Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 296 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

Ce ee er Apollo Bill, the Trail Tornado. 9 point he fled, closely pursued by the minions of the law. Twice he was ca ed and placed in jail, but on each occasion he escaped. At last, hunted down to the last resort, he rallied around him a band of fellows and took to the mountains. They were discovered in their first retreat, and branded road-agents ere they had earned the right to such a calling. ‘* Assailed despondency and anger at this injustice, Apollo Bill fled to this fastness and organized his men into what is known ‘as Apollo Bill’s road agents. ‘* There you have all that [I know about my protector. ‘*Good enough for a novel,” Lady Theresa said, taking off her hat and riding cloak. ‘‘I presume this muchly-wronged man has a child living, has he not?” “Not to my knowledge, me ’am.” ‘You have never heard him speak of having a chill now or in the past?’ «Well, perliaps -he ‘is: of tive disposi ‘* Well, perhaps he is of a secretive disposi- tion concerning his habits; perhaps, again, he is not the party I think he is. Have you ever seen him unmasked?” “‘T have not.” ** Then he remains constantly disguised?” **So far as I know, yes.” “To you think he would grant me an inter- view?” **T do nct—yet, I possibly may be wrong. I will tell him your wish, and you. need not be surprised if he does or does not put in an ap- pearance soon.” Then, with a courtesy, the girl passed from the room, taking the Bw as ion to lock the door after her, and Lady ‘Tremaine was left to her own meditations. . It was not for Lady Theresa to see Apollo rewn that night, had she desired to, ever so much. She waited a reasonable length of time, for him to come, and then threw herself wearily upon a couch of skins, wondering if she would indeed get safely to the mining camp, as Apollo Bill had promised. Sleep soon came to her eyes, and she forgot all her troubles, until she was aroused by Con- chito, the Todian girl. ‘Come. I'must blindfold you; and then you will be taken» back to the miners’ camp,” she said, ‘* Here is a Package Apollo Bill directed me to give yo pay it was what he had taken ee onan Clifford.” y Theresa received the kage with a glad cry, and itted Conchito to blind ‘her eyes. Next, she was led from the room, and mounted upon a horse, with a man in front of her, the same as before, and was soon dashing away. Aw hour later, she was dismounted in the gulch, within sight of McGuffin’s but by the me she could unbind her eyes, her carrier was gone from view. The following night, the outward bound stage from McGuffin’s, containing bullion in! the treas- ure box, to the amount of ten thousand dollars, was A Sp ere outside of the camp, by a band of red‘c road nts, the rs re- lieved of their valtioblon and the bullion appro- priated, after which the outlaws rode triumph- antly away, and the coach turned’ back’ to McGuffin’s, to dispense the tidings: The excitement created’ by the report was in- tense. The owners of the bullion were wealthy mine-owners, but they seemed to feel the loss just as keenly as though they were poor, and offered big rewards. Ms" A band of men were at once 5 tn ae and sent out to scour: the vicinity for the bold 'ma- rauders, but they returned the next day, at noon, without having even struck the tail of the gan nded, and &- Mining was for the most part s gr of men collected’ here and there, about the town, to discuss the situation. What was to be doné? They were in the midst of a danger for which there was no ap- parent help. | Were they to give tamely up to the system of brigandism, which Apolle Bill had inaugurated? Were they to submit to being deprived of their earnings by him, at his own convenience? No! something must be done—all seconded that motion. But what? That was the question just then lacking solution, Deputy Marshal Butler was consulted, and waked why he did not make some move toward removing the existing evil. ** Gentlemen,” he said, “‘ from My experience of these road-agent devils, I find there ain’t no way 0’ gettin’ at ’em, like bidin’ your time, watchin’ carefully, an’ ’ropin’ ’em in, when they’re not expectin’ it.” his did not satisfy the average McGuffinite —he wanted gore, and wanted it bad, too. But what set the town in the greatest uproar of all, was the discovery of a large notice, just before sunset, posted upon a saloon-loor, in plain view of every { isser-by. It was written wi‘ 1 a brush in large letters, and read thus: Novick. “TI, the undersigne , will pay five hundred dollars to that party or part as, who will capture alive, and hand over to the proper authorities, one outlaw and road-agent by the title of Apollo Bill. He isa hard case, but must be caged, if any one’s got assurance enough to. try the jo . AS s0On 4s captured, I will pay to the captor the above sum. * Yours truly, **APOLLO BILL, ‘The Trail Tornado.” If this wasn’t the hight of impudence and audacity,,the McGuffinites didn’t want a cent. After others had their turn at offeting rewards, this Adonis of the roads had. actually come out and offered a reward for his own. cap- ture—the worst of bluffs to the McG—ites. Nothing like it had ever been heard’ of before in those districts. Even old pilgrims of a dozen years’ mining experience admi that it was ahead of their time. It was a shadowgraph, made especially to illustrate to the gold- ers the style of man they had to deal with. The man Moses Monk seldom left his little bank, but early on the evening following the events last narrated, he closed the shutters, and left the. place by the rear way, taking care to fast lock the doors behind him, Going toa stable near by, he brought forth and bridled and saddl a skinny-looking donkey, and mounted the same, after which he rode down along the shore of the river. It was but a narrow and. dangerous path, seldom used as a way of exit from the town for this reason, but the sober-looking donkey picked a wean along; as though familiar with the t The donkey and its obese rider were so widely at contrast as regards size, that they made a really ludicrous appearance. At first it was very dark, but after they had followed the dark, rapid stream for some three hours. they were fortunate enou to have a dim light from the late moon to reward’ their efforts in endeavoring to pursue the difficult path, ome oe The scenery for miles was wild in the extreme. On either side of the river rugged craggy moun- tains rose almost perpendicularly, erent hight, in continuous chains, asif to the sullen, moaning waters from escaping from their embrace. | The night was well advanced ere Moses Monk came to a sort of plateau widening in the monotonous course of the trail, and drawing relR he dismounted. ‘he donkey immediately lay down, showing no disposition to proceed further, With a grunt of approval, the banker gazed saris hd around him, and then ‘began to climb up a steep and rugged path, that led toward the mountain top. : , For some time he pursued this route; then reached a «ort of shelving ledge, barely big enough to stand upon. ? In tof him, looking into the moun ain, was a large, cavernous opening, which was the entrance to some subterranean. chamber, and which now had a dark and forbidding appear- ance, Waiting a moment to get his breath, Monk ser ged into the entrance, and called: * Mary! Mary!” There was A HantHedtatd answer, so he called again. ‘‘ Mary! are you there?” Then, @ Woman’s figure glided out from the cavern. | CHAPTER IX. MOSES AND MARY—MURDER. ** Mary ish dot you?” Moses Monk asked, peer- ing into the face of the woman. “* Who do you SS it is?’ was the rather short reply. “‘ What brings you here at this unseemly hour, Moses?” ‘*Oh! dat you vill learn, ven you vas find oud,” the Jew replied, facetiously. ‘Ish der kid ashleep?” “Yes. i What of it?” “T vas glad of it. I haff something imbortant to tell you.” , EE» tions are very nearly, the same, I d Blak ing some big rewar ‘What! Have you any pines of—?” **Dot don’d vas matter, I ish here to tell you somet’ink, if you ask me in.” ‘*Oh! well, come ‘along in; but for heaven’s sake, leave off that Jew business and speech, which make you ‘unnatural and despicable!” **Oh! well, if you like, T will, for the present: but [ must resume it, in business, you know, for the average American admires the shrewd busi- ness tact of the Jew, if not the Jew himself, and therefore, patronize him, Lead on, however, and I will try to speak my native Yankee , tongue.” ary obeyed, and the banker followed her into the heart of a large inter-mountain cham- ber, where all was darkness of the most intense nature. | A lighted torch, however, soon illuminated the scene, and the interior of the cave. There was for furniture a table and chairs, and some skins and blankets in a couple of places which were probably used for beds, On one of these beds lay a flaxen-baired girl of nine or ten years, fast asleep—a pretty, sweet- faced, healthy looking child, whom one could not help admiring. Even Moses. Monk went over, and looked down upon the sleeping innocent, with more of a softening expression than was usually seen upon his face. Then. he turned to Mary—a woman, young in years, and possessed of average good } :' ane appears healthy and happy, Mary?’*khe said. , ** And so she is,” was the response. ‘‘ Since I came bere, she has picked up, day by a Me ‘wildness of ‘our ide phen a wp to her for the better, brings you here, cousin Moses?” “. Business. Sit down, and, we will compare notes.” And so saying, he drew a stool forward inte the torchlight and became seated. Mary followed his example, a look of eager Cpe crancy on her face. he Was a pe afhaga in her yr eve rather pre ng in appearance, common dices and an babitual expressiom of ti Lebel which hovered about her eyes and mouth. ‘*'You come to tell me good news?” she asked, leaning toward him. ! ‘Well, that depends somewhat Say a look atit.. I have news, it is true, whether it will be good to you or not I do not knew. “ Then you have found Mr, Blake ““Yes—that is, he was in McGuftin’s not many evenings ago; but, owing to a demand for him, by several parties, he was obliged to self pores. A new road-agent lumi put in an Spent aueg in the neigh styling himself ApoMo Bill, and as their ms re = sume that he 6 are one and the aie,” ““Oh! Mr. would never do that—ne, I de not. believe he would, for an instant, consider such a ele “Pooh! Men will do anything, nowadays, for the sake of roping in the shekels.” rs “Oh! T wish I could be satisfied, for certain, in.re tothe matter. Who were the persons who wanted him?” “The woman, Madame Moree, who keeps the dance house; Lord Clifford for another—wel,, there seéems to have sprung up a general i bout tie? wt ebild. 6 4 Lord Cl is about the lost child, an . . ds for the capture of Blake " 8 ’ or the child. That makes it worth, while for different ones to try and ferret ont the case, As it stands, I have got the inside track, and all I lack is your co-assistance for me to make things work,” ‘‘How do you mean?” ‘The same way I explained to you on a for- mer visit. Tell me whose child that is, yonder —Bill Blake’s or Lord Clifford’s. Then I will make you my wife, and our intérests will be utual and identical. Then I wil) produce the child before Lord Clifford, with you as the roof, and claim a reward of twenty thousand Bolians, which, when added to my own pile, will make us independent for life.” ‘“A very tempting proposal thaf might seem to some women, but not to me. In the first place, 1am your cousin—that is one good and sufficient reason why I could not marry you, In the next place, I de not nor have I ever loved but one man, and fate seems to will it L shall — be granted the favor of his presence very often. You mean Apollo Bill?’ ‘“‘T mean William Blake.” ‘Pooh! you are fooksh. That man you will e€om Ebooks com