Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1115 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

GD ey, * a * ‘ ? ee “Py shimminy krout!” exclaimed Old Luke, ‘ dot sounds shust like another bapy cry!’ ‘*It was a child’s cry, Luke,” replied Clark; * | heard it plain enough.” ‘‘T wonder if dot lnostun woman’s drifted ofer here mither paby? Poys, let’s see ’pout it.” They dismounted, hitched their horses in the edge of the grove and then crept cautiously through the shrubbery in the direction whence the cry came. They had gone but a short dis- tance when they came in sight of that same little hammock that Luke had found the day before in the mountains. It was fastened to the limb of a tree and the chubby hands of the baby could be seen reaching upward as if to grasp the rustling leaves above it, while ever qnd anon a lusty cry escaped its ips. And be- neath the hammock, kneeling beside a bloody, prostrate form was the woman Nathalia. With a feeling of horrible misgivings, the three men advanced toward the woman, who, when she beard their footsteps, rose and turned toward them with a wild, distressed look upon her face. There was blood upon her hands and garments, and before either of the three men could speak, she pointed to the prostrate form lying on the ground, stript to the waist and covered with blood, and said: ** Dead!” The three glanced at the body. It was that of Tiger Tom! A groan escaped the lips of the trailers. CHAPTER IX. THE OUTCOME OF IT ALL. OVERCOME with sorrow at the loss of their oung and beloved leader, the two rangers lark and Scarr, sat down by the body an bowed their heads in grief. a Luke turned to Nathalia and said sorrow- y: ‘*Py shim’ny, gal, dot ish awful, awful bad!” ‘It makes Nathalia’s heart bleed,” replied the woman; “‘she tried to save the life of the young pale-face, for but yesterday he saved ers. ‘‘How dit you git here, Nathalee?” asked the old borderman, ‘**T came here with the warriors who passed on in pursuit of the pale-face bad men. We found the young ranger here, and I stayed to help him. Yesterday my father started with his warriors after Paul Ramzardo, the White Raven, as my le named him, He promised the Great Spirit that he would take the scalp of the man who made my life so dark and sad. Out on the plain, when the fog was as dark as the brow of night, the Comanche warriors met the White Raven and his followers, and a Lloody battle was fought.” ‘*Oh-ho, then dot eex-plains all ’pout dot si- lent pattle of der phantoms we see’d dis morn- in.’ Poor Tom was right® Luke said, nodding his head thoughtfully; ‘* put how didt der pat- tle ent, hey? Which got whipped, Miss Inshun?”’ *“‘The Comanches defeated the outlaws,” Na- thalia went on, in a half-wailing tone, as her fcrm swayed to and fro like a reed in the wind, ‘** but it was worse than defeat to Nathalia, for ber father was slain end—” » ** Moin Gott in himmel! ish dot so?” broke in Old Luke, “My father and my mother are both dead now,” moaned the grief-stricken woman, ‘“‘and i have no friend left but my baby.” “Yes, you haf, by shim’ny krout you ha/,”. declared Old Luke, in 2, tone that almost frig ht- ened the squaw; “you can shust count on ole Luke Shoofstahl till der cows cooms home, I ah aa oe me pucohsasn, I knows, but py shim/’nv krou ot a heart as w - a a bet,” g ell as any ‘Take! Luke!” suddenly cried one of the rangers, ‘* Tom opens his eyes! he is not.dead !” “Bless Gott!” shouted Old Luke, turning to the wounded man. “‘ Tom, Tom, are you mooch hurt?’ ‘Ah! it is you, Luke,” said Tom, feebly, as he opened his eyes and gazed around him) and np into the face of the bunter. ‘‘Yes, Tom, and we thought you was dead, but py shimminy krout! you sha’n’t die now.” "don’t know, boys,” replied Tom; *‘I’m badly burt. I’m afraid it’s all up with me.” ‘Never say die, Tom,” admonished Old Luke “‘nut we'd petter see whar you’s hurt, poy, and coctor you soom.” | An cxamination of the wound showed that the ranger had been shot in the back, and, the ball striking a rib, had glanced downward and lodged somewhere in the body. Tom was quite waak from loss of blgud, 4 every breath was taken with a twinge of sharp pain. _ The three men, assisted by Nathalia, dressed Tiger Tom, the Texan Terror. the wound as well as their means and rude | knowledge of surgery would admit, then young Scarr was dispatched on horseback to the camp on the Concho for Dr. Adams, for means to construct a litter and men to assist in moving the wounded man to camp. Tom gradually rallied trom the worst effects ol his nervous shock, and conversed in a low, feeble tone with his friends. He had remem- bered all from the moment he was shot up to the time he fell from his horse on the edge of the motte, Then all was a blank to him untilhe recovered and found his three friends and the Indian woman at bis side. Old Luke and young Clark narrated their ad- ventures in search of him, and thus the hours were passed until Scarr returned from the Con- cho with the doctor and six rangers. About the same time twenty Comanche war- riors entered the motte, also. It was the same party that had found Tom lying on the prairie and removed him to the grove, where he was left in Nathalia’s care. They brought with them the lifeless form of their chief, Long Lance, and, wben it had been placed upon the ground, Na- thalia fell upon her knees beside it, and burst into a sad and sorrowful wailing that moved the whites to tears. Long and heart-rending were her lamentations, that finally died away in low, convulsive moans. Dr. Adams proceeded to make an examination of Tom Brayton’s wound, and, as he progressed in his work, it was evident from the look upon his face that the injury was far worse than he had expected to find it, When he had concluded his examination he turned aside and said in a low tone to a ranger: ‘‘Some one must go at once to the fort for the surgeon. I must have assistance. Tom’s case is a serions one, and the chances are but one in a bundred. If he survives the nervous shock, there is great danger of death from hemorrhage; and if he passes this, then there are other dan- gers to be apprehended, such as formation of an abscess and blood poisoning. Tell the surgeon to bring an ambulance. It would be well while there to tell Colonel Miller that his daughter Irene, is safe with the Texan Terrors, an that there is no further danger to be feared from Long Lance, that Paul Ramardo is dead, and his band, I should judge, entirely demoralized and broken up.” ** All right, doctor,” replied the ranger, and in another minute the brave fellow was in his saddle galloping across the prairie in the direc- tion of Fort Concho. A litter was at once constructed out of poles and a blanket and Tiger Tom carefully placed upon it. Then four men lifted him and started with easy steps for camp, Doctcr Adams walk- ing at the side of the litter closely watching the face of his young captain and patient. Soon after the whites left the motte a sadder procession filed out of its shadows and moved away toward the north witb the lifeless form of the Comanche chief, Nathalia with her babe riding behind, sad, sorrowful and heart-broken, ‘*Py shimminy krout, doctor,” said Old Luke as he watched the Indians moving away, ‘dot ish der whitest Inshun woman I most never ees. ‘*She is half white, Luke,” replied the doctor; ‘‘her mother they say was an intelligent white woman, the daughter of an old Indian agent.” ‘Doctor, didt you ever hear of an Inshun gal marryin’ a pig Dutchman?’ ‘*[ don’t know that I ever did, Luke,” Adams responded with a smile on bis face, for he saw that Luke was in earnest—serious enough; ‘ but I can see no reason why such a marriage would not be as. congenial as any other.” ‘‘Nor I eether, py shim’ny frost,” declared Luke, , It was a slow and tedious journey across the prairie so that it was late in the day when the party reached camp, There.were no demonstra- tions on their arrival for the doctor preceding the main party into camp, forbid it. A couch was prepared for the wounded man out of leaves, grass and blankets. Some nour- ishment was then given him and after he had | rested awhile, Jacquetta, in accordance with his wish, was permitted to see him. The brave, little girl mastered her emotions well as her eyes fell upon his pale, white face—greeting him with words of encouragement, Tom took her hand in bis and pressed it to his lips and then he closed his eyes and for a moment both were silent, though the responsive abe of their young hearts spoke plainer than rds, : ¢ Tom,” Jacquetta finally said with tremulous lips, ‘‘I am so sorry that you are hurt, ‘but you will get well, won’t you?’ 13 Tom looked up into her face and with a voive full of resolution replied: ‘* Yes, Jacquetta, God willing. There issome- thing in this world for me to live for.” Jacquetta’s lips quivered and despite her effort to keep them back, tears welled up into her eye. Bending over Tom she said in a low tone: ‘*Tom, I shall pray for you.” Toward evening Tom’s fever rose alarmingly but the doctor watched his pulse closely and treated him with remarkable skill, The party must now depend upon their rifles for food, and their supplies already being quite meager a party was detailed to go in search of game. Toward evening they returned with three deer that they had found in a chaparral a few miles down the river. Night finally settled over the bivouac of the little party. The weather was mild and pleasant. A bower had been constructed around Tom’s couch, another had been prepared hard by for Irene and Jacquetta, About midnight the maidens retired. Mr, Walden and Dr. Adams were then watching at Tom's bedside, Six men paced to and fro on guard just within the edge of the chaparral. Those that were not on duty lay rolled in their blankets on the ground taking a much needed sleep. A-deadie silence reigned in and around the chaparral. It was about two o’clock. Dr. Adams was counting the pulse throbs of his patient when suddenly a wild, terrified shriek from the maidens’ bower pierced through the silence of the night. ‘““My God! what is wrong?’ cried Mr, Walden. In an instant every ranger was upon his feet, revolver in hand. CHAPTER X, ANOTHER PATIENT FOR DR. ADAMS. Tracer Tom was startled from his repose b the girl’s shriek, and half delirious, felt at his side for his pistol; but quieting him Dr. Adams took the little pocket lantern they had been using by the young man’s bedside and followed by Walden hurried to the maidens’ bower, Their entrance was greeted by another scream and a sharp ‘‘skirring” sound like the sbrill, warning rattle of a snake. Lowering the light the men saw the girls sit- ting up in their couch, their faces white with terror, and on the blanket, that was spread across lrene’s lap they saw a monster rattle- snake coiled with head and tail erect, the latter quivering with that horrible sound, Up to this time the — had only heard the serpent, but when the light fell upon its spotted, scaly form and [rene saw it lying in her lap she uttered a scream and throwing out her band attex.pted to dash the blanket and serpent aside; but she was not quick enough. The reptile struck and his fangs were buried in ber arm, With a convulsive cry the poor girl fainted. J acase sprung from the couch dragging the blanket and serpent aside, In an instant the snake’s head was ground into pulp under the doctor’s heel, then dropping on his knees by Irene’s side be tore away the sleeve of her dress and there upon the white plump arm beheld two _ dark globules of blood where the serpent’s fangs had pierced the skin, This was not the first case of the kind the doc- tor had treated. -In fact, there was searcely a man among the rangers but what hed either been bitten by a rattlesnake, a centipede or | ei ntula, and successfully treated by the young octor. In a moment or two he had cauterized the wound, and as soon as the maiden recovered from her swoon he administered brandy and other antidotes quite freely. The arm swelled to twice its natural size and turned spotted as the snake itself, but the girl suffered but little ain. f Sleep, however, did not close another eye in the chaparral that night, and between his two patients Doctor Adams was kept busy, When daylight dawned it brought little’ sun- shine to the hearts of the party, for the d: ctor said Tiger Tom was sinking and, while he might rally, the worst could be expected at any mo- ment. This wasindeed sad information, and it seemed that Jacquetta’s heart would break. It fell with double force now, for all had fostered the belief that he would recover. Mr. Walden went to the young ranger’s bed- aide’ to roliews the aco a few eer by te watch, Tom ope eyes, and recogn the rage trader ; has ‘* Mr. Walden, I e Or said: fear lam growing worse. J. : } | 900KS.com