Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 422 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

When he first approached her Sarah had turned her face, not deigning to notice him, but there was something so peculiar and sympathetic n the man’s voice that she could not help turn- : na and looking him square in the face. As she did so the expression of contempt on her face Vanishec, and a faint ray of hope seemed to kindle in her eyes, as she replied: “Yes, sir, this is dreadful.” “*'Y es, indeedy!” Big Horn affirmed, ‘‘ but be of good heart—these Ingins can’t understand much English.” These last words left no doubt in the girl’s mind but that the renegade’s language was fraught with a double meaning, and she could but wake courage from it, notwithstanding the presence of the leering, savage faces gathered arovnd her. **Can you tell me, miss,” the renegade went on, “‘ whar your friend is that war captured with you on the island?” **t cannot,” Sarah replied, but she briefly narrated all that she knew of Wilma’s disap- pearance. ‘Wal, gal, you be o’ good cheer; thar’s heap wusser things than bein’ an Ingin princess and Jordin’ it over the heads and hearts o’ a pack © — The renegado’s words were hero cut short by a sudden, sharp, shrill cry behind him, The say- ages started with an exclamation of surprise, and they turned and beheld a strange intruder be- fore them. It wasa woman—a white woman, too, who, without fear or warning, had boldly entered their presence. She was a woman past mid-life, rather tall and slender, with a thin @val face, a prominent nose, and sharp gray eye. @ was dressed in a coarse brown frock, a flaring sun-bonnet, and coarse cow-hide shoes, On ber left arm she carried a small, time-worn retienle, and in her right hand an old faded um- brella. Scarcely deigning to notice the red-skins this ‘woman, with her bonnet thrown back and her eyes fixed upon the renegade with a triamphant light flashing from their depths, made her wa toward him, fairly screaming in a sharp, fal- setto voice: ** A% last! at last, oh, pleaso the Merciful Master!” “Oh, Lord!” groaned the renegade, ‘tis she —my wife, Sabina Bandy!” *Yes, vile wretch!” hissed the woman, and she dealt Old Kita whack over the head with her umbrella, that rattled like an avalanche of ‘y bones, ‘‘ tis she, your wronged and deserted wife; your helpmcct—she whom you wooed and won in her girlish innocence only to desart— fling aside like cn old shoe—crucify, when the ess and bloom and sweetness of maiden- hood had faded from her form and face. Oh, teful monster!” and she again gave vent to:her feelings in another rattling blow with the umbrella, over the renegade’s head. The Indians seemed to understand the situa- tion and to enjoy the scene of domestic infelicity with infinite delight, and so made no attempt to arrest the woman or check her , “Woman—Sabina, have mercy!” pleaded Old Kit Bandy, for ho was the renegade. “Tilhave mercy!” retorted the wronged wife, * von iron-hearted monster—y6u soulless wretch ! Cil'show you how to desarta true and loving mate and flee unto the mountains and tribes of the wilderness, you vagabone! ' think!’ and she broke into a sob, “I find ou here—monster of fifty years—billin’ an’ coo- n’—makin’ love to a baby-faced girl of sixteen! high, world-wide unfaithfulness?” ’ “Sabina, hear me,” said Old Kit, pleacingly; “TY can prove by this gal herself that I said conflict with my marriage vow to love, cherish and pro-—” ; “Oh, hush your palaver, Kit Bandy! I’ve heard that same old, old strain billions of times befere! {would not believe you again—never ! You're a multitudinous liar, a monumental rob- ber of woman’s affection—a murderer of wo- man's happiness, a Judas Iscariotic betrayer of woman’s love. Ingins ”"—and she turned to the leering. savages, ‘‘noble red-men of the forest, this mam is my lawfully wedded husband—my buck—my brave. He left wigwam without meab: the fire by which we’d often smoked the of peace and chatted, went out, and cold and suns sgallavantin’ scalawag. For man are-ended with: reward,.I feel happy, rejoiced, And ch, to |. Dil ever a wronged wife behold such heaven- } nothin’ *fectionate—nothin’ in any way that'd } hamgry and lonesome I went out, too—in search | of the have i searched for him, and nowthat.my Jabors Sle addressed the Indians, -much:to their ‘sur- fils ) ets - mt ss faker A - % - to have at once won their friendship and savage f confidence. After submitting meekly to his wife’s tirade for several minutes, Kit Bandy arose and walked to the fire, and squatting down before it, plucked a brand from the blaze, then tossed it back again inakind of mental abstraction. This he had repeated the second time, when, all of a sudden, a yell that seemed to come from brazen lungs burst from the Eroor of the woods, and the next instant Baby Sam, the Boy Giant, with a huge club in his hand, dashed into the camp! Before the red-skins could comprehend the situation the young mountaineer was upon them, dealing terrific blows right and left; and amid the crunching blows of the boy’s club, the yells and howls of the savages, the * ping!” ping!” of a tiny revolver in the hand of Sa- bina Bandy rung out as the old woman danced about the camp, apparently wild with excite- ment. To still add to the confusion cf the mo- ment, all was suddenly plunged in darkness by Old Kit Bandy scattering the fire with his feot in every direction, This act was followed by yells of savage Cis- miy, shouts from the lips of Old Bandy and shrieks from Sabina and Sarah. But thislasted for only a moment—in fact tne entire conflict lasted only a few brief seconds—then all be- came quiet, save the sound of hurrying foot- steps and the deep groans of the wounded Sioux. A. red-skin, hastily raked a few red coals to- gether and bisa them into a blaze, and its light revealed to them a startling sight. Half of their number lay prostrate on the earth, while none had. escaped without more or less injury. The Boy Giant, Kit Bandy and his es- timable spouse, and the captive, Sarah, were all gone! An examination of the dead warriors showed them some had fallen ander the boy’s club others had been shot with a tiny bullet, and one or two killed by knife-thrusts, It quite readily occurred to the savages that the Boy Giant had not wielded all these wea- ons, and then it flashed through their savage rains with the force of lightning that the renegade, Big Horn, and his wife, had dealt deadly blows against them in the conflict! CHAPTER VIII. OLD SPOKANE’S RETURN TO CAMP, OLD SPOKANE JOE was not a little surprised when he discovered that he was on the myste- rious floating island, but he experienced no fear or uneasiness when he realized that its occupant was Benraymond, the man who had rescued him from danger. He said nothing, however, of his discovery andadvancing with his friend through the border of dense ows that fringed the island, he was conducted into a little tent that was pitched a few feet from a low, thatch-roofed cabin. There was nothing in the tent but a couch, and upon this the old hunter was re- quested to seat himself, Then Benraymond pro- ceeded to dress the wound upon his—the hunter’s JY Wail, LUG HOY Glant Ol the Yellowstone, . a ee eo = —~ — a God’s earth. I have traveled the world over and found no such place as the Yellowstone ~ Park.” ‘* Are you livin’ here all alone?” ‘‘T like solitude,” Benraymond replied, with some evasion; *‘ but since this place has been de- filed with the presence of that man, Fenwick, it will scarcely be to me what it has been.” ‘*'Then he’s an enemy to you, eh?” ‘Yes, worse than that—a curse. He is a de- mon at heart, and I a:sure you he is in this valley for no good purpose. Whether he knew I was here or rot until we met this evening, I know not, but I do know that J loathed the very soil he trcd cn and came here to be rid of his presence—the scund of his voice—the men- tion of his name, and now, like the curse tkat he is, he comes here. I tell you, Spokane, this valley will not hold both cf uslong. But what surprises me now is your being acquainted with him, and his demands of you.” “oT presume so, stranger, but I’ve nethin’ to say now about it—reckon you overheard what passed atween us?” ‘*T heard some of it, Spokane.” “What we said ’u’d be nothin’ to you, stren- er,” . bce but mayke it would; I have always thought that that man’s sins against me have reached even into America. He always swcre that he would have my life-blood after having destroyed my happiness and ruined me.” ‘*Stranger, I think you’re mistaken; it’s scme- thin’ else besides your life he seeks here in Amer- ica—somethin’ that I alone can give—scmethin’ I never will give, so kelp me Ged.” ‘‘T overbeard scme remarks he made about a child,” said Benraymond, his eyes fixed search- ingly on the hunter’s face. 8 okane started slightly, and for a moment both he and Benraymond were silent. To the hunter there was something almost irresistible in the presence and voice of the mysterious man, and through fear of his own weakness— that he might be led to reveal the one great se- cret of his heart, he changed the subject of con- versation by sayings ‘* Stranger, pardon me, but it’s now dark, and as I’m awful afraid that demon Strahm ’ll slip ‘round and injure my friends, I'd better be goin’.” ‘*Spokanec, unless you insist on me goin ashore with you, I will loan you my canoe i you'll return it to-morrow,” Anxious to know more of Benraymond, the He was satisfied there was scme mystery akout the island and its brave and noble occupant. He had seen but very little of the place, and once was sure he heard other footsteps than those of Benraymond on the island. Bidding him good-night, Spokane proceeded to the boat and was sccn afloat on the lake un- der the shadows of night. He headed south- ward, but owing to the darkness he could not tell exactly where to land, and to make sure that he did not pass beyond the camp, he put ashore about two miles from where he bad met hunter promised that he would return the boat. — —head, and when he had completed this second | Strahm and his minions. _ Y at act of kindness to him, Spokane said: By this time the moon bad ccme up, flooding | ‘You're a good Samaritan, stranger, I swan | the surroundings with a weird and wondrous } you be, as well as a hull regiment in a fight. | light, and the first thing Cld Spokane saw on Again am I indebted to you for helping me | landing was the imprint cf a booted foot in the : ae pan In fact, there ra Sig of tracks, but f ‘* Not at all, Spokane, pot at all,” replied Ben- were evidently mace f e same on i raymond dentine himself before his pace ‘‘but | passing to and from the lake, They led back . I would like to ask you a question or two,” into the shadow of the yines, and Old Spokane ‘* Drive ahead, stranger.” made up his mind that some one must be in | B ‘Do you know that man, Norton Fenwick?” | camp thereabouts, and proceeded to make a re- ‘‘T see’d him once before; he’s Donald Strahm, | connoissance. But he had advanced but a few now,” aces into the woods when a voice, accompanied t ‘‘ When did you see him before, Spokane?” y the click of a revolver, demanded: » , | ‘Some years ago.” ‘Who comes there?’ “You and he seem to be enemies, I over-| ‘Don’t shoot, man!” quickly responded the ) heard some of the words that passed between | hunter, for the voice was familiar, although he | you.” 7 could not then recall the name of the per- t ‘We never war enemies tillto-day. He tried | son: ‘‘ don’t shoot!” b2 repeated; ‘‘ it’s I.” to crowd me and I wouldn’t be crowded.” ‘“Who are you? Spokane Joe?” asked the ‘* He’s a villain, Spokane.” voice. ; ; “Then you know him well, stranger?” | “I should proclamate it was,” was the lacon- ‘ Yes, but it was thousands of miles from | ic reply, ‘and for the life of me I can’t name — : here.” . | ou. | “Whew! then you must be a foreigner!| ‘lam Frank Rodman,” | Dutch? Irish? or English?” ** No!” exclaimed the hunter. If A smile passed over Benraymond’s bearded | ‘‘ Yes, and pretty well used up, Spoky. face. : ‘Good Lord! can this be, boy?” a : ‘‘T am an Englishman,” he replied. “Walk out into the moonlight, and youl ‘“‘Come of ‘good blood—away. up’mong the | see.” , Me tag nabob regions, eh?” Together they walked out of the shadows ‘‘T come of a good family, I am proud to say, | into the light and as Old kane looked upon Re What doin’here in | Tt "och: Rodmuan drwy eathigh bat ' ‘* What the all-fired mystery you doin’ here was nk~ true enough, ne this lonely,” out-ofthe-way. place?" could scarcely recognize him with his pale face,, ‘“ Why,’ Spokane, this is the grandest.spot on. bandaged head and soiled garments,: SME: . Pe ve | / . fv nai £ ips Gat 3 a we ee a, C et Pil, «3 tena yw ira PEL ol as ) é S é ; song Soria ae Pe ig) sti ye 3 a AU ais seat hg a SE cea F