Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1015 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

P88 an, No ,in nly the e3. “4 _ in eld, land the » the until onrTy and crete nent, illey. side, they il you Sup- ian to ye you vant?” ppears on’t be nished humor e place , shone trouble chance ¥ when asnsidie. ehind & guished F whom ** Smalley,” said a subdued voice, as the three halted near by, and Smaliey walked forward. ‘*This is Miss Sutherland,” whispered Boland, indicating the silent, female form, ‘* And this is the good friend I told you about. I hardly know what we could have done without his aid, See anybody?” ** Not asoul,” replied Smalley. ‘*‘ What are we to do next?” ‘*Hark!” whispered the friend alluded to, ** What is that?” Loud voices were suddenly heard in the direc- tion of the asylum, Additional lights began to flash from the windows. A gibbering uproar was rising among the patients, Smalley, stand- ing close behind Miss Sutherland, heard her breath come quickly, and perceived that she was trembling violently. ‘* Smalley,” whispered Boland, ‘‘ take Miss Sutherland through the door and keep on as fast as you can down the wall until you come to the beach of the Sound. Then turn to the left. Avoid being seen as much as possible, You will presently come to a large rock just above high-water mark, Conceal yourselves near there and wait for me. Should I fail to appear, wait patiently until a boat arrives. Then men- tion my name to the officer in charge and you will be all right.” ** Some one is coming,” interrupted the atten- dant. ‘‘ I must not be seen here. I may lose my place, anybow,” ‘ Good friend,” said Agnes, speaking for the first time,,‘‘ you will be well rewarded when I am free. If you lose your place 1 will provide ou with a better one.’ ** Allright, ma’am,” said the attendant. ‘1 know you mean wel), Butaman as wouldn't help you now is just no man at all. Now, Mr. Boland, we must skip,” “Yes; I’m with you.” Then toSmalley. ‘‘ Push on now. Look sharp and don’t lose your head. I must keep back pursuit by drawing them in another direction, If all goes well I will join you in a few minutes,” The two men hurried back toward the asy- lum, where the confusion seemed now to be at its height. Smalley, taking Miss Sutherland’s hand, aided her through the door which he closed but left unlocked, arguing that if Boland was hard pushed, he might, on coming out, lock it against his pursuers, Then the two hurried rapidly in the direction of the beach, keeping close tothe wall. Agnes seemed quiet and composed now, and when they reached the open shore, Smalley began to think that the adventure, afterall, might prove rather tame. But, hardly had they left the shelter of the wall, than they almost ran into tLe arms of a scout some little distance ahead of his party, who were just rounding a point of timber. ‘* Hullo!” said a harsh voice, that made Agnes recoil under a shuddering remembrance, ‘* Who have we got here?” CHAPTER XVII, AN INTERRUPTED CEREMONY. Tux fugitives were in an instant surrounded. Yet Agnes plucked Smalley by the arm, though the latter saw at once that escape was impos- sible. ‘* Let us fly,” she urged, ”? ‘* Tt is Leland, him- ‘* Leland it is,” replied that personage. ‘* And how is it that I find you here?” . But the girl said nothing, though clinging the more closely to Smalley, who now began to comprehend, how, upon the very vergeof safety, they had fallen into the clutches of scoundrels whom they were seeking to avoid. But Smalley was on his mettle. ‘*Stand back!” he exclaimed, as Leland at- tempted to push him aside; but on the latter's insisting, he drew back and coolly knocked the commodore’s nephew down. ‘ Get back, I say! This lady is under my—” He got no further, for a blow from behind with a club felled him like an ox as he was reaching for his ry Agnes screamed, but was seized and held firmly, as a husky voice at her ear exclaimed: ‘‘ Hush up now, sweetness! You are too pret- ty for a man to be rough with, but if you don’t stop that yellin’ we'll soon finda way to make ye mum,” Agnes screamed again. A hand was rudely clasped over her mouth. Two of the party bore her into the woods, despite her struggles. Mean- while Leland had risen, with one eye bruised seit bleeding. He gave the prostrate Smalley a ck, ‘* Fetch him along!” be ordered. ‘ If the fool makes a fuss, gag and tie him fast, I cannot imagine how the girl got away.” The Reporter-Detective’s Bi irr a ‘* Perhaps Studley has been won over to the other side?” said a voice with a kind of pulpit twang init. ‘* More money, you know.” The speaker, as far as could be seen, was lank and long in person and limped a little as he walked, ‘* He dare not go back on me!” exclaimed Le- land in a voice now thick with passion, ‘‘ Be- sides, as the girl’s money will be in my charge, I hold the purse-strings, Those who seem dis- ‘ye to interfere, have no backing. But come! o thecave,men! We musthurry!” They moved on swiftly, two of the party half- carrying, half-supporting Smalley, who was slowly recovering from the stunning effects of the blow, His head was bleeding. He kept quiet, however, and watched for a chance to make an effort to release himself. They had taken his pistol away, In the fight he had also lost his false beard. ‘* If we had not missed you,” grumbled Leland to the lame man, “ you might have finished the job before now, and been ready to return to the rset I told you the rendezvous would be the old ort, ‘* I must have misunderstood. I went to the old hotel in town and waited two hours, No- body came near me buta half-drunken Irishman who quizzed me considerably and was hard to get rid of atlast,” (This was probably the el- der Boland in his disguise and out after informa- tion.) ‘‘If I had not met you accidentally, I should have goneback, Risky business this, and [am half sick of it already.” ‘“* Well, I gucss you are not sick of the pay,” and Leland tapped his pocket as he spoke. ‘There are three one-hundred dollar bills in here for you just as soon as the knot is tied and that young lady is my wife, Pretty good pay for one day’s work, Mr. Howland,” The Reverend Cephas Howland grinned, nod- ded, but held his peace. The party trudged on as rapidly as possible with their prisoners. Agnes at last abandoned her ineffectual struggles, giv- ing utterance only to a gasping sob from time to time, that rendered Smalley almost frantic un- der a sense of his poe powerlessness, After half a mile or so of travel over rugged bluffs and deep ravines, the party halted at last atasignal from Leland, who consalted with a guide familiar with the region, The latter placed his hand to his mouth and emitted a pe- culiar sound that might be heard some distance, It was not unlike the cry of some night bird. ‘* If Scotty is awake he'll answer that,” said the guide, ‘‘ He knowsthesignel. But—blame meif I see any light! Ill bet the bloke has gone io sleep.” **T should have left you on guard, Swivel,” re- marked Leland in a low tone to that worthy, who was One of the two guarding Agnes. ‘* That fellow may let Boland get into mischief.” _ Atsoundof Boland’s name Agnes started and immediately felt comforted somehow. Smalley himself felt puzzled, ** They cannot mean the old man,” he thought, ‘* Must be they have run up with Tom some- where,” No reply was made to the signal nor was any reflection of a fire to be seen. ‘* Confound the luck!” growled Leland. ‘ But there is no use waiting here. Moveon to the cave, men, if we can find it in the dark.” Presently, however, as they moved forward, a faint glow was visible and the embers of the dy- ing fire appeared, Wood was thrown on the coals which were fanned intoa blaze, Looking about they could not see the man left in charge of the prisoner. Where was Boland? ‘*Look inside the cave, boys,” said Leland, ‘* Light the lantern. Be lively now.” Entering the cave the searchersheard a groan. Tben the lantern’s light revealed a sight of Scot- ty the guard, lying helpless and boundon the floor of the cavern, He was partially covered with blood and still so nearly senseless as to be unable toanswer Leland’s angry questionings, ‘* Where is your prisoner, you fool?’ shouted the commodore’s nephew, for no sign of Boland was to be seen, But the wounded man only moaned and rolled his eyes. ‘‘Water,” he managed to gasp, but no one heard his wish except Agnes, She, smitten with pity, notwithstanding her own predicament, handed him a tin cup full from a bucket that was setting near that had been brought by the tramps who had eaten sup- per there earlier in the evening, ‘ The cave and its vicinity was hurriedly searched, Nosign of Boland could be discover- ed. Leland, vaguely alarmed, bade all hands at once assemble in the cavern, except one man who was left as a sentinel outside. The others, @ Pull. 13 as by a preconcerted understanding, gathered about the Reverend Howland who produced a small Bible from his pocket, Leland, pale but resolved, reached forth his hand to Agnes, but she, glancing fearfully about, darted back as far as she could, ‘* T cannot—I will not!” she cried. ‘‘ Itis an outrage! Save me! Will not some one save me? “‘Tll try it again!” exclaimed Smalley, break- ing loose from those who held him by a violent effort. He wrenched a stick from the hands of one man and with it felled another, but others fell upon him and he was overborne by weight and numbers, thrown down and bound hand and feet, ; ‘*‘ Agnes,” said Leland, while the girl struggled with her captors, ‘‘ 1 have sworn to make you my wife. Do you think, after going as far as lL have, that Iam to be now turned aside?” ‘¢ You are a monster!” sheretorted. ‘‘ Inever liked you, and now I detest you above every liv- ing thing.” ‘** Come!” said he, witha bitter smile. ‘* You cannot escape, You and your wealth are both mine by might. This night shall make them both mine by law.” Two miscreants now held her before the preacher, if preacher he really was. Leland seized her ri ht hand in his own. In bis left something glittered. lt was a wedding ring. Miss Sutherland sbrieked, and strove again to resist but her strength was waning. ‘* Proceed,” said Leland to the Reverend How- land, who was looking so much alarmed at all this violence that his employer began to fear the clergyman might even now decline to go on. ‘* Are you going to be all night saying over a dozen words? The lady is growing weak, but she can rest when she is s. De Lancy Le- land.” Agnes made a gesture of utter abhorrence, but Leland, with a revolver in his left hand, while grasping his intended bride with his right, again shouted: ‘*Go on, will you? Make it short.” The Reverend Howland, forgetting his Bible entirely, began the brief, legal form prescribed by law, in a mumbling and confused manner, At the question ‘*‘ Wilt thou have this women, ete.,” Leland responded with a loud affirmative, The eyes of Agnes were already closing, and her rey silence was passed over. She was faint- g- ‘* Tf any one present,” continued the reverend rascal, ‘‘ knows cause why this man and this woman should not be joined together in legal matrimony, let them now speak or forever after hold their peace.” ** Hold!” exclaimed a high, stern voice, ‘I for- bid this outrage.” A man was thrusting the scared sentinel aside, Every one turned except Agnes, whose sinking form gradually olaneat as she dropped to the earth, while her supporters fell back in alarm, Leland, uttering a savage oath, leveled his re- volver at the intruder and fired. ** Die!”ke shouted, ‘* Die like a dog!” The smoke and the bellowing echoes filled the cavern, rolling forth upon the night air with- out. From down the glen followed a distant shout, and one listening without might bave heard the rapid tread of many advancing feet. CHAPTER XVIII. MR, BOLAND’S ADVENTURE. THE RELIEF, WHEN ex-detective Stephen Boland and the asylum attendant ran back to the building, they met a woman ata side entrance. It was tke attendant’s wife, ‘* Get to your ward, John,” said she to her husband, ‘If either of us are suspected our places are lost.” ‘‘Then they have discovered her absence?” asked Boland eagerly, as the woman appeared greatly agitated, ‘‘ They know that she is not in her room and are searching the building. You must not be seen here, Mr. Boland, Come, John.” “‘Go with your wife,” said Boland to his friend. ‘“* Don’t mind about me. lLonly came back to see how things looked and to divert pur- suit, if possible. Should we get the girl away from Leland you will be wellrewarded, Why, an she is worth a million at least in her own t. he three ted hurriedly. Boland. has- tened to the door in the wall, congratulating himself on having succeeded so well. ‘* Now will I go to them at therock, Then, if that help comes in, some one else may do some comicbooks.com