Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 390 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

~ me a < — * The Giant Cupid. 25 have a little fun—to get me out of bed and make me say something, eh? If so, just say what is wanted, and— ‘‘ Hello! Cupid, is that you? Glad to see you!” and he held out his hand to the bully. The man from Jimtown grasped it, and replied: “Yas, it’s me, you bet! I’ve brought some 0’ th’ lads over ter give ye a leetle sarynade.” “That’s right!” cried Cibuta, heartily. “You're perfectly welcome, And, if you will come with me down to the Pleasant Hour, I will order you a hearty supper. An occasion like this only comes once in a life- time, you know.” Cibuta believed that these men had not come to Ante-Bar with any good intentions, and he wanted to disarm them by extending a hearty welcome, . ; His proposition took the Shanghai a little aback, but not for long. ‘‘Oh! no. A thousand times ’bliged to ye,” he said; ‘‘ but we didn’t come heur to put ye to any sich trouble ez that. ‘No sir-ee/ All we expected was a leetle speech, an’ then a good squar’ han’-shake all around; that’s all. ‘‘ Pf thar’s any treatin’ ter be did, we'll *tend to that ourselves. “Very much ’bliged to ye, though, all the game.” ‘* Well,” Cibuta declared, ‘‘I hardly know what to say to you, men of Bung-eye, except that [ thank you for your friendly call, and for your good intentions. I will also add that mon are welcome to Ante-Bar at any time, so ong as you come in this orderly and peace- able manner. I know you would all enjoy a taste of ‘fire-water’ at my expense on this occasion, but since liquor is prohibited here, of course it is impossible to treat you. I will give your leader ten dollars, though, with our consent, and then when you return to ung-eye, you can drink to my health there. Will that do?” ‘You bet it will!” was the howl. ‘‘ Jest hand th’ leetle X over, pard, an’ we'll soak it in tanglefoot th’ minnit we gits home.” ‘““Very well,” Cibuta responded, as he pro- duced the money; ‘‘ who is the leader?” “I’m th’ galoot, Cyclone, I’m th’ galoot,” cried the man from Jimtown; ‘‘so pass it right along heur.” As no one denied this, Cibuta gave him the money. “Oh! What arvoyal gall!” muttered Bill T wicker, as he and his party advanced near enough to hear what was said. ‘‘ Ain’t them fellers jest got loads of it!” ‘‘Wal, I should say so!” echoed Jem ee acces “‘They jest takes th’ cake, they ol” “Full ez b’iled owls!” declared Jeff Par- sons, ‘“They be, fer a fact.” ‘*Wonder who put it into their heads to come here?” ‘Give it up!” ‘‘Must ’a’ been th’ Shanghai, I guess,” ‘‘Yas, er else thet ’ar p’izen Mexican feller —Bartolo.” “Ef it was him,” said Bill, instantly, ‘ye kin look fer trouble. He’s th’ wu’st p'izen buck I ever see’d. He’s mean ‘nough ter do anything ye kin mention.” ‘*Mebby, though,” said Jem, ‘‘ they mean well, an’ ef so, let’s give ’em a good chance ter git away in peace.” ‘That is a very good plan, sir,” lawyer Skynn again areeal ‘Yes,’ added Bill, ‘‘let’s leave ’em right alone, an’ ef Cibuta Jokn kin git ’em out 0’ town wi’out kickin’ up a row, let ’em go it.” “That’s th’ idee,” declared Tom Billings, ‘an’ that’s what Cibuta is a-workin’ fer now.” ‘“Yes, that’s so.” ‘And now, gentlemen,” Cibuta said, as he stepped back, after having handed the money to the bully, ‘‘if that is all, I will retire again.” : “Oh! but it ain’t quite all!” the man from Jimtown exclaimed. ‘‘ We wants ter see th’ bride! We wants ter git a peep at th’ leetle rosebud they says isso purty. Trot her out, Mr. Cyclone, an’ let’s feast our optics.” ‘‘No,” Cibuta objected, ‘‘I must draw a line right here. It is not a fit hour to de- mand a lady to present herself, and—” But a loud shout interrupted him. “‘Thar she be!” was the cry, and looking renee cee ett A —— ee —”72?”0O01C lroUO0O}$7”M wT around, Cibuta beheld Nettie standing on the piazza. She was clad in a flowing dressing-gown, and was a perfect picture of loveliness and beauty. ‘*Never mind, John,” she said, ‘‘it will only be for a moment, and then they will be satisfied.” Th’ gal be right!” the crowd from Bung- eye yelled. “Three more cheers for th’ leetle bride!” cried the Shanghai Rooster. And they were given with a will. ‘‘Thank you, gentlemen, thank you,” said Nettie. hort life and happiness to all of you.” And then with a bow she entered the house, *‘An’ now, Cyclone,” cried the man from Jimtown, * xo jest give us all a han’-shake, an’ then we’ll be off.’ Cibuta at once began the task, and as the men did not come to him very rapidly, he passed around among thein. He considered that he had got off very easily with such a crowd, But he was mistaken. Just as he was about done shaking hands, and was on the very outside of the crowd, he was suddenly seized by a dozen hands and borne away. > CHAPTER XXYVI. A SHOWER OF FIRE. ‘‘Wroop! hol’ on, thar! ye pesky var- mints!” cried Bill Twicker, the moment he saw Cibuta so captured. ‘* What d’ye mean?” ‘Tl tell ye what we means!" the man from Jimtown answered; ‘‘ we mean real old _ biz, right from th’ shoulder. We means ter lynch this heur cyclone dandy to th’ fu’st tree we comes to, that’s what we means, an’ don’t ye fergit it. ‘* Cock-a-doodle-doo | **Oh! he laid out th’ wrong man when he laid out me, you kin jest gamble! ““He’s got ter swing, he has, an’ that’s settled. ‘“‘1’m goin’ ter have my revenge fer th’ takin’ off o’ my brother John—‘ Giant’ John, ez he war called. ‘eLook out, now! Don’t ye do no premis- cous shootin’ this way, citizens, fer ye’re jest ez likely ter hit yer own man ez ye be ter hit 8. ‘*More’n that, ef you shoot we’// shoot, an’ T guess we kin do ez much damage ez you kin, an’ mebby more; fer we've kem pre- pared fer this leetle job, an’ don’t ye fergit that.” While thus speaking, the Shanghaiand his crowd were retreating, with Cibuta John still their prisoner. But they were closely followed by the en- raged citizens of the bar. ‘‘ Wal, dast your buttons!” Bill Twicker shouted. ‘Ef ye don’t let that man go free, Mat drill ye all ez fullo’ holes ez ye kin O an ‘Drill ahead, citizens,” was the retort, ‘*an’ we'll try our ban’s at th’ same game.” ‘*Do not fire, citizens,” Cibuta John him- self now cried; ‘‘do not fire unless you see me actually strung up. If they do that, then rush in and give them fits. I have an idee they won’t hang me very much, though.” ‘Oh! ye have got sich an idee, have ye?” the man from Jimtown bawled out. ‘* Wal, let me jest tell ye thet yed better be a-sayin’ yer prayers, ef ye expect ter go whar th’ good citizens go, fer ye’re goin’ ter start mighty soon, J tell ye.” ‘* Do not trouble yourself about my future welfare, Cupid,” was Cibuta’s rejoinder, ‘‘ for there is many a slip between the cup and the lip, you know.” ** Yas, we knows; but thar won’t be many in your case, you bet! Thar’ll be only one slip, an’ that'll be a slip-knot around yer neck,” ‘‘ And that may be a slip not around my neck, but around yowrs.”’ ‘** You'll soon see "bout that, Mr. Cyclone, an’ mighty soon, too.” The Bung-eye crowd was all the time rapidly on the move, and now they approach- ed the big cottonwood tree which stood near the creek just out of town. _A moment later and they stopped under it. Then Cibuta John saw that a strong rope | | { la LL x _— was already dangling from one of its limbs, and that in one end of that rope there was a running noose. This little scheme had quite evidently been all cut and dried. The moment the crowd came to a stop, the greater portion of them formed a circle around their prisoner, facing the crowd of citizens on all sides with drawn and leveled weapons. “Now, citizens,” cried the man from Jimtown, ‘‘ye see jest how it are. Th’ first one o’ ye thet makes a hostile move, down he goes, swre / **We’ve come heur ter hang this p’izen cyclone 0’ yourn, an’ we’re goin’ ter do it! ‘‘ Jest bear that in mind! ‘* Were goin’ ter do it ef we have ter kill th’ half o’ ye all ter git it done. ‘* Now I’ve guv ye fair an’ squar’ warnin’, an’ ef ye ain’t got good sense ’nough ter heed it, that ain’t my fault. It'll be yer own funeral.” ‘“What shall we do, alcalde?” cried Bill Twicker. ‘‘ We don’t want ter stand heur a-doin’ nothin’! You jest say th’ word, an’ we'll go fer these devils like hot shot, ef we all die a-doin’ 1t.”’ | ‘* No, let them have things their own way, boys,” was Cibuta’s calm reply. ‘‘ It will be time enough for you to chip in when you see me actually strungup. Zhen you may go for them,” ‘‘All right,” said Bill, and he and his crowd drew back a little, and watched the proceedings with great anxiety. To have made a charge just then would have proved instant death to many of them, but they did not pause on that account. They paused because Cibuta John had told them to do so. And Cibuta, he believed that the charm of the silver daggers would save him, without even a drop of blood being spilled, for he had them crossed upon his breast at that mo- ment, Otherwise he was unarmed. Getting up in haste as he had, he had not slipped his revolvers into his pockets, not thinking it necessary, since he only intended to go to the door for a moment. That mattered not, though, for he was held so tightly that he could not have used his weapons anyhow. Brave and strong as he was, he was pow- erless in the hands of such a mob, once they had him secured. The men from Bung-eye were not long in getting to business. They quickly adjusted the noose around Cibuta’s neck, at the same time making his hands secure behind his back, and then the order was given to string him up. If Cibuta himself was now powerless, his friends may be considered almost, if not quite, as much so, for even had they at that instant made a charge to the rescue, the Bung-eye crowd could have easily held them at bay long enough to make Cibuta’s death certain. ry More than that, had they been pressed hard they could have riddled their prisoner’s ae with bullets in a second’s time. e was indeed in a box, to use the popu- lar term. Just as the order was given to hang him, a cry was heard in the direction of the Huckle- bee mansion, and instantly followed by three or four pistol-shots in quick succession. What could this mean? Cibuta John was quick to guess. “To the rescue, men!” he cried, ‘‘ This is but a ruse to enable them to steal Nettie, my bride! To the rescue !” The men of Ante-Bar were quick to obey. Away they sprung, leaving Cibuta almost deserted. Barely a dozen remained near him. And then indeed was he left powerless and to his fate. As the rescuers neared the mansion they heard several more shots, and then suddenly they beheld Nettie flying toward them. ‘Save me! save me!” she a A man was following her closely, but ere he had taken a dozen steps more a shot was fired from the opposite direction, and he stumbled and fell forward upon his face. A moment later and Nettie was safe. ““Dast th’ pesky villains!” cried Bill Twicker, ‘‘ we'll settle wi’ em fer this heur work, er else my name ain’t what it be. 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