Beadle's Dime Library No. 429 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

_ Leona. 20 — ———— —~ ———— i ee ‘piece of work, and the boys all will back me. Have you any idea who fired that shot?’ “How should I know—ough? Hawkins perhaps—or Egbert Shaw. It came at a good time, ough; | was too broken up to notice. Oh, dear! That Hair Trigger Tom? There must be some mistake. It does not answer to the description at all. We will wait and see—wait and see. How unfortu- nate! How very unfortunate! Yet I have you.” ~ ‘*Thank you, Mr. Robbins, but I don’t want any credit for other people’s glory. I intended to; but while I was thinking some- body else was doing. Here’s my tools, you can see for yourself.” ‘*That’s all right,” answered Cy, hastily, ‘‘but I must help get this bad man from ‘way back out of the house, without having | any blood on the floor. And, Mr. Darelle, you hud better take your daughter and go. This is no place for her, anyhow, and there may be trouble such as you won't care to have a finger in or let her see.” | I cannot go so far wrong in We in the Isabella. that if Boutelle is not deceiving me. will wait and see. “You are right, you are right—ough! She ought never to have come here. Come, There is nothing to be gained by | the hotel, and a loitering figure suddenly staying.” strode up. ‘* But, can we leave our friends—who have | thrown themselves into trouble on our ac- | word with you?” count? Why did I not shoot? Then the Darelle recognized the voice of Pluggy danger would have been over.” Becker. Releasing Leona’s arm, and telling “You are right. ‘That’s the obituary over ; her to go.as he fell back to listen. half the graves in the territory. But don’t | ‘“‘T dunno ez it’s any use ter you, but I worry about your friends, miss. Boutelle is ; thought I'd better let yer know. Yer young slow. but sure; and the governor is a holy | friend hez throwed up his keards an’ sloped.” terror when he wants to shine on the war-| ‘‘Ican hardly believe it. But if so, look path. Just take Cy’s advice and sherry out. | out! He may come back, he may come There’s a heap bad medicine in for you, if ; back.” you stay around here. I think Til go my- | ‘Yes, in time fer a funeral,” rumbled self; and I’m not one of the kind that gen- | Becker. erally starts early and often. Allow me to assist you, miss.” Hawkins was rather more in earnest than usual with him, and as Darelle caught one -arm he laid his hand lightly on the other. Between them they led Leona through the door. ‘‘Now, my friends, there’s the straight | road to the Happy Home, and if you'll take | advice, the sooner you measure it off the | better. Of course 1 wanted to throw Cy | off; but I can’t leave like that. Otherwise | CHAPTER XXII. MR. WOBURN APPEARS, AS USUAL. Ir is almost needless to say that Fairy Fan was out when all this disturbance occurred at the Quartz. She might not have been able to manage matters any better than Cy Robbins; but if she had been there her voice would have been beard, if not her pistols. Cyrus was wishing for her as he turned -away from the Darelles; but it happened four horses and a band wagon couldn’t coax | that he did not bave quite as heavy a con- or draw me out of such charming society. | tract as he expected. Good-night, and pleasant dreams.” The threat of the governor brought Carey ‘One moment, if you please,” interrupted | to his senses somewhat. There’s nothing Miss Darelle, “I think I heard you call | more brutal than mob Jaw, and the redoubdta- that brute by name. Tell me, is he really | ble Hair Trigger Tom did not care to risk it, the man he represented himself to be— ‘*All right; ’'m peaceable as a lamb, if ‘Thomas Carevy—Hair Trigger Tom, as he | you don’t crowd me; but they wanted to see “seems more generally called?” *T can’t say much about the Carey part, since names con't go for much out here, but Tll swear to the Hair Trigger Tom part. Know him like a book, Wad to show him up last spring, down at the Gulch—some | Gulch last spring, and I'm getting even, hit nonsense about a cold deck, and an arm-| ormiss. You all saw he tried to shoot me ‘strap, that you wouldn’t understand—and | down when I had my hands full. If he ‘he’s been leaving word for me at everycamp | hadn’t been too big a cur to hold straight he’s struck since. Confounded lucky I hap- | he'd have bored me through the back. He pened to be on deck. He’s a real bad-look- | had all the chance, and the right good will— dng man, and always worse than he looks.” | curse him for the hound that he is—and “Thanks Then, if I mistake not, our | when he missed, because he was holding at visit here has been a failure, and there will | a man, he ran away. Bring the dog out and ‘be no need for a longer stay. Whether it | string him upif you must have a necktie was on your own account or not, you have | festival.” done us a favor, for which we are not un- There was quite a crowd around him now, grateful. I hope that we can prove it yet, -and that you will find no serious inconveni- -ences resulting.” ‘No danger at all, unless the time has »come to cash in, sure, and then it wouldn’t make a bit of difference. .There would be nothing but the hock card in the box, any- how. But this advice mind, though of -course I’m a foul for giving it: Lovely woman had better not try to take her own ‘part. She don’t mean it when she ought to, -and shoots wild when plumb center is the ‘proper thing. That makes the chivalry hold out while the other fellow is filling his hand; and by that time he’s got four aces and a king and there’s no use tochip. No, miss. ‘Trust the chivalry of the rowdy West to look after your interests in such cases, or leave in the first stage. You'll only get some good men killed, and won't have a very interesting time yourself, either.” ithout waiting to see how her advice was received Hawkins slipped back into the ‘Quartz. leaving Leona to infer that he con- | sidered the way she had handled the affair was beneath contempt. “ Good advice too, my daughter,” coughed Sidney Darelle as he led her away. “Tf you had not produced a weapon he would have bad no excuse for showing any. If it had not been for Mr. Hawkins I do not ‘know how it would have ended. Let us “hasten back to the hotel” him, big as a bear. Maybe they won't ask after him quite so often. And—and—where’s that Hart Hawkins? Curse him! He tried rest in an angry roar. Cy Robbins was about the only one who knew that Hawkins had left the building. and he was willing to give the liltle sport a few minutes’ grace if he was willing to take Quartz. He pushed in and boldly laid his hand cn Carey's shoulder. ‘*My friend, when Miss Fan’s away I’m the boss here, and I prefer yea to hang up at you. ing all in, and he said he'd see you later. Hes gone to see that little lady home—and if EEE LL that they don’t hang you now. We're tough here, at the Bar, but there’s a streak of bee bon that won't let us go back on a ady.” oan lady! Qutt that; you make me tired. A lady—and Hart Hawkins's side pard?’ ‘You're mistaken there, Mr. Carey. They are strangers at the Bar, came here looking fer somebody. It might bave been coin in your pocket if you had met them square. —— MSS Hair Trigger Tom, and they got sight of to get a rope ‘round my neck down at Glory | and a dozen were talking at the same time; | Hair Trigger Tom of Red B “T am going, as fast asI can. But, tell’ What devil possessed you to get up on your heard that there was a chance for a bonanza My boy will come yet.” | An angry answer was trembling on the lips | of the young lady; but they were nearing | end. hind legs and howl?” ‘‘Looking for some one! You're right they were. They were looking for me. And that whelp, Hawkins, was following at their heels to pull when they found me. He knows he and I can’t get in the same district to- gether and both live. I tell you, they are all in the same swim together. Bring them cut, woman and all. J’ll take them one at a time or all together!” The man’s excitement was rising again. ‘Now, come, Mr. Carey, stop this.” Cy spoke more sharply. It is hardly worth while to argue with such a man; but that was his order—first. ‘‘The Quartz is pure business; and we don't run it with fighting whisky. If you ' want to shout over forty-rod bug-juice go ‘‘ Excuse me, guv’ner; but kin I have a'! somewhere else. Either calm down and /make your company comfortable or get out. And that’s the last time of asking.” “Or you'll put me out? Why, you puny, insignificant, loving gim-crack of a jolt-head, it's beeause I’m listening to reason that I ain't dropping you now. I’ve piled uv a whole cord of stiffs, and had my breakfast, while I’ve been slouching ‘round here, trying to keep the peace. Here, you, leck out, or the tools will talk!” It was a fact that the man had made no struggle from the instant that Boutelle and the governor had seized his hands, ' | but his voice arose above the voices of the | | ' ' them. Probably the two would come to- | gether, but it would not be so near the— on this till you get cool enough to hear sense, | You know Hart Hawkins ain’t that kind; | and I know that he didn’t take any pot shot | The Bar ought to turn out enough fun to keep If he’d done it he'd have blowed one’s hand in.” you to kingdom never come back ag’in. | e showed me both his tools, with the fiil-— you monkey around her any more, it’s just as — the governor says; and blame lucky you are | They had only held them until Robbins bad taken the floor, and then dropped back, eyeing . Carey warily. Now he sprung back, until his shoulders touched the wall, and raising the muzzles of his revolvers glarcd about Lim. ‘“You'll put me out? You will? Come and try it— only come and try it! Don’t come alone, but bring the whole gang, bouncers andali! I’m the chief from Red Bend, and the circus is open! Catch right hold! Oh, I’m bad a heap bad! Put me out, will you? Why don’t you sail in? Why don’t you take hold?) Way don’t you try it?” Cyrus stood looking at him, chewing a splint of pine reflectively, and waiting for the ebullition to calm. ‘*T suppose | could do it, if that was our style; but a stranger, as 1 remarked before, we always give achance. Le may be white and sandy. If he is we let him show it, and keep free coffins stored in the loft for those that try.” “Drop that! Bottle up and get to work, unless you're all wind and are willing to own up!” ‘‘As 1 was going to remark; we don't have knock-downs and drag-outs here, but when a gentlemar proclaims himself a chief, we ask him outside to prove it.” ‘“And when he don’t go?” snorted the man from Red Bend. ‘We blow up the whole shebang with dy- namite, and build a new Quartz on the next vacant corner lot. But you will hardly push us to extremities, Come,sir. The night air is pleasant, the moonlight delicious, and we have a little plot of ground all measured off in the rear of the building. | Bring your pis- tols, and we'll continue the conversation there, unless you want a little time to ex- plain just how you wish to be planted, and what sort of ceremonies you want at the grave,” Cyrus was extra polite—he was a graduate of Yaie, and could talk English as well as the best, when he wanted to. ‘And you think voucan shoot? And you mean it, square and certain? Good enough! I'm with you; and when we get through some of these other gentlemen may have their turn, ‘“Come on and see; and you, gentlemen, can look out that the stranger has fair play. If he ever does get away, he'll be able to say that the bad men at the Bar always give an outsider an even show to make the ripple.” Cy Robbins was rather an exceptional pis- tol-shot—as the permanent residents of the Bar were in general, as compared with the outside world—but it is doubtful if he in- tended, at the outset, to get into any such corner as this. He never went back on his word. though; and le turned as coolly as though he meant all he said. and a heap more. He did not even show any signs of relief when a crisp, careless voice interposed: bs Ghooks <eom ee -_ enn all ol oe 6 ge? iomm ‘ dl =