Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 390 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

‘Qs SG ee SS 2) OP ef ~-E%,” 6 ———s e ee qe i — . _ chance, and go!” | square, an’ then see whar ye'll be. was now doubly surprised. This was no punishment at all! When Cibuta had declared his intention to let him off easy, the giant had expected that he would receive a grand ducking into the creek, at the very least; and now to find that he was not to be roughly handled at all—why, it fairly took away his breath! ‘‘Surely,” he reasoned, ‘‘it must be be- cause they are afraid of me.” ‘‘ Well,” Cibuta asked, ‘‘do you accept your sentence?” ‘‘No—no!” the giant yelled, as he took off his hat and flung it down on the floor. *‘ Not by a dol-gasted sight I don't! I’ve kem heur ter stay, an’ stay I’m goin’ ter, an’ don't ye fergit it! ‘ Oock-a-doodle-doo | “Oh, I’m th’ great old howlin’ cyclone from th’ great preraroes, J am. I kin lick anything from a cross-eyed tiger to a buffalo bull! Oh, [ma terror! ‘* Oock-a-doodle-doo |” And the crow was accompanied with a great flopping of wings, while the giant jumped and skipped around, flinging his arms about wildly. ‘*No, sir-ee! I’m goin’ ter stay right heur, Tam, an’ I can clean out this bull ranch in jest about fourteen seconds—judge, jury an’ all. Come! jest give me a chance ter show ye what's in mel” CHAPTER XIV. AND THE SHANGHAI GETS IT. ‘Curr, you do not know when you are well off,” Cibuta John averred. ‘*I don’t, hey?” ** No, you do not.” ’ ‘* An’ what's th’ reason I don’t?” ‘* Because, if you did, you would’ gather yourself up and slope right out of town. We are doing the real white thing by you.” ‘Ye be, hey? Wal, L don’t see it. I kem heur to stay, an’ b’ gosh I’m goin’ ter stay ef it takes th’ ha’r off!” ‘‘All right, Cupid, you’re your own doc- tor. Let me warn you, though, that if you are not scarce around here one hour from now, we will ride you out of town on a rail.” “Haw, haw, haw!” the giant laughed. ‘Wal, I'd like ter see it. Why, whar d’ye s’pose I'd be, an’ what would J be a-doin’ ‘bout. that time?” “Why, the chances are you would be sit- _ ting straddle of the rail and holding fast like grim death,’ Cibuta retorted. This reply fairly ‘brought down the house,” and the giant’s rage boiled over again. ‘* Oock-a-doodle-doo /” he crowed, And he flopped his wings fast and furiously. ‘‘Oh! I’m th’ real old fire-eater from ’way over, I am,” he howled, ‘‘an’ bear it in mind. I kerm heur ter stay, an’ stay I will though th’ heavens fall! An’ what’s more, this heur burgh has got ter suffer fer th’ takin’ off o’ my brother, Giant John, an’ I’m jest th’ chicken ter make ye suffer. ‘‘Moreover an’ above, ef ye can’t stop a-callin’ me out o’ my name, [’m goin’ ter make ye do it. You hear me £ “ Now, you claim you're doin’ th’ square thing by me, but I fail to see it. You've got th’ drop on me, an’ ain’t givin’ me no fair show at all. Why don’t ye come out heur in th’ road an’ let me git at ye? Ill tell ye why ye don’t; it’s ‘cause ye daresn't /” ‘F Gapid, ou mistake—you err,” declared Cibuta. ‘‘lt is for your own sake that we refrain from allowing our angry passions to rise. We do not want any trouble, and therefore we give you this chance to go away in peace. And you uad better take the “Thar!” the giant howled. ‘‘I knowed You're ’fraid o’ me! You daresn’t fight! You’re all a pack 0’ it! You're a coward! cowards!”’ Cibuta John smiled serenely, and glanced around at his fellow-citizens. A hundred winks and nods from every quarter urged him to give the giant what he wanted. ‘*Oh! what a brave old town this is!” the giant continued. ‘‘ You're all right long ez ye’ve got th’ drap on a feller; but jest come out heur into th’ road an’ fight me fair an’ Why, Vl tie ye up in hard knots so fast that ye won’t remember what yer name was! Come, you ee ee ee ee ee ee ee SS. — ~ The Giant Cupid. 14 sickly lookin’ milk an’ water kids! Come, you babbies! Do come!” Cibuta still continued to smile. ‘‘Cupid,” he said, ‘‘ you will regret it if we do come, now I assure you.” ‘Haw, haw, haw!” the man from Jim- town laughed. ‘‘ Wal, if I do, I do/” he cried, ‘‘It’s my own funeral, an’ if I git th’ worst of it I’m willin’ ter take it. ‘Say, alcalde an’ citizens, I'll tell ye what V’ll do. ITll take you, alcalde, an’ th’ best man ye kin pick in th’ bull town, an’ fight | ye both ter wunst. You hear what J say! ** Cock-a-doodle-doo ! “Oh! Vm th’—” ‘* Yes, yes,” Cibuta interrupted, ‘‘ so we've heard you say. You’re the Blowing Blather- skite of the boundless border, or something like that. We know all about you.” The crowd roared with laughter, and the rage of the man from Jimtown knew no bounds. ‘“Oh! You coward!” he whooped. ‘‘ You kin talk mighty brave, can’t you, wi’ half a dozen o’ yer pards a-holdin’ th’ drap on me! You just prance out heur in th’ road, though, an’ see how quick I'll adjust yer reg’lator fer ye. Come! Do come! You an’ th’ best man ye kin pick, both ter wunst!” ‘Now, Cupid,” Cibuta cautioned, ‘you are biting off more than you can chew, We do not want to have any trouble with you, I assure you. You had better go away peace- ably while you are in good order to go. We will give you one hour, as I said, and—” ‘‘Oh! Coward! A fine specimen you are, ain’t ye? You're afraid o’ me! That's what’s th’ matter wi’ Hanner! You daresn’t fight!” Cibuta John rose up. Then the crowd knew their fun was coming. “Cupid,” Cibuta said, ‘‘ the dignity of my office should forbid my going out in the street to fight, but just here I must make an exception. There should be an exception to every rule. There are times when such ex- ception is actually demanded. You are not satisfied to go away in peace, wearing the laurels you have already won; you thirst for more, You shall be satisfied. It shall never be noised wbroad that any man ever came to Ante-Bar looking for blood, and did not go away satisfied. You shall have all the fight ou want, ave a little understanding.” ‘‘ Wal, what onderstandin’ d’ye want?’ the bully growled. ‘““Why. something like this. If you get the worst of the fight, you are to take your- self off and never come back again.” ‘*An’ what ef I don’t git th’ wu’st of it?” ‘‘In that case you shall stay here at Ante- Bar as long as you desire to stay, and no one will say you nay. You shall do just as you please, so long as you do not go too strong against the laws and regulaticns,” ‘‘[P ll do it, b’gosh!” the man from Jimtown howled. ‘‘And you give us your word that you will go away if you get whipped?” ‘*T will; honest Injun ” ‘* And I give you my word that if you win you shall stay here, under the conditions I ave named, Before we begin, however, let us | pearances are sometimes so deceptive. He, the giant, was fully six feet six in hight, and big and bony in proportion, while Cibuta was but very little if any above medium size; but what the latter lacked in hight and weight was made up in pluck and skill, ‘Well, are you ready?” Cibuta asked, as he advanced. ‘“ Yes, ’m— No! pardner?” ** Where is who?” ‘‘ Yer pardner—th’ feller who is goin’ ter help ve.” ‘‘Oh! lam going it alone. I do not need any help, I guess, to get away with you.” ‘Why, I'll chaw you all up in less’n two seconds, you little bantam,” the winged giant cried. ‘* You won't be anything when 1 git down ter biz. I’mth’ Shanghai Rooster from Hol’ on! Whar’s yer Jimtown Lode, Iam, an’ I’m a fightin’ ter- ' ror. J kin lick four times my weight in wild—” ‘There, there!’ Cibuta once more cut him short. ‘* Don’t let’s hear so much about what you can do; let’s see some of it. Come, now. cut in.” ‘‘ But,” the giant protested, ‘‘I expected to have some fun. It won't take me two seconds and a half to lay you out, an’ then all th’ excitement will be over. You'd better git a pardner to help ye, so’s to make it inter- estin’.” ‘Don’t trouble your head about that,” Cibuta advised. ‘‘ You will find it interest- ing enough, I guess, You will have all the fun you want, and all the excitement, too, Now, are you ready?” ‘Well, if ye will have it, why I s’pose it’s no funeral o’ mine, so here goes! Look out, now, fer I’m comin’ fer ye! ** Cock-a-doodle doo!” And with a loud crow, agreat flopping of his wings, a great flourish of his arms and a smile upon his ugly fate, the man from Jimtown advanced. rz My 7” And then such a howl as went up from that crowd!” Cibuta John had allowed the giant to make the first pass, and then his own arm shot out like a flash of lightning and the man from Jimtown caught the blow right be- tween the eyes. And it caused him to turn a complete backward somerset. ** W hoop-hoorah!”’ ‘“Come to time, Susan!” ‘*What’s th’ matter, Shanghai?” ‘Come, git up!” ‘*This is no fun at all!” etc., etc., came from the crowd on every side. As quickly as he could the red giant picked himself up and rushed at it again, blind with rage and smarting with pain. “Oh! Vil fix yer!” he roared, and he made blow after blow at his opponent; but he could not hit anything more solid than the air. And the taunting crowd fairly goaded him to madness. ‘“ Whoop her up, rooster!” shouted one. ‘‘Show us what ye kin do!” cried an- other. ‘‘Git thar, Eli!” yelled a third. Anda hundred and one other exclamations were hurled at him. Presently Cibuta got his man in just the “Gentlemen,” to the crowd at large, ‘‘ you right position again, and once more he sent have all heard this bargain?” ‘* Yes, yes,’ came the response. “Very good. to business. Some of vou search the gentle- man while 1 remove my coat, and make sure | him to the ground, and this time with al- most foree enough to have broken every Now let us get right down _ bone in his body. Another yell from the crowd! And this time the giant was not so lively that he has no concealed weapons about him, in getting up. Me evidently realized that Then we will be ready.” This was soon done, and then the giant was conducted out of doors. ‘*Oh! “ Cock-a-doodle-doo !” he crowed. he had met his match—and more. When he did get up he was a sight to be- hold. His eyes were fast closing up, his clothes were all blood and dirt, and his I’m the reg’lar old-time thunderbolt, I am, ; wings—the pride of his heart—were in a sad- an’ ef I don’t show ye somethin’, it'll be be- ly dilapidated condition. cause—”’ ‘<’Cause ye can’t!’ some one cried out. * Can't! You jest hold on an’ see. . don’t make yer heads dizzy, Vll eat my boots.”’ Cibuta John now came out, having laid aside his coat and hat, and all was soon in readiness for the fray to begin. The eager crowd quickly formed a circle, and within that circle the two combatants stood. So far as appearances went, the man from } He was a total wreck generally. One of the wings was un- hinged, and swung about disconsolately be- Ef I | hind his back, while the other, although | still in its place, had every quill and feather | in it broken and twisted out of shape. Again be advanced upon his antagonist, but now with more care and caution. But it was of no use. Cibuta John walked right into him as it were, and gave it to him right and left until the fellow howled for mercy. ‘‘ Are you satisfied?” Cibuta asked. And Jimtow n looked able to handle two of Cibuta , the bully grunted out that he was. John, and do it with ease, too; but then ap- ‘Had all the fun you want, ch?” ld micboo (E(0) Ss (é (0)