Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 512 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

L a os Big? 4 Metin ima kd Captain Velvet’s Big Stake. ee 15 ‘* T have summoned the Colonel to the land of mystery before he ought to come!” cried he, ** Not Colonel Bluff, Nevada?” ‘Silence! I have sent to Sacramento a mes- sage that will betray the secret of No Man’s Ground. Hewillcome. All the powers that be cannot hold him back.” ‘* Why, he is wedded to the wheeled chair!” broke from the girl’s lips, ‘' He is such a crip- ple that his servants have to put him to bed when he does not sleep between his wheels, which I am told he often does.” ‘Yes, yes! He is a child, though he has the arms of a giant and the mind of a philosopher. I know all about the Crippled Croesus of Cali- fornia. There is no living person who can im- part to me any new information about him; but heavens! whatan array of it I could tell them! I say that he will come to No Man’s Ground before he should come, He won’t come on his wheels either, Opal. He won’t be guided over ths road by the mute who wheels him about the streets of Sacramento when he wants an airing, He will come in the saddle, with the lines in his own hands,” Opal, falling back again, looked at the speaker as if she believed that the madness had come back: but though he talked fast and with em- phasis, he had not the maniacal look he had once worn, ‘*Send Lolas to me,” he suddenly went on. ‘‘Next to Norgan, Lolas is the man I can trust.” The girl got up, but hesitated half-way be- tween the cot and the door, ‘‘T recollect that I have seen nothing of Lolas since I sent him down to the secret bonanza to look for you last night,” she exclaimed, ‘‘ He was accompanied by Tiger and Silver Sol.” ‘But they came back long ago,” was the an- swer. ‘'Send Lolas to me, child.” It was a command that had to be obeyed, and with another look at the mad master of the mines, Opal went away, ** What does he want?” asked the guards who gathered round her the moment she was seen at the door, ‘* He wants Lolas.” ** He isn’t incamp.” She looked at the men with a singular ex- pression. ‘‘Tt is believed that Lolas, Tiger and Silver Sol have taken this occasion to desert,” con- tinued the spokesman. ‘‘They haven’t been seen since last night. Don’t you think it looks that way, Opal? She did not know what to say. It would never do to goright back into the shanty and report these suspicions to the man there. ‘‘T can’t believe that Lolas has deserted,” she remarked, after thinking a moment. ‘t He was one of the trusted. I will look for him awhile, It will do no harm, you know.” ie In another moment Opal was walking off, never chro of the terrible fact that at that very instant three men—the very ones she had just spoken of—were beating the walls of a crypt, and cursing the madman who bad buried them alive. CHAPTER XIX, GIDEON MAKES A MOVE, ss Do you think he lools very grateful, cap- in? **Dun Duff?” “c Yes.” ‘‘ He doesn't show his gratitude, but there’s no telling how he feels.” Johnny Jumpup looked from Gideon Goldbar at the man who had come out of the shadow of death by reason of Boss Nevada’s madness, and studied him silently for several seconds, Dun Duff leaned against the logs of a cabin and was complacently puffing at a cigar which had remained undisturbed during his imprison- ment. , He was an object of study by a little group of men some yards away, though he did not seem notice it. MO With his broad-rimmed hat tilted back on his head and one foot crossed over the other he looked like a man on his own ground ana not in a strange camp where he was bated and dis. trusted. ‘He hasn’t asked a word about Julius,” con- tinued Johnny turning to Gideon. ‘* He doesn’t seem to have heard about the fate of his man on the journey up here. His coolness and spbinx- like manners take the wind out o’ my sails. But I saw enough of him in Sacramento before we got away. When I overheard the conver- sation between him and Julius in the bar-room I knew that we were to deal with a cool fellow. Here he is now—as large as life, and yet he doesn’t care a whit whether he bangs or slips through the noose—I mean that’s the way it looks.” . ‘** Did they restr? his wespons when they let him out on parole “They played fair with Dun Duff. They gave back everything,” answered Johnny Jump- il . cr Gideon eyed the freed sport a little while. ‘‘T’'m going to talk to him,” said he.” ‘Play it cool, captain, If he suspects—” ee eee EL TTT ** Leave that to me, Johnny.” ** Look at his hands.” ‘‘ What about them?’ ** See how soft they appear. He’s one o’ those fellows who have a velvet grip, but who can kill with that grip all the same,” ** Like the Queen of Darkness, eh?” 5 Johnny Jumpup gave an involuntary shud- er. ‘No, not quite like her, There’s no grip just like bers. Dun Duff has claws under his velvet, and the time is likely to come when he will use them.” ‘* Here, Johnny?” ‘*T can say that, Nevada.” Gideon Goldbar left the cabin from whose window he had watched the quiet smoker against the shanty. Dun Duff saw him the instant the door open- ed, but he did not seem to take more than pass- ing notice of him, ‘Claws under the velvet. Look out!” rung in the ears of Mona’s sleuth as the door shut, and he walked toward the man on parole, It was the firs§ time these two men, so well matchea physically, had stood fairly face to face in Satan City. Fate seemed to have brought them together but if the truth had been known then fate would not have received all the credit. Did Dun Duff know that he was being ap- praca by a man who had followed him from acramento with as determined a purpose as ever actuated a trailer of human prey! Was he aware that Gideon Goldbar was Captain Velvet whose triumphs were common talk over the length and breadth of the wild West and the Pacific coast?” If he was a man holding a secret worth mil- lions he was running a foolish risk among the banded men of No Man’s Ground, and the gold- tramps of California. Perhaps the custody of the secret had brought him to Satan City, or he may have sought the wild out-of-the-way place to escape the trailer, Who could tell? He smoked with no traces of excitement as Gideon Goldbar came up, and as the detective stopped in front of him he touched his hat brim looking Dun Duff pleasantly in the eye, ‘** Captain Duff?” said Gideon, ‘** Captain Goldbar?’ was the response, ‘‘T am glad to see you,” continued the late prisoner holding out his hand which the detec- tive found to agree with Johnny Jumpup’s esti- mate ‘* as soft as velvet,” “They did not bold you long,” observed Gideon. ‘“Hold me? Pish! They knew they could not. But won’t you go in?” Dun Du® pushed open the door at his elbow ane Gideon saw the outlines of two stools and a able. Acknowledging the invitation with a bow he stepped inside and was followed by the man on whose trail he was. ‘** What do they say?” asked the voice of Dun Duff, as be shut the door and leaned against the table folding his arms coolly. ‘* There’s a diversity of opinion.” ‘Ah! Asif all those fools out there could be of one mind,” was the laughing pelea ** Do they still cling to the idea that I did it?” ‘* The Goths are inclined to think so.” ‘* What do you think?’ Gideon smiled. ‘' That’s pretty ai a Captain Duff?” ** Pm a bluff fellow,” ‘¢ Well, then, I don’t agree with the Goths,” 46 No?” ‘Tt is true.” ‘*T took you for a fair-minded gentleman and I see that [ am not mistaken.” He studied Gideon for a moment as he could see him in the evening light which came in at the window through four paves of glass which had not been washed for many a day. ‘“Why, [ never saw Nicol Macbeth—I be- lieve that was his name—till I looked at him lying dead under the tree out there, Why would [ kill him? I did not invade No Man's Ground to take human life unless—” He paused and let a smile appear at the corners of his mouth, ‘*Unless they press Dun Duff too far,” he finished. _ Beside the smile there was a malicious twinkle in his eve which Gideon Goldbar could not help BO while he looked at him from the wooden stool, ‘‘ They say that they cannot try a man with- out the prosecuting witness, and that person, in yous case, is Captain Nevada,” resumed the de- ve, A good deal hinges on Boss ‘* Boss Nevada, the lunatic, eh?” “* Yea.” ** They get out of a foolish snap in that man- ner do they?” ejaculated Duff. ‘‘I like to see them wriggle,” and be let out one of his sleek laughs again. ‘See here, Captain Goldbar. You’ve traveled some?” ‘A trifle,” bowed Gideon. ““Then, you know mankind pretty well. It’s the same the world over, Out yonder staad a lot of fellows who would like to play tiger, but ’ ¥ fehtens dee NS Ee oe. ux = q 4 who haven't the courage ofacats. I could walk into Shasta Sam’s and call ’em all up at my ex- pense. Pish!” it was his old word again and he seemed to take great delight in pronouncing it, ‘‘The pards of Satan City are no better no braver than the pards of Rotten Gulch or Bob- tail Bluffs. As to the Goths—thuse fifty tramps who came in expecting to get rich at one swoop in No Man’s Ground—there isn’t one man o’ nerve among the whole lot, Their time was when Boss Nevada, ppc, by the corpse of their pard Macbeth, covered me dramatically with his finger and said: ‘There’s the man! They lost their chance when they let it pass,” ‘* Men lose their heads in a moment,” remark- ed Gideon, who was impressed by the coolness— it could not be called bluster—of this remarkaby man. “Yes, and some of them are thinking that I ought to thank them for carrying my head on my shoulders at this moment, I thank nobody. At no time wasI in the shadow of the noose. But let us talk. How is Boss Nevada?” ‘*He was asleep awhile ago,” **Mad yet, eh?” ‘Mad, but apparently a trifle better.” ‘*T have heard that he raves about a Queen of Darkness,” ** He does,” ‘* Are his sentences connected?” es No.” Dun Duff seemed to reflect for a moment, “T haven’t been inquisitive for that isn’t my nature,” he went on, ‘* The man who kept me company in the cabin before they let me ont on ‘parole’ as they call it, mentioned that Cap- tain Nevada is absolute here. Do you know any- thing about that?” ‘*] believe he is alcalde, master, and captain, all in one.” ‘* Where did he come from?” The detective was forced to shake his head in the negative. ‘Dos he look like a man from the far South?” ‘*T never studied him closely.” ‘*Does he strike you as being a native Californian?” ‘** Not quite that.” “Right you are, Captain Goldbar,” and Dun Duff showed his teeth in a grin, ‘‘ This man Nevada is not a Californian. I say for bim that he is the very person to lord it over a lot of men like the citizens of No Man’s Ground,” ‘*Then you know something about bim?” The folded arms parted and dropped to Dun Duff's sides. ‘*T know of him,” he answered slowly. ‘TI know of a good many men. Begging your par- don, I may say that I have heard of Gideon Goldbar before to-night,” It was next to impossible for the detective not to start at this announcement, ‘* That is not strange,” be rerieg in light vein. ‘* Men of our stamp, Captain Duff, could hardly keep off of each other’s path all our lives,” It was well said and produced a little laugh by the man who listened, ‘‘ Of our stamp? That will do,” smiled Duff. ‘‘- Yes, Captain Goldbar, you have crossed my path, Twice,” ‘*Twice?”’ was the echo. “You have forgotten. Five years ago a man lost a stirrup in Monte Cristo Canyon, and one year later, to the very day almost, the same gentleman had it restored to him,” The detective was almost staring at the man who thought he was refreshing his memory, “ Ts it not so, Captain Goldbar?” “Tt is true, but, are you the person who found and restored the stirrup?” _ ‘One of my men found it. J sent it back. You see a man needs a good memory sometimes, and especially in this country. ill you go over to Sam’s with me? I want to see these Goths and Vandals by lamplight.” ‘*T did not join you for that, but—” ‘‘T will not insist. Keep me company here and let the gold scum of No Man’s Ground fight it out among themselves,” Which was done, What passed thereafter between the two men thus brought face to face to become the princi- pal actors in a wild drama in the land of gold is of no interest to the reader, An hour passed before Gideon Goldbar took his leave. “To-morrow the Goths are to be shown No Man’s Ground as the guests of Satan City,” ob- served Dun Duff as they were about to separate, “f wonder if there is among them one fool enough to think that it will be a square deal,” The detective touched his bat again and walked away. If he could have looked throngh the door, he would have seen Dun Duff make a mock obeisance nearly to the floor and perhaps heard these words: : ‘*T’m an old bird, captain. Ha! ha! ha!” CHAPTER XX. DEATH LOTS. OpaL was compelled to report that Lola, could not be found. She did not inform the mad boss that the eg ee gee was that — oan Py. 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