Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 408 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

——— ———— . _- passenger, as he got down. The inside passengers were called out and made to stand in a row. Then the road-agents ‘‘ went through” them with a celerity which bespoke practice. Meanwhile, the gentleman first introduced to the reader quietly observed the men, all of whom were masked, and their horses. ‘And now, gentlemen,” said the chief of the outlaws, ‘‘I wish you a pleasant good-after- noon! hen you report this outrage, be kind enough to say that I treated you with courtesy.” The road-agent dashed away down the road. The despoiled passengers got into the coach and continued on their way. Some were grumpy; some took it philosophi- cally, laughing at it as a joke; the outside pas- senger was thoughtful. But their misfortunes were not over yet. An unlucky rut wrecked a wheel, so that, after a night of unmixed discomfort, they entered the Village of Glendale just at the break of day. The outside traveler registered himself at the tavern as Doctor Denslow, of Rochester, New Y ork. At breakfast he was treated to a detailed ac- count of the tragedy that had occurred two days previously. fithout committing himself, he drew from his loquacious landlord an account of Little Leather-Breeches. He then went to call upon Mrs. Briggs. The poor woman was in a high state of nerv- ous excitement. A sleepless night, followed by the suspense and uncertainty of the new mys- tery as to Belle’s fate, was too much for her. Instead of obtruding his business at such a time, he was considerate enough to look to her well-being. ‘** Madam,” he said, ‘‘I have heard of your distress, and have come to see if I cannot be of service to you. I am a physician of many years’ experience in the city of Rochester, and I think I may say of fair success. Giving way to your trouble as you are doing may be follow- ed by serious consequences to your health. I beg that you will be advised by me, and allow me to prescribe a composing draught.” ** Oh, sir!” cried the poor mother, *‘if a kind Providence has sent you to offer some protec- tion to my misjudged child, it will relieve me sade than anything you can do for me person- y.” And clinging to his hand with a sudden con- fidence in his Sisposition and ability to befriend her and hers, she gave vent to tears. “Depend. upon it, my dear madam, your daughter shall have considerate treatment, whatever the facts may prove to be.” In an hour he had the distressed mother in bed, sleeping profoundly, under the care of a kind neighbor. Returning to the tavern, he was arrested on the threshold by a furious clatter coming down the road. ‘Waal, I sw’ar!” ejaculated mine host of the Glendale Tavern. “Ef hyer ain’t the Mad Mil- lionaire, as spick and span as if nothing had happened!” nd down the road came a wagon, drawn by four horses, the driver standing up and cracking his long whip out over their heads, as he laughed: ‘*Ha! ha! ha-a-a-ah! ha! ha! Here we are again! Hallo, neighbor Costar. You see, I’ve found them! Richard is himself again!” ‘*Consarn his pictur’! It’s the same old rat- tle-head, every time ye see him!” said the stage- driver, who was lounging before the door. But Doctor Denslow was looking intently at the horses, and then with penetrating scrutiny at their driver. “Is that the man you call the Mad Million- aire?’ he asked, as the team went by. ** Tt ain’t nobody else,” was the reply. ‘** And those are his horses?” **Whose else should they be? ‘him ata thousand dollars a span.” “Do you notice anything peculiar about the nigh leader?” ‘Only this—thar aint nothin’ in this hyere They stood section that kin touch it! It’s the best o’ the four, by all odds.” “* As a saddle-horse?” ce Yes.” “Pxactly. Well, do yowobserve that it has been hurt?” “'That’s so, boss. Itlimps. I reckon it had a fall night before last, before they got over the scare from that blizzard.” “Have you recently seen an animal that limped in that way?” ** Kh?’ ‘creer lalate tC LL LLL LL LR LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL CC te lt tt “a “tt ———SES eee Little Leather-Breeches. ‘In short, didn’t I call your attention to that particular horse only yesterday afternoon?” ‘*You? Me? That hoss? Yesterday after- noon?” The stage-driver stared at the animal, then at the speaker, and back again, in bewilderment. Doctor Denslow smiled with a peculiar signi- | ficance, and waited in silence for the other’s mind to make the proper associations. After a long stare at the horse in question, the stage-iriver fixed his eyes on the face of the doctor in a steady look of inquiry. Then he blew a prolonged whistle of surprise, and muttered: ‘* Dang my skin!” ‘‘What’s that?’ demanded the landlord, his interest piqued. The Mad Millionaire wheeled his horses and came down the road again at a spanking pace, as if making the home stretch on a race-course, Before the door of the tavern he drew them up in magnificent style. "3 Well, gentlemen,” he said, a shade of anx- ious inquiry passing over his face, ‘* [ have my | beauties back again—a little the worse for their | tear through the storm, but better than I dared | to expect. Ihope others have been as fortunate, What’s the good word from the search for Miss Briggs?” A lot of the villagers were before the tavern, listening open-mouthed to the account of the attack on the stage. From them the Mad Millionaire got only sul- len frowns and wrathful mutterings. They were not quick to forgive him his share in the escape of the murderess. He smiled nervously and drove on. | found her way in. candle above his head in the other hand. and so ‘* And the same voice—disguised, of course?” | continued Doctor Denslow, looking at the stage- driver. Hen Halladay scratched his head nervously. ** The dence and all, boss,” he said, presently, ‘*that can’t be! The man’s as crazy as a bed- bug—has been so these fourteen years.” | ball when she fled from the old witch. ‘*Not so crazy but that he seems to havea | keen eye to the main chance,” persisted the doctor. “What is this hyer?’ again urged the land- lord. ‘* Let us into it, Hen.” ‘*T leave it to the doctor hyer,” said Halladay, shrinking from the responsibility. ‘* You are better known to these am,” said the doctor. ‘‘ Besides, go to bed.” And he walked into the tavern without more ado. yple than I propose to Hen Halladay was at once besieged; and ten | minutes later, when the Mad Millionaire re- turned to the tavern, he was es and drag- ged out of his wagon by an intensely excited mob. ‘Gentlemen! gentlemen! what isthe meaning | of this?’ he cried. ‘* You infernal road-agent!” was the retort, ** you'll mighty soon find out! this community!” The passengers of the robbed coach being ap- | once identifying himself with Belle. vealed to, identified the horses as those ridden | have traced The fool dodge is | played out, and won’t go down any longer with | eral men talking excitedly. »y the road-agents; and though there was some | doubt as to the voice being the same as that of the disguised man who pulled up the coach, the more the matter was discussed, the more general became the impression of its identity. ‘That’s his ‘ pocket!’” cried an indignant, be- cause unlucky, miner. ‘‘ That’s why, while the rest of us, as hasn’t had the sense to chuck our picks an’ pans down the nearest prospectin’-hole an’ pitch in an’ see what we kin git off the top ey the airth—that’s why, while the rest of us have been scratchin® a poor man’s back these fifteen years, he’s drivin’ four-in-hands ’round the country, whoopim’ ’er up all the time!” It was notorious that the country had been in- fested by road-agents ever since its first settle- ment, and though the Vigilantes had cut off a ‘ | | | | straggler here and there, the leading spirit had | always managed to elude capture, So now only one voice was raised in behalf of the Mad Millionaire. ‘* Friends,” said the Rev. Mr. Vance, ‘*‘l beg of you to proceed with caution. The evidence | seems to me very inconclusive, when you come | to consider that this man has lived in our midst for years, and has never before fallen under sus- picion of any kind. I appeal to you, sir,” he continued, addressing Doctor Denslow, who had come down in not the pleasantest humor from | an ineffectual attempt to sleep. Somehow Belle Briggs had got to running in his head, though he asked himself impatiently what concern he could have with a total stran- ger, accused of murder. ‘* appeal to you, sir,” urged the minister, ‘‘ to pass upon his sanity.” 11 ‘* Tf I am summoned before the proper author- ity, I will do that with pleasure,” growled the doctor, who was not partial to ‘“‘the cloth.” ‘* Meanwhile, my impression of this section is that it is rather Rinodthinety all round!” With this cold comfort the minister turned away, and the Mad Millionaire remained in the hands of the mob. CHAPTER XI. A NEST OF OUTLAWS. For a moment after the rope fell into his hands Little Leather-Breeches was fairly stun- ned. The necessity of keeping Belle’s whereabouts a secret had led him to keep even Mrs. Briggs in ignorance of where he had gone. His only chance of succor then from the out- side world lay in the curiosity of the Mad Mill- ionaire. If he returned to see what had become of the supposed fairy, Little Leather-Breeches could make himself known. But this involved the betrayal of Belle. Then our hero remembered that there must be another way out—the way by which Belle had ‘** Here is the string!” he exclaimed, catching sight of it. ‘‘ With its aid I can thread the laby- rinth as I directed her to do.” He then recalled the wild shriek which had filled him with fear as to her fate, and leaving the problem of escape until he should have found her, he set out at once down the corridor inty which the clew led. Carrying his revolver at full cock, he held the advanced, on the alert for a surprise. He soon came to where Belle had dropped the After that there was nothing to guide him, and chance led him to take the passage before which Belle had hesitated, and down which Mumbo Jumbo had made her appearance. But there were innumerable ramifications in this branch of the cavern, and he did not pro- ceed far over the way by which the witch had returned. He had advanced for full half an hour, care- fully marking his course so as to know what passages he had visited and the direction in which he had gone through them, when he perceived a murmuring sound, as of voices in conversation. “Now then I must be careful!” said he. ‘This light will betrayme. By keeping hold of the string, I can always find my way back, even in the darkness. I will mark this spot, so as to know it again when I come to it, and then count my steps.” He did so, and then blowing out his candle, proceeded in the darkness. As he advanced the sounds became more dis- tinct, until he became sure that there were sev- ‘‘They are our enemies!” he exclaimed, at ‘* They er to the cave, and captured her!” With a sudden swelling of the heart, and a determination to fight for her to the death if necessary, he eripped his weapon more firmly, and crept forward, Presently he discerned a dull glow, and turn- ing an angle, came in sight of a torch stuck in a crevice of the cavern wall. But the speakers were not within range of his vision; and the abundance of light showed that this was but one of several torches by which the chamber was illuminated. Little Leather-Breeches paused and listened. ‘*T tell ye what it is, pards,” said a voice which Little Leather-Breeches recognized as Hank Drake, ‘‘ we’ve got to handle our irons mighty gingerly, or we'll git our fingers burnt.” ‘*It wasn’t such a bad scheme to use the luny’s hosses to pull up the coach with,” replied another, whom also our hero identified. ‘* That gent had a sharp eye in his head; and by the way he spotted them critters, he'll know ’em ag’in when he sees’em. Ha! ha! ha! it'll be a joke if he drops onto the luny and jugs him, and maybe stretches his neck!’ ‘‘The parson knows what he’s about, an’ don’t you furgit it! It was the Mad Millionaire that rin off the gal; an’ ef he kin git him ina box, he'll come the honey-fugle psalm-singin’ an’ prayin’ dodge over him, an’ make him spit out what he done with her, before he puts him on the straight shute to glory.” ‘* But, say! that wasa bad kink in that Seaver affair. What do ye suppose has become 0’ the galoot?” ‘“T'll tell ye some other time—after we find out!”