Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 240 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

ee le a A —— a 14 , we -- ae ee set A A i IE EC IE I I OL I eA / Cyclone Kit, the Young Gladiator. ——_ He heard the battle, and listened to its fury, understanding that Queen Cordiz had struck her blow for obtaining the rule of the locked town of Gold-Flake. e heard the retreat of the Mormons—heard the chase given by the vic- torious party. Raising his head and glancing around, be saw that now was his opportunity to cape. His feet and hands were bound, but at once rolling over to the edge of the fire, he applied his wrists, or rather the rope that bound them, to a fagot, and allowed the fire to so eat into the rope, that he was soon able to burst the bonds, and his hands were free. Before he could serve his feet in a like manner, however he heard the tramp of approaching feet, and knew the anti-Mormons were returning. So to save himself from recapture, he hur- riedly crept off into the darkness, lea -frog fashion, going to a safe distance before halting. CHAPTER XIV. CONCLUSION. THEREFORE, it was, that, after the anti- Mormons had retired from the vicinity of the gallows, Josh Grim cautiously approached the neg where he had seen Cyclone Kit fall, ut found bim not. **Tt is probable that he is in the power of the victors,” was the detective’s conclusion, after he had thought the matter over. ‘‘I must wait till morning, for further investigation.” So he crept into the Cordiz mansion, which was to all appearances deserted, and 4 down - sort of an alcove, which opened off the main ll Here he remained until the first streaks of dawn were visible through the open door, when he arose, and went out of the house. From the doorstep he made a reconnoissance. Queen Cordiz’s party had camped in the lower end of the valley, near the edge of the chapar- ral, and asa matter of course, held the tunnel avenue of escape from the town. The Mormons had pr ges just beyond the village, in the other part of the gulch, and were adjacent to the stair exit, by way of old Meg Mather’s Phantom Acre. Both forces were already astir, but whether preparing for hostilities or not, Grim was _ le to determine, owing to his distance ffom them, Outside, in and about the Cordiz mansion, the greatest quiet prevailed, and nowhere could he see anything of Cyclone Kit. The bodies of those who had been slain, the night before, still lay in front of the mansion stark and stiff, but investigation proved tha the young gladiator was not numbered with the unfortunates. ‘* He has either esca from the gulch, or is hiding, somewhere!” Grim muttered, ‘‘ for I see nothing of him in either camp. Tl make an inspection of this house, and see if there is any- thing to be discovered, here; then [ll go in search of Kit.” He re-entered the mansion, and made a tour of the different rooms, most of which had been used as sleeping apartments, by the Don’s bevy of wives. : The last room he entered was the one which Don Juan had occupied, at the time of the in- terrupted execution, and here a strange sight awaited the vision of the Yankee—a sight that caused him to pause on the threshold. Upon the floor, lying partly ina pool of his own life blood, and with his throat cut from ear to ear, was the Mormon Prophet of Gold-Flake, Juan Cordiz. Kneeling beside him, and peering eagerly into his rigid face, was a clumsy, loutish-looking lad of some seventeen years, who was clad in rags, and was dirty and disgusting-looking in the ex- treme. His face was beardless; his tow-colored hair looked as if it had never known the ac- quaintance of a comb; his eyes were sharp, and hke unto a mink’s. He heard nothing of Grim, evidently, until the latter uttered an,exclamation of surprise; then, he Sprung FO his feet, and made a motion to run, but Josh’s revolver caused him to halt, “Stop!” Grim ordered, authoritatively. ‘* What are you afraid of? P’m no Mormon, and I guess you ain’t, neither, judging by your scare, ho are you?” | The boy’s shrewd eyes loo the Yankee over, thoroughly, ere he answered; then he put up his hands, and with wonderful rapidity made some queer contortions with the fingers and thumbs. ; ‘Ob! dumb, eh?” Grim said, understand- ingly. ‘‘ Your name is Tom Hayman, eh?” The boy nodded—then shook his head and ointed to his ears, as much as to say he could ear and understand. **T see!” Josh said. ‘‘ You are not deaf, but dumb. How long have you been so?” ‘‘Three years,” the mute answered, in his dumb language; then he opened his mouth and showed tfe detective that he had no tongue. It had been cut off, ’way back in his mouth, rendering him speechless. Josh shuddered at the sight; to him it was more than terrible. ‘*Did you know him?” he asked, indicating the murdered Don. ‘‘T know him,” the boy telegraphed back slowly, so that Josh could read his motions. “ He cut my tongue out, sol could not betray his crimes to the authorities. But he’s dead now, and I’ve got the best of him!” And he held up a key as he spoke—a huge one it was, made of iron, and evidently hand wrougbt. “What is that—-what does it belong to?’ Grim demanded in surprise. The mute laughed. ‘‘ Tt means a fortune for us,” he said. ‘‘ It’s the key to the Mormon treasure vault, and if you’re an honest man, not in league with the Mormons, there’s enough for us both.” ‘*That hits me to a capital Z!” Josh assented. Ci suppose you want to escape from this val- Vv ‘*T want to East, where the money will support me while I live,” the boy replied. ‘Then all you’ve got to do is join forces with me, and we’ll soon leave this place behind. Who killed the Don?” The tongueless boy answered that he had found the Prophet dead a short time before and did not know who was the author of the crime. Grim then ae him_ with questions, and learned that Cyclone Kit was indeed in the power of Queen Cordiz, having been retaken shortly after escaping from the vicinity of the gallows, by the Irishman, Pietro, who had swooped down on him ere he could get his feet free, and struggled with him until some of Queen’s men came to his assistance. ‘‘ If I geta whack at the blamed Irishman, Tll fix him,” the Yankee muttered, emphati- m4 ‘* He deserves killing.” e further learned from the mute that by following the valley stream down through the mountain tunnel he would eventually debouch into another stream that, after many miles of winding, crossed the Union Pacific railroad, near one of its stations, thus affording a ready outlet to civilization. They left the mansion and stole into the very heart of the village, where they sought shelter in a one-roomed log cabin, which boasted of one small window, and a stout oaken door. Entering this they fastened the door on the eee and pr ed to make themselves at ome. The day passed quietly, no sound of hostile demonstrations on the outside reaching their hearing. — S g to Dumb Tom concerning the whereabouts of Arthur Carlison and Bertie Bird, Grim found that the lad .knew not what had become of them, which was strange, seeing that Tom was familiar with nearly every hiding- place in the limits of the walled bec f Just as the shadows of another nig tfall were beginuing to approach the two men heard foot- steps in the vicinity of the cabin. What shall we do?’ Grim asked. “If dis- covered here we’ll be in a bad fix.” ‘‘ Never mind!” Tom answered. ‘‘ Keep still, and we stand a good show of not being dis- covered.” Soon the footsteps came close up to the door, and then all was quiet for several minutes, after which a dark shadow loomed up in the little window near the roof—the head and shoulders of no less a personage than Pietro, the Irish- man. ‘‘ Ha! ha!” he yelled, his face distorted ina devilish grin. ‘‘ You are caged, ye ape tpeeme: an’ this is me revenge on the dumb divil!’ He dodged down then, just in time to escape a bullet from Grim’s revolver, and his footsteps were heard rapidly retreating. !” Grim said, unbarring the ““We are cag door and trying to n it. “The infernal Irishman has barred it on the outside, sure enough!” Dumb Tom looked scared. ie ’s bad!” he signaled with his fingers. ‘Tf we can’t get out we're as good as dead men, a Cordiz hates me even mure than the ‘* And is there no way of getting out of this place?’ Grim demanded, excitedly. ‘*T see or know of no way,” was the answer. ‘‘The window is too small for us to get out, and the roof cannot be reached. So I guess about the best conclusion to adopt is that we are prisoners!” And the more they tried to study a way out of their dilemma the firmer became their con- viction that Pietro had told the truth when he had said they were caged. Darkness grew dense and denser without, but after awhile it seemed to change. . Grim pointed to the window. The night cer- tainly was growing rapidly lighter. ‘* Fire!” he gasped, growing pale. ‘Ay! fire!’ the dumb boy answered by finger telegraph. ‘‘ We’re in a bad fix now, for sure. Old Meg, the witch, is carrying out her threat!” ‘** What was that?’ ‘‘She threatened years ago to some day la the Mormon town in ashes, And it looks as if she were at the work now!” Grim had no doubt of it when through the little window he saw the red glow upon the heavens and the smoke settling into their rison. Were they to become helpless victims of the conflagration? It looked so! Dumb Tom had not lied when he said that Cyclone Kit had been retaken. Surprised, and bound as he was, he had little chance to fight against the Irishman, who sprung upon him and held him until some of the Gneet s gang came to his assistance, when Kit was once more overpowered and taken along with the anti-Mormons to their cgmp. Here he was bound upon his back to a fal®n tree, which had some time tumbled down the mountain side into the gulch, and was left to make the best of his situation until morning. As soon as day dawned, Queen Cordiz ap- proached him and looked down into his face triumphantly. “Well, I see you’ve come down a peg or two,” she observed. ‘‘ You ain’t so much ofa bravo as you used to was!” ‘* Perhaps!” Kit retorted, nonchalantly. ‘‘ Be- cause I’m in harness, I am not tamed to sub- mission vy any means.” “Well, I admire your pluck. You certainly do deserve the title of a brave man, and I am ready to give you your liberty at a moment’s notice, if bie are agreeable to the conditions.” “Which you know I am not, All that I want is to find Bertie Bird, and then escape from this accursed valley.” ‘‘Ha! ha! the beautiful Bird is where you will not get her very soon!” Queen said, taunt- ingly. ‘She is in the power of your enemy as well as mine!” . “You mean Arthur Carlison?” ‘‘' Yes; the present successor to Don Juan!” ‘¢ Ah! is he in the lead of the Mormon forces?” ‘** He is, curse him!” ‘‘T see! I see!” Kit said, a new thought dawn- ing upon bis mind. “It was you and he whom I saw walking in the valley, one night, not long 282 and he gave you money?” ‘Yes. It was me you saw with him. I was first to discover his presence here, and findin he was in quest of my fair enemy, Bertie Bird, I, of course, gave him what little assistance I could.” | ‘And now you’ve got your pay by his turn- ing against you?” ‘Exactly! but he’ll find that he’s sided with the wrong party. I ospect a new recruit of fellows from the silver districts, soon, and then we'll clean the Mormon gang out, sure, if we don’t do it before. And P oad can bet that Pil take so good care of the fair Bertie that she'll never stand in my way again!” ‘If you ever harm a hair of that innocent l’s head, I'll take your scalp to pay for it, if have to hunt the world over for it!” Kit re- plied, a deadly flash in his eyes, that the girl captain did not like, evidently, for she utter a defiant Jaugh and turned away. Kit was left in the same by-no-means pleasant position, the greater share of the day, and no attention was paid to him. Toward sunset, however, Queen again ap- proached him. She was accompanied by four burly men, who looked amply able to handle the helpless prisoner. “Cyclone Kit!” the young woman said, sternly, ‘‘once and for the last time I ask you— will you come to the terms I lately proposed to you EGomicbook