Beadle's Dime Novels No. 139: The Border Foes — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

~ plack cats? I know I am hit, and that’s all I know about THE BORDER FOES it.” “ Strike a light, Buck, and let us see what is the matter with the old man.” A light blaze was started by means of flint and steel, and it was ascertained that AUee had only received a slight flesh wound, which it was hardly considered worth while to band- age. The injury to the lantern appeared to the conspirators to & miuch more serious matter, but Will Atlee succeeded in ly repairing it, so that it would give a faint and partial light when it was carefally carried. “T declare to goodness !” solemnly exclaimed the old man, “T hadn’t thought of hurting Jake Ryeburn and his folks; but, after they have acted in such a treacherous and under- handed manner, I don’t feel like showing them any mercy. Jake Ryeburn and his nigger have got to die, anyhow.” . “That's the way to talk, father,” said Will. “ When you are going to do a job of this kind, there ought to be no half way business about it.” Led by the old man, the conspirators went areibad to the rear of the house, where they found a long post-oak beam, which they declared to be the very thing for their purpose. Simon Atlee stationed himself with his rifle, so as to cover his. companions, if another attempt should be made to drive them off, and Buck Tur] and the others seized the beam, which they proceeded to use as a battering-ram. __ It was soon evident that the back door had not, by any means, the strength and tenacity of the front door, and that the post-oak was a much more efficient instrument than thie | rail, for, at every blow of the new battering-ram, the goer] - shook, and the wood groaned, cracked and split. “ Give it to her, boys f’ shouted the old man, as he heats the cracking and splitting. “A few more such blows will ‘drive in that door, and then we will have them just where we : want them.” But the young men were obliged to stop and rest, as ms beam was a very heavy one. When they resumed the work, they discovered, to their great surprise, that the door seemed ae to be more solid as the battering-ram struck it, and that it dia