Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 472 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

ant peteumsaetee ao _ dark and inexorable. Pe ~ = oe = 4 — ‘ 5 and his gold. My followers shall never be en- | must go away, and forget all that you’ve seen; viched by such means, You shall die!” ivll be better for you. And you know [ am The burglar uttered a wild cry, and flung | helping youaway. You ought to be grateful. himself at the chief’s feet again. That cry rung | Go, and never tell a live soul what you have in Joe’s ears for days afterward, but King Ryer | seen to-night, for—” was unmoved by it. If anything, it was music Splash to his ears. It was a deep, heavy sound from the lake. He spoke a few words in a strange language to ‘Great heavens!” gasped Joe, ** they’ve thrown his men, and they came forward and raised the | Kane into the water. Murder is being done. bound wretch in their arms. He still pleaded, | Let me go—Ill save him!” out King Ryer turned sternly aside, his face HAPTER V. ‘* Melvina shall be avenged!” he muttered, = 3 Then, turning to his men, he added: SHE: LAEE MYSTERY, ‘‘'Take him to the water and throw himin. I | _UNprER the impulse of the moment Jaunty ‘will go with you, for I want to see the last of a | Joe was about to start away to carry out his ‘villain who has been a curse to the human race. | resolution, regardless of the fact that such a Bear him away!” movement would take him directly into the Then the whole party moved toward the lake, | presence of King Ryer and his men, but Mel- through the building, J ohn Kane in their midst. | vina grasped his arm and held him back, He cried out once or twice, and then all was ‘No, no!” she exclaimed, ‘‘ Don’t go there— still. Joe suspected that his mouth had been | they will kill you!” bandaged, or something of that kind. ‘*But they have thrown the prisoner in the The young Horse King was filled with horror, | lake!” but what could he do? At least five strong men ‘* He deserved it.” were there, and he had seen enough of King ‘What has he done?” Joe cried. Ryer to know that it would not do to arouse his ‘*T don’t know, but King Ryer is a just man. anger. He could not rescue the burglar alone, | He would not do such a thing without good rea- and before help could be brought from the vil- | son.” : lage, all would Nes have been over. ‘* Reason or not—" Ha! what was that? Joe paused, not thinking it prudent to say A hand touched the boy’s arm, and he looked | what was in his mind, and then seized Melvina’s out to see a small, dusky face near his own. He | hand. ! remembered the girlish form in the rear of the ‘* Good-by,” he said, hurriedly. ‘* Thank you boat-house, and recognized it new, but the fact | for the interest you have taken in me, and—I’ll that he was discovered startled him. see you again!” ‘Come out!” said a quick, eager voice, As he spoke the last words he turned away <‘There’s a chance for you to get away now, and | and ran to the window. It was open, and as nobody knows when there’ll be another. Hurry! | there was no one to stop him, he had only to Nobody but me has seen you.” leap out. In a moment he was on solid ground. ‘Who are you?” asked Joe, mechanically, Only one thought was then in his mind; to for he was too much surprised to even think | rescue John Kane from his watery grave. Vil- clearly. lain though the man might be, he could not “I’m Melvina Ryer, and I’m a Gypsy; but | stand idly by and see a human life thus taken. you don’t care who I am just now. ou want | The Gypsies might look lightly on such a thing, to get away, or you'll have to stay under the | but not he. boat all night. See?” He ran around the corner of the boat-house. Joe did see, and he crawled out without delay. Already King Ryer and, his men had disap- He comprehended that the girl, of all the band, | peared from view, and there seemed to be no had discovered him in his strange refuge, and | one to interfere with bis purpose. Quickly he was now anxious that he should get away. threw off his coat, and then, without further ‘You'd better go out of that door on the | delay, lowered himself into the water. He was run,” she added, ‘but [ want you to promise | a good swimmer, and hoped to find Kane’s body one thing.” and bear it to the shore before life was extinct. ‘“What is that?” asked the young Horse King. As he did not know the exact spot where the ‘‘Never tell what you’ve seen and heard | body had been thrown an it was, in a double here.” sense, a search in the dark, but he shot down Joe hesitated. into the depths of the water like a diving ex- ‘Only for us that other man would have | pert. Then began the search, and he felt about for ‘* But—” the body as long as he could remain under Just then both saw a shadowy form movin | water, but found nothing. Then he arose for near the boat-house door through which Joe had air, recuperated his energies, and went down a intended to go. They realized that one of the | second time. band was on guard there, and the girl quickly He scored a second failure, drew Joe back into the deeper shadows, Regardless of the proximity of the Gypsies, ‘“Don’t let him see you,” she added. ‘*I don’t | he continued the search until it seemed that know what they would do if they found you | every foot of the ground near the boat-house here just now. Can’t you escape through a | had been thoroughly searched, but without window?” avail, Nota sign could he find of the burglar’s ‘*'Yes,” , ‘Then you'd better go.” By this time he knew that the body could not But, Joe was not in so much of a hurry. He | be recovered with life in it, and he sat down on had even forgotten John Kane in the interest | the bank, tired and discouraged. What was he suddenly aroused by his new acquaintance. He | todo next? The answer seemed plain enough; had looked at her as closely as possible, and this | it was his duty to go to the village and promptly is what his eyes had discovered: lodge information against the Gypsies. She seemed to bé thirteen or fourteen years | He remembered Melvina and felt regret that killed you,” she added, more emphatically. fore old, and was tall and slender for a child of her | he must bring trouble upon her, after the kind- years. The garments which hung upon, rather | ness she had shown, but, whatever John Kane than fitted, her form, were inconcruou:. Her | had been, it was a dark deed that had been done face and Wands were naturally very dark, end | and his duty was clear. sun and wind had now made them swarthy, He must inform the authorities at once. while the hair, which clustered thickly, wildly, | He could hear the Gypsies in the boat-house, over her head was jet black. Her eyes were of | but, without waiting to investigate them, he the same hue—great, dark orbs that looked al- | started for the village with his few garments most unnatural. | dripping water at every step. Joe understood that she was one of the band, It was not a great distance, but the worst de- ‘put he felt a strong desire to know more about | Jay occurred when he reached there. He did her. Plainly, she was what is commonly called | not know where the local officials lived, and at ‘‘smart;” decidedly so; and he found ‘himself | that hour of the night they were only to be thinking, even then, that she ought to have a | found at their houses. His experience was not better lot than to live and die with the wild | encouraging. Gypsy band. The first man he aroused persisted in regerd- ‘“What’s your name?” he bluntly asked. ing the matter as a joke, and the next was not AT ‘‘Melvina Ryer. You’ve just asked me once | an officer: but the latter agreed to take the boy before.” | to some one who was; and after a good deal of ‘‘T wasn’t sure I heard right. Are you King | delaya party was formed to capture the Gypsies Ryer’s daughter?” | and recover the burglar’s body, ‘“ No.” They went to the vicinity of the boat-house ‘What then?” and carefully surrounded it. “He's my grandfather,” the girl answered, Then they advanced to capture the swarthy- ‘with evident reluctance; and then she more en- | faced people. ergetically added: “‘ What isthat to you? You Not a sound was to be heard inside the build- Jaunty Joe, the Young Horse King’, 5 ing, and they pushed on and entered boldly, Several lanterns had been brought, and the light of these was thrown around the place, Not a Gypsy was to be seen. At first it was thought they had concealed themselves somewhere and a thorough search was made, but it brought about ru) one result; it showed conclusively that the wandering people were not there. Not a person except the search- ers was to be seen. Z The Jeader of the party looked doubtfully at oe. ‘* Young man, is this a joke?” ‘** A joke? Certainly not, sir.” ‘* Then where be the oye. ‘‘T suppose they feared the consequences of their crime, and have fled,” Horse-King Joe answered. ‘* Has anybody seen Gypsies round here?” **T aint.” Nor.” Others gave similar testimony, and Joe’s face flushed. ‘*‘Tam sorry to see that you have so poor an opinion of me,” he said, “but there may be signs to prove that I have told the truth. If we can’t find the Gypsies, let us look for evidence of their presence here a short time ago.” They did so, and found some bread-crumbs and other things at the further end of the build- ing. These, Joe felt sure, had been left by the Gypsies, but as picnic parties sometimes lunched in the building, it was no actual proof. It was decided to search the water for the burglar’s page and a man who had once been a rofessional diver around New York and Brook- yn, went down as Joe had done a short time be- fore. He made what he called a thorough search, but found no body. this time divided on the sub- ] Opinion was b ject, and while all had given up the idea of a Sega in joke, it was thought by many that Joe ad dreamed it all. The entire parry agreed that it would be best to postpone all search until the following day. The leader invited Joe to accompany him to the village, ard though the young jockey at first politely declined, he agreed when he dis- covered that the officer did not wish to lose sight of him. A messenger was sent to Mr. Perkins’s, and Joe went to the village, uncertain whether he was a witness or a prisoner. If the Gypsies were not found, the case of John Kane might yet make trouble for him, He slept no more that night, though given a chance and well used by bis new host. In the morning he had a good breakfast, and, inme- diately after, Mr. Perkins made his appearance, driving bis old mare. ‘‘TLand o’ Goshen! boy, what’s this I hear?” the honest farmer asked, in great surprise. ‘‘ Well, you see I bad a lively night.” ‘J should say you did, ruther. Hev them Gypsies been found yet?” ‘*No; and they are trying to make me believe there wers no Gypsies at all,” Horse-King Joe gravely rt ei “They be? Wal, they’re off there, fur Eli Blodgett seen ’em pass his house jest afore dark, But about the burglar. What in tarnation did he want in my house?” “Do you want my opinion, sir?” ‘*Sart’in, I dew.” ‘*IT may be wrong, so I only say it to you privately; but it is my opinion that he came as an agent of Jasper Banker.” ‘‘Hey? That so? Gosh! what was the idee?” ‘*T suspect thatif be could have entered my chamber as he intended, secretly, he would have got some drug into me, or in some other way have injured—perbaps merely weakened—me, so that I could not have mastered Black Jack.” ‘Land o’ Goshen! what a villainous idee!” ‘*Remember, Mr. Perkins, there isno proof whatever of this, and it will not do to repeat ## to any one whatever. Let that part be a secret between you and me.” “T guess youre about right. Amaziah In. galls got fixed for two hundred dollars fur libel last year, and I’d hate peskily to hev him git the laff on me.” ‘** Yes; and then again, westand a better show of getting a hold on Banker, if he isthe guilty partv, by keeping quiet.” “ Jes’so, Wal, I'll hold my tongue.” The rarty went to the lake with rude contriv- ances improvised for dragging the bottom of the water, but no body was found; nothing but a few stones, and one or two water-soaked logs. It had been clearly established, however, that a number of Gypsies had been in the wigintt * and when Perkins gave an opinion empha cally JNA comicbooksy