The Dragoon Detective; Or, A Man of Destiny — page 28: what you’re looking at

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a ST ee — SS SS ae ae ee 23 | The Dragoon Detective. ground from a shot at the hand of the Dragoon, and loudly the flying outlaws cried for quarter. The Dragoon stood gazing down at the wound- ed chief. and calling to Hannibal, said: ‘*Come here and see if this wound js fatal, Hannibal,”’ The negro examined the nature of the injury end said: ‘* Yes, sir; he will not live an hour.”’ The chief opened his eyes at this and said; **Do you not know me, Earl Gaston?” ‘* Yes; you are Richard Rutherford.” co I am.” ‘* Have you noconfession to make?” ‘© What do you wish me to say?” ‘tT wish you to tell the truth, to sign what I write in the presence of witnesses. ‘Vill you do it?” re Yes,7! ‘You know what I will write?” ‘*T can guess.”’ The Dragoon sent up to the cabin of the chief for pen, ink and paper, and hastily wrote a few jines and read it aloud. “You will sign?” ‘Yes; for my death is at hand and I have ceased to be revengeful.” ‘“ You were not the one to be revengeful.” ‘You are avenged?” ‘*When you sign this paper, yes, and when you die.” Calling to Mr. Conrad and Landlord Champ the Dragoon asked them to witness the signa- ture of the Road Raider chief to the paper, and they did so. ‘Now, Richard Rutherford, one question more,” **' Yes, Gaston,” ‘* Where is my father?”’ ‘Tn this camp.” ‘* Great God! you did not kill him then?” ‘‘ No; I visited his cabin, pretending to be an officer of the Rocky Mountain Detective Band, and forced him to go with me. ‘He had found the richest mine in these mountains, and would not tell me where it was. I aed: but to no purpose. ‘“ He had sent sixty thousand dollars East and paid all the money he was supposed to owe, and I pretended that | had gotten it, ‘“Still he kept his secret of the mins. ‘In the rear of my cabin is a small hut, and you will find him there. “The key ig on my belt.” The Dragoon stooped quickly, tore the key from the belt and ran hastily toward the cabin of the dying chief, The door in the rear of the cabin was found, hidden by a grizzly-bear skin, it was unlocked, and there,in his prison-pen, six-by-eight feet, was the old miner who had so mysteriously dis- appeared from Gilt Kdge City. His hair and beard were long and matted,and they were snow-white. But the eyes were full of fire, the form still erect and wane ‘* Mather! at last [have found you!” ‘* My brave, my noble boy!” It was all that was said, and upon the touch- ing scene I let fall the curtain. CHAPTER LIV. CONCLUSION, THERE was considerable booty found in the camp of the Road Raiders, and the miners who had impersonated soldiers and gone with the Darling of Destiny made what they called a *‘rich haul” in firearms, furs, horses and other dhings, not to speak of the money taken from ihe outlaws. _ Captain Brass and two-thirds of his men had f#alien under the fire of the Dragoon’s party, and éeverai of the latter had been wounded and one Maer was killed. But Hannibal, who had been a physician’s €ervant before he took to soldiering, had studied medicine and cad aha having a talentthat way, ind was certainly a good surgeon and doctor, And he dressed the wounds of the sufferers most skillfully. That night was passed in the outlaw retreat the dead were buried, the booty packed, and the next day the cavalcade started for Gilt Hdge City, the Darling of Destiny and his father lead- ing, and riding side by side. , It was nearly sunset when they came near . Gilt Edge City, and the Dragoon announced their coming by a few notes upon his silver bugle. ut they had already been espied,iand, as it was Sunday, all Gilt Hdge City was out to re- -ceivo them. And such a reception, such a scene had never been known before. Ribbon Rob had driven ina short while be- fore, and as he gazed upon the prisoners, end heard that Tempest, the pretended parson and flve more outlaws were already prisoners, he cried in ecstasy: ‘* Lordy! Lordy! but ther, Rock o’ Ages will nave to be made Ligue. for there’ll be a round dvuzen Road Raiders ter stretch hemp,” Nor was Ribbon Rob wrong, for the citizens of Gilt Edge City enjoyed what they called a ‘hanging bee,” and from that day there was no longer danger in traveling the Overland trail. The day after his return home, the Dragoon and his father rode up to Fort Folly, and were greeted most warmly. Sylvester Vernon, the Dragoon was told, had gone that day by stage to the Hast; but they did not say that the reason was his having been rejected by Kate Conrad. The father and son were easily persuaded to remain to supper, and as the Dragoon and Kate stood in the piazza that night, the others being in the sitting-room, he said: ‘* MissConrad, I wish to explain the mystery that I have allowed to hang over me, and, hav- ing accomplished my purpose, I can do so now, if you care to listen,” ‘Gladly will I, Captain Gaston.” “Tam a soldier, a graduate of West Point, and I have been stationed on the border for five years, my command, the —th Dragoons, being considered the best Indian-fighters in the army, ‘“ My father was a rich man, president of a bank Hast, and lived happily with my sister, a lovely girl whom we will now have come out here on a visit, when my father returns from his old home, ‘‘In my father’s bank was a young man whom he had befriended, and advanced from a menial position to that of cashier. ‘My father came Hast nearl ago tovisit me, and on his wa with a letter from the cashier, Richard Ruther- ford, that he should not return, or he woul! be at once putin juil, after having used fifty thou- sand dollars of the bauk’s money. ‘‘My father had committed no crime, and yet he was stunned by the blow. ‘“He saw by the papers that fifty thousand dollars had been lest by himin speculation, and that the bank would hardly be able to pull through. ‘In his despeir he wrote to my sister and to me, vowing his innocence, and saying ho wasa fugitive, though guilty of no crime. ‘*T went Hast, and made’ a thorough investi- gation. ‘* So thorough in fact, that finding he was to be found out, the guilty man escaped. ‘‘ 1t was Richard Rutherford, and he was not captured, try as we might, ‘But my father’s innoceace was established, ‘Still, he was a wanderer, where, no one knew, ‘I put detectives to find him, but they failed, so I supposed he had taken his own life. ‘¢ Last fall I was deligoted to receive a letter from the bank, teding me that sixty thousand dollars in gold had been received from my father in half a dozen separate sums, with a let- ter telling them to pay back the amount he was said to be a defrauder for, and with inter- est. - “Ag my father was not to be found, the money was placed to my credit, as he requested, in case the bank had closed up its affairs. ‘“‘ThenIT knew my father was in the mines, and I[ determined to find him. ‘*T obtained a leave for six months, and, with no rank on my uniform, I started forth, getting a special commission as a detective from the Government, ‘* | have always been an athlete, a dead.shot, andam a good trailer, and so Hannibaland mysolf began our work of finding my father. *{ traced him to Gilt Edge City, and I soon found out that he had disappeared myster- —: ‘¢ | wrote Hast to find he had not gone there, and recognizing in the Red Raider chief Rich- ard Rutherford, I suspected foul play toward my father, and I plotted t» solve the mystery, and [ have done so. ‘The mine my father found he says is an im- mensely rich one, and we went there this morn- ing to find it had not been disturbed. ‘He goes back to the East, to bring my sis- ter, and soon after his return I go to the army again, unless you bid me resign and live for you, tor, Kate, I loved you the first moment I saw you,and my love has grown with each moment of my life since.” ‘¢ Remain always, for I love you, and loving you, Karl Gaston, I sent from me tu-day Syl- vester Vernon, whom my parents were anxious that I should marry.” Such was Kate's answer, and, when in the fall she was married to Earl Gaston, there was another marriage, for Matthew Murdock, who was discovered to have been well reared, but referred a wild life, won thse heart of Isabel aston, tho beautiful sister of the Darling of Destiny. Nor is Ribbon Rob to be forgotten, for he caveup stage-driving, turned miner and mar- ried Pink, Kate Conrad’s pretty maid. Since those days Gilt Edge City bas grown three years | into a city in reality, and among its millionaire residents are the names of Conrad, Murdock, and last but not least, Harl Gaston, he that was once known as the Darling of Destiny. THE END, ack was mot | BEADLE’S | DIME DIALOGUES, Dime Dialogues, No. 40. The Widow's Might. Developing a Developer. Tor five males. A Much Needed Justice. For three females, A Happy Understanding. Fortwo malesand two femuies,. The Tragedy of Ten Little Boys. For ten boys. | His Training Day. For one male and two females. The Society for the Suppression of Scandal. Fora number of ladies, The Moral of a Dream. Fortwo boys and several ‘*dIwarfs.” Wanted; A Divorce. Fortwo males and one female. ‘Meddling With Santa Claus. For numerous char- acters. Deceiving to Win. For two males and two females. Retreat the Better Part of Valor. For 4 children. The Long Looked-for-Comes at Last, For one | male and three females. How Pat Answered the Advertisment. For 2 males, Uncle David’s Party. For numerous characters. | Whom the Gods Would Destroy. For numerous characters, Sunday Schoo] Now and Then, For two little girls. An Hour in the Waiting Room. For ten speakers or acting characters and numerous travelers. > 7) For 2 males and 4 females, Dime Dialogues, No. 39. Hospitality. For three males and two females, Robert’s Experiment. For two males and two females. Quite Another State of Affairs. For five males. A Flowery Conference. Yor several little girls and boys. Slightly Mixed. For three acting characters and ebildren, Mrs. Dexter’s Personal. For four males and two females, Clothes Don’t Make the Man. For several boys, Comparisons. For two little girls. A Young Mutineer. For a little boy and girl. A Decisive Failure. For two males and two females. Candor Wins the Day. For seven females. Their Aspirations. 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For several males and one female. The Strike That Failed. For thvee boys. For sale by all newsdealers, or sent, post-paid, on receipt of price, ten cents, BEADLE AND ADAMS, PusBLisHERs, 98 WriurAM St., NEw YORE, BEADLE’S DIME SPEAKERS. Speakers, Nos. 1 to 25 inclusive. Each speaker 100 pages 12mo, containing from 50 to 75 pieces, 1 American Speaker, 14 Judicrous Speaker. 2 National Speaker, 15 Komikai Speaker, 3 Patriotic Speaker. 16 Youth’s Speaker. 4 Comic Speaker. 17 Eloquent Speaker. 5 Elocutionist. 18 Hail Columbia Speak’r 6 Humorous Speaker, 19 Serio-Comic Speaker, 7 Standard Speaker. 20 Select Speaker. 8 Stump Speaker. 21 Funny Speaker, 9 Juvenile Speaker. 22 Jolly Speaker. 10 Spread-Hagle Speaker. | 23 Dialect Speaker. 11 Dime Debater. 24 Recitations and Read- 12 Exhibition Speaker. | ings. 183 School Speaker. 25 Burlesque Speaker. These books are replete with choice pieces for the Schools‘oom, the Exhibition, for Homes, etc. 75 to 100 Declamations and Recitations in each book. For gale by all newsdea‘ers, or will be sent post- paid, to any address, on receipt of price, ten cents, BEADLE AND ADAMS, PUBLISHERS, 98 William street, New York, oO Com ElOOOKS (©)