Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 377 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

' | ' ' ’ ' ee ee ee eee ee ee a es Se good, their desertion by father and husband had made them revengeful, and thus had crime after crime been added to their lives until their hearts Secame biackened with infamy. The man, the husband and father, carrying the ‘memory of his evil desertion ever in his heart, cer- ‘tainly could not turn his life to good, and to drown ‘conscience, he had embarked in an existence that was most sinful. Fortune had favored him, however, and he had grown rich. ) But his vast riches were really all gained by the ‘wants and miseriesof others, _ His gold had accumulated rapidly, and he bought ‘with it such peace of mind as he could; but hap- ypiness could never come to him he well knew When he discovered that his wife and son had not only escaped from the island, where he had deserted them, but were revengeful toward him, his coward- ly fear of death had caused him to fly to anotber abiding-place, where he could settle down in luxury and enjoy life as best lie might. Those were not the days of fast mails, pleasure itravel and telegraph, and he knewit would be an accident if he was found out. Thus it was that he had purchased his elegant ‘villa home near San Augustine, and become k.own -as a Spanish Don of vast wealth. But his guilty fears were again aroused, and he ‘turned his home into a monastery, pat on the garb vof a padre, and sought thus to be hidden from his are es, at least until such enemies could be gotten wid of. Thus the pretended padre was not sincere in his repentance. tended for the priesthood in early life, he could deceive those about him by his pretended knowl- edge, while his gift of his home, his charities and -assumed goodness made him popular wlth all and he was considered a good man. Meetivg the woman whom he had so wronged, -and to save himself from her knife, he at once plead- ved repentance and his calling. Her memory of the past respect she had had for -religion saved the man, and the woman fled from _him, even believing him to be sincere. But alas! she was woefully mistaken, for the pre- ‘tended padre was determined to no longer suffer » through fear of her. Almost the instant that she had fled from him, he -sprung into the seer. shadow of a building near, drew from beneath robe a small bundle, and ina minute’s time came out into the light of a shop win- dow, no longer in padre’s attire, but with the long ‘beard, hair and garb of a street beggar, such as in ‘those days wandered through the land seeking W th a speed which his looks belied he went in ‘pursuit of the woman and saw her meet her son and ‘run out to the vessel he had purchased. Instantly he sprung in a shore-boat and followed. He saw the little schooner that they boarded, nos Soap there seemed to be no one else on her Drawing as nearas he dared he noted the craft . shiny and saw her get under way and leave the har- . bor. “ They are alive, that is certain,and now is the ‘time or revenge.”’ “Tb the boy say something about the crew having deserted and stolen the treasure-chest, and it must be so, to have those two sail alone in that craft.” ** But I will follow them, and have their lives, and then e will be mine.”’ ‘Ha! ha! ha! at last will I be able to live,” and ‘the man moved rye age back to the shore. As he reached it, he sawa group of four men, watching the departure of the little schooner. ‘ —_ manner showed this, and approaching them e said: ' ‘* Any friends of yours in yonder little craft gliding ~seaward, lads?” They saw his gray bair and beard, and respected it, as a sailor will ever do, and answered: “Friends they might be, senor; but we are glad ‘to see them go,”’ : ‘*You knew them then?” ‘“* As shipmates with them for a long time past.” * A woman and her son?” “A woman and ayoung man, and they are evil enough to be mother and son, though they never said they were as much, and her face we never saw.’ answered the spokesman of the party. ‘* Well, lads, how would you like to make some gold for yourselves?” That is what we are after, senor; but how is it to be done?” ** Pursue and capture yonder craft.” “There is no gold on her,” said the man, witha laugh, in which his comrades joined. *No. for you just robbed the craft of the gold chest,” was the cool rejoinder. The men started and gazed at the supposed old man, while their hands instinctively dropped upon their sword-hilts. “Be careful, lads, for Iam not alone; but I do not want your gold; on the contrary I will give you zmore if you will help me to capture yonder craft.” “No, we are satisfied with what we have, and besides. we don’t wish more to do with yonder pair, as we believe they have to do with Satan.” ‘* Well, my men, I will give you gold in plenty, to board a craft here and aid me to capture yonder woman and her son, and I will prove to you how - harmless they are.”’ ** We can’t go, senor.” “Oh yes you will, for Tam a Government officer, . and am on their track and yours. ) - “If you go with me, you get free: but if you re- | nat ‘phy - Say a * bi 4 — . ~~ _~— = et se F om are aE “ ~ — — _— — a —. a Te ee _——- —_ ~— > 2 See as 7 wy ) — Pd = ce eg RE ES eee . a > a —————————— EE _ Bonodel, the Boy Rover. rr ee ee . ~ om ome ee eee fus*, yon shall be arrested, your stolen gold shall _ be taken from you, and more, your necks will be | stretched as wreckers. ** What do you say, lads?” The men were taken aback. They saw that tbe pretended old man seemed to know ail about them. 2 They could see no one else near, but believed that he had allies, and after glancing at his comrades, the spokesman said: ** You’ve got us, senor; so we go with you. ‘* What say you, lads?”’ The otners nodded assent, and the bold man who had thus gained them for his purpose bade them enter his boat. This they did, and were rowed rapidly up the anchor. It was a sloop, and but one man was on board, evidently in charye. “Ho, Diego, my son, it is I, the Padre Infelix, and I want the yacht, “Tell the superior that important duty called me away, gut Iwi : ex oo upon my return,” said the pretended } ri-st. addressing the yacht’s keeper. . ES Senor P ere, I will tell him.” . ‘Say noluing to any one else of my going, Diego.”’ (ab tot ‘** No, senor.” The keeper now left the sloop in the boat the party had come off in, and ten minutes after the pre ty little vessel was flying seaward in chase of the schooner on which was the Woman in Black and her son Perdido. When the dawn broke the schooner was sighted, but nearly two leagues in advance, and she was under full sail, flying rapidly along. But the yacht was certainly gaining, though slow- ly, and the padre skipper muttered: ** We will overhaul them by night, lads. and then for your gold ’—and he added in an inaudible tone: * And my revenge {” CHAPTER XIX. THE CHASE AND THE RESULT. THE prediction of the padre was nota true one, for the schooner held her own pretty well with the a sloop yacht, though the latter certainly gained slowly. When the mother and son on the schooner dis- covered that there was a vessel evidently in chase they became white with fear. — Who it was they could not guess. They felt that it was not Vonodel, the Boy Rover, or he would have pursued in his Flagless Schooner, and thus have readily overtaken them. Could it be the Water Wolf his wife and son? It seemed more likely, and then their thoughts turned upon their old crew and they came to the conclusion that they, having gotten the chest of gold, were coming in pursuit to again rob them. They hoped that this was the case, and that it was not the Boy Rover or the Water Wolves. Then a thought flashed across the brain of the Wo- manin Black. — ‘*Can it be that man?” she almost gasped. After awhile she said in hoarse tones: _ ‘* Perdido, whoever they are in yonder boat, there igs no surrender for us.” — “I wou d rather surrender and take chances of escaping afterwards, than take certain death.”’ ‘Well, you shall take no chances, boy, for if it comes to the worst you shall die by my own hand, and then will I take my own life,’ was the woman's savage response, and at it the young man turned deadly pale. When night fell upon the sea the two vessels were not more than half a league apart, and the wind was growing lighter each moment. | The lighter the breeze, the more the yacht gained; but only for awhile, as the wind died out utterly. It was in vain that the padre cast his eyes aloft and watched the sails. They hung listless and not a movement was upon the waters, to indicate that there was a breath of air. ‘Get out the sweeps, men,” ordered the padre. But the men demurred at this, saying very justly: ** We've gained steadily, senor, and when there is wind we can catch ’em; but the night is too hot for hard work when the game is about in our hands.”’ The padre begged, but it was of no use, stormed, yet the men obeyed not. He offered to give more gold; but they wished rest and refused it. So they had their rest for long hours, as the calm never broke until dawn. Then a ree came upon the waters and the crew sprung to their work. The yacht got it first and was within half a mile of the schooner when she felt the breeze. — Then it too began to glide through the waters. muddenly the schooner was seen to luff up. What could it mean? Then it started uponits course again, to once more run Ps into the wind. | In the darkness of early dawn her decks could not be secn; but as she continued these strange ma- Tih Lihet eisai aoe amelo tale tk ‘i have it! they are asleep below decks. “We have tem, lads}”’ “ | I ten minutes more the yacht ran alongside th schooner, and the padre and his men sprung on board, their cutlasses. in hand. But no one met them, | “Great God! they have escaped me— Ha! what is this?” . It was @ to —_——<—— at ett tat LLL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LLL LO note, written in a woman’s hand, and ad- "3 ‘ = ¥ a? ¥ ‘ — i » - - PT AE RON, POE ae Se y ie ‘ . « ua re - + * ? é* “ ~ 1 «Gq 7 * 3 : . ee Ax ‘ as a > il ay, hae Es Uae (SRT OS a Ee se Qe et er oF inte « __—— =: 1... ease eer ooo harbor to where a pretty pleasure-craft lay at | rs } ? 2 - Sanit gees by “Don RupoLpH Ramon.”’ It read: ‘* Death is preferable hunted life, ‘** Recognizing in the da man on the yacht you. our worst foe, and knowing that death awaits us at your hands, we seek a m@#- merciful end by spring- ing into the sea, and thus thwarting you. ‘The curses of a wife and son rest upon you.”’ The man glanced at the words, and thus stood for a long time. At last he said in a low tone: “Th: schooner’s boat is here, and so they car- ' not have escaped and would not have dared trust themselves upon the sea. ‘‘ Yes, it is like her to die thus, and so let it be.”’ Then turning to his crew, he ordered three of them on board the schooner, and the other and himself took charge of the yacht. and the two vessels start- ed upon their return to the harbor they had left. Serene there in safety, the pretended padre paid the men their promised gold; but the thought was still upon his mind that the Woman in Black and Perdido yet lived, and he once more returned to the seclusion of his monastery. CHAPTER XX. NOT DEAD. WHEN the calm came on the Woman in Black and Perdido watched their vessel even more anxiously than had the padre his, in the vain hope that it was still moving. But no, there was not the faintest breath of air. Eagerly the mother and son then glanced at the pane yacht, and the woman smiled grimly asshe she sai ': i ow will come in their boats now.” ‘ es 93 ; ‘*But cannot take us.” ‘**Cannot?”’ * Tea “Why?” ‘*1 counted those on board.”’ * Well?” ‘*There are but five.”’ ** And we but two.” ‘They are in an open boat, and we can stand in the companionway and pick them off.”’ ‘*Ha! that is a good idea,” ‘**So it is, and we will escape after all.”’ ‘*T hope so.” ‘Well, my son, prepare for them.” ‘*How?”’ ‘**See that our weapons are all right.”’ Tis was done and the two waited. But no boat put off from the ie At length the woman walked forward and her eyes fell upon an object on deck, concealed by 4 large piece of canvas. ‘ / Throwing this off*she beheld a life-skiff. In it were oars, a small mast and sail, and the little boat was evidently one that could weather 4 severe blow. kangal A moment the woman stood in silence. Then she called her son to her, ‘*Do you see that?” “Yes it is a lifé-skiff; the men told me it was in tended for a lighthouse down the coast, and I prom- ised to send it ashore in the morning.”’ “Thank Heaven you did not, for it will come in well now.”’ ‘* How?” ** We will save our lives in it.”’ ‘**T do not see how.”’ ** You are obtuse, boy.” “Pra “We L, it “Yes,” ‘ ‘* We can put provisions, and bedding in it, and & compass, and what more do we need?’ £ De you mean to trust yourself to that frail oat?’’. ‘It is better than to be captured by the man 0D yonder yacht, and in whom, I am certain, in spite 8 white hair and beard, J recognize your father... boat then, au ” explain.” as, 8S you see, oars and a sail?” ‘‘ For Heaven's sake let us take to the eagerly said the young man. ‘So say I, so get her ready; but mind you, asap everything on board to indicate that we have DO left the schooner in a boat.”’ fet 1 ‘TI see, and with her two boats here it will puzzte him to know how we got away.” ‘I will leave him in no doubt, for I hima “oe Mar? * Will you be a fool?” : ‘*Oh, no, forI shall tell him we sprung into the Sea, rather than risk his vengeance.” ; *Oh, mother! but you were born to be aschemer, but I will soon have the life-skiff ready.” Dien In a few moments all that was necessary for the: comfort was stowed in the little skiff, and getting 1 themselves, the young man took theoars. th He muffled them with an old shawl, knowing Me deep stillness of the night, and kept the schooner between him and the yacht. For an hour he oan his steady stroke, the woman took the oars, : dia A ae mae ee pulled too, and again Perdido gras the blades. : Thus throuzh the long hours of the night they aiorneet until wien bye meriaes broke they were many leagues away from their enemy. The wind having Mer up the little sail was hoisted, and the light skiff fairly skipped over the waters. ‘Do you know where you are going?’’ asked Per- Hie ; ss es.”’ **Am [not to know?’’ ‘‘Oh yes; I am going to the Wreckers’ Island.” shall write and then ~ fr, : - . por = ett og —— “so ? 7" OKS.CO “2 r -¥ a Jd ne | a 4 nih fa