Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 32 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

—— weigh our words, an’ nat _ ayse lwed ; the following sentence he'd o’ Allen, the Kansas Spotter: From the time of the hour of reading this paper, be- fore him an’ his family, we give him just ten hours to leave—to cl’ar out o’ this region! Ef he ain’t gone by that time he’ll fry in his cabin by perrarie-fire!” As Bob Woolf concluded, he looked at the little white face at the open window shutter. ‘Dye \understan’ et?’ he grinned, riding closer. ‘Did ye hear me?” “You would not burn us up, would you, monster?’ gasped Nellie Allen, in horror. ‘““ Yes! I would, an’ will, too, ef ye, an’ yer dad, and mam don’t get outen this afore night! Reckoleck now! Yer dad’s ben ther worst spy an’ hunter we’ve ever had ag’in us, an’ we shan’t show him enny mercy. Jes’ ten hours from now, my fellers’ll set ther grass on fire, out a mile away, an’ all aroun’ thes ranch. If yours ar’ all away, safe, so be it. If yer hyar still, why then you'll all sizzle !” And without another word the ruffian wheeled his spirited horse, and dashed away, followed by the rest of his gang. Soon they had faded from view, far away on the hazy horizon of the plain. ¢ Whereas : We did meet, an’ commune,. Ten hours to leave! Ten hours—and two sick persons lying nigh unto death, in the lone cabin, ’neath the rays of the torrid August sun! Nellie Allen groaned aloud as she threw open the door and shutter when the ruffians were well away and there was no more danger. One hour dragged by. The burning sun reached the meridian and glared down its hot breath upon the baked plain as if to set it afire. The grass was as dry as powder and swished lazily as an occasional scorching puff of air swept along. Nota signof animated life was to be seen. The birds had flown to the leafy coverts of distant forests; the prairie fowls had burrowed deep down out of sight, and even the buffaloes had gone further northwest to their ‘‘ wal- lows.” Two—three—four—five—six hours winged past ; the sun set red and dry in the scorched horizon and threw her last scattering rays upon the scene ere it sunk from sight. Then the shadows of night began to steal around, and objects at a distance grew indis- tinct. A few coyotes ventured to sneak out upon the plain and utter their customary even- ing barks. At the lone cabin silence had reigned su- ' preme during the day, but now, as the shad ows thickened upon the earth, the small agile figure of Nellie Allen came to the door and swept the vast plain with tearful eyes. ‘* Dead!” she moaned, crouching on the little step, and bursting into tears and sobs anew— “dead! dead! Oh! God, why didst thou send this affliction upon me? Why cast me thus upon the world, an orphan in a wild, uncivi- lized country, with not a friend to seek “in this last hour of sorrow! Dead! my kind, good old father, and my tender, mother—oh! this is more than I can bear!” And she shook with sobs and the moans of grief till she rocked herself asleep, uncon- scious! Unconscious that the hour of the great fire was drawing nigh. Unconscious that even now the minions of Bob Woolf were bovering upon the outskirts of the plain preparatory to commencing their horrible work. : ~ Uneonscious of all—everything save the fact that two ghastly, distorted victims of * gmall-pox lay inside the cabin awaiting burial. When she awoke it was with a startled The vast plain was as light as day. "Way off to the north, to the south, to the east and west -in fact, all around her, circled an awful seething sea of flame. n the “Also, there were a few females, who roam loving - Beadle,s Half-Dime-Library. in their glances) and his hair brown and ‘curl- “ing, Taken asa whole he was a change from the general class of miners and new-comers, who frequented Dwight’s, and it is unnecessary tosay that the worthy host noticed this faet at once, and, marked him down, forthwith, as a speculator. : ‘He paid for his board a week in advance, and then registered his name in the large book kept for that purpose : CECIL BURNETT, ATTORNEY AND COUNSELLOR AT Law, PHILAD’A, Pa. “Hum!” said Jonas Dwight, carelessly glancing at the signature, “‘a Philadelphia The outlaw had kept hisword. £ - . Ohl God!” cried the girl, her great hazel eyes upraised to the starlit héaven, “hear me swear unto you that, assure as there is a God and a ruling power on earth, I will have re- venge for this heartless act of the outlaw chief and his murderous gang. Aye revenge! re- venge! Though I must leave the bodies of my parents to roast in the flames, 1 will escape and live to spill the biood of every accursed wretch who was with Bob Woolf to-day ; and will 're- serve him for my last victim. Girl though I am, and young and feeble, [ will sweep like a hurricane into the robbers’ ranks and take a life for every word that the desp.rado chief ut- tered ten hours ago! I swear it/ before high ’ . heaven! I swear it!” | lawyer, hey? Yes. Don’t expect any prac- And then she clasped her hands upward in hee hen in Ae diggings, do you?” 4 silent prayer. “Oh, no,” laughed Burnett, in his pleasant On came the sea of fire, nearer and nearer. Gigantic columns of smoke rose above the sheets of flame and hid the sky from view. A heavy north wind had risen, and this, to- gether with the roar and crackle of the great fire, made a noise not unlike the raging voice of the tornado. Naturally the northern portion of the fire neared the cabin very rapidly, and in less than twenty minutes after Nellie Allen had first discovered it her cabin home was in the midst of the destructive flames! And where was she—the last one left of the once peaceful family? Far away to the south, speeding with the wind, like a startled deer, she followed close in the wake of the southern boundary of the fire, now here, then there, and like the verita- ble hurricane, she swept on, everywhere. She was between two fires, both wafted in the same direction. Consequently, when she passed over the boundary line where the southern fire had been set, and struck out on the hot and black- | charred ground, she had naught to fear from the pursuing element behind her. way. ‘I’ve other and more important busi- ness which brings me out into this remote re- gion.” ‘Hum! yes,” nodded the host, as the young man strolled on about the great apartments; “thought so! Hum! yes.” Dwight’s tavern was supplied with a faro- room adjoining the bar-room, and into this Cecil Burnett sauntered to pass away time. The apartment was already half-filled with dark-visaged miners and gamblers, who were engaged in various games, such as faro, keno, poker, and eucher. Here the miner would nightly come and venture his day’s earnings at the gaming table. Here experienced sharpers sat night and day, and fleeced the ignorant toiler of his gold, and stored it away, or spent it at the bar, as the case might be. For perhaps an hour Burnett watched the progress and result of different games; then he retraced his steps to the bar-room, which was now empty, save the presence of the pro- prietor, Jonas Dwight, a large, florid person, of forty years, with bloodshot eyes, and long whiskers. “Have you a little time, sir, which you could spare me?” inquired Burnett, lighting a cigar, and seating -himself at the table nearest the bar. ‘‘I have a few inquiries to make that I might as well prosecute ere I sleep to- ; ’ CHAPTER IL A PHILADELPHIA LAWYER. FIvE years later. , | The evening. stage, with its load of passen- gers for the mines, and well-filled mail-bags for the miners, had just arrived at Dwighw’s. A motley crew of men it brought, too, For- tune-seekers, in the persons of old and grizzly hunters and trappers; adventurers and gam- blers,. whe followed the different ‘ excite- ments;” young and inexperienced youths, from } city and country, and older and more. experi- enced miners from the worn-out claims below. ‘* Well, y-e-s, I might spare ye a few min- utes, provide ye’re able to pay for it,” said the | host, reflectively. ‘My time is worth—let mé see—well, about two dollars an hour.” Burnett laughed. “You must be making a tolerably fair liv- ing at that rate,” he said, sarcastically. “Oh! J am!” ejaculated Jonas, with a flourish. ‘‘I’m gittin’ independent rich, and I’ve only been here two months at that. Brisk times here, now, sir.” “Yes; so it appears. Well, I guess I can | hardly afford to talk with you at that price. I'll seek somebody else, and maybe I’ll have in one of the richest gulches about Pike better luck.” and consisted of four buildings, a grocery | ‘Oh! don’t be offended, sir. I might be in- store, a blacksmith shop, a broker’s office and duced to come down a little. How would one- bank, and a tavern, under the immediate | and-a-half strike you, now, for instance?” supervision of Jonas Dwight himself. _ ‘‘ Too high!” said Burnett, shaking his head, Dwight’s was not the real name of the new | negatively; for at a glance he saw the type of city, reader, but, for several reasons, we see fit a man he had to deal with. ‘‘ I’m too poor to a from ‘‘ strike to strike,” for reasons best known to themselves. Dwight’s was a new and important diggings, s Peak, to call it so. . | stand that.” The mines were about half a mile to the “Too poor, eh{ Well, say one dollar, then, north, but as we shall have nothing to do with for the hour?” them we will not tarry to describe them at | “No! still abore my means. [li tell you this juncture. | what I will do. IM give you at the rate of To the south of Dwight’s, an open, level lay fifty cents an hour for your information.” of country spread off, until it reached the great | ‘‘ Done!” cried Jonas, taking a seat at the plains, and this was quite thickly settled, and table. ‘ Go ahead.” several imposing residences had recently sprung | The young man laid a.goid watch on the up, for times were prosperous, and money | table before him. flush. : = ‘Did you ever see or hear of a man in this Among the score of passengers who | locality.” he began, “‘by the name of Luke the stage that night and sought shelter from Rice?” the drizzling rain, inside of the tavern, was a ** Luke Rice?” echoed Jonas iu amasement. finely formed, athletic fellow, dressed in citi- | ‘‘ Yes, certainly. I’ve sold him many a quart aen's attire, and very prepossessing in general | 0’ Kentuck. Luke Rice! Yes, Why, ap ; | you, man, Luke’s one o’ the best customers I a ever had when I kept in Cherry Run.” «What kind of a looking man is he? Tali-or short?” pearance. His intellectual face was smooth, save brown mustache; his eyes gray and ferret-like oeKe) <S com oe \