Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 219 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

get far enough. Backed by your crowd of scoundrels, you have dared to insult an unarmed and unsupported man. Now pick out your best man, and let me meet the two of you ina fair fight. Dil ram gar bribe down your throat!” Tren Despard’s eyes. blazed. The Demon Duelist looked equal to bis challenge. The ehief of the Skeleton Avengers seemed whelly unmoved by this defiance, ‘‘Tm consideration,” he Lursued calmly, ‘‘of eur putting us in possession of the other alf.” ‘* Which I swear never to do.” ‘‘Té will be well for you to consider before making any rash resolve. What you are giving up is but money, at most. What we give you in return is life.” ‘‘ Excuse me. What I would be giving up is hexor, a thing which it isno doubt characteristic im you to entirely overlook.” ' “Tf you choose, you can give the half coming to your wife to the other legatee. . Your life is certainly worth a ransom.” ‘‘ But Patent-leather Joe not yet being dead, to my knowledge, I have no right to either half,’ ‘‘T have no time or disposition to debate nice oints,” said the chief of the Skeleton Avengers impatiently. ‘‘ At any rate, you realize that you are entirely at our mercy; and you have seom Our way Of arguing with men whom we are forced to consider our enemies—instance the ease of Jim Kane, and later Tidy Tip.” Yes,” replied Iron Despard; ‘*‘ l know your devilishness, tomy cost, believe I have the honer to be classed with you by the men of the Hell Hole. How true it is, you of course know.”’ ‘That is not to the purpose,” said the chief of the Skeleton Avengers. ‘‘Do you refuse to tell us where the money and dust is hidden?” “T do.” The chief waved his hand. Iren Despard was instantly seized and slip- knots passed over his wrists. ‘‘ We give you an opportunity to reconsider yeur determination,” said the chief. ‘‘@uch a scoundrel as you cannot understand that such a question presents no. chance of de- bate to a man of honor,” replied Iron Despard. Again the chief waved his hand. The lariats were drawn taut, and Lron Des- rd lifted clear of the ground. Then the skeleton Avengers closed in about him in a cirele, throwing the light of their ghostly torehes upon him, and tureatening him with their strange javelins. ‘* For the third time,” said the chief, sternly, ** will you reveal the secret?” ** Nevev !” ‘*On your life, I conjure you!” **Do your worst.” A wave of the hand, and— Iren Despard was lowered to the ground, the luminous skeletons retreating to their places. His shadowy attendants then released his wrists from the lariats, the pressure of which had beeome somewhat painiul; and he stood onee more free. “Tron Despard,” said the ehief, ‘you are a brave mau.” ‘Because your mummeries had no effect a me?” MCW hatever you may think of the mum- meries, I believe that you did not fail to ap- preeiate the death that threatened you; and yeu faced it without blenching. Moreover, you are trustworthy. Not every man would keep his word in another’s interests, at the cost of life. Now we want such men as you. What do you say to joining us?” ‘No, thanks.” ‘¢ One suggestion before you decide, in trouble. We will against \ our enemies.” ‘$Thank you; I can fight my own battle.” “T gee that you are lavoring under a misap- prehension,” said the chief of the Skeleton Avenzers. ‘ At least let us part friends.” Dropping his black mantle from his shoulders, he advanced toward his prisoner. As he approached, a change came over Iron Despard. He began to stare hard, betraying marked signs of astonishment, bewilderment, awe. He could see objects beyond, between the !u- minous ribs, and close on either side of the spinal column! He had believed these but clever maskers. Now he knew that, unless he was asicep and dreaming, unless he was Josing his senses, the object taat was approaching him was a veritable skeleton! The wonderful being stopped before him, and extended its hand, saying: You are make common cause eg ee — Despard, the Duelist. es ‘Will you not shake bands with me, Danger- field?” That hollow voice seemed to come from its cavernous chest. There was an unearthly grin on its flesbless face as it waited. Iron Despard rubbed his eyes and stared. He was moved by a feeling that had never before found place in his breast. As if fascinated he extended his hand. He grasped unmistakable bones! It skeleton! The touch of that hand sent an indescribable chill to the iron heart of the gambler prince. Shuddering, he dropped if. The skeleton retreated to its place in the weird circle. Iron Despard gazed round upon them. A sud- den desperation seized bim., | ‘By Heaven! I will know whether this is a fraud!” he cried. And madly he rushed after the thing that, being but fleshless bones, walked and talked like a living man, But a score of lances were opposed to his breast. He was forced to desist, “Goin peace!” said the chief, as one of his followers cast his mantle once more on his shoulders. His shadowy attendants thrust Lron Despard’s revolvers into their holsters and his bowie into its sheath, and stepped back beyond the circle of skeletons. | ‘‘Go in peace!” once more said the hollow voice of the chief; and from all round the circle came a dismal echo: ‘Goin peace!” At this moment a woman’s voice cried; ‘‘Despard! Despard!” The gambler prince turned, .nd saw a break in the cirele of skeletons opposite the yawning mouth of a corridor, in which stood the Queen of the Green Cloth, wild-eyed und trembling. The skeletons all pointed their javelins in that direction. Iron Despard joined his frightened wife, and supported her down the corridor, As they came to the next chamber, they found all the corridors leading from it, save one, occupied. by skeletons, who indicated this unobstructed corridor with their spears, stand- ing in perfect silence, So the way was pointed out until the gambler rince emerged from the cave in a valley cut off from Hell Hole by towering cliffs. Here he found saddle-horses and attendants, evidently prepared for flight. But just as he was about to mount, after a few hasty words of direction, the crags rung with yells and a fusilade of pistol-shots; there was a short fierce struggle; and lron Despard was a prisoner in the hands of Moll Pritchard’s Right Bower and the men of Hell Hole. was a CHAPTER XII, NECK IN HALTER! It had. struck the Little Giant that Tron Despard might have had an object in buying the Hole-in-the-hill claim as a site for his sa- loon; and he had dispatched Dan the Devil and Foxy to reconnoiter tbe other side of the cliff, with the result of discovering the gambler prince’s back door. Having become separated from his companion, Dan the Devil returned alone to report his success, We have seen that a detachment under Moll Pritchard’s Right Bower hurried to intercept the flight of the supposed vampire. But on their way they suddenly came to a standstill with cries of dismay. Over the road swung a ghastly object. “My God! bere’s more work of them devils! Who is it, this time? Strike a match, some one; and let’s git a squint at his face.” The match was struck. Its flickering blaze illuminated the distorted face of Foxy. Like his predecessors, he was shockingly mutilated, and stone dead. “ Boys, i’sa warnin’? I move we go back.” “Thar’s no luck chasin’ after vampires, no- how.” ‘‘ Pard, that’s about the size of my divvy.” “ Hold on, hyar, boys!’ shouted Moll Pritch- ard’s Right Bower, seeing his men about to back out of the enterprise. ‘‘ We’ve made the mis- take of goin’ fur the galoot one ata time. Now, ef we jump on him all at once, we'll down him, sure. Ef we git him, we’ve got the king-pin. Ef we let him shake us now, he’ll prowl around until he runs us all out of town. Them that’s airaid kin stay, Them that’s got the sand fol- ler me. Forward march!” He dashed ahead, and catching the infection, the rest followed, 13 ee ee | tt ee Dan the Devil was struck speechless with fear at the sight of the fate of his latecomrade. He could but stare, shivering. When the mobsud- denly leaped after their leader, his blunted fac- ulties did not take in all at once the fact that he was being left alone. It came upon him with an agonizing thrill of horror; and he was in the act of bonnding after them, when he heard something whistling through the air, The next instant he was thrown violently to the ground, feeling the noose of a lariat erip his arms aud breast. Before he could regain thé breath which was thus partially knocked out of him, co scream forth the frenzy of fear that was upon him, there came the rush of hurrying feet close at hand, and a blanket enveloped him in its smoth- ering folds. His late companions rushed off in the dark- ness, never missing him. They were just in time to catch Lron Despard in the act of making his escape, More than one of their numter lay dead or wounded before bey overpowered bim, but at last he sat astride his horse, his legs tied under the animal’s belly and his hands securely bound behind his back, while a running noose at the end of a long ro was about his neck, the other end being in the hands of the victorious mob, So was led captive the redoubtable Iron Des- pard, But in the way was an obstruction. Dan, the Devil, hung beside Foxy! That sight wrought the crowd to frenzy. “Swing this devil here!” they yelled, “ beside the boys his crowd has hung up to dry!” And enly thunders of profanity and even some knock-down arguments on the part of the leaders prevented the enraged mob from tearing their prisoner limb from limb. Dan the Deyil and Fuxy were taken down and borne in advance, As thus the precession approached the camp, making the night hideous with their vindictive yells, the uproar cailed others out to meet them, who fell into the jostling ranks and added their clamor to the rest, Entering the ca mp, whose one street was bril- liantly lighted by the lurid glare of Iron Des- pard’s burning saloon, they fuund women whose white lips contrasted strangely with the un- changing bloom of their painted cheeks, cower- ing in breathless groups before the various dance-houses, How with the glitter of fear the eyes of these shivering wretches rested upon that madly-surging, wildly-gesticulating, loud- ly swearing mob, as upon a rout of wild beasts broken loose. Axd some looked pityingly upon the man whose name was loaded with exccra- tion, whose blood was demanded by every tongue, On through the camp they bore, to halt be- fore ‘he blazing ruins of the Palace Saloon, be- neath a red-wood tire, over one of whose branches the rope was quickly run, And Iron Despard? Do you think that he trembled with fear, that his lips were livid, that bis eyes were dis- tended and rolling with that terror which the dread presence of death so often inspires? No! Like a Grecian god he sat upon his restless steed!—pale, I grant you, but pot shaken .in that iron courage which no vicissitude of his checkered life had ever yet daunted. Calmly he sat, with head proudly erect, lips firm, and his clear, cold eye ranging with con- temp! uous indifference over that surging mob. Their rude dress and the murderous weapons which they flourished with such fierce reckiaie- nees—their barsh visages, brutalized with dis- sipation and inflemed with passion, and half- hidden amid their bushy, unkempt beards— their gleaming, Lloodshot eyes, their menacin gestures, amd their yells of rage, all conspire to make them seem Jike a horde of demons. ‘*Cut the black heart out of his body! Hang- in’s too yood fur him!” roared one burly ruf- fian, elbowing his way through the crowd, bowie-knife in hand. “Right fur you, pard!—he’s got the blood of a dozen men on him!” * He's only a beginnin’! got to go up the same tree!” ‘“T back you thar, boss! We've stood this sort o’ thing long enough. Lev’s make an ex- ample o’ this one.” ‘A little ecalpin’ an’ burnin’ more’: be desarves!” A wild yell of approval went up from a score of chroats. Living among savages, these men had caught some of their spirit of fiendish cruelty. ‘Snake him down out o’ that, an’ we’ll burn eolm Thar’s more that’s wouldn’t be DoOoksreom