Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 62: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ON THE TRAIL that it frightened the mother and daughter. “ The caitiff ! the vassal! the sive! ” he finally exclaimed, his rage passing all control; ‘‘ he dares to loiter by the wayside ; I will carry out my threat and with one sweep of my two handed sword cleave his base head from his shoulders!” The next moment, he jerked the door inward and stalked out in high dud- geon, breathing threatenings and slaughter. It need not be said that he remem- bered the simple precaution that I had adopted, and when he circled around and entered the path leading to the spring, neither the widow Wickliffe nor her daughter Meg was aware of the trick played upon them. CHAPTER XV. A STRANGE EXPERIENCE. ENOUGH has been told in the course of this veracious narrative to make clear how it was Dick Montgomery disappeared as utterly from all knowl- edge of his friends as if the earth had opened and swallowed him in proverb- ial fashion. When he went into that portion of mountainous Kentucky he failed to display the tact to be expected from a newspaper man of his experience. “I thought,” he explained, “that I would make all parties fear me, or rather The Pioneer, and thus help com- pel them to behave themselves. I was, therefore, unsparing in my denuncia- tions, called the ringleaders by name and roasted. them unmercifully. I signed my initials to my despatches, had an extra number of Pioneers sent to Manchester, London, and other hot- beds, and let it be known, not only that I was the author, but that I intended to follow them up with still more blis- tering exposés until every scoundrel was brought to justice. It was the greatest mistake of my life, for it ar- OF A MYSTERY. 53 rayed both clans against me, and they resolved to stop my work by shooting me down. I received many warnings, and friends urged me to leave the coun- try while there was a chance of doing so, but I laughed at the threats and an- nounced on the porch of the principal Manchester hotel, in the presence of more than twenty armed mountaineers, that I intended to fight it out on that line, if it took all summer. The words sounded brave, but in a certain sense they sealed my doom.” As a matter of course, Montgomery always went armed, and he let the fact - be known. One day he received a tip that by going to McVeyville he could score a beat on all other journals that had representatives in that region, and make a scoop that would render him famous and be a vast benefit to The Pioneer. He quickly completed his preparations, and, mounting a fleet horse, galloped off in high spirits for McVeyville. It was a trap, and Montgomery rode as straight into it as a man blindfolded. He was picking his way over the rough mountain road, near Rattlesnake Ridge, when he received a volley from the bushes, which killed his horse, though the miscreants who fired it purposely missed him, because they considered instant death too merciful for such as he. The volley came from the Winches- ters of Zach Peters, Bill Harbridge, and Jim Sawyer, who had been selected by others to do the congenial work. Be- fore Dick could disentangle himself from his fallen horse and draw his re- volver, the trio pounced upon him, took away his pistol, and made him prisoner. That their intention was to give him the famous “ witch’s parole” is cer- tain, but an unexpected obstacle pre- vented the immediate carrying out of this purpose. The star performer in that piece of deviltry must possess the free use of his legs, and one of Dick’s was so wrenched and bruised that he was scarcely able to stand. ECOMUCE DOO Ss eco