Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 340 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

rifle and pistol-shoits, accompanied by hideous on and whoops, the meaning of which most rodians knew too well. The town was taken, and its lives and prop- erty were at the mercy of a pack of mis- creants, Those who had run out to see what was the matter ran back yet more quickly, and hastily Be rg hiding-places. If a head was in sight anywhere out of doors, it was saluted with a shot that caused it to disappear with the greatest possible speed. Most of the raiders, inclusing the leaders, hurried on to Judge Waller’s office, where they dismounted and forced open the door. The others guarded the street, firing a shot now and then by way of caution. Judge Waller was the banker of the settle- ment, although he did not keep a regular bank- ing-house, and the funds that were supposed to be in his possession made his office the opjective point of the attack, But his money and valuable papers were securely locked in a large fire and burglar-proof sate, which he had brought to Orodia at a heavy expense, and which defied tie utmost ef- forts of the outlaws. They bad no burglars’ tools, luxuries of civili- zation which had not yet penetrated that mountainous region, and were soon convinced” of their inability to get inside of that obstinate mass of iron and steel. Maddened by their failure, they fired the building, and set out to wreak their rage on the remainder of the town. Orodia contained, in addition to the two saloons, two general stores, whose proprietors had hastily closed their doors and taken to the woods. , The doors were no obstacle to the marauders, who burst them open, and helped themselves to the contents of the cash drawers and whatever else they wanted, besides spreading destruction among fragile articles at their own sweet will. The post-office and the saloons shared the same fate, and there were many to lament the loss of their property when the triumphant raiders finally galloped away. There was but one life taken during the foray —that of Susan Nettle, the proprietress, of the Stunner, who was the only person in Orodia who was “man enough ” to resist the raiders, She closed her establishment, but did not run away. When they burst open the door she faced them with a leveled revolver. It happened that the first man to get in was Cheyenne Charley, and her shot missed him, Before she could fire again the scoundrel fired and shot her through the heart. All the raiders were masked; but people who were bold enough to watch them from hiding- places recognized more than one of them by his voice or some peculiarity of his person, A more amazed and disgusted set of people than the expeditionaries when they returned to the settlement it would be bard to find in this broad land, beir disgust was so extensive that it scarcely left room for anger. It was unanimously agreed that the outlaws had been too smart for them, and that the greatest discretion and vigor would be required to effect the extermination of their enemies. Judge Waller congratulated himself on the possession of his stout safe, and inquired for Olip Saunders. CHAPTER X. CRUEL AND DEADLY BLOWS. Harry VENN’S injuries were severe, but he was likely to recover. His arm had been badly shattered, and it was so long before a physician could be brought from a distance toattend to it, that it suffered for lack of surgical care, The bullet that struck his head had neither entered the skull nor fractured it, but it had done its share of harm. Between the two wounds it is no wonder that fever set in and brought him low. He was of course well nursed by Mrs, Warner, and Helen, who made no concealment of her feeling for him, was unremitting in ber atten- tions. While he lay there helpless the forest fires en- croached upon the valley, and Mat Warner was obliged to bestir bimself to save his crops from destruction. The country was parched by the lack of rain, there was difficulty in procurin water for the cattle, and the air was loaded ‘hay smoke, through which the sun shone mly. | The house was situated under the hill, on the if o ee f Ag Clip, the Contortionist. slope at the southern side of the valley, and at the edge of a grove of tall trees, The fire crept around on that side, and came booming down the hill at such a rapid rate that Mat Warner was compelled to quit everythin else and devote his entire attention to saving his house and his other buildings, With his farm hands and Clip Saunders he worked early and late, cutting down the trees and carrying away the timber, striving to clear such a belt. as should relieve him from the fear of danger, except sueh as might come from an unusually high wind. It was not yet noon, and the men were allat work in the timber, and Mrs, Warner was in the kitchen, Helen wasin Harry Veaon’s room on the same floor—in fact, there was but one floor—at a lit- tle distance from the kitchen. Harry’s condition bad considerably improved that morning, and Helen was quite cheerful. Steps were heard, seemingly of one or two pen, who had entered the house at the front oor. Mrs, Warner naturally supposed that one or more of the men had come in on some errand, though she wondered why they had chosen the front way. Her daugbter had the same impression. But Helen was quickly undeceived when two men entered the room, and she at once recog- nized the leading man as Spence Symmes. The man behind him, though unknown to either Harry Venn or the girl, was Cheyenne Charley, whom Symmes had adopted as his closest friend and comrade, Helen trembled when she met the outlaw’s triumphant gaze, but faced him boldly. ‘‘ Here I am, you see,” said Symmes, ‘I told you that I would come when I chose and ina way that you wouldn’t like.” ‘* Why have you come here?’ she demanded. “To get you, and I mean to take you, too,” He suited the action to the word, and sprung forward and seized her, Poor Harry Venn was helpless, being neither able to move nor even to speak in a loud tone, and could only look on in anguish. Helen could scream, and she did scream, at the top of her voice. Her mother heard her and hastened to her as- sistance. , She was not unarmed, but picked up a pistol that lay on a shelf, cocking it as she ran, ‘‘Somebody’s coming—iook out, Charley!” said Spence Symmes, who heard the footsteps as he was endeavoring to stifle the girl’s cries. Cheyenne Charley was always ready with his revolver, and this time he was hasty. As Mrs. Warner came in sight he leveled his pistol and fired at her. The bullet struck her in the forehead, and she fell lifeless on the floor of the hall. Already the cowardly brute had the lives of two women to account for, “What did bf do that for, you infernal fool?’ demanded Symmes, who was provoked to SPER, by what appeared to be an unnecessary tragedy. Do ou suppose I am going to stand here and be shot down?” replied his comrade, Helen bad fainted at the fearful sight, and the outlaw had his opportunity. He raised her in his strong arms, and bore her out of the house, There be mounted, and the man from Chey- enne lifted her to the saddle-bow before him. Then they both rode rapidly away down the valley. Clip Saunders, who was working with the others in the timber, heard the shot that killed Mrs. Warner, and spoke of it. ‘Tt sounded like a pistol-shot at the house,” he said, It had been so faint that he could not be sure of what it really was, and it had not been even noticed by the others. ‘That can’t be,” said Mat Warner, “It must have been u burning tree falling on the bill that you heard, But Clip was doubtful and worried, and said that be would go to the house and see if any- thing was the matter there, So he hastened away, and in the hall near the front door he encountered the lifeless body of Mrs, Warner. The fatal bullet-hole in her forehead, from which the blood was oozing, told bim how she had been slain, and he was wild to find her as- sassin. Harry Venn’s faint voice called to him through the open door of his room, Clip burried in there, aud saw nothing of Helen, ‘““What does this mean, Harry?’ he asked, ‘‘What has happened? Who bas been here?” ‘Spence Symmes and another man. They have carried off Nelly.” ‘‘ And murdered her mother. God in Heaven! ‘There can be no hell bot enough for such vil- lains. Which way did they go?’ “ Down the valley, I believe. that when they rode off.” ‘Of course they went down the valley, I will be back in a moment, Harry.” Clip ran to the back door, where hung a long tin horn which was used to call the hands to dinner. On this he blew a loud blast, and burried back to the wounded man. ‘“‘T am going to follow them, Harry,” he said. ‘“‘Mr, Warner will be here directly, and you must tell him, It will be a terrible shock to him, and I wish I could break it to him; but I can’t wait.” ‘What do you think you can do?” feebly asked ring ‘‘T don’t know; but you may be sure that [ will do allI can. I hope that I can at least find out where wd g° 0.” Clip ran out of the house, and went down the valley at a loping gait. The blowing of the horn startled Mat Warner and the others who were at work in the timber. It was not yet dinner-time, as they knew, and the horn was not sounded as Mrs. Warner was accustomed to sound it. ‘There is something the matter,” said the ranchman, as he turned pale. ‘‘I must go to the house.” He burried off, and the others followed him, The sight that met his eyes when be reached the house drove him frantic. He had loved his wife as she deserved to be loved, and she and his daughter were all the world to him, To find the faithful partner of his joys and sorrows during so many years dead ip her own house, murdered by some unknown villain, was a greater strain than his strength could bear, and he fell at her side in a swoon, While he was prmiyate there one of the men went into Harry Venn’s rcom, and learned from him the particulars of the terrible event, and this sad story was repeated to Matthew Warner as soon as he was able to bear it. ‘‘ But where is Clip?” he asked. He was told that Clip, after blowing tbe horn had hurried off to follow the men who had raided the house, ‘“What can the boy do, on foot, against such men? We must set out and chase them at once, That is—there is something to do here first.” He sent the men to get what they could pick up in the way of dinver, and with bis own hands raised the body of his wife, and carefutly laid it away, closing the doors and shutters of the room in which it was placed. Soon horses were brought up, and Matthew It sounded like Warner and two of his men armed pre and rode away. leaving the third in charge o the house and of Harry Venn. They could not help feeling that they had a hopeless task before them, as the marauders had got such a long start, and it was difficult even to guess at the direction they had taken. And soit proved. They were able to follow the trail through the gap, and to judge that at that point it turned toward the north; but they soon lost all trace of it among the many tracks of the beaten road. Tbus they wandered about, searching for what they could not find, until night_compelled them to return to the ranch, CHAPTER XI. CLIP’S STRATEGY. WitH Clip Saunders the chase of Spence Symmes and his comrade was a different affair. He was by no means as incapable of tbat pur- suit as Matthew Warner had for the moment imagined him to be, He did not suppose that he would be able to folldw the raiders on foot: but he had a pretty ood idea of the point at which he would be ikely to overtake them, if at all, and he knew how to take a short cut across the hills to reach that point. , It was a hard and tedious tramp, part of it being very difficult climbing; but Clip was by nature and training a runner and a climber, and was urged forward by a motive that made him more swift and tireless than ever. He got over the hills and ravines at an as- tonishing rate, and reached the road at the trail that was struck by the first party of Vigilantes from Orodia. This trail he followed tntil he came to the | 7 ‘ * - ee eg tate Oy}