Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1116 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

Crimson Kate, THE GIRL TRAILER; : OR, THE COWBOY’S TRIUMPH. — BY COLONEL PRENTISS INGRAHAM, &UTHOR OF “‘ GRIT, THE BRAVO SPORT,” “ BISON BILL,” “GOLD PLUME,” ‘LITTLE GRIT,” ETC., ETC. CHAPTER. 1. THE PLOTTERS. “ He is dead!” “ And bis will?’ ‘‘Leaves a couple of thousand to you, as many more to me, the same sum each to his two old servants, a like amount to the doctor, and—”’ “The balance?’ ** All to bis son,” ** And you, sir?” ‘‘ Are his executor, and have the will in my possession. ” “ Well?” ‘“‘T wrote the will, but I did not write in the sums; the doctor and the two servants were the witnesses, and I can now write in five thousand for each of us instead of two.” ‘(That will take twenty-five thousand from the estate.” ‘What of that, for it is worth a clear half million?” “So much as that?’ 7 Yea,” ‘*But what says the will in case this son cannot be found?” “If not found in five years the estate goes to charity.” “Curse charity; well, we have five years to work on, and the son shall not be found,” ‘“What mean you, when his father got a letter from him only a few weeks ago from the Texas border?” “ Ah! well, I guess he might die in a short while, and in a couple of years, or more, I might appear as the prodigal son, returning fur my fortune left me, for I am only about seven years his senior, and, being cousins, we looked @ good deal alike years ago.” ‘¢ Loyd Langdon, you are a Villain.” ‘Like father, like son.” ‘‘ And you propose this daring act of ras- cality ?”’ “Why not?” ‘Yes, why not?’ ‘‘He, when his father married again, left home in anger, though but fourteen; his step- mother fortunately dies, and now the father goes, and this runaway boy is left a fortune. ‘You are poor and have nothing to give me, and I tell youl can go and get rid of the boy, wait awhile, and then come back and play Lester Langdon to perfection, for if you, the executor, are satisfied with my identity, what matters it about others. ‘‘ Besides, Iam very young looking for my age, and really few know you have a son, ‘‘Now what say you, Judge Dorsey Lang- don, to, by my strategy, get a fortune for both of us?” “But the boy, Lester eousin?” ‘‘Ob! he lives on a ranch in Texas, and that is a dangerous country to live in, you know, for life ends very suddenly there. “T have been there, as you know, and these wero thousand dollars left me—” “ Five thousand.” : Langdon, your “Ah yes, father mins, I forgot the odd three. thousand; well, that sum will enable me to pay a fow of my debts, so as to ease my credi- tars where I live, and also to go to Texas and gurse my dear cousin Lester until his death.” “Loyd Langdon, you are indeed a scoun- \ . * J P 3 -* - dla Pe —- ~*~ — 4 ‘ fF? —4 : * » - * rs Pa SS ee aos ee Nt 6 a n Fa se tae pe 75% ee * sue og | Sen te OORT RS Aeterna Crimson Kate, the Girl Trailer. but you must at once leave here, before you are seen and known as my son.” “Twill goat once, and you can send to me the small inheritance my uncle Carter Lang- don has left me—yes, I have just time to catch the midnight train,” The speakers, as the reader hassurmised, were father and son, The former had married in haste in his early life and repented at leisure, and Loyd Langdon was the fruit of that union. With no love for his wife, after ber death he had kept the boy at school and college until he was of age, and then purchased for hima ranch in Colorado, and a few cattle, and hoped never to have another call upon his purse from him, for Judge Langdon was not a rich man, having saved nothing, and even squan- dered his small inheritance, His brother, Carter Langdon had carefully invested bis small inheritance, married a love- ly girl, the mother of the youth against whom the two were plotting, and upon her death had wedded his housekeeper, an act which caused his only child, Lester, though a boy of four- teen, to leave the house with a threat never to return, While his second wife lived Carter Langdon dared not look up the boy wanderer; but after her death, which was suddenly, he sought for him far and wide, and only a few weeks before his death beard from him, four years after he had left the paternal roof-tree, on the far-away Texas border. Taken down il! he had longed for his absent boy, but he did not come, and dying, Carter Langdon had willed to him bis fortune, and made his dishonorable brother his executor. CHAPTER II. THE COWBOY. By the side of a new-made grave a youth was standing, and the expression of utter sad- ness upon his face showed that the mound bid from view some one that was dear to him, The youth was perhaps eighteen, yet seemed somewhat older, for upon bis bronzed, band- some face was a self-reliant, resolute look that showed he telt fully capable of taking care of himself. He was dressed in buckskin leggings, fringed down the outer seam, and stuck in cavalry boots, upon the heels of which were large silver spurs, while a short jacket of velvet, and a gray woolen shirt completed his costume, unless I except the broad-brimmed felt som- brero that sheltered his finely formed head. He was tall, supple in build, with broad shoulders, and hands and feet so small that a woman might have been proud of them, as well as of the large, dark, deer-like eyes with their long lashes. By a tree at his side leant a rifle, and in his belt were a pair of revolvers resting upon each hip, and a long-bladed knife at his back. The scene around him was rolling prairie, mountains in the distance, and through the timber island in which be stood was visible an adobe cabin and outbuildings, showing that it was a cattle ranch, if the presence of a few hundred head of cattle grazing near had not done so, It was a wild, picturesque scene in western Texas, and rendered strangely lonely by the presence of but one buman being in view and the new-made grave at his feet. ‘“‘Ah, me!” he sighed, “I will never see your kind face again, Don Bartolo, and I will mourn for you as for my own father, for you have been such to me ever since two years ago you found me in Santa Fe a destitute wanderer and brought me to your ranch. ‘‘T would I knew the secret of your life, for well f know some deep sorrow brought you to this far-away land to live in solitude, and to die, with me alone to soothe your last hours. ‘“‘And you have left me your ranch and your cattle, as though you were in reality my father; my father / ah! he has cast me off ut- a for no reply has come to my letter to P . ‘ 2 ai ke * ¢* } . ‘ty <<” ‘ fh ie Ee * C Pise Be c J ¥ ° Pa ? Wy Bye < tipo ¢, Me Ning ty A 4 > eo 4 ‘‘-Yos, he has cast me off forever, but thanks to you, my noble friend that lies here, I aus not a destitute outcast.” For some moments longer the youth stood gazing silently upon the grave, and then, as the shaduws began to stretch far across the prairie, turned away with a sigh, and shoulder- ing his rifle started for the ranch, It was, as I have said an adobe cabin, first built of logs, and then stuccoed with clay, and contained two rooms, one of which was used as a kitchen, and the other as a sleeping-room, for there were several cots, covered with bear and buffalo skins in it, and around the alls hung many evidences of the chase. By the side of the door lay a large dog, and lariated near were a couple of ponies, while out upon the prairie, feeding among the cattle were half a score more, : A corrul near the cabin showed that the stock bad to be driven in at night, for fear of roving bands of Indians making way with them, or worse still, being run off by thieving whites. ‘‘T’]l eat no supper to-night, and I guess not sleep any either, Don Bartolo, with your empty cot near me,” he muttered, his thoughts re- verting once more to the dead form he had only a short while before placed in his grave. As he spoke the large dog suddenly sprung to his feet, and rousing from his indolence sniffed the air. ‘¢ What is it, Chief?’ asked the youth. As though in answered the dog growled, and held his nose in the direction of the thickest part of the timber island in which the ranch was situated, and which comprised about three acres of woodland. , ‘‘ Yes, the wind comes from that way, Chief; what is it, Injun or white man?” he said. Again the dog growled, and the young cow- boy, for be bad been Don Bartolo’s herder, at once walked rapidly through the timber. Far out upon the prairie, he saw, so soon ae he could get a glimpse through the timber, a party of horsemen apprvaching at a gallop. ‘You were right, Chief; but go and get my glass, sir,” he said, to the dog, and at once the intelligent animal darted back to the cabin and brought from a peg near the door upon which it hung by a strap, a field-glass. “Good Chief, now we will see who these visitors are,” and after patting the dog affec- tionately, he turned the glass upon the party. “Three of them, and—one is a woman, ‘¢-Yes, and each one holds a rein of ber bri- dle, and her hands are tied behind her, ~ “There bas been some deviltry there and I will fathom it,” and he turned and walked quickly back to the cabin. CHAPTER HI. BROUGHY TO BAY. Wuen the Cowboy returned to the rancho his first act was to catch one of the lassoed ponies and lead him to the cabin, where he placed upon him a handsome Mexican saddle and bridle. The other pony he turned loose upon the prairie, and then he set to work to examine closely his rifle and revolvers, and others that were in the cabin. Leading the pony into the kitchen and call- ing Chief tu follow, he then returned and sat down on a rustic bench by the door and calm- ly awaited the coming of those he bad seen out upon the prairie. The sun was sinking lower and lower in the west, and the shadows were growing longer, increasing the look of gloom upon the youth*e sad face. Before long he heard the clatter of hoofs, and saw approaching a single ‘horseman. 7 It was a white man, and he was well mounted and armed, though his horse showed signs of having been hard ridden, as he came along with lowered head and tired gait. The face of the man was heavily bearded, ‘ and as he drew rein within a few paces of the youth the latter saw that his face was sinister andcruehL He was however dressed in « cavalry unt- / a 7 . ” 7 > Age gikng ¢ he * = S. \ — “ + eee - - 4 hab a é » ee — . — A Net OO ea i, Ee ee wy = . nar ./ sy" o Pal hn > * Ld - " $ t en A ‘= i : . of t ys ty Mm |