | of the term, may be described as an indefi- nite longing to ‘‘ go somewhere or do some- thing.” But with Bet Rawson it was a definite and decided wish to quit the wilderness and get away to the settlements where gayety and spring dress goods were supposed to abound. She was not at ali fitted for the life she led there, having been accustomed to queen it in a small, but by no means select circle, where she had her own way, and where most of her desires were gratified. It was more than hard that she, too obedi- ent to the will of one selfish and unreliable man, should be tied to that lonely cabin ever so far from anywhere, with no companion | but a woman who was a nuisance, and an in- -cumbrance rather than company for her. Again and again she declared that she would stand it no longer; but she had pre- viously said the same thing so often that she must have felt that her declarations to that effect were not to be depended on. This sort of feeling came over her strongly when she stepped out of the dingy cabin into the bright sunshine and the fresh air of the valley. She had begun to relieve her mind with some very strong expressions in which pro- fanity was not lacking, when her glance sud- denly rested on the unexpected and prepos- terous figure of Simon Muggs. An uglier object, and at the same time one more woebegone and pitiable, could hardly have been presented to her in human shape. As she looked down upon him from her superior hight, she gave a little start. But it was not a start of fear. It might be anything but that. If there was any woman anywhere on the face of the earth who was utterly incapable of being scared at anything whatever, it was Bet Rawson. At the time of the avalanche, when death was staring her in the face, she was as un- concerned as if she had no personal interest in the matter. She was not in the least afraid of Muggs. It was the sudden appearance of the dwarfish and misshapen creature before her, together with his extreme ugliness, that had startled her. Her start was one of surprise, and her expression changed quickly to contempt and then to pity. She folded her arms and surveyed him calmly. ‘““Who in blazes are you?” she profanely demanded. CHAPTER XXXII. BET RAWSON AND “BEAUTY.” Mvuaas of Muggsville had his own opinion of the tall and formidable looking woman who stood before him and accosted him so roughly. caf But that opinion could not be read in his hairy and knotted countenance, and he was surely not going to give it expression by words. He had heard of her from Sam Slevin, and had formed an idea of his own concerning her, and that idea was pretty well sustained by the first sight he caught of her and by her style of speech. - He was no more afraid of her than she was of him, though he realized the fact that she would be no easy antagonist to whip ina rough-and-tumble encounter. Simon Muggs, though he did not boast of his prowess, tad never known the feeling of fear for any mortal enemies. . Whatever they sags to him, they at | least could never spoil his looks. Yet he was a little slow and hesitating in his response to the Amazon’s sharp demand. This was not because he was unprepared with an answer, but because it suited his game better to feign a little fear in connec- ? S. _ a ee r i 5 Be Fy Kee 5h - (e(0) v.00 MIC a mi ae. ~ ai | eee ls a