Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1154 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

+ . “ - 7 en ' ~ Tmeans ’ furniture of the place consi who, knowing his same tim ww ~~ eee ee — — seen to hold a rather ingeniously constructed | hail-stones rattled against the ‘‘chair bottom,” made by the crossing and in- terlirieation of the rope itself. ae A 3 go up first,” said Zip, ‘‘s0 as to help tote ou up. , Taking his seat, he a. ascending, and in dum time vanished through the dark, cavern-like opening in the base of the cabin. Instantly it came down again, and Mrs. Fallerton went up, followed by her husband, v/hen the rope was drawn in and the trap-door ‘ losed, _ There were now four human beings collected nm the “cabin in the air,” and with far more comfort than would be imagined. Peggy, the wife of the hunter Zip, resembled him in man respects, being strong of limb, plain-feat , plain-spoken, and as cour us asa lion. This curious building contained four rooms, none of which, of course, were of any extensive limensijons, but they answered their purpose ad- mirably well, The “front room” or ‘‘ parlor” was the most In use, as being the one which Old Zip sat and smoked his pipe. while his wife worked at his elbow. Back of this was a smaller room, lit by asingle window, containing a cleverly-made and smoothly-working windlass, by which any one within could fish up a friend from the solid ground below. ; ‘This, in cases of emergency, could be used as a bedroom, which was the purpose of the two rooms overbead. Every Shing was arran to the best advan- tage, and yet three or four occupants by no avoid being greatly cramped. The of a few blan- chairs, without any cook- ing Gtensils or any arrangements for kindling a fire? atl of which, will understood, when I state that this was only a temporary home of Zip and Peggy, to which they repaired in cases of danger, and when the clouds were scattered, returned agaivy to their nesting-place, some- where among the caverns an lis, and to which they w. © never known to invite any "Zin took pai s to kee ly of dried meat i s p a supply o m and ata on Aand, and it sis plain that no matter “Be sey bons —_ z ded the ho rious building, it was done 6 purpose 0 offering shelter against the ferocious red-skins— just as it was doing on the present occasion. P greeted her visitors quite warmly, and made them as welcome as possible, Zip explain- ing, in a few words, the circumstances that had compelled this hasty visit. ‘* Hain’t you see’d nothin’ Peg?’ he asked, ‘‘Haven’t any of the varmints been see’d yer- abouts?’ ‘‘ No—nothing, only some little whip p- per stretched out on the d down there who began shaking his handkerchief at me. . I got so provoked t I was going just down to cuff his ears, when he got up and went off.” ‘“* That was Fernie. exclaimed Zip; ‘he fur off, you may ; bear Basa 4 the Indians to follow us here?’ inquired Mr. Fullerton of the hunter, “Very likely, as they’ve done the same thing afore, and know where we hang out.” “ And you feel no alarm about them com- ing?” 2 Wri Smith indulged in a quiet grin before he oe This thing has been through too much of that kind of business. If we run short of bul- lets, we can pick out enough lead in the B ary to last us, and if they can get at us, all I’ve got to say is, let ’em get, and see what they can make of it.” ; ‘Suppose they should lay regular siege to ” us ‘‘ Let em siege.” The Po Saying with which the hunter spoke was not without its effect upon his listeners, rience on the frontier, pinned no little faith to his utterances. || “f feel much relieved by your words,” said Hugh, after a moment’s pause, “for I can not deny your superior knowledge to mine—bat it is hard for me to rid myself of a feeling of un- easin the rock. kets and two soli I have not examined the means by which it is held in place, but we are perched so high above the e —that I do feel nervous— and t I shall—so long as I remain here.” The perturbable Zip smiled in his huge way again, sa : “Tye had ten men crowded in yer at the i oh a dark night, when the and snow, and hail was a-comin’ up thi guich most everlastingly when every thing outside was as dark as a wolf's mouth, and the when I enter this nest on the face of’ Old Zip’s Cabi eee a eee lank, like so many bullets.” pink, ‘That would have been a purty time for all of us to have gone to everlasti smash wouldn’t it? And some of them chaps did feel a little shaky, when this old thing sw beck and forth, ike the top of a pine in a hurri- e, ‘* How long ago was tiiat?” ‘*Full a dozen years, when thar wa’n’t a white man in these aoc ’cept them as come arter beaver-skins, ery mother’s son that I had was a trapper, and I kept ’em thar fur two days and nights, with the red-skins howling be- low like a pack o’ prairie wolves, and a-blaz- ing away at us—while we peppered back ag?in,” ‘* Did you lose any of your men?’ ‘* Not a hair of thar head was hurt—and when the varmints got disgusted and left, we all come down ag’in and cleared out.” ‘4 That certainly was a fair test of your cab- ‘““ Oh! she’s thar every time,” said the hunter, warming up with pride, at the remembrance of the past. ‘ any and many is the time that Peggy has hauled me up this zen rope, with the night as black as pitch, and forty red imps ping through the gulch for me, But didn’t e old woman everlastingly turn the coffee- mill, when I give her the sig? I tell yer she made things hum—she did.” ‘* Has any attempt ever been made to fire it?” inquired Fullerton, Something less than a hundred; they’ve fired their blazing arrers into it, but I’ve laid back, smoked my pipe, and cup 6p ‘* But this wood has been so long exposed to the air, that it certainly must be seasoned so as to ra Ay pe crtiar Ae % s'pose—but the planks are too heavy and solid to take fire from any thing less than a pile of blazing brush; but, you see, when they send an arrer into it, the weapon burns a min- ute or so, and then drops to the ground, and the little twist of fire goes out. Now, if they could drop a lot of brush on the roof, and make it stay there for an hour or so, they might do some —but that can’t be did, and so where are you While this bs depict nas A conversation was go- ing on, Peggy, the wife of Old Zip, was looking out the narrow window, with such an apparent ae as to attract the attention of hus- ‘‘ What is it, old woman? Do you see any thing of the varmints?’ ‘* No; but there is somebody down in the ra- vine, that is to attract our notice.” ‘Look out fur Injun devilments.” “It isn’t red-skin,” said P without re- moving her . Then she ex ed, with a gave smile: ‘‘ Why, I thought I knew him; it is Ned Hosmer, sure enough. Zip sprung to her side, and Jooked out. ‘Yes; it’s Ned, and he’s got some word to send us.” “Ts Helena with him?’ asked Mrs, Fullerton, in no little excitement, ‘T don’t see her,” replied the hunter; “ but I s’pose he’s keeping her in the background till he can send us some word,” ‘* How will he do that?” “He has a bow and arrow; I’ll raise the win- dow, and then he'll send his message into the house, and save time.” Zip raised the window, looked out a moment at his a young friend, waving his hand as a signal that all was right, and then stepped back out of the way and waited. : A moment later there was a whiz and thud, and an arrow was seen sticking in the serge on the opposite side of the reom, with a bit of paper fluttering from the head. oth Zip Smith and his wife were able to read and write, and reaching up, the hunter drew the missile from the plank where it was sticking, untwisted the paper, and read it. As he did so, the eyes of the rest of the party were fastened upon him, and they saw him em and start, like one who receives startling ngs. _ He held the panes for several minutes, look- cp ee crys at the letters traced upon it, as if debating whether to make known their mean- ing. Finally he paneed it over to his wife, with- out a word, he had decided to leave it to her better Scilerostnt. ~ With a mother’s intuition, Mrs. Fullerton knew at once that the message concerned the fate of her only child, and she said, or rather entreated: « ‘Tell me, Zip, what itis, It regards Helena; | I know it; do not trifie with my feelings. Is ' she dead /” ; He shook his head in the negative. ‘Is she in the hands of the Sioux?” Sys tom Teser hed reed y this time the note, and she interposed.” ™ ‘It does concern Helena, and is enough worry any mother. Listen while I read it, is addressed to Zip, and says: “Upon reaching Alden, I found that Helena had left there early this morn for home. I hastened back again, followed her trail, until she left the route and took to the woods, when I lost tt, TI vis- ited your house a short time ago, but found a party of Sioux just leaving it, with a young man—a stran- ger t me—as prisoner, They had not Helena with them, 80 I hope that she is securely sheltered with you. Let me know whether I am m ws or not, ta) ED.’ This was alarming news indeed, and occa- sioned the most gee apprehension upon the part of the parents. ‘May I speak a few words with him?’ asked Hugh, walking toward the window. “We'll fetch him up here,” replied aap, OP ping into the rear*apartment, jerking up t si. nag and letting the rope run down to the ground, By the time it was within it was dag ed by the young man, ahs tor boat fawn upward, and the door again closed after him. . Ned Hosmer was not a roving hunter, as the reader ma nic hag from the references made to him, although he rather prided himself upon his claim to t title. ¢ was en in mercantile pursuits in Saint Paul, but spent his vacation every summer in hunting through the upper portion of the State, visiting this section at other times, as opportunity nted itself, All who knew him, und that great ag were the attractions of the chase, they were far surpassed those of Helena Fullerton, whose bright eyes, rosy countenance, and musical voice, would have charmed the heart ef any one of the sterner sex, and whose amiability of character made her one of the most loving of daughters and delightful caso eer gay As Hosmer was introdu into the anxious circle, gathered in the cabin in the air, he cour- teously saluted all, and looked about with no little curiosity. ‘Is she here?” he asked in a whisper, looking inquiringly around. ‘We do not know where she is,” replied the mother, in a sad tone; Mets genes she was in Alden, where she would until this trou- ble was over.” ‘“‘So I hoped,” returned Hosmer; ‘but ber friends said that she took a sudden resolution boo wp af to come home, and would not be dis- ‘‘Do you think she knew of this danger?” in- quired her father. ; ** Allknew of the impending outbreak amo the Sioux, but her friends did not know tha the danger was to close at hand. I think, how- ever, that she learned it, by some means or other, and it was her anxiety on account of her parents that hastened her return.” “T haye no doubt that such was the case,” said Mrs. Fullerton, placing her apron to her eyes and giving way to her sorrow; ‘‘ to warn us of , she risked her own life.” ‘But where can she. be at this moment?” asked the father, pursuing the subject with en intensity that was almost painful to the others. ‘That is hard to tell; had I known where to find her, you may be assured that I would not have been here.” ‘‘T think she is hiding in the woods some- where,” said Zip; ‘that ’ere gal is a sharp ‘un, and she hain’t gone blind, but kept her eyes about her. She has found there was a rumpus up afore she got to the house, and has steered cheer of it. She is only wai to see whether her father and mother are in the hands of the varmints, and jas long as she is unsartin about it, she'll do the best tokeep out of the way, but if she should become convinced that the Rioux hed ‘em, she’d go right among ’em and give her- self up. That’s that gal, you kin bet.” Yes ” said the mother, res, Ae the mo- ment; Cthat is just what our darling will do but what will become of her, alone in the woods? She has y been there for hours, and how can she keep out of their hands?” “She ain’t in the best place she could be in world, that’s sartin;” said Zip, as if speaking to himself; ‘‘and it won’t do to leave the to take care of herself; so, Ned. you d me, I pedi will have to make a hunt for her.” ae ** My wish exactly, and let us be off at once, ‘First, we'll take a look to see if the coast is clear, asthe sailors say.” CoIrr -_