Diamond Dick, Jr.'s Call Down; or, The King of the Silver Box — page 16: what you’re looking at

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14 the Don's wrists. ‘*Felipe Ortego, I arrest you in the name of the United States. ? DIAMOND DICK LIBRARY. The man advanced and snapped a pair of handcuffs on Ney 175. ei a most ingenious manner and had succeeded in concealing himself in a load of potatoes and was driven out of the penitentiary inclosure. . Vigorous efforts were put forth to capture the escaped ‘For counterfeiting?’’ queried the gambler, sneeringly. ‘convict, but even while the search was going forward 4 Yous, v? ‘“rhis is an outrage! against me!’ ‘‘Haven't we?’’ queried Summers, with a laugh. here!”’ As he spoke he drew into sight a package of twenty- dollar bills that looked as though they had just had a bath. ‘‘Where did you get those? I never saw them before.”’ ‘“‘Nonsense! Both of my men, as well as myself, can swear that you threw those into the creek while we were chasing you. I stopped to get them, and that is what put us so far behind in the race.”’ ‘*You will havea hard time proving your case on me, Summers.”’ ‘‘That remains to be seen,’’ replied the officer. Then he turned to Bertie. ‘‘Diamond Dick, Jr., allow me to tender you my thanks for the timely assistance given my by yourself. But for that skillful shot, it is possible that Ortego would have escaped. ”’ ‘‘There’s no doubt of it,’’ replied the gambler. ‘‘Dia- mond Dick, Jr., Ihave something else to lay up against 99 You have nota particle of proof ‘‘ Look ‘What d’ye think now about this country not being big enough fer you an’ Diming Dick, Jr.?’’ asked Handsome Harry. ‘I'm not saying a word,’’ returned the gambler. ‘“‘Think ye’ll copper every dodge that Little Thunder- bolt plays, do you?”’ The Don said nothing, but a fierce look passed over his face. ‘‘Knough, Harry!’ said. Bertie. he’s down.”’ ‘‘Have you got an extra horse, Summers?’’ asked Hand- some Harry. “No; why?”’ ‘‘We’ve got a prisoner on t’other side of the hill.’’ ‘‘Who,is he?”’ ‘‘Bolivar—one of the Don’s men.”’’ ; ‘“‘Good! Bring him over. We can load the two prisoners on the Don’s horse.”’ ’ When Bertie and Handsome Harry went after Bolivar, however, they found he had disappeared. “Probably Hankins came back an’ helped him ter git away,’’ suggested the Californian. ; “In that event,’’ replied Bertie, ‘‘they can’t be far away, and we’ll skirmish around and see if we can find them.”’ The outlaws had made good their escape, however, and after a short search Bertie and Handsome Harry returned to Summers and his men and reported what had happened. ‘“‘Well,’? replied the officer, ‘‘Bolivar, Hankins, and Larkin will be run down sooner or later. Their time will come. How are you and Handsome Harry going to get back to town, Mr. Wade?’’ . ‘‘Hoof it,’’? said Handsome Harry. ‘‘Keep your eye on the Don,’’ warned Bertie; ‘‘he’s as slippery as an eel, and you can’t count on having him until you get him behind the walls of the penitentiary.’’ ‘¢And not then,’’ replied the Don, grimly. Bertie had occasion afterward to remember the gam- bler’s words. * * ‘‘Don’t hit a man when * * * * The finding of the package of counterfeit notes, thrown away by the Don in his flight, supplemented with the evi- dence of Bertie and Handsome Harry regarding the sup- posed ‘‘assay’’ office, conspired to fasten the Don’s crime tirmly upon him. From Cripple Creek he was taken to Denver and was there tried before the United States court and sentenced to the penitentiary. . Ortego fought his case well, but the evidence against him was too strong. iDiamond Dick, Jr., received a letter from Evans, the cashier, stating that Miss Bicknell had been relieved of her diamonds and that it was no less a personage than the Don who had sfolen them. ‘* hat feller’s a corker with a big K,’’ remarked Hand- some Harry, when he heard of the gambler’s escape. ‘‘He’s a clever villain,’’ returned Diamond Dick, Jr., ‘for he never would have attempted to rob Miss Bicknell of her diamonds at this particular time. There’s one thing about all this that I can’t understand.”’ ‘“What’s that?’’ ‘‘Why does the Don want those stones?”’ ‘‘For the money thar is in ’em, I reckon.”’ ‘ ‘‘T don’t think that is his object.”’ ‘IT don’t see how he could have any other object, me son.’”’ ‘‘He runs such great risks to secure the gems that it seems to me he must want them for something else be- sides their intrinsic value. See how he attempted to secure hae i them the first time. ’”’ ‘*By usin’ Evans as a tool?’’ ¢é Yes. > i] ‘It was rather.a cute thing fer the Don to win a jack- pot fer Evans an’ then make him do his dirty work.”’ ‘‘No one but a man with a desperate purpose would have attempted such athing. You can gamble on one thing, Harry.’”’ ‘*What’s that?”’ e ‘“‘Why, that you and I have not yet seen the last of the on.”’ ‘*Are ye thinkin’ of runnin’ him down?’’ ‘‘T may have to do it in self-defense if the Don does as I believe he intends doing.”’ © ‘*T don’t sabe that, me son.”’ ‘“You remember how the Don passed himself off for me in the Lost Pocket when he scattered those bogus twenty- dollar bills?”’ 66 Yes. 29 ‘‘Perhaps you can also remember that he nearly got me Anto a peck of trouble.”’ ‘‘T remember it distinctly. ”’ . “Well, I believe that the Don intends to continue imper- sonating me while committing his acts of deviltry. It may be that he was passing under the name of Diamond Dick, Jr., when he stole those diamonds of Miss Bicknell. I shall await the details of that robbery with considerable curiosity. ’’ ‘‘An’ if he is palmin’ himself off fer you——”’ ‘‘The only thing left for mé todo is to bring him te book in as short order as possible.’’ ‘‘That’s the talk!’ exclaimed Handsome Harry. comes to that, I’ll have a hand in the deal myself.’’ As it turned out, Diamond Dick, Jr.’s fears regarding the Don’s actions were realized. The youth at once allied himself with officers of the law and started upon his task of hunting down the King of the Silver Box. . He underwent some strange experiences, but their narration must be made the theme for another story “Tf is | Which will be told in a future issue of this library under the title of, ‘Diamond Diak, Jr.’s Snap-Shot; Or, The Ten-Strike at the Tame Tiger.”’ (THE END.) ‘‘PAWNEE BILL AT WORK FOR UNCLE Sam: or, ON TH A week after his incarceration Diamond Dick, Jr., was Trait WitH SporTep TaiL,” by E. W. Wheeler, will be ‘startled bv headlines in the daily papers which announced published in the next number (176) of the DiaMoNnp Dicg the gambler’s escape. Ortego had outwitted the guards in LiBprary. 2 DNOOKS. ECO (SO) (C