Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 423 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

) ase —_ a ee ee ee =e ee we —_— —_ a - a The Lost Finger. ‘* There is one more word to say, Mr. Sharp,”’ con- tinued the officer. “In examining this woman we have discovered that the third finger of her left hand is missing. She is the woman who lost her fin- gerip the safe.” “Ha! [ suspected as much, Yet you did not m ntion this interesting fact, Mr. Foster.” ‘‘{ have not ended my story yet,’’ answered Harry gloomily. ‘‘Nor canInow. Imust see the surgeon, { must learn from his own lips if she will recover. lL. she dies I will follow her to the ve,” Iie rushed hastily to tho stairs, followed more slowly by the detective, on whose face there played a m ngied expression of official sternness and manly sympathy. CHAPTER XIV. THE END OF ALL, We -ust hasten to the culmi :ation of our nearl ended story. A month slowly passed—a mont that made many changes in the condition of our characters. Tue two arch villains were consigned to prison, where they yet lay awaiting trial for their discover- edcrime. Asfor the stolen money it was recovered to che last penny, among their effects. They had apparently made every preparation to fly wih their ill-rotten gains. Only the breaking out of their in- tended victims from their living ee and the dis- covery and raiding of the Red fall by the police, had prevented their pl.ns from being carried to a termination. : That there was deep public interest in tho pub- lished accounts of this remarkable crime and es- cape need not be told. Harry Foster, against whom a deep shadow of suspicion kad rested, was fully reinstate in public opinion, and became quite the lion of the hour. As for Will Davis he was released from prison, 2nd the prosecution against him stepped, wh n the story of how he had lost the key, and where and how he obtained the marked money, was made pub- ic. Mr. Ditson freely forgave him under the firm as- surance that he would never go astray again, He had been punished too bitterly not to be cured of any desire to grow rich by speculation. : Estelle, meanwhile, lay long hovering between life and death. The condemnatiou with which the com- munity was ready to visit her fad'd away when the strange story of her life became known, and the fact that she had been more sinned against than sin- ning was made evident. But what most enlisted public opinion in her fa- vor was the story of the love between her and Harr Foster, the untiring patience of and devotion with which he haunted the house in which she lay be- tween life and death, and the haggard pain and de- — that had reduced his strong frame almost toa shadow. The great public is always interested in the ro- mance of love, and it had chosen to make heroes of these two iovers, forgetting all the shadowy epi- sodes of the life of Estelle Laurent, in their sympa- thy with its culminating incident. A month pissed by. The invalid had fallen into a deep slumber, after the fierce fever that had burned like fire for many daysin her veins. The doctor de- clared that her waking would tell the story of her fate. Her life hung on a mere thread of chance. Harry paced a room below the chamber of his be- trothed in an agony of pain and impatience, He could hardly endure the suspense, which had hung over him for weeks and now neared its climax, His haggard face told of many long nights of sleepless- ness. He could not bear the house, He sought the streets and walked miles in a vain effort to quiet his throb- bing nerves. He returned tothe house. The physi- cian was just leaving it. There was @& promising look upon his face. ‘Your face gives me hope!” cried the eager lover. *‘Has she wakened? Will she recover? Ah! there is hope in your look!” ‘““Your devotion certainly deserves a favorable an- swer,”’ replicd the doctor with a smile. ‘Iam glad to be able to giveit to you. Miss Laurent is awake. The fever is broken, The wound promises well. With care now I think she is sure to recover.” * Bless you for those words!” cried Harry, seizing his hand, on which he let fall a tear of joy. "‘* May I see her? Can she bear my presence? I am dying to see her!” “If you can keep quiet, and not excite her.” “T promise you that,” : “And stay not more than five minutes?” ‘*T promise everything,” cried Harry, dashing into the house. He was repaid for his long sorrow and tng 30g by the look of utter trust and love with which her wan face greeted him,’and by the pressure of the thin hand which she feebly exten’ed to him. He stooped and kissec her pallid lips, ‘*T promised not to excite you, Estelle,’’ he mur- mured. ‘“T hope that this will not do you harm ” ‘No, my love, my own!’’ she tenderly replied, with eyes that beamed with deep affection. “Kiss me once more, dear. The touch of your lips sends healing through every fiber of my frame, From this moment, recovery was rapid. In a month more, she was convalescent. In six months, from the period of her receiving her almost fatal wound, Harry Foster led her to the altar, the hand- somest Woman in New York. It was not with plain gold or diamond that he wedded her, but with that opal ring, the loss of which had been the turning pane in ber Ale. i ® P “You have still a finger to receive this ring, dear Estelie.’’ be whispered. as h 1d his de and bushing belie. | OR d And so we a leave them to the life of happiness thatis before them, a life free from the shado s that threw such gloom over its earlier part. If any of our readers care to know what became of Paul C ifford and Juan Verncl, they may be en a any time in their striped convict dress, att in Sing, working out with hamm _:an_ chisel the le 1 pen- alty of their crimes, and perhaps h~ppy in th co - sciousness that th y have escaped eg:llows hich they so richly deserved. THE END. Beadle’s Half-Dime Library. BY MAJOR HENRY B. STODDARD, Ex-S8cout, 806 Neck-Tie Ned; or, The Dug-Out Pards. 846 Rapier Raphael; or, The Swordsmen of Zacatecas. 8Y1 Kid-Glove Kit, the Dandy of the Rockiva, 898 Kid-Glove Kit and Pard; or, The Gold King, 406 The Mad Man-Hunter; or, The Mystery of Golden Gulch. 505 Powell’s Pardy; or, The One-Armed Giant. BY BRACEBRIDGE HEMYN@. 89 Taland Jim: or, The Pet of the Family. 91 The Captain of the Club; or. The Rival Athletes. 101 Jack NMarkaway in New York. BY HARRY HAZARD. 828 Arkanaaw Jack; or, The Scourge of the Mines. 829 Red-Skin Tomy; or, he Demon's Trail, $42 The Mountain Devil; or, Yellow Jack, the Outlaw. BY CAPT. MARK WILTON, 256 Young Kentucky; or, The Red Laas. 270 Blizzard Ben; or, The Riot at Keno Camp. 286 Josh, the Boy Tendertfvot. BY GEORGE WALDO BROWNE 86 Dandy Rock the Man from Texas. 90. The Dreud Rider; or, The Texan Duelist. 99 The Tiger of Tuos; or, Dandy Rock’s Angel. 115 The Mad Miner; or, Dandy Rock’s Doom. 181 The Golden Handy; or, Dandy Rock to the Rescue. 164 Dandy Rock's Pledge; or, Hunted to Death. 178 Dandy Rock’s Rivals or, The |:aunted Maid of Taos BY JO PIERCE. 897 Rob o’ the Bowery : or, The Prince of Mulberry Street. 415 The Vagabond Detective; or, Bowery Bob’s Boom. 452 Hotapur Bob, the Street-Lboy Detective, 4600 The Lawyer's Shadow; or, Luke’s Legacy. 494 Surly ‘Bim, the Young Ferryinan De-ective, 504 Five Points Phil. 509 Jack Jagger. the Butcher Boy Deteetive, 516 Tartar Timi or. Five Points Phil’s Menagerie. 526 North River Nat. the Pier Detective 538 Wrestling Rex, the Pride ofthe Sixth Wara, 541 Jeff Flicker, the Stable Boy Detective. BY FRANK DUMONT. 120 The Branded Wand; or, The Man of Mystery, 127 Wild-Fire, the Boss of the Road. 140 Rlue Blazes: or. The Break o’ Day Boys of Rotky Bar 171 Ebony Dany; or, The Rival Leacues. 185 Evil Eve; or, The Vultures of the Rio Grande, RY ROGER STARBUCK, 25 The Roy Captain; or, The Pirate’s Daughter. 114 The Rinwok a eroonert or, Jib Junk, the Old Tar. 259 The Golden Harpoon? or, Lost Among the Floes, 848 Fire-Heela: or, Old Skinflivt, the Death-Shadow, 854 Big Horn Ike, the Hl Tramp; or, The Odd Pards. 861 The Phantom Light-house, 570 Breaker Ben, the Reef-Runner, BY WILLIAM &. EYSTER, 190 Dandy Darke; or, The Tigers of High Pine, 10 Faro Frank; A Dandy Darke’s Go-Down Parda, BY COLONEL DELLE SARA, 108 The Lion of the Sea; ov, The Vailed Lady. 186 Cool Desmond 3 or, The Gambler’s Big Gane.’ BY MARRY 8T. GEORGE, 80 Roarin Iph Rockwood, the Ranger. a4 Rattling Re, or, The Nighthawks of Kentucky, - Daring Davy; or, The Trail of the Border Wolf, 166 Hickory Harry 3 or, The Trapper-Brigade’s Spy, 172 Thunderbolt ‘Tom; or, the Wolf-Herder, BY GEORGE C. JENKS, 485 Git Thar Owney, the Unknown. 492 Git Thar Owney’s Pledge. 5183 The Demon Doctor. 191 Buffalo Billy, the Boy Bullwhacker; or, The Doomed rieen, 194 Buffalo Bill's Bet; or, The Gambler Guide. BY CAPTAIN FRED. WHITTAKER. “15 The Sea-Cat: or, The Witch of Darien. 29 The Dumb Pare or, The Doge’s Daughter. 48 Dick Darling, the bony Express Rider. Lance and Lasso; or, The Children of the Chaco. 154 The Sword Hunters: or, The Land of the Elephant Riders, 159 fase Lest Captain; or, Skipper Jabez Coffin’s Cruise to the en Polar Sea, 200 The Boy Bedoutns; or, The Brothers of the Plumed Lance, 214 Wolfgang, the Robber of the Rhine. 249 Milo Romer, the Animal King; or, The Round the World eas RAS i e Tiger Tamer: or, The League of the Jungle, $81 Black Nick, the heraca Rider. 895 California Joe's War Trall. BY J. W. OSBON. 469 The Rival Ciants« of Nowhar’: 498 Cactus Burr, the Man Ree Hard Luck, 587 Old Buckeye, the Sierra Shadow. | BY JACK FARRAGUT. 815 Ned, the Cabin Boy. $20 The Sea Sorceress; or, The Boy Skipper. BY COL, A. F. HOLT. 899 Black Buckskin; or, The Masked Mon of Death Canyon. 419 Kenneth, the Knife-King. 485 Little Lightfoot, the Pilot of the Woods. BY JAMES L. BOWEN 107 One-Eyed Sim: or, The Abandoned Forest Home. 110 The Black Steed of the Prairies, A Storv of Texas. BY ©. DUNNING CLARK. 185 Captain Paul; or, The Boy Spy of the Mountains. 280 The Vankee Rajah; or, The Fate of the Black Shereef. BY CHARLES E. LASALLE. 50 Uurt Bunker, the Trappe:. 52 The White Buffalo. a Tale of the Northwest, RY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID. 78 Blue Dicks or, The Yellow Chief's Vengeance. 87 The Land Pirates; or, The League of Devil's Island. 187 The Helpless Hands: or, Backwoods Retribution. 289 The Gold-seeker Guide; or, Che Lost Mountain. BY EDWARD WILLETT., 167 Aaa Scott, the Steambont Boy. 199 Featherweight the Boy Coumpion of the Moakingum, 228 Ozark Alf; or, Featherweight Among the Outlaws. 2R2 The Typo Detective; or, Weasel, the Boy Tramp. 295 Fearless Phil; or, The King at Quarizville. 811 The Roving Sport; or, The Pride of Chuckaluck Caiup, R22 Nemo, the Tctossivas or, Kit K enyon's Vendetta, * BY J, C. COWDEICK, 860 Silver-Mask, the Man of Mystery. — S60 Shasta, the Gold bingy or, For Seven Years Dead, 420 The Detective’s Apprentice; or, A Boy Withont a Name. 424 Cibuta Johny: or, Red-Hot T.mes at Ante Bar. 439 Sandy Sam, the Street Scout. 467 Disco Dan, the Daisy Dude 490 Broadway Billy, the Bootblack Bravo. 506 Redlight Ralph, the Prince of the Road, 514 Broudway Billy’« Boodle. H24 The Eagineer Detective 536 Broadway Billy’a ‘ Difikilty.” BY ALBERT W, AIKEN, 11 The Two Detectives; or, The Fortunes ofa Bowery Girl. 76 Abe Colt, the Crow-Killer. 7P Sol Ginger, the Giant Trapper. 268 Joe Buek of Angela and His Buoy Pard. 447 New York Nat. A Tale of Tricks and Traps in Gothom. 458 New England Nicks or, The Fortunes of a Foundling. A6G4 Nimble Nick, the Circus Prince. ° AYS Taos Ted, toe Arizonn Sport. 510 Cool Colorado, the Hall-Breed Detective, 51S Cool Colorado in New Vork. BY MAJOR E. L. 8ST. VRAIN, 292 Sancho Pedro, the Boy Bandit. B01 Leadville Nick, the Boy Sport. 812 Redtop Rube, tie Vigilante Prince. B88 Brimatone Bob, and His Lightning Horse Quartette. 852 Tombatone Tom, the Arizona Boy of * Sand.” BOY Durgnuyre teuve, the Younw tian np V reatler, 871 Kingboli Chria, the Young Hard-Shell Detective. 880 Avalanche AIf, the Foothills Guide, 890 Jaguar Joe, of the Mount in Mail-Line. MISCELLANEOUS AUTHORS, 4 The Wild-llorse Hunters, By Capt. Mayne Reid and Frederick Whittaker. 9 Adventures of Baron Munchausen, 12 Gulliver’s Travels, By Dean > witt. 14 Aladdings or, The Wonderful Lamp. 16 Robluson Crusoe, (27 Illustrations.) 18 Sindbad the Satlor. His Seven Voyages. 2:2 Phe Seca Serpent; or, The Boy Robinson Crusoe. By Juan wwis, 88 The Ocean Bloodhound: or, The Red Pirates of the » Carribes. By S, W. Pierce. 86 Zhe Boy Clowns; or, The Queen of the Arena. By Frank S . Finn. 88 Ned Wylde. the Boy Scout. By Texas Jack, 61 The Boy Rifles; or, The Underground Camp. By Archie C, lrons. 95 The Rival Rovers; or, The Freebooters of the Mississippi. By Lieut.-Col, Hazeltine. 98 Robin Hood, the Outlawed Earl; or, The Merry Men of Green- wood, By Prof. Gildersleeve. 105 Old Rube. the Hunter; or, The Crow Captive. By Captain Hamilton Holmes. 112 The Mad Hunter; or, The Cave of Death. By Burton Saxe. 124 Tippy, the Texan; or, The Young Champion, By George Glerason. 128 The Young Privateer; or, The Pirate’s Stronghold. By Harry Cavendish. 148 Sharp Sar} or, The Adventures of a Friendless Boy. By J. Alexander Patten. 227 Dusky Darrell, Trapper: or, The Green Ranger of the Ye! - lowstone. By Edward Emerson. 261 Fergus Fearnanght, the New York Boy. By George L. i Aiken. 266 Killb’ar, the Guide; or, Davy Crockett’s Crooked Trail. By Ensign C.D. Warren. 298 Red Claw, the One-Eyed Trapper; or, The Maid of the Clif, By Captain Comstock. 81% Peacock Pete, the Lively Lad from Leadville. By Lien- tenant Alired Vhorne. , 828 The Sky tve‘ectlve;: or, A Boy’s Fight for Life and Hono, By Maior Mickey Free. 850 Red Ralph, the River Rover; or, The Brother’s Re- venge. By Ned Buntline. 865 Raltimore Ren the Bootblack Detective. By A. P. Morria. 874 Gold-Dust Tomy or, Ben’s Double Match, By George H. orke, 876 California Joe’s First Trail. Hover Monastery. 418 Blily Rombahell, the Cliff Climber. By F, $, Winthrop. 440 Little Foxfoot, the Gold Bowie Kid. By Arthur C. Grissoms 5 The Black Ship. By John S. Warner. Comanche Dick and His Three Invineiblea, By Henry J. Thomas. 528 Wizard-Arm, the Dandy Sport. By Arthur F. Holt. 582 The Cowboy Duke. By Edwin Brooke Forrest, ~ A New Issue Every Tuesday. The Half-Dime Library is for sale by all newsdeslers, five cents per copy, or sent by mail on receipt of alx cents each. BEADLE AND ADAMS, Publlsbers. 98 William Street, New York By Colonel Thomas | 900 com O ‘S