Beadle's Dime Novels No. 300: The Crested Serpent — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

> 1g THE ORESTED SERPENT. lations in the heavens commenced to unfold their beauties, - and the darkness of night was robing the mountain and val- leys in its embrace. =f 7 : “ Now,” said the subdued voice of Paula, and six men, headed by Humfredo, were soon lost in the darkness. _ Far off was an old mission. Its bell was ringing the hour of twelve, when the group of men returned through the gloom of the night, bearing the body of Jose Vallejo. All that night there was wailing throughout the hacienda, and the wolf of the prairie howled a requiem in return. Paula sat like a statue, her pale features beautiful in their grief, bearing strange contrast to her dark clothes and the dismal surroundings. No tears dimmed hereyes. Her heart — was seared, and engraven on it in characters of blood was the re ee ee : word—REVENGE. ~~ When day came in its resplendent beauty, Jose Vallejo’s — body was quietly committed to earth, and the clods of the valley forever covered his inanimate form. — After the burial of her father, Paula for hours meditated over what had come between herand happiness, The impen- etrable future was before her. She knew that from that hour her life would be one that men of iron nerves would — recoil from, full of dangers and constant peril—yet the knowl- edge of the awful death her father met kept in flame the burn- ing fires of hatred. , ‘“ Humfredo,” she said, and the Mexican boy stood before — her; “we must leave this hacienda to-morrow. You know the secret passes to the mountain-tops ?” “Every one of them.” “Is there a secret retreat—a cave near the camp of these monsters who murdered your master ?” Humfredo hesitated; a flush overspread his brown -faee ; then with energy he said:- “I have sworn to assist you in your-revenge, and J will tell you all. Two leagues from the camp of the White Tiger of the Tropics is a subterranean passageway, that leads up to the mountain-top.. Inside the mountain is a cave or chamber, in which we descendants of the Aztecs hold our ancient rites, The pussageway is the key to its entrance. My aged mother, who loved your father as ‘she loves me, is the priestess, and . : Comichooks:com,