Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 281 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

\ \ 2 ea Denver Doll’s Victory; OR, SKULL AND CROSS-BONES. BY E. L. WHEELER, AUTHOR OF ‘“‘ DEADWOOD DICK” NOVELS, ““ROSEBUD ROB” NOVELS, ‘* DENVER DOLL,” ETC,, ETO. CHAPTER I. A WILD NIGHT AND A WILDER RIDE. Nie@ut wild and furious settled over mother earth, with the hot wind of summer blowing a literal hurricane through forest and gulch, carrying sticks, leaves and other rubbish with i t The lightning, too, flashed in vivid zig-zi streaks, and the thunder jarred the earth wit its loud rolling, as heavy cannonry might have done. Down in a dark ravine between the moun- tains, which was for the most part choked up by trees of sparse foliage, flickered a little camp-fire of pine cones, which every sudden gust of wind threatened to scatter to the differ- ent points of the compass. A short, stout Dutchman, of immense girth, but-otherwise rather attractive Yen ee was kept busied in replenishing the fire, while Den- ver Doll, well known through the mountains as an exceptionally pretty and expert detective, was seated upon the ground before the low stump of a tree, upon which a telegraph instru- ment was placed, which she was watching with eager, expectant og ver and anon sbe would glance anxiously at the sky, with its ominous »-antle of skurryin clouds, from which the rain threatened to fal at any mement, Directly overhead, but a number of feet above her, ran two telegraph wires across the gulch. Two wires attached to ber telegraph instrument also connected with the main wires overhead, thus enabling her to receiva all the messages that passed over the line in either direction. ‘“Dunderation!” pealéd from the lips of Yakie Strauss, Denver Doll's companion, as a sudden ust ef wiml carried a stone against the side of is head, and toppled him over upon the ground. ““Sdop! sdep! dot ish no fair, shlingin’ sdones at a veller, und preakin’ his skull. Don’d like dot, Denver Doll; don’d vas like der situation nohew,.” ‘Well, have patience, Yakie, and we will get eut of here before long. When you see a stick or stone coming at you, why all you’ve a to do is dodge it!” Doll said, with a musical ugh, which, however, was suddenly cut short by the click! click! of the telegraph instrument, = which she instantly gave her whole atten-. Yakie, too, came forward, forgetting his trouble, and crouched by the stump, seeming to be full sexpectant as his young sonipanion, whom he bad served in more than one thrilling experience. viny blazes!dot vas der fooniest talkin’ machine I effer see someveres. Allid say vas tick! tick! 1 d der like ash dot, und yet yon understand yoost so well ash a spellin’ pook all apoud vot ish spraken. Vas, Dollbaby?” **Of course, Yakie. If I couldn’t understand the signs, there would be no use of our being here. But, keep still now. I wamt to catch everything.” . The message came faster now, and there was a perfect tattoo of ticks, that caused Yakie to open his eyes in astovisoment—but the eyes of the detective queen dilated with horror, as she bound Union Pacific Express, at Devil’s Curve, aroasd which she sails at a speetbt forty miles an hour, down grade. Tho instigators of the b belong in Nugget Notch and Big Pine cam e offices there are either in charge of the conspirators and their associates, or else con- nection has been made outside of each camp, for the furtherance of this diabolical scheme. Here’s the message, so far as it goes.” She handed him a slip of paper, which he bore close to the firelight, and scanned critically, to read as follows: ‘Sally, B. P. C.... Midnight....U. P., east. Devil's Curve. o> ae - Not being much of a scholar, it took Yakie some time vo mako it ont us- that she would lie ro : outposts, as it were, of the gang of maraucers. | Denver Doll’s Victory. - _— ‘** Vell, dot vas pad!” he grunted, finally. “It looks ash off somepody vas goin’ to get burt, don’d it?” ‘‘Exactly, unless we prevent it!” the brave girl cried, excitedly. ‘* Und how vas dot goin’ done? Uff we go up mit der Duyfel’s Curve, ve ketch der duyfel, not? ‘Likely. There will be a gang un hand to | plunder the wreck, from Nugget Notch, at east, and.maybe another party from Big Pine; so that we couid do no good there, The only plan I see is for me to set the spurs to my horse, and to get to the other side of Nugget Notch in. time to flag the train!” “ ‘Dot vas foolishness. Vat time she vas?” Denver Doll nervously drew a handsome gold watch from her pocket and glanced at it. ‘It is ten minutes of eleven.” ‘**Und der train is due—?” “At ten minutes after twelve, at Devil’s Curve.” ‘ “‘Shimminy plazes!' How you t’ink you get to der odder side off Nugget Notch py dot time? It ish more ash dwenty miles!” ‘Yes, by the regular round-about stage trail, but not by the railroad track. I can do the proper distance in an hour, and [ will do it, if I die trying! Bring Colonel at once!” ‘Vas? You ride mit der railroad track down! You preak your neck off!” ‘“Bah! Colonel can leap any two culverts on the road. Bring bim, at once!” Yakie stumbled away, and soon returned, leading a handsome roan steed, whose fiery eye, and proud step, and arching neck, proclaimed him a thoroughbred, Without delay, Denver Doll mounted and pre- pared for her journey. ‘*Vot ish fo pecoome of me?” Yakie asked, rather dubiously, as the thunder crashed louder. <a s stay here I got de plues.” ‘* Pshaw! don’t bescared. Just take the in- strument, mount your horse, and set out for Nugget Notch by the regular trail. I will join you there after I flag the train.” She then rode away down the ravine, and in ten minutes .came to the track of the Union Pacific railroad, which she proceeded to follow in a westward course. Abead of her lay Nug get Notch, a rough mining town; a couple of miles to the right of the railroad, behind her, lay the Devil’s Curve, where the road ran abruptly around the mountain over a dug-way bed, the sheer promontory ariulig, on one side, and a” black abyss bordering the other side of the track. A misplaced rail or:a pile of rocks at this point could not help throwin | @ train off into the yawning gulf, and belies its utter a des on, upon the jagged r in the gloomy gorge below, nak ein Denver Doll had seen the place, he sickened with horror as she thought of a train- load of humanity being ruthlessly hurled into’ the eternity of that black abyss. ; She ee. sees abe ae ck ae er oun! or anger by following the track, but that was of slight ment to her, if she could save the train, andy eS So she set the spurs into Colonel's: flanks, | the spirited charger dashed away ata speec cf A ® showed him to be a racer of no mean quality, Over the culverts he dashed, with nimble leaps, the young Detective Queen sitting her sac dle with perfect ease urging © aD 8 they fairly flew over th And though she watch the brave girl also kept a close ws Agee and around ber, which she was | odo by the Froadent fisahes of lightning, = When there was no lightning, all was as black as Stygia, and she. bad to trust much to | Mi hag! of her horse, not being able to She had not been mistaken in her Juld meet enemies along nee she h something whiz back of her, and judged it was a lasso, but could see no one. | Fearing a chance bullet might cateh her, she urged Colotiatan a still faster gait. ‘ On! en! ont Mile after mile was passed. Now and then a bullet would whiz by her, and to lend wildness to the situation, the rain began to pour down in torrents. y a flash of lightning she caught a glimpse at the face of her watch, and saw that it was a quarter totwelve, : And she had not yet passed the shanty which answered as the station for Nu get Notch. On! on! oa! Five minutes more, and she tore madly past —madjy by the gloomy station, unchecked by derers!”” Doll cried fi _ Her sudden ca : dvantage, and a A Mt oy hat | Te >, UD ih r if " aE 7 im, until |} glowed Ot | 28 a 4 * fe, > 2 half a dozen pisto! shots that were sent after her, from the De Se A quarter mile more she made, when— Hark! The shriek of a locomotive whistle was heard above the roar of the storm, The express, some minutes late, was abmost upon her! With a yell she leaped Colonel into the ditch beside the track, and brought him to a stand- still. Slipping to the ground, she procured a torcb irom her -saddle-bag, ana with difficulty lit it, and leaped up the embankment to the track, just as the express came tearing around the bend at a speed of forty miles an hour! She waved her torch to and fro above her head, and screamed at the top of her voice, frantic with fear that no heed would be taken of her, But when the eer was within fifty feet her, the engineer blew the whistle, as a signa for down brakes. The grade at this point was very steep, and the train was long and heavily laden, so that it was some distance fram where Denver Doll was standing, ere it could be brought to a stand- still. But the cars had scarcely passed the brave girl, ere she was seized from bebind, the torch ashed t6 the ground and extinguished, and a i phepwa over her head and stuffed into her mouth, 4 She was then raised ina picope pale of arms, which held her so tigktly that she could not move, and in a moment more she was con- scious of being borne swiftly away on horseback. Nor was it until she was nearly suffocated, and they were at a safe distance from the rail- road track, that the blanket was removed, sc that she could see and breathe. Her bead was thrust in under her captor’s arm; however, so that she could not get a glimpse of his face, She saw, however, to her satisfaction, that they were mounted upon her own horse; she had never owned a horse she thought as much of as Colonel. “There! you keep mum, now, or [Jl knife you!” her captor said, gruffly. ‘ You kin count yourself lucky I didn’t kill you, when | found you flaggin’ thet aire express.” | ‘That was my business, to baffle yow mur- _** But ye didn’t succeed in your undertaking!” the villain sneered. ‘The train will be in per- dition. by the time we get to oni Shae When the captain comes, he’ll fix you, Pll guar- antee!” ‘ Doll did not reply. , Tn fact, she did not know what to say. , The ride lasted ab ravenous pass of th t was in a rugged glen, where a camp-fire + he er a ledge of rock. ore this fire stood’ a number of res Pie pe breast ghastly c a id in long, somber gowns, belted at the feist ed was each face . on Spey the @ grin- ack wos crept beneath the shelter of dge and enga in a low conversation was not gudib e to poll movement was made to approach ber un- 78 d daybreak, when iaeioracean at- ike the others, rode into the glen and dis- The Black aig then emerged from under the ledge, and one of them said: “* Well, captain, what success?” - ‘Just as we calculated. Thetrain ran off the track and broke up. We secured what plunder was available and sloped. express car fetched’a purty good load of swag, but the pas- sengers did not pan out much besides watches and rings,” and as he spoke the man'took from his pocket a handful of finger-rings and jingled a before the ase elie comrades. ne, in icular, of v uliar.d n, attracted the attention of ec oan! a> (Reema sive diamond in an odd, hand-shaped setting, (E(©) Eomichbooks Ss