CHAPTER XIII.A FIENDISH PLOT.
The flues from the two fireplaces joined at a point a little way above Wild Bill’s head. The sound of voices, coming through the fireplace in the living room, ascended the flue and echoed down to the listener’s ear. The sound was amplified, in its passage, as though it had come through a whispering gallery.
“I want to buy some stuff, Isaacs,” came the voice of Lige Benner. “What have you got in that old grip?”
“I haf got vatches, der finest dot efer vas brought into Texas, mein friendt,” were the words of Isaacs. “Und I haf brecious shtones like you nefer see pefore—rings, und sooch like. Vat it iss you vant, mein friendt? Nodding is too goot for you rich cattle barons—und so I pring nodding but der best to der cattle country. Vat iss it you vant?”
“I spoiled that five-hundred-dollar watch I bought of you a month ago, and I’d like another.”
“I schust sold Hank Phelps a fine vatch—ach, so fine!—for six hundret tollar. He had chewels all ofer him, yes. Dot vatch vas der piggest bargain yet. I lose money on him—so much as fifty tollar. Hank Phelps told me dot he spoil a vatch, too.”
“I want a better watch than Phelps bought,” said Benner.
“Ach, so! Vone baron geds someding, den der odder baron vants someding better. Here iss der king of all vatches, der best vatch in Texas. I gif you der vatchfor one t’ousant tollar, und I lose one hundret tollar on him by wholesale. But you vas my friendt, Benner, und I vould do a lot for you, yes.”
Wild Bill, uncomfortably situated in the fireplace, was disappointed. He thought he was going to overhear something bearing on Perry and the plot Benner was said to be hatching against the Star-A rancher. But it seemed that Benner had merely summoned Abraham Isaacs to the ranch to buy some jewelry.
Those flush days in Texas had started the cattlemen to spending their money right and left. Wealth was lavished on watches and diamonds, and a class of peddlers had sprung into existence, the like of which had never been known before—and has never been known since.
Hebrews traveled the length and breadth of the cattle country, carrying satchels filled with diamonds and watches. It is said that the value of the contents of these old satchels sometimes amounted to as much as two hundred thousand dollars! And, what is still more remarkable, the peddlers were never molested while riding across the lonely plains.
Lige Benner beat the Hebrew down to eight hundred dollars for the watch. He also selected a watch charm, diamond studded, for four hundred dollars, and a chain for a hundred more. This made a purchase of thirteen hundred dollars, all told, on which the crafty Isaacs would realize, at the least, full five hundred dollars in profit. A good day’s work for Isaacs, but——
“I can give you the gold right now for all that plunder, Isaacs,” said Lige Benner, “but I won’t until you agree to do something for Jerry here.”
“Hey?” queried the Jew, with a gasp. “Vat iss it youvant me to do? A sale iss a sale, mein friendt, mitout anyding extra.”
“Well, you’ll do this for Jerry, or there won’t be any sale.”
“What iss it?”
Here the voice of the hunchback entered the conversation. The talk was getting interesting, and Wild Bill listened with all his ears.
“Here it is, Abe. A young fellow by the name of Dunbar has gone to Hackamore to buy a diamond ring. I want you to sell it to him, Abe.”
“Iss dot all? I vill be gladt.”
“No, Abe, that’s not all. Are there any other diamond merchants in Hackamore?”
“I’m der only vone.”
“Then Dunbar will have to buy of you?”
“He vill haf to buy of me if he buys of anypody, yes.”
“Good! Now, when he starts to leave town, or just after he leaves, I want you to accuse him of stealing some of your plunder. Do you understand, Abe?”
“But vat if he don’t shteal him?”
“Accuse him, anyway.”
“Den maybe I get meinself into troubles. I say he shteal, und he don’t shteal. Vat vill happen mit me?”
“I’ll take care of that, Abe. Have you got any bogus diamonds along with you, Abe?”
“Sure I haf. I carry der paste chems for peoples dot don’t vas aple to puy der real shtones. Aber I don’t pring any of dem here to Benner, no, pecause I knows he vants only der best, yes.”
“Well, I want some of that bogus jewelry, Abe. You’ll accuse Dunbar of stealing from you; the sheriff will have to chase after him, and look through his saddlebags.The stones will be found in the saddlebags, Abe, so you won’t get yourself into trouble.”
“How vill der shtones get into der sattlepags if Dunbar don’t take dem?”
“Leave that to me, Abe. Will you do as I say?”
There followed a brief silence.
“I don’t like dot,” said the Jew finally. “It looks pad for me to mix in sooch business. Hein, hein! No, I cannod assist mit it.”
“Then,” came the voice of Benner, “I don’t want this truck I’ve picked out. Keep the stuff, and I’ll wait till the next peddler blows in.”
“You von’t take vat you puy?” cried Isaacs, with a groan of dismay.
“Not unless you help Jerry.”
“Subbose I say dot I help him, und subbose I don’t? I got your money, und you got der vatch und der odder t’ings. How about dot?”
“Not so fast, Abe,” chimed in Jerry. “Lige is going to give you five hundred dollars in gold to bind the bargain, and you’re to keep the stuff he has bought until after this flare-up with Dunbar. When that’s over, Abe, you come here and give Lige his jewelry, and take the rest of your money.”
“Chentlemen,” wailed the Jew, “I don’t like dis business! But vat can I do? I haf to lif. Yes, yes, I vill do vat you say, but it iss a hardt bargain.”
“Hard bargain!” cried Lige Benner derisively. “Why, you old skinner, you’re soaking everybody in the cattle country, and you don’t let it worry you very much. You haven’t got a hair-trigger conscience, Abe, not by a long shot.”
“I don’d soak nopody, mein friendt, nefer. I sell soclose to der cost dot I vill be ruined if I don’t raise der prices vone of dose days.”
Lige Benner laughed at this.
“Remember this, Abe,” went on Jerry: “You will be as deep in the plot as anybody, and if you say a word about the scheme you will get yourself into trouble, but——”
“Ach, Himmel!”
“But if you keep still, Abe, nobody will be the wiser, and nothing will happen to you or to us. Understand, Abe?”
“Yah, you bet you I geep so still as a clam. I don’t speak nodding at all to anybody.”
“You’ll have to go right back to Hackamore, Abe, so as to be sure Dunbar doesn’t get away from town before he buys the diamond ring of you.”
“Vat tifference does it make, Cherry, vedder he puys from me?”
“Why, Abe, if you have dealings with him it will make it look more reasonable when you accuse him of stealing from you. Can’t you see that?”
“Vat a fine headt for sooch dings you haf, mein friendt! Yah, I see dot. I vill make it look so reasonaple as I can. Gif me der fife hundret tollars und I vill go pack by der town.”
Wild Bill could hear some one moving about the room. After that there was a jingling of gold.
“How I like der fine yellow goldt!” came the greedy, gloating voice of Isaacs. “See how dot shines! Vat a rich mans you was, Misder Benner!”
“Never mind that,” said Benner dryly. “Count the stuff and then hike for Hackamore. See that this gameis played right, Isaacs, or you’ll never sell any more stuff on the Brazos.”
“I do der best vat I can, chentlemen; und I am to get der resdt of der gold ven I get droo?”
“You are,” said Benner. “In the meantime, you have the plunder and part of the purchase price. That gives you the long end of the deal.”
There was a little more talk, and then Abraham Isaacs, having identified himself with as villainous a scheme as was ever hatched, took his leave.
Wild Bill, frowning blackly, got out of the fireplace and into the room. Stepping to the window he looked cautiously out.
Red Steve was still leaning against the wall of the building, and apparently had not moved since Wild Bill had looked at him last. The Laramie man went over and seated himself in a chair.
“The fiends!” he muttered, anger mounting high in his breast. “So that’s to be Lige Benner’s vengeance on Nate Dunbar, is it? He’ll take away the lad’s good name, get him sent to prison, and cover Mrs. Dunbar and Dick Perry with disgrace! They’d never stay in the cattle country after such a game as that! Lucky I came here! By gorry, this might have been pushed through to a success if I hadn’t got next to it. I reckon I’ve learned enough. My next move is to get away and let Pard Cody know how I’ve developed this pay streak. A quick move will save Perry and Dunbar. A——”
The bolt on the other side of the door was shoved back and the door pushed open.
“Come out here, Gringo,” said Jerry Benner, showinghis thin, wizened face; “come out here and we’ll tell you what you are to do.”
Wild Bill had been forgetting that he was to be hired by Lige Benner.
But this would give him an opportunity to get away from the Circle-B outfit and strike a bee line for the Star-A ranch. He got up and passed out into the living room.