Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 533 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

——~—=w _——~ ——— eee - —— ———————— ~ Oregon, the Sport with a Scar. Box that was playing a strong hand against the Norths; and the apparent recklessness with which they stocked the cards made her believe that there must be heavy backing somewhere, As a stranger in the town she hardly knew which way to turn for assistance—if she had only had a trail to follow she would not proba- bly have sought for any. She bad confidence in Solid Sam. He was rough—rougher in some respects than Oregon— but thera was a straight, up-and-down method about him that made her believe he would not be anything but an open foe, Plots and plotting did not belong to his nature, But Ryan had disappeared, and her cautious inquiries brought no answer as to where he had gone to, (f he could not be found the next thing was to look for his friends; and even in that she moved carefully, She might have been puzzled if it had not been for as~nall boy. The tribe is uni- versally useful in carrying information, and this specimen happened to be a regular mine of it. ‘*Who’s Solid Sam’s pard? Well, I reckon it’s Ben Gunn you're lookin’ for; and if you can’t find him, why keep your eyes open fer Lanty McGuire, I seen him loafin’ 'round Jim- my Bower’s about all mornin’, Tell you, pard, there’s been some high old times ’round there, and Brace Box is goin’ to clean *’em out to- night,” ‘¢ Thanks, my friend; but I’m not looking for any one very bard, I heard so much about him and the hand he took in regulating the town, if I wondered whether he had a cruwd behind 1m. ‘*He’s his own crowd, pretty much, but you can most often find Ben and Lanty around the outskirts. Solong! I must hustle ’round and hear the news,” Young importance moved away just when May was thinking how she could get rid of him. ‘* Blessings on the boys,” she thought, “ They put on heaps of size sometimes, but if you treat them right you can trust them every time, I wonder if I can say as much for Lanty McGuire when I find him.” There was no trouble in finding Lanty. He was unobtrusively lounging around Jimmy’s, talking ‘ just about as freely as usual, and in no way ap- pearing to have any especial care on his mind, All the time, however, he was keeping a keen lookout for what was going on. Merry May would not have deceived him even if he had not received a hint from Sam. He knew that she was after information at ber first word. ** Yes, miss, I do that same, fur'Sam tould me just where he was after goin’, and if I could let ou know where he was I’d be jumpin’ wid joy. ut it’s out of town that he is, and f was to kape an eye out tell be and Gunn got back. By the same token he said you’d most loike come prow- lin’ ‘round, and I should let you have all that was in the shop.” Lanty spoke with brogue enough to show he was an Irishman, but for the most part had be- come fairly Americanized, His voice was pitched ina key a ear deal milder than the one he gen- erally delighted in, and he was careful to see that no outsider was near enough to overhear the conversation. ** There’s wong, bs be trouble about that young man in there, Ryan knows, and so do i that he’s innocent; but when a mob gets up it’s not much use to argue until their fling is over. Sam ought to be here,” ** Thrue for you, miss, an that’s just what the solid man thinks. The best way to sit down on ’em is to show the corpus, alive and kickin’, Tbat’s what he’s after now, and if they give him toime he’ll bring her.” ‘* Then be has found a clew—and a better one than that crowd of hoodlums came across at Blindman’s Gulch, Of course I don’t take much stock in that nonsense about her having been thrown down the shaft,” ‘* But they found her shoes and socks?” retorted Lanty, interrogatively. “That may be, thoughI haven’t seen them yet to swear to. But there’s nobody knows that she was in them when they came tothe gulch, The shoes might have gone one way and she gone the other.” ‘** Mit it big, miss, on the foorst turn. Sam, he’s onto some one that left the nayborhood ay the shanty up the gulch. Heand Ben tuk to the mountains and left me to kape an oye on what’s going on. Better kape out av tbe way and let Sam run the menadgery.” ‘“Thanks! I hope he will be back in time, I don’t like the looks of things. The town isin a ferment, and there is a little army already in the hills. If they don’t find her, there will be trouble, Better look up your friends, and if you need money to get them to work on the side of law and order, draw on me.” “ All rigbt, miss; you'll find us all around, and if it comes to a foight, a hard one it will be; but we want to make them show their hand. And you look out for yourself. If they haven't killed you, it’s not their fault. They set the game, but it didn’t go their way.” ‘Thanks for the warning, but they can hardl harm a woman by daylight, and after dark rit keep my eyes open, Did Sam say anything | about Oregon? He went off on a likely trail last night, and hasn’t turned up yet. I’m afraid something has happened to him.” ** Niver a word: The young man seemed to be of age, and ought to be able to take care of himself, but I'll see if anything can be done for him, Just tell me where you saw him last, and where he was going. We've talked tuo long as it is,” Very briefly she answered, and then added: ‘*See here, McGuire. Solid Sam’s out of town, Charley Coldcard is out of town, Oregon is missing, and I don’t hear anything of Colonel | Rollins. Has anything happened to him? With all the chiefs away, it’s a mighty good time for the rats to play.” ‘Thar ain’t but one chief left in town, an’ that’s leetle, teeny, teenty Paul Morrison! Ef yer wants a chief, you’d better see him. He, be, he!” Coming from they knew not where, and not seen until he spoke, Chestnut Chink stood at Merry May’s shoulder, and threw in his bit of advice. He looked a little the worse for the ad- ventures of the preceding night, since his cloth- ing bad some extra tears, and there was a patch of black court-plaster above his left eye that hightened the pallor of his face by contrast. ‘“Av ye want a chief, there’s Mister Chink himself. Ye can hould swate converse with him, I must be going.” Lanty winked with the eye furthest from Chestnut, bowed grandly, and left May to fol- low his suggestion or not, as it seemed best to her. She looked at Chestnut quite gravely. ‘*T interviewed Paul Morrison and his wife last night, and it struck me they were frauds. Some singular things happened afterward, in which you were more or less concerned, Brace | Box may be principally occupied by thieves and cut-throats, but there are some honest people in it, and I suspect if I told them the facts as they occurred, they might go visiting up the gulch and hang. yop on the same tree; still, if you lead the way, 1 wouldn’t mind going along. If they can’t tell what has become of the Sport with a Scar, I don’t know who can.” ** Paul Morrison kin tell most anythin’—if you only b’lieve him. I’m goin’ that way now; ef yer wants ter ketch on, ketch.” Merry May had spoken without thought, but she was not thesort of person to back down from a square proposal after she bad once made one, though she began to suspect that this ac- ceptance of Chestnut’s had something behind it. She walked slowly by his side, talking as they went. When she had asked half a dozen ques- tions in regard to the trouble at his dug-out the night before, and digested his answers, she was more in the dark than ever about Chink. Cer- tain she was that some one had made a mistake. Whether it was Oregon, herself, or the world at © was more than she could tell. ey reached the Morrison cabin at last, at- tracting no attention on the te By daylight the cabin looked larger than at night, though Merry May could not help but note what a deceiving place it was in looks, Chestnut knocked at the door two or three times without hearing any answer. They had turned to go away, when May heard a voice that she recognized as belonging to Paul Mor- rison himself. She had not seen him at Brace Box, though he was coming straight from there. ‘He bowed politely, raised his hat, and said: ‘* T believe you are acquainted with the inside of our cabin, so that I have no hesitancy in ad- mitting you; but unless you can vouch for this gentleman as Pu friend, I should prefer not to admit him. e can wait for you outside, and I would advise bim not to be caught listening at the window.” There was some change in the manner of the man since the night before, May noticed, also, that, like Chestnut Chink, his head was lightly bandaged. Probably it was no mistake when she thought she saw him stricken down, Chestnut did not appear at all offended. He gave his familiar giggle, put his bands in bis pockets, shrugged his shoulders, and moved away. ‘“*A dangerous young man,” said Morrison gravely as he turned the key in the door, and motioned Merry May to enter. “It is as well to beware of him. Now tell the old man what it is that you want him todofor you. Helen is not here; but so far as possible I will take her place. I was mistaken in you last night, but that was the fault of the young villain we left outside. And Helen was never deceived. We bear you noill will for doing what you could for your friend. Yet it might have been better for you both if she had come herself. It might, at least, have saved some uneasiness on your agahe and the necessity for some desperate work. ‘Perhaps; but it’s too late to worry about that now. Miss North has disappeared and her cousin is in a fair way to be the victim of Judge Lynch. Moreover, a man known, only as Oregon, who was engaged by them as a guide through these regions, has also van- ished. [ seem to be the only friend they have, though almost 4 stranger, and I ought to be Se ee ‘*My dear child, we are doivg all we can, Helen and I, The thing came upon us so suddenly that for the present the advantage is with the outlaws; but I assure you, in strict confidence, that for the future it will not be so. After you left us last night we began to arrange matters. We have a few friends, and though we be few and the villains be many I think I can promise that they will be check- mated, Helen is even now prefecting arrange- ments for the rescue of Miss North, who, I may say of a certainty, is in the hands of Gadley’s Gang. But, my dear young lady! What is the matter? You look—let me get you a glass of water.” “You treacherous brute!” muttered Merry May, feeling for her derringers, while her face grew ghastly pale. ‘“You have drugged me, somehow between you, but Ill get even yet.” She talked slower and lower. Before she couli draw her weapons strength had left her, A few moments more, and she lay motionless in the arms of Paul Morrison, — oe CHAPTER XXYV., THE TROUBLE WITH SAM, Soi SAM had not the slightest intention of deserting Neville, when by chance he met Lanty McGuire and told bim he was going out of town, He dropped to a stranger leaving the vicinity of the house up the gulch, and was satisfied that he was worth the following if he went out of town without stoppirg anywhere else, Very carefully Ryan shadowed the young man, keeping Gunn still further in the back- ground, though ready to close up at a moment’s notice. Of course they might have made an attempt to capture the stranger in the first place; but, thongh he bad a strong idea that he was a con- federate of the kidnappers, unless he could be scared into a confession, he could not see that bis immediate capture would assist Neville North, He might not talk at all; and proof that would conyince himself, would be worth very little with the crowd, ignorant as it must be of the proceeding of the night before, Te seems like blamed r policy ter let him go streaking off like that,” thought Sam to him- self, ‘‘an’ mebbe I’)] trip an’ git a stumble, but if L kin hold my own till he gits thar, Vl] bet three apples toa green gooseberry that he takes me to ther young lady herself, an’ that’s what I’m after.” The man seemed to have no suspicion of being followed, or if he had, it gave bim no trouble. Either by luck or care he left Brace Box with- out attracting the attention or meeting any one else. To avoid being seen by him, Sam _ took some chances of losing him, but every time it turned out that the risk had been a safe one, for he struck the trail again without any difficulty, For some miles the man followed the regular road, never once looking back, or manifesting the least uneasiness, He strode along like a ood pedestrian who has a long walk before im, and Ryan at last began to think that per- haps he had made a mistake, It would not be so easy to overhaul his game as it wouid have been in town,and he was evidently in for a longer walk than he had expected. Suddenly the man turned off from the trail. He did not go in haste, or show that he had at all altered bis plans, yet it was possible that he had halted to take a look to his rear. Sam and his pard crouched down a moment till they could take in the lay of the land and decide what was best to be done, ‘* Fooled, by mighty!” muttered Sam, while Ben held up his hand, _ They heard hoof strokes stretching away ata hard gallop. A horse had been concealed gsome- where in the bushes and the man was off and away, ‘** He seems ter foller some sort of a trail, Ev we've lost bim I'll bet a dollar he’s left a p’inter, We'll go along a piece. We may get onto more ner we expected, An’ we needn't be too keer- ful fura bit. Ef he don’t stop we ain’t goin’ ter ketch him, you bet.” They never would have suspected the existence of this trail if they had not been led into it. When they bad gone a few rods off of the main road it led on upward as far as they could see; still the man they were after was not in sight, though they could still hear the distant fall of boofs. After ten minutes of solid walk- ine they came to where another path branched off. Of course neither was traveled like the main road, but there were plenty of marks to show that it was traveled from time to time. The branch path led between hills, first rising and then falling. They followed it for what seemed to be a long while, “T b’lieve we're gettin’ hot,” said Sam, as they looked down in the lttle valley, and saw what seemed to be the top of a dug-out, so hid- den in the bank that it would have escaped any but very careful eyes. ‘Most too easy ter find, pard. Might be a sort er stoppin’-place, an’ he may be in thar doing something for them. Can you help me?” ' holdin’ a palaver with some one; but, they Pat | = comicboo 21 €om : . u < S-€ ve ay =o