Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1116 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 Crimson Kate, the Girl Trailer. ————— 5 the prairie, were creeping like huge snakes through the tall grass toward the stockade walls. In their advance was a man wearing a chief’s head-dress of feathers, yet with the face of a white man, and unerrivgly to the secret opening through the wall he led his dusky war- riors, With his knife he caused the heavy log to swing open upon its secret hinges, and through the space thus made be passed alone, while his followers lay prostrate in the grass, All was quiet within and tho night was very dark as the clouds shut out the star- light. One by one as he called to them in a whisper the warriors entered and ranged themselves along the stockade walls in the deep shadow of the trees, At last he passed the word for the different chiefs to take their bands to the attack of the various points and quarters, for he had de- scribed to them the interior of the fort and just what to do, But with the first movement from thw stock ade came a ringing cry: ‘* Fire!” With the word there flashed forth a brilliant lino of fire, and the red glare of heavy guns, and the explosion seemed to shako the very earth. Wild cries, shrieks, groans and defiant war- whoops were heard, mingling with tho stern orders of chiefs. But the fearful volley had laid many a dusky warrior low, they had been surprised iustead of surprising, and as the soldiers were charg- ing forward with cheers, they dashed through the narrow passage in the stockade, scaled the walls and fled in mad, wild confusion. In dismay their white leader stood like one dazed. : He knew to go with his red-skin allies would cause his instant death at their hands as a traitor, while to be taken by the soldiers, his end would be equally certain. In terror, he determined to seek a hiding- vlace until the Indians had fled, and then to seek safety in flight alone, With this intention he made a dart fora cabin that he knew stood in the timber near the stockade, and was deserted. But suddenly a form confronted him, and a shot flashed in his face. ‘‘ By the star of Texas! but I got you, traitor renegade,” cried a voice as the man fell. ‘¢ Ha! you are that accursed Cowboy,” hissed the man as he bent over him. | “Yes, I am the Cowboy, and I shall soon xnow who you are; here! this way with a lan- tern.” Then he walked away, as an officer came up and spoke to the general. As he reached head-quarters he was met by Lilian, who had seen him before to welcome him back. ‘‘ Licutenant, a soldier has just told me that you killed the white renegade leader of the In- dians?” ‘¢ Yes, Miss Earl.” “Ts it true?” “Tt is,” “ Did you know him?’ ‘*T did, Miss Earl.” ‘‘ Ha! your manner tells me it was—” ‘* Brandt Burnett.” “Thavk God! thank God! at last! at last!” The words fairly rung from her lips, and then she cried: ‘¢ Did he die without a word? ing;?” ‘¢- Yes: he said to me that I had killed Brandt Burnett, and that you were his wife.” ‘‘Who heard him say this, Lester Langdon?’ Tony,” “Thank Godi and I beg you to keep my socret, for, that man I did marry years ago, when I believed him honorable. ‘‘ He fascinated me for I never loved him, and urged me into a secret marriage with him and foolishly I consented, and it has been a thorn in my side ever since. ‘¢ No one else knows the fearful secret, Lieu- tenant Langdon, and I beg of you to keep it.” ‘¢] will, Miss Earl, and I thank Heaven you ere at last free from that’wretch, and—” “Good heavens! you are ill! help! hore, guard!” The maiden cried loudly for help, for, the wound received by the youth, although slight, had been steadily bleeding, until at last he fainted from loss of blood and fell at the feet of Lilian Earl. CHAPTER XXIL CRIMSON KATE, Srx years have passed away since the night of the secret attack upon Fort Advance, head- ed by Brandt Burnett, who, driven from among his own people by his crimes, was forced to fly to the red-skins for succor, In those six years changes had come, for General Earl had retired from the army, and had gone to his old home in Virginia to end his days, leaving his daughter behind him as Mrs, Rollo Willoughby, for, after confessing to that gallant officer her secret marriage, he had readily forgiven her and made her his wife, With the rank of a lieutenant-colonel, Rollo Willoughby was in command of Fort Advance, Said he noth- tottered into the fort on foot, wounded im several places, and with a sad story to tell. As he related it to Colonel Willoughby, after his wounds were dressed by the surgeon, it was: ‘‘- Yer see, col’nell, we hed been findin hot traces 0’ both Comancbe and Apache, and ther cap’n held on, thinkin’ he’d get better knowl- edge o’ what they were arter. ‘“ Waal, our hosses were pretty well played out, and the second night we went into camp in the hills, whar we thought we c’u’d lie low fer a few hours and rest. ‘¢T were standin’ guard, and t’others were sleepin’ ther sleep o’ ther just, when all ofa suddint a hand were laid on my arm, ‘God love yer, col’nell, but I thought it were ther devil fust, an’ then I see it were an angel. ‘Ther moon were as bright as daytime afore sun-up, an’ I were standin’ under ther shadder 9’ a tree, an’ right by my side she stood, fer sho were a woman, or rather a gal.” ‘‘ A girl in that wild region, Mike?’ “Yes, col’nell, a gal.” “An Indian girl, you mean,” said Lilian Willoughby who was present. ‘‘T does not mean an Injun gal, miss, but a white-an’-whiter clean through.” “A white girl, scout? ‘You surprise me,” said the colonel. ‘‘T surprised myself when I seen her; but thar she were, and ob Lordy! but she were han’some, ‘‘In fact, pards—I beg yer pardon Col’nell an’ Mrs. Col’nell—I doesn’t mean pards; in fact the gal were too durned pretty, fer her face were lovely an’ her form were lovelier, and—” ‘‘ How was she dressed, Mike?’ asked Lilian. ‘“Tn crimson, Mrs. Col’nell.” ** Crimson?” ‘+f red is crimson, she were drust in crim, son, fer she had a red jacket, crimson leggins, an’ wore a black sombrero witha red plume, “She were armed too, fer a small rifle, glit’rin’ with silver truck hung at her back, an’ a revolver were p’inted at me; showin’ she hed me thar. “Tdidn’t move, ‘cause I dar’n’t, an’ jist looked inter her beautiful eyes, an’ said pleas- ant-like; ‘<¢ Good-evenin’, miss.’ ‘‘But she didn’t good-evenin’ worth a cent, but said back, an’ her voice were as sweet as whisky runnin’ out ther neck o’ a jug: “¢Thar are hundreds of Injuns ’round you heur, an’ in ther mornin’ yer will be discover- ed, so wake up your pards an’ git.’ ‘She didn’t say git, adzactly, but wurruds to them effect, an’ I understood ’em, an’ I T will tell you: I am Brandt—Burnett— | which had been enlarged and improved, hay- | replies: and—Lilian Earl—is—my—wvife.” ing become a most important center in border ‘‘<¢'Thanks, miss, we’lldo it, an’ I’m obleeged He spoke in gasps, and with the last word | warfare. to ye. his life had ended. In surprise Lester Langdon heard who he was, for he had believed him executed long before; but the words of the renegade startled him still more, and he turned away just as General Earl came up, and recognizing tho youth by the torches his escort carried, cried out: Well, Lieutenant Langdon, thanks to you, we have gained a victory, and Wil- loughby is mounting his men to pursue; will you go?” ‘| am wounded slightly, general, so will not; but here is the white leader, whom I just | killed, and it is Burnett, whom I believed dead.” ‘‘ Dead! thank God, at last; but are you sure he is not playing ‘possum, as some weeks ago he and that delectable cousin of yours managed te escape in some mysterious way, and—” ‘Loyd Lavgdon is not dead then?” cried the youth, “Not a bit of it, for the two got away.” “Well, Brandt Burnett is,” was Lester Langdon’s cool reply, as he bent over the body and placed his hand upon his heart. Among his most distinguished young officers was one who was the idol of his men and the lion in army society, for he was known to be the bravest of the brave,.a per- fect prairieman as well as soldier, and his courtly manners, superb form and handsome face made him the cynosure of many a bright eye that sought to gain his regard, This person was Captain Lester Langdon, commander of the scouts and guides of the fort, and whose courage and dash had raised him step by step in rank, until at twenty-three he had won his captaincy. Known to possess a large fortune, and be- sides having several cattle ranches he had in- vested in, he yet clung to frontier life with a tenacity that was remarkable for one who had the means to live a life of indolent ease in the large cities, But not only did he cling to his frontier life, but was constantly upon tho trail of the red- skins, and the desperadoes that infested the country from the Colorado to the Rio Grande, One day with Moccasin Mike and three other scouts, all noted for their pluck and daring, Captain Langdon had started out on a littie trail, and three days after Moccasin Mike had ‘“¢ But who might you be? “She smiled painful sweet, an’ said back: ‘¢¢Ef yer wishes ter remember me, call me Kate.’ ‘She then jist waved her hand and moved away, while she again said: ‘©¢Go, and at once, or it will be too late.’ “ T can tell yer, colnell, I was all tuk abask, bu’st up and upsot; but I woke up ther cap'n, and tole him jist what I hed seen. “ ¢ Mike, you was asleep an’ dreamin’,’ said he. ‘‘But I tole him he oughter know I wasn’t one o’ ther sleepin’ kind on duty, an’ he laughed, just as ther came ther hoot o’ a owl from not far away. Js ‘‘Now col’nell, a owl hain’t got ne duicet voice, but I recognized in them dismal notes the tone o’ thet crimson gal, and says I: “¢Cap’n, let us dust.’ ‘¢¢ All right, Mike, I will heed the warnin’.’ ‘¢ Well, col’nell, we leyanted out o’ that, an’ we hedn’t gone fur afore we see ther crimson al—”’ ‘Call her Crimson Kate, Mike,” suggested Mrs. Willoughby. | | ‘‘Sartin, miss, an’ it are a pretty name as ; ; . \ : »o ‘ : c, : . oe 4\ fe Pl _- ae a & ~ 4 se e ae) 7 ‘4 Os a ee be + a shal cy PMO chy comicbooks 3) Die