Beadle's Dime Library No. 387 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

s ‘a surprise, and he sat staring open-eyed at the foxy villain who so calmly uttered those requests. Damon Wingfold bent forward in his seat, smil- ing until he showed the tips of his yellow teeth, his greenish-gray eyes glittering brightly. His voice was soft and purring, but underneath ran acertain menace that?blanched the full florid face of the justice as he listened: ‘* Will you be so kind, my dear fellow? Or did I speak too low for your ears to catch my exact meaning?” ‘*] heard you plain enough, but—” ‘** You don’t care for the job?” smiled the spec- ulator, ‘Tt looks mighty risky!” ‘*Any more so than to refuse, think you, Dimple?” ‘**1 don’t refuse, but—” ** Then fill out the papers as I tell you,” sharp- ly interposed Damon Wingfold, throwing off his silken manner and shaking a bony finger before the whitened face of his tool. ‘* No harm shall come to you. No return will ever be made, if everything goes well, and you pick out the right sort of men to make the arrest.” ‘“Then it?s all on the square?” with a sudden lighting up of his heavy countenance. *‘ Humpy Dick really downed a man?” ‘‘ Really and truly,” coolly nodded Wingfold, ‘‘Make out the papers in due form, and add whatever name you please for the informant, The document will never be placed on record I tell you.” Dimple was silenced, if not convinced, and busily scratched away for a few moments, re- | luctantly passing the papers over to Wingtold, who rapidly glanced over them with a practiced eye, Apparently they were satisfactory, for he nodded as he passed them back again, saying: ‘‘Now I want you to go and pick out three stout fellows to serve under me. Of course they must be the genuine article, or with the outward semblance, at least. No,” witha sharp nod as he saw a quick light leap into the other’s eyes. **On second thoughts, they must be simon-pure policemen. You will bring them back here with ou, and by the time you have given them their instructions, I will be along to lead them to the right place. You understand?” ‘*T only wish I did!” muttered the judge, de- jectedly. ‘* Follow instructions and you can’t make a mistake,” grinned Damon Wingfold and he rose and put on his hat. ‘‘ I will be back here inside of half an hour. You will have three police- men here before the lapse of that period, Vil atiend to the rest. Good-evening!” He left the building and hurried back to his own office. As he reached the door, Lop-eared Mose stepped out from the shadow, and met bis employer with a broad grin that told of perfect success. ‘** Boys on hand, boss, ready fer werk.” “Good!” ejaculated Wingfold, opening the door and entering, followed by the Droop-eared Daisy, ‘Sit down a moment while I strike a light. A few words of instruction will do you no harm.” Sawyer was grave, even anxious as Damon pete turned from the lamp and glanced into his face. Evidently he was hardly sure of his footing as yet. ‘You have secured your men, you say? How many?” ‘‘HWive; but they’re a hull rijiment when it comes to hot work.” ‘‘'There will be only three men to handle, and with the advantages of a surprise on your side, you can hardly fail.” ‘‘Not ef we know jest what to do, jest what end we're to reach, boss,” soberly responded the shoulder-hitter.” “T have sworn out a warrant charging Humpy Dick with murder. [ am _ going to a that warrant into the hands of three po- icemen to serve. I will lead them to the house where you run the crippled rascal to earth, and take him or his dead body!” ‘*T don’t reckon he’s a corpus, jist yit, boss,” ‘*T hope not,” with a momentary scowl. ‘‘ That would call for a change of programme, while if he is living, the arrangements | have made will surely bring us what we want most.” A sudden glow filled the bloodshot eyes of Mose Sawyer, as he believed he had caught the idea. “Three o’ us is to play cops, fer the other three to bounce an’ snatch off the cripple? Ain’t that it, boss?” “The policemen will do the capturing. I thought of your plan, but the closer we trim our sails to the law, the less risk we run of running on a reef, They may make a fight about ad- mitting us, and even call for the police to test the matter. In acase of that sort, you fellows would hardly know how to carry it off in your borrowed plumes,” laughed the schemer, ‘“Durn the buttons—I don’t like to bother with ’em!” muttered Lop eared Mose, dubiously. ““S’pose one of ’em happens to know—” “You are not to form one of the party. I will guide the officers to the spot. ou will simply stand ready to make a das when the po- lice appear with their prisoner. You can in- dulge your spite on the buttons as much as you please, only make sure of the cripple!” | “Then I'll send in one Jick fer old times, you ae er eet ge ee rer ee ~ Dark Durg, the Ishmael of the Hills. a —— ee zs 2) so oes ~ oe ! bet!” chuckled the bruiser, donbling his huge fists and striking out in swift succession, as though his hereditary enemies were already at his merey. , ‘* Don’t let your grudge cause you to lose tight of the main peas though,” warningly added Wingfold. ‘ If you can secure the chart without any further bother, all right; but make sure it is the right document. before you lose your hold, If you can’t come at it, hang on to the crooked imp as you would to your own life! Take him toa safe place, where you can lay Jow until you get word tome, Tll see to the rest. You fully understand the part you are to play?” op-eared Mose nodded his head, grim satis- faction written in every line of his _ battle-- scarred face. This was much better than he had anticipated. He would be running little risks of coming into too close contact with the law. For mere personal danger, for hard knocks or anything of that sort, he had a per- fect_ contempt. ; ‘* We'll do up our sheer like a book, boss!” he grinned, ‘** Good enough! Now get your men and take them near the house. Lay low, so you can see without being seen. When we enter the build- ing, get all ready to play your part, Humpy Dick must be taken, let the cost to the police be what it may. If they show fight, so much the worse for them! Down ihem—swift and. sure!” ‘* Til post the boys on that p’int, boss,” chuckled Moses, as he rose to his feet. ‘‘ They ain’t dead in love with the buttons, an’ theyll put plenty o’ steam into tha’r licks— you bet!” Damon Wingfold let his burly tool pass out, then closed and locked the door behind himself. He glided rapidly back to the office of his other tool, Judge Dimple, where he found that worthy and three policemen aerating his coming. “Waiting for you, Mr. Wingfold,” briskly cried the judge, as he answered the rap of that enius, who entered the office after him, ‘I 1ardly think it is necessary for me to give you a formal introduction to these fine fellows?’ , ‘‘Wew men in Denver are so well known,” smiled one of the officers. ‘* And not one cares less for idle compliments,” bluntly interposed the speculator. ‘‘ Especially when there is such serious work on hand as now. These men understand what is expected of them, judge?” ‘“That information has been laid against one Humpy Dick, for whose arrest, dead or alive, a warrant is now placed in your hands,” briskly spoke the judge, handing a paper to the officer. ‘*This gentleman will guide you to the place where the criminal is supposed to be harboring. Here is a search-warrant, should you experience any difficulty in gaining admittance. think that is all!” ‘*Humpy Dick!” muttered the officer, surprise overcoming his habitual self-possession. ‘ I heard a rumor of his being mixed up in that row over—” ‘* Are the papers made out in regular form?” tartly demanded the judge, in obedience to a quick glance from his master. ‘**T believe so, sir,” bowed the officer, flushing. ‘Then all we have to do is to carry out in- structions, and [ am in readiness if you are, gentlemen,” coldly uttered Wingfold, turning toward the door, which was opened for them by the judge. Vith a rapid step Damon Wingfold led the policemen direct to the somewhat isolated build- ing oceupied by his cousin and niece. The house showed only a dim light through the stained lass transom over the front door, and another in the second story, which Damon knew was the chamber in which his half-brother lay ill. He stepped aside to allow the officers to first ascend the low steps before the door, as he did so casting a keen glance around in quest of Lop- eared Mose and his fellows. A Pt curled his thin lips as he caught a brief glimpse of several dusky, Packers figures creeping nearer the spot. All was working well on the outside! If all should prove as favorable to his hopes in- doors! Sharply the officer who assumed the lead rap- ped on the door, but some little time elapsed without an answer! Not until Damon Wingfold was beginning to curse and fume and suspect a | serious balk, did they catch the sound of rapid footsteps inside the building. ‘‘ What is it? This is a house of sickness, and—” ‘Open the door, and there'll be less danger of disturbing your sick man,” bluntly interposed the officer, the waiting having ruffled his tem- per not a little. ‘“Comeagain at areasonable hour, if you have any business of—” ** Will you open, or shall we burst the lock?” ‘*T wouldn’t advise you to try that on, my fine fellow!” laughed Rex Stuart, who was playing for time, as bidden by Dark Durg. ‘Tl make a clean tunnel through the one who first shows himself at an opening of that sort!” ‘**Open in the name of the law! Rex out at this unexpected check, Iknow you, j | | { ‘Not near so well as you will if you don’t take yourself off and stop kicking up such a disgrace- ful row!” Now that the truth was out, which he had pre- ferred to keep shady lest the criminal try to es- cape if only by suicide, the officer added: ‘We have a warrant for a man who is in this house. We have another, giving us the right to enter this or an other house which we feel like searching. I tell you this to save hard feelings, and now it is told--open your doors or we'll burst them in!” ‘Why didn’t you say as much in the first place?” growled Rex. ‘*We say it now. Will you open the door?” ‘When I know you have the right of search you lay claim to, Push your warrant under the door, and if it is all straight, Pll open.” “ Burst the door down!” snarled Damon Wing- fold. ‘* [ll kill the first one that tries it! Show your Surly first, or do your worst—and I'll do my est!” There was so much ‘pure business” in the voice and words that the officer deemed it best to lose a few moments more time, rather than run the risk of losing something of still greater value to himself and his family. So, with some little difficulty, he managed to slip the search- warrant under the door, while Damon Wingfold snapped his teeth and hopped from one foot to the other m an agony of bot impatience, Daring delay no longer, Rex Stuart turned the key and opened the door, saying sternly: ‘I protest agairst this shameful outrage, but am forced to submit, There is no such criminal here. You will see as much, when your search is made, which IL trust you will conduct as quiet- ly as possible, Mr. Wingfold is lying very ill, and— ‘* While we’re talking here, the murderer is making his escape!” the speculator snarled, pushing forward, only to be caught by Stuart and flung back with more force than ceremony. ‘You are not an officer of the law. Hold your hush, keep your place, or Pll boot you from ere clean across the street!” At a word from the officer who acted as chief, one of the policemen stopped by the front door, the others poems at once up-stairs to the cham- bers. And though Rex Stuart saw that they were actually looking at the dcor of the cham- ber where he had left Humpy Dick and Dark Durg, he dared make no further attempt to de- lay them, lis heart leaped into his throat as he saw the officer grasp the knob and turn it, for he ex- pected to see it resist the pressure, or if it opened, to behold Dark Durg leap out to attack the en- emy. Instead, the door swung quietly open, showing all dark within. Witha swift motion the officer opened the slide of his lantern, flashing a bril- liant stream of light across the interior, then stepping across the threshold. And still there came no sound, no sign, no outbreak! ' Puzzled, bewildered, knowing not what to think, Rex Stuart pressed forward and took in the whcle scene at a single glance. Neither Dark Durg nor Humpy Dick were visible. The bed was smoothed over. The bloody cloths which he had seen on the washstand were no longer there. Not a sign remained to tell of the wounded, dying cripple whom he had so recently left lying helpless on the bed. Despite his strong nerves, Rex Stuart could not wipe Fackig ob is emotions, and the officer gazed at him suspiciously. The young man forced a light laugh, saying: ‘* Not being a policeman, armed with the pan- oply of law and justice, I can’t help blushing a little at invading a lady’s chamber, But don’t mind me. I have to do it, as I fecl acccuntable for any little valuables which might accidentally stick to your clothes.” ‘** Don’t listen to him!” snapped Damen Wing- fold. ‘‘ He’s playing for time! I know the mur- derer was here, and if you let him slip—” *Youcur!” grated Stuart, springing forward, forgetting the age and gray hairs of the speaker, only remembering how mercilessly this villain was persecuting the woman he loved better far than life, ' But he paused abruptly, without touching the hoary scoundrel, Outside, coming apparently from the rear of the building, rung the sharp report of a pistol, blended with or closely followed by a wild yell as Of mortal agony. For an instant the party stood as. though spellbound, but then Damon Wingfold, cursing viciously, cried out: ‘*T knew it! You've let that devil slip through your fingers! Out and take him! A thousand dollars for his body, dead or alive!” CHAPTER X., BEATEN AT ALL POINTS, Rex STuART made no effort to hinder or de- _lay Damon Wingfold as the latter sprung to- | ward the head of the stairs with that cursing howl of spiteful rage. He could not believe the yell or the pistol-shot came from Dark Durg, tuart!” cried Damon Wingfold, flashing , whom he had so recently left in the now dese ed chamber with a dead or dying man, Though EoOmicbooksne (o)