Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 41 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

Gold ‘Dan. | 7 sorry to see you get the worst of it, but you shall have a fair show as far as this fight is concerned. » ‘‘That’s all I ask,” the plainsman replied, quickly, ‘‘ and as to your friendship or hatred, I despise the one and laugh at the other. This fool forced the quarrel on me and yet I don’t seek his life, although the moment he get’s within the range of my revolver, I reckon I shall hold the fee simple of it. But, go ahead with your bird’s egging; I'm ready for you.” “Tl take a position midway between you two,” Clark said, a scowl upon his dark face, caused by the bold words of the scout. ‘‘ At the word ‘one,’ you will step out into the middle of the street, at ‘two’ advance and open fire.” “All right, go ahead!” ‘Clark turned upon his heel and walked up the street about a hundred yards, retired to the side of the road, and with his strong, clear voice gave the first signal: ** One!” The two antagonists stepped out into the middle of the street, and then came a sudden shot, followed by the cry of a mortally wounded man. CHAPTER VIIL ASSASSINATION, A sHot waking the echoes of the night, a terrible yell of mortal agony, and a poor stricken man down flat on his face in the dust, groaning with pain. It was the Mormon Googer! and the moan of pain from his lips was answered by a cry of rage from Long John Clark’s throat, and then, in a twinkling, his revolver glistened in his hand. “You villain! you fired before the time!” he yelled, deliber- ately drawing back the hammer of the revolver and taking aim at Gold Dan’s breast. The Danite’s eyes had been fixed upon Googer when he had given the signal. He mistrusted the Mormon’s ability to cope with the plainsman, and naturally looked to see how he carried himself, so he really did not see Dan fire the shot. ‘‘No, by Heaven, I did not!” Gold Dan cried, earnestly. ‘I have not pulled a trigger!” “‘It’s a sure enough fact!” shouted the red-shirted giant, ‘‘ and the man wot says he did slaps my face and insults the man I board with!” ‘*Yes, he did fire!” one of the Mormons exclaimed in answer. *“T saw him fire, the murtherin’ villain!” cried another of the Salt Lake gang, whose sweet accents betrayed the son of the Emerald Isle, “Course he fired!” put in a third. “Tt’s a lie!” howled the giant, ‘‘and I kin chaw the ear right off the man that saysit. That’s me, boyee; you hear me? And now some of you ornery cusses come and pull my hair, for the love of Heaven! Whoop—yow-yow—whoop la!” And the eccen- tric individual executed a war-dance in the middle of the street. The Danite leader felt a strong disposition to put a ball through the heart of the capering Hercules, and so end his fun, but by a strong effort he resisted the impulse He had his revolver leveled at the breast of the plainsman, but he saw that Gold Dan was ready for him, and at this sort of game, Jack was likely to ba as good as his master. Besides, Clark was really puzzled; he had not seen Gold Dan fire the shot, although of course he felt certain that he did do so, and yet he could not detect the clinging smoke-wreath which generally hovers around the barrel of a weapon for a moment after a discharge. ‘‘'You had better hold your yaup!”’ the Danite said, sternly. “This quarrel does not concern you in the least. Is he badly hurt?” he asked of the men of his gang who had sprung forward to assist the wounded man. Googer, even in his agony of pain, recognized the voice and understood the speech of the Danite. ‘‘Oh, I'm done for,” he muttered; ‘he’s plugged me right in atween the ribs, an’ he never give me no chance to fire at ’im.” ‘You foul murderer! Do you hear the words of your victim?’ Clark cried, sternly. “By Heaven I did not fire!” Dan replied, utterly astonished by the strange turn of affairs. I appeal to all those who had their eyes upon me. Is there a man here who saw me fire?” ‘Yes, yes!” cried the Mormons, vindictively. ‘No, no!” the men of the town responded. And then the Mexican, Castana, stepped from his position in the doorway into the street. “Senors, all Corinne knows me!” he exclaimed, “and the town knows that I am an honest man. I had my eyes upon Gold Dan at the moment the signal was given, and saw him step out into the road; he did not fire and his revolver was not above the level of his waist.” For a moment Clark seemed undecided, but a torrent of exclamations from the Mormons pointed out to him the course to be pursued. No, no! he did fire! I saw him! I'll take my oath on it!” the Mormons cried. ‘Blood has been shed—foully shed!” the Danite exclaimed, ‘(and the crime must be avenged. I ask nothing but justice, and justice I will have if it takes all the force that we can muster yonder in Salt Lake to get it!” The men of Corinne understood well enough the meaning and strength of this threat, and more than one in the crowd felt rising in his mind the wish that Gold Dan was well out of the a me -—™” scrape. Few men of all those present, hardy, reckless frontiers- men, cared to provoke the anger of the Mormon leaders. ‘* And who shrinks from justice?’ the plainsman cried. ‘‘ Am I the man? Whoever says so lies; I throw the falsehood back in his teeth, and Pll make good my words with my body!” ‘So will I!’ the giant howled, leaping up in the air and smacking his hands together with a crack that sounded like the report of a pistol. ‘‘ I’m the-Man-from-Red-Dog, I. am! Dandy Jim’s my handle, and I'm any man’s mutton who is sp’iling for a fight in this hyer defickilty!” ‘ ‘*Oh take me in somewhere, I’m bleeding to death!” the hurt Mormon murmured. “Bring him into the saloon,” Castana suggested ; ‘‘ we'll get a cot for him.” As gently as they could the Mormons raised the wounded man , in their arms and carried him into the saloon, but this operation brought groans of pain from the unfortunate Googer, It was evident that he was pretty badly hurt. “‘Somebody go for a doctor!” Clark commanded, but hardly | had the words left his lips, when a tall, slender, dissipated-look- ing fellow, in an extremely seedy suit, stepped out from amid the crowd. “T beg your pardon, sir, but if I could be of any service to | your friend, I should be happy to tender my professional advice, Iam a medical man,” This gentleman was no stranger by reputation to Clark; an Englishman, by birth, as was plainly apparent by the slight “aw!” accent with which he flavored his speech, Corinne boasted few wilder or less steady citizens, and yet it was currently believed that he came of a good family in the old country and , was a regular graduate of a first-class medical college. Anyway, he had proved, on several critical occasions, that he was no mean professor of the healing art, and that his skill as a surgeon—lIt was this latter branch that is most called upon in such frontier’ towns as Corinne, where ‘difficulties ” are usually settled with knife and pistol—was far beyond that possessed by the majority of the doctors common to the frontier. “Much obliged for the offer. Do all you can for him,” the Danite answered. The doctor at once hurried into the saloon whither the. wounded man had been carried. And all this while no one had thought of trying to ascertain who it was that had really fired the shot which had wounded the. Mormon so badly, provided that Gold Dan really was innocent of; the deed. Plenty of time had been afforded for the wreaker of vengeance upon the Mormon bully to escape, and no one had either lifted a hand to prevent it, or to try and‘discover the lurking-place from | whence the shot had been fired. The Mormons were all perfectly satisfied that the plainsman | had fired the shot; those of the townsmen who had their eyes upon Gold Dan at the moment that the signal had been given, were decidedly certain that he was guiltless of the deed, and the rest were wavering in their minds, And now that the victim was removed from the scene of action, and the doctor had hurried in to attend to him, the,., Danite leader took decided action. “This man is badly hurt; death may ensue from his wounds: oy and I call upon you to throw down your weapons and surrender, tbat you may answer for this crime.” “ He never fired it, no how you kin fix it!” the-Man-from-Red-) | Dog yelled, defiantly. : “Surrender? Who to?” Gold Dan exclaimed—“ to you?” ‘No, not to me, but to a committee which I call upon the citizens of Corinne to choose at once. Here has been murder . done and it must be atoned for.. My friend has been shot down in cold, blood without being. given a chance of his life, and although I might take it upon myself, with my own hand, to avenge his fate, for if Corinne attempted to shelter any man from wy vengeance, within two hours I could bring force. enough to level it as flat as the back of my hand, yet I am, willing he should have a fair trial. I ask no favors, neither _ I show any!” ** No more do I!” Gold Dan cried, promptly, ‘I am ready xs surrender myself to a proper committee at once, and ready to stand trial, for, as there is a heaven above me, I never pulled, trigger on that man!” ‘As fair as fair can be!” the-Man-from-Red-Dog assented, ‘6 And I'll app’int myself one of the committee,” ' ‘* You just hold. your horses!” the Danite exclaimed. “I reckon that we want men that we know in the town; not strangers.” * And don’t you know me?’ Dandy Jim demanded, | “ No, I don’t!” : Stranger, thar’s a heap of pleasure afore you!” ab : “Maybe there is, but I ain’t in any fare to enjoy it,” Clark ; replied, menacingly. | And just then there was a little bustle at the entrance to the. saloon that attracted the attention of all the ahsone." The doctor came out. ‘Well?’ cried Clark, anticipating what was to come, 18? “The man is dead!” vr» Vv And a little thrill passed through the crowd, acts Eomicbooks =} (E(0) ——