Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 483 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

a There was also a considerable delegation of the Staceys on hand, including Judge Stacey’s son Tom; but, if they had contemplated any unfair play, they were doubtless discouraged by the presence of the other spectators. The meeting took place in a grove at a little distance from the village, and it was somewhat later than the hour agreed upon when the par- ties were ready for action. Flush Fred, though his face was pale, wore his usual pleasant and determined look; but his adversary was neither pale nor smiling. Indeed, he had the appearance of a man who has sat up all night, in order to rise early in the morning. Henning had said that he counted on whisky as an ally in his present difficulty, and Ben Stanniford thought that he understood the mean- ing of that remark when Major Sta ey came on the ground. That gentleman had been a hard drinker for along time—one of those steady and constant soakers who are never known to be drunk, though they seldom, if ever, draw a sober breath, Flush Fred’s experience with ‘‘ all sorts and conditions” of bibulous people had at the first view in the Stacey House bar-room made him acquainted with the major’s anti-temperance proclivities, and he had drawn conclusions from them that seemed likely to be verified. The major, having been forced by his friends to remain in a predicament which was far be- yond his expectations, and which he could con template only with the most serious dissatisfac- tion, had felt the need of nerve to carry him through the ordeal, and bad naturally resorted to whisky to supply the nerve. He had drank a good deal more than his friends supposed he had, having a private flask concealed upon his person, with which he had soaked himself after they had put him to bed with the expectation that he would get a good sleep. The result was that his physical and mental condition the next morning was flabby, and he was better fitted for a hospital than for the ** field of honor.” He was not drunk—that could never be said of Major Stacey—but his face was deeply pur- le, and there was an uncertain and wavering ook in his eyes, and he watched the proceed- ings stupidly, asif his mind was not in work- ing order. The required two paces were stepped off, Charley Taintor insisting that they should be short ones, and a scratch was made at each end of the measurement, which the combatants were to toe, Midway between the scratches a handkerchiof was to be stretched, held at each end by the seconds, and across the handkerchief the duel- ists were to fire at the word. Colonel Jeff Stacey and Charley Taintor tossed up for the word, and it was won by the latter, which was supposed to give some sort of an advantage to his principal, if there could be any possible advantage in such a duel. The revo!vers to be used were examined and handed to the principals by their seconds, who then took their places, each holding at arm’s length an end of the longest handkerchief that could be procured, The principals were called upon to come to the scratch, and Flush Kred stepped forward briskly, his cocked revolver in his hand, and his eyes on his adversary. Major Stacey was slower to toe the mark, and his look was so strange that it excited the a prehensions of his friends; but they could do nothing just then to help or advise him, The word was to be ‘One, two, fire!” and Charley Taintor bevan to give it, averting his eyes from the duelists as he did so, At the word ‘‘One” there was a startling chango in the programme, Major Stacey, with a gasping ery, dropped his revolver, turned, and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. They did not carry him very far, as he stum- bled and fell before he had gone fifty feet, and then he lay where he fell, like a dead man, CHAPTER 1X, FLUSH FRED’S QUEER ALLY. Ir “playing roots” were intended by the Stacey foton, it was just then that something of the kind might be expected to occur, and Charley Taintor glanced around at his friends, as if warn them against danger; but the Staceys merely stared as if stupefied in the di- rection the major had taken, apparently unable to make a move or utter a word. Flush Fred did nothing to aggravate his ad- versaries, and only a quiet and gentlemanly. smile of surprise showed that he was aware of the escapade, “J am afraid that Major Stacey has been taken ill,” Flush Fred remarked sarcastically, as he lowered his revolver and stepped back. Perhaps his disposition to let his antagonist down easy was not appreciated by the friends of the latter; but his explanation of Major Stacey’s breakdown was the most plausible that Flush Fred, the could be given, and it ought to have pleased them. The major, in fact, as his friends discovered when they reached him, had fallen in a fit, from which he was not easily revived, and then he was in a precarious condition. Flush Fred and his party did not wait for any further details, “This ends the affair as far as we are con- cerned,” said Charley 'Taintor to Colonel Jeff Stacey, ‘I wish you good-morning, and hope that the major will soon get well.” Colonel Jeff answered him rather ungracious- ly, to the effect that he did not care a continen- tal whether the major got well or not. Perhaps he did not, as it would be difficult to imagine how tbe affair could have turned out worse for the Staceys. It would have been much better for them if they had joined the major in his wish to refuse the dueling terms proposed by Flush Fred and to withdraw the challenge. That would have been a bad enough back- down, but nothing like so bad as the actual out- come of the meeting, Major Stacey had disgraced himself and all the rest of the Staceys, and the only excuse for his cowardly and shameful conduct had been offered by his adversary. This was too much, and there was not a Stacey who could do justice to the subject. Charley Taintor left the ground with his principal, accompanied by Ben Stanniford and all the others who were not Staceys. ‘**T think you are well out of that scrape, Mr, Henning,” remarked the landlord. “IT think so, too; but the affair ended pretty much as I expected it to.” ‘* You don’t mean to say that you thought you had a sure thing?” ‘“Not exactly that; but I looked for some sort of a back-down or break-down on the part of the other side.” ‘* Tt might have turned out differently,” inter- posed Ben Stanniford, ‘*Tf it had, I would have been ready for whatever might have happened. ‘You must understand, Ben, that it was absolutely neces- sary for me to make a stand against these Staceys, once for all, and it seemed to me that there was but one way to do and make a sure thing of it.” i ** As it turned out, your stand bas put you on the top of the Staceys; but it was a big risk to ron, and itis not to be supposed that they will submit to being stood on for any great length of time.” **T am not worrying about the Staceys, Ben. If they want to worry about me, they may worry as much as they please. I am well satis- fied with things as they stand.” Flush Fred had good reason to be satisfied with things as they stood. The story of his encounter with Major Stacey was quickly spread in Staceyville and the surrounding country, and the man who had backed down the lion of the tribe of Stacey at once became a hero. Even tnose who sympathized with the Staceys or were closely connected with the tribe, came to take a look at him and satisfy their curiosity concerning him. Thus the bar of Charley Taintor’s hotel did a rushing business for a while, and Flush Fred was so overwhelmed with invitations to drink that he might have soaked himself into a state of insanity at the expense of others, . Fred Henniug, however, was not what might be termed a drinking man. He ‘‘took his drinks” with friends and ac- quaintances, afloat and ashore; but it was to be noticed that he handled the public’s enemy, as one may say, with the tips of his fingers, and that his drinking was seldom anything more than a matter of business or politeness. Therefore he kept away from the bar-room as much as he reasonably could, and was very modest in accepting the congratulations that were offered him, being apparently more ready to make excuses for the back-down of his late perm than to plume himself upon his easy victory. In the evening, when the’ excitement had par- tially subsided, and the delegates from the out- lying regions had mostly returned to their homes, Flush Fred was seated on the open veranda in front of the hotel with Ben Stanni- ford and Charley Taintor. They were placidly smoking their cigars, en- joying the evening air, and conversing with the understanding that tho subject of the Staceys was to be dropped for the present. Next door to the hotel was Gus Hite’s general store, with some empty dry goods boxes in front of it, on which a few citizens were seated, whit- tling and talking, and probably wishing that some liberal person would invite them tothe bar of the hotel. : Down the street, jumping, walking on bis hands, and performing various antics in his er- ratic progress, came a queer imen of hu- manity, who stopped in frontof Hite’s store, and redoubled his acrobatic exertions for the benefit of the citizens there. _He was doubtless making an exhibition of if for the purpose of collecting small River Sharp. : 7 change and other gifts from the spectators; but it was at the same time evident that bis success in that line was nothing to speak of. When he did finally receive a gift, the man- ner of its reception was something to stare at, One of the sitters tossed him a small coin, which he caught in bis mouth as a trained dog catches a bit of meat that is thrown to him, Flush Fred had eyed the young acrobat with interest, and this exhibition bhightened his in- terest. “There is something or somebody,” said he, ‘““who might pick up a small fortune in a city, unless he should fall into bad ways and bring up in the State Prison; but that would be the most likely thing for him to do, Who is he, Mr. Taintor?” “That is the neighborhood vagabond,” an- swered the landlord. ‘Do you want to know more about him?” Vou” Taintor beckoned to the lad, who immediately turned a handspring and brought up standing in front of the veranda. ‘** Catch this,” ordered Flush Fred as he tossed a silver coin into the air. The lad opened his capacious mouth, jumped at the coin, and easily caught it on the fly, ‘He pulled it out, examined it with snappin eyes, and bit it to make sure that he was no being deceived by a counterfeit, ‘The men on the veranda had a good look at him, and Flush Fred scrutinized him closely. He was a well-grown boy, probably under twenty, though he might easily have been mis- taken for an older peso tall and slim and lithe, as agile as if built of spring steel, and evidently as tough as be was agile. His face, though beardless, was strongly sug- gestive of the monkey tribe; yet a very bright human intelligence shone from his black eyes, As for clothing, he had none that was worth speaking of—a pair of ragged trowsers held up by a homemade suspender, a dirty tow shiri, and that was all—no shoes, and no covering for his shocky black bair. ** Dat’sallright,” he said, as he raised his snap- ping eyes to the veranda, with a queer mixture of the negro and the white man in his speech. “Dat’s all right. Ilike dat. Reckon I know a gen’lemen when I see um,” ‘*Come up here,” ordered Flush Fred, and he made a hand-spring from the board walk to the veranda ‘* What is your name?” asked Henning, “‘ Jake Tolliver, an'I comes from de ole stock o’ Tollivers, I does. he an’ me didn’t hitch hosses, and I skinned out, I did.” This statement was taken for what it was worth, inducing the suspicion that there might be a trace of negro blood in the lad’s veins, ‘* Where do you live, Jake?” ** Anywhar an’ nowhar—wid de niggas an’ de whites, but more wid de niggas dan wid de white folks, Dey don’t none ob ’em lemme sta around long at a time, ’ca’se dey say I’ve got de devil in me too strong.” richest men in Geo’gy; ou honest in other things?” “Dunno. Never stole nothin’ as big as a boss; but I mought. Reckon Pve nigh about played out dis kentry, though, and will have to hunt anodder stampin’ ground,” ‘*How would you like to get a good job of work to do before you go away—a job that will suit vou and pay you well?” ‘* Like it fuss-rate.” ' **Can you catch a half-dollar in your mouth?” ‘** Jest gimme de chance—dat’s all.” ” . The lad handsprung Himself from the veranda to the street, and Flush Fred pitched a silver coin high in the air, Jake Tolliver could not wait for it to fall inte his open mouth, but spuiped at it and caught it on the fly as easily as he had caught the quar- ter. Evidently overjoyed by his good luck, he bounced back on the veranda, his eyes snapping faster than ever. ‘“'Whar’s dat job?” he eagerly demanded. ‘“Come into the house with me,” answered Henning. ‘I want to talk to you.” followed by Jake Tolliver, leaving Taintor and Stanniford to wonder what kind of a freak had got hold of their friend, When be had introduced his stran est into his own room, Henning closed the door, sat down, and looked at Jake Tolliver as if he meant to size him yp carefully. grew a little suspicious under this scratiny, tinizer. ‘‘ Folks lose more than impatience. to nobody, and nobody belongs to you?” ** Dead shuah.” they gain by here?” * Jest nowhar.” ) around Staceyville? ** Dey all bates me,” > + daddy’s one o’ de out ‘*You seem to be honest in your talk, Are. ‘*Go out there, then, and I will pitch you Flush Fred led the way into the hotel, closely | * Whar’s dat at demanded the lad, who © ‘‘Don’t be too impatient,” replied the scru- — Are you quite sure that you belong ‘Any particular friends among the people Gomichboo (C S-com 4 x ae “And you have no kin anywhere about