Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1122 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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—— —- ————EEEEee ee —_— — , 16 trying to draw his knife. Dupre caught him by | the throat with the left hand, and showered | Beadle’s Half-Dime Library. ee ee chase their liberty by a few days’ work, and 2 uttered his verdict, so dreadful when heard at | week after everything was complete. the close of a trial for murder: blows on the chief’s head with the barrel of his | pistol, as fast and hard as he could lay them on, Thechief ducked his head, receiving the blows on the matted hair on his crown, and soon mas- tered the Creole, rolling him over on the deat Eugene struggled manfully and well. But Ti- ger Tail had already drawn. his knife; and | wreathing his hand in Eugene’s hair, thrust | stretched himself with great satisfaction. back his head with a savage growl, and lifted the knife to strike. The Creole thought his last hour was come, when shouts and the galloping of. horses near by disturbed the chief, and Tiger Tail wavered | and looked Up. In an instant more came the sharp crack of a pistol close by. Tiger Tail uttered a hideous yell, and leaped up. failing over on his back on the grass, stone dead, the blood gushing from a hole over his | heart. Eugene staggered to his feet to see the Regu- lators rushing past him at full speed, in chase of | Tannie Magoffin’s mustang, which they caught | | hearts. goods had been scattered to the winds, and their av a hundred yards off. Eugene hurried up and found them all stand- ing round the prostrate body of Miquelez, who lay on his face, sullen and motionless. One of the borderers had cut Tennie’s bonds, and the girl welcomed his face, the only fa- miliar one to ber, with a burst of gladness that wonderfully elated simple Eugene. And now, by twos and threes, the Regulators came galloping up, followed by Colonel Magof- fin and Louisiana Dupre, who had been watch- on Ma fight in safety from the rear. reat was the rejoicing between the reunited cousins as they met, and Thornley sighed deeply, with involuntary envy, as he saw the kisses so freely bestowed upon the restored brother by Louie, who had seen his perilous struggle with the Indian chief, But Hays soon recalled them to a sense of the more terrible part of the business, when he said: ** Colonel Magoffin, you are aware, I suppose, that we have found the man after whom our band came bere, Anvonio Miquelez, the mur- derer of Mr. Oscar Peyton, of Louisiana, Here he is.” And he pointed to Miquelez. Two of the stalwart Regulators had dismount- ed and raised him from the ground, while they tied his hands behind his back with a stout thong of deer-skin. The prisoner made no re- sistance, only he kept his eyes riveted on Louisi- ana Dupre in a way that made her shiver. Colonel Magoffin looked at him with disgust. “‘T see the man;” he said. ‘‘ He has come out here to seek safety from his crimes, but God has directed me here tosee him punished. Ido not know him myself, but my nephew and niece re- cognize him perfectly.” «I do,” assented Eugene, in a low voice. ‘“‘ It is the same man who murdered poor Oscar Pey- | ton, and threw him intothe bayou. They went out shooting in company, and a charge of buck- shot, with Ais mark arg oe upon them, was | found in the poor fellow’s back when they re- covered the body from the water.” “Are you willing to swear to this, young man?’ asked Hays. “If so,‘we shall have a short trial. Bring the prisoner back. men,” The whole party took up their homeward march to the motte where the fight had begun, where they foundabout twenty Indian prisoners, the sole survivors of the fight and massacre. Here a court was organized in regular style, the lieutenant of the borderers acting as a judge, and twelve of the men composing a jury. Baptiste Ledoux and Eugene Dupre testified to finding the body of OscarePeyton shot in the back with slugs, which were stamped with Miquelez’s private mark. The prisoner was asked if he had anything to @y. He scowled at Eugene, and answered: ‘* Not much, My timo’scome. I shot Oscar Peyton, because I hated him. He loved that young fool’s sister, and so did I. and she was engaged to be married to him. I swore that she never should, and she never shall. you did, [should bave had her and her dainty cousin there. Now, curse you all! Do your worst! I’ve said my say.” There wasa low murmur of disgust around | the circle, and the judge asked: **Is there any one here wants to say anything why this fellow shouldn’t be swung up?” ere was no answer. Py “Well, then,” pursued the judge, ‘‘ we'll take the votes of the jury. hat say you?, Is this man guilty or not Age et Without a single dissenting voice, each man ’ us, | that is much. He was a soft | milksop of a fellow, educated for the church, | If yousmart fellows hadn’t come when | ‘* GUILTY.” Then the judge said: ‘* Prisoner, you’ve been tried by prairie law. You ain’t had no chance to git off on a quibble, | You killed the poor fellow, and you owned up. I sentence you to be hung, right off, to that tree, and the Lord have merey on your soul!” And he rose from bis seat on a fallen log, and The Regulator jury yawned in chorus, It was old | work to them, ‘“Come, colonel,” said Hays, in a quiet tone to Magoffin; ‘‘let’s be off to your shanty. My fellows will rush the funeral through without The ladies are not use to thissort of thing.” Magoffin bowed, with a grateful look to the borderer for his considerate kindness. ‘*Come, Tennie. Come, Louie,” he said, sad- ly. ‘Our little home is made desolate enough, lL fear; but you are still left, my children, and Let us go.” They rode over the plain toward the desolate ruins of the wagons and block-house, with sad In one day, all their little household negroes were, all killed and scalped. Wash Carrol rode with them, trying, in his rough way, to console the colonel. Ne sr wnind, curnel,” hesaid. ‘** This byar ain’t a@bad asit mout be. Yer all left alive, what’s white; and me and my kumrad byar, we'll buckle to and help yer. Besides, Curnel Hays and his boys ain’t the fellers to let you stay here, without helpin’ yer a bit, and ye kin scratch along till yer cotton’s riz.” ‘* Ah! Wash!” said Magoffin, sadly, ‘“‘I have no hands now to raise cotton. I lett the poor faithful fellows to defend themselves, and what’s the consequence? They were all butchered, If I had stayed there, it might not have been.” ‘*See hyar, curnel,” said Wash, stoutly, ‘I made yer dv that ar’. Ef yer’d a-staid thar’, you and Miss Tennie would ’a’ been skulped, That’s sartin. Now, here’s Sheriff Hays ’ll tell you what to do.” ‘*T think, colonel,” said Hays, ‘“‘ that there is no need to despair. You have lost all your negroes and three empty wagons, but the. In- dians had no time to touch the stuff in the block-house, and your cattle were quite unin- jured, when I saw them. My fellows and I will elp you finish your block-house and stockade, and you can turn stock-farmer, if you will. It needs very few hands, and you will have all these Indian ponies, and your own cattle to commence with Many a man has come to riches in Texas, on smaller beginnings.” * And, colonel,” said young Thornley, blush- ing, “if you wouldn’t think it a liberty, Wash Carrol and I will join stocks with you, and make a big corral for all our horses together, Poor Wash is too badly hurt to be able to travel with me to Nacogdoches; and I think that if we break these mustangs to harness, we can sell them for a good price. As Thorniey said this his heart beat hard, for fear of a refusal; and he carefully avoided look- ing at Louie Dupre, the very one on whose ac- count the proposition was made. Colonel Ma- goftin made no reply for some time, and Thorn- ley began to fear he was to be refused, when, glancing at the colonel, he observed the big war- rior’s face working. Magoffin rode alongside presently, and held out his hand, ‘Mr. Thornley,” he said, in a choked voice, ‘“T see your kindness, and I thank you for it. Sir, you are a true gentleman. But I cannot consent that you shou!ld forego your prospects in life to, help an old man, who has nothing left in the world now but his daughter and niece.” ‘¢ And I tell you, sir,” said Thornley, obstinate- ly, ‘‘that [have made up my mind to settle here for good and all, even if I have to live alone with old Wash here,” ‘* Yes, curnel,” said that worthy himself. ‘*Me and Ed, we hev fixed it, quite permiscus, as | may say. We're ‘a-goin’ to settle down hyar, like a kupple o’ jolly bachelors, seein’ as the plains is ruined for huntin’ anyway, and it’s settle or move on with us, all the time. [’m get- tin’ e’ena’most tired o’ movin’, and having folkses comin’ arter me; so hyar [ stay.” Finally Magoffiin gave in to the plan with much gratitude; and the very same day opera- tions were commenced, W hat fourtéen pair of hands had begun, over a hundred finished. Knowing Jack Hays even impressed the Indian prisoners into the work of hauling logs to finish the block-house, and in- closing a point of the river with a strong stockade. The Indians were only too glad to pur- A strong block house of green wood, perfectly | fireproof, and sodded to make it moie so, tow- | ered at the corner of a strong-spiked stockade, loopholed all along-the top, with a bank of earth thrown up inside for the defenders to stand on, A tract of nearly a hundred acres was inclosed asa corral, with strong snake fence, strength- ened at the corners, while the animals could be driven within the stockade at night. The twe mustangers drove their captured animals with but: little trouble, by twos and threes, into the outside corral, and then the Regulators left them in peace and safety. Their own task still remained to the Regnier tors, being nothing less than the trans] grtation of Tiger Tail’s predatory band back to tle Sem nole reservation in the Indian Territory. This they accomplished without eny more oifficalty, All the captured horses, except sufficient for the absolute necessities of the Indians, were turned into Colonel Magoffin’s corral to com- pensate him for his losses. The poor negroes and the brave overseer were buried decently. As Wash Carrol stood by Strother’s grave, he emphatically remarked: ° “You war a man, neighbor} you war. | never see’d a better in all the sc:immages I ever fitin. You smashed out their durned brains wP ver bare hands, and that’s more nor most men in say.” What more is there to tell? Any of our read- ers must surmise the truth by this time. How sweet Louie Dupre, in course of time, so far for- got her grief for the lost Oscar, as to look with- out dispieasure on the silent, earnest homage of Edward Thornley, and at last toown a flutter- ing feeling of liking, regard, pity, trier love, in gradual succession, for that happy Ind- vidual. How Thornley made a trip to the States and returned, with all his worldly belongings invested in blood horses and cattle, to improve the common stock. How the stock increased and multiplied, year by year, till Magoffin’s ranch numbered its herds by the thousand. How Eugene became an ardent stock-raiser, and finally married pretty Tennie Magoffin, and be ‘ame the father of a stock of a different kind while Wash Carrol was *“‘ master of the horse, All this, and more, too, my readers can im- agine, and still be short of the mark. Mrs. Edward Thornley, nee Dupre, is quite cheerful now, and often thanks Heaven for the chance that brought her in contact with honest Wash Carrol and her husband, and saved her from THE BLACK MUSTANGER. THE END, Beadle’s Half-Dime Library. 850 Rep RALPH, THE River Rover. By Ned Buntline. ... ' ». oj ee we pe i Dganwogp Dick SENTENCED. By Edward LL. Tomastons Tom. By Maj. E. L. St. Vrain Tar Reporter Detective. By Chas. Morris.. Bra Horn Ikk, THE Hit Tramp. By Starbuck. THE KING oF THE WoO ps; or, Daniel Boone's Last Trail.. By Jos. BE. Badger. Jr. ame Coot SAM AND PARD. By T. C, Harbaugh.. .. ! THe Ranca Rarpers. By Buckskin Sam. Frrst Ciiss Fvep, the Gent from Gopher, By Edward L, Whee ler.. +p ey DuRANGO DAVE, THE Youre WrrstTLerR CHAM- PION. By Maj. EB, L. St. Vrain, | Sruver-Mask, THE MANor Mystery. By J. GC Cow irick. ... . | Nap Tar PHANTOM LIGHTHOUSE. By R. Starbuck.. Se Deapwoop Dick's Cram. By E. L. Wheeler... Se } Lirrue Tornapo. By Philip S. Warne., Be Svap-SHot, THE Boy Raxncer. Buckskin Sam. be BatTrMorRE Ben. By A. P. Morris. A! 5e Veiver Foor, Tae Inpian Detective. By T. C, Harbaugh.. Jy . Be Wine-AWAKE Joe. By Charles Morris ... .. Be YrREKA JIM, THEGOLD-GATHERER. By Wheeler, 5¢ SHasra, THE: GOLD Kine. By J. C. Cowdrick. Se BREAKER BEN, THE Reer-Runner. By Roger. Starbuck. ¥ 4 KINGBOLT CHRIS. By Maj. E. L. St. Vrain.... YREKA Jim’s Prize. By’ EE. L. Wheeler. LitTLe JiInco. By PhilipS Warne.. Goup Dust Tom. Ky George Henry Morse.... On10ora, THE CREEK. By Buckskin Sam CALIFORNIA Jon's First Tram. By Colonel Thomas. Hover Mons! ry 377 BonopEL THE Boy Rover. By Col. Ingraham. de 878 Naspos Nep. By Eiwarn!t L Wheeler. . Be 879 LARRY. THE LEVELER. By Charles Morris...., 5c 38) AVALANCHE ALF. By Maj. E. L. St. Vrain... 5e 881 BANDERA Brut. By Buckskin Sam. ... ..... Be 382 Coon Kir. By Edward L. Wheeler... 383 Tae INDIAN Prior. By Col. P. Ingraham 884 Ware-Kine Jor. By Oli Coomes.. A new issue every Tuesday. 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