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NE ate te Th oe te RR mA CN at I IRR RE I A ee Aa i Na! Nena le peter 00 Aman sen a. ie Wren nee
Deadwood Dick, Jr., Branded.
Yeo. {
' 15
He was very dark of skin, ‘almost as
swarthy as an Ethiopian, had long hair
and a beard of almost equal length.
With him was a younger man, his
brother, of similar complexion, some
years the junior of the other and beard-
less, save for a slender mustache that
became him well.
These two had opened a gaming estab-
lishment. :
It was a place where faro ruled, and
their bank was declared to be practically
limitless. :
After a consultation with Banker
Brown, on coming to Powder Pocket, this
Card-Sharp Cale had deposited fifty
thousand dollars in Brown’s bank, sub-
ject to order.
It had been no uncommon thing for
checks of from five to twenty thousand
to be presented there of a morning, but
' the deposits, as a rule, had been greater
than the withdrawals, and so, at the time
of the robbery, Card-Sharp Cale had
about-a hundred thousand dollars on de-
posit.
On the morning after the robbery he
dropped in at the bank. ~
“How is your concern after your
Joss?” he made inquiry, when greetings
-+had been exchanged.
“It is all right,” was the answer. “I
have plenty of funds on hand yet that
the devils did not find. They took only
What was in sight.” ,
“T understand they demanded a. cer-
tain sum.”
_ “Yes, so they did. They thought that
was my pile. That, by the way, was the
capital I started with, and they must
have heard of it in some manner. But I
; have doubled it since, to say nothing of
your big deposit, and others.”
“Then you are-ready to meet big
checks? ” .
“Yes, we are all right.”
“Because, as I was going to say, luck
went against me last night and my bank
went broke.”
The banker paled.
“You don’t mean it?”
“Yes. My checks are out to the tune
of some sixty thousand dollars.”
“Whew! Beaten at your own game.
This is serious; I must find out just what
we have got on hand at once.”
He went into the outer room, and his
caller smiled as the door closed after
him. There was something familiar about
that smile, now that Card-Sharp Cale
was alone.
When the banker returned his face
was like death. -
“JY am in a hole,’’ he declared. “A
check has just been paid to the tune of
thirty-four. thousand, and there is not
five thousand left on hand.”
“This is serious, Mr. Brown. I have
got to have my balance, or I shall have
to close-my game to-night for want of
_ funds. You must gather in all you can
and make me whole.” , ~ :
_ “What is your balance, less this check
I speak of?”
“It must be fifty thousand.”
“TJ can’t do it, on short notice; you will
have to give me time. Will you force me
to the wall?” nota,
“You can pay, or you cannot pay, and
in the latter case you are at the wall al-
ready. There is nothing for me to do in
the matter; I must have what is due me.”
' “Give me a week.”
“ Impossible!. Think of the loss to me.”
, “Then give me three days—two days,
“one! I tell you I am unable to meet your
demand.”
>.“ You must close your doors, then.”
“And that will ruin me.”
«“ You are ruined already.”
—
“ And you will not spare me?”
“How can I, and why should I?”
“ As one man to another, you should.”
““ And see my own business ruined. No,
no; that is not business, as business goes.
I must have what is due me; and, be-
sides my deposit I have been accepting
papers of yours, believing them to be
perfectly good, and they will make up a
nice sum.”
Brown wiped the perspiration from his
face. .
“What can I do?” ‘he asked.
“There is only one thing you can do.”
“ And that is—”
“Convey your property here to me for
security.”
“ And go forth a beggar?” .
“Can I help that?”
“Be merciful.”
“Do you show mercy?”
“T would, were our positions changed.”
“What about that loan made to Hiram
Smith which you foreclosed only a few
days ago?”
“He is a beat; he never meant to pay.”
“T do not believe that. Had I known
of it in time I would have saved him. For
a few paltry hundreds you scooped in his
property worth thousands.”
“That was business; he could not pay,
and—”
“Ah! you see where you are, don’t
you? This is business, as I said. It is
your own kind of business. Can you
square accounts with me, Mr. Brown, if
I give you an hour?”
““Tmpossible.”
“Then I must take possession here,
and will send at once for the proper au-
thorities.” -
“You will take charge? By what
right?”
“ By the right of might.” .
“You cannot trust me, then, an hour?”
“Not a minute. Practically, you are
my prisoner.”
The ex-outlaw flushed, and his hand
sought his hip, but he was covered in a
trice by a brace of guns.
““No you don’t!” was the cry. “ Bring
that hand up from there, and bring it
up empty, too! Call in your chief clerk
and tell him to close the bank and put
up a notice!” ,
“‘T dare not; the people will mob me if
I do that.”
At that moment the door opened, and
the cashier looked in, taking in the situ-
ation.
““A check for thirty thousand dollars,
sir!’ he said.
“Tt is yours,” said Brown, turning ap-
pealingly to Card-Sharp Cale,
“‘T suppose it is.”
“‘Can’t you hold it back and give me
a chance?”
‘*Not a minute. You have my money
on demand; meet my paper or take the
consequence,”
“But, the robbery.”
‘Your loss, not mine.”
- iT could kill you, curse you!”
“Not a doubt of it; you have tried that
before.” .
Instantly the man was upon his feet,
and his visitor removed his long, curling
beard.
‘Lo! it was Dick Bristol again! No mis-
taking that face, even though stained,
as we have described. He smiled, and his
revolvers covered the rascal’s heart.
The cashier might ‘have tried to inter-
fere, but at that moment into the room
slipped Card-Sharp Cale’s brother, “ Joe,”
he was called, and he, too, had a pair of
guns in hand. And Joaquin Escale, ut-
terly overcome, sank cowering upon his
J ckair.
-
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE THIRD STROKE.
Deadwood Dick was as inexorable as
fate.
This the rascal knew, and he did not
dare lift his head to ask further mercy.
““Well what shall it be?” asked Bris-
tol. ‘“ Will you sign all over to me,’ or
shall the expose be made here and now?
I give you the choice.”
“You will give me a chance?”
“T give you that choice. I intend to
crush you by. degrees.”
“And if I do as you say—”
“T will give you a respite of twelve
ours.”
“T will do it. Cashier, tell that man
the bank has to suspend. Put up a no-
tice to close the doors.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And say nothing about
have seen in this room.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And say to him, further, that he
must return his check to the man who
drew it,” supplemented Card-Sharp Cale,
The cashier withdrew.
“Now, pard,” remarked Dick to Su-
sana, for it was she, of course. “Go and
bring here two lawyers. Be as quick as
you can, and this business shall be done
in proper fashion,”
The girl withdrew, and Dick and his
arch enemy were alone together,
Captain Joaquin was silent.
“When these lawyers come,” explained
the Dead-Set Detective, “you will be al-
lowed to transfer your property by the
name in which you hold it. Your real
name need not yet appear. As I said, I
give you a respite.”
‘ nd my liberty during that respite?”
‘ Yes.”
“Tt is all I ask.”
“And it is a great deal more than you
deserve.”
In due time the lawyers were ushered
in, and both greeted Banker Brown ser-
vilely. :
“Gentlemen,” remarked the banker,
“Tam caught in a trap, and am obliged
to wind up my affairs at once. I must
transfer my possessions to this gentle-
man and—”
“Ahem!” interrupted one of the law-
yers. ‘‘ Forced to suspend, eh? You want
a receiver, that is all; let him take your
affairs and straighten them out as best
he can. Or, declare yourself bankrupt,
and let your creditors get what they
can—”
“Probably Mr. Brown will do the busi-
ness in his own way,” suggested Dead-
wood Dick,
“ Certainly, certainly!” : .
“The bulk of my obligation is to this
gentleman—” ~
“All of it, I think,” from Dick, “I
have gathered up every scrap of your pa-
per.”
hin Anyhow, I intend to deed over to
m—
what you
“The sum of fifty thousand dollars,”
interrupted Bristol. “ All the rest of your
property, real and personal, you will
transfer to Susana Maxton, without re-
serve—”
“He will do nothing of the kind!” as-
serted one of the lawyers. “There is a
law in the land, sir, and—”
“And he will do as he pleases, eh?”
“Tt is forced.”
“ Ask him if it is.”
“It is my will,” avowed the cutthroat.
“You will draw up papers according to
my dictation, gentlemen.”
That settled the point, The papers
were duly drawn and signed and attest-
ed, and the second move in the great