Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 434 — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

24 _—_—— - ! scorched, Ozark looked amazed; he had bargained for no scene of this kind. Wholly unconscious of the presence of the rufiian at the window, Lucifer kept going through the fragments with the patience and skill of a taorough detective. ‘‘Thar’s suthin’ in them papers for him,” muttered Ozark. ‘I never heard o’ anything o’ ther kind bein’ in Thunder save once an’ they war ther papers somebody found in ther gulch a day or two arter Flavia struck camp. But them Jdocierments war afterward lost—so Flavia told me onve, an’ she ought ter know.” This being tue case, Ozark’s amazement grew as Lacifer Lynx bent over the fire-touched docu- ments in the light. Ono of them, asmajl paper not much larger than his joined hands, he held longer than usual, ani Ozark caw his eyes get a new glitter while he stu ied it. Ween ho finished with it, it was to fold it carofully, and to vlace it in an inside pocket, an act which told Ozark that the paper was an »rtans one, im fter that Lucifer Lynx went through the rest of the pile with a good deal of speed. Paper after paper was examined, and laid aside. ‘‘I’m hyer to know suthin’ an’ [’'m goin’ ter suvceed!” ejaculated Ozark, ‘Lucifer lynx may bea diamond that’s hard ter cut, but I -gu'ss he’ll yield ter my edge!” Ozark went to the door with the last word, which was but a step, and a moment later his eyes were glittering before the detective. Lucifer Lynx was looking for no visitor of the rt’s description, but when be saw Ozark he leane.l bak in tis chair, and gave him look for > ei a ee es Dale ee. are aad i ee es a ere = ot ere — en — : —_s . — os - ere! ° — Sa tp ades Me 2, he ee a ~ibw a ina - ~=% 3 ciate a , = aa - ~~ ~ > cae - * ook, “fm back, kurnel,” said Ozark, coming for- ward with a zrinonhisface. ‘‘ Mebbe you don’t want tersce me at this stage o’ ther perceed- ings.” *T» the contrary, I’m glad you’ve come!” was the answer in «tone that disconcerted Ozark, “ You are Major Sphinx’s best friend, I believe?” “Tam!” and Ozark’s lips closed emphatically behind the last word, “The major isn’t in camp just now,” contin- aed the detective, ‘‘No; an’ they say it’s your fault that he isn’t!” ** Perhaps,” smiled Lucifer Lynx. ‘‘ The ma- or has chauged his quarters for the present at ast. Tow Jong have you known him, Ozark?” + ver since he came ter Thunder City.” ““ He took you into his service then?” sé Ves.” ‘Bound you to him with an oath?” Ozark hesitated. 4 Luuci’er Lynx had placed him on the witness stand, and was engaged in pumping him fora certain purpose of his own, Must he submit to this process? ' No, he would not! “Tam Major Sohinx’s friend an’ it’s no differ- ence ter ther world at large whether an oath unites us or not!” he said when be resumed in reply to the detective’s last question. | Oho! I see you don’t like to go into details!” \ eried Lucifer. ‘* Well, we'll take another path, - Ozar'. You see these papers?” oe Yes.” ‘* Did you ever see them before?” That depends on what they are,” answered Ozark, and placing his big dark hands on the haif-burned documents he looked at them with pniuh curiosity. » “You remember that certain » found in the mountains soon after — to camp?’ continued the detective. “ies ce Yes ” apers were lavia came eS ‘These are the identical documents.” aS Ozark started. : : ay “‘T thought they war all burned in Flavia’s — eabin!” he exclaimed. se ‘‘Some were pretty badly scorched, as you 7 és seo,” and Lucifer Lynx _ran his hand over the a ‘ers before him. ‘‘ They were preserved in this condition by a certain citizen of the camp, gad when Flavia saw the work of the fire she believed that al: the papers were destroyed.” a ‘* Who saved ’em? “ Long Lige, theo man who was recently found ‘dead before Chick’s door!” Ozark did not reply, but looked first at the ars and then at the detective. I consider these documents an important find,” resumed Lucifer Lynx. Ov ther bonanza order?” Oh no,” smiled the detective. ‘‘T’m not = ar 3 bonanzas, Ozark. These papers fix lavia’s identity.” _--& Tell who she is?’ exclaimed the sport, and his body seemed to dart toward the cool man at the table. ‘‘ They tell me a good deal,” was the reply. “ By Jove! I always thought thet girl war y / _ someb dy!” exclaimed Ozark. ‘Ther man she . _ -war with—Zeke Wildfoot—never war her fa- ther. Anybody might know thet for thar’s gentile blood in ther itl veins, while from what she told me about Wildfoot, he war no better than ther average camper an’ gold-grabber. But what do ther papers say?” “re ¥ ry 4? ihe" - . o hy « F fr »? ‘td ‘ ‘ whe et " sy 9, 1.4 7 pet ref -) he | we Ke 7 which were half burned, and all more or less ‘“Not to-night, Ozark,” said Lucifer, smiling again as he drew back. ‘* You did not come here to hear about Flavia.” ‘* Thet’s Gospel!” ejaculated the sport. ‘You know why I’m hyer?” ‘Yes; you want information concerning Major Sphinx?” *T do.” And Ozark straightened quickly. ‘‘ We ar’ friends. In all my career, an’ I’ve been no saint, Lucifer Lynx, I never shook a man who war my friend. I know whet has happened. Major Sphinx is in your power,” The detective’s eyes glistened, but he said nothing. ‘*- You are a man-hunter from the East. Your hunt is connected with ther young myth sharp called Gold Grit. You know why ther major has been watchin’ him like a hawk ever since he struck ther ‘Divide.’ I don’t want ter know, for ther major’s schemes ar’ none 0’ my busi- ness.” ‘‘ But what if I want to tell you?’ asked the detective, eying Ozark closely. ‘‘Tt’s none o’ my business, I say!” persisted the mountain sport. ‘‘- Yes, lam a detective,” remarked Lucifer. ‘‘T came here to help justice—to pay two vil- lains for a crime committed thousands of miles from Thunder City, and before you had any- thing to do with Major Sphinx. it don’t won- der that the major has watched Gold Grit with the eye of the eagle, nor that he sent you to the mountains to keep track of him. Iam not sur- pene that he summoned Julian the Spider rom his web in New York. Julian was here to-night, but he is gone.” ‘*Gone?” ejaculated Ozark. slip through your fingers, kurnel?” ‘I gave him what he wanted—a chance, and he took it.” laughed Lucifer Lynx. ‘“ Well, it’s a good thing for Julian that he did!” exclaimed Ozark. ‘*‘He war more than Julian.” ‘‘ He was Devil Jule,” said the detective. ‘¢ You know everything!” cried Ozark, “* Let Julian go. I’m not interested in him. He was fetched hyar ter team with me, but ’'d sooner be harnessed ter Satan! I’m mixed up with ther major. You took him off—waltzed him out o’ camp with Anaconda Alf an’ Sear Chick on deck, Did you comeall ther way from New York for him?’ ‘‘For three persons, of whom Major Sphinx is one,” spoke the detective. ‘‘ Ozark, what are you going to do about it?” The question squarely put and a little abrupt, seemed to startle the Thunder City sport. ‘*T repeat that I am Major Sphinx’s friend.” ‘‘His right bower, eh?’ ejaculated Lucifer Did Julian Lynx. ‘‘T'm nothin’ less, by this rollin’ planet!” ‘‘Then, as his pard, you defend murder?” ‘No, not that!” cried Ozark, drawing back. ‘‘T can’t do thet if Lam no saint! What did ther major do?” ‘‘ He stained the annals of a great city with one of the foulest crimes ever committed!” ex- claimed Lucifer Lynx, rising and leaning for- ward. ‘This man whom you serve, and to whom you have linked yourself by an oath, is a murderer, and the destroyer of memory!” ‘* Great Caesar!” cried Ozark. ‘‘Major Sphinx didn’t stop at these deeds,” Lucifer Lynx went on, ‘‘Heis now playing a deep game for the fortune of the person from whom at one stroke he took that which is dear- er than life itself—the faculty of remembrance! He was not alone in the crime: his accomplice has just left camp, but he shall not escape. Now you know who Major Sphinx is. Do you still stand by your chief, Coast ¢” ‘‘T guess I can’t, kurnel, Ther oath kin go ter woodbine land!” was the answer. ‘ CHAPTER XXX. AN UNDERGROUND COMPACT. Tue reader will readily recall the circum- stances attending the sudden departure of Scar Chick, the brutish sport of Thunder City. He was not trailed by the mob of men who rushed from Happy Hank’s saloon after his Purtbian shot which sent Flavia against the counter. As he had outlawed bimself by his acts, he was left to go whither he would, and the pards of the ‘‘ Divide” soon came back to curse him around Hank’s bar. It was seen now that in Scar Chick’s intense desire to sweep Gold Grit from his path, he had himself taken the life of Reckless Roy, hoping by this means to turn the camp against the young myth-hunter, but Lucifer Lynx’s inter- ference by forcing Gold Grit from camp, had upset the ruffian’s plans. A madder man than this same Scar Chick never turned his back on Thunder City. He knew he stood convicted of murder in the eyes of his late pards, and he doubted not that he would be hunted by the most eager. Reckless Roy was a camp favorite, despite his bad qualities, and was, after all, a ‘‘ better man” than Scar Chick. Let us follow the sport-exile. He swore roundly at everybody he had left behind as he kept down the narrow way leading from Thunder City to the mountains, Lucifer Lynx, the Wonder-Detective. © eee OC es ee LL — He dared not go back and face the camp as Gold Grit had done. He knew he could not clear himself against the evidence offered by Flavia and Lucifer Lynx; and the dastardly shot! He did not know that he had not killed the girl, for he bad seen her fall at the crack of his six-shooter. There was but one thing for Scar Check to do, and that was to keep his back to the Idaho — of the ‘‘ Divide,” he mountains soon swallowed him, as i¢ were, and among their shadows he was com- pletely lost to human vision. But fate or fortune, time would tell which, was guiding the bully of Thunder City to new adventures. The surroundings of the gold-camp were known to him; a thousand times he had seen their wild places, the deep gulches where the sunlight never fell, the dark spots where the bear, retreating from the hunter, found secu- rity; the many caverns that honeycombed the: mountains— all were familiar to him. It was not Scar Chick’s intention to join the pards of Lightning Lay-out, therefore he did not. turn his footsteps toward that delectable abode of the roughs and toughs of Montana. He knew that he would be dropped on sight, if he should enter the Montana camp, for the feud between the two towns was as irreconcilable as: sin and goodness, No, the excited desperado dared not set foot beyond the ridge of the ‘* Divide.” After the long journey over the windin trails of the mountains, almost lost bere anc there to the brilliant stars that decked the firma- ment, Scar Chick halted in front of a lofty wall upon which waved the large leaves of a moun- tain vine. ‘*T gness I’ve struck ther right hotel!” ejacu- lated the sport, laughing coarsely as he finished. ‘* They did turn ther tables on me completely in Tbunder. Jupiter Jingo! it war unexpected, but I knew when I held up my hand arter Lucifer Lynx’s story of ther missin’ fingers, that ther dandy jig war up. I won’t try ter pay yer back for that little game, my counter- feit catamount o’ Bozeman! Oh, no! I’m one o” those forgivin’ cusses what live on meekness, I am, by Jove! ha, ha! as ther major used ter say when he felt partic’larly good. Driven from Thunder City with a charge o’ murder hangin’ over me, eh? Thet’s about ther size 0’ my pres- ent fortune! Boss no longer thar! I kin yet play a little side game thet’ll make even ther tough pards o’ Thunder City wish they hed never f 2872 me guilty o’ snappin’ Reckless Roy’s life- cord! As he finished, Scar Chick reached forth and caught oneof the main branches of the vine, and a moment Jater he had revealed a dark opening almost large enough to admit him erect, He did not look around to see whether he was: watched by sharp eyes, but plunged into the ppeains and let the vines drop back kehind im. Darkness was before him, and for some min- utes Scar Chick leaned against a wall at his back and rested, ‘* This is Hotel de Cavern,” he observed, with a grin. ‘‘i’m prop ietor, guest, clerk, servant —everything! I’ve had many ups an’ downs in my life, an’ some ov ’em hev been desperate close calls, so I’m not weepin’ over this little episode. By Jove! if it hadn’t happened when it did, ’'d bev fixed myself solid with ther boys by showin’ ’em that one o’ Thunder City’s pres- ent citizens is Devil Jule, wanted everywhear. He'll get ter play his hand a while longer, but one o’ these times he’ll see his mask drop like a. warm potato.” | Scar Chick, in the darkness of the cavern, talked thus and laughed aloud at his misfortune. He was a jolly exile, if he had a charge of mur-. der hanging over his head; but Dehind his mer- riment was a resolution of purpose as stern as. ever steeled the heart of a mountain desperado, There are few saints among the gold and silver camps of the Wild West, and Scar Chick did not. claim to belong to the few. The laugh of the sport had hardly died away when a sound startled him. | ‘* Mebbe I’ve got a guest, for all,” he exclaim- ed, as he moved forward, with his hand against the wall of the underground retreat. ‘‘ I’ve seen places o’ this kind inhabited by some dangerous customers with tooth an’ claw. Have I one ov ’em hyer?” Every now and then the bronzed exile would stop and use his ears in the darkness, ‘I’m nigh ther lower story,” he exclaimed, at: one of his halts. ‘I'll send a star down ter wake ther four-footed boarder up if he’s byer,’” The following moment Scar Chick scraped a. match along the wall, and when it was burning at its hight, he threw it forward and saw it fell twirling down, down through the darkness, “ Jupiter! what was that ? exclaimed a voice, at sound of which the exiled sport started, . ‘‘ A meteor can’t drop through the solid roof of this cavern, and yet that was something like one. Maybe it was a match; but who'd throw it?— that’s so, by Jove, ha, ha!” ‘What! hev I found ther Nabob?” exclaimed Sear Chick. ‘Thar may be fortune in ther ‘find’ if he ishyer. That laugh nobody else om JOO Gomic! S\,