Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 483 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

4 CHAPTER IV, FLUSH FRED’S PARTNER. ‘¢- You should reserve your card-table slang, Mr, Henning, for those who understand it bet- ter than we do,” observed Betty Marks. ‘‘ You are right, though, in saying that we will be more or less mixed up with the Staceys, and now I will tell you the. object of this interview. If ever thou didst thy dear partner love, I want you to go to Staceyville,” ‘‘ Wor any particular purpose?” ‘‘ Wor a very particular purpose, This young lady, Miss Bramwell, is something of an heiress, and her uncle means to marry her tO his son. As you have seen Tom Stacey, I need not tell you what he is.” ‘¢ He can’t marry ber to anybody against her will,” Ag SOR Henning. ‘* But he bas authority over her, and will be likely to worry her severely. As for Judge Stacey himself, I believe he has made up his mind to marry me. Of course it is my mone that he is after, like all the rest of them whorh t have sent away disgusted; but the Jew blood in me rises up and protests against the Stacey style. ‘“You don’t have to marry him, Miss Marks,” ‘*T know that; but the Deere port of the man is almost beyond belief, and I don’t want him to worry me,” ‘* Nobody seems to have made up his mind to marry me, fortunately,” remarked Miss Gibbs, “* You may get in the tangle, though. There’s plenty more Staceys, and you may be a victim yet. Now, Fred Henning, I want to know if you will go to we ar 8 ‘*Of course I will, at your request, Shall I go with you?” ‘* Not exactly, but you may follow us, shortly. I shall expect you to show up there pretty soon, and you may consider yourself in my employ, as my general manager and confidential agent. There, now, that is settled, and you may run are to bed like a good boy. Isuppose we will reach our landing in the morning, and we will see you then,” The three ladies said and smiled a good-nigbt, and sought their respective state-rooms. Fred Henning was in no hurry to go to bed, but preferred to seek his friend Stanniford and tell him of this new turn of affairs. On his route thither be was waylaid by Tom Stacey, who pounced upon him unexpectedly. Tom was reasonably sober, for him, but seemed to have worked himself up to a high pitch of indignation, ‘*T say, you Henning,” he broke out, ‘‘ I heard that talk just now between you and those women folks.” ** Reaily?’ replied Fred, with a bit of a sneer. **T would have bigs 6 that you had bad habits enough, without ing up the vice of eaves- dropping.” ‘** 1 just happened to overhear it, I tell you.” ‘* Like the man who carried off a halter, and there happened to bea horse at the end of it. Well, Mr. Paes what if you did hear it?” *“* Just this, ou had better drop that scheme right away, and never think of it again.” ** Why so?’ ** Tt ain’t safe.” ** For me, do you mean?” ** It won’t be safe for you.” **That don’t worry me a bit, Mr. Tom Stacey. I never stop to think whether a thing I am go- ing todois sufefor me or not. Indeed, if it isn’t safe, I like it all the better. That’s the kind of a durned fool Il am,” “You can talk big, I know, whether you mean it or not; but vou had better take my advice, and keep away from Staceyville* for you can only get into trouble there.” ** As how?” “More ways thanone. You may be a good hand at cards and some other things, but you won't stand the least bit of a show among us Staceys there, at Staceyville. Weown all the country about there, and all the people, too.” ** White and black?” ** Pretty mucb everybody.” ** Very well, Mr. Tom Stacey, when I call around there | will make you an offer for some of the land—not for any of the people, as I would never give a straw for white folks who would let you own them,” “You had better keep away from there, I tell you.” ‘fam much obliged to you, Mr. Tom Stacey, for your friendly advice and warning. It adds greatly to my anticipated pleasure. I shall surely go to Staceyville, and will be rejoiced if Ne can make thin lively for me there, The ivelier the better. ie pe ah, and don’t for- et, whatever game you play, that I expect to old a ‘ queen full, on knaves.’” Tom Stacey’s warning, or threat, mattered nosing to Flush Fred as he sauntered down the cabin. ) Indeed, he scarcel hers it a second thought. His thoughts just then were occupied with Be Marks, who, though she was not hand- some, wat wealthy, and in other respects was worth thinking about. He had made her acquaintance through a ser- ‘vice he had, by chance, been able to render her, , Flush Fred, the River } | and from that acquaintance had sprung a friend- ship that was almost an intimacy, Miss Marks appearing to take pride in speaking of him as her ‘‘ partner.” If Fred Henning had needed to be “staked,” as sometimes happens to the best of men in his pecner branch of industry, he knew that Miss arks would be willing to lend bim freely. {f he bad been a vain man, he would have thought that he might marry Miss Marks and her money for the asking; but he was not vain, and it may be said of him that he did not care a straw for ber money. As he would have expressed it, that was the sort of a durned fool he was, She was rich, she was independent, and she was fond of Flush Fred—those three points were sure. He was walking along in a brown study when he ran against Ben Stanniford, who made no effort to get out of his way. ‘‘ What's the matter with you, Fred?’ demand- ed that young gentleman. ‘* Are you sleeping on your feet?” ‘Hello, Ben! I was looking for you.” ‘* You were not looking very sharply, I should say, as you nearly ran. over me without seeing ae It is my opinion that you had better go to ‘‘T will do so directly. There is just one thing I want to say to you. Ben, you are going to have a partner in your Staceyville scheme.’ ‘‘ What sort of a partner?” ‘““A pretty good one, I think, I am the man.” ‘‘ You, Fred? I could never ask a better one, But what do you mean?” ‘“- You told me that Miss Marks, who happens to be a special friend of mine, wanted to see me, and I have met her. She lives at Staceyville and she says that I must go there shortly, So | am going with you, my boy.” “That is glorious news for me, How did it happen?” “Just as I have told you. That is all there is about it. We are to be partners, Ben, and after a while we will consider when and how we will go to Staceyville. Just now we had better go to bed, as we must be up early in the morning. We may reach the Staceyville landing before the sun is three hours high, and we will want to be on hand to say good-by to our fair friends.” Fred Henning and Ben Stanniford were up at a reasonably early hour; but it was not until an hour or so after breakfast that the Tom Swann rounded to at the landing which was called the Staceyville Landing, though the town which it represented—a village, as it would be styled at the North—was situated some three miles back from the river. Two open carriages were waiting there, and the baggage of the Staceyville A ica was speed- ily loaded upon them, while Bramwell Stacey descended the stairs that led from the cabin deck to the boiler deck, followed by Eva Bram- well, Betty Marks and Martha Gibbs, Tom Stacey bringing up the rear. The young man halted at the top of the stairs, to say a parting word to Fred Henning, who stood there with Ben Stanniford, watching the exodus of the party. ‘You had better take my advice,” said he. ‘““The day you show your face in Staceyville will be the sorriest day you ever saw.” ‘* Thank you,” pean, answered Fred. ‘‘ It is so long since I have seen a sorry day, that I want to know what one looks like. I will be sure to come, my friend.” ‘‘Curse you for an obstinate fool!” roared Tom, and he shook his fist to emphasize his speech, As he did so he missed his footing, and would have fallen to the bottom of the steep stairs, if Fred raw bad not grabbed him by the coat collar and held him up. ‘* You had nearly fi over,” said Fred, ‘You should be careful not to get excited when you are standing in aMEpery places. There, you are on your feet now, Ta-ta, Tommy!” Tom Stacey stumbled down the stairs without having the grace to utter a word of thanks to = man who had saved his limbs, if not his e. Betty Marks got into her carriage with Martha Gibbs, and Eva Bramwell entered the other car- riage with the Staceys. ; . As they drove away, Judge Stacey and his son were annoyed by the sight of Henning and Ben Stanniford, who were waving their handkerchiefs toward the carriages, while Betty Marks and Eva Bramwell were smiling and waving back to them. *‘ Those Staceys seem to be afraid of me, Ben,” remarked Hennin B as the boat backed away from the shore; *‘ but I had supposed that you were the only one they had reason to fear.” CHAPTER V.. IN THE ENEMY’S Fah STACEYVILLE was called a town by its inhabi- iy pat it was only a village, and a small one at that. there was a dried-up, Sedicity tase gras as if prosperity and progress y and forgotten it; but the people who lived there “ A Sharp. ——- were firmly of the opinion that if was one of the brightest and best bits of the habitable universe and that they were, themselves, the finest speci- mens of humanity extant. It anybody had informed them of the fact that they were ignorant and far bebind the age, he would only have been despised for his pains. Staceyville had been named by and for old Zack Stacey, Bramwell Stacey’s father, who had been a tough and strenuous citizen in his day, shrewd at a bargain, overbearing in his ways, and with a masterful grasp for getting and holding the dollar. The dollar had been gradually ry be from the fingers of Bramwell Stacey, and the prospect. bo that hisson Tom would get rid of it alto- gether. Therefore, it was natural that “the judge,” as he was generally called, should look about him forsome means of mending the fortunes of the family, and it would be quite the proper thing, he thought, to annex the property and person of his orphan niece and ward, Eva Bramwell. It was for that pares that he had taken her from the school which she was still attending in Kentucky, and had ps pat her to Staceyville, where she could be under his eye and control. It was only lately that he had learned of the entangling attachment between Eva and Ben Stanniford, and it was only lately that Eva had cane? the acquaintance and advice of Betty arks, The first fact worried Judge Stacey not a little, as he perceived that Stanniford was an enterprising and persistent young man, who would be likely to make trouble; but he was not aware of any danger that might arise from the second fact. The Stacey homestead. which was situated a little way outside of the village, was a large and rambling old structure, which had been added to and built upon until it might be termed a conglomeration; yet it was roomy and airy and comfortable. Attached to it was a large but diminishing and incumbered plantation, which had been worked for all it was worth for many years. “So, too, had the hands who worked it, as Judge Stacey justly bore the reputation of being a hard man with his ‘“‘ niggers.” Miss Betty Marks’s house, which was further from the village than the Stacey mansion, was somewhat smaller and newer and neater. The plantation attached to it had a more pros- eh appearance than the other, and the field ands and house hands doubtless had a better eta a of life than those on the Stacey ace, 5 There was a tavern at Staceyville, which dignified by the name of hotel. hough the accommodations were passably poor, the table could not fail to please anybody was who admired Southern home cookery, and it- might have been said for the proprietor that he ran the.hotel as if it was his business to do the best he could for his occasional guests, instead of giving them as little as possible for their money. - The Staceyville Hotel” was the pretentious name of this hostelry; but it was known as “ Charley Taintor’s” by many drummers and other travelers, who were sure to take it in on their rounds, and who gave Staceyville more of their time than was reasonable, considering the fact that they always spoke of it as a dead to wn. Thither came Fred Henning and Ben Stanni- ford, brought over from the anding in a two- seated wagon, which also carried their small amount of baggage. They were welcomed and made much of by the proprietor, who at once took a strong fancy to Flush Fred, and nothing the house contained was considered too good for them. ead as Staceyville was, in a business way, it was lively enonge in some other respects, espe- cially as regarded gossips, and the arrival of these two strangers, with all the information that could be procured concerning their names and intentions, was goere! made kuown to every person in the village and near it, After a little rest and refreshment, the cured a buggy, and drove out to Betty Marks’s is place, and this piece of news was immediately put in circulation by the gossips. The news of their arrival, in fact, had preced- ed them, and when they reached the Marks Plan~ tation they found Miss Betty, backed by Martha Gibbs, ready to receive them and treat them — hospitably. your hats ‘I would ask you both to hang u . me,” she in the hall and make your home wit said: ‘but Martha and I are two Jone women, © ro- « and the proprieties of life must be rigidly ob- e | served in these parts. de ; It isa fact that nowhere in this country is social intercourse more strictly guard more carefully conducted than among people of the South, and the best *“Of course we would be iad to be with you,” ** but lain of at the hotel, and answered Henning; to comp have nothing rhaps that location will be best suited to any ittle game we may have to play here.” = Yes, I am told that Charle Taintor can keep a hotel if he wants to. But (E(0) house must é believe that we will 7 micbooks.com