Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 424 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

——. —— - - EL ———— — ee — ** Well,” said Keyne, his face flushing, ‘‘ what I would ‘ask is this: How did you get Miss St. Clare to leave the stage boul and go with ou?” ‘Why, I hurriedly explained things to her, allowed her to see my honest face, and she agreed atonce. In truth, she looked upon it as a mighty big joke.” ‘* That’s ait very well,” said Keyne, ‘‘ but would it not have been more manly in you to have met us and warned us of the danger? ici we could have defended ourselves and the lady.” ‘A good idea, I must say!” answered Cibuta. ‘A mighty good idea! But, out here in this wild country it is not necessary to give such warning. ravelers Ought to expect such things to happen at any moment. As to de- fending the lady, you made no effort to defend her against one agent. What would you have done against the four?” ** But, you held us at a great disadvantage,” Keyne persisted. ** Yes, Dll admit that,” said Cibuta; ‘but then it is a disagreeable way that road-agents have, you know. I have no doubt the four you met afterward held you at even greater disad- vantage.” ' ** You bet they did!” cried the driver. Keyne flushed painfully. ** You seem to understand road-agent work pretty thoroughly,” he sneered, ‘* Well, yes; I have been stopped more times than once, my friend. This is my first trial at it myself, however.” ‘ Perhaps it is.” ‘To continue my story,” said Cibuta John, not noticing the remark, ** I lifted the lady upon my horse, and then I and her servant walked, leading the animal. Our progress was slow, which accounts for our not getting here earlier. Besides, we turned away from the main road in order to avoid the agents.” “Say! who is them Twicker. ‘**Pardon me, friend,” was the reply, ‘‘ but I have concluded to mention their names to Judge Hucklebee privately. I think it will be best to do so.” Ci ah all right,” said Bill; ‘‘no offense, pard,.” “If he has any names to mention,” said Ger- ald Keyne, half-aloud. Cibuta John heard him. Springing from his horse he strode up to the man, and cried: ‘See hers, stranger! If you know anything against the character of Cibuta John, i want you to spit it right out here in the presence of all, or else hold your tongue. You hear me/ Where I am best known, I am called a prickly- pear; and if you know anything of the nature of that acanaceous plant, you can form an idea of what I am like when I get my war-paint on. Now, as [ said before, if you have anything to say about me, say it right out! If not, then just shut right up, and—stay shut!” The sharp’s face flushed, and his hand sought his hip. ‘* Best go easy, my friend,” Bill Twicker cau- tioned. ‘' Prickly P’ar is a holy terror, an’ he’ll wipe th’ hull street up wi’ ye in jest about a merry twinkle o’ a burro’s hind leg!” ** | have no desire to quarrel, and much less to fight.” said Keyne, ‘‘ but this fellow has insulted me, and—” ‘You're a liar!” cried Cibuta John. Instantly Keyne drew a revolver, but he was too late. ith the quickness of a lightning flash Cibuta had him covered, ‘““No you don’t!” he cried. ‘I never call a man a liar unless I can prove it, and when I do cali that name, [ am prepared to back it up. I say you area liar! I have not insulted you, sir, You, on the other hand, have made two or three unpleas remarks reflecting upon my charac- ter, a ow I demand that you spit out what you e got to say, or shut up entirely.” Wfth an angry oath the man thrust his reyol- ver back into his pocket, and turned away. “You have me foul now,” he hissed, ‘* but we skall meet again!” Pn tak ‘* Nc time like the present,” said Cibuta John. Keyne did not turn back, however. When the whole story of the stage-robbing af- fair was made known to the citizens of Ante- Bar by the driver and others, Cibuta John was loudly cheered. 6 ee cheers more for him, I say!” shouted Tom Billings. And again three lusty cheers rent the air. : ** An’ three more fer th’ school-marm!” eried Bob Burdock. ; And again three mighty shouts went up. asked Bill agents?” Pied < + Cibuta John. \ But, all things come to an end, and in an hour’s time the town was quiet. The lawyer, the Jew, Gerald Keyne, and Clara St. Clare’s servant, Snowball White, all put up at the Dew-drop Inn; Cibuta John engaging a room near his own for the old darky, who seemed to be strongly attached to him. Clara St. Clare, in the mean time, was pleas- antly located in a neat little room at the Patter- son mansion, CHAPTER XI. AGAIN THE SILVER DAGGER, A. WEEK passed quickly by. Cibuta John had denounced the four road- agents to Judge Hucklebee, and they had been duly warned to make themselves scarce at Ante- Bar, a warning which they had the good sense to heed. A vote of thanks was tendered to Cibuta John for the service he had rendered in purifying the town of its objectionable characters. Clara St. Clare had opened her school, and it was progressing finely. She was loved and re- spected by all whom she met. It was wonderful to note what a change had suddenly come over the young men of the town. There was Jeff Parsons, for instance. He wore his frilled shirt every day in the week, and as it was always clean it was supposed that he washed and ironed it every night. This-+he denied, but it was evidently true. He no longer wore his trowser-legs inside his boots, either. Then, too, there was Tom Billings. He had no frilled shirt, ’tis true, but he appeared with a red one and a blue one of flannel on alternate days, with a blue tie for the red one and a red tie for the blue one, The other young men of the town were similarly affected, and it did not require a prophet to explain the why and wherefore of the case. Their hearts had gone out to the “ school- marm,” She, on her part, treated them all kindly, and any one of them would have laid down his life for her, almost, Ere three days had passed, these young men had discovered that if there was any one thing that Ante-Bar stood actually in need of, that one thing was a night-school. They felt that they must brush up their “‘larnin’,” and they ex- pressed their wish to Uncle Daniel Derrick. Uncle Dan mentioned the subject to the ‘‘schoomarm,” and she gave her consent to open a night-school for three hours each evening, from six o’clock till nine, Accordingly, the night-school became an established institution, and all the young men— and some who were not so young—attended. It soon became apparent that Cibuta John and Clara St. Clare were on quite friendly terms with each other They were often seen together, and Cibuta John even became her assistant in managing the night-school. oor Nettie Hucklebee’s honest little heart was deeply pained at this. She loved Cibuta John, and consequently her feeling toward Clara St. Clare was not very friendly. But, what could she do? Several times, in obedience to her father’s wishes, she had avoided being Introduced to\ her hero, even when she knew that he had expressed a strong desire to make ber acquaintance. She could only weep silently and alone, and obey her father’s commands. One thing she was pleased to notice, Cibuta John was not the only one who was paying at- tention to the school-mistress, If he were in love with her it was certain that he had a rival. That rival was Gerald Keyne. A word about that individual will not be out of place here. He was from Omaha. There it was that he had first seen Clara St. Clare, when she sto for a day in that city while en route to Ante-Bar. Her face had pleased him, and learning that she was going to a wild Western town, with only her old negro servant for company, he resolved to follow and make her acquaintance, All the way from Omaha to Ante-Bar he had persecuted her with his attentions, and he still continued to do so, though never a sign of encouragement did he receive. It was the wish of Nettie Hucklebee’s heart that Gerald Keyne might win his yi into the ** school-marm’s ” favor, and that Cibuta John might be left out; but it did not seem at ali like- ly to happen, She could not receive her hero’s attentions her- self, and yet she did not like tosee them be- stowed upon another, il Such is human nature. Could Nettie have known exactly how the sit~ uation stood, however, she would have felt more: contented. Between Cibuta John and Gerald Keyne no words ever passed. Keyne took care to avoid the ‘‘ Prickly-Pear” as much as possible. He evidently had no desire to come in contact with him in a hostile way, and there was little pros- pect of their ever coming together in any other. As for the two ladies, they met frequently, and were, to all appearances, quite friendly. On the part of the Yh 8 a the appearances. were genuine, And Nettie— Well, she could but admire her new friend, but— ‘* But” is an po yt ts word. Ay was the situation at the end of the first: wee Times at Ante-Bar continued to be what the: citizens called ‘*‘ red-hot.” The new school run- ning; the night school at fever heat; a spelling- bee one evening; a recitation by the postmaster’ on another; all in all, it was a live town. Late one afternoon Cibuta John was return-: ing to town from a short prospecting tour in quest of silver, when he was suddenly startled. by hearing the beating of a horse’s hoofs at full run just ahead of him, and coming in his direc- tion. A. moment later the horse burst out into sight, and he recognized its rider as Nettie Hucklebee. The moment the horse came in sight, Cibuta. John saw that he was beyond the control of his; mistress, and running away. At the same instant, Nettie cried out: ‘‘Oh! Save me! Save me!” Her danger was great and imminent. Both horses were upon a narrow ledge of rock that lay about twenty feet above the creek, a ledge where it required the greatest care for two: riders to pass when they happened to meet on the trail at this point. Cibuta John had but an instant in which to act. Slipping from his horse he took a step for- ward, and exaeped with one hand the root of a aaa tree that grew out of a crevice in the rock, Barely had he done so when the maddened horse was upon him, and then with a spring as quick as a flash of lightning he caught the young’ lady around her waist and snatched her from the very jaws of death. The next instant the runaway steed struck Cibuta John’s horse, and both animals rolled over the ledge and fell with a sickening crash to» the rocks below. ‘*Thank God you are safe!” Cibuta cried, fer- vently, as he held the lady for a moment in his arms and gazed down into her frightened eyes. ** Are you injured?” To Nettie Hucklebee it was a moment of hap- piness unspeakable, ‘‘ No,” she replied, ‘‘Iam not at all injured; only terribly frightened.” And she teleanadk herself from hisarms. ‘Oh! How canI thank you, sir?” ‘By allowing me to escort you to your home,” Cibuta John replied, ‘ and that by per- mitting me to make your acquaintance after- ward in due form.” ** The first is granted, sir; but the second,, 2 “Well?” *“L cannot promise.” “ Because, my father will not approve of it, T fear. ‘‘Such being the case then, I shall enjoy the rivilege you grant, for the present; I warn you Shontah that I shall not give up the second- named condition by which you are to thank me.” And he glanced at her laughingly, One of the horses had been killed outright by the fall, and the other had both of its forelegs broken. That one Cibuta John put out of its pain by a bullet from his revolver, and then he and Miss Hucklebee started on foot to return to the town. Nettio was supremely happy. At last she was walking with and talking to him whom she had loved for many a day in secret. It was fully two miles from the scene of the accident to the town, and the two walked very earey by mutual though unspoken agree- ment. Neither was anxious to hasten the termination: of their first: meeting. When they came near to the big cottonwood tree that has been mentioned before, Cibuta John was bending his head and talking earnest— ly to the beautiful girl at his side, and she, with: her cheeks all aglow, looked ten times prettier than ever.