Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 420 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

~ | | | a 4) | a | i GM en et i EP ae —E The Old River Sport. ‘¢ This is what I was workin’ for, though, and badly. I did what I could to keep Mr. Talcott you ought to have it.” out of his clutches, but was unable to save either ‘* You must let me take tne will for the deed, | him or myself.” Mr. Gray, I can’t touch the money, and that ‘‘T suppose I ought to thank you, sir, for your settles it. Put it right back in your pocket.” | good intentions, though they seem to have been “Tf I must, I must; but I don’t keer for the | quite ineffectual.” money, and I was playin’ your game.” | ‘JT meant well, however, and might have suc- ‘‘ You were playing your own game, Mr. Gray, | ceeded better if I could have got your brother to and it was such a game as I could never begin to | quit the game. What I did and tried to do was play. {£ would not have believed it possible for | for your sake, Miss Talcott.” you to get ahead of that A ood but you are a ‘For my sake, sir? I do not understand splendid poker-player and up to all the twists | you.” and tricks of the comet ; | ‘*Tf you will have a little patience, you will “To tell you the truth, my young friend, I | soon be able to understand me. When I had used to be in the business, though I have been | the pleasure of being a fellow-passenger with out of it for many years.” | ou on the up trip of the Memphis, I could not ‘‘One of those men, 1 suppose, was a profes- | help being strongly attracted toward you. Your sional card-player.” beauty—” ‘* Both of ’em, Mr. Talcott. The young man, ‘* Please drop the subject, Mr. Hannafin. It Mark Hannafin, wasn’t playin’ his game vith | is an unwelcome one, I assure you.” ‘ you; but he came out stronger when he tackled | ‘‘Of course you have had so many compli- me—not quite strong enough, though. I am | ments for your beauty, that it is no wonder if sorry that you worried that man Birch, as you | you are tired of the subject. You must have gave him a good excuse for a grudge, and I’m | noticed the fact that I admired you, and my afeard that he’s a dangerous man to fool | admiration is such that I have been waiting and with.” watching for an Si! Shen arn A to declare—” ¥ ‘“Tt seems to me that he may have a bigger **That will do, . Hannafin,” promptly in- grudge against you, Mr. Gray.” terposed the young lady asshe rose from her ** Oh, that don’t matter, and I reckon that I | seat. ‘TI told you that the subject was an un- am able to take keer o’ myself.” | welcome one, and I will hear no more. If you ‘“T think that Iam able to take care of my- | should attempt to renew it, I will be obliged to self, too.” appeal to the captain for protection.” ‘*T hope so, and I hope that you will look out _ he passed him without a glance, and swiftly for that man Birch, if not for both of them.” | returned to the cabin. At a landing made by the Rowena the next Mark Hannafin gritted his tecth and frowned morning there came aboard a man with whom | as he looked after her. Birch and Hannafin were well acquainted, and) ‘‘Ishall conquer that pride of yours yet, my it was for an experienced traveler to decide that | lady,” he muttered. ‘“‘If one way won’t work he belonged to the sporting fraternity. another will, and I shall keep trying until I In the course of a conversation between this | make you my wife.” man and his two friends they related to him the Shortly after Eva had returned to the cabin events of the previous evening, and Birch point- | she was joined by Gerald, who was quick to ed out Ben Gray as the man who, as he said, | notice that she was not as bright as usual. had robbed him of a ray, sum of money. : _ “You seem to be out of sorts, dear,” said he, ‘Of course you don’t know him, Hank,” said | ‘‘ Are you not well, or is the heat troubling you! he; “‘ but that’s the old cuss I want to get even | No, something has happened that worried you. with.” What is it, Eva?” **So you think I don’t know him,” replied the ‘* Nothing of any consequence.” other. ‘‘I do, though, and it is surprising to| ‘“ But it is of consequence, whatever it is that me that you two haven’t dropped on him. In | has fretted you. What is it?” what part of the backwoods have you been| ‘“ Your friend Hannafin has beenannoying me living lately?” a little—that is all.” ‘What do you mean, Hank? Who is he?” ‘** He is no friend of mine, Eva.” “Grayville Gordon is supposed to be his| ‘‘He seemed to consider himself such, and ray Gordon, as he is generally known— made that an excuse for speaking to me.” name - and he gives himself out as a returned Califor- ‘* What did he want? What did he say?” nian, He is said to be rich, too.” **T tell you that it was nothing of any con- ‘‘Is he a sport? inquired Birch. “Well, you ought to know something about what he can doin that line; but he don’t pre- tend to play cards for a living, and I suppose he don’t need to, He travels a good deal, t ough, | and sometimes picks up such suckers as you.’ ‘We couldn’t help it, as we knew nothing about the man. He came aboard at an Indiana landing, and said that he was from Posey county, and I am sure that he had the look and style of a ‘ gray.’ ” “That is one of his games. I hope you won't come across any more such ‘ grays’ as he is,”’ CHAPTER V. . THE PENALTY OF MEDDLING. | Tue night following the experience of Gerald | Talcott and Ben Gray with the ‘‘ professionals” | was very hot, there being no air stirring save | that made by the steamer as she plowed her | way down the turbid Mississippi. | va Talcott, not fancying the solitude of her | state-room or the company of the cabin on such a night, seated herself on one of the after guards, well out of the way of other ple, and was there enjoying the night air and the moonlight, when a light step informed her of the presence of an intruder. Looking around, she tig Se Mark Hanna- fin, who was approaching her quietly and with his hat in his hand. Though his presence there was objectionable to her, if not annoying, it was not worth while to make any demonstration to drive him away or to cause him to deem himself a person of sufficient consequence to be avoidable. If she should treat him coolly, he might be expected to oO away. : She dial treat him coolly, but he failed to go away. | For a while there was nothing in his words or manner at which a reasonable n could take offense, and Eva listened without any appear- ance of interest to his commonplace remarks con- cerning the warmth of the night and the pleas- antness of that particular spot. Then he led the conversation—that is, his own conversation—on to the events of the night be- fore in the Social Hall. ‘**T was glad, Miss Talcott,” said he, ‘‘ that you called your brother away from the card-table last night, as T had reason to know that he was being victimized there.” uence, and it is not ence Pe occur again.” ‘**Ttshallnot, I willsee to that.” | ‘*T beg, Gerald, that you will do nothing of the kind. It was only a slight and temporary annoyance, I assure you, and I feel no uneasi- ness about it.” ‘Very well; but I don’t want my sis to be worried,” Half an hour afterward Gerald Talcott met Mark Hannafin forward of the cabin, and spoke to him ra ‘*{ would like to say a few words to you in private,” said he, ‘You are welcome to do so,” answered Han- nafin, and followed Gerald down to the main deck of the steamer. it must be understood that the western river steamers are widely different from those of the Fast, the main or boiler deck being almost en- a Be, oo at the sides, and the spaces that are not filled with freight being mostly occupied by piles of wood for fuel. The Rowena not only carried considerable ae above the hold, but was burning wood mostly in that part of the river, and had just taken on a fresh supply. Consequently there were plenty of recesses on the main deck where those who wished to be se- cluded, especially at that late hour, would be out of the sight and hearing of every person but a casual passer-by. The two young men stepped to the side of the boat, where they were sheltered in one direction by a wood-pile, and in another by a mass of boxes of freight. There were no deck-hands about, and the only sounds to be heard besides their own voices, were the regular working of the engine, the heavy fet Ss the exhaust pipes and the churning of the big wheels. Gerald Talcott hastened to open the subject on which he wished to speak. **T understand, Mr. Hannafin, that you have been annoying my sister.” " a her? Has she complained of me to ou ’ ‘Of course she has not complained. She aon mentioned the matter, and it is I who com- plain. ‘Indeed! Very well, if you want to complain, go on with your complaining.” If it was a question of annoyance, there could be nothing more annoying to Mark Hannafin “By you?” quickly inquired Eva. than the haughty and overbearing tone of youn ‘“By me? No, indeed. I was also a victim. I | Talcott. Angered by the severe snubbing he h enjoy a social game now and then, but not well | received from Eva, the gambler was in no mood enough to play with gamblers, and I soon dis- | to be taken to task by her brother. covered that your brother and I had fallen in Gerald, also, was inclined to resent the con- with a professional player who was fleecing us temptuous manner in which his statement of the © , _- CC CFO Orr eee |. eC COC - - —-+ + ——-- - - oooorrrnrmn a >> eee iV — -* . x . a * F : . . ~ oe. ~ “oo - = a - could to keep you from being fleec effort was beyond my ability, and I was glad that you were called away.” was sound. Talcott, it would be necessary to the meddling of her brother, and there was but one way to stop it effectually. Such a stoppage ite Za also be expected to double her valué as an eiress. the enginecr. how it worked. lon oD cause of offense was treated by the other, and his hot blood boiled up quickly. ‘*“My complaint,” said he, ‘‘amounts to a warning, and it will be well for you to take itas itis meant. I want you to keep away from my sister hereafter. if you annoy her again while amg under my protection, it will be at your peril,” Hannafin’s wrath was rising rapidly; but he kept it well under contro], doubtless thinking it better to aggravate the other than to display his own temper. ‘** Look here, my fresh young friend,” he mild- ly observed, “if I annoy your sister, it is for her to say so. aright to admire her, and until she objects to my admiration I can’t see that it is any of your business. she is surely able to speak for herself.” As this is a free country, I have She may not be of age yet; but ‘*Do you mean to say that she—” began Gerald. ‘** Don’t let your journals get heated,” broke in the other, ‘‘ or the engine may have to be stop to cool down. annoyed, you are the main cause of her an- noyance, and that is what we were talking about to-night. called you away from that poker game, as it was clear that you were being robbed by that man who was playing against I mean to say that if she is I was thanking her for having ou.” ‘** And what were you doing?” hotly demanded what I ; but the Gerald. ‘‘As I told your sister, I was doin It aggravated the youth intensely to be treated as a green boy by this young man, and his tem- per was getting beyond his control. ‘* And so that is the way you tried to work your- self into her favor. If she had known the truth, she would have thanked you for nothing. I shall tell her that it was you who roped me into that game, and that the man who cheated me was your partner.” It seemed from this remark that Gerald had not yet made a statement of that sort to his sis- ter, and it would be well that he should not be permitted to make it. Clearly the advice that Silas Birch had offered Mark Hannafin was to gain Eva ut a stop to The hour, the place and all the circumstances conspired to incline Mark Hannafin to adopt his partner’s suggestion; but it would still be well to observe the proprieties of life and compel his an- tagonist to become the aggressor. ‘Do you know what you would tell her if you should say that?” quietly asked the gambler. ‘*T know that [ would tell her the truth, and I would go further and say to her that under no circumstances ought she to have anything to do with a professional gambler, such as you are.” ‘Tt seems to me,” sneered Hannafin, “ that such a statement would come with ill grace from the son of a professional gambler,” Gerald Talcott boiled over at this. ‘* Tf you mean to insinuate—” he blurted out. ‘*T don’t mean toinsinuate anything. I am simply stating a fact. Do you fancy that I don’t know your origin?” ‘** You are a liar!” : As Gerald Talcott spoke the deadly word, he reached for his pistol pocket; but his antagonist was too quick for bim. ' This was the opportunity for which Mark Han- nafin had been waiting, and he held an inside position, while Gerald was just at the edge of the guard where it was almost level with the water. A quick and powerful blow did the work, and the youth, with a faint oy fell backward and was swallowed up by the Mi ssissippi. As the big steamer swiftly sped away from the spot where Talcott sunk, there was an almost noiseless plunge in the water, from a the guard a little back of the place where the two antagonists had stood. int on Mark Hannafin, who had not noticed that lit- tle occurrence, stepped back quickly, sauntered around amon freight, and where he had a little chat with the e duty, his manner showing no trace of the excite- ment that might be expected to follow the recent tragical event. the piles of wood and masses of nally brought up at the boilers, eer cn ‘*T am watchin who owns the ‘* Who is he?” inquired Hannafin, trying to take an interest in the subject. ‘‘His name is Gordon—Grayville Gordon, I believe, and he isa very sharp sort of an old fellow.” Then Hannafin did take a lively interest in the subject, though he did his best to conceal it. ‘“‘T think I know the man,” sqjd he. ‘“‘ How since he was here?” ** Perhaps ten or fifteen minutes.” ‘Which way did he go when he left you?” ** Up to the cabin, I suppose.” Sj i comicboo my steam gauge,” remarked — “It isa new style, and the man > patent was here just now to see | : . 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