Beadle's Dime Library, No. 406 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

- > is _—_— _ —<—— o- -~ st though he feared him as a smarter rascal than himself “If Stone can’t remember,” he said, ‘‘ I don’t see how you can expect me to do it. He has the strongest head of the party.” ‘‘'Yes, but you don’t drink as much,” said Leonard soothingly. ‘‘ You were bilious, you know, and couldn’t.” ° ‘** So much the worse for me,” retorted South. ‘**T was as sick as a dog all night, and sha’n’t get over it for a week.” ‘** Well then, tell us, South, how the row be- gan,” said Leonard. ‘“‘ 1 remember a fight, and getting put out of a show, but what it was all about I don’t know,” South looked at Stone, and a malignant smile curled his lip as he said: ‘‘It was all that smart gentleman, yonder. He must needs insult one of the circus women, and then there was a fight, of course, I couldn't blame them.” ** But what did he do?” “Oh, not much. Only gave the gir: that leaped the hurdles some flowers. But that wasn’t it. He set the whole lot of us to chaffin her in chorus, and waving bouquets, so it scar the horse and spoiled the girl’s act. Then -you wanted to draw a pistol, or he did—I forget which—and they. just bounced us. Served us right, I say.” Sakon rd contemplatively shook the grounds in his coffee-cup to make them whirl round, and observed: ‘*By Jove! Did J want to draw a pistol? I must have been confoundet drunk, I don’t re- member it!” South looked over at Stone, who had turned his face away, aud lay sullenly listening. ‘You weren’t the only one,” he Na “We all went for our pistol-pockets, and I’m not sure it wasn’t lucky we got bounced before we had a chance to shoot.” ** Why?’ asked Leonard, “Because those circus men fight like Old Scratch, and if we’d wounded one of them, it’s my opinion we might not have few black eyes and bloody noses, Here Stone turned his head round and glared at South, while he muttered between his teeth a volume of imprecations that showed how angry he was at the allusion to his own dis- figurement by another man who had escaped mage. When he had calmed _ his passion a little by this, he managed to say, with some difficulty and sniffling on account of his injured nose: “We got the worst of it last night; but I tell you this, George and South, if you think I’m going to let it end here, you’re wrong.” 2 got off with a 3 P what are you going to do?” asked Leonard in some surprise. Stone brought down his fist on the table with a force that made the teacups dance, as he snuf- ‘‘ Break up show, cuss em! cuss ’em! Break up cussed show! Hear? You /—bah!—do’no’ nothing. Phew!—ass!+-fool—let girl fool ye— I'll show them!” | His eye glared in the midst of its dark swell- ing, and his countenance grew fairly purple with ra e, so that Leonard, over whom he had acqui so much ascendency, uneasily in- - fled and hissed out: quired: ‘‘What’s the matter, Colden? How can we ‘break up the show? What good would it do us The question restored Stone to his calmness at once, for it showed him his friend was biting at the bait he had thrown out. “You can break up the show,” he said, in slower and plainer tones. ‘‘ You can get that girl if you like. I won’t interfere. Vl help you. I want revenge. Give me that, and you can have the girl. She’s pretty as a picture.” He noted with satisfaction the start and sud- den look of interest of Leonard, ** (ll think of it,” said the spendthrift, CHAPTER VI. _ A PRETTY PLOT, Tum fish nibbled at the bait and Stone saw it, when Leonard said hesitatingly: “Tl think of it.” = The superior rascal said no more at the time, but threw himself back on the sofa with an im- - patient groan of pain, to excite Leonard’s sym- athy, while South, with a cold indifference to tone’s sufferings that displeased his host, sat down to breakfast. It is true, Leonard had shown the same him- self, a little while before; but the behavior looked worse in another man, and he soon left the table and began to smoke by the window, oe a out and declining South’s overtures to The second-class rascal saw that his provider was vexed, and attributed it to mortification at his own behavior the previous night. Very soon, therefore, he finished his pretense of breakfast—it was a mere pretense, for the man was bilious as a yellow-fever patient—and helped himself to a cigar from the open box on the mantle-piece. He had done it hundreds of times before, but Old Pop Hicks, Sho Seeetietp. allen wai) - i 1 _ ein einen - NE a! SF on this occasion Leonard was in a shocking bad temper, and he snapped out as he looked around: ***Pon my soul, you make yourself at home, South!” , ‘I generally do,” was the composed reply, as the young gambler bit the end off the cigar. ‘* What’s the row now, George?” Leonard flushed pare He did not like to say what he meant, and South» knew it; but he managed to get out, in a very dry tone: ‘* It’s: manners tosay ‘ May I? before you take | a fellow’s cigars.” . Sou’ hworth laughed, ‘* Especially when they’re such very bad ones. | You ought to be complimented by my approval of the brand. I’m ed a connoisseur.’ ** Perhaps you are,” was the cold retort. **T’'m not asking opinions to-day.” The younger gambler looked at his host with considerable contempt, for Leonard kept. his back turned, and South knew that the attitude was assumed ‘on account of sheer inability to face another man in anger, ‘Well, I swear,” he said, with a show of some heat; ‘‘ this is the first time I ever knew you to be mean, George—grudge your friends a cigar, do you?” ‘*No, I don’t,” was the half-peevish, half- apologetic reply. ‘‘ You know that well ee South; but a fellow might as well ask for w at he wants.” South uttered a short Iqgugh. ‘* Well, if a man’s got to go down on his knees and ask you every time he wants a smoke in your house, the best thing he can do is to use is own weeds. I'll do it hereafter. I apolo- gize for taking your cigar without leave, Mr. eonard, and Pll go and smoke it in my own room, till you’re in a better temper. Ta, ta, dear boy.” And he went out of the room, with an affec- tation of anger that deceived his host, who called anxiously after him: ‘‘Charley? oh, Charley! Don’t be mad. I didn’t mean it, Take all the cigars you like.” South turned at the door to say: ‘Thank you humbly. I’m not mad, as you callit. What a beastly caddish word that is! Why can’t you say ‘angry,’ dear poy Q”” Then he was off, having obtained his point of leaving his rich dupe in the wrong, and willing to ion for a better time to propose a game of poker. When he had gone, Leonard smoked on un- easily for a while, and at last said: ‘What did you mean just now, Stone, about that show? How can we break it up, and how can I get the girl?” Stone had his face turned to the wall, and he had been bape aa yippee for this very ques- tion; but he affected to groan out: “Lemme lone! Sick to talk! Oh!” Leonard looked sympathizingly at once, and curious withal; the very condition of mind Stone had intended to produce. ; ‘*T don’t want to urge you too much, dear boy,” he said, soffly, ‘‘ but I don’t quite under- stand you. That was a doosid nice girl we saw esterday—doosid pretty, and all that. It would e a feather in my cap to get her, but how am I going to do it? Besides, I thought you were sweet on her yourself? You said so,” Stone listened to him and then affected to un- dergo great pain in rising, as he turned over and sat up. By speaking slowly he could make himself well understood. ‘*‘Don’t make a mistake,” he said. ‘“‘I was sweet on her—yesterday. She was pretty and smart. But owing to her yelling out * Hey, Rube !’ I got my face spoiled for life by her gang —I want no more of her, for love.” Leonard looked relieved. ‘I’m glad of that,” he said, frankly, “ for ab the only fellow I’m afraid of, dear boy. ou’re a devil among the women.” Stone did not even smile at the compliment, which he knew to be sincere. ‘* Well,” he pursued, slowly, ‘ the field’s free for you, but you can’t get the girl.” ‘* Why not?” asked Leonard sharply. “You don’t know enough,” was the dry and uncompromising reply. Leonard colored u we , to retort: ‘**Don’t I, indeed onfound you, Colden, you seem to think I’m a baby in arms, and can’t take care of myself. Haven't I got enough money to buy that paltry show a dozen times over; haven’t I?” | Stone had thrown himself back in the corner of the sofa to allow his friend to vapor on. He knew his final control over him at all times. \ When Leonard finished, the other said in tho slowest and driest way: ‘No. That show’s not for sale.” “Then what do you mean?” cried his dupe, vishly. ‘*‘ Confound you, Colden, you don’t now yourself, I believe.” : Stone waited placidly torreply. ~ ‘*T know one thing, George.’ ‘“* And what's that?” ; “That you can’t get that girl without my help. she’s as pretty as a picture, too, W hat a sensation she’d make if you took her out [> 3"? se na Bar | — or Be iy | * Fe Yj . B - « ed | nT hig - 4 6° ‘ : YB i, e . a » as Vun an, ae ae ._ in the Park when you go to town, or in the hunt in Queen’s county. She’d show’em all the way, dear boy.” Leonard’s eye glittered. The tempter had struck the right chord. ‘*But how am I to know if she’d run away with me?” he said. ‘‘She might want me to marry her, you know.” Stone sneered openly. ‘* A circus girl virtuous? Well, you are green- er than I thought, George.” He spoke with such candor that the young learner in vice blushed at his own innocence, and answered hastily: ‘“*Of course I know all that, but, then, con- found it, she might want to drive a hard bar- ain.” ‘* Of course she would. That’s her business,” returned his friend, coldly. ‘‘ And it’s your busi- ness to make the best bargain you can, dear oy That’s plain, isn’t it?” mard looked puzzled. ‘** No, it isn’t plain. How am I to get her to come cheap, if she won’t!” Stone looked at him from head to foot. ‘** Well, George, you are green,” was his quiet comment, He said not anotlier word, but went to the mantle-piece and took a cigar, without reproof from his host, who watched him light it and puff the smoke out in silence. | He was puzzled and helpless, and Stone knew it well. He intended him to be so. It was by humil- iating the would-be roue, and showing bim his inferiority in artistic vice, that he maintained his control over a fortune of several millions of dollars, in George Leonard’s person. Presently the dupe burst out: ‘* Confound it, I can’t see it!” **Don’t suppose—(puff)—you could—(puff).. Never—(puff)—expected it,” was the composed reply of Stone. *Confound it, Colden, don’t chaff a fellew,” cried Leonard, angrily. “I know I’m not as. smart as you—” ‘* Hem!” commented his friend. ‘‘When did you find that out? Seems to me you played smavt last night. Got off without a mark at my expense.” zonard looked contrite at once. He was timid and nervous, though not an en- tire coward, and he was always much ashamed at his own lapses from the path of courage, in face of his friend’s conduct. For Stone had daring enough, if he possessed few other vir- tues. **T know I ought not to have run last night,” he said, apologetically; ‘‘ but I own I lost my nerve when I saw you sent flying so easily. They allran. South ran the hardest.” : Stone looked his most disdainful. ‘‘South indeed! He’s a pattern for pluck. Well, you did ta You showed yourself smarter than I. Now carry on the affair in your own way. I’ve no more to say.” ‘* But at least tell me what you mean,” urged Leonard, looking scared. ‘‘No, I won’t. What’s the use? It requires courage and brains to execute my plan, though it’s sure to succeed.” ‘Are you quite sure it would succeed?” asked Leonard, anxiously. ‘*Sure? Of course. It’s founded on human nature and dollars and cents. There’s no such word as fail there.” ‘* But whatisit?’ , ‘*‘That’s my affair.” ‘* But you'll tell me.” — “No, I won't.” ‘Why not?” ‘‘ Because you'd hesitate; ask some other fel- low’s advice—South’s per aps—and he would sell you out to the other side. \ ‘* Colden, dear boy, I swear solemnly I'll nev- er tell a soul, if you'll tell me.” “That's not enough. You must promise to follow my plan implicitly. After all, if you don’t. I can execute it alone, and then I'll take the girl myself. I don’t want her for love, but. 1’d hke to punish her. AndIcan get any wo- man I set my mind on, if I choose. You know that, George.” George shivered. Finally he said: ‘‘Colden, if you'll promise, on your word, I shall have the girl, Pll embrace your plan and do just as you say.” “Honor bright?” ** Honor bright.” Stone struck his hand in Leonard’s palm, ‘Done! You shall have her in three weeks, at your feet, begging to he saved from the work- house and sheriff. I know how to work the business. I’ve been there. Let me alone for a week, till my face gets well enough to be ovt and we'll go to work.” “But how, how? Tell me how?” ‘By working the other show, man. These showmen would cut each other’s throats for five dollars apiece. saw the other felow— Bownsse they call him—and had a talk with him. He wants only a little money and a little help to enable him to steal hy Hicks’s best at- tractions and ruin his show. Ill work it. I’ve been in the business before, and know how to doit. Ill go at it to-day by letter, and as soon, Gomicboo see (E ee ee - fi - d "oe 36 Z . fi > 7% aia “a