Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 219 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

pine tree. And now, within the circle of those ghastly dead,they stood in position, holding their rapiers above their heads by hilt and point. ‘* Are you ready?” ** Ready !” A graceful sweep, and the weapons clashed! As they rested against each other witha slight vibrating movement, they emitted a hissing sound, like serpents. Ah! theirsting was death! Slowly, eye to eye, the contestants moved about each other, throwing their weight back- ward and forward, first on one foot, then on the other. _Suddenly Iron Despard’s rapier described a lightning circle in the air to be caught with a ringing clash by that of his opponent. Then came a geries 0. vapid passes—clang / clang ! clang! clany! Then silence, s/ vo “tat ominous hissing sound. Into the Litt!» Giant’s face had come a new expression. He iad already discovered that Iron Despard was no novice. Turn whichever way he might, he could al- ways see, just beyond his adversary, the ghastly dead. ould he be added to their number to- night? Was that old crime to be thus expiated? ut, more than this, he would lose her! Con- fusion! was he to be defeated before her ey2s?— after he had so proudly shown her his power among men! That thought moved him anew. He set his ceeth with deadly desperation. He would win aer by assault, like some queen of the olden time! Now he pressed the fighting, yet relaxing his vigilance not a whit. He knew that he could not afford to. fron Despard slowly yielded ground. But bis eye should have told his opponent that now he was most dangerous. Suddenly he slipped, or seemed to / | Joe Smedley saw—or thought he saw an open- ing in his guard, and made a fierce lunge at his eart. A smile—a terrible smile—came to Iron Des- pard’s lips! While, with a flexure as sinuous as that of a serpent, his body evaded the eager point of his adversary’s weapon, he caught the blade on his own, so that they glided by each other until the hilts struck, Then, with a wrench which no human grasp could withstand, he tore the sword from Joe Smedley’s hand, and sent it flying through the air over his head. And, as the Little Giant lost his equilibrium, and fell upon one knee and hand, Lron Despard towered above him like an avenging fate, with his sword-point at his heart. | His face was ghastly pale. Into his eyes had suddenly come that terrible light which had won him the name of the Demon Duelist. ** This—this for your presumption—dog /” he hissed between his teeth, and would have plung- ed the weapon to the hilt into the breast of the man who had dared to declare his love for the | woman Iron Despard had set apart from all others. But at that moment there came a smothered, murmuring ery, a fluttering of skirts, and the Queen of the Green Cloth was apon her knees, with her arms about the neck of the fallen duelist, and her white face and her despairing, appealing, deprecating eyes turned toward the conqueror. To Iron Despard the revelation came like a stroke of lightning. No need to recall a thou. sand and one incidents of the past week, at the time not understood. Ata flash, he saw it all. Yet he stared in dumb incredulity. Brushed his hand across his eyes, and stared again. Then . ~~ -_— _— -_ - . er , a ook of awful agony came into his face—a uespair beyond words. As he shrunk back step by step, the man began to pantand tremble, un- til the quivering rapier dropped from his nerve- Jess grasp. Not taking his eyes off her face, he groped be- hind him with his hand, until the cold muzzle of his faithful steed was thrust affectionately into | ap palm, with a low whinny and caressing nib- ' e. Then, without a word, without a sound, he turned like a madman, bounded into the saddle, i gai away into the night, never looking ack, The Queen of the Green Cloth fainted. But the Little Giant .-had her in his arms, clasped close over the heart she bad saved from the deadly rapier of the Demon Duelist. ‘‘Mine! mine!” he shouted in a frenzy of de- ' light, while he covered her white face with kisses, ‘‘ Mine by her own confession! Ha! ba! ha! ha! Now I defy all the powers of the ball of fire which burned at the top of the” . Despard, the Duelist. Heaven or hell to snatch her from me! Mine! —mine!—mine!”’ But as if conjured by this wild challenge, a being appeared before him seemingly sprung from earth or air. It was the phantom who had so nearly lured him over the precipice, who had responded to the spell of the Indian sor- ceress, who had risen from the flames of Iron Despard’s burning saloon, each time warning him from his reckless pursuit of the woman whom he at last held on his heart. Now the phantom extended her arms to him, her eyes streaming tears, on her face an appeal of des- pairing love that must have moved any heart not steeled by selfish passion. But Joe Smedley laughed in almost demoniac exultation, as he hugged closer the form of his unconscious prize, and shouted: ‘* Never! never! After all these years she is eae at last—the only woman I ever loved! But with a cry like that of an enraged tigress the phantom sprung forward and buried a poniard to the bilt in the upturned breast of the helpless Queen of the Green Cloth! The Little Giant was paralyzed. He could not realize what had been done. From the first he had believed that the phantom which haunted him wasa thing of impalpable air. But that was unquestionably an oarahty weapon wielded by a carnalarm. He could but stare dumbly from the motionless woman in his arms to that other who stood before him, brandishing her blood-reeking knife above her head while she laughed the shrill, eerie cachinnation of a maniac. He heard, as if far away, a cry of fear rage and pain, in a man’s voice, and was dimly con- scious of the sudden appearance of the Skeleton Band beyond the circle of the ghastly hanging dead, who had witnessed all this tragedy as unmoved as the trees and rocks, But he saw something else which astonished him still more, excluding all else from his thoughts. Hesaw the phantom tear the flowing blonde locks from her head, and the close- cropped black ringlets of the ill-starred Hally stood revealed. Then he knew it all. Years ago, to rid himself of this woman of whose love he had tired, and leave himself free to woo and win Hortense Ashurst, now the Queen of the Green Cloth, he had employed a gang of pliant tools to put her out of the way the world supposing that she had committed suicide, Later, when he bad won the new object of his desires, a misunderstanding during a tem- porary separation had led each to think the other false. Both had left the States and gone West—she to marry Iron Despard; he to meet a popular actress in San Francisco. Now he knew that this actress was bis old love in dis- guise, who had escaped death somehow and won him over again. He knew that she had preserved her flowing blonde tresses in the form of a wig, so that she was able to appear to him as a phantom of her old self but of the past, in the vain hope of awakening remorse for the dead, and so pity for the living. Her hand, too, had struck this terrible vengeance on all who had assisted in the great wrong he had done her. But him she had spared, clinging to him to the last. Failing in all, she had at last struck her rival to the heart, All this, which bas required so many words to detai!, came to Joe Smedley like a flash, Then he saw the bloody knife descend again, this time cleaving the heart that had loved so long and so sadly, and Hally fell without a groan. The next instant the Little Giant was sur- rounded by the Skeleton Avengers, and the Queen of the Green Cloth was snatched from his arms by their chief, ‘‘ She is dead she is dead! sister!” he groaned. It was Patent-leather Joe, whom Hally had helped to escape from prison; and, as repay- ment, he had assisted her in her revenge. A word will explain all mysteries. The men bad been given the appearance of luminous skeletons by drawing the appropriate bones with damp ph: ephorus on black tights. Their Oh, Hortense, my black hooded cloaks enabled them to Cisappear | at pleasure by simply covering themsclves up. The hoofs of their horses were mufiled. The skeleton with whom Iron Despard had clasped bandsin the cave was a genuine one, strung On wires and aga Ngee after the man- ner of stage skeletons, while words were put in- te their mouths by a cunning ventriloquist, Hally, being an actress, had personated the 15 Indian sorceress, changing her dress quickly be- hind the vail of smoke. Then, and on the verge .of the cliff, the Little Giant had been knocked senseless from bebind with that weapon which leaves no sign—a bag stuffed with sand in the form of a club. The ascent of the face of the cliff from Iron Despard’s burning saloon needs no explanation, The ball of fire was slid on a wire from the brow of a neighboring cliff to the top of the pine tree, Some days later the Little Giant was found hanging by the wrists in the midst of bis eleven confederates. The Queen of the Green Cloth and ill-starred Hally were buried in unknown graves. The Skeleton Avengers disay peared, To this day old citizens of Hell Hole tell how the camp was wiped out and twelve of its Vigi- lantes hanged in most horrible fashion by a band of vampires, one of whom, taking upon himself the shape of man, ran for one short week the crack lay-out of the place. With his sore heart-burden, where on the fuee of the wide earth wanders the Demon Duelist? Who can tell? THE END. DIME DIALOGUES AND SPEAKERS FOR SCHOOL BXHIBITIONS AND HOME ENTERTAINMENTS. Dialogues, Nos. 1 to 28 inclusive, 15 Se ume 100 12m0 pages. Speakers, Nos. 1 to 2 inclusive. Each speaker 100 pages 12m0, containing from 50 to 75 pieces, pu- lar dialogues and dramas in each book. vol- YOUNG PEOPLBE’S SERIES, Dime Book of Summer Athletic Sports, Dime Gents’ Letter Writer. Dime Book of Etiquette. Dime Book of Verses. Dime Book of Dreams. Dime Fortune Teller, Dime Ladies’ Letter Writer. Dime Lovers’ Casket. Dime Ball-Room Companion. Dime Book of 100 Gamea. Dime Chess Instructor. Dime Book of Beauty. twee The above books are sold by newsdealers everywhere, or will be sent, post- yaid, to any ad- dress, on PN of price, ten cents each, BEADLE & Apams, Publishers, 98 William st., N.Y. “The Model Family Paper —AND— Most Charming of the Weeklies.” A pure paper; good in every thing; bright, brilliant and attractive, Serials, Tales, Romances, Sketches, Adventures, Biographies, Pungent Essays, Poetry, Notes and Answers to Correspondents. Wit and Fun— All are features in every number, from such celebrated writers as no paper in America ean | boast of. 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