Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 144 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

-— 8 “boy th from several flesh woun * saassacre of August, 1862. ixflict tortures enough without calling fire into Dainty Lanc Lance, _the we Sts <n aR les OO RE aaa Spat. lackened their speed on reaching the outskirts, liso could dog them without fear of attracting ‘unwelcome attention by his rapid gait. The occasional glimpses he could obtain of Har- ry Ballou’s face only confirmed his belief that % banker’s son was his friend, ey Lance, nnd with a dogged fidelity peculiarly is own, Hardy Zeph ke “i the young man in site though ‘bol Attia in the background. He knew tat for no ordinary reason would Dainty Lanns deny him, and while orge, himself in readiness to lend his assistance when the mo- ment of action came, he would not interfere ‘prematurely for fear of frustrating the main object in ines hen Harry Ballou left the hotel, Zeph was cluso behind him, and this distance was main- ‘tained until the banker’s son was admitted by Rose Harvey. Zeph was untaught, unskilled in the various subtilties of polite society, and did not know that there was any parti harm in playing the spy or eavesdropping, when he fancied his ends were to be served by such means, and jeal- ously fearful on his friend’s account, he prowled around the Harvey house until from the fork of a shade tree before the building, he found he pate catch a glimpse of the peo 6 in the dimly di hted parlor through the thin lace curtain. § he saw there puzzled him not a little, Dut at that distance and through that cobweb- likey screen, the eyes of a mother could not have told Harry Ballou from Dainty ce, and —. did not realize the mistake he was laboring ay 2 “giveads recorded, Harry Ballou made only ®. brief stay with his betrothed on that evening eas his severe headache as his excuse and eph followed him back to the hotel. The ’ triendly SPY, did not enter the room where ifarry and John Steuben were consulting, but stood upon. the steps in the deep shadow cast b one of the shade trees in front of the hotel, e shah watching the banker’s son. tter was standing with his back toward him, and the conversation was conducted in sach a guarded key that not a single word reached the ears of the eavesdrop But then, as allou turn atband:; face toward the door, stretching his arms and yawn- ing wanes the young trapper discovered his To thoes who knew Dainty Lance intimately ‘there was a distinguishing mark that could no poate be mistaken. Upon his throat was a small red scar, the trace of a red-skin’s nearly fatal bullet, which xvound was received by Dainty Lance ‘on. the occasion of his first meeting with Zep Mardy It Wei a thrilling chapter of wild western life, but n only a passing g mention here the better to the unbounded love and blind fidelity svhi ph felt for the dashing young adven- ‘turer. That occurred some two years before this story Don and though only a boy, even then Hardy won a name as an adventurous and sahsatel ton He was working ajong the White Man’s Fork of the Republican river when he was attacked by a ally at peas band of Sioux, who, though nominally at Trp: as at the present day, rarely overloo he chance of g a white ™man’ . scalp. Bat they caught a Tartar in Zeph, — he was, for the youthful trapper fought his way into a dense thicket of plum- ‘rash, and there held them at bay for two ; nights and one day, killing four of their number t, and wounding others. Bu at last, loss of sleep, added to loss of blood , enabled the surviv- to crawl upon and take him by ough far more rare than writers of border ‘romances would have us infer, there are well authenticated instances of the plains Indians stting their captives to the torture by fire. ore demons than they, when _ their Wott passions are fully , can hardly be witness the Minnesota As a rule, they can found the world over, requisition, but the case of the boy trapper was na exception. One-half of their company had been killed, and two of theother four bore rankling wounds, ‘mly the most exquisite tortures could atone for all this, and bearing their prisoner to the ry Uacont foothills, they made preparations for 8 burning. Bat ere they could apply the torch, they were “tacked by a human whirlwind, two of their somber falling dead in as many seconds, and before they could fairly realize that they were attacked. Determined upon securing their revenge at all costs, for doubtless they fancied themselves attacked an overwhelming force, the other two ape toward their captive, knife and hatchet in hand, only to be ocked over in swift succession, before they could deal a single blow. And then a youthful stripling hastened forward, his well-handled revolvers still smok- ing and cut Zephaniah Hardy loose from what had well-nigh become his fiery monument. Terribly weakened by all that he bad under- ery during the past forty-eight hours, without drink or sleep save for ‘that unlucky nap Zeph came near fainting away when he realized the fact of his rescue. The stranger was bending over and encour- aging him, when one of the savages last to fall, p ucking u up his fast failing strength, cocked the revolver he had taken from the boy trapper, and made one desperate attempt to avenge him- self and comrades. The sharp double click warned the rescuer, and he turned as he arose, but only received the bullet in his throat which would otherwise have pierced his es and chs Seg back, like one who had received his death-blow. The sight aroused Zeph, and seeing the In- dian tryin to raise the hammer again, with fingers stiffening in death, he’ flung himself upon the savage, throttling and tearing his throat like some infuriated wild beast. That rescuer was Lancelot Daintree, and from that day the youngsters were sworn friends and comrades, while Zeph fairly idolized the ee had snatched him out of the jaws of ea The wound was a severe one, but; Zeph had a fair knowledge of simples and no loving wo- man could have been a tenderer or more watch- ful nurse. The wound healed, but the blood- red scar always remained, and every time the ores of the boy trapper rested upon it, he men- for iife, when the vow he had made to give life for life, whenever the necessity should arise for such a sacrifice. Now, as Harry Ballou turned toward him, the light fell full apon his throat, and by the ab- sence of the blood-red scar, Zeph knew that he had mistaken his man Dazed and bewildered een the extraordinar resemblance, the Boy a r descended the - and mechanically left e village, thinkin only of reaching some quiet spot where he coul puzzle out the enigma at his leisure, This spot was soon secured, but Zeph soon found that the more he reflected, the further he seemed from the righ t solution.’ Dainty Lance had told him that he had no living relations; that he had never been in that portion of Mis- souri before. Then who was the stranger who, save for the absence of that blood-red scar, might well have been the twin brother of his friend, so far as outward appearance went? “He must ’a’ come here since I left, or I’d ’a’ knowed him,” muttered the boy trapper, lost in a maze of wild conjectures, True friends and sworn comrades gong hea gd were, both of the youngsters had kep something of their past while believing that the other was open as day yy his confessions. There was a deep m ry surrounding the earlier life of Daint ce, to which he did not possess the key, though he suspected some- thing of the truth. But not even his bosom friend could he gt, Segoe to breathe these a since he had no proof to support So too did Zeph have his secrets, though they sprung from an entirely different source. Though ignorant in book lore, unable even to write or read his own name, Zephaniah Hardy yee proud and sensitive, despite his rude ex- or. Son of ignorant tters, whose main de- light was found in ing and fighting be- tween themselves when drunk, Zeph was early forced to “hoe his own row,” and took to the rifle and w when not as ‘long as his own ramrod. For years he kept the family in food, the old man selling his furs and skins for whis- ky, then amusing himself between his pitched battles with his double-fisted wife, in papa little Zeph for not being a still more successfu forager. He used the rod once too often, and Zepha- niah Hardy struck out in the world to carve a fortune for himself, nor had he ever returned to the home of his childhood until now. He knew what to expect, and shrunk from letting Dainty Lance see his degraded parents. en a eee... LL ed —— which Lance good-naturedly accepted as suffi- cient, and after agreeing to Nanton vOtis at How- ard on the orn Sabbath, Zeph hastened to the house of bis birt There is no hoe of following him thither. Enough that matters had wn worse instead of better with the Hardy family, and after his intimate association with one of nature’s gentle- men, like Lancelot Daintree, Zeph would rather have died than return to such a miserable rinse He left the larger portion of his savin - gh trapper, a sum sufficient to keep the ol folks drunk for a year, then, sick at heart, he turned his back upon the old cabin forever, and lay in wait along the road to intercept Dainty Lance, in case he should keep the rendezvous ahead of time. All this passed before the whirling brain of the boy trapper, as he crouched down in the fence corner, nor did he arise until the sound of istol-shots and excited yelling came from the direction of the village. Human nature is the same in buckskin and in broadcloth, and Zeph obeyed the impulse which draws us all to the scene of an especial dis- turbance or row, thou ugh he had not the ghost of a suspicion that his riend and heart’s-master was so terribly interested in that tumult, But he was not long in making the discove The blood-bay borse told him the terrible tru and had not the doors of the hotel been strongly guarded, could Zeph have attained a single glimpse of Dainty Lance, he would have died in the desperate attempt to rescue him. Luckily for them both, he was forced to wait, and this gave him time to contro) his mad pas- sions before the prisoner was led forth to meet a shameful death beneath the Gallows Oak. But though he was outwardly coo) enough, Zeph was none the less resolved to either rescue his master, or else die in the generous attempt. The very hopelessness of his cause lent him the coolness to wait and watch for the most favir- able opportunity. But none such occurred d the march to the Gallows Oak. Though never even dream- ing of a rescue, the Regulators kept their ranks close around the prisoner, and not until the noose was fairly placed around the throat of seater could Zeph see a chance of in- terfe ; On the spur of the moment, he called out as heretofore recorded, and cut down Tim Farrer with a desperate blow, bidding Dainty Lance take advantage of the confusion following his daring attempt, and make his escape under cover of the darkness, This might have been done with comparative ease, since the crowd was seemingly petrified with amazement, but Dainty Lance saw that his friend was facing the enemy, as though in- tending to cover his retreat, and refused to ac- ce it the sacrifice. ‘With you—not alone!” he cried, resolutely. It was no time for argument, and Zeph thrust a revolver into his hand, armed himself in the same manner. “ Shoot to kill—open a path through ’em!” he grated, setting the example and firing into the innest portion of the cordon around them. A man fell at the report, uttering a horrible screech of bitter agony, and his companions hastily broke and left the way free for the two dauntless youths. But those around had been given time to recover from the surprise, and as the boys leaped forward, fire was opened. Dainty Lance stumbled and fe headlong. Believing him killed or disabled, Zeph snatched up the Sagi revolver, and standing at bay over his nd, * phoma a deadiy fusilade into the yelling crow CHAPTER VII. A WOMAN’S FAITH. WHEN that hand caught her by the ankle and flung her headlong to the floor, Decoy Duck re- ceived ashock that nearly stunned her, making what followed seem like some horrible dream, | rather than reality. And yet, abe understood é all that happened, pt pM anable to help her- self beyond mechanically clinging 0 the mane of her affrighted borse as i ped wildl down the street, up which she had oRiden wit such different ‘thoughts, only a few minutes earlier in the evenin ing. Her limbs seemed paralyzed for the time though, her brain was active enough. rome heard the pistol-shot that struck Daint ust as he settled her fairly in the at dl e heard the sharp exclamation that sos involuntarily from his li Ss from the lifeless manner in which he fallen forward He made a clumsy excuse for the separation, against her horse, Decoy Duck felt that he was 900! com G