Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 533 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

ema ' Oiegon, the Sport with a Scar. ee eee eee + 3 going to come; but that he had got himself in for it, whatever it might be. ‘*Reckon you’re a stranger, wantin’ ter seo what’s what in Brace Box, but not jest prezactly keerin’ ter go it alone?” ** You’ve hit it off nice, the first throw,” was Neville’s pons answer to the question of Solid Sam. ‘I came to have a look at the camp, and I can’t see much of what it’s like promenading the streets by daylight. If I like the place I may put some money in the town; at the same time [ don’t want to pay too much for the chance to make up my mind on its merits.” “All right! lf you’ve nothing much to do we'll show yer ’round, a bit. We'll see, first, what’s goin’ on in the Bower,” ‘** Smoking allowed there, eh?” ‘*Solid Sam’s allowed, an’ ther rest don’t count. Guess we ain’t goin’ ter throw away cabbage leaves like them,” Without more ado he led the way behind the curtain, the rest races gg, ok bs nt anty McGuire, “TI ‘* Bedad,” whispered Solid Sam says praties is peas who’s goin’ ter say they ain’t? He’d wrack ther room fur less than that,” North’s mind was set at ease, however, by see- ing that half a dozen occupants of theroom were smoking pipes, and that no notice was taken of them Certainly, things were moving along in the Bower, Half a dozen card tables were going, with from two to six players at each; while, at the further end of the room, a dozen men were buck- ing against a large sized and very ferocious tiger that Billy kept for his own profit and the amusement of his visitors, ‘* Bank wins again,” howled one disconsolate man, as he saw his last dollar swept away with the same calm smile that the dealer wore when, a moment before, he gathered in a hundred. ** Bank allers wins when I buck it. Never see’d ther lucky cusses ez wins ter even things up an’ make ther gen’ral ay’ridge even.” ‘**Ob, come now, Charley, bank don’t always win, It’s a kina of see-saw arrangement, One minute the bank’s ’way ahead, but, when the evening’s over you don’t see its pile of chips much bigger than when it started. We do sometimes take a big pot from one man; but then we always sling if around among a dozen, Why, it wasn’t three weeks ago that you were just a ’hoopin’ over the way you cleaned us up, Try it ag’in and see if they don’t come your way.” This from the dealer, who was correct in his last statement. The grumbling player had broken the bank a little time ago, though he seemed to have forgotten all about it, He shook his head, with a grow), ‘*Thankee! I don’t bite worth a cent. If I wanted to I couldn’t. Havn’t gota dime and won't have till the next clean-up. Good thing I haven't, too. Don’t want ter lose another at yer’ blamed old table.” _ Neville North stood right at the grumbler’s elbow. As the man moved aside he slipped into his place, There were ten dollars’ worth of chips in his hand, and he turned enough to see Solid Sam as hesaid with a laugh: ‘‘ Look out for me, pard—it’s halves,” ‘¢6Goin an’ win!” was the reply. ‘‘Tll see r through.” y"The brief conversation called attention to North about as much as if he had jumped on the table, and shouted that he was a chief, It said that whether he was Ryap’s friend or victim he was the wrong man to meddle with just then. The dealer ioekedl him over as he put down a dollar on the queen, and thought at the ordi- nary rate of progress from such a beginning it would be some time before his coin would re- quire much attention. When the bets were made he pulled three turns in slow succession before the gentle lady appeared on Neville North’s side, and he was richer by a dollar, ‘“‘Tll stay by her, I suppose. It’s a shame to throw a lady over as long as she smiles at you, and I know she’s struck on me, bad. My luck is running high.” ( re he Sele he pushed over to the painted. damsel four more of his checks, in addition to the two that were already lying there. It seemed as though he was not far wrong about his vein. The queen smiled on him once more, just before the last turn. : Then he gathered up his checks and shook his head as the dealer looked at him inquiringly. ‘*No, thanks! It takes four big brains all rolled into one to try and call the turn—and then not get within a mile of it, Tl stay out till the next time.” _ The next deal Neville put all of his chips ex- cept one on the ace, and put a copper on the top. f It stands to reason a man can’t win every time, and I may as well be getting ready to ” “Tf that’s what you call losing, I’d like to know what show the bank’s going to have?” ‘¢ All it can get on a square deal and a reason- able limit. And, by the way, I didn’t ask what the flyer was. Something liberal, I suppose?” ‘Two hundred and fifty is the usual thing. Just now I don’t know whether we ought to cut it down to ten, or let it run widaopen. Depends on how yow’re going to bet. That shoestring of yours is beginning to string out,” The tone of the dealer was sarcastic, but it didn’t trouble North a particle. He watched bis little pile of chips with just a shade more than ordinary interest, and let the dealer have the cards to himself, ‘* Ace wins,” ** Ace loses,” ** Split, py thunder!” ‘*He must know the cards by name, and sleep under the table at night,” Quite a number were watching the youn man’s game, and the remarks were audible a around, though there was nothing he could take offense at, nor did he show any signs of being troubled. On the contrary, he settled down as though he was just beginning to enjoy the ame. ‘** Hit ’em ag’in, an’ hit’em hard,” whispered Solid Sam. ‘*‘Tommy’s scared, and he knows my mouth’s set fer a square deal. If you've got any luck to back yer judgment, we'll make ’em put up ther shutters afore ther night’s half over.” ‘What I was thinking, pard. Get me a couple hundreds in chips and we’ll begin to climb,” Without hesitation, and just as though it was a matter of couse, he handed his pocketbook to Ryan, meantime removing the copper that had been on his checks on the ace, backing the card straight to win, Slowly Tommy pulled the cards, but in its own good time came the ace in the door, and that for the player’s side. It began to look like fate. And then came the sound of a wild hubbub— voices, pistol-shots, feet hurrying to and fro in the outer room, toward which every man around the table turned, ‘* Hold hard, all of you!” shouted the dealer, “* It’s just some fool horse-play of the boys, and wi | be over in a minute.” All the same, he had his revolver out, and was looking keenly at the curtain, while a couple of his heelers, with their weapons drawn, as anx- iously watched the table, Then, with a perfectly marvelous celerity, every lightin the room went out, and in the black darkness that followed, North felt an arm of iron lock around his neck, in a bug that speedily produced insersibility. CHAPTER III. A MISSING MAN, WHEN Oregon had eppas through the outer doorway of the Bower, he found out, for the first time, that the place was enveloped in dark- ness, [t made the situation a dozen times more tick- lish for a comparative stranger, The Irish- man’s receipt for a PLOnes course of action in a row was known well enough to the sport with a scar, but it did not here apply. It was all right to tella man to hit the first head he saw; but though there were heads enough within reach, not one of them could be seen, There was a momentary deadlock, until Billy, or some of his acy olin could throw a light on the sub- jec No one cared to strike a match. That would make that particular striker visi- ble, and leave the balance of the Bower as dark as ever, The silence that followed the extinguishing of the ligbts could not last long. It was broken by a cry from the further room: ‘Bring a lizhc quick, Billy! They’ve left us out in the dark, an’ by ther heavens! they’re tryin’ ter tap ther bank.” here was one thing about Billy’s house that explained, when known, the feasibility of plunging the whole place in darkness. It was ighted by a gas made on the premises from gas oline. Ordinarily it gave a better light t either kerosene or candles, When the darkness came, Billy knew exact] what was the matter, Some one had shut o the gas. Although he thought it was only a rough joke, he was in haste to turn it on again, letting the racket take care of itself. He found-the task more difficult than he had expected, but sncceeded in a time not balf as long as it seemed, It was fortunate that he was there, He knew low to go to work, while one of his cappers, who had started at the same time that he did, would bave taken half an hour to get ready, and then, in his excitement, might ave blown the whole place up. Leaving the subordinate on guard, Billy started’ out to illuminate, calling as he did so: ‘* Try the lights, somebody! And everybody shoot at the first man they see run. If this is more than a joke, there’ll be some dead meat on the floor.” ‘* Hyar’s a gerloot tryin’ to run now! I’ve got bim by the short hair, an’ I guess I kin hold It was Oregon that spoke. Just as Billy shouted his caution, some one made an effort to dart fur the door, and landed ight in the sport’s arms, * Hold him, then! He may only be a cotton- a" ° ~ a ~ is ¢ a ark, oe. 7 ‘ ; TPP FS tail; but we want a glimpse of him, any- ow. Now that it was understood that the burners were in order, half a dozeu matches were struc, god in an instant almost the place was as bLriglt as ever, with every one lookin curiously in the direction of the voice they had just heard, Billy gave a grow] of disappointed wrath and disgust, and rushed for the other room— matches in one hand and revolver in the other— while there was a chorus of laughter from the careless lips that would be ready to how] a mo- ment later. With his wrists gathered in one hand, his ankles in the other, Oregon was hold- ing the srnirming figure of Chestnut Chink, *That’s yer bloody bank robber!” rose the cry, though it was not hard to tell that it was al nate ‘* Where’s that rope Billy Lynch! Kerry him out an’s ridge-board! e’s ther blood b’in doin’ all this shootin’, meat lyin’ ’round loose!” In fact, there was no cold meat, nor were there any wounded in sight. Nearly every one thought the whole thing had been a joke, engineered by some of the sports who were will- ing to take the risk, Oregon gave a snort of sige and a toss to the squirming Chestnut. Without waiting to see where the lad landed, he pushed on into the ower, just as it was once more illuminated, ‘** There, too, there was a disposition to laugh. The conversation in the outer room had all drifted in, and as far as heard from, nobody had been seriously hurt out there; while at first glance everybody seemed to be standing around the table as when the light went out, Certainly, the funds of the bank remained untouched, for the dealer and his cappers stood over them with their revolvers in hand; and a very ridiculous figure they cut. ‘* All present an’ accounted fer,” smiled Tom- my Dodly. ‘* Not much of a frolic, after all.” He glanced keenly around, however, trying to discover if possible, in the faces he saw, some suspicious look, **Oh, we’re all byar, Tommy, an’ jist ez in- nercent ez spring Jam’s. You'll hev ter stir round in ther bar-room ter find who put up ther job; an’ Billy kin do that while you go on with ther deal,” | ‘You dry up on that nonsense, Tom Lowtly. Thar’s suthin’ rotten, after all, What I want ter know if, whar’s my pard ?” It was Solid Sam that was speaking, and he talked as though he meant business. **What’s got into you, Sam? Hyar’s yer ards, three er four ov ’em, all lyin’ ’round keeps fer Judge wing him to ther robber thet’s ook at ther cold ‘‘] mean Mr. North, ther young man ez I’ve bin standir’ behind him all ther time tell jest now, It’s blamed queer whar he went.” ‘*Got skeered an’ slipped, don’t yer think?” . ‘* He’d bardly hev slipped an’ left—but that’s no matter. Did arybody see him go?” ‘We didn’t see much of ary thing else, did we, Sam?’ ‘*Say, you, Jones! How did he git outer thar ’thout yer knowing when he went?” asked Ryan, without noticing the jest. ‘* McGuire, you and Gunn take a sharp look outside, There's a job of some kind put up, but I'd like ter know ef it’s on him, er me, Ef it’s on him—an’ [ generally claim ter know a. half white man when I see him—ef it ain’t too late, Pll see him over ther riffle. An’ ef it’s on me— Solid Sam gits even! Speak up, Jones! What do you know about ther racket?” Sam Ryan showed that he was in earnest, and Jones would have been very willing to explain if he had only knownhow, **"Pon my soul, Sam! All I know is he war thar when ther lights went out; an’ he warn’t thar when they war lit.” The mysterious is worse than the «ge The house had begun to understand that the disappearance of Neville North was singular If he had been found on the floor he would have been laid out in fashionable style, (for Brace Box,) and the game would have gone on, As he was not to be found at all the game be- came a matter of no importance, especially when Solid Sam was asking questions, with a shade of suspicion in his tone, 5 the The more questions asked the more inex- plicable it all appeared. Gunn and McGuire found not a trace of North outside, and a clamor of voices arose, ‘Jest one holy minnit,” interrupted Ryan. ‘**Can ary one tell me whar he hung out? ‘* Bower's,” suggested some one, | ‘‘ All right, You fellers kin rustle *round, an’ I'll go down thar an’ see ef he’s come in.” — As Solid Sam out, Oregon fell in be- hind him, following pretty closely until they were beyond ear-shot distance of the Bower, Then he ranged up alongside. . ** Guess you'll be willin’ ter count me in with er on this hyar search, North war my pard, lads an’ ef be hedn’t bin buntin’ me it’s ten ter six he'd never thort ov lookin’ at ther inside ov come in with me, nr re met te ee Billy’s. I think I Ol ther aye ole EComicbooks: