Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 349 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

op _ Soon shot up lurid flames, to reveal the dread sight more distinctly to the eye of the cruelly- tortured busband and father. Greene’s Ranch was one sheet of flame! His bome was on fire. His dear ones were doomed; were now suffering the tortures of the lost. There was no hope for any! Death would be a mercy to all! Thus thought Captain Greene, Then, as a warrior slashed his knife across the body of Mrs. Greene, and she fell to the earth, and the brains of little Nelly were dashed out against the very tree to which he was se- cured, the captain gave a sbriek that terrified even the red demons, and sunk forward sense- less, upheld only by bis bonds! No more could they torture him with the agony of his loved ones; and with yells of fury, and vengeful triumph, they released the scalped children, stepped backward, and then a half- dozen deadly shafts were shot from their bows and plunged to the feather in the vitals of John and Fanny. The butchery was complete! All of Captain Greene’s family except Gracie lay dead and mutilated upon the sward before him; yet he saw them not, for God had in mercy taken his senses from him. The flames flashed, flared, and roared with hissing and creaking sounds, and around the burning dwelling danced a hideous ring of hell- ish beings, with painted faces, breasts, and arms! Danced in spasmodic hop, filling the air with whoop and yell of demoniac glee and exul- tation! The once happy home of George Greene was now a mass of flames, his family, with the ex- ception of his eldest daughter, lay stretched, dead and horribly mutilated before the senseless father; but—thank Heaven!—he saw nothing of it. And far better would it have been for him bad his senseless condition merged into its sister, death! CHAPTER III, THE SOLITARY HORSEMAN. THE hellish dance of the bideous Apaches around the burning ranch, and their uncen- scious captive and the mutilated corpses of their innocent victims, was of short duration; for they feared the flames might attract the notice of some night rider on the plains, who would at once guess at the cause of the confla- rs and alarm the rancheros on the Rio edina, A dozen braves had been ordered, at the com- mencement of the attack, to gallop out over the eest plain, and collect as many horses and mules as was possible; and the sound of hun- dreds of hoofs on the prairie was now a signal for immediate departure. The dead and wounded braves were bound upon their mustangs, and the plunder of the ranch upon extra animals, that were led for the purpose on the war-trail. Captain Greene, still senseless, was also se- cet upon the back of a half-wild steed; but he recovered consciousness before the start—recov- ered to behold, as in a horrid dream, the awful scene of the dread traged yi He could hear the thunder of hoofs, as his af- frighted horses and mules were driven down the creek, on a frantic stampede, kept on their course by yelling braves, the snorts of the ter- rified animals filling the air. Loud and exultant whoops sounded from the main portion of the war-party, as the immense herd of animalsswept past; then they all sprung into their saddles, their quirts hissed, and on like fiends of the night they galloped—the laden animals led by the hindermost of the warriors. Words are too devoid of meaning to express the feelings of the hapless ranchero, as bound in a torturing manner to the back of the mustang, he was hurried from the spot, so capone? J his bappy home; hurried from the mutilated corpses of bis wife and children, who, denied burial, and left for wolves and buzzards, lay in the glare of their burning home! So terrible was the mental torture endured by the poor man, that bis brain became be- numbed, and he sunk into a state of hopeless cespair. Soborrible and appalling had been the dread occurrences of the evening, that even Gracie was for the time forgotten. Then, after the night air bad somewhat cooled his fevered head, as he recalled the fact that Gracie was not at home to meet her death with her mother and the other children, he God that one of his darlings bad escaped. -t outfit proving t ’ Wild Wolf the Waco. But further thought caused him to fear that Gracie’s non-arrival at the ranch was due to these very Apaches. And what then? Perhaps the inbuman ‘fiends had butcbered her on the plain; and, when he reasoned upon this subject, during an interval of semi-calm- ness that was strange and unnatural, he was prompted to hope that she, too, had been killed, Should she have escaped, and should she reach the ranch, finding the same burning, and those whom she so loved, dead, gashed, and scalped, her sufferings would be ten times worse than apy prolonged torture by the Apaches. Captain Greene relapsed from one strange state of mind to another; from insane fury to a mad thirst for vengeance, from the most in- tense borror and dread terror to calm thought and cool reasonings, from a dazed state in which he was incapable of thought to the most abject and hopeless despair, deathly in in- tensity. Only an hour previous, he had been at bis happy home, with his dear ones about him; the future appearing bright and prosperous, no cares to worry him, and only flattering pros- pects for his declining years. Now, bis bome was destroyed, bis dear ones had been brutally murdered, and he, a bound captive to the murderers, was being hurried to a terrible death at the torture stake! Most certainly this was enough to benumb the brain of any man, and to plunge him into the gloomiest depths of despair. And on, over the plain, like the rush of a ‘‘norther,” swept the Apache horde, and the herd of stolen animals; the hoofs flying through the tall grass, the snort of steeds. and the lash of quirts, being the only sounds that broke above the continuous ‘‘ swish” of hoofs through the snapping grass—the Apaches maintaining perfect silence, On thus, they rode, for a mile and more, and then the herd was turned into the timber, and driven through it, followed by the war- ete all dashing out, and over the west plain, northerly toward the Rio Medina. Had Gracie Greene known who the horse- man was, that she discovered afar over the plain, outlined in the fiery glow of the sun- set, she would have whirled beauty about, and galloped westward to join him; knowin that he was speeding toward Cottonwoo creek, with the hope of meeting her on the fol- lowing day. This equestrian was none other than the lover of the fair givl; a Texan scout and ran- ger, whose father was a ranchero, on the upper waters of the Rio Medina. His name was Gerald Granger; and a nobler, braver, more rite Le be man lived not with- in the limits of the Lone Star State. Besides this, he was noted as a most skillful trailer; he being frequently employed:as guide and scout, by the Government officers of the military posts of West Texas. He was handsome, manly, and fer age ed git formed; agile, graceful, and full of fire and vim, Upon a spirited half-breed, a most beautiful animal, black as the wing of a raven, and marked for speed and endurance, he galloped over the plain, aiming to pass around the head of the barranca, He was attired, like all young Texans who resided in that section at this period, in a semi- Mexican costume. This consisted of buckskin breeches, ornamented with buttons, thickly set down each outer seam, and also deeply fringed; the same being sustained by a red silk sash, one longs fringed end of which depended at each side, A blue woolen shirt of fancy make, with wide flowing collar, a black sombrero, with broad brim, and high-topped cavalry boots, into which the legs of his breeches were tucked—these con- stituted his costume; Mexican spurs being buck- led upon his heels, A brace of Colt’s army revolvers and a bowie were carried as side-arms, thrust in scabbards, and looped upon a stamped and embossed belt, with a large silver clasp in front. Long dark brown hair, hazel eyes, sharp and gp 4 a sun-bronzed ccmplexion, a chin and ip that spoke of strength of will and great firmness, a mustache and imperial, which added to his jaunty air—such was the lone horseman, Gerald Granger, He was one who would at once be recognized as a prairie roamer, even by a “fresh” from the States, who had gained but slight knowledge of the cin cepe te reading; his appearance and plainly. ’ * : = . > . ‘ i - t f Se eh | oe <a hed mF Bide, va ae T7i€ ee , . Pa A roll of blankets, and a pair of malettos, or saddle-bags were secured neatly to the cuntles as was also a tin quart-cup, and canicen, as well as a carefully coiled lasso, which hung in companionship with. the neck-rope, at the sad- dle-horn. At the time that Gerald was discovered by Gracie Greene—she not knowing, at that d)s- tance, who he was—his eyes were fixed upon the very point on Cottonwood creek, where Greene’s Ranch was located; that being his objective point, as his course proved. Gerald could not see Gracie, as the dusk of eve Petes at that distance; and she could not have distinguished the horseman, bad it not been for the ruddy sky, against which both he and the anima! were outlined. Gracie and Gerald hed been friends for years, and confessed lovers for some six months; the fair maiden often galloping long distances under his guardianship. She was, although of a naturally refined taste, poetic, and a great ad- mirer of all that is artistic and beautiful; a real typical border maiden, taking pride in what are considered accomplishments on the frontier. Not only was she a daring rider, but Gerald had taught her to throw the iasso, follow a trail, and shoot a rifle, or revolver; she becom- ing quite expert at each, and practicing almost daily at one or another. Both were great admirers of nature; in fact they reveled in the wilds of the bottom-timber, fishing, hunting, and even chasing wild mus- tangs together. Not on earth was there a hap- pier pair than they, when they were enjoying, each other’s company: and there was but one cloud in their sky, to cast,at times, a gloom over their young hearts. This was the usual. one. It was a dislike, or antipathy, entertained and expressed by Captain Greene against Ger- ald; originating from the fact that the latter was wild, and roamed the plains, when he ought—as the old ranchero thought—to remain at home, and assist his father in ‘‘ running the ranch.” The young man well knew, however, that this. was not the real reason of the captain’s dislike. The true difficulty was, that the Grangers did not own stock enough to be considered equal in station and wealth to the Greenes. Not only this, but the old ranchero had his. own plans and hopes for his daughter. He wished to have her marry some man of nigh standing and wealth. n ierrap ha of this, the lovers were obliged: to meet at times clandestinely, the spring in the barranca being their trysting-place on many occasions. This was probably the reason that Gracie visited the same as we have seen; for neither she nor Beauty would have suffered from thirst had they continued on, Gerald, upon this particular evening, bad an object in going to Cottonwood creek, He intended camping below the south corral and calling the next day, after the old ranchero: had gone out upon the plain to inspect his stock; Mrs, Greene being favorably disposed to-. ward the lovers, and always enjoying the young: man’s company greatly. Gerald purposed starting, in a day or two,. for the Nueces river, on a mustang hunt; an he wished to see Gracie, and inform her of this fact, in order that she might not worry about him, or endanger her life by galloping too far west, with the view of meeting him. As bas been mentioned, the young scout, kept his eyes fixed 3 ale the point on the creek far to the eastward, where Greene’s Ranch was located : and consequently, he discovered the flames of oe burning building some time before Gracie id. At first, he was filled with wonder and appre- hension, which changed to the utmost concern and anguish; for he decided that the fire was at the ranch, and that it had been kindled by savages. No sooner had he come to this con- clusion, than he drove deep his spurs, and sped around the head of the barranca, and thence southeast, toward the creek; forcing his horse at full speed, in his agony of suspense. Full seven miles from the fire was Gerald Granger, when he first perceived it; but his fleet horse lessened the distance in a rapid man- ner. As he gained a position directly west from the ranch, he discovered Gracie, in much the same way she had, at the first detected him. This was brought about by the light of the- fire; the young if rl being in a direct line be- tween bim an e blaze, When Gerald thus perceived her, he drove spurs still deeper, lashing the horse with to end of his lariat, and bending foward in h‘» yt a ' Cc a f » — ab - <n : ae al a a ys 4 ae ee 1 ee mx may & eas cua ; C ? om . >? +7 a @