Copyright 1879-1885, by Beadle & Adams. Entered at Post umce, New York, N. Y., as second class matter. Mar. 15, 1899. THE ARTHUR WESTBROOK CO. No. 25 Cleveland, Ohio Vol. I I Gilt-Edged Die~ the Sport-Detective. BY EDWARD L. WBE~LER • ~ .... COOL AS AN ICEBERG APl-eAREO GILT·EDGED DICK. JUST A. Jo·.dNT TRltrLE OF A S~IL& L O'RXTNG UPO~ HIS. Ul'S A.8 THE llLUOR STRUGGLEll TO ms FEET, .IJ<>pyrlght 1879-1885, by Beadle & Adams. Entere<I at 1-ostvmce, New York, N. Y., as second class matter. Mar. 15, lll9a. THE ARTHUR WESTBROOK CO. / N'o.25 Cleveland, Ohio Vol.ilJ Gilt-Edged Dick, the Sport-Detective. BY EDWARD L. WHEELER. M! 000L AS AN ICli:BERO APPEARED GILT-EDGICD DICK, JUST A FAINT TRIFLE OF A B11IL1ii W¥11'9 . lll'ON BlB LIPS AS TBll KUO& STRUGGLED TO BIS FmlT. • Gilt-E4ged Dick, the-Sport-Detective. Unfortunately for him, these were not nu­ merous, for since his debut in Leadville's elec­ Gilt-Edged Dick, tric town the major had achieved the repute of being an excellent borrowing medium, but a THE SPORT. DETECTIVE ,• poor" returning board," except when he was , clerk of elections. OR, To the colonel had th1> major finally appealed, this morning, for a loan, after having lost his The R oad-Ai:ent's Da ughter, pile at a faro bank the previous night. But the good-natured German manager of the BY EDWARD L. WHEELER, Ton tine shook his head. "I don'd vas got any money, mine friend," he AUTHOR OF "DEAD.WOOD DICK,'' "ROSEBUD said. with a comical 11ttcmpt at seriousness. " I ROB,"" JACK HOYLE,'' ETC., ETC. don'd vas got so much ash ha1f er von «ollar. I vas clean gon' de'tproke." CHAPTER I. "Bahl that is a poor excuse to get out of THE GIRL FROM IDAHO. loaning me a few," the major replied, his calm- LEADVILLE, Colorado-the Mecca of the nessunruffled. "Now, see hern,Jacob, Iknow miner, the gambler, the ruffian, and the gener- you've got lo ~s of money, and why can't you ally adventurous class to be found in every accommodate me for a C'Ouple of week'b_ until minino--town. I can draw on my New York bankers? !JO you Lea~viJ e-the electric city of the Far West suppose I'd wriggle out of an honest debt?" -the carbon town, nestling down in the Rocky "I don'd Yas dink ash you would, major, put Mountains, far up near the timber belt. Lead- I dells you dat I don'd vas got so much money ville with its many rude cabins and shanties, ash von half tollar." bathed in the happy spring sunlight, and two "Then of conrso I cannot borrow it of you,;, men standing on the veranda of the Tontine the major said, stroking his huge mustach:i House, engaged in s;:iirited conversation-two rather impatiently. "Don't know where I could m en so different in appearance as to attract at- bol'row a sum, do you? Of course my electioll tention from a keen observer. over Fulton is a certainty, but I reckon it The taller of the twain-the blonde-haired, wouldn't be ar..y harm to shove a few do1ia. s in· fair-faced German, with immense ci.rcumfer- to the pockets of certain individuals to clinch ence of waist, was " Colonel "Jacob Schwartz, their votes for me." a politician, a restaurateur, and a mine-owner, "Colonel I" Schwartz laughed oddly. to some small extent. "You pees von pig fool, majori" he said, witb The second party was a dark-visaged little a knowing nod "whE!n you t'irur as how you m11.n of uncer tain age, between thirty and forty, git to pe sheriff. I'll bet you swi glasses of lager con;;picuous for the monstrous size of his mus- ag'in' a belt mit der smeller dot you vas left tache, which hid a sensual mouth, and for the clear out mit der shade trees. You d'ink you rich quality of his attire, which was cut in the ish p(Jpular, but Fulton-he will see you, and go lateot style, and as a whole outfit, taken together you ten or twenty better, yust like rolling off of with the diamond pin, ring and 11:old chain he ·von beer keg." wore, was extraordinarily " nobby" for the " Ha! ha! you. will be deceived then, my good mines. friend, for the contest at the polls this morning ¥ajor Dudley Doud, this gentleman was is not spirited, and is all going for me." registered at the Tontinc, but then, nearly "Ve viii see apout dot. Look ofer dar, an' every man was dubbed" Major"" Colonel:;" or tell me if you see dot girl a-goin' down ther "Captain," con>equently it was hard to tell who street?" deserved the title of rank. The major did look, but did not seem to see Major Doud's antecedents were wholly 'Uu- any one but men. known to the people, yet he held a share of 1 I see no girl nor any one having .a resem· popular estimation among them-was profuse blance to a girl, except that young wrig of a with his money, and this liberality of course chap over there who looks like a sport. ' reached to the hearts of the middle and lower " Yaw I dat ish de one," the colonel nodded, classes of the peoµle. his eyes twinkling! "dot·ish Idaho Kit, dot pe- A politician was the major, clear to the. back- Idaho Katrina, fer long- and shri's yust sailed bone. A new sheriff was to be supplied to the into town ter attend der election." town of Leadville, to fill the vacancy mad& by T-Oe Illajor ~urned to gaze at the personage a the road-agents of the mountains, and right seC'ond timo~ ready and willing and eager was the major to -If a girl it was sne was attired in the garments step into bis preiece3Sor's shoes. For an ofli~e of the opposite sex, and stylishly clothed, too, like that of sheriff was not to be despised, in the from patent-leather cavalry hoots that reached carbon region, where there are ways that are to the knees, to the jaunty, narrow-rimmed dark, and /1;ricks that m-e vain, so far as the sporting hat upon a head of wavy hair. little matter of making money is coneerued. In addition to her other garments she wore a Bt1t at times ,...in the political career of the "b'iled" shirt and vest, while a belt at her waist maior. it came to pass that he was teetotally cont>iined a single pistol. "strapP!'d" of this worM''I filthy lu ~re, and he "With a pecilliar, independent swagger G:iis ha<i to 1'0rrow of such pilgrims as had sufficient Igi rl sauntered up the stre!'t, occasionally '' ,frl· confidence in him t.o believe he wi:iuld ever pay ing the small cane she carried, and pu~ ·,; a it bacK. \ dainty cigarette, that was held in a dijZ,;ud- Gilt-Edged Dick, the Sport-Detective. 8 set meerschaum holder, between her pearly camps submitted 1;() the arrangement of their white teeth. metropolis. The eyes of Major Dudley Doud sparkled The polls were pitched in a vacant store on greedily as he watched her pass along on the op­ Chestnut street, and here those of each political posite side of the street. party who bad any choice in the election of a Leadville boasted of perhaps as many eccen­ new sheriff, were permitted to vote. tric females as any other mining-town, but No distinction was there made of the classes, among them all, tbPre was none who could bear or the sexes, for women voted as well as men, comp•ison with this new-comer-this Idaho and as often as they could repeat without de­ Kit, as Colonel Schwartz bad named her. tection end arrest. Certainly there was none more y:retty in form Each candidate had his friends, and on the -none who could equal the rare grace and ouliside of the store they bad assembled, to sprightliness of movement. discuss the meritorious qualities of each man, And when a glance was taken at the fair, end " cuss" the bad ones, while betting and piq.uant face-the perfectly-molded1 yet mis­ fighting were the order of the hour. cb1evous-exi;>ressioned face, with its dancing A dense crowd was gathered in front of the blue eyes, it;s sweetly-tempting mouth, that P,Olls1 when the major arrived. Idaho Kate could be firm with resolution, or relaxed in srooa a little apart from the rest, leening idly smiles, in an instant of time; the well-poised against an awning-post, surveying the crowd head, and it;s wealth of wavy brown hair that and the scene with cool indiffer ence. fell over the rounded shoulders-such a pic­ While, although she was by no means a stran­ ture did the major contemplate from the ger in the town, she was the center of attraction "stoop." or veranda in front of the Tontine. for many pairs of admiring eyes. "By St. Christopher! the girl's as pretty as a Major Dudley Doud was in some degree a picture " he said, turning t.o tbe girtby, good­ vain man, and carried the idea that he was a natur~ German.