Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 398 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 ** And here is another: ‘**T) came here again to-night and wrote a letter, which he finished and held in his hand as he rose, saying he felt badly and wanted air. ‘+ Before he could reach the window he fell heav- ily to the floor, having fainted, still grasping the letter firmly. ‘** Thinking it might be of importance to us to ob- tain possession of the document, as I had seen that it began **My dear Child,’’ and was doubtless ad- dressed to his meg Rot I tried to loosen his grasp, but in vain; and hearing somebody coming, I tore from him what I could of the letter, and hastily put it in my pocket. ‘** Just thena friend dropped in, and I sent him for an ambulance, and we removed D. to his hotel, where he soon recovered and fell asleep, promising to be all mght in the morning.’ ‘¢ And here is a third, in the same writing, all of these being signed ‘ C.’: “"D. went to Colorado to-day. I saw him this morning, and he seemed to have forgotten all about the events of last night, the shock having affected his memory. ***] have the torn scrap, and will show it to you when you come East. Push matters, and wien D is disposed of, and his charming daughter is out of the way, get all the papers you can and come on at once, ‘“¢Those two being out of the way, we will have no difficulty \ establisning our claim. J /ave the deed all ready, And so carefully prepared that D. himself would not know that his signature was forged.’ “These letters evidently refer to Dainty and her father, and Colton evidently had an associ- ate in New York, as they are dated from that city. athe other paper refers to mattersin which we are not interested. ‘‘T wish we had that torn scrap; it might give us a valuable clew.” ‘‘There is nothing more in that pocket-book?” ‘**Not a thing.” ‘Colton is not a man toletan important thing like that remain out of his possession. ‘¢ Chuck me that book, ‘T'd give something to know how Worthing- ton obtained possession of it.” And taking the book, Faro Frank began to feel it delicately all over, with his practical fin- ers, and suddenly stopped and drew a penknife rom his pocket. Opening this, he began, carefully and leisure- ly, to cut the lining, and after a few moments, rew from its hiding place a small piece of paper, folded carefully into a small compass, Handing it to Kit, he said: ‘‘ Tt’s dollars to cents that this is the identical scrap you want, pe wt Be it and see.” Unfolding it slowly, and taking care not to tear it, Kit spread it on the table and cried to Frank: “You are right, my friend, as indeed you al- ways—or nearly so—are, “You can see that it has been torn, andis evi- dently the identical scrap that Colton’s unknown correspondent snatched from the hand of the in- sensible man. ‘* But,” he continued, after metres | reading the few words the torn scrap contained— ‘* We are as much in the dark as ever. ‘‘ Without the rest of the sheet, it is impossi- ble to make head or tail out of this. “Tt proves one thing, though; that the visitor mentioned in the letters as 'D,’ was certainly Mr. Danford.” ‘‘ How do you make that out?” ““T know his writing, well, and this is his be- yond question.” ‘¢ Let's hear it.” ‘‘ Read for yourself.” And Frank, laying the paper before him, his elbows on the table and his chin in his hands, read the words we have already seen and which is here given again as being one of the most im- portant features of this true tale; *“*My Dear CHILD:— ‘* Fearing happen to me, I wri for you, that you the mine which wi From a point nor are familiar wi southeast an one bundred ding into ip toe be chip aw& it can be ra through the open Follow on down the find something tha attention, which inves ‘“* Your loving f * Henry Da” When he had finished, Frank said: ‘‘¢ Henry Da’ doubtless means ‘Henry Dan. ford,’ but that is all that I can make of it. Kid-Glove Kit and Pard., _— oo aaa ‘‘The thing is worse than a Chinese puzzle and I can’t make head or tail of it, , ‘My advice is, Kit, that we put these things away until morning, go to bed and sleep on it.” ‘“T think you are right, and poor Charley must be pretty well tired out. ‘‘Put these in your safe, and I will come around during the afternoon.” And bidding Frank good-night, Kit went to the hotel, relieved and thanked Charley, and then, going te his room, was soon fast asleep. CHAPTER XVIIL RETRIBUTION. Lert to himself, Worthington, or Colton, as he may be indifferently called, seated ‘himself on the dry sand and began to think. He heard Kit draw up the trap, heard the snap of the catch at the top of the shaft as it flew into place, and realized that he was alone, a hundred feet underground in an unknown cave, the size and location of which were entire- ly unknown to him, The darkness was so intense that it weighed on him like an incubus, and he would have given worlds for a single match, although he felt that if he had one, he would fear to light it, lest it might bring additional horrors to his amazed glance, He was tired, ravenously hungry, and _ con- sumed by a thirst that burned and tortured him beyond expression, and this was added to and intensified by the sound of the rushing waters not far off. And yet he feared to move, remembering as he did Kit’s warning: ‘‘Do not move, as there are hidden dangers about here which might cause you trouble!” ‘* A pretty scrape i have gotten myself into,” he soliloquized, ‘‘and a worse one I'll be in to- morrow or to-night, or whenever it is that those men are to return, ‘‘They will have read those criminating pa- pers by that time, and Til not stand much show. “They evidently do not suspect my actual identity, and I had best concoct some explana- tion that will account formy having them in my possession. ‘‘T will continue to play the role of Mr, Ed- ward Worthington, i will purchase my free- dom by revealing to them Colton’s plans, giving them, of course, a false statement. “ And once out of this horrible dungeon I will et up some scheme for vengeance that will make Sit Barton and Mistress Dainty wish that they had never been born. ‘‘ How I would like a drink of that water that nearly maddens me with its cool plashing, sound- ing so near, yet being so far! “ Surely if I crawl slowly over there, feel- ing every inch of the way, I cannot injure my- self, ‘“ Anything, even sudden death, is preferable to this torturing thirst. ‘‘Oh for a match! one little paltry match! and though its light should show to me all the powers of darkness, yet would I strike it that it might guide me to P oe a stream, * But, courage, Craig! “You are in a pretty bad scrape, but your ood luck has not yet deserted you, so here goes or water or death!” And, inch by inch, he began to crawl forward in the direction of the sound, carefully feeling the sandy surface before he ventured to allow his weight to rest on his outstretched hand. Slowly and laboriously he pursued his way, scarce gaining a foot a minute, but steadily ap- proaching his goal. Inch by inch he crawled on, until his feelin fingers touched the cold surface of the rock an he stood upright by the opening through which Jordan had crashed, and, still moving cautious- ly, leaned over the edge, The water sounded as if flowing just below him and taking his hat in his hand he stooped ar trying to scoop up some of the cooling uid. But he could not reach it, and maddened by his thirst leaned still further over, when the rock crumbled slightly and losing his balance he fell headlong into the water. Struggling and gasping, he was swept on down the stream and precisely the same thing happened to him that had happened to his tool, Jordan. But when he escaped from the swirling wa- ters of the pool at the bottom of the fall, 1t was pitch dark, and, nearly frozen as he was, he felt that he scarce possessed the strength to walk a hundred yards, yet, seeing a light shining through the trees not very far off, he began to Pr ~ walk as rapidly as he could, in his exhausted \ condition, toward the beacon. But as he neared the glade, he stumbled and fell into a pile of brush, that cracked and sna pes beneath his weight, with a noise that couid e heard for rods, and when he regained his feet the light had disappeared. But knowing the general direction, he again staggered on, until he reached the opening, and saw, looming indistinctly before him a_ dark mass which he judged to be the house, and with renewed energy, pressed on. But at that instant there arose a most horri- ble din, a screeching and a yelling that nearly split his ear, and a weird, blue glare Lroke out over the scene, while two-score of . keletons, | dancing and nodding and with their ghastly - jaws grinning and chattering extended their feet as if about to advance toward him. One wild, haggard look around, a fearful scream that sounded scarcely like a human be- ing’s, and Colton, turning, ig around once or twice and fell insensible to the earth. How long he remained unconscious he knew not, but when he regained his senses, he was lying on a cot ina strange room, while Jordan bent anxiously over him. It was some moments before he could speak, and then he whispered faintly: ‘‘ Where am I: what has happened?” “ Nothing, captain, except that I gave you a little scare. ‘‘T did not recognize you at first, and set the machinery in motion to try and frighten off whoever might be coming. ‘“T heard you crashing through the bushes, being awake with the lamp lighted, and did not know who it was, ‘‘ But as soon as I saw that it was you, I went a and picked you up and brought you in ere, “Tt was hard work pulling you throug but I succeeded at last, and now you'll bem right.” “Ts it daylight yet?” ‘‘- Yes, and has been for hours, ever get here? ‘‘T suppose you must have taken the same in- voluntary road that I did, judging from your drenched condition.” ‘‘Oh, I remember all now; the horrible cave, the fearful darkness, the splash into the water, the struggle for life and the being hurled into the air to what I thought was certain death. ‘¢ And then the awful scene that burst on me as I entered the glade! | ‘‘ Tt was a premonition of the hereafter! ‘Back! back! you demons!” he shrieked, as he rose from the cot, while Jordan vainly en- deavored to hold him. ‘Back, I say!” and falling to the floor, he writhed and struggled in the terrible agonies of an epileptic fit, which, when it had passed, left him quiet, but with his mind a blank. The awful experiences of the last few hours had unbalanced his mind, and Colton was in- sane, and, although quiet and easily controlled had no spark of reason left. It was retribution! CHAPTER XIX, A SURPRISE. WueEn Kit awakened and after they had all enjoyed a good breakfast, Frank having been invited to join them at their noon~lay meal they all three read and re-read the fragment of the letter taken from Colton’s pocket. But they could arrive at no result and came to the conclusion that the paper was valueless without its companion piece, “The letter I read that Colton received and which was apparently the last one sent by his unknown correspondent, stated that your father had been stricken down with an attack of verti- How did you 0, ‘¢ And when he had recovered, the next morn- ing, he seemed to have totally forgotten the oc- currences of the night previous. ‘‘ Now, one of two things: either the scrap of paper was lost, or he secreted it somewhere, not nowing exactly what he was doing, “Tn either case it is not in our power to ob- tain possession of it, and the only thing left for us to do is to compel Worthington to tell us what he knows, and if he refuses, why then we will see what force will do, ‘‘ Should all our efforts in that direction result in nothing, then I will track Colton and force him to surrender his knowledge. ‘‘ What do you think, Frank?” “¢ T think that you are correct and that if Mr, Worthington declines to confess we will make it lively for him. ‘‘ And if that fails, why Colton is your man,