Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 461 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

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' te, Te i Ae - The Fresh on the Rio Grande. 19 ish talk as dot, you must not walk near the luna- tic asylum to, or else the keepers wili have you inside before you know what is der matter.” ‘“You mean that for kind of a joke, eh?” the Fresh remarked, in an innocent way. , ‘“He’s mean enuff for anything!” California Joe seized upon this opportunity for declaring. ‘“ And, L say, do you know the other young lady who was in the coach, Miss Margaret Escobedo?” Blake asked. ‘*T do not, she must be a stranger.” ‘And you don’t believe my yarn that when the Red Riders attacked the coach this Miss Isabel Escobedo flung her arms around me in such a way that [ was not able to get out my weapons, for, you see, Hadad, my jewel, 1 am one of the reckless kind of fellows who object to being walked over, and most certainly 1 would have given the Red Riders a fight if I had had the ghost of a chance for my white alley?’ ** Oh, yesh, the lady in her fright at theattack, might havo clung to you so that you could not use your weapons, but that she did it on pur- pose—mine gootness, mine fr’en’, dot is de biggest joke of der season!” and the old man burst into a fit of laughter, but his merriment was so forced and unnatural that it would not have de- ceived even less experienced men than the two adventurers. ‘*Oh, let up on that, Hadad, old man, that is the worst attempt at a laugh I have ran across since I-struck the Rio Grande!” Blake ex- claimed, The Jew’s laugh vanished. ‘* Aha, I see, you do not the joke like?” he re- marked. ‘* No, not such a weak one as that,” the Fresh retorted. ‘* Well, you may talk as you please; I know it wasn’t by any accident that the girl grabbed me and held on for dear life, although I yelled to her to let go, so I could give the Red Riders a taste of my quality.” The Jew shook his head incredulously. ‘*T suppose you think [| am crazy for sure, when I tell you that there was some gum game oing on in connection with the stage the Red Riders attacked, and that the stage-agent at Las Cruces did his best: to keep me from taking the coach and I had to whip the man out of his boots before [ could get him to sell me a ticket.” The pawnbroker surveyed the adventurer in amazement, and upon his face was a look which seemed to say: ‘* What manner of man is this who seems not to know the meahing of the word, fear?” ‘‘T felt sure there was some deviltry afoot, when he wasn’t willing I should go in the stage; so I just made up my mind that I would ride in the hearse for spite, and I whaled the agent until he was glad to cry quits; and now that I am kinder gitting on the track of the thing, I’m beginning to think there was a plot all along the line. ‘““T reckon the driver of the coach was in it, too, from the way in which he reined up when the Red Riders came down upon the stage.” A decidedly uneasy expression ap on the face of the old Jew, which he endeavored to cover with a laugh. ‘‘TJpon my word, mine fr’en’, you make me smile!’ the pawnbroker declared. ‘‘- You are the most suspicious Mans as never was! / “Tf you keep on, you will be suspecting next that ever ing A you meet in El Paso is mixed up with der iders.”’ But though the Jew forced a grin as he concluded his remarks, it did not hide the un- easiness which had evidently taken possession of him. Well, I reckon that the headquarters of the Red Riders is right here in El Paso,” the Fresh replied in a confident way, which caused the old man to stare. “Tn fact, 1 think if I chose to stretch my arm out, I could put my hand on the sbouler of one of the gang now.” And as he spoke, Jackson Blake extended his hand toward the pawnbroker, who shrunk back in evident alarm. *‘ Now, don’t joke in dot way, mine goot fr’en’; I don’t like it! [can no fun mineself see in such foolishness!” he expostulated. “Oh, I’m not fooling; I mean every word I say,” Blake replied. ‘* You may not be an actual member of the Red Rider band, but you are a confederate, and that is just about as bad. You would do anything you could to help them, and you now it. ‘*'You are the ‘fence’—the man who gets rid of the stolen property—and I’ve no doubt ou make a mighty good thing of it. That is how you happened to get hold of my re- volvers.’ ‘¢So help me, Moses, it is not so!” the old Jew declared, energetically. ‘‘T am but the agent—the agent of the ped- dler—and with whom he deals I know not. It is none of my business; questions I do not ask. lL charge a fair per cent. for mine trouble, that ” And now, having led the Jew off a little, the ~ aes ie ~ * —s Ne ————————— ia Fresh sprung the trap which he had been setting for him. “Say, how does it happen that you know about this Isabel Escobedo being in the coach which was stopped by the Red Riders?” The Jew was dazed for a moment; the unex- pected attack confused him. “Why, mine gootness, does not everybody know? Did she not come to El Paso by the coach?” he stammered, in great confusion. ‘“Not by a jugful!” the Fresh declared, em- phatically. ‘*Neither one of the two girls came by the coach, for both of them got out of the stage a little while before it got to El Paso. Anyway, that is what the driver says, and I reckon in this case he knows what he is talking about, although he isn’t a man who wouldn’t he if he could make anything by it. ‘* But one thing is certain, neither of the girls is in El Paso, as far as anybody knows, and for Miss Margaret all preparations have been made at the Hotel Mexico, and if she was in the town she would surely go there, according to the ar- rangements made by old Judge Bullifant.” Again the Jew stared as the name came to his ears. ‘* Upon mine word, mine frien’, you seem to be well-posted,” the Hebrew remarked. ‘*Oh, yes, I have been hustling around pretty mh since I struck El Paso,” the Fresh re- plied, ‘When you come to get well-acquainted with a gentleman about my size you will find that there isa good dealof git upand git thar in yours truly.” ‘** But, mine frien’, why bother you your head about this matter which cannot concern you in the least?’ the old Jew asked in his coaxing, wheedling way. ‘* Because I can’t help it—that is my disposi- tion, you know. I’ve got to interfere in ever scrape that is going on around me. It don’t matter a bit whether it concerns me or not. I’m too fresh, you know; that is where my name comes from. ‘* Now, in this affair I think I have got hold of the tail of a good-sized rat and [ am going to do my level best to smoke the animal out of his hole! “The girl, Margaret Escobedo is one of the biggest heiresses along the Rio Grande, I am told!’ ‘* Yesh, yesh, she is.” ‘* And these Red Riders are up to some devil- try inregard toher, but lam going to have a finger in the pie! **i’m going to find out where that girl has gone, for the driver told the truth about her not coming to El Paso in the stage. One other pas- senger was in the e—a fellow who said he was a stockman an‘ claimed the rame of Jack- son, which by the way is my cognomen.” ‘**Ah, yesh, I remember!” cried the Jew, a smile lighting up his countenance, as a bright idea came to him. ‘*T met this Mister Jackson; it was dot mans who told me about der people in der coach.” “Oh, yes, of course you met him!” exclaimed the Fresh in an extremely sarcastic way. ‘*My dear mans, I did!” persisted the Jew. ‘**T would not lie to you for the world!” **Of course, [m not doubting your word in the least. He came straight to you the mument he struck the town,” The Jew was astounded. ‘* Mine gootness! Why do you think like dot?” ‘* Because he was a confederate of the Red Riders and he came to you to report, for [ retk- on that through you the wires are pulled.” The under jaw of the Jew dropped, and fora moment he knew not wkat to say, but, at last, recovering himself with a mighty effort, he grinned a ghastly smile and said: ‘* Aha, mine fr’en’, you are der greatest joker dot never was! lam anhonest man and I know. not what you means,” ‘Well, I have entered for this fight and you can bet your life that I am going to be in at the death, so just tell your Red Rider pards that if they don’t wipe me out I will be mighty certain to come that game on them,” ** Ah, yesh, but I cannot tell der mans dot I do not know.” ‘*Oh, you'll find a way, I reckon,” was the Fresh’s careless response, ‘* But now to business; you want fifty on these tools,” ‘* Dot was der price, I believe.” ““Tll tell you what Vll do; Pll put a hundred up instead of fifty, and we’il thro v dice to see who takes the pile—the revolvers and the money both.’ ‘*Oh, mine fr’en’, dot would be gambling, and I never gambles. 1 am an honest man!” the pawnbroker replied, “Tl put two hundred ducats against the revolvers; will that be a temptation?” The eyes of the Jew glistened—the temptation was strong, but he resisted manfully and shook his head. ** No, no, I do not want to win your money, mine fr’en’, Pay over der fifty dollars and take your revolvers.’ ‘“Oh, come, brace up and have some style about you!” the Fresh exclaimed. “If you have sand enough to chip into this game, you might make enough to buy a small farm. “Come! Tl tell you what Pildo. Tl give you the first chuck of the dice,” and from his pocket the adventurer produced a small leather dice-box and three ivory cubes. ‘“ We'll settle the thing on a single cast, the highest to win. ‘You can have first throw, as I said, and if you are not satisfied with what you throw, you | need not go on, or you can go on and throw un- -_ — ~—— - — — —S ee em — — NN til you are satisfied, and then I'll engage to beat it; but, of course, it must be ove t can be beaten. I can’t let you throw until you make three sixes, you know, for then I wouldn't have any show at all.” ‘“‘Wa-al. darn my ole gizzard if I ever heered sich a fool offer as that in all my born days!” California Joe exclaimed, unable to re- strain his amazement and keep silent. ‘Why, see hyer, pard, you don’t stand no show at all! You're jest giving this old fraud a chance to skin ye from the word go!” ‘* Oh, give the old man a chance!” the Fresh replied. he temptation was too strong for the Jew to resist; apparently all the chances were in his favor, and he really gloated over the oppor- tunity to win the stranger’s cash. ‘*] will go you!” he cried. ‘‘ I am an honest man and never gambles, and, maybe, if I win your money you will see the error of your ways and gamble no more.” ‘*Oh, yes, that is just the kind of man I am— in a horn! ** No, sir-ee, hoss-fly, bumble-bee! I’m a sport from Sportville, and [ve got more sand in my craw than any June-bug you ever ran across.” ‘‘Here are the little jokers!” and the Fresh passed the dice and box over to the Jew, who examined them carefully. ‘**Now go ahead and let us see what you can do for your country!” CHAPTER XXVI. SQUEEZING THE JEW. THERP’S an old saying that a man may resist temptation for thirty years and then fall a vic- tim. It was so in this case. The old Jew had spoken the truth when he said that he never gambled. In all his life he had never risked a cent upon the uncertain chances of fate as illustrated b the painted pasteboards, the ivory cubes wit the black spots, or any other of the ingenious Herts invented by man for the purpose of ac- quiring money without having the trouble of working for it. ond the Fresh had such a persuasive way with im. There was about the man that personal mag- netism which some highly-favored souls possess in such a great degree. Some of the bunko men—the fellows who. manage to lead really eminent men into their games—claim that if they were not possessed of this attraction they would never be able to succeed in the wonderful way that they do sometimes. Be that as it may, the Californian had suc- ceeded in persuading the old pawnbroker to do something which he bad never done before in his lif, e. With the natural suspicion of his race the old man had narrowly examined the dice and the dice-box. He was not going to have any tricks played upon him. As far as he could see however there wasn’t anything wrong about either article. he Jew, being up heard of ‘“‘loaded” dice, that is, ivory cubes plugged and filled with lead in such a way that no matter how they were thrown, or who threw them, a certain number always came. But these dice seemed to be all right; besides, as he had first throw, if there was anythi wrong about the dice it could not operate again him for he need not go on with the affair if he was not satisfied with his throw. Old Solomons put the dice into the box and rattled them gayly. ‘* So help me Moses!” he exclaimed, ‘‘ I never thought that anybody would ever get me to do anything of this kind!” . “ A man never knows what is going to hap- pen in this world,” the Fresh replied, ‘‘ and now we have got you started, you will be going over and clearing out Doc Moses’s faro bank the first thing you know, ** Say, muppoee to make the matter more in- teresting that we put up a hundred dollars a side more. ‘* Are you game for it?” But the Jew was not game enough to accept any such proposal and said so in the firmest manner. | ‘What you need is more sand!” the adven- turer declared. a to tricks of all kinds, had — ‘‘ Not a whole sand-bank, but only a ton or — strength two dumped into you to kinder backbone.” é 7 00 (E 8 —— ee a oo a oe