Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 388 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

i, —_ ” » = “ )- so” ee ~ . ; ba ne . * — a . a. , fe * = > ee ee en — ——— * i> Soe se te was Ao. , ‘‘Confound the boy! he’s fool enough fur anything!” growled Old ’49. ut in spite of his pretended disapproval he looked affectionate indulgence after the youth, as he cried: ‘‘ Holdon byar, you youngrattle-head! Drat the boy! the lot of ’em lose their heads over a petticoat!” Meanwhile Little Oh-my, while he sped on to- ward the higher bank of the river at breakneck speed, waved the fugitive back with both hands, crying: ‘Back! back! youcannotcross! It is certain death!” Now the girl was near enough so that he could distinguish the agony of fear in her bloodless face. She cried back something that he could not make out, and the significance of which he could only infer from ber appealing gaze. Instead of heeding his warning, she urged her horse the harder, looking back as if to see whe- ther she could keep the lead of ber pursuers un- til she reached the river-bank where the fatal plunge awaited her. Tbe Marshal of Two Bits stuck to his pur- pose with bull-dog pertinacity. Drawing his revolver, be opened fire on the horse of the ‘ugitive. Crack ! crack! crack! A spasmodic leaped showed that the animal had been hit. ‘‘That must be stopped!’ shouted George Cameron, with an enraged oath. ‘‘Come on, men!” And throwing his rifle forward with the pur- pose of shooting at the marshal’s horse, and so aying him in his own coin, he dashed after ittle Oh-my, followed by the whole party. But the fugitive had reached the river-bank; and without stop or stay her horse leaped from the brink into the rushing flood. A groan went up from her new-found friends, ‘*Tt’s all-day with her!” Even the marshal, seeing that be had probably goaded ber to her death, crew rein. ‘* Hang the little fool!” he growled. ‘‘Tt’s dhrown she will instead o’ hangin’, I’m thinkin’,” said his companion, coming up. ‘““She'll be the first one that bas slipped through my fingers, if she does,” replied the marsbal, ‘¢ Whaur’s the odds, av she pays the forfeit av her Joife? Milado will rest in bis grave as aisy, whether she dhrown or hang,” **But I was elected to bang; an’ hang I will, every mother’s son—or daughter, fur that matter—that breaks the law!” ‘*Ye'll not be afther following her into the wather, I dunno?” ‘*Do you take me for a fool?” But toe marshal ended witb an oath of aston- ishment, while Micky McClosky cried: ‘* Just look at that now, will yez! The young divil!” The subject of this comment was Little Ob- my. As recklessly as the fugitive, he had leaped his horse into the river, A splash which threw the water high into the air, and be disappeared from sight, to re- appear dripping. ‘‘Dang my skin ef he hain’t done it!” cried Old 49. ‘*Hyar, boys! Out with yer lariats! Thar’s only one way to save that addlepate!” Little On-my paid no heed to his own safety. His eyes were fixed on the girl. Her horse swam low and evidently with pain- ful effort, thrusting bis bead out of the water as if he were exhausted. Little Oh-my‘s animal breasted the tide with sinewy thrusts; but his friends groaned again with dismay as they saw how rapidly he was borne down the stream. “Throw yourself off and cling to his mane!” cried Little Oh-my. But the terrified girl, who now seemed to realize for the first time her new peril, did not heed, if she heard, him. She only extended her arms toward him, crying: “Save me!—oh, save me! [I am innocent!” Her voice was husky and shaken witb hyster- ical sobs, ‘‘She is nearly ready to swoon with fright and exhaustion!” thougnt Little Ob-my. He saw ber sway in the saddle. She clutched at the horse’s mane. The animal uttered a whinny of terror, pawing the water in a desperate effort to keep its head from submer- sion, At that critical moment an eddy caught it. The horse rose with a lunge into the air, and then went down out of sight. With a despairing cry the girl lost her seat, 8. ° , a ee ee ee eee ee ee CS a aS —> —— nn eR LS Little Oh-my. and she too went under, her hand, stretched out to Little Oh-my for belp, disappearing last. Little Ohb-my was close at hand; but by a fatality the horse that the girl had ridden now rose between her and ber rescuer. He saw her rise to the surface, her long hair sweeping over her face, She struggled feebly, and then went down again, ‘‘Go!” cried the boy, giving his horse the spur, The animal responded with a snort, his eyes flashing fire. He rose in the water, pawing high. His hoofs struck the back of the other horse, bearing him down, once more out of sight. A lurch, and he bad swum over him, Theo Little Oh-my reached over, and caught a mass of floating hair. A cheer rose from his friends as they saw him draw her up into bis arms, ** He’s got her, boys!” cried one, ‘** But we bain’t got him!” interposed Old ’49. George Cameron felt his heart thrill with relief at the same time that a pang of envy knit his brows. The. girl was yet dimly conscious, She clutched Little Oh-my spasmodically. After a moment she began to gasp and strangle. He was carried away with delight. Never before had he seen anything so beautiful as what he now held in bis arms. In her extreme pallor she looked sallow; but he knew that when those smoothly-rounded cheeks were flushed with the glow of health and happiness she must be even more lovely than ber fairer sisters, Then the dark Spanish eyes opened; and with a murmur of gratitude she clasped her arms about his neck, pressing her face against his breast, But now came the task of getting back to shore. They were very nearly mid-stream, sweeping Boe toward the fatal cascade with terrible ra- pidity. Little Ob-my looked round and saw his dan- er. ‘“At any rate, I shall die with her in my arms!” he cried to his heart, clasping her pas- sionately to him, But he was far from being one of the dying aha He had no notion of giving up the strug- gle yet. Turning his horse, he started back toward his friends. But now the tide was irresistible, The set of the water from the banks toward the center was too strong for unassisted equine muscles, ‘‘Throw me a lasso!” he cried, holding up his hand, The attempt was made; but the noose fell short. And now he was in the rapids! ‘Oh! we are lost!” cried the girl, gazing about in terror at the wildly eddying water. ‘* And I~J have drawn you to yourdeath, Oh! I can never forgive myself!” ‘“You have drawn me to happiness!” said Little Ob-my. But though be commanded his words, he could not command his feelings. The awe of approaching death was upon bim, He gazed about with a half-dazed wonder, “And this is death!” he said to himself, “Five minutes from now I shall know nothing or perhaps everything !” His heart swelled with the thought. Tbe ter- ror of giving up this life was swallowed up in the feelings that swept through him at the thought of the awaking in the next, Then he saw one more chance for life, or at least a reprieve from instant death, CHAPTER VII. COURTSHIP UNDER DIFFICULTIES. ALMOST on the brink of the precipice rose a rock, dividing the waters, to be reunited before the final plunge. Turning his horse down-stream, he swam him so that he might approach the upper point of this rock in a direct line with the current, If he missed it by a yard on either side, he must inevitably be swept on down over that fatal leap into eternity! If he struck it exactly, he might hope to retain a footing there at least as long as his horse's strength held out, is friends saw his aim, and sent him shouts of encouragement for even so slight an advan- tage. ‘‘Ef he makes it, boys,” cried Old ’49, whose distress was plainly visible in his weather- beaten face, ‘‘ we’ve got to git bim off!” } v4 “You jest bet we will!” was the hearty re- sponse of the others. George Cameron was revolving a new thought in his mind. ‘‘The man who brings her ashore saves her!” he said to himself. ‘‘ What would be the use of his getting hold of her, if only to be swept with her over the falls?” He kad bis hand on a long, slender Mexican lariat of braided horse-hair, which was coiled about his waist, hidden from view under a crimson silk sash. The other members of the party were cow- boys who, organized under Old ’49, had gone on a prospecting trip for the novelty of the thin and because a recent discovery of gold had turned the tide of excitement toward the sec- tion in which they happened to find themselves ‘out of a job.” They were all provided with lariats; but none of them knew that Cameron was similarly armed. Indeed they knew nothing about him, except that he was a jikely enough fellow who had proposed to join them, And now his heart swelled with exultation as he thought of bis skill with the whirling noose. Out in the stream the boy who might be rid- ing tolife or death bad braced his nerves, His eye was fixed on the rock with the piercing glance of an eagle. ‘‘ Hold firmly to me, but do not move or even speak,” be said, in a low tone to bis companion, She obeyed him to the letter, As his eyes were fixed upon the rock, so were hers fixed upon bis, She did not speak audibly: but she was ing for his preservation with her whole and soul, ‘*Such nobility !” she said to herself. ‘* Sure- ly the good God cannot let it perish from the earth in an act of mercy! Holy Mother inter- cede for bim! But if it must be, receive us to- gether into thy hosom!” She felt the shock as the horse’s hoofs struck the rock. Not knowing its significance, sbe closed ber eves with a shudder, bracing berself for the final agony, yet not forgetful that the arms of the brave youth were about ber. She should cross the dark river in his company. Surely it would not seem so terrible, ‘*Saved!” cried Little Oh-my, exbilarated by the success of bis endeavor, ‘* Saved?” she repeated, opening her eyes. He felt her arms press him closer. It was the expression of her gratitude, ut the girl opened her eyes on a scene that was enough to try the stoutest heart. Their downward course was arrested, it was true, The horse stood firm. But all about them was a wilderness of rushing waters, Just below them she saw a thin line, the dis- tance of which she felt that she could not esti- mate with any certainty, for beyond it objects’ were very much further off.” It was the line which marked the dropping of the waters out of sight!” She could hear their tumultuous roar, At one point she could see the spray rising from the depths below. She shuddered with horror at the thought that death lay hidden there! ‘We have one more bope,” said Little Oh- my. ‘If I could get free from the borse’s back to the rock, Itbink I could almost promise you safety. But I will not attempt it while he stands firm. It will be a risky business, if it comes to that. They will try to get their lassoes tous. Keep up your conrage, little one!” ‘‘ With you, my undaunted hero!” cried the girl, with the impulsiveness of her race, But Little Ob-my was a Yankee, and not used to such outspoken homage; so he flushed scarlet with embarrassed pleasure. Meantime Marshal Probst stood on one bank watching events with a disappointed frown, quite helpless to interfere one way or the otler, while the party of Little Oh-my’s friends were making vervous preparations to atteipt his rescue. Under Old ’49's direction they reached the nearest point, and from there began to throw their lassoes, Again and again they tried, but the distance, the rusbing water, and the wind which follow- ed it, sucked over the near vortex, made their aim uncertain, and one and all failed. “It's no use, Cap!” groaned Lariat Luke, “I allow to noose anyéhin’ from a catamount to a whirlwind; but it ain’t fur man to fetch that thar hoss,” ; ‘But we must fetch it!” cried Old ’49, with the insistence of distress. - “Tt’s all right, boys!” cried Little dates waving his hand tothem, ‘The jig’sup. Jt ‘ ray- eart chooks.cot