Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 481 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

—— ee es ee ee ee es en on - a — -—- —- -—- —_——< - -- eee ** What’s the row with the kid?” he asked. Littl Ah Sin looked at him with a sudden brightening of hope and trust, as a dog might have wagzed his tail, and made an effort to crawl to the feet of one merciful foe. ““{ have been warming a viper in my bosom; and he has stung me!” replied Abednego Swayne. ser puzzled look. ‘‘I allow I don’t drop to you, though maybe it’s all right.” ** | have all along looked with misgiving upon lhe which, boss?’ asked the man, with a } sss the introduction of the heathen into our coun- | try, favored with the knowledge of the true God. Let us by all means bear the light of the Gospe] into their darkness, that they may not plead ignorance at the last judgment. us not poison our own homes with their baneful presence.” ‘The infernal cattle has no right hyar, aw’ that’s a fact!” growled a sullen fellow. **This one came into our midst against my will,” proceeded Abednego Swayne. ‘‘I have permitted him to sit where he might have the example of our devotions, hoping to dislodge Satan from his benighted heart. But I have just detected him in not only himself practicing is devil-worship in secret, but teaching my child the abomination!” The majority of the men, though they gave in only a word-of-mouth allegiance to their religion, not allowing it to have any perceptible effect on their lives, were ready enough to repel with per- secution any invasion of it. With his wonted fervor, Abednego Swayne summoned God to witness that he was striking in His defense, even as the Israelites of old smote the heathen. Then the lash descended on Little Ah Sin’s quivering back, calling forth a wild shriek of pain from his bloodless lips. Carried away with the savage hate of the bigot, Mrs. Swayne, instead of feeling her womanly pity stirred, burst into a hymn of praise, as if to drown the cries of the victim. Amid a rain of cruel blows, Abednego Swayne’s voice rose above the shrieks of the wultolog sufferer, calling to the devil to come forth, in the name of the Lord God, But another shrill cry blent with Little Ah Sin’s. The men, who were viewing this cruel castiga- tion with growing uneasiness, started at the sight of one who came on the wings of angelic pity and righteous indignation. But in his mad fanaticism, Abednego Swayne was oblivious to any interruption, until a fluttering figure sped by him and sprung between his lash and the back it had scored with lines of blood. Roused from her absorption in a book by the uproar without, Edith had flown to the succor of her protege, and thrown her armsabout him, covering his back with her body, so that she re- ceived the last blow across her own shoulders, CHAPTER VII. A FATAL ACT, In the exaltation of her holy mission, the girl herself was scarcely conscious of the fiery sting of the lash. But from the men, who had witnessed Little Ah Sin’s sufferings with little sympathy, it drew forth a how] of indignation, The effect on Abednego Swayne was as power- ful as any one could have wished. The whip dropped from his hand. He shud- dered. His rage gave place to profound de- spair. Pee Again!” he mutterel, below his breath. ‘‘Tt is hopeless! God’s curse is upon me!” ‘*You monster!” gasped Edith, turning her flashing eyes upon him. : Her scorn goaded him to sullen ferocity. He frowned blackly, and steeled his heart against every sentiment of kindly humanity. His wife, who, believing that she was eas God’s service in setting her face against world- liness, had come to hate Edith, sprung to his side. ‘‘ Tlow dare you—a mere child!—put yourself in the way of righteous judgment?” she cried. Without heeding her, Edith turned to the gaping crowd, '" “Are you men?’ she demanded; ‘ and can ‘you yet stand and witness this outrage? You lecowards! How many of you does it take to tor- ture one helpless child?’ At that well-deserved rebuke more than one dro peu his head in shame. ‘* You're right, miss!” cried he who had had a pulse of sympathy for the sufferer from the start, ‘* They don’t put the lash to him no more. I'l! stanl to that, if it takes a leg!” : %, > is - * = — But let | —S Ss sss nese ' ~~ are ee + eee eee Little Ah Sin. -——-- And he came promptly forward, to make good | the boss some day ef he ever gits the chance to his words, if necessary. ‘** Give me your knife,” said Edith. ‘* Let me, ma’am.” ‘What! you who did not lift a finger in his defense—shall he owe his release to you ?” Her eyes flashed with royal scorn. The man dropped his head, ‘** Right ag’in, miss!” he said. ‘* Your hand is the only one clean enough to cut them bonds.” And he presented his bowie with a native grace which showed that not all gentility is be- neath broadcloth. KEdith’s face brightened. ‘*] like you!” she said, frankly. your name?” ‘Jim Stebbins, ma’am, if it please you.” ‘** Well, Jim Stebbins, I think you worthy to free Little Ah Sin, after all!” ‘** Do you, miss?’ cried the fellow, with sudden delight. ‘* Of course ldo, Haven’t I said so?” ‘“ Waal, miss, ef you say so, why, so it is! An’ the galoot what ia ysa finger on the heathen after this has got to chaw Jim Stebbins, hide an’ taller!” With a few quick slashes he severed the ropes. Released, Little Ah Sin caught Edith’s hand, and dropping on his knees, pressed it to his quivering lips and tear-wet face. He was too much overcome to attempt to put his gratitude into words. The girl’s heart swelled with renewed indigna- tion, ‘*Can you look upon this spectacle without shame for your merciless barbarity?’ she cried, turning the lightnings of her eyes again upon Abednego Swayne. ‘* With a woman’s scant justice,” he said, ‘‘you hasten to condemn without taking the trouble to find out the justification.” ‘* With a woman’s humanity,” she retorted, ‘*T know that nothing of which this little fellow - capable could justify such fiendish cruelty as ris, ‘* Ts itnothing,” cried Mrs. Swayne, at a white heat of anger, ‘‘ that he was destroyin’ the soul of our child?” Edith looked at the infuriate woman in aston- ishment. ‘‘Hurt Jerusha?’ she said. ‘‘ Why, she has not a warmer friend in the world than Little Ah Sin!” ‘*So warm that he would have her join in his devil-worship!” shrieked the woman. With increasing bewilderment Edith looked from her to her husband. From him she turned to the men. ** While ths boss was a-convertin’ the heathen to his way o’ thinkin’,” said Jim Stebbins, ‘‘ the leetle cuss—beggin’ yer pardon, miss—but the leetle heathen was a-gittin’ of his work in on the sly, makin’ a heathen Chinee, so to speak, out o’ the leetle gal—teachin’ her to worship a god what he made out o’ mud. I reckon he ’lowed what’s sass fur the goose is sass fur the gan- der!” Then Edith understood the situation, and looking at her guardian in pitying sorrow—no longer in anger—she said: ‘*And for this, the offense of a child who knew no better, you have inflicted so merciless a punishment! May God help you, and open your eyes to your terrible mistake!” Without another word, she threw Little Ah Sin’s tunic loosely over his naked shoulders, and said: ‘* Come!” He got upon the side of her furthest from his persecutors, and clinging to her hand, was led to her room, There she washed the blood from his wounds, and anointed them with a soothing unguent. Over this she bound a layer of raw cotton, to protect the smarting lacerations from harsh contact with his clothing. As she could not go to the loft over the sta- bles which he shared with the herders, she made him get into her own bed and established herself as his nurse. He went to sleep holding her hand, and gazing into her face with a piteous gratitude that brought tears to her eyes, Later, he moaned and tossed in fever. But that passed, and in’a day or two he was about very much as before, except that he seemed as afraid of little Jerusha’s company as she was of his, and whenever he was near Abednego aeeree he stood with downcast eyes, trem- ing. a tell ye what it is, boys,” said one of the men to his comrades, ‘‘thar’s no takin’ the measure 0’ them heathens; an’ it wouldn’t sur- prise me ef that thar leetle cuss come back at ‘What is take him foul.” ‘*Good fur him, I say, ef he kin git his work in,” was the careless response. ‘* He ain’t done with the old man yet—that’s my guess, Do you mind the look he gives 1m ¢ This became a theme of general discussion, and the men got to watching for some act of re- taliation on the part of Little Ah Sin. All the while Abednego Swayne became more and more gloomy. Edith no longer held his kand at prayers, and with the loss of her soothing influence the clouds of fanaticism again closed in about his mind, He had not returned Little Ah Sin’s creese- like agger; and the child dared not de mand it, So matters stood when one night Edith was away visiting some friends in a neighboring ranch. A dance was a part of the entertain- ment, and it was participated in by all of the men and maids of Abednego Swayne’s place. He, Mrs. Swayne, Jerusha and Little Ah Sin, had the premises to themselves. That night ill fortune sent Jack Swayne 10mMe, He could not have chosen a worse time. His father was plunged in profound gloom. The going of his dependents to that worldly amuse- ment, a dance, was an abomination for which he felt that he would be in some measure held to account, He sat in the rocking-chair, with the open Bible on hiseknees, staring into the fireplace. Mrs. Swayne, who was as much exercised as he over the wickedness of her servants, sought relief to her feelings in work. ‘She was employ- ed in the kitchen. Jerusha was in bed. She lay with her head under the bed.clothes, trembling with dread lest Satan should appear and claim her soul for some unconscious sin of the day. Little Ah Sin was in the stables, where he found brutes that returned his affection, and in- stead of tormenting him, treated him ‘‘alla same likee ’Melican man.” Jack entered the presence of his father with a swagger. The fact was, that, feeling somewhat dubious about the outcome of this meeting, he had ‘* braced up ” for the occasion. As in such cases often happens, he had over- done the matter. He had ‘toned hisnerve” un- til he did not know the difference between inso- lence and self-possession. “Well, gov’nor! how’s how?” was his careless salutation. Abednego Swayne closed the Bible and put it on the table at his elbow. Then he turned and looked at his son sternly. ‘* You ?” he asked, in his deep, hollow voice. Jack laughed in a way that blended uneasi- ness with insolence, and looking down at his clothes, said: ‘Don’t it look like me? I fancy these togs are rather becoming. Got ’em at a bar- ain. ‘*The Prodigal Son did not return in boast- ful vainglory, but in humility and contrition of heart.” ‘*Oh, but,” said Jack, “I ain’t such a muff, you know,” ‘A what?” asked his father, slowly, his eyes glowing with dull fire. Jack shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. ‘The times change and men change with them, A man who can’t keep out of a hog-wal- low, as a finish to a little racket, is no man at all. The trouble with you, my dear sir, is that you are a little matter of three or four thousand years behind the age!” ‘*For which God be thanked!” aspirated Abednego Swayne, unctuously. ‘“H’m!” seid Jack, “that’s a matter of taste. or my part, I prefer to be a little more modern.” ‘*T believe that that is the preference of all whose feet lay hold on hell!” ‘*Oh, come, now! No hard names! I haven't a doubt, from all accounts, that the devil is a right jolly good fellow, who believes in havi his fling. He’s never bilious, like some people might mention. He seems to take a rather cheerful view of life. Come, come, old man! brace up! This world ain’t half so bad a place as you think it.” bednego Swayne rose slowly to his feet. His eyes blazed; every nerve was tense: he was ghastly with the pallor of intense wrath. ‘* So!” he said, in a harsh, rasping voice, “ you have come to think the devil a right jolly fellow, have you?—a boon companion? You have reach- ft" ) ey ee - —