Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1154 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

Old Zip’s Cabin. bs tt followed as a moral necessity that he shouki oO ; It roy long time before Percy became aware ef this fact. e novice in wood-craft is always the most certain he is right, when he is the fur- therest wrong, and so he toiled eonfidemtly for- ward, only pausing to draw his snowy handker- chief across his forehead, and to rest himself from carrying the heavy rifle. Twelve o’clock came and passed, and Fitzsim- mons sat down on the face of a flat rock to take another draught and rest, with an unpleasant senviction stealing over him that he was astray. He had hardly entertained this thought, when, raising his gaze, he was startled by ‘what was certainly one of the most singular sights upon which any mortal had ever gazed. CHAPTER It. THE CABIN IN THE AIR. } ; } | i ; THAT portion of the ravine, where Percy Fitz- | simmons had halted, was several hundred yards | in width, each side rising to a great hight; on the left the rocks were as perpendicular as if laid | he was somewhat a-hungered, he moved on up | the ravine on his return bomeward. in place by the hand of man, On the right, the masses of stone projected forward, as the to was approached, so that the ravine was a hund- red feet wider at the bottom than at the top— s0 that if a venturesome man should craw] to the of the precipice and look over, his view would be as if he were gazing from the landing on a pair of stairs down the wider side. All this was striking enough to arrest the at- tention of any one passing through the ravine below, excepting perhaps one who was as hungry, and anxious to get home, as was Percy; | bat it was not this whic gasp of wonder, as he adjusted his eye-glasses and looked upward. | On the lower side of this rocky, inélined wall, was suspended a cabin, resting apparently like Mahomet’s, in mid-air. It wasso far beneath the upper edge of the cliff, that a stone dropped caused his start and | the linen in hand, and swayed it over his head, as though he were on the point of bursting into a “hip! hip! hurrah!” This was continued several minutes, but the suspended cabin gave no sign; all remained as silent as the tomb—no face or answering hand- kerchief appeared at the window—and Percy began to fear that his attentions were all in vain. At this juncture, Percy noticed that the cabin was without anything corresponding to a chim- ney, and he gave up his observation in disgust. “T suppose, maybe, the family that live there have gone to Saratoga or Newport to spend the summer, and so there is no use of a fellow send- ing up his card. Hello, up there!” But this hail was equally fruitless of response, and Percy walked directly under the structure and looked up at it. ‘I’ve a great notion to fire a bullet into it, and see if they wouldn’t answer that, but then if there’s a lovely maiden there, it might shock her.” As there seemed no probability of learning anything more about this curious contrivance, “0 | as Fitzsimmons began to realize again that *] wonder if uncle Hugh knows anything about that; Vilask him if I ever find my way out of this blamed place, and get where there’s something to eat. ove! but the kitchen smelled good when I left.” When Percy had gone by the hanging cabin for a considerable distance, he naturally looked back to see whether it had taken any new phase upon itself, There it hung, seeming to project from the face of the rocks, like a knot or excrescence growing upon the side of a tree, and without | man bein any visible means of support, urthermore, a man, most probably the owner, was making his way into it. Something like a rope seemed to be fastened around his body, or else he was sitting in a loop made by from the top would not graze it, while it was | it, and he was ascending. pia y seventy-five feet above the ravine ow. : Well might Perey Fitzsimmons forget his anxiety and hunger, in his wonder at this sight, for the question instantly rose in his mind; ‘‘ What is the meaning of this? Who built that cabin? And after it was built, how in the name of the seven wonders was it otten up there? And what was it put there for? And who lives init? And what keeps the babies from falling out, and how does a fellow get in there? Is it a burglar-proof structure that the inventor has brought out here to experiment upon, so that no one can steal his ideas?” A hundred such questions as these went through the mind of the gaping Percy, as he in the ravine looking upward until his neck ached, The cabin was very small, being not more than a dozen feet across, and a few feet greater in length, eee It had a front and back door, and one window on each of the four sides—all being very narrow, and intended probably for outlooks more than soysaing else. The floor of the cabin was of heavy planking, and the roof was so steep, that no missile, if thrown upon it, would remain there an t. fi , A close scrutiny of the flooring, by the aid of Perey’s eye-glas him a suspicion that 3308, Fave : there was something like a door, opening either up or down, sufficient to admit the passage of a | queer that I was so anxious to be off goodly-sized man. h ? . . The walls, bottom and roof of the cabin were | the field, However, Pll make it all right with made of ag eS Ey ose heavy enough to be | him. proof against bullets fired from any direction, and each window was provided with two long, narrow panes of glass. | ‘¢‘ That looks so queer that (Pll lay down on my and take another survey of it, without twisting my neck off.” fe After Percy had viewed it in this mamner, in silent amazement, for perhaps fifteen minutes, his thoughts found ionin words; ‘“‘ Now, if that cabin is there, it has been put there for some purpose, and there must besome- body living there. I shouldn’t wonder if there was some enchanting young lady imprisoned in there, like the wife of Bluebeard, and that she : her. I; ed, as he caught sight of the substantial struc- ith * . hastily resumed the sitting position, and w- x hamdkerchtot, aluioet iow off the end of his nose in his effort to signal the fair one eye on. the look-out for > SN 6 Te All the time he was thus occupied, he k one’ turning signal; but failing to see any, he took | in the | 8 eee | And that too without any effort of his own. Some power was drawing him steadily and quite rapidly upward; and Fitzsimmons watched until he was directly beneath and against the r of the cabin, when the trap-door seemed oO and the man disappeared as if he had made a plunge into the sea, with the waters in- stantly closing over and burying bim out of sight. ‘‘T must get somebody to introduce me to | that chap,” concluded Percy, as he resumed his walk homeward. construction ef that edifice explained. I think the diagram of that building would make my | what, so that there was an appearance of neat-. | ness extreme! fortune as an architect, but just now I should like most deucedly to get something to eat. ——————— ee eee i ' —EE —— ——— | | ) ne Tey have been waiting dinner, I-suppose,” he concluded, as he ste a within the gate, ‘*so I am in good time after all,” But before he placed his hand wpon the latch of the door, a vague fear crept éver him at the unwonted stillness of the place, and unconscious- ly he moderated his sg and walked lightly as we do when nearing the roum in which a dead friend is lying. Percy had raised his hand to lift the latch, when his eye rested upon a sheet of paper, hastily folded and lying upon the sill, with his name in pencil in the large, bold, angular char- acters of a farmer. Hastily picking it up, he read: ‘My Dear NEPHEW: ‘** Don’t remain at the house one minute after re- ceiving this warning! Old Zip was here but a few minutes ago, with the news that a ay of Sioux Indians are making for this point, with the intention no doubt of massacreing us all. He providentially discovered them a few minutes after meeting with you, I wished to remain, so as to with us, but he would not permit that, as it would insure the destruction of us all, and he thought it probable that we should find you in the wood, If we do not, Zip will return for you, as soon as we find a place of re ge. Incase you return to our doom- ed hoase, do not wait a moment after reading this hastily scrawled note, but make all haste for the wood, where you were bunting, and we will manage to find you, Your Uncite Huan,’ This was astounding tidings indeed, and Percy hoe igang stood for a moment like one par- alyzed, Them, dropping the to the ground, he glanced furtively abou hin, in the to ctation of seeing the dreaded red-skins rashing’ from the wood upon him; but the same Copeemsy® stillness rested upon nature, as taough no hn- had ever broken in upon prime- val solitude, ‘“T ought to travel, that’s certain,” he whis pered, still listening; ‘‘ but I’m blessed if I like to take to the woods again as hungry as I am, : think Ive got time to swallow a mouthful or wo, Having resolved on this, he opened the door, which had been purposely left unfastened by Hugh Fullerton, and entered. e house of the farmer was similar to many that are still found on the Minnesota frontier, oeing of moderate size, made of boards, with some resemblance to the building generally known as the ‘ cottage,” and quite attractive | in the interior as well as the exterior arrange- ments. Great as was the hurry in which Fullerton ‘“‘T should like to have the | and his wife had taken their departure, the housewife had gained time to “‘ tidy up” some- attractive. But Percy Fitzsimmons was looking for some- Here it is two o’clock and dinner is getting, cold | thing to eat, and sens there was none in the ) to a,dead certainty.” Unexpected good-fortune attended the per- severing labors of Percy Fitzsimmons in mak- ing his way out of the wood. He knew that he was lost, but in taking the cross-ravine, he had selected the very one that speedily led him out of the mountainous forest, into the very under- prea through which he had passed on entering _ “By Jove! but that is lucky,” he exclaimed, in delight. “ Now I’ve got but a short distance toAhe road, and then it’s all plain sailing to un- ele Hugh’s, on a unt that! couldn’t wait till he came in from ”? It was a warm day in August, and both shoulders and both arms of Percy ached from carrying the heavy rifle of his uncle; but he was ravenously bungry, and walked rapidly down the at with an energy altogether un- natural] to him. ‘* Just let me throw myself outside of one of aunt Han.’s anti-dyspeptic dinners, and then Pll lay off all the afternoon, smoke my cigar, and read till I drop to sleep.” And at the vision his fancy painted, he has- tened his footsteps, looking continually for a sight of his welcome goal. ‘Hello! there she is!” he suddenly exclaim- ture, whose windows and roof looked particu- larly inviting, as seen across a field of wa”ing corn. ‘‘ That’s the oasisin the desert! that’s the Continental!-that’s Atlantic City and Cape ard all boiled into one—that is the rising sun to tl Percy approached the house, he was a lit- tle annoyed to see no one about the building or The old fellow will think it rather’ Oe ee ee room, he made a dive for the cellar, where he was certain of finding it in abundance, “Suppose they took it all away with them!” he gasped in horror, as he paused for an instant in descending the stars. He speedily reached the dimly-lighted and cool apartment, and the first thing that strack his eye was one of aunt Han.’s snowy loaves of pxpae b with a plate of golden butter sitting be- side i Dashing back again up-stairs, the delighted rhea yy ae procured a dinner-knife ana re- urned. | ‘‘By Jove! but that pays a fellow,” as he caught up the loaf and sliced off a huge piece, : essly upon which the fragrant butter was r dashed. ‘‘ How much better that that should be eaten by a Christian than by a barbarian,” he mut- tered, as he devoured the stuff with a most ravenous appetite. ‘' Hello! there is some meat and udding.” \ 4 Indeed Percy was enjoying himself exquisite- ly. anges is said to be the best sauce, and never had the gentleman relished the choicest viands at the suppers of his club, as he did this homely diet, prepared by the farmer’s wife in Minnesota. ~ In the zest of his carey woent all thought of the Indians was forgotten for the time, and Perey ate like one who was doing it under contract, In the midst of his f he had a narrow e&- butter, his eyes kept wandering about the Mae ment, when they suddenly on white, that lay im an open paper upon a smail ‘ That’s sugar, by Jove!” exclaimed Percy, up, ‘and I've always bad a weakness com take you away « ; } Ta | a?