Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 398 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

Kid-Glove I:it and Pard. 13 accursed pies: and I seem doomed to remain here for the rest of my natural life. ** And who knows at what hour Colton may again be seized, and going stark mad, strangle me while I sleep? ‘*T sometimes almost regret that crime which forced me to flee from the society I once adorn- ed, and compelled me to change my name, my appearance, my very language. ‘*‘A nice position this for an educated and highly cultured man to be placed in. ‘Dll walk to the north end of the canyon, the only one I have not yet explored, and see if I can find any way to get out. ‘*And if I succeed, may I be hanged if I don’t et back to New York and to the ‘ Fresh Clam’ just as fast as steam will carry me! ‘*I’m sick of this whole business, and wish that I had never undertaken it. ‘* But, as Colton knew my secret, and would have exposed me if I had refused to obey him, east was nothing to be done except to con- sent. Finishing his monologue, Jordan rose and left the cabin, first arranging the stuffed figure in position opposite the door, so that any one entering and not familiar with the secret would almost inevitably be shot. Colton had pregeied him, and now stood, looking up at the sky, and gibbering aud chat- tering to himself, being perfectly idiotic. But happening to glance around, he caught sight of the skeletons, and with a fearful yell bounded off across the glade, and disappeared in the wood just as JLuruan came out. The latter looked after the fleeing man, with a cruel smile, und laughed sardonically. “Tf Mr. Colton makes any bad wreaks, Pll have to get rid of him. ‘* 1 don’t propose to have my night’s rest dis- turbed by a lunatic. ‘*T only hope he’ll break his neck stumbling about the woods, ‘* Tf he attempts to enter the cabin, it is ten to one that he gets shot by the dummy figure standing there, and_it.is certain that if such a thing happens, he will not die through any fault of mine. So, followin he walked off bearing to the west, and soon comin banks of the stream fed by the waterfall. And as he looked down into the clear water he saw, glinting and sparkling in the sunlight, and lying thick at the bottom of the stream, thou- sands upon thousands of yellow specks, which he knew to be gold. “Tf I can o y find my way out of this place,” he cried, ‘* I will take enough of that stuff with me to be rich for life. ** But precious as it would be under any other circumstances, it is valueless to me just now. ‘*T’ll keep on down the canyon and try and find out where this stream’s outlet is; but if it again plunges into the earth, that is sufficient for the present. ‘* No more subterranean voyages for me!” The canyon in which he ’ound kimael! trapped was a quarter of a mile wide and four times that in length, being surrounded, as has been stated before, by cliffs that were utterly inac- cessible, being as steeply precipitous and abrupt as a brick wall, and it did not take long for him to reach the lower end. And here he stopped in amazement, for before him was a deserted mining-camp, or at least the remains of one, for most of it had been buried hundreds of feet deep, beneath a tremen- dous land-slide which had evidently occurred years before. A mass of earth had fallen from the jutting cliff that towered high aloft, and had destroyed the camp in an instant, two houses, or rather huts, alone remaining intact while from the mass of earth, projected, here and there the ends of a dozen cabins. The falling mass had dammed the stream, and formed a small lake or b nee from which the creek, seeking an outlet, flowed east, and then south, circling the mound formed by the land- slide and then plunged underground at the foot of the northern cliff which formed the end of the canyon. ere were evidences about the place that showed that some one had been using pick and shovel there, and Jordan came to the conclusion that whoever had built the cabin he now occu- pied had here secured the ghastly army that guarded the glade. For white bones could be seen scattered about, and it was evident that the mound formed one vast grave for the poor wretches thus suddenly buried beneath it. ‘*In that pool,” soliliquized Jordan, ‘‘ there the course pursued by Colton, through the woods, —— to the must be millions, washed down from the valley above, for the water is undoubtedly deep and the overfiow cannot carry it off. “Tl just see what a dip in that will bring out, aiter | have gone around to the end of the canyon. ** There is evidently no one left here from all those who once followed this fatal gold trail to the end and who doubtless amassed riches from that pool, for there was certainly quite a lake here before the land-slide. ‘* And doubtless they descended into the can- yon down the hill which afterward slid from its foundations and buried them.” So he continued his explorations but without discovering anything further, beyond what he already knew, so he returned to the pool, and lying flat on his back, he reached as far out as he Could into the water, and drew up a handful of the deposit from the bottom, the bank sloping gently at the point. And as he opened his hand he uttered a shout of surprise, for he grasped a pile of nuggets of almost pure gold, evidently washed down from far above, ranging in size from a pin-head to a large pea, and it was evident that the bottom of the pool, particularly where the water was deepest, in the center, was one mass of yellow metal. Nearly crazed by this sudden find he was about to rise when he was seized from behind by a hand that held him as in an iron vise, while Colton’s maniacal tones shrieked in his ear: ‘*Ah, ha! chief of the skeleton army, I hold you now, and you shall not escape me!” And as Jordan struggled to his feet, and half- turning, grasped the other around the waist, there began a struggle that was fearful to wit- ness between the madman and his former slave. And as they wrestled and fought, they circled about the pool until they came to a point’where the bank was steep and abrupt and the water eight or ten feet deep. And then Colton, with an access of frenzy, clasped his antagonist close about the neck, and with a hideous shout of wild laughter, leaped far out into the pool, and as the waters closed above them a few bubbles alone marked where they had sunk. But a minute later the shining surface again arted, as Colton’s head appeared, and with the urid light still gleaming in his eyes he struck out and swam to shore, and clambering to the bank, rushed off into the forest. Jordan lay drowned, his bed being the yellow metal which has lured so many to their deaths! —— CHAPTER XXIV. THE EX-GAMBLERS, STEPPING to the center of the group, Kit placed the end of the crowbar under the edge of the box and after prying against it for a few mo- ments, he loosened it from its sandy bed so that he was able to lift it up. It proved to be of iron and was so hermeti- cally sealed that not a drop of water could get into it, and was quite light. There was no key-hole to it, and it appeared to be fastened by a spring inside, so Kit, with- out attempting to open it by raising the lid, using his crowbar again, managed after a quar- ter of an hour’s continued effort, to batter the box to pieces. It contained only a small, oblong package, which, on being opened, proved to be a descrip- tion of the canyon, as it had become known to Jordan, and continued: ‘*My brother was the only one of the miners who escaped from the land-slide, and realizing that he was tive sole possessor of this enormous wealth, built himself a solitary cabin and surrounded it with all the horrors that he could imagine to frighten off any intruders. altough it seemed impossible for any one to enter the canyon. ‘*T was, fortunately, absent at the time of the dis- aster, and was horrified on returning to learn what had occurred, but was soon relieved by seeing my brother on the top of the mound, waving to me. *““We managed tocommunicate with each other, and knowing that the strram which conceals this box plunged into the canyon. efter a subterranean peseane of some length, I conceived the idea of float- ng something down to him by this means. * The plan was euvtirely successful, until one day, on going to the place where the stream disappears into the ground, ! was amazed to find the bed dry. **lLimmediately sought the cause, and discovered that by the action of the water the rocky bed had been worn away, and that the water flowed off through the hole which you found under the flat stone. ‘*l immediately started down the bed of the creek, taking with me a fifty-foot rope, several large spikes and a hammer I had intended sending to my brother and was ove! joyed to find that I could rescue him A —— SSS CL itaittt l t by lowering a rope to him from the hole where the stream found its exit into the canyon, ‘* But he preferred to remain where he was and to continue hislaber of amassing a fortune, making me promise him, bowever, that 1 would visit him every three days, ; fe showed me his house, the defenses of which were due to his mechanical ingenuity and che mical knowledge, being in part controlled by electricity. **On tae third visit I made to him, I found him dead, and overcome by the horror of the place, after burying him. 1 vowed neverto set foot inthe canyon again, closed up the hole and let the, stream flow on its former course, thus closing the only en- trarce to the canyon. ‘But should you need money, go on down the bed, through the tunnel to t!e mouth and there, fasten- ing arope to one of the spikes which doubtless yet remain, l:t some one Jower himself down, and you will find such weal h as you never dreamed of in the pool b low. “Be careful, on entering the ce: bin, to avoid the topstepand and the floor inside the dcor, stepping to one side as you enter. for there isa hidden danger to be encountered in the shape of a figure holding a rifle and commanding the coor. ‘*T leave this paper as a legacy to you, Dainty, and may tell you of it beforeI die; but as no one knows at what hour his tummons may come I will finish and secure this. ‘‘And that you may be always happy and never know care or sorrow, Lrray. night and day. ‘* Your loving father. ** Henry DANFORD.” A silence fell on the little party, broken only by Dainty’s sobs as she listened to her father’s words, that had thus strangely come to her; but Kitsoon comforted her and spoke: ‘‘Itis almost certain that this stream is the same that flows past my cavern, Frank, and the gold which is washed into the cabin doubt- less comes from the rocky walls of the tunnel Mr. Danford mentions: ‘* We will probe this thing to the end, visit the canyon, and then, after you three have worked it to your heart’s content, we will again close the upper hole, allow the water to flow down this way, and reserve the secret for future Tears, ‘I think my wife will agree with me.” ‘* As she always does, Kit. ‘‘ And I hope that you three gentlemen will not hesitate to avail yourselves of this offer. ‘‘Our wealth is far greater than we can ever use, as you well know, Mr. Francis,” addressing Frank, ‘‘and from what I have heard my fa- ther say while talking to himself, I judge that there are milions upon millions in the canyon. ‘*'You have been our stanch friends in trou- ble; share our good fortune now that the light has come at last!” The three men looked at each other in silence for a moment, their throats swelling so that they could not utter a word, and then impetuous Frank broke out: ‘‘Heaven bless you, Mrs. Barton for those kind words. ‘* Knowing a good woman like you makes bet- ter men of us, and from this hour on Faro Frank exists no longer. ‘* Boys, shall we turn over a new leaf and be- gin life anew? ‘‘ Shall we close up The Broadway and lead another life hereafter?” And as with one voice Dan and Charley an- swered: ‘We will, Frank!” “This is due to you, Mrs. Barton, and al- though we cannot share your fortune, we hope to share your friendship!” ‘My husband’s friends are mine, and there are none I cherish as highly as I do the three who are now here.” And extending her hand, she congratulated them warmly on their resolves, Then Frank, a little ashamed of his excite- ment, suggested that they continue their explo- rations, which proposition being agreed to they all started down the bed of the stream, the hap- piest quintette in Colorado. CHAPTER XXV. CONCLUSION. THEY soon reached the point where the stream plunged into the ground, and here the opening was but three or four feet large, so Kit was compelled to ask Dainty to refrain frcm attempting the passage, to which she willinghy acquiesced, not caring to witness the unkhowz horrors of the place. Charley volunteered to remain with her, not wishing that she should be left alone, and despite all of her remonstrances, seated himse and told the others to go on. They soon disappeared in the opening, crawl- ing on hands and knees, and pursued their jour- ney thus for some distance along the smooth and slippery rock. EGOomicHpoo C