Beadle's Dime Library No. 490: 'The Lone Hand in Texas' — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

8 boasting of the marshal and believed him to be far smarter than he really was.” “This feller hyer thinks he knows a thing or two,” the marshal remarked, indicating the , Lone Hand, riding in the rear of the mayor, by jerking his thumb over his shoulder, *‘ but be wants to be mixed up in this yere frontier life for a few years and git some leetle experience | as the marshal of a town, like I have, and then he will be able to say something when he opens | his mouth,” ; The mayor, Moreno, and Aldama nodded as- sent, all impressed by the boaster, but in Web- | ster’s eyes shone an incredulous look. He had not been long in Texas, but during his brief sojourn in the State he had met quite a | number of men whose loud boasts were rever verified by deeds, and be had a suspicion that ah aaa of Pedroville was one of this kind. When the party reached the town they pro- ceeded straight to the calaboose. i The citizens were on the alert to know how the expedition had made out, and in fact quite a number of mounted men were encountered on the road before Pedroville was reached, hasten- ing to the scene of the encounter, anxious to be- hold the wounded bandit. Great was the disappointment of the towns- men when they learned that the outlaw had suc- ceeded in escaping, and soon the story of how ? Moreno had been treated was the common property of the town. The mayor and marshal had come to the con- clusion that it wonld be best for the two men who had been attacked by the outlaws, Aldama and Moreno, as well asthe pair who had rescued them, the Lone Hand and the Bostonian, to be £ Peg at the interview, so all the party entered he calabovse together. The jail was a strongly-built one-story shanty, : situate! in the southern outskirt of the town. Within, if was divided into two apartments; Being thus addressed, the half-breed slowly rose to a sitting posture and gazed with a stolid face upon the visitors. ‘* Shall I question him, Mister Mayor, or will you sail in?” the marshal asked. ““Treckon you kin put the thing through in good shape, and arter you are done if I think of any points | will try my hand,” the official | replied, ‘** All right, I reckon I kin git at what we | want!” the marshal remarked in the most confi- . dent manner. The Lone Hand was watching the face of the | half-breed intently and though not a muscle of his countenance changed—his fave being as stolid as that of a wooden image—yet the keen | eyes of the Arkansian, who for the past ten | years had figured in the role af a man-hunter, | fancied he detecued a peculiar light in the orbs of the dusky-faced outlaw—a gleam of defiance | —and the thought arose in the mind of the Lone Hand that the boasting Marshal of Pedroville | had a harder task before him than he antici- pated. ‘** Now then, Johnny, { want you to under- stand right at the beginning that) I am a man who won’t have no monkeying business!” the marshal exclaimed, shaking his finger impres- | Sively in the face of the half-breed. ' | The fellow simply stared with his dull, heavy eyes, and from his face one woull never have been led to believe that he took the slightest in- terest in the proceedings. ‘* Jest you chalk that fact down in yer mem- ory book,” the marshal continued. ‘* Jest you | hold right onto it—don’t you let go of it, and we | will get on furst rate, I reckon, | ** Now, then to start the thing right—what is ; your name?” “sa “J 0e, eh?” ‘* Yes, that is my handle,” The half-breed spoke fair English but with a a small outer one which served as an office and | decidedly foreign accent. living room for the jailer, and a large inner room, where the prisoners were confined. When the party reached the calaboose, the ee jailer was sitting on the front step smoking a pipe. ‘ ill Kellogg was his name, but as he wasa a gaunt six-footer, rail-like in thinness, he was seldom called anything but “Slab” Kellogg. ‘* How’s yer man, Slab?” the mayor asked, as he alighted from the wagon. ‘As quiet as a lamb,” the jailer answered. . ** Them half-breeds are pretty easy cusses to git _ along with, anyway, unless they happen to git 3 full up to the muzzle with bug-juice an’ then they are mighty sart’in for to wade in fer to . make things howl.” by ‘* Well, we are jest going in for to have alittle talk with him,” the mayor remarked. \ ““T am sorry that I can’t invite you all in, __ feller-citizens,” he continued to the crowd gath- ered around the door, ‘‘ but the hull business would be upsotif Idid. If anything important comes out, I will let you know.” And then the party entered the calaboose and the door’ was closed in the face of the citizens. ae CHAPTER X. ee AN UNSATISFACTORY EXAMINATION, THE calaboose was scantily furnished; all there was in the room was a couple of stools and a pile of buffalo-robes upon the floor which served for a bed. When the jailer found that all six of the men intended to visit the prisoner he suggested earrying in a long bench, which was iu the outer apartment, so that they all could be ac- commodated. . This was done. The mayor and marshal took eh session of the stools, the rest sat on the 4 nch, while Slab Kellogg stood in the doorway, having swung the door open so that the party might have light enough to enable them to see what they were about. The prison part of the calaboose had been built _ after the fasbion of a strong room. _. The only window it possessed was a small one about two feet square which was placed high up in the wall—right against the roof—which jdivi- del the ealaboose into two apartments. . And this window, which was merely a hole eut in the wall, was guarded by stout bars, - although from the fact that it looked into the @uter apartment instead of into the street there did not seem to be much danger that any priso- _ n-r confined in the calaboose could succeed in -es-aping through it. * ‘The half-breed was lying curled up like a dog _ 012 the buffalo-robes when the party entered the + rete and he did not move or evince any signs . The lariat which had bound his wrists had otis — removed and a pair of handcuffs substi- tuted. _ **T reckon the cuss is asleep,” the mayor re- marked, after he had taken his seat upon the _ stool. ‘‘ He don't seem to know we are hyer.” _. “Oh, yes he does; them half-breeds are like _ cats,” the marshal said, ‘they allers sleep with an nf and an ear open.” __ ** Hello, you copper-colored galoot, brace up - and bave some style about you!” Jack Hamilton a ‘*Waal, Joe what? Jce ain’t all of it, I reckon.” ‘** Comanche Joe,” **Oho, do you belong to that tribe?” ‘* No, father a Mexican.” **Ah, yes, lsee. Wal, now, Comanche Joe, I s’pose you know you have got yourself into a pretty bad fix. ‘** Yes, too much bug-juice,” responded the half-breed, ‘“ Why, what has that got to do with it?” ** Tf Joe had not been filled pp with bug-juice he no fool enough to try to climb white men.” “Oh, that is the way you are going to get out of it, eh?” the marshal exclaimed. ‘ But I say that game is a leetle too thin. You ain’t any more under the influence of liquor than [ am.” ‘** No, not now—sleep it off,” the other replied. “That is a likely story, but we will let it go though, for it is neither hyer nor thar. ** What we want to git at is about this outlaw band.” The half-breed shook his head. **Do you mean to say that you don't know anything about it?” demanded the marshal, an- Sara ‘* Me don% know,” responded the man in the most indifferent manner. ‘** Look a hyer!” cried the marshal, doubling up his fist and shaking it in the face of the pris- oner in an extremely menacing way, ‘‘do you remember what I said to you right in the be- ginning about monkey business? Wal now, I mean it—every word of it, and you kin bet all you have got in the world on it too! ** You don’t want to git me riled if you know what is good for yourself. I am a bad man from ’way back when I[ git started. You want to comb my hair the right way or else the chances are that the fur will fiy. ‘**Comanche Joe no barber!” the half-breed exclaimed with great dignity. The mayor’s risibles were excited by this an- swer and he gave utterance to a hearty, haw- haw!” ‘**T say, Ben, you mustn’t come any flourishes with this coon!” he declared. “You musf talk good, plain United States to him or else he won’t know what you are getting “Oh, I reckon he knows well enough,” the marshal rejoined, his anger excited. ** He is trying to play it on me, that is all. I have run across just such galoots before, and I tell you thar wasn’t one of them who was not sorry that he tried toring in any monkey busi- ness on me before he got through.” And fierce was the look that the marshal bent upon tbe half-breed as he finished the speech, Comanche Joe though did not appear to be in the least affected either by the words or the men acing looks, and the Lone Hand laughed in his sleeve at the failure of the bragging official. In the opinion of the Arkansian the marshal was only wasting time. The half-breed could neither be coaxed nor forced into a confession, and Jackman might as well save his breath. But the Texan marshal was a dull, obstinate fellow, full of confidence in his own shrewdness, The Lone Hand in Texas. and though he was smart enough to understand now that he had got hold of a tough customer, yet he thought he would be able to frighten him into a confession. **Now then, Mister Comanche Joe, I warned vou before, and I warn you ag’in, that lam not the kind of man to stand any funny business and if you know when you are well off you won't try any on me. ‘**] want the truth out of you in regard to this outlaw gang and lam going to have it too, so you might as well make a clean breast of it furst as last; you will save a heap of trouble by doing it, I teil you!” ‘** Me don’t know,” and the balf-breed Jeaned back in the corner, resting bis head against the wall as though he had an idea of going to sleep. The mayor shook his head, “I say, Ben, this galoot isa hard case,” he muttered in the ear of the marshal. **'You bet,” the other replied, sulkily, ‘I would like to take bim outside and use up a raw- hide on his back. I reckon I would make him spit out what he knows.” ‘*Say!” he cried aloud, again addressing the half-breed, ‘‘I want you to understand that you ain’t fooling me fora cent. I know that you are a member of this gang and that you kin tell all about them if you choose to!” ‘* No, no, me don’t know,” the prisoner replied, speaking as carelessly as though he took no in- terest whatever in the matter. ‘¢ You don’t belong to this outlaw gang who call themselves the Red Glove Raiders of the Rio Grande?” | ‘* No, me don’t know nuffin’ bout them,” “‘ How did it happen then that you hada red glove on your left hand?” ‘‘The Mexican who got me drunk told me to wear it.” ‘* W hat for?” ‘*Me don’t know. He said put it on—I did what he ay, ‘*Oh, bosh!” the marshal exclaimed, impatient- ly, ‘* that yarn is altogether too thin, I reckon will have to treat you to a hempen necktie, and then, mebbe, when you fell the rope around your neck you will come to the conclusion that you had better spit out what you know.” ‘‘Comanche Joe no ’fraid—bring your rope,” responded the half-breed, contemptuously. ‘** Ab, yes, you durned copper-colored rascal you talk that way because you think you ain’t in any danger!” cried Jackman, shaking his clinch fist excitedly at the prisoner, “T reckon though that you will sing another tune when you make the diskivery that we ain’t blowing but are in for solid business, every time! ‘** Big talk no scare Comanche Joe!” the other retorted. Thé mayor thought it wise to say a few words ai this point. ‘*Don’t you make any mistake, Joe,” Jack Hamilton said. ‘** As the marshal byer says, we mean business, and if wecan’t git the truth out of you in one way, then we will be apt tu try another. We have got you foul, and unless you do just as we want you too, we will have to make an example of you, so as to show this gang to whom you long that it will not be bealthy for them to re- main in the neighborhood of Pedroville.” ‘““Comancbe Joe can’t tell what he don’t — know,” the balf-breed replied. ‘““Wal, thar’s no use of wasting time with you!” the mayor exclaimed, rising. The rest followed his example. **You durned red nigger, I will make you sorry for this before you are a day older!” the marshal declared. Then the party filed into the outer apartment, and the prisoner was again left to solitude, CHAPTER XL A CONSULTATION. THE jailer returned the bench to the outer apartment before closing the dcor on the pris- oner, and also brought out one of the stools, for, as he explained, by tipping the bench up on end, or by putting one stool upon the other, it would be possible for the prisoner to reach the window, and, as Kellogg said, the fellow was so ugly, there was no telling what game he might be up ‘* Wal, gentlemen, I reckon we have got hold of a pretty tough case byer,” the mayor ob- served, “You kin bet yer life on that!” the marshal declared. ‘* But I tell you what it is, I reckon you will find all these half-breeds about alike. They are as obstinate as mules, and the only way you kindo anything with them is to put the gad on jest as sharp as you kin.” ‘* Yes, yes, vou can’t argue with such cattle,” Moreno remarked. as ‘‘That has been my experience with these balf-breeds,” Aldama coincided, ; ‘* Gentlemen, I reckon we had better adjourn to my office whar we will have a chance to talk this matter over, and come to a decision as to the best course of action,” the mayor observed, The rest nodded their heads, and then the party proceeded to the office of the official. Hamilton’s house was situated in the center of /~comicboo - TT dt ie ie wan