Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 390 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

iN =— - <A be ee ees ‘« Wal, he died with his feet about a couple 0’ yards above th’ ground. In short, he war hanged.” “Hanged! ‘Giant’ John Jones hanged! What war he bung fer?” ‘‘ Wer murder.” ‘“‘Gree-ate jee-umpin’ hoss-fly!” and the man from Jimtown pranced around like a wild man. ‘* Who did he kill?” “Je killed Judge Hucklebee, who was then th’ sheriff, or alcalde, o’ this town.” “Was it clear an’ clean proof ag'’in’ him thet he done it?” ‘‘ Stranger, it war.” Here Phineas Skynn, the lawyer, arose. ‘*It was proof as clear as I ever saw, sir,” he said. ‘I had the pleasure of being on the case myself, sir.” ; ‘Who be you?” the red giant cried, and 80 fiercely that the lawyer turned pale. ‘““You—I—do you mean who am J?” he gasped. ‘‘Yas, I mean who be you!” the giant roared. And he looked so fierce that Mr. Skynn began to tremble. ‘““Why, sir, my dear sir,” the frightened lawyer aatened to explain, ‘‘my name is Skynn, sir!—Phineas Skynn, lawyer, at your service, sir.”’ And he made a most servile bow. “So ye’r’ a skin, be ye? Wal, ye look like one, fer a fact! Come! No skulkin’ ahind thet ’ar table! Jest step right out heur to th’ fore. I want ter intervoo ye.” “But, my dear sir, I—I—” ‘* Stranger,” Bill Twicker here interposed, **no disturbance in heur, if you please,”’ Instantly and unexpectedly the man from Jimtown drew two heavy revolvers from his belt. This was a surprise to all, and it gave the giant every advantage, The man who is the first to draw his wea- pons in the Wild West, generally “ holds the floor.”’ It was so in this case, The red giant faced the crowd, and his every look and gesture indicated that he meant business. . ‘‘ Jest you ‘tend to your own affairs,” he returned, glaring for an instant at Bill T wicker, ‘‘ an’ you'll be th’ happier fer it. ‘An’ you, lawyer, you jest trot your car- cass out heur, on th’ double quick, er else I'll preferate ye right whar ye stand.” | The poor lawyer obeyed, trembling in every limb. **Did I understand you fer to say thet you had a hand in my brother's chokin’ off?” the giant demanded. ‘“‘ Well, y—es, sir; that is to say, sir, I had the misfortune to be retained in the case—” “Hol on, lawyer! Stop right thar! A minnit ago ye said ye had th’ ‘pleasure’ o’ bein’ on that case. Now, talk straight, ’er else I'll bore a leetle hole right inter yer witals. You hearme/” ‘* Well, sir, I—I—I was on the case, sir,” ‘“That’s what I wanted ter git at. Now, bein’ as you was on the case, you jest rex) ahead an’ tell me th’ bull facts, rom first to last. Don’t ye skip a single p’int.” The man of the law obeyed, or at least he started to, but he was soon interrupted again. “Hol? on, lawyer, hol’ on! Stop right whar ye be! D’yesay you wasn’t heur when th’ trouble first begun? . **So I said, sir. “Wal, then, I don’t want ter hear th’ story from you, not by a long sight! I want ter hear it from some feller who was right heur an’ see’d an’ heard it all.” ‘“Then, sir,” responded Mr. Sk to escape from his unpleasant position, ‘fallow me to refer you to Mr. Twicker. Not only did he see it all, but he was the judge at the trial.” «That so?? the man from Jimtown de- manded, turning his attention to Bill T wicker. : ; “That are about th’ size of it, stranger,” Bill admitted. : , ‘‘Then you’re my mutton. Will ye give me th’ hull sto , jest as it happened?” ‘“‘Sartainly. But ’fore I begin, jest put up them ’ar pop-guns. Nobody heur is sp’ilin’ fer a row, an’ thar’s no need fer you ter keep ’em in hand.” “Wal, I'll do it. Thar! Now go ahead,” and having thrust his revolvers back into his belt, the giant sat down. “Thar, now ye'r’ actin’ wi’ more sense,” ynn, glad The Giant Cupid. said Bill, as he toosat down. ‘“ An’ now Ill give ye th’ p’ints jest as they be. “Tn th’ first place, when owr John kem to Ante-Bar your John picked a quarrel with him, an’ got licked clean outen his boots.” “ Giant John got licked?” ** You bet yer life he did.” Great bob-tail tom-cats! This heur John o’ yourn must be a rip-snorter!” he crowd laughed. ‘That's just what he are, stranger, an’ no mistake. We calls him ‘Cibuta John, th’ ‘Prickly P’ar from Cactus Plains,’ an’ he’s wuss’n th’ biggest bunch o’ ripe cactus you ever see’d. It would jest do yer heart good ter see him on th’ war-path onc’t. You'd think thar was a small earthquake a-skylark- in’ around, J tell ye. ‘* But, ter go on with what I was goin’ ter explain: ‘*After Giant John got licked, he an’a pard o’ his tried ter waylay an’ murder Cibuta John. It didn’t work, though. Cibuta jest made ’em both pris’ners, an’ marched ‘em right inter town. ‘* We was goin’ ter lock ’em up, but Cibuta he offered ter punish ’em himself. He offered ter fight ’em, both ter wunst.” “Ther deuce ye say.” ** Jest so. al, we greed ter have it so, so Cibuta went out into the road, an’ then we let Giant John and his pardner go fer him. **Oh! I wish ye could ’a’ seen it, stranger! Th’ way Cibuta John did lay ’em out war a caution.” ‘*Did he git away with doth of ’em?” ** Yas, an both ter wunst.” ** Holy smoke!” ‘But, that ain’t all. When th’ two p’izen cusses found they wur gittin’ th’ wu’st of it, they drew knives from the’r boots, whar none o’ us had thought ter look fer a weepon, an’ tried ter take Oibuta Jobn foul. An’ it looked bad, I tell ye, fer Cibuta hadn’t a single weepon ter defend himself with. ‘**He had his arms an’ fists, though, an’ he jest knows how ter handle ’em, you bet. So, dodgin’ around fer a minnit ter escape th’ knives, he presently sent in a couple o’ nose- “onion blows an’ laid both men out sense- ess.” ‘‘Ain’t you a-puttin’ it on a leetle too thick?” the man from Jimtown queried. “Not a bit, stranger. I kin prove it by a hundred men, if necessary. ‘“ Wal, we locked Giant John an’ his pard up in th’ jail, an’ next day Jedge Hucklebee ordered ’em ter leave town ferever.” ** Did they go?” * They did, you bet! town on a rail. ‘‘When we started with ’em Giant John made awful threats ag’in’ Cibuta an’ th’ jedge, but o’ course we paid no ’tention ter that. ‘*One mornin’, though, this town woke up ter find Jedge Hucklebee dead, wi’ a dagger buried in his breast. Zhen thar was trouble in camp, I tell ye. ‘Th’ dagger was one thet we all knowed belonged ter Cibuta John, an’ ter make mat- ters wuss, a piece o’ one o’ Cibuta’s spurs was found in th’ room.” ‘Great tom-cats!” cried the man from We rode ’em out o’ ¢ aE Ry ‘*An’ ye say ye hung Giant John er i ‘‘ Jest so, But hear me out: **Cibuta John was arrested, an’ had a fair an’ square trial, an’, stranger, he war pre- nounced innercent.”’ “Tnnercent! An’ all that ’ar proof ag’in’ him?” ‘‘That’s what I said, stranger, he war pre- nounced innercent, an’ thar wasn’t a man in this town thet didn’t believe it, either.” ‘* Wal, whar does Giant John come in?” ‘“‘Oh! He kem in at th’ hangin’, he did, an’ his pardner, too. “They war both captured by th’ ce darter, Nettie Hucklebee, wi’ th’ schoolmarm ee her, an’ th’ proof was as clear as day- ight. ‘Th’ giant an’ his pard drugged Cibuta John, an’ then at night th’ giant climbed up inter Cibuta’s room an’ stole th’ dagger an’ th’ piece o’ spur. Then they went an’ killed th’ jedge, an’ left th’ dagger an’ th’ piece o’ spur in th’ room ter throw our suspicions onter Cibuta John. “'That’s th’ way they took their revenge fer bein’ druv out o’ town. It fixed th’ poor rr rr et RS al " $< ———— i 3 jedge, but wi’ Cibuta it didn’t work wu’th a cent. Ye see, they figgered on his bein’ hung fer th’ crime, an’ so they'd kill two birds wi’ one stone, as it wur.”’ ‘ But, th’ proof, pardner, th’ proof! What war th’ proof?” the winged giant queried. ‘It war proof all sound gn’ strong, stran- ger, an’ ye kin jest gamble on it. ‘*More’n that; th’ giant’s pard confessed th’ hull biz,” **An’ yer hung ’em?” ‘Bet yer life wedid! An’, stranger, that’s all, If ye want th’ thing in poetic form, jest go to th’ postmaster; or, better still, thar’s a chap out East who’s writ it upinstory. It’s called ‘ Cibuta John, th’ Prickly P’ar from Cactus Plains.’” * — CHAPTER III. THE SHANGHAI HAS FUN. HARDLY had Bill T wicker concluded, when the man from Jimtown sprung up, revolvers again in hand. ** Cock-a-doodle-doo /” he crowed, at the same time flapping his wings. “Oh! I’m th’ broad-backed terror from Terrorville, am,” he cried, ‘an’ don’t ye fergit!” Bill T wicker and the others now began to look for trouble. Bill had had his hand on his own revolver, and had intended to be the first to draw if the red giant showed any signs of making a disturbance, but the giant had been too quick for him, It was evident that he wasa far worse man than Giant John had been. He was quicker with his weapon, and he looked to be a harder fighter. . ** Wal, s’pose ye be, stranger,” said Bill in a conciliatory tone; ‘“‘nobody’s goin’ ter object. Thar ain’t a man in all Ante-Bar that will dispute yer claim. You’re welcome ter be jest as big a chief as th’ biggest. All we wants heur is peace,” ‘“‘Haw, haw, baw!” the man from Jim- town laughed. ‘‘In course thar ain't!” he cried. ‘‘ Ef thar is, jest let him come right up an’ dispute th’ claim now! ‘* Cock-a-doodle-doo | “Oh! I’m th’ Shanghai Rooster from Jim town Lode, J am, an’ I kin lick four times my weight in any sort of beast, bird or man! > ‘Td jest like ter see any man say I ain’t a - chief! ** Whoo0-00-00-00p!” ‘*That’s all right, stranger, that’s all right,” said Bill; ‘“‘but don’t let’s have any trouble heur.” ‘In course it’s all right,” the giant cried. “You jest show me th’ man thet dares to say it ain’t. Blame me if I won’t put a hole into him quicker’n a blind hoss kin wink hijs north eye, ‘‘T’m on th’ war-path now, J am, an’ jest bear itin mind, This heur town has got ter square ’ counts fer Giant John’s death, an’ you hear me / ‘That ’ar story ye told ’bout your Saw- buck John was a purty good make-up.~ But, e can't fool me. J mean ter take th’ case in and now, an’ I’m goin’ ter make things jest more’n warm in this heur burgh. “Why, it’s jest ez plain ez day thet this heur Soap-box John o’ yourn was th’ mur- derer. Jest look at th’ proof! An’ then ter think ye’d let him blind ye all by twistin’ it ‘round th’ way he did, an’ puttin’ it onto poor Giant, ‘‘ Lawyer, look heur!” turning suddenly to lawyer Skynn. ‘‘ Which side o’ th’ case was it thet you had th’ ‘pleasure’ o’ bein’ on?” he demanded. ‘‘]—I—was for the prosecution, sir,” Mr. Skynn answered. “*T thought so! Now, you jest trot out heur, Mr. Skinny, an’ we'll have the pleasure 0’ seein’ ye dance.” _ “But, sir, my dean sir, I—I—I don’t dance, sir.” ‘“Trot out heur, I say!” And one of the giant's revolvers was turned full upon the trembling lawyer, causing him to obey the cali with the greatest alacrity. ‘* Now, then, dance!” ‘*But, sir, my dear sir, I—I can’t dance. I never danced in my life, sir. how.” * See Beadle's ai 9) 4 a) | : 'GCDOOKS I don’t know