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 furthermercy.
"Well what shall it be?" asked Bristol. "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?"
"I give you that choice. I intend to crush you by degrees."
"And if I do as you say--"
"I will give you a respite of twelve hours."
"I will do it. Cashier, tell that man the bank has to suspend. Put up anotice to close the doors."
"Yes, sir!"
"And say nothing about what you have seen in this room."
"Yes, sir!"
"And say to him, further, that he must return his check to the man whodrew it," supplemented Card-Sharp Cale.
The cashier withdrew.
"Now, pard," remarked Dick to Susana, for it was she, of course. "Goand bring here two lawyers. Be as quick as you can, and this businessshall 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 willbe allowed 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."
"And my liberty during that respite?"
"Yes."
"It 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 Brownservilely.
"Gentlemen," remarked the banker, "I am caught in a trap, and amobliged to wind up my affairs at once. I must transfer my possessionsto this gentleman and--"
"Ahem!" interrupted one of the lawyers. "Forced to suspend, eh? Youwant a receiver, that is all; let him take your affairs and straightenthem out as best he can. Or, declare yourself bankrupt, and let yourcreditors get what they can--"
"Probably Mr. Brown will do the business in his own way," suggestedDeadwood 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 ofyour paper."
"Anyhow, I intend to deed over to him--"
"The sum of fifty thousand dollars," interrupted Bristol. "All therest of your property, real and personal, you will transfer to SusanaMaxton, without reserve--"
"He will do nothing of the kind!" asserted one of the lawyers. "Thereis a law in the land, sir, and--"
"And he will do as he pleases, eh?"
"It is forced."
"Ask him if it is."
"It is my will," avowed the cutthroat. "You will draw up papersaccording to my dictation, gentlemen."
That settled the point. The papers were duly drawn and signed andattested, and the second move in the great game had been madesuccessfully. But, there was another yet to follow.
* * * * *
It was night, and a man was softly stealing his way out of PowderPocket.
"Banker Brown," ruined, was trying to elude his mortal foe, and hebelieved he could do so.
Little had been seen of Brown the remainder of the day, after thebusiness transaction at the bank, and Card-Sharp Cale, and Joe, too,had disappeared.
In disguise, as a miserable, hungry outcast, Captain Joaquin was tryingto escape with his life, with a bitter resolve in his heart that,sooner or later, he would square the account with his implacable foe,Deadwood Dick.
Out of camp he stole, unhindered, and off into the hills.
For a time he used caution, but, at last, feeling that escape wasassured, he ran, and did not stop until he was nearly breathless.
"Curse you!" he panted, shaking his fist in the direction of the camp."I have escaped, and you shall yet hear from me! Your inning this time,Dick Bristol, but mine will come!"
He fairly gnashed his teeth in his impotent rage.
"You are not done with Captain Joaquin," he vowed, in emphatic tone."He will yet suck your life's blood from your veins--and yours, too,accursed Susana! It was all through you that this blow fell upon me. Iwill take to the road again; I will gather my men around me once more,and nothing shall stop my career."
Of a sudden light flashed upon the scene, and a woman stood beforehim--Susana--with a leveled revolver!
"I will not bear the blame that does not belong to me," she said, hervoice firm, but her face pale. "There was a time when I could, andwould, have followed you to death, but you blasted my love by yourcruel suspicions. You wrongly accused me, and you would not show mercywhere mercy was deserved. You turned my love to hate, and now I am yourmost bitter foe."
"Ha! ha! ha!" the outlaw laughed. "So, wildcat, it is you? I am glad wehave met, for my vengeance must begin with you. Drop that gun, or, bythe stars above, I will drop you!"
He dodged and drew his own weapons; but, in the same second, he wasgrabbed from behind by strong hands.
It was in vain he struggled.
"Did you hope to escape me?" asked Deadwood Dick. "You were a fool tothink it. Do you know what is in store for you? Let me first bind yourhands, and I will tell you."
Dick was not alone; there were other men besides himself, who held theprisoner while Dick bound him.
"There," he said, having tied the road-ruffian's hands, "now you aresafe. Perhaps you remember what you did for me. Perhaps you rememberthis horseshoe. Perhaps you--"
Captain Joaquin uttered a scream.
"You do not mean to brand me!"
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," assured Dick.
"Anything but that--anything but that! Shoot me, hang me, but do notbrand me!"
"Oh, it will hurt you no worse than it hurt me," averred Bristol, witha laugh. "If life is spared you, it may teach you a lesson of mercy toothers. You are to be branded."
The wretch cried, begged to be spared; but all to no purpose. Dickcalled his men around him and told them the story, and his decision mettheir hearty approval. Not only so, but Susana exhibited no sign ofpity or mercy for the cowering wretch.
A fire was made, and the horseshoe was heated.
"Now," announced Dick, when all was ready, "I will repay you in yourown coin. This is the very same iron that branded me, and, while I donot fancy wearing a brand the same as yours--or allowing you to wearone similar to mine, rather--yet justice demands it. I feel again thatiron searing my flesh; I feel again the rope around my neck; I hearagain your mocking laughter, you execrable villain!"
"Have mercy! Have mercy!"
"Yes, I will have mercy; I will not hang you. I will give you yourlife. Hand me the iron!"
The victim writhed and screamed in anticipation of the acute agony hemust suffer, as the iron was handed to Dick by a piece of wire caughtin one of the nail holes.
Dick Bristol took the wire and held the red-hot shoe over the barebreast of his foe, smiling at his plea for mercy and his request fordeath at once, speedy and sure. He held it near enough for its heatto be keenly felt, and the cries of the craven wretch for mercy wereindeed pitiful.
"Such mercy as you showed me!" reminded the detective. "I ought tobrand your face with it instead of your breast. Suppose I lay it onyour forehead and call you Cain? But, no, I will do no worse than youdid to me. I will be merciful that far. When you feel it bite yourflesh, when the smell of your own burning greets your nostrils, thinkof your own unmerciful act."
Dick moved as if to lay the shoe on the bare flesh, but hesitated. Heglanced at Susana. She was standing by, her eyes on the ground, not amuscle moving. He recalled how she had pleaded for him, and contrastedher silence now. What were her thoughts? He looked again at hiswrithing victim, and allowed the voice within him to speak--the voicethat had been struggling to be heard, yet which had been suppressed byhis iron will.
"No, I w
ill not!" he said, as if speaking to some one invisible to theothers. "Let my punishment consist in showing mercy where mercy is notdeserved."
As he spoke, he flung the hot iron as far as he could among the bushesand boulders.
"Thank God!"
It was Susana, and she threw her arms around the detective's neck.
"Not that I care for him," she said; "he deserved it, and I would nothave lifted a finger; but I thank God that you are more merciful!"
Dick kissed her, in turn, and ordered his men to lift the outlawfrom the ground. This they did, and led him away. In due course theroad-ruffian was found guilty and imprisoned for life.
When Susana came into the property which had been deeded to her, andhad turned it into cash, Bristol saw her safely to her friends, andthere took leave of her. She had been a true pard, and he almost lovedher. That she did love him was not to be doubted, and if ever he wanteda true friend he knew where to find one.
THE END.
NEXT HALF-DIME LIBRARY, NO. 1006.
FLIPPER FRANK'S FLUSH.
BY CHARLES MORRIS.