Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 481 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

a ean —_—_ . “ = es. *. “fe at . is Ve ; : - i. wwe - “-* er a — -—- ——_ ed that point of Divine abandonment when you ~vYevel in your worship of the powers of dark- ness?” “The ole man’s got the maggots worse’n ev- er!” reflected Jack, struggling with a hiccough. ** What in Cain did I come here for, anyway? Hang me if [ don’t forget! Ob: money—that’s it! But I can’t strike him when his hver isso out of order as it is to-day.” While these thoughts were passing through his mind Jack didn’t know that he was staring at his father with the vacant stupidity of a drunk- ard; yet such was the fact, ‘An undutiful son, a wine-bibber, a spend- thrifu, a debauchee, a robber, with murder only a question of time and exigency, and now a wan- ton blasphemer of the most horrible type! Sir, your abandoned career must be cut short, and the opportunity to still further blacken your im- mortal soul be denied youin mercy. You shall have time for repentance, to save your soul alive —time from which the bulict of some of your vic- tims might cut you off, if you were left to pur- sue your reckless course,” Jack had roused his father’s anger many a time; but he had never seen him in so terrible earnest as now. He strode toward the outer door, muttering: ‘¢ Tt is my last effort to save him. What is the welfare of the body compared with the salvation of the soul? God, I pray thee, sanctify my act, even as when Jacob would have sacrificed his son!” He threw into place a bar that secured the door, and then faced about, His manner had partly sobered Jack. His actions looked like a menace—but of what? ‘* What's the meaning of that?” he asked, un- easily. ‘* What do you propose to do now?” ‘* To arrest you for highway robbery, and to hang you too!” replied his father. The iron positiveness of his tones left no chance for doubt as to his resolve to make his words good. Jack, who knew him well, was thrown into a state of consternation. ‘* Highway robbery?” he gasped. ‘For the numerous stoppages of the coach which have supplied the means of your reckless dissipation, and which have at the same time wrought an outraged community to a point where it will justly hang you out of hand!’ It was true that pulling up the coach had be- come so frequent an occurrence that a Vigilance Committee was being seriously talked of. ‘But, my God!” cried Jack, ‘* I have notdone this!” Which was true enough, if the fact could be established. rey But his father replied with implacable bitter- ness: ‘Nor are you guilty of the truly filial pro- ceeding of robbing your own father!” — Then Jack saw the trap into which his “‘ lark” had betrayed him. Guilty in one case, guilty in all! That was the only kind of logic an excited mob would lis- ten to. And with the countenance, under the very accusation of his father, they would not dream of sparing him. That his stern father would prove his most implacable accuser, he had not the least doubt. s a flash of lightning reveals a darkened landscape with startling vividness, so the full horror of his situation burst upon him. He saw the surging mob, with their passion- distorted faces, and the dangling noose. He felt the agonizing wrench, and heard the death-rat- tle. All of light and life would be blotted out in an instant; and then what? As far back as he could remember his imagi- nation had been haunted by the infernal horrors conjured up by his father in the semi-madness of his devotions, As achild, he had quaked as Jerusha was doing now. Growing older, the reaction had come, when he saw how differently other people regarded such matters; until, with his throwing off of home restraints and plunging into dissipa- tion, he had learned to scoff. But the impres- sion so deeply stamped in childhood could not be effaced entirely; and in this moment, when he stood face to face with death, all the old horror returned upon him. He knew his father’s iron strength of muscle. If he got hold of him, there would be no shaking him off, “Stop! stop!” he almost shrieked. “‘ Would you givemeover todeath” —_, ‘*] will save your soul alive, if it is not too late!” was the unmoved reply. Then the of despair seized him. ‘*T will not be sacrificed to your stupid fanati- cism!” he cried, ‘ ra : ff A vsg e ¥\ * 4 at » ) iy , 4 Fe -aat* vy ’ eri det ae yf *,7 ea@ ‘i 1f- 7 Santas a Wher ra” eal . sz ; » pl gla: bey. * - fr it [Fr as ‘ * a ‘ , _ datinetens Te. ab .- af eer te _— Little Ah Sin. te eee ee His father sprung toward him. His eye feli apon Little Ah Sin’s creese-like knife lying on the vale. iver since ne had got possesssion of it, Abed- nego Swayne hadi held this before him in his private devotions, as a sort of penance, As the symbol of murder, he had used it as a means of abasing himself to the lowest depths of humilia- tion, In the frenzy of his terror, with one thought of self-preservation, the son now snatched it up and plunged it into his father’s breast, With a shriek of horror more awful than a mere death-blow could have drawn from him, the wretched man sprung back, stared at hisson an instant as if turned to stone, and fell straight over backward. At work, as we have said, in the kitchen, Mrs. Swayne was attracted by the raised voices of father and son. She opened the door just in time to see the blow, Jack stood dazed by what he had done, Ho had not meant to kill his father, His only thought had been to escape him, However, he stood there a murderer, ghastly white with the horror of it, and quivering in every nerve, His mother’s shriek attracted his attention to the door in which she stood, He saw that his act had had a witness, She would denounce him on a charge even more ter- rible than that which Ins father could have brought. A sudden wild panic seized him. The air about his head seemed full of voices crying: ‘Rly! fly! fly!” With a bound he reached the door, tore the bar from its place, and leaped out into the darl- ness—thut darkness which could never hide from the eye of recollection his father’s last stare of horrified reproach, His horse stood where he had left it, quietly scratching its leg by rubbing its muzzle against it. Was it possible that all nature did not know of his crime? The thought flashed through his mind as a strange circumstance, But as he essayed to spring into the saddle, he saw that he still gripped the murderous knife, He thought that he heard a laugh close to his ear. He believed it was the devil jeering him— chuckling over his success in having steeped his soul in blood—in the blood of his own father! With a shudder he cast it from him, Then into the saddle and away. His horse’s wildest speed was not fast enough for him. He seemed to be pursued by a legion of fiends. Back in the house his mother had uttered a low moan, essayed to reach her hushend, but fallen upon her face in a swoon at ic first step. CHAPTER VIII. READING THE SIGNS. EpitH had gone to the dance under the pro- tection of Jim Stebbins. She had taken a great fancy to him, and his sterling qualities showed themselves with every opportunity. He recognized the difference which her higher cultivation made between her and the people among whom she had come, and treated her like a young princess, This country dance was a novelty to Edith. It was altogether free and easy, anc sometimes bordered on roughness in its abandonment to fun; yet they were good, honest folk, and the worst feature was that the men made rather free with the bottle and tap. They went early, and it was understood that Edith was to be returned home by midnight. She enjoyed herself thoroughly, managing with such tact as not to excite the jealousy of the girls whom she far outshone; and when the time for going came, she was surprised to find that all of the people of the ranch had arranged to return with her, though it was more their wont to be caught by the waking dawn of a new day. ‘ They formed 9, gay procession, the men carry- ing torches—an unusual demonstration in honor of Edith, who, by her spirited defense of Little Ah Sin, had become quite a heroine, The girls were mounted behind their escorts, after the Mexican fashion; but Jim Stebbins had had: the delicacy to furnish Edith with a separate horse. they rode up to the ranch, where all was wra me in silence. ‘* But they have left a light in the window for eee SS ee a — — = ~ — me a ee us,” said Edith, since it was unlikely that the habit of early retirement was broken through by people so precise in everything as Abednego Swayne and his wife. Neither the joyful barking of the dogs nor the tramping of the horses woke any response from the apparently sleeping house. \ As for the revelers, they lowered their voices and made as little noise as possible, as if in ap- proaching the house they passed into the shadow that overhung their employers. ‘** Even the little heathen sticks to his roost!” said one of the men, surprised that the natural curiosity of childhood did not call Little Ah Sin out to receive them, **'The old man would pick the wax out of his ears with a rake-stale,” said another, “if Lady Edith didn’t stand by him like a brick wall.” **She’s a match for old Blue-nose, and don’t you forget it!” ‘* Ain’t she though?—when even the madam takes water when she makes a declaration of war,” ‘* But all in the most lady-like shape, ye onder- stand,” ‘You bet!” They drew up before the house in a confused mass. The men leaped from their horses, and helped down each his lass, If there was a sly squeeze here, a stolen kiss there, and a whispered word of endearment yonder, no one seemed put out by it, The girls tittered, and one or two slapped their escorts a ringing box on the ear that made their eyes water, all in the best of humor. The same performance would be gone through with over and over again, at least until mar- riage introduced them to the serious business of life. There were not enough of womankind at the ranch to go round; so those fellows who were lucky enough to have some one to box their cars were not disposed to find fault if the love-taps were a little severe. There were plenty who would gladly have changed places with them! They—the forlorn—looked enviously on, smiling, but not with the fullest enjoyment. However, they could all pay their homage to Edith. Jim Stebbins’s exclusive claim to her extended no further than the privilege of riding at her side and handing her from her saddle, He was a lucky man who anticipated his fel- lows in opening the door for her. Instead of looking into the room, he was so much absorbed in his gallantry that he kept his eyes upon her, not to lose her amused smile of acknowledgment. The pronounced devotion of these men, withal too honest to be otherwise than pleasing, was great fun to Edith. By some little turn of attention she would make them blush like girls, when she would laugh at them, to their delight as well as con- fusion, But they never mistook her gayety. With it all was that nameless grace of goed- breeding which marks the lady, and not one of them dreamed of the slightest presumption or familiarity. Indeed, had one relaxed a scin- tilla of the deferenoe which all felt was her due, he would have been run off the place by all the rest, with more aches than whole bones! It thus happened that, as she stepped upon the threshold, she turned her back toward the room, facing her bowing knights. Hot in hand, they stood in a semicircle, within which Jim Stebbins claimed a place. Her eyes twinkled merrily, and her Jaughin lips discloned her pretty teeth, as she thanked them and bade them good-night, ‘*Good-night, and pleasant dreams to you,” said Jim. Then he had the generosity to add: ‘** The boys would all back that with a cheer if it wasn’t for rousin’ the house.” ** You bet. your life we would,” spoke up one, with enthusiasm, The others contented themselves with a mur- mur of indorsement. She bowed them her final thanks, and then turned, to have her cheeks and lips suddenly blanched with fear. In the act of turning toward the couples who were having out the fag-end of their flirtation in rather loud whispers and no end of giggling, Jim was arrested by her startled cry, Instantly he turned and sprung across the threshold to her side. He was followed by the others in a confused huddlo, their faces suddenly sobered, and their eyes alert with serious curiosity, They found Edith already kneeling beside Mrs. ies ied prostrate form. “Oh! what has happened?” she cried, ip dismay. ‘“‘Is she dead, or is it only aswoon?™