Beadle's Dime Library No. 392 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

— a > - —+— a sl Saree PS , : : °° —_— 2 The men went at the game again. It was past midnight, and the light that illu- mined the interior of the mountain cabin was the only one to be seen in the mining-camp at that hour. The three men continued to play while the hours chased one another toward morning. There seemed to be a weird fascina- tion in the game at which hardly a word was spoken; the occasional ring of coin on the table, and the emphatic throw of the cards made the only sounds that broke the silence. At last the east grew light, and the gray flushes of another day stole in at the little win- dow to the left of the door. One of the men reached for the lamp that burned on a shelf above the table, took it down and blew it out, woe a remark that daylight was cheaper than oil. The geme stop ries pon the last winner raked in the final stakes, and another bunched the greasy cards and threw them up on the shelf that held the lamp. » When they struck, one card disengaged itself from the deck and fluttered back to the table. ‘** Look hyer!” laughed one of the men, holding up the card to his companions, ‘‘ Ar’ we to be haunted by this kerd?” - ‘*Tt is the deuce of diamonds!” said another. ‘**T should say we hev,” was the reply. ‘Ef we war superstitious, we’d think this jumpin’ from ther deck meant suthin’, Ill throw ’er back.” The man tossed the card toward the shelf, but instead of alighting there it struck the edge of the board and came back to the table. “Tear itup! It is an accursed card anyhow!” flashed a new speaker, and his bronze hand darted at the little piece of pasteboard. “ iheld it three times to-night when I needed something better. I'll make flinders ov it, for—” ‘Not this morn, Onyx,” said the owner of the cabin and the cards. ‘‘ Thet deck’s worth its weight in pure dust, and it can’t spare ther deuce o’ diamonds, much as we don’t like it.” The man who would have torn the card to tat- ters let it fall from his hand and saw the speaker ut it carefully in the deck on the shelf. Then he all-night gamblers went out. The cabin was one of a long string of similar structures that frin a mountain trail or road in Southern Colorado, They stood some distance apart, as if their owners did not like to be close neighbors, but it could have been seen at a glance that the same men had erected all; they were all alike. | It was just daylight, and the three players were the first men up; the rest of the camp was silent as death and sound asleep. They started off together, but within twenty yards of the cabin they came to a sudden halt, and with one accord recoiled with exclamations of surprise. In the street lay a man on his back; his very oe told the three gamesters that he was ead! ‘“ That shot we heard last night!” exclaimed one. ‘I told yer it war ther crack ova strange revolver. Thar’s ther result.” In less than a minute the men were at the corpse. They saw before them the body of a large man, well-dressed, well-armed, and, although very dark of skin, handsome. He had a full mustache black as the eyes dimmed by death, shapely hands, and long black hair, which, when he stood erect, must have fallen over his broad shoulders, He wore his pantaloons in the’tops of his boots after the manner of the wild West, and the broad-brimmed hat that lay near by had a gold lace band and a silver buckle. This person in life would have attracted atten- tion anywhere; in death he was striking, and a genuine surprise, The three gamblers knew that he had never come to camp before. ‘‘Soarch him,” said one, and all three went to ‘work. In the first place they examined the dead man’s kets, but found nothing; then they ran their hands behind his shirt front and found —a great square of dried blood, and the bullet wound over the heart. The excitemenc of the searchers increased while they worked, and one suddenly sprung up and sent a shout right and left that opened a dozen cabin doors at the same moment, In a little while the dead man was surround- ed by a crowd of astonished men, several of **T reckon we've seen it before, Topaz.” ' whom claimed to have heard a revolver a little past midnight. Every part of the stranger’s clothing was minutely searched; the boots were drawn and examined on the inside. “The man who shot him robbed him,” said ene of the searchers. ‘‘He had an enemy who got him at last.” “Tt looks that way, captain. Mebbe the man has a mark o’ some kind on his person.” ““ Thet’s a good suggestion, Agate. We'll take ther body down ter Cuban Con’s an’ see.” Cuban Con’s was the main saloon and gam- bling den of the camp. Its proprietor was a small man who showed his Spanish tlood in more ways than one. He was the only foreigner in the camp, and was 5 The Lost Bonanza. eee ee tolerated only because he kept the kind of place liked by the mountain roughs, The body of the dead man was picked up by four men and car- ried to Cuban Con’s, followed by the crowd anxious to obtain some clew to the most mys- terious affair they had ever heard of. After a drink all around the examination was renewed; the corpse was laid upon the floor and stripped. ‘*See thar!” suddenly exclaimed one of the crowd, tattoo an’ by Jupiter! it diamonds!” More than one man started at these words, and three immediately recalled the strange hem of the card in the cabin the night be- ore. The whole crowd leaned forward to inspect the singular tattoo on the breast of the corpse. It looked as if a cord had been pres into the skin, for the tattoo was the exact size of one, and the two diamonds were seen in dark-blue against a white skin. etween the ts was the hole made by the ball which had taken the stranger’s life, and it looked to the gold toughs as if the slayer knew where to find the tattoo before he shot. There was no othermark on the body, and when the crowd drew back somebody covered it with the dead man’s clothes. ‘*T noticed that he has asolid gold tooth,” said some one, One of the men went back and stooped over the body. ** Jasper John will have thet tooth out if it’s true,” whispered a miner. ‘ Last night’s play ran him to a hole.” Jasper John’s hands were already at the dead man’s mouth; they pushed back the heavy mus- tache and parted the lips. The next momerit the two jaws parted and the next Jasper John almost fell back. ‘‘ Jerusalem! he’s got no tongue!” cried the rough, showing the crowd a thoroughly-fright- ened face. ‘* No fiddlesticks, Jasper!” laughed a big man, and the crowd joined in till Jasper John’s face flushed madly and his eyes gleamed, ‘* Look for yerselves if yer don’t b’lieve me!” he said. ‘‘Tll bet my vertrebry that thar’s nary a tongue in that head.” The big man went forward and looked into the dead stranger’s mouth. The look startled him but that was not sufficient; he put a bronzed finger in, “Thar hasn’t been a tongue in this head for years,” he said to the waiting crowd, ‘ Ther place whar it war hes all healed up. In ther name o’ heaven who is this man?” There was no answer, The men seemed to be asking themselves this same question, for the mystery of the dead man affected all alike, Among the toughs stood aman who was about forty, athletic, straight as an Arab , and handsome. He looked like a leader of men, and such he was. The mountain camps knew him as Ruby Rob; he had obtained fame in the Far East and noto- riety in San Francisco. He had worn kid gloves in New York, and no gloves at all among the gold-camps of Colorado, He had a splendid physique, was quick as a cat, and wore an easy-fitting silver-laced jacket, tight pants, and a wide-brimmed hat, much like a ranchero’s sombrero. While he had taken no active part in the ex- amination of the corpse, it was plainly to be seen that he was not the least interested of the dark- shirted spectators. He started slightly when the tattoo mark was discovered, and again when Jasper John an- nounced that the stranger was tongueless. Shortly after the last discovery he touched a man who was standing near and whispered: ‘That deuce of diamonds didn’t jump from the deck for nothing last night, eh, Topaz?” “ By the infernals, no!” was the answer. ‘‘ Pll bet my head that it made its jump when that man’s heart gave its last throb.” A smile appeared at the corners of Ruby Rob’s mouth, but ity was scarcely perceptible. “Topaz, 1am going to my shanty,” he went on, ‘Sand T want that man’s boots.” . His boots, captain? Why, we searched em— _ “Never mind. I want them!” was the firm sie om “Bring them to me as soon as ssible.”- “You shall have them,” was the reply, and with another glance at the dead man Ruby Rob withdrew. His countenance changed several times between the saloon and his cabin. one time it was fierce in look, at another soft, if not sorrowful. When he had closed the door behind him, he brought his fist down heavily upon the table and cried: ‘‘ What if itis so?_ If I am right, something is going to happen. The next time I won’t laugh when the deuce of diamonds jumps from the deck. Then he began to wait for Topaz and the dead man’s boots. ; True to his promise Topaz Tom soon arrived with the desired articles, and deposited them on the table. s ther deuce of a ee eee LL LL EEy—E——E—E— — —————=eseseeeeeesesé*é’*‘®‘®S™NNNNNsss»»--rR9R9n9n © re “‘Captain, what’s yer opinion about that man?” asked the tough. ‘I have no opinion now, but I may have one before night,” responded Ruby Rob. ‘“ Let me alone now; I want to inspect these boots,” Topaz Tom drew toward the door, ‘* Carlos has come,” he said. ** Colorado Carlos, eh?” ejaculated Ruby Rob. ‘Pd rather not have him here just now, but let it go. What did he say when he saw the dead ‘** He hadn’t struck Con's yet.” ‘Then go and watch him, and watch him closely while he looks at the corpse.” ** Do you think—” “T have no thoughts,” interrupted Ruby Rob, pettishly. ‘‘Go and watch the mountain Ishmaelite!” In another moment Ruby Rob was the sole occupant of the cabin. He sprung eagerly to the table and drew a bowie as he picked up one of the boots. Then the Colorado sport inserted the stout blade un- der the sole and wrenched it loose, ‘* Nothing there!” he cried, throwing the boot away, The second boot was attacked in the same manner, but this time the Colorado sport found beneath the heavy sole e. flat object about an inch square, and wrapped in oiled silk! His eyes glistened when he drew it forth and cast the boot away. ‘‘ Aha!” he cried, gazing at his find. ‘This is both luck and death!” “Right over that g’loot’s heart ar’ a | man?” CHAPTER II. COLORADO CARLOS, EVERYBODY in Southern Colorado knew or had heard of the man called Colorado Carlos. Those who did not know him by sight had heard of him, and more than one to his sorrow. He had come to Satanscrown, as the strag- pling mountain cainp was called, and when opaz Tom went back to Cuban Con’s under Ruby Rob’s command to watch Carlos, he dis- covered that the suspected person had just en- tered the saloon. Carlos who always rode a magnificent iron- gray horse with an eye of fire, was a man who stood six feet above the soles of the gold-topped leather boots he wore. His garments consisted of an open jacket em- broidered caballero fashion, a soft gray shirt with a silver-laced front, rather wide pantaloons with a narrow each leg and a hat almost white in color, and velvet in texture. . He wore a full black beard which the wind often blew over his shoulders when he rode fast, * His eyes did not possess the look usually seen in the restless orbs of the pronounced desperado, coo the desperate. In more than one gold-cam some wild red drama. was disbelieved; the most fanciful stories of his daring and desperateness found credence every- | | % where. He had a habit of paying whatever he owed a : in drafts on an unknown institution called ‘* Git- Thar Bank,” and at the bottom of each draft — was his name signed in dark red ink and excel. lently written. | As he never had occasion to draw these sin- gular drafts for large amounts, the paper was accepted by all, but only a few believed that © they would ever realize a dollar on them. olorado Carlos knew every camp in Col- orado. Men saw him everywhere—to-day among the gulches of the Grand Mesa, to-mor- row in the camps of the San Juan, He was al- ways in the saddle, and he and the iron gray “ a “yng com = e mn caught sleeping in the saddle within rifle-shot of camps that had outlawed him on general principles; he had ridden into mountain saloons and treated fifty enemies, y- > ing for the treat in his famous orders on Thar Bank.” Because he took no pains to make friends he mee was called ‘Every man’s foe;” but for allthis, he was not inclined to be quarrelsome To all outward appearances he was totally un- — armed, but insult him, cross him in any manner or refuse to take his much-circulated paper, an a gold-mounted revolver would leap from some- where A quicker hand, a deadlier eye than thisman’s © did not exist. Nobody knew his real name, and there was no one bold enough toask. All were content to know him as Colorado Carlos, and to keep — away from his revolver. He was well known in Satanscrown although he was not a frequent visitor there. He came and went whenever it pleased him, and Cuban Con had a good lot of his strange drafts. This Spanish-biooded little fellow had the _ nerve to ask Colorado Carlos whether the ‘‘ Git- Thar drafts ” would ever be cashed. ‘Cashed?’ echoed the strange man as he lean- ed over Cuban Con’s counter, and transfixed him with his wonderful eyes, ‘‘YU pay them old stripe down the outside of yet, if all stories were true, this man was the ™™ lest of the cool, and the most desperate of ecomicbooks y 7 Colorado Carlos 4 x was the hero of story, and the chief actor in Nothing told about him n Cot ; : ene % ee a . o . a