Beadle's Boys Library No. 54 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

a California Joe, the Mysterious Plainsman. but she'll shout ef she ever finds out he are | and seeing, him, at a glance took in the situa- what he be; but what is yer lookin’ fer?” ‘*T most ‘hev dropped my flask o’ speerit, as I comed up from whar I left my critter.” ‘Pl go an’ git it, Joe,” volunteered one,, only too anxious to get the opportunity to drink half of it, and fill it up with water. “Waal, my critter are dead beat, so I left ‘im in ther pine canyon. ‘““Ef it hain’t in my saddle pocket, Tom, I guesses I hev lost it.” Tom started off rapidly in search of the treasured ‘‘speerit,” and hardly had he gotten out of sight before Joe said: ‘“ Maybe I hev a leetle drop in ther old jug, Jim, se let’s see.” Jim followed him into the cabin, to suddenly find his throat in an iron grasp, and to see a revolver shoved into his face. '« @it down on yer knees, Jim, fer I intends ter tie yer.” ‘Don’t kill mo, Joe,” whined the wretch, as the held on his throat was released. ~“T don’t want ter sile iy hands with yer, but I does intend ter keep yer from doin’ no more deviltry.” With that, Joe gagged the outlaw, and then shoved him, all securely boufid as he was, under one of the beds that occupied the four corners of the cabin. Going to the door, he saw Tom coming up the hill with the flask in his hand. A look at him was sufficient to see that he bad been drinking heavily. ‘‘Did yer take any, Tom?” ‘No, Joe, fer yer see it are full.” ‘Yas, it are full o’ water, an’ you is full o’ rum.” and Joe grabbed the man in a grasp wtich. had he been sober, be could not have shaken off. With a dexterity that was remarkable, he bou id and gagged bim also, and he too was rolled un ier the bed to keep his pard company. Joe then vrepared bis supper, and just as he sac duwn to eat it, in stepped Bowie Bob into the cabin, Seeing who it was he confronted, Bowie Bob hastily drew a revolver aud covered him, a weapon he had takem from the scidier he had killed. Jov was evidently taken by surprise, for he had not expected that one of the escaped out- laws would be armed. | But not a muscle pumas as the bandit captain cried: “(Ha! vou are here, traitor Joe, and I’ve got the dead drop on you.” ‘Yas, Bowie Bob, I are here, an’ I are sorry ter see yer is sich a durned fool ter think I'd come alone. ‘“‘ Yer hes ther dead drop on me, I ‘lows; but thar is some ahind yer, thet covers yer ugly carkis fer all it are worth.” The outlaw lowered his weapon and turned quickly to look behind him.” That was all Joe wanted, for in an instant be turned the tables, and he covered Bowie Bob with his weapon, while he said coolly: “Drop that weepin, Bob!” The eutlaw obeyed. ‘*Now, I guesses you is tired sufficient ter want ter lie down on yer face, ‘‘Dewn yer goes!” With a curse the outlaw obeyed, and to bind and gag him was but the work of « minute, acd he too was hustled out of sight. Soon after there came the sound of hoofs without, and a voice cried: - “Ho, "Tom! Ho, Jim! are you abed?” “No, come in!” grufily answered Joe. The bolt was removed from the door, which swung open and a man stepped in with the remark: “Boys, there has been the devil to pay down in the settlements, for—” ‘‘Tprer devil’s ter pay up heur in the mount- ings, Josh,” said Joe, stepping from behind the door and dealing the man a blow that sent him reeling to the ground. But, before he could follow up his advantage and bind him, two more of the outlaws entered; tion. One was armed with a knife, and the other seizing a vhair rushed upon Joe. “Back, pards, fer I’d a heap rather yer’d be hung then hev ter kill yer,” he shouted. ' We'll take ther chances, yer cussed traitor,” cried one. But they were the last words he ever uttered, as he fell dead, shot through =n heart. But before Joe could fire @ second shot the man he had been trying to bind, seized his arm, and instantly a desperate struggle began for the mastery, ‘the other outlaw rushing to his aid. Hearing ‘the fracas Bowie Bob and his two bound and gagged companions rolled out from under the bed and made frantic efforts to speak aud free themselves, so that the cabin was burned into a pandemonium for a few mo- ments. But Joe had the strength of a giant, and was us wiry as a cat, and rose to his feet with his two foes clinging to him, and striving all their might to prevent bim from using his weap”ns. With a herculean effort he shook one off, and at once came the flash and-crack of his re- volver, and while one man fell dead, the otber sung out lustily: ‘*Don’t shoot me, Joe.” ““T won't, pard, fer it is better thet yer be hung; but yer’ll excuse me ef I ties yer.” And tie him he did, after which he turned to Bowie Bob and the two others who had rolled out in a vain endeavor to join in the fight, and said: ‘Bein’ as yer roiled out, jist roll back -| ag’in.” They obeyed with an alacrity that pleased Joe greatly, and he said: “Thar is four more due. an’ they’ll be along afore day, ef ther sogers hasn’t tuk ’em.”’, And before daybreak, one by one the four dropped into the trap and were made prison- ers,-after which Joe loaded the stolen horses in the corral with his captives and the two dead bodies, and set out on his return to the fort, where he arrived in safety. “Joe, you shall not leave this fort, fpr I will make you chief of scouts,”said the de- lighted major at beholding him and his prison- ers. But in the morning Joe had erat. and none knew when, or whither. CHAPTER XX CALIFORNIA JOE. tw the same mysterious way in which he had before disappeared for several years, Joe again was lost sight of, after his departure from the autpost, the night of his capture of Bowie Bob and his gang. There were stories told of a white man living among the Indians, and some of the soldiers set this down as Joe. Old trappers were wont to spin tales about a Hermit who lived in the Rocky Mountains, and the description of him tallied so well with what Joe was that many believed that it must 1 be be. Again, reports were circulated along the frontier of the dothgs of a man who went by ‘the euphonious title of ‘‘ California Joe.” It was said that he had guided one of the first parties of miners, into what is now the Golden State, and had shown them localities where gold was to be found in a way that proved tbat he must have been there before, thovgh he would never tell any of his com- rades whether such was the case or not. It was stated also that this Gold Guide had been named California Joe, and that he had few equals in strength, was a most desperate man in a fight, and could throw a bullet in the exact spot he meant it to go. Those who told camp-fire yarns about the mysterious man said he bore innumerable scars upon. his body, legs and arms, but that his face was very hundsome and unmarred. Oné of the acoute who bad been, Me the fort, and afterward the outpost when Joe was at them, was seized with the ‘gold fever,” and made his way to California in company with several others, Hearing of a mining camp in the mounteing, — where “‘dust” was panning out well, they — songht its vicinity, and arrived just in time. te witness a very exciting scene. It seems that a man had been shot in his ‘“find” the day before, and his brother, a mere boy, knowing who his murderer was, had avenged his death, The murderer happened to be the leader of a despera avenge their chief, and marched in force.to the cabin of his slayer. He bad heard of their coming, and stood boldly at his door, bis pistols in hand. ‘‘'We’ve come to hang ye, youngster, an’ ‘yer mou’ as well drop them weepins,” said one, ‘I will defend my life, so I warn you off,” was the firm reply. ““Come, boys, let’s ran on him, fer ’twon’t do ter cheat ourselves out o’ ther fun Q hangin’ him by shootin’ him.” This advicé was about to be followed, when a man suddenly stepped between the youth and his foes. ‘* Waal?” said-the leader, savagely. ‘* Waal?” echoed the man. ‘* What does yer mean?”’ ‘‘T means biz ef yer means ter hurt thet boy,” was the cool reply. ‘Waal, we intends ter bang hia.” **T guesses not.” ** ‘Yer does?” ‘‘T does fer sartin.” ‘‘ Does yer mean ter go ag‘in’ us?” ‘*T means thet boy is not ter be burted, Tom Jones. |“ Yer-pard kilt his brether, an’ ther boy shouted back in equar’ fight, an’ new yer says hang him, an’ I says no.” ‘Waal, we'll do it, ef we hes ter kill yer ter git ter him,” was the stern response, “‘T guess not.” With these words the man whipped eut twe revolvers in the twinkling of am eye, and covered the crowd. Some one fired, who no one knew, and that set the ball going, and in six seconds a score of shots were fired, and several men lay dead in their tracks, and the man and the youth he defended stood in the door of the cabin unhurt, while tbeir assailants had fallen back before an aim that never failed. Such was the scene that the scout and his pards witnessed as they entered the mining camp, and one asked: ‘‘ Who are thet térror’on legs, pard?” “Ther pilgrim what made thet cold meat — just now?” inquired the one addressed. o¢ Yes.’* “They was durned fools ter push him ter it.” ; ‘*But who are be?” ‘‘Ther squarest man in this heur camp. ‘‘Ther man who guided ther boys ter find ther dust heur, an’ don’t car’ a durn fer diggin’ it hisse’f.” “But whet are his name?” ‘““Waal, yer hes ter ax me sutbin’ more — easier, pard stranger.” “‘Don’t he ‘hey no name?” “Yas, but he don’t give it away; but we calls him here in ther diggin’s Califcrnia Joe, — ‘¢Mebbe yer hev heerd o’ him, stranger 8?” “Yas, I bes heerd o’ him, an’ knows him,” and the scout who had turned miner went up and renewed his acquaintance with Joe, who greeted him most cordially, and added: “T is glad ter see yer ag’in, an’ ther boys will give yer a blow-out ter-night, an’ it sre a pity them fellers was sich durned feols. fer they'll miss a good time,” and those he referred to as the ones who would “ miss a goud time ” were the men he had killed only a few minutes _ before in defending his young pard. lot, and they at once swore te