Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1152 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

-~—_-—~ PY a willing to do for her; but no danger appeared, and he could only do his best to keep pace with | the wonderful volubility of her tongue. Meager as was the education of could tell from the conversation of the he concluded at once that the Phantom Princess mus6é be a personage of wonderful wisdom to “ave taught such a small girl. Now and then he’stole a side-zlance at her and oneach occasion he was reminded of that Singular, shadowy resemblance, of which wo have spoken. It puzzled him greatly, but at last he fathomed the mystery. It came upon him all at once. She looked like the trapper Bandman; who sat next to him in the canoe. Strange that he had not noticed it before. ** Have you always lived among the Indians?” asked Ned, as he walked slowly and thoughtfully beside the gir. **Kver since I can remember,” she replied; **put you can see I am not an Indian. Why do you ask?” ‘“T have often wondered, since I saw you the other day, how it was that you and your mother was in this out-of-the-way place,” “So you have been thinking of me?’ asked Miona, turning her laughing face toward that of her companion. __~Ishould think I had,” replied Ned, again blushing, ‘TI haven’t thought of much else. I asked Nick all about you.” ‘** And what did he tell you?” ““ He told me to keep still, and he didn’t know anything to tell me.” ‘I guess he don’t know much about me, but he has heard of mother before.” ** Yes, but I oueys get him to tell anythin about her. Fact is, he don’t seem to like to ta much about her.” : ‘‘ Have you lived in the woods ever since you can remember?” asked the girl. ‘* No,” was the prompt response. ‘ I was born in some city, and left here by somebody.” ‘You don’t know by whom? How strange that neither of us can tell how it is we came to live here?” -. ** Do you lov6 this life?’ Miona was silent a few moments before she answered: ‘* Yes; but sometimes, when mother has told me of the cities and countries that are all over this beautiful world, I feel a longing to go and see them.” “So do I,” said Ned, with compressed. lips. ‘*T have a kind of faint memory of things very different from these, and I will tell you some- thing, Miona, if you will keep it a secret.” ‘* Of course I will.” “| don’t intend to spend my life here, When I get to be a man—” es ahd you are nearly a man now!” inter- rupted he girl, with a laugh. ‘Do you think so?” asked Ned, delizhted, *“ Well, when I get to be a man I’m going to leave this place and see the world,” ‘‘f would do so, too, if I were you.” “ And Miona, why won’t you go with me?’ ‘Oh! Lan’t leave mother,” said the startled girl; ‘‘what would become of me? But I will ‘y and coax her to go.” Ned took the hand of the girl as they walked toward the river, and told of his ecient of what he would do when he should reach the state of manhood. She listened attentively for several moments, and then suddenly paused. ‘* Mother is calling me, and we must hurry back!” CHAPTER XIV, A FRIEND IN NEED. Nick Wutrr.es sat in the front of his cabin, leaning his rifle. **1§ don’t much need it, I swa’r!” he muttered, as he drew the greased rag through the barrel, and then squinted down the shining bore, ** cause only t’other day I done the same thing; but,then, as I hain’t got anything better on hand, Pll do it by way of exercise.” He smiled to himself at his own conceit, as, having extracted the last speck of grimy powder from the piece, he began screwing it onto the stock again. This <a he proceeded to screw the cap upon the ramrod., we Se “There’s nothing like axes everything in order, as my grandfather used to obsarve when he used to larrup us boys with his cane, so as to put us in a meditative mood. “here!” he exclaimed, when “sag bona was finished, ‘‘I reckon she’ll do. Now Ill try it | home, ed Hazel, he | irl that | she had acquired a great deal of knowledge, and | Ned Hazel, Tho Boy Trapper. mm re ee ee ne ee — The pinch of powder was poured down the narrow bore, nae then the bullet was rammed A cap was placed on the tube, and then he raised tho piece as lovingly as though it were a sentient being capable of reciprocating his affection, ** Tlello! yender is a reer a-settin’ purty high up on that limb. Ef old Nick hasn’t lost his cunning, ho wouldn’t want a better chance for barking you.” The piece was brought to his shoulder, and his eye ran along the barrel for an instant, when there Was a Sharp, not over-loud, explosion, and the tiny animal flew several inches above the limb upon which it was perched, and dropped like a chunk of wood to the ground. The hunter, without stirring from tho log up- on which he was sitting, deliberately reloaded his piece, and then walked to where the squirrel was lying, Picking it up, he turned it over sev- eral times in his hand, and smiled as he saw there was not a wound upon it. The unerring bullet had struck the bark di- rectly beneath the belly of the animal, and sent up a shower with such violence as to fatally stun the creature, without breaking its skin. * The piece is good, and Nick Whiftles’s eye is still true. Here, Calemity, you’ve had your breakfast, but you can take this by way of a lunch.” With which, ho tossed it to the pup standing at his side.. As he did so, the capacious jaws of the dog opened, and it was cleverly caught be- tween them. ‘here was a crunching sound and the next minute it had disappeared down his guilet. ‘There ain’b much symptoms of your appe- tite failing, pup,” remarked the hunter, as he turned toward the cabin. ‘‘ I don’t think you'll ever die that way.” Castine his eyes to the left, he saw his horse, Shagbark, lazily cropping the grass, the picture of contentment. Setting down his rifle just with- in the door, Nick proceeded to a large, old-fash- ioned box in the corner, which he opened with a rusty key that he carried about him, Within were a number of bottles, a few In- dian trinkets, and a bundle of clothes, that had belonged to a little child, There were the tiny shoes, the stockings, a handsome dress, apron, and linen. Nick was thoughtful, and his usually jocund face was sad and downcast. He held up the articles to the light, and examined them with the tenderness of a parent who had buried her child, and was now loskine over the relics left behind. “Them garments was around Ned Hazel, when I found him floating in Elk River, in the canoe. Is’pese some mother has sewed ’em to- gether, and if she’s living, she is still shedding tears over the boy that has never come back to her again. I feel that I have dene wrong in not finding the real owner of Ned... I did try, but all the time I was prayia that I wouldn’t Varn any thing, and I didn’t, I orter tried harder; much as I love the lad, there’s some- body somewhere that’s got a better claim to him than I have, and if the good Lord will guide me, he shall be give back to them that he belongs to. i love him, as much as bis own father or mother kin—but Pve no right to keep him in the woods, when a younker of his paris is sure to make his mark in the world.” More than once while communing in thisstyle, he brushed the moisture from his eyes, and Taye he attentively studied some marks upon the 1en, These marks were simply the initials ‘‘ BE, M.” and beyond question they were the initials of the boy who was known as Ned Hazel. Nick Whiffles possessed little, if any, book- learning; but he was able to identify these. ‘‘T s’pose they stand for the lad’s name. EH, might mean Ed or Ned, and that’s why I called him so, What M means, I can’t figure. 1 did- n't take any name ag eae with that letter, for fear I might hit his ginooine ng te-nee, and his owner get on the track. ne h such a party r of hazel eyes, that called him Ned Hazel. Hello, Calamity, what is it? he exclaimed, starting age though detected in some guilty thing, as dog bounded into the cabin, with a whine. ‘Some ove coming, eh? I must keep ’em out of here.” Nick was generally self-possessed at the most trying times, but he was greatly embarrassed at this moment. Without placing back in the box the precious articles, he had been examin- ing, he let them fall to the ground, and catching up his rifle, hurried to the outside, “Hello!® he exclaimed, as he encountered the Phantom Princess, almost upon the ver threshold, and feeling the obligations of hospi- 11 pas he retreated a step | or two, and invited her L. ‘* No,” said she, halting whero sho stood, and seating herself upon the log that he had vacated only a few minutes before; ‘the day is plea- sant, the sun warm, and I will sit here,” “Just as you please,” said Nick, not a little relieved, as he seated himself beside her, but at a respectful distance; ‘‘ you know my cabin is at your sarvice, and ri do any thing in the world fur ye.” ‘** I believe it, Nick, and I have come to ask you to do the greatest service one being can do another.” ** Out with it, then.” And Myra Bandman then proceeded, in a deliberate and almost emotionless voice to relate her story. My reader has already learned it, so that it need not be repeated here. The hunter listened, without a word or ex- clamation, until she was through. ‘**And now,” she added, in conclusion, “I will tell you what I want of you. Hugh been condemned to death, and the only human being who can extricate him from his fate is you.” “You are a sort. of princess,” replied Nick, leaning upon his rifle, and looking down to the ground in his gravest manner; “‘ haven’t you got the power to free him?” **T could if it wasn’t for onething., Tho build- ing in which he is now lying is tho Death Lodge. Any person who is placed there is condemned to death already, and itis a part of the Black- foot religion that he shall not escape. They would not loose him, even for me,” “Has any thing been tried on the critters?” “Enough to know that neither he nor I can do any thing. He was the bearer of a message rom Mr. Mackintosh to Woo-wol-na, our chief, and when I took the chief to the lodge, Hugh delivered it with all the impressiveness at his command, and then I added my counsel to let him go free, lest we should be visited with the vengeance of the Hudson Bay men; but all pro- duced no effect upon Woo-wol-na; I had lured my husband on, and he had been captured and brought in, Coming as a prisoner, it is decided that he must dieas a prisoner. Oh! how I have prayed, night and day, since then, but the most that I can do is to get the chief to postpone hig death a few days.” ‘** Does he know you're his wife?” ‘*No; I have not told him that.” “Why not?” “Tt would only work ill; he would be put to death the moment they discovered that. Tu h knows it, and he has been careful to keep the secret to himself.” ‘‘What’s your ijee?’ continned Nick; ‘do you think J kin talk Woo-wol-na into the ijeo of letting him go?” | “No one can do that; nothing less than a hundred armed men could do that.” ** W hat-do you think I kin do, then?’ “With the help of Heaven you must manage to release him by means of strategy. You have a wonderful cunning in such ehibes: ou have befriended many men in distress, and I have been told that more than once you have rescued prisoners, almost at the moment of death.” ‘‘I don't deny I’ve had a good streak of luck, in years past, in that sort of business; but this ere thing has a harder look than anything of the kind that I ever took hold of.” ‘‘ Don’t say, oh, may friend, that there is no hope!” ‘I hain’t said that; my principle is not to give up a chap, even arter his hair has been raised, and the critters are yelling arter him, I don’t give up hope till a man has gone clean under, sure,” **Oh, what a relief your words are!” said. Myra, rising to her feet and standing in front of him, ‘ Will you do what you can, Nick, to befriend me?’ . 1 will /” was the firm and ready reply, CHAPTER XV, WILL HE SUCCEED? Nick WHIFFLES now made Myra Bandman sit down upon the log again, while he question- ed her freely and closely, How was the prisoner guarded?) Was there any one time more favorable than another to attempt a piece of strategy? Could the ag force accom it? ance of sudden, unexpec Was Woo-wol-na to be frightened y any Once outside the Death Lodge, how threats? far must the prisoner go before reaching the shelter of the woods? Was there any reason to’ believe that the Blackfeet guaperners that the Phantom Princess had any intention of befriend- ing the man by action, as she has already done by word! Did any of them know that sh . ~ - q emt + o >’ an! “A tae ‘ ee, i eT ~ comicbook 2 Py ~ . = om = | le Ry re * Se sy he ‘< x22 a < « : a * - ae = . had ¢ 7 - * , 7 ° a. . a & rv, « Pr 5 2 to we a » - e . ‘ ae wg ewe * re & is " 1 out” ie ry = ~ 2 a s ™ > a> A, a =—* » eee :