Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 144 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

9 Dainty Lance, the Boy Sport. life as a gallant sacrifice in her defense. She felt that she must turn about and retrace her steps, to share his fate—but her limbs for- tunately refused to obey the mad impulse of her disordered brain, and the terrified horse darted out of the village and only slackened its pace as it came near and recognized its mates. The bank-robbers heard the alarm, and in- stinct told them that Decoy Duck and her com- panier, had fallen into trouble. They started orth from their place of waiting meaning to charge through the town and recover the daughter of their leader at all hazards, if still living, when they caught the sounds of a shod- horse rapidly drawing near, and in hopes that their friends had effected their escape, the bank- robbers drew up alongside the road. ‘‘There’s only one horse,” uttered Daniel Rowe in a bitter tone. ‘‘ You will find it just as I warned you it would be. That cursed boy has given her the slip, and even if Duck has es- caped he will blow alJl our plans and make the country too hot to hold us!’ There was no answer made to this vicious speech, for the last words had saligg passed the lips of the jealous lover, before the running horse was upon them. Both animal and rider were recognized by each one of the bank-robbers, and each man felt his heart turn sick and faint within him for a moment as he saw how the proud form of his loved mistress e! along the withers of her galloping horse, as though mortally wounded. With a hoarse, gasping cry, Hammer Fair forged alongside the horse and plucked the form of his dau ,hter from the saddle, then wrenched his own animal up and alighted. Tremblingly his hands roved over the limp, nerveless form, while his eyes sought for the dreaded wound by the clear moonlight, but in vain. He could discover no signs of either flow- ing blood or wound. ' : ‘The hounds will be upon usin a minute,” cried Dan Rowe in his ear. ‘‘ We must save her from falling into their hands, be she alive or dead.” The father glanced up at the speaker with an impatient gesture, but not as one who under- stands the words addressed to him. Daniel Rowe ap. ga and with one hand upon the shoulder of the bereaved parent, spoke decidedly : “You are wasting precious time. The ac- cursed lynchers will follow, and at every cost we must prevent Duck’s falling into their ds. Do you understand me?” ‘“‘T believe she’s dead—she don’t answer me,” was the only response made by the father, whose brain seemed fairly stupefied by this strange return of his daughter. aoe igi fresh paipers omee a the seek Spe of e Village. It was the ering mob yelling and shouting forth their disgust at having the doors of the hotel closed in their faces, but Daniel Rowe read the sounds differently. He believed a chase of the fugitive was being or- ganized, and with a fierce curse of impatience at the stupor of his chief, he snatched the nerve- less form of Decoy Duck away, and made the attempt to leap into his saddle. ’ But before he could succeed, Hammer Fair was upon him, wling and snarling like some infuriated wild t, and he was forced to drop the unconscious maiden in order to prevent the pr te gg Me mag father from throttling him outright. Even then he was forced to e the chief several fierce blows in the face before he could free his throat from that terrible . The pain attending these blows, served to awaken Hammer Fair to the reality of their situation, and as he caught Decoy Duck once more to his breast, he muttered a brief apology for the violence he had been guilty of. Daniel Rowe laughed, short and harshly. ‘Tf you are satisfied, lam. But now maybe you'll be to reason. Those devils yonder are getting ready for a chase. Dead or alive we must keep Duck from falling into their hands. Mount your horse, and I will hand her up to ou.” ‘‘Tt may be her death, though I can see no tracesof blood,” hesitated Hammer Fair, though to the full the good sense of the wo en by his lieutenant. “You need not ride far. A few hundred yards, then you can take to the woods until at a point where you can see for yourself how she is injured, and attend to her injuries. The rest of us will wait close beside the road, and if these hell-hounds come this way in search of her, we will ride on and draw them after us. rg 2 she may be dying while you are playing e fool by hesitating!” slain sa gallant sacs he bad yielded up his young At any other time Hammer Fair would have resented this peremptory manner of speech, but now he yielded without a word, mounting his horse and silently holding out his arms for the precious burden, which Daniel Rowe gave him, after one passionate yet furtive kiss upon the marble-like brow. Lawless, sinful and crime-stained though he was, Daniel Rowe possessed one redeeming point in his love for Myrtle Fair. It was as pure as it was passionate. Hammer Fair rode on in silence, with the form of his loved daughter clasped tenderly to his breast, easing the jarring motion as much as lay in his power, and when Rowe pointed out a side trail leading into the timber, he left the road and entered the shadows, while the bank- robbers drew rein with the intention of drawing off the pursuers whom they expected momenta- rily. Though strangely subdued, Hammer Fair was now in the full possession of his faculties, and knowing that his men would not fail in carry- ing out this part of the game, he did not ride far into the woods before drawing rein, choos- ing a small opening into which the moon cast its clear rays, where he gently dismounted. He could see now, what his great agitation had hindered his perceiving before, that Decoy Duck was breathing naturally, that her eyes were open, though filled with an uncertain light that told how complete had been her re- cent bewilderment. Renewed hope was struggling with the crush- ing d ir that had taken ssion of him when ee first saw his daughter come back to him like a dying woman, as he sought for the wound which he believed existed, even while asking her where the injury lay. Decoy Duck could not say that she was not jeijumad. When cast to the floor by that desper- ate grasp upon her ankle, her head had struck against the swinging door with terrible violence in a measure paralyzing her in every limb and muscle. The anxious father, however, was not long in assuring himself that she had escaped without serious injury, and after pressing her to takea swallow of brandy from the flask he habitually carried, aske.1 her what had occurred. The fiery liquor speedily unhinged the tongue of the fair Amazon, and in afew, hurried words, she related the attempted arrest in the hotel, the death-shot, the fierce struggle which follow- ed their attempt to escape, her fall and the gen- erous conduct of Dainty Lance in sacrificing himself in her defense, when he might easily have effected his own escape, unharmed. ‘We thought he had betrayed you, when we heard the uproar and saw you coming back alone,” uttered the bank-robber, with strong compunction in his tones. Decoy Duck kissed him impulsively, for this cadence, rather than his words, and when he reagent that they should rejoin the remainder of the band, she eagerly assented. She was received almost in silence, but it was a quietness that spoke louder far than words. She was their queen—about the only thing they either reverenced or worshiped. ‘The sooner we leave this part of the coun- try, the safer it will be for us all,” said Dan Rowe, speaking more gruffly than usual, in the effort to hide the res eres gratitude that filled his heart. ‘If that boy is not killed out- right, those devils will soon squeeze the whole truth out of bim, and then they will be after us.” ae last sentence was an unlucky one for im. What had only been a passing fancy for a handsome, dashing youth in Decoy Duck, by the generous self-sacrifice made by Dainty Lance for her sake, had changed into the one undying love of a lifetime. hatever chance the Spe'nives had had before, was now de- stroyv ‘‘You know our rules,” she said, sharply. ‘We are sworn never to desert a co e while there is breath in his body.” ‘You said yourself that he was dead,” sullen- ly retorted Rowe. Any man who had witnessed the fall of Dainty Lance, would have believed him dead, slain outright, and so at first had Decoy Duck, but pow her purely woman’s faith came back to her. One whom she loved so passionately could not be dead. And living, he must be rescued, or else she would share his fate. This was reasoning such as no man would have been guilty of, but it was characteristic, and Dainty ce was fortunate in having an ad- vocate whose ents were founded on love. One, too, that did not hesitate to reinforce the truth by falsehood. ———— ee | i ‘*‘ He is not dead!” she cried, passionately. ‘‘ I saw him a prisoner in their hands as my horse carried me away, If you are cowards and trai- tors both. 1 am neither. Go your ways, and I will rescue him alone, or share his fate, though that be the hangman’s noose!” With an active leap, she was in the saddle, and only for the ready hand and strong arm of Rowe, she would have galloped openly into town, to meet her death. | ‘Tf he is still living, we will rescue him,” he cried, holding back her horse. ‘ But we must use some prudence. You will only insure his death and our destruction, if you act so rashly.” Though love-smitten, Decoy Duck was no fool, and instantly recognized the truth of this observation. She knew, too, that her point was gained, and suddenly quieted down. The outlaws had no doubt concerning the truth of their fair comrade’s assertion. Reason told them that had Dainty Lance been slain, ere this pursuit would have been made after his companion. That this had not been attempted, the fact of the shouts and cries being station- ary, all coming from the same point as at first was an undeniable proof. And the excitement over a dead body would be neither so intense nor so long continued. In common with the rest, Hammer Fair be- lieved that Dainty Lance was a living prisoner, and even if the mutual oath as alluded to by Decoy Duck had not bound him, the generous devotion displayed by the youth would have urged him to attempt a rescue. idding the rest follow slowly, for now the sound of excited voices was moving south, Hammer Fair advanced on foot in order to dis- cover the actual state of affairs. This he was not long in doing. He saw that Dainty Lance was indeed alive, a prisoner in the hands of the Regulators, who were conduct- ing him out of the village. Even if he could have doubted their terrible purpose, the shouts ‘and cries of the excited rabble at the heels of the Vigilantes, were only too readily under- stood He hastened back to rejoin his band, and in a few words made known his discoveries. He, as well as all the rest, with the sole ex- _ ception of Decoy Duck, realized how nearly im- ible it would be for them, with their small orce, to effect a rescue from such overwhelm- ing numbers, even with the advantage in their favor of a rise. ‘“‘It will ruin our chance at the a oe if we escape being killed,” muttered iel Rowe, sullenly. ‘‘ There are other days and other banks,” re- torted Decoy Duck, sharply. ‘‘1 hold my life above gold. He restored it to me after I had forfeited it, by sacrificing himself. I swear to repay the debt now, or die with him. Youmay forget the oath you swore, when he was admit- ted into the band, but I cannot!’ ‘We do not forget,” said Hammer Fair, ad- dressing his daughter with greater than he often toward her. ‘' We will do all we can for him, but you must agree to keep in the background and not make a movement only to follow my lead, or I will leave you here, in charge of Abe Tinker, until the job is done, one way or another. Your mad impetuosity will ruin us all!” renee Duck saw that her father was in earn- est, that he needed only the slightest ex- cuse to carry out his threat. she meekly yielded, promising to obey him to the letter. ubtless she meant all she said, at the time but she was young, hotblooded, full of life courage, besides being madly in love. No need to say more. Walking their horses, the bank-robbers drew near the excited crowd omareenin beneath the Gallows Oak, kee just without the circle of light cast by the , carefully watching for the proper moment for a rescue. They were fully as much taken by surprise as the crowd, when Zephaniah Hardy so auda- ciously freed his friend from the han ’s noose and struck down stout Tim Farrer before that luckless fellow could even suspect the dan- ger that threatened him. weed saw Dainty Lance fall headlong as though stricken by death, and a piercing shriek of angry horror Sesto tieuenn the lips o “get e Duck, as she her horse crowd, parting their ranks like so many reeds, There could be no hesitation now, and the bank-robbers, yelling, shouting, and using their revolvers, h and over the crowd, close behind Decoy Duck. Dainty Lance, whose foot had caught in a creeper, leaped to his feet just in time to recog- nize Decoy Duck, and to knock up the piste) IOO com (e <S (E()