Jack and His Seven Foes — page 142: what you’re looking at

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

ve > aN Fes ae ‘ Sa fe eg +. « 1 we aoe * « * ¢ oa Ce ay eg ee * 7 ure ~ ‘debauch that followed generally passed away the Sunday. When it came to the turn of the Swaggerer and his companions, they had very high jinks indeed. Everybody got drunk cunning Tom Jordan. He was always sober. His share of the mine was half the _ profits, for he had discovered it; the rest, _ when the wages were paid, was divided ~ among the shareholders. _ Even they grew rapidly rich, and Tom Jordan's share was immense. . the except - _——_ a No wonder that he was called and ~ considered himself the Silver Kung. But on the day when the trio became shareholders he had a rude awakening. The “boys” were all merry, drink had not yet made them quarrelsome, and they were singing, swearing eternal friendship, and in a general way going _ through the scale of drunken friend- ship. And who so sweet and friendly as the Swagegerer? who so bluff and hearty as the Settler ? and who so quietly agree- able as the Panther? “You are three good fellows,” said Tom Jordan, when he had got them a little apart from the rest, “and I like _ you—only you are so precious soft.” | “Soft, are we?” said the Swaggerer, with a drunken wink, and the Settler _ swore that he was as wicked as Satan himself. “J don't see it,” said Jordan, shaking his head. | | lt was his way to get hold of men in _ their cups, and wheedle the secret of _ their lives out of them. | Interesting facts they disclosed might _ one day become useful. _ “Ah, you don’t know,” said the _ Swagcerer, with a wink. The Panther nudged him. He was examination. “Wha asked the Swaggerer. | “A drink,’ quickly pet in Tom _ Jordan, as he forced a glass of spirits ¥ he Panther’s hand. “ Drinl 7 oa the Panthers hand. rink, my _ Jad, you are one of the company to-day, and ought to wet the occasion.” _ The Panther drank, and all his caution was gone. He, too, fell into the trap, Sree MILA Hs oer aS JACK AND HIS — 2 eee |. thought. not so drunk as the rest, and had a dim | idea of the nature of Tom Jordan’s | | bit of brag ; do you want, Panther?” | a he a = » = "y 7 = er sNews ; TN oe it . ; i i we j RS a | yy, : 1s 5 wth ca ‘ pt al SEVEN FOES. and was the first to let out anything of tbe past. ‘“« Didn’t you call us soft? ”’ he asked. “T did,” said Jordan ; “ precious soft.” The Panther steadied himself with one hand upon the table, and laid the other on Jordan’s shoulder. “ You are a darned fool,” he said. “T don’t think that,” replied Jordan, with an air of simplicity. “I’m not mighty cute, but I ain’t a fool.” “You must be,” said the Panther, with a savage laugh, “to think that we are soft. Why, man, we’ve done—what haven't we done, Swageerer ? ”’ “Hverything,’’ replied the Swaggerer,, unsteadily hghting a cigar. “We have dyed hands,” said the Panther, holding them up, ‘aye, and bodies, too; we are dyed with blood from head to foot.”’ “So,” said Jordan, with a nod. “Jt is so,’ replied the Panther, with a sneer. ‘Soft, indeed! I wonder who settled the captain of the ‘Albatross’? Who—” “Stop a minute,” interposed the Swaggerer ; “‘ you give such a poor out-- line of a story. Let me tell it.” And then, with drunken exultation, he told Tom Jordan how he had “‘ settled the business’? of Captain Boldheart, and drowned his youngest son, and sent: the eldest adrift upon the sea. | But he did not say anything about Jack having escaped, and carried out such terrible vengeance on four members of the band. He left Tom Jordan to infer that Jack had died also. “That's a very pretty story,’ said Tom Jordan, earnestly, “a very pretty story. You ain’t quite so soft as I Now, what’s your story?” turning to the Settler. ‘I hope you have something good for me.” “T think go,” said the Settler, who had been burning to give vent to his “Just listen.” But Tom Jordan did not listen to his _ story that day, for as the Settler opened his lips, a tall, grey-headed, wiry man, in the costume ot a hunter, came into the shanty, and joined the group. “ Hullo, Ralph! back again?” eried Jordan. “Yes; I’m making round this way Qo 43 for deer,” replied Ralph; ‘seen any ¢ CORNIECLOO (C =) (E©)