Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1063 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

Bair ado g : Del sen hu ig. BSA. 14 Wild Bill’s Weird Foe. **] know you are wondering how it bappens I am here alive,” he said: *‘and your appearance also puzzles me, I thought the red devils had finished you, but it seems you escaped some way. I care not how you did so, but I am sorry. As | for myself, I would have been a dead man only for the tattooing on my breast, When [ fell, wounded, I gasped for breath and tore open my shirt, exposing the strange syinbol. The red- skins saw it, and not one of them would touch me. I was left for dead amid the other bodies, but | was not dead, by any means,” ‘* You were fortunate, Seba,” said Bert, hold- ing himself in check, ** Well, you will find it was an unfortunate thing for you,” was the savage retort. ‘* You poor fool! You thought me still your friend, but I was your secret enemy. Do you remem- ber our first quarrel, when you struck me? ‘*T see you do, Well, you also remember I swore I would make you sorry for that blow. Afterwards, we seemed to become friends again but I never for a moment forgot my hth I meunt to keep it, and I will do so.” ** Treacherous wretch!” ** You must remember hard words never broke any bones, I hated you, even though I pretend- ed to be your friend, and I resolved to win Anice Aldrich, by fair means or foul. should defeat and ruin you, You were such anu honest young man it was difficult for me to get a bold on you. ‘**] resolved on a desperate move, and [ asked Anice to marry me. She declined, Then I made her promise to not let you know I bad asked ber to be my wife. ‘* Next, I set about planning to get rid of you. [ was not fool enough to murder you there, even though my heart prompted me to doso, I knew ‘ the crime would be traced to me, and thus I would ruin everything. ‘You will reme:aber I was the one who pro- posed coming: West to make our fortunes, At first you did not take to the scheme, but I urged avd excited you till you grew enthusiastic, That was a part of my plot. **T was afraid you would marry Anice before you started, but my fears were groundless, ‘*My scheme was simple, Away out in the mountains I would find a way to get rid of you then I could return to Anice, I had practic till I could imitate your handwriting, and I pro- posed to take back a letter to her, which was ap- rently written when you were dying. Inthat etter would be a mess of stuff about bow kind I had been to you, and it was to end with the re- quest that Anice become my wife. As it was apparently your dying wish, of courseshe would comply—and thus [ would win the prize,” * You treacherous dog!” hoarsely breathed ay Wyndal, fairly shaking with the fury he elt. ** Now Iam making you sorry for that blow!” cried Rankin. “No! Instead of making mesorry, you make me wish I had killed you when I struck!” ** Well, sorry or not, 1 am having my re- in BA ** Much good may it do you!” ** Now, don’t you worry a bit about that. I shall get out of it all the satisfaction possible.” ** You lied to me when you told me Anice bad also romised to become your wife!” **T knew it at the time! Oh, fool, fool! f Ought to have seen your treachery! Was I blind?” ‘* Somewhat, I think,” “And I think so, too!” Big Bruno and Black Bat were listening to all Ast passed, seeming to enjoy it as well as a arce, Rankin continued: **The red-skins prevented me from carrying out my plans, aes I fancied they had saved me the trouble of killing you. Now, I see I was mistaken. **] will not tell you how I succeeded in reaching the nearest settlement after the mas- sacre occurred. I dragged myself there, more dead than alive, and there I was cared for till my health was restored. ; ‘At first, | thought of writing to Anice and telling ber all; but I changed my mind. Wild tales of new gold discoveries in the Salt River -section were \ afloat, and 1 made for those parts. ‘Idid not write to Anice then, and I put it off for a long time. *“Whom do you suppose I found in a small Arizona camp? You could not puss, if you «tried, but it was Stephen Aldrich eae 's father!” ". All the while 1 saw you getting the best of mein open struggle, I was plotting to carry out some move that oY 6a,7 * Are you lying, Seba Rankin?” **No. Why should I lie to you now? You are close to death, and I want you to know the truth. I actually found the man, but there seemed to be some trouble with his bead. He fancied himself a fugitive from justice, and that was why he had not written to his wife for so many years. ‘** T tried to get the notion out of his head, but I succeeded very poorly. I could not persuade him to write or return East with me, He hed been unfortunate, and was living likea beggar.” ‘*T wrote then, and 1 told Aaice all that had happened, I told her you were dead. I told her 1 bad found her father. She answered, and her letter showed me she was nearly heart- broken, She said her mother was very sick— was at the door of death. I managed to raise some money, and I sent it all to ber. ‘* Not even the fact that bis wife was dying could induce Stephen Aldrich to return to II- linois. The thought of doing so fillea him with terror, “After a time, Anice wrote her mother was dead and she was.all alone in the world. Then I planned to have ber come West. At the re- quest of Aldrich,I had cautioned her against letting any one know her father still lived. I also took a fancy to have her leave home with- out revealing whither she was bound, ‘* Stephen agreed to meet bis child in Omaha, and I directed her to come to that place, It happened I was engaged in a scheme to make a pot of money about that time, and I was not able to go to Omaha with him, asI had intended. However, be promised to bring her straight to me, ‘* Well, he did not keep his word—” ‘Hor which I thank God!” exclaimed Bert W yndal, ‘Then you are thanking God for the death of a8 girl you loved, for his folly cost the lives of oth,” ** Better death for her than that she sbould fall into your vile hands!” ‘Ts that the way you look at it? Well, have it so, if you like, ** Aldrich did not come on from Omaha. I wrote, but received no answer, ‘Then I became excited, and I lost no time in going there. Al- though Lam something of a detective by nature, it took me quite a little while to trace them. Then I discovered they had joined a wagon- train, bound for—where? ‘‘That was an unanswerable. Some thought the train was bound for the northern part of the Territory, but no one seemed certain, Then | set about tracing the train, and I have been at it ever since, I have at Jast become satisfied it was destroyed by Indians. *‘ Tt was the search for the train that brought me to these Hills, for I did not know buf their destination was bere, I have found nothing to convince me I was right. The fate of Stephen Aldrich and little Anice is wrapped in mys- tery. ‘‘The same thing brought me here—it has brought us face to face.” ‘* And brought you to your death!” ** Would you kill me, now there is nothing to gain by it?” “There is something to gain.” “ What?” ** Revenge!” Seba Rankin’s face was little short of fiendish, as he uttered the word. ** You bate me because—” ** Because Anice loved you! ple truth, I confess.” ‘* What a miserable creature you are!” Rankin shrunk before the scorn expressed in those words, and the savage look on his face grew deeper. His hand crept toward his That is the sim- Suddenly, without the least warning, a female gure seemed to rise up in their very midst. It was the Black Witch of Moaning Gulch! A hissing sound came from her lips, ** Danger!” she said, softly. ‘* There are red- skins on every hand! You are surrounded, and they are creeping down upon you! You must take to the darkness and try to save your- selves!” **Not till I bave had Bert Wyndal’s blood!” grated Rankin, as, knife in hand, be bent to- ward the captive. With a push of her foot, the Black Witch sent him sprawling on his back, Then she snatched a blanket from her shoulders and flung it over the fire, burying the camp in darkness! So sudden and unexpected had been the move- ment that every one was astonished, Black Bat was the first to recover, py y ‘ 6 4 - : . 4 ‘ 4 - € fv a "> dh ai a i” ; ; Leaping forward, he tore the blanket aside, and the fire leaped up again. Cries of anger broke from the lips of the three rascals, for they saw they had been tricked, The Black Witch was gone, and the captive | had also disappeared! Hearing a noisein the darkness, Black Bat wheeled, snatched outa revolver and fired to- ward the spot, CHAPTER XVI. WILD BILLS SECRET, THE moment the blanket settled over the fire, Bert Wyndal felt a sbarp knife sever his bonds, Then a hand fell on bis wrist, and he was pulled to his feet. In another moment, he was burry- ing away, guided by the weird woman of Moan- ing Gulch, Suddenly the light blazed out behind them, and, a moment later, the report of a revolver was heard, Bert felt the black-faced woman give a start, but they still burried on. They were pursued, but the Witch easily gave the slip to those who were following, ‘‘ Where sre we going!” asked Bert. ‘To a placeot safety,” was the ape ** There is but one sate piace amid these Hills; [ will take you there. I did not mean to do so, but the lit- tle girlis calling and calling for you, and my heart softened, All the others must die: you alone shall escape,” Bert’s heart gave a strange leap, ‘* The little gir)?’ he repeated. gir) do you mean?” ‘*Wait—you stall see.” He was forced to be content witb that, Through the night they made ibeir way till Moaning Gulch was reached, Altbougb he did not know it, Bert had not traveled so very far from the mysterious gorge. Down into the uncanny place they hastened, At a certain point not a great distance from the rockers, the Witch paused and fumbled with the stone wall, A black opening appeared before them, ‘* Go in,” she said. The young man did not hesitate. He halted after entering. There came a soft grating sound, and then he knew the cunningly contrived door had closed behind him, He was in the densest darkness. ss Come.” . The voice of the Black Witch was strangely weak, and the hand which touched his wrist seemed growing cold. He shuddered, but per- mitted the woman to guide bim, For a short time they advanced through the darkness, then they ascended a long flight of stone steps. Suddenly and most unexpectedly Bert found himself in a lighted chamber, There were two persons in the chamber. One was a man of fifty, with gray bair and beard, and the other— “God in Heaven! Anice, is it you?” Bert almost shouted the words. The beautiful girl started forward, her hands outstretched, ‘* Bert, Bert!” she gasped, ‘‘ They said I was deceived by a likeness—they said you were dead! Is it really you, Bert?” Then sbe was folded in his arms, and words cannot express the wonder and mad joy in bis heart, It was really Anice Aldrich, alive and well. And the man was Stephen Aldrich, Bert Wyndal could not realize he was not dreaming, for it seemed too good—too strange— to be true. How the girl clung to him, and then, when she felt his Blas Gawd she felt the lips of the one she had thought dead—sbe fainted. Tenderly the joyous lover bore ber toa rude couch close at hand, and, with her father’s aid, she was soon restored to consciousness, ** Young man,” said Stepben Aldrich, ‘‘ I am happy to learn the story of your death was not true. It bas nearly killed my child, but now I hope she will become herself once more.” Anice clung to Bert, saying brokenly: ‘‘Oh, Bert! can you know what it is to be- lieve the one you love so dearly is dead and lost to you forever?” “Yes, my little darling,” he replied, * for I thought you were dead, I have been searching for you, oh, so long! And I could find no trace, { bad begun to believe the Mansfield wagon- train had been destroyed by Indians,” ‘And so it was,” declared Mr. Aldrich, ‘¢ Myself, my child and the strange woman who brought you to this spot, were the only ones who escaped. The woman with the black face: has Indian blood in her veins. A full-blooded “~~ comicbooks 4 ‘* What little lg aS ~etakees * = . ) re al