Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 168 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

_———— = ee oe Deadly Dash. — - oe 7 = oa . a ES a AT I TN RE SE A TS SEMA SST TEE This doubt, however, was shortly dissipated, | managed to complete his task with tolerable and crouching there upon a gnarled and twisted | neatness, then Deadly Dash said: limb, Deadly Dash looked in through the open ‘“Lead the way down-stairs. If any person at- window upon the bitterest enemy the wide earth | tempts to bar our passage, convince them that contained for him. Edwin Harcourt was half sitting up, half ly- ing, upon a bed, facing the window, while a short, dumpy little man, evidently a doctor, was putting the last touches upon the bandages which enveloped the wounded arm. Deadly Dash saw that there was another bed in the chamber, and though he could only catch | a faint glimpse of the “ae Som something told him that it was Black Dan Boller. One other fact he noticed, then hastily de- scended to the ground. He quickly rejoined Seth Hovey, and made | bi | his revolver without any attempt at taking aim, known his discoveries, then listened attentively to the report of his comrades. “There is no one in the grounds besides our- selves, as far as I can discover,” said the out- law chief, speaking in a guarded tone, “ but there is some one in the hall, awake and appar ently on duty, for as I listened at the key-hole I could make out the sounds of breathing, and heard the click of a hammer being raised and lowered, as if he or they were making sure their weapons were in working condition.” “Tt may be that he has stationed a force in there, to make sure,” said Deadly Dash, coolly ‘“‘but even so, we can circumvent him. Do you steal up close to the door, and waif for my signal. I will enter the building by a route | know, and make sure of our game. Then, if needs be, I can hold my own against the guard until you can bring up the boys. One stout charge on their part will settle it, I fancy.” Though their acquaintance had been but of brief duration, Seth Hovey had already learn- ed the utter uselessness of argument when once Deadly Dash had made up his mind to any cer- tain course, and as the youth glided away, he and his two men returned to the front of the building. Deadly Dash returned to the white-elm tree, and once more scaled it, working his way along the stout limb that stretched out toward the end of the house, nearly on a level with the hon ran through which shone the bright lamp- ight. Bisadly tig himself by the side limbs, Deadly Dash rose erect, and measured the brief space between himself and the windows. The dis- tance would have been nothing under ordinary circumstances, but the feat which he contem- plated was one of peril sufficient to daunt ninety- nine men out of a hundred. He meant to leap from the limb, through the open window. Were his foot to slip—were he to make the least miscalculation and strike his head or feet against the sash above or the casing below, he would be hurled down full twenty feet, and be- sides alarming the enemy, almost certainly cripple himself. ut the reckless youth never hesitated for a moment; only paused long enough to steady himself, then shot across the intervening space, more like an india-rubber ball than a human being, forced thus to double himself up in or- der to pass in at the narrow, contracted space. True to his intention, Deadly through the + mg left by the raised sash, and alighted fairly upon his feet in the room. Quickly recovering his balance, before even a ery of terror or surprise could come from the lips of either of the three men, he whipped forth a revolver in each hand, uttering in a sharp, resolute tone that carried conviction with it: ‘Utter a sound above a whisper, and I will kill you. Doctor, tear up one of those sheets and bind these two men hand and foot. Refuse, and you are a dead man!” CHAPTER XIV. OVERTAKEN AT LAST. THe medical man was good enough student of human nature to see that these words were not idle ones, and that unless he wished to leave a deplorable vacancy in the bosom of his family, he had better obey the stern command and ap- pe Tenances to his patients after quite another ion. Edwin Harcourt cursed, and offered some slight resistance; but his severe wound had weakened him and he was quickly quieted when Deadly Dash leveled his revolver, not at his brains, but at his sound elbow, saying sternly: “Silence, or I will cripple you so that you cannot struggle. emember—limb after limb!” The little doctor, never intended by nature for a hero, was terribly agitated, but finally ee ena Dash pease | _ing its share to the ruddy glare that was turn- | | | Il am a friend. If you fail to open or have open- ed the front door, I will do myself the pleasure of opening one through your body—large enough to give your soul free exit. You comprehend?’ Luckily for the worthy doctor there was no occasion, for Deadly Dash to put his threat into | execution. The negro servant to whom allusion has been repeatedly made, was the sole occupant of the | hall, and as he turned at the sound of descend- | | | | | — ] } ing footsteps, he recognized the white face which overtopped the little physician, and half beside himself with terror, he discharged one barrel of then flung open the door with a yell of terror— only to be knocked down by a swift and sure stroke of the heavy revolver wielded by Seth Hovey, At one word from Deadly Dash, the outlaw chief sounded the signal that set his band to work, and while the youth returned up-stairs, the others bound the doctor hand and foot and unceremoniously pitched him into a dense clump of shrubbery at a safe distance from the house. The echoes of that shrill blast had not died away before the wild yells of the outlaws, thirst- ing for revenge, carried consternation to the hearts of the villagers for the second time that night. And then the spiteful reports of their revolvers came more and more rapidly as they thundered up the street, bent on literally carry- ing out the stern orders they had received—to slay and spare not—to give no quarter save to the women and children—to ply the fire-brand until every building in the village was aglow! Satisfied that the dread work which he had sworn to complete was well begun, Seth Hovey bade his two men follow him, and hastened up- stairs, where he found that the second prisoner was indeed Black Dan Boller. As was afterward learned, when the first alarm was given, the wounded traitor, imagin- ing the attack was for the purpose of obtaining possession of his pereon had left his bed, crawl- ed through a bac window and concealed him- self upon the roof of the kitchen until all was quiet again. There was no outburst of any sort on the part of the outlaws when they recognized and took possession of the traitor. He would have had more sr if there had been more eagerness copys ; for his recent comrades treated him as <= he was already a dead man, Deadly Dash drew his knife and severed the bonds that confined the feet of Edwin Harcourt, _ whom he seemed to regard as his especial cayp- tive, then forced the wounded man to arise and peereee him down-stairs. The others followed, aring Boller between them, like a corpse. Out of doors, the youth still led the way, but paused at the gate. ‘*Let me see his house illuminated,” he said, coldly. The hint was quite sufficient. Leaving their chief in charge of their prisoner, the two men retraced their steps, and working with a will, had the red flames shining through every win- dow in the house in less than ten minutes, add- ing night into day. ‘Your son is dead, your property destroyed, ou are a cripple; there is nothing but your life eft, and that forfeit will be claimed before the sun rises,” said Deadly Dash, in a bard, mono- tonous tone, his hand closing wpon the shoulder of Edwin Harcourt, and pushing him toward the spot where the horses had been left. en these were reached, Deadly Dash, aid- ed by Seth Hovey, lifted Harcourt into the sad- dle that bore the coil of rope, and then the outh sprun Sand up behind him, saying to he outlaw chief; ‘You will find me where we left our murder- ed friends.” This was all, and without pausing for a reply, the young avenger, his arms around the bod of his bitter enemy, rode rapidly away throug the night. He paid no attention to the wild yells of the blood-and-fire intoxicated outlaws, nor did he seem to hear the constant, dropping fire of pis- tols, followed now and then by a loud scream of age which denoted yet another tr y to be ded to the dread record of that terrible night. One by one fresh points of flame sprung up, telling of another home being sacrificed to the manes of the murdered. Once or twice Edwin Harcourt attempted to speak, but as often ay Dash would clasp his throat with fingers rigid as steel, only relax- SS ing his grasp when his captive relapsed into sul- len silence as preferable to strangulation. And thus that strange ride continued until the lace of the ambushment was reached, Deadly Jash drawing rein beside the nearly extinguish- ed coals, directly beneath the stout limb from which still dangled four ropes like sable ser- pents. Dismounting, Deadly Dash tied the horse to a stout bush, then renewed the fire until it flamed up brightly, knowing that Edwin Harcourt was unable to makea successful flight on foot, Then, closely watched all the while by the doomed criminal, the youth removed the rope from the saddle-bow, and formed a running pepe in one end, saying, in a slow, monotonous one: ‘*‘ You used this rope to hang the only true friend I had left upon earth, Gilbert Sampson, When I cut him down, 1 swore never to eat, sleep or know rest until [ had fitted the noose around your neck and witnessed your dying struggles—hanged by the same rope you mur- dered him with. f ‘Say your prayers, Edwin, Harcourt, for your time has come!” The tone was so quiet, his actions so gentle and deliberate that Harcourt could not believe in the truth of the words uttered. Instead of prayers, bitter curses came from his lips in a flood. He even laughed, declaring that it would take more than the empty vapor- ings of a crack-brained boy to frighten him. “Tell me what you want, in so many words,” he added, ‘‘ You can’t scare me with your non sense, but I may conclude to tell you what you are trying to find out. Something about that Madden, I suppose?” ‘You can tell me nothing new about that black deed,” said Deadly Dash, in the same strangely calm voice. ‘I know you followed him from the gambling-table, where he and my father quarreled; that you murdered him for the large sum of money he had on his person; that you and your tools swore the crime upon my father, and had him arrested; that you were afraid the evidence would not convict him or that something damaging to yourself might come out at the trial, and so you and yours raised a mob that tore my father from jail— that hung him like a sheep-stealing cur, without even the mockery of a trial. And I know, too, that in consequence of this terrible blow, my mother sickened and died of a broken heart. All this I know; what more can you tell me?” ‘“The name of the man who murdered Fred Madden—” ‘*I know it: Edwin Harcourt,” piteously in terrupted Deadly Dash, with a bitter laugh. ‘You are tried, found guilty and sentenced. Say your prayers, and may the Lord have mercy on your sinful soul! for I will show none to your body.” “ven as he spoke, Deadly Dash mounted be- hind his victim and knotted his rope to one of those dangling above his head, then fitted the noose around the neck of Edwin Harcourt, For the first time the old sinner began to be- lieve that his life was really in danger, and with a sudden change of tone, he condescended to beg for time, to ask for mercy. ‘* Such mercy as you showed my father—m mother—my friend! Your crimes have ma me a devil without a heart. Though you had ten thousand lives, 1 could and would take them one by one, and laugh joyfully as your groans and shrieks made sweet music in my ears! ‘Think not of mercy—of life, but of death. Five minutes I give you—no more. Iam more merciful than you. They were hung without time for a single prayer, Five minutes—no more!” Watch in hand the youth stood beside his horse, the prayers and pleadings of the wound- ed wretch falling upon stony ears. The time was up—Deadly Dash struck the horse a sharp blow with his hand—it leaped forward with an affrighted snort. The rope was stretched taut—the body o Edwin Harcourt bung swaying to and fro, ie ly eighes - And Deadly Dash stood coldly looking upon his awful work. CHAPTER XV. THE TRUTH FROM EVIL LIPS. SrrTmne beside the ee glowing fire, his elbows upon his knees and chin supported on his hands, watching the dark, motionless figure that hung before him—thus it was that Seth Hovey found Deadly Dash where he and his men, their work of death and desolation tho- roughly accomplished, returned from the ruin- Com — —~— —————— an — as ,OOKS COM