Beadle's Dime Novels No. 305: The Girl Scout — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

90 . THE GIRL TRAILER. followed. A bullet grazed the wrist of Ben Slawson and another cut # finger from the right hand of Jess Turner. “Blood and thunder!’ roared Old dps “ Thar’s some one in the log.” As he spoke ‘a flaming specter, fire from head-heel, burst out of the hollow log and sprung into the midst of the Vigi- lantes, who gave way before his furious strokes. Wrapped in flames, in terrible agony, not a cry burst from the lips of the half-breed. A man who threw himself in the way went down with his skull» crushed’ like an egg-shell. ..No man dared fire, for he was yet:in the midst of the purty, and no one was hardy enough to lay bands upon him. while be was literally a blazing mass of fire. Bat, as he sprung toward tlie woods, rifles were lifted and eyes which seldom erred looked along the sights: But before a shot was fired an aw- ful catastrophe occurred and the rifles dropped to the earth. Tie powder-flask which had been heated in the log suddenly exploded and the dropped to | the, earth, a mangled and blackened mass of mortality. They ran to him, dashed wa- ter over him and extinguished the flames. Scarcely a vestige of clothing was left, and his skin was black as that of a ne- gro It was impossible to tell who be Was, sO utterly was. he disfigured. Ben Slawson held a flask of water to the parched and. blackened lips, and the miserable wretch vainly endeavored to raise a knife which lay at his side. “ Who is it?” asked Ben; “I don’t know you.” “ Black Wolf, the Siouk | All the. devils. from the nit take you to torment! My curse upon: you evermore.” With a last effort of expiring strength be spit in the face bending over him, and with a single gasp fell back, dead. “A black soul gone to account for the deeds done. in the body,” said Wallace. “He is the man who fired at me through the window of your house, the other night.” “ He’s made his mark on some of us,” replied Jess. “Is Tom Crawford dead ?” One of the men nodded quietly, and some of them turned away aud began to dig a shallow grave under the trees. “Poor Tom!” said Wallace. “ Well, well; we must all take our chances and he bad no family to mourn his loss. connicelooolks. conn)