Beadle's Dime Novels No. 316: Hurricane Bill — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

96 : HURRICANE BILL. of horror filled them. He saw the threatening attitude of the snake, and knew that Carmela was in terrible danger. Quick as thought he cocked und leveled his revolver, the sil- » ver drop covering the reptile’s head. Yet he hesitated to fire. He saw that to kill the serpent, the bullet must fairly grize Carmela’s temple. And he feared his nerves were not steady enough. Yethe dared not wait. It was the severest trial of his life, The decision was forced upon him. He heard a faint sigh —Curmela seemed about to waken. And then be fired. The next instant he was beside Carmela, the serpent clenched desperately in his bands, to be flung far away with the same gesture. Yet there was no need. His aim had been true. The serpent’s head had been blown to pieces. And as Carmela, confused, bewildered, sprung up, a lock of hair fell from her temple. The bullet bad severed it.’ Hur- ricane Bill caught the tress before it could touch the ground, “Ivs nothin’,” he hastily uttered as the two men sprung up. “I jist shot a snake—that’s all.” But Carmela understood it all, as she raised one hand to her temple. The severed hair, the curious tingling where a slight red line marked the skin, the dead snake; all these told a plain tale. And as she saw the black tress in his hand, ber eyes flashed a quick message to his. Hurricane Bill felt queer—as he might huve expressed it— “all over in spots.” In that glance he read a volume. It said: “ You have saved my life once more. You prize that tress, because it once belonged to me. You love me with all your soul, And I—I am not offended !” Hurricane Bi}l said nothing just then, for Don Munez had hasiened to bis daughters side to assure himself that she had indeed escaped the poisonous fangs. But as the tall plains- man squatted down beside -Mustang Sam, he quietly ut- tered ; ’ “reckon T’ll take a hand in that race you spoke of, pard.”’ It was finally decided not to lose any more time there, since the horses were beginning to fee] the need of drink. And the sun was excessively warm. Besides, they wished to CcommicloOolkks. Corn