Beadle's Dime Library No. 384 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

an “That makes our cake all dough,’' Bowers whispered in Talbov’s ear, ‘ The moment he illuminates the surrounding atmosphere he’ll tumble to the fact that we are onto him big- ger’n a wolf,” ‘‘Tt doesn’t make any particular difference,” Dick replied. ‘**?’m going to interview that aged beat sooner or later, and the quicker I get at it the better.” The old man having found a match, ignited it upon his coat-sleeve, and the moment the flame illuminated the darkness Talbot and Bow- | ers advanced. A half-suppressed cry of alarm came from the lips of the two men when they discovered | the presence of the interlopers. ‘*T reckoned you was my mutton,” Injun Dick remarked, as he came close to the old man. ‘**Asarule I don’t often make a mistake about such matters, and I thought I recognized you the moment I set eyes on you.” ‘** Kh?” exclaimed the other, drawing himself up with a dignified air; ‘I do not understand what you mean.” **Oh, yes you do; there isn’t any mistake about it; you’re the man I want to see. Can you tell me the way to Murphy’s Gulch?” ‘* What do you mean?” growled the old man, casting a hasty glance around as though he meditated making a speedy retreat if the coast was Clear. Talbot perceived the gaze and fancied he un- derstood what it meant. ‘*Now don’t try to cut and run,” he contin- | ued, ** for I’m something of a foot racer myself, | and I reckon you wouldn’t stand much show at that kind of 1 game,” ‘‘T assure you, sir, I haven’t the least inten- tion of doing anything of the kind,” responded the other stiffly. ‘* And I am at ‘a loss to un- derstand why you should accost me, as I never saw you before.” ‘Oh, come! that is laying it on altogether too thick!” Talbot exclaimed. ** Oh, yes, that’s too thin entirely; *tain’t wool and won't wash,” Bowers asserted. ‘You have made some mistake, sir; I do- not know you—I repeat, | never saw you be- fore. ** Didn’t you stop at my cabin on the banks of the Yampa river in Colorado, a few weeks ago, and inquire the way to Murphy’s Gulch?” ‘** No, sir,” responded the old man, immediate- ly. ‘‘Youareinerror. Iwas never in Colo- racdo in my life,” ‘** My aged friend, [am afraid you are away off from the truth in that statement. You are the man L want and no mistake.” “This is perfectly absurd!” the other ex- claimed, indignantly. ‘‘ You ought to be satis- fied when I tell you that you are laboring un- der a mistake. am a respectable man—have resided in this city a great many years and can bring a dozen witnesses to prove that for the last six months [ have not been absent from New York. ‘*T will give you my address, and to-morrow you can inquire and satisfy yourself that my | statement is nothing but the exact truth.” ‘*Oh, no, you can’t play that game on me,” Talbot replied. ‘‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, TPve stumbled on you just by accident, and I don’t intend to let you get out of my sight until I ascertain who and what you are.” “That's our continental who knows it!” Bowers asserted. ** And, miss,” added Talbot, turning to the girl who in amazement had listened to the con- versation, ‘' | think I have arrived just in time to save you from being lured into a trap, ‘*T have a strong suspicion that this man is a rascal, and is not at all what he represents him- self to be. “T have strong circumstantial evidence which appears to connect him with a cold- blooded murder, and I do not intend to let go of him until I place him in the safe-keeping of the law.” ‘* Kasier said than done!" hissed the old man, and then with a quickness that was really mar- velous, he produced a revolver, which he had slyly drawn from a side-pocket, and discharged it full at Talbot’s head, Our hero was caught napping, and fell back- ward with a sigh-like groan as th wounded, Bowers, rushing forward to the assistance of his pard, was saluted by a blow on the head from a short loaded club in the hands of the other man, which felled him as though he had been shot, CHAPTER XXIV. BOWERS ON HIS METAL. ‘“ Ar Jast!” shouted the old man, in fierce ‘glee, as he beheld Talbot go down before his fir e, ‘‘Quick! to the box, Murphy, we must lose no time in getting out of this. Into the car- riage, you foolish girl, the cause of all this ‘ trouble.” And as he spoke, with a strength that not «oven the shrewdest guesser would have sup- j Injun Dick, Detective. sed could dwell in his aged frame, he threw iis arms around the slight figure of the maiden, and lifting her from her feet, bore her to the vehicle. “* Release me!” she cried, so confused by this unexpected turn of affairs that she hardly knew what to do. ‘* Release me instantly, or I will ery aloud for | assistance!” ‘*Dare to utter a sound of alarm, and I will blow your brains out on the instant!” the old man replied, fiercely, thrusting her into the carriage as he spoke. ** Not a word, or you die upon the spot!” He bundled the affrixhted girl in upon the floor of the vehicle without the slightest cere- mony, and then jumped in after her, slamming | the door behind him. Grasping her by the throat with his left hand, the, ruffien, for such he evidently was, pressed her head back on the edge of the cushioned seat, and with the other pressed the cold muzzle of the revolver agamst ber temple. The muscular hand, grasping her so firmly by the throat, would have been almost enough to have choked her utterances, even without the intimidation of the pistol. The girl was paceman cool and courageous, _but under these awful circumstances she felt that her senses were reeling, and it required | the exercise of all her powers to prevent her | from swooning dead away. The confederate of the aged villain had been equally as prompt to act as his chief. A single leap had taken him to the box of the coach, and in a twinkling he had caught up the _Iines, at the same time urging the horses on- ward, The steeds attached to the vehicle were far better than the generality of beasts that do duty 17 But the desire was not destined to be gratified, for the old man perceiving all chance of carry- ing out his plan to a successful termination had vanished, and that if he did not bestir himself the odds were a hundred to one he would be cap- tured, the moment the horses went down slipped out of the door of the coach on the opposite side to that on which the Westerners were advanc- ing, and, thanks to the darkness, managed to make his escape without uttracting attenticn. The girl, the moment she was free of the ron grip upon her throat, sought to escape. By a desperate effort she had contrived to re- tain her senses despite the peril of her position. And as the old man fled through one door of _ the coach, she emerged from the other, and fell in a like station in our big cities; and being | _mettlesome animals, full of fire and spirit, they | started off at a brisk trot. It was as boldly planned and as cleverly exe- cuted a scheme as the pen of writer ever de- scribed, and fora moment it really seemed as if it was destined to be completely successful; but _in this uncertain life of ours, the best-laid ip mg of mice and men do not always command suc- ' cess. | mer had a head o Bowers had been felled by the “ billy” in the hands of the old ruffian’s assistant, and the blow had been given with force enongh to break the skull of an ordinary man; but the veteran bum- the heavy stroke produced no lasting impression | upon him. By the time that the horses were in motion he was on his feet, cast a look at the prostrate form of his pard, and thinking that bold Injun Dick had at last been slain by the foul hand of African-like thickness, and | | | violence, he determined to do all in his power to | avenge his death. Out came his trusty self-cocking seven-shooter, and he immediately opened fire on the rapidly departing coach. jlatform, and we don’t keer a_ | ‘Aha, you durned galoots!” he cried. Bowers was not an extra good shot, no such master of the weapon as Talbot; he couldn’t put a dozen shots into the bull’s-eye off-hand, and repeat the operation nine times out of ton, but he was ‘* good enough on the shoot ” not to miss such an extremely good target as was offered by the coach. His idea was not so much to hit the men as to disable the horses, and so he aimed low. The second shot took effect in the leg of one of the animals, and down he dropped all in a heap, bringing his companion down on top of him, struggling and kicking with all his might. As a result of this lucky shot, the coach came to so sudden a halt, that the driver was pitched clean out of his seat and onto the heads of the struggling horses. Bowers uttered a shout of joy as he witnessed the success which had attended his pistol- practice. ets don’t bring you to the hangman’s rope for this _night’s work, then my name ain’t Joe Bowers!” ough mortally Hardly had the speech been uttered, when a morvelous thing happened. Talbot rose to a sitting posture, glanced around him for a moment as though bewildered, and then catching sight of the coach, sprung to his feet and drew his revolver, “Ye gods and little fishes!” yelled the bum- mer, in his absurd, theatrical way, ‘ain't you cead?”’ ‘* Not much, although I reckon I had a pretty close call,” Injun Dick replied. | ‘The bullet must have ‘ creased’ me and so ‘trace of a wound; but we've no time for talk, for it strikes me that we have got our men | ahead in a mighty tight place!” ' By this time the noise of the disturbance had produced the natural result, and the street was filled with curious people—who really seemed to have sprung out of the side-walks, so quickly did they appear—all hurrying to the scene of the row. Talbot and Bowers, though, revolver in hand, were the first to reach the coach, intent upon | taking summary vengeance upon the author of marked. this outrage. ! | | almost fainting into the arms of Talbot. Perceiving that the vehicle was empty, and understanding that, for the present, the aged ruffian had contrived to make good his escape, Talbot placed his arm around the girl and gently drew her away, the curious crowd mean- while pressing forward, some of them to gape into the coach, and others to endeavor to get the struggling horses free from their harness, and at the same time assist the driver, who, half-insensible, owing to his untimely fall, was in danger of being killed by the frantic beasts. Talbot and Bowers had been careful to pocket their revolvers the moment they discovered that the chief rascal had given them the slip, and, thanks to the promptness with which they moved away from the neighborhood of the ve- hicle taking the girl with them, none of the crowd rushing so eagerly to the scene suspected that they had aught to do with the affair. But what ebiefly aided them to escape recog- nition was the fact that the struggling horses and the peril of the groaning driver, who had got a terrible fall, occupied the attention of the crowd, nearly every member of which was yel- ling at full strength of their lungs instructions how the rest were to proceed to rescue the threatened man, ** We'll get out as quietly as possible,” Talbot observed to bis pard, as they slowly withdrew from the neighborhood of the coach, “Tt will not do us any good to figure in a po- lice court, and as long as the man we are after rae got away, the quicker we drop the affair the etter, ** Dick, noblest Roman of them all! you are spitting out solid chunks of wisdom, every time!” the veteran remarked. By this time a policeman had arrived on the scene of action, and he immediately proceeded to take command. But no sooner had he laid eyes upon the driver, than he recognized him. ‘*“Upon me wourd!” the Metropolitan ex- claimed, speaking with that delicate brogue pecuhar to about two-thirds of the New York police force, ‘if it isn’t Red Murphy! ‘** He’s the divil’s own b’ye, and he’s always up to some trick, bad ’cess to him and his big pen the Ould Man, as they do be afther caliing im, “Do you hear that?’ Talbot asked of Bowers, **The Old Man is the party that we are after. Sa is what the police and the crooks term iim. **[’m afraid ’m going to faint,” the gir] mur- mured, faintly. “‘My. head is beginn ng to swim around, and I feel very strangely. Take ine home, please.” “Certainly,” responded Talbot, A coach happened to pass at that moment, so our hero hailed it, ascertained that it was disen- gaged, and at once made arrangements for its use, The girl gave her address, the three got in, and away the coach went; but when it arrived at its destination, and Talbot exp'aincd to the vinegar-faced women with whcm the young lady boarded, that she bad been suddenly taken ill, that person instantly took fright and refused to permit the girl to enter the house. ‘Take her to the hospital!” she cried, tartly. “Tve no time to bother with sick folks!” and _incontinently slammed the door in Talbot’s } ’ face. There was only one thing for the Westerner to do, and that was to tencer the hospitalities. of Phenix’s mansion, which he immediately id ** My friend’s housekeeper is a good, motherly old soul, and L am sure she will take the best of care of you.” The girl murmured her thanks. Half an hour later she was safe in the house of the detective. Strange chance which hed by means of this produced temporary insensibility, for I feel no , young girl brought Talbot in contact with tho man he sought. CHAPTER XXV. THE GIRUWS STORY. PHENIX, who happened to be at home when the party arrived, regarded the adventure as being fortunate in the extreme, “T know Red Murnhy like a book,” he re- ‘* As the policeman said he is a pal of the Old Man. In fact, he has always been con- AMICELoveye) (E(0) (C CS (E(0)