Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 484 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

; — me = *% i 7 ‘ _ —~ ~ still more was he startled by the sudden appear- ance of Alfredo Manzal; but, when that indi- vidual announced his identity, it may be said that he was absolutely thunderstruck and speechless. He stood stupidly staring .at the terrible desperado for a few moments, motionless and petrified. ‘Yes, sir; I am Manzal, that you speak of.” With this second declaration the tongue of the Yankee was unloosened. ‘Dew tell me! My gracious! aiv’t I glad to see you. Give me your hand, You’re the very man I think that I most wanted to see.” And with his face wreathed in smiles, he reached his hand toward Manzal, but the lat- ter spurned him away. ‘‘No; you don’t. ‘You said you would shoot me—” ‘‘ What is your full name?” ‘¢ Alfredo Manzal, and—” ‘‘ Haw! haw! haw!” roared the Yankee, slap ing his hand upon his knee. ‘* What a mistake! I meant George Augustus Manzal, the feller that stole my hoss last summer in Connecticut, and that we offered a reward of a hundred dollars for. He’s the man Id like to meet, I bet you.” Ephraim Hopkins thought this was a very in- genious way of getting over the difficulty, but it it did not deceive his companion for a moment; but, for reasons of his own, Manzal allowed him to think so. 99 ‘I’m glad to hear yer say so, fur I'd jist made up my mind to chaw yer up hull. Yas, sir,” he added, with his usual fierceness, ‘‘ Manzal—I’m the man that run off with that gal—I’m the one that tried to kill her, and I’m the one that’s goin’ todo it, fur it'll be the nicest job I ever done.” ‘* How—how so?” Hopkins ventured. ‘‘Thar’s five hundred dollars waiting me in Galveston, when I bring her scalp to a man there. The cussed Comanches come down on me afore I got through, but since then I’ve fixed things with them, and they won’t trouble me.” ‘¢ You and them be friends, eh?” “We ain’t any thing else, and afore we git through we'll fix up things with the feller they call Comanche Dick, and fur that matter, he’s already fixed.” ‘*T heerd they had him.” ‘‘ That’s jist what they have, and by this time his ha’r is hifted.” ‘“‘My gracious!” exclaimed Hopkins, who was anxious to conciliate his terrible enemy, ‘‘yvou must be hungry. Here’s a tender leg of lamb that’s done to a turn. Won’t you oblige me by making your dinner upon it?” Manzal was silent a moment, and then he ad- vanced, took a seat upon a piece of timber, and began devouring it with the voracity of a wild beast. It is safe to say that the Yankee wasn’t hungry. The presence of the stranger at the feast had entirely driven away his appetite. But Hopkins was still suspicious. While the desperado was so busily occupied with his meal, he, under pretense of taking a look at the sheep, made himself sure that his own rifle was well loaded, and ready for instant use, His first impulse was to steal out to where his horse was grazing, mount him, and flee; but, he was fearful that before he could get beyond reach of the desperado’s, rifle, he would be shot; and then the animal of Manzal looked as if he were capable of great speed, and he might over- take him, although Hopkins’s steed was possessed of extraordinary fleetness, While he was debating the situation, Manzal turned his head} like a tiger disturbed when craunching his prey, and demanded: ‘¢ What are you after?” ‘‘-You understand I was left to guard these here sheep, and I thought I'd take a look at them while you were enjoying yourself.” ‘¢ Never mind about them; I don’t like to have aman git behind me, ’specially when he feels like shootin’.” Hopkins obeyed with great alacrity, and no waiter could have been more attentive than he was. ‘Would you like something else?” he inquired, when the meat had almost disappeared. ‘“No!” was the gruff reply. ‘““There are plenty of nice young lambs out there, and it will afford me great pleasure to prepare you one of the choicest.” — Didn t I tell youl didn’t want it?” demanded the desperado, looking as if he were about to spring upon and tear him to pieces. — ‘« Come to think, I believe you did,” was the meek reply. ‘‘Beg your pardon for my mis- take.” As Be? ee ‘ 7 ‘ > 4 - ‘ar \ 2%. A € fa - fm 2 ae But Manzal seemed to become more sullen and vindictive each moment, The desperado scowled at the Yankee awhile, and then rising to his feet, said: ‘**Good-by; 1 must be off.” ‘** Good-by; good-luck to you,” called out Hop- kins, overjoyed at seeing him move away. Manzal walked sullenly off until he reached his horse, a short distance from him, when he vaulted upon bis back and turned his head away. He had ridden lesstoan a rod wher he turned in his saddle, and pointing his gun at the astounded Hopkins, took deliberate aim and pulled the trigger. Assassination was the villain’s favorite mode of fighting, but it failed in this instance, and he never had another opportunity to make the trial. From some cause or other his gun missed fire, and ere he could repeat the attempt, Ephraim Hopkins brought his own weapon to his shoulder ron fired. True to the aim, the bullet crashed through the assassin’s brain, and he fell head- long to the ground. ‘TT think it was Alfredo Manzal, after all, that I wanted to see, instead of George Augus- tus,” muttered the Yankee. Thankful indeed was Hopkins at the providen- tial manner in which his own life had been spared to him. He felt that he had done right in slaying this monster, and he did not go near him to see whether any life remained in his vile body or not. His affrighted animal dashed away and continued running at headlong speed until he disappeared in the distance. By this time the day was well advanced, and Hopkins detected the omens of the storm which has been more particularly referred to else- where. His next step was to secure his horse and place him in the shed which had escaped the fire, and then he made preparations for shelter- ing himself against the approaching tempest. ow that he had made his dinner, it cannot be said that he had any particular interest in the vast multitude of sheep, whose incessant nibbling of the grass, he observed, was steadily drawing them away from him. He concluded that the dogs ought to attend to them, for the rest of that day at least, and so he gave them no further thought. . When the storm did come, it harmed neither Ephraim Hopkins nor his horse. He smoked his pipe for a long time, and then quietly slept through the remainder of the night. On the following day he lived on choice lamb, and was in quite good spirits, He was consider- ably shaken in the afternoon by the sight of a party of Indians in the distance, but they soon disappeared, and he was left alone again. The following day, just as he had begun to grow uneasy at the continued absence of his friends, they came in sight, and shortly after gathered around him. CHAPTER XIV. “ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL,” EMILIA NEGRETE and Alfia Navarro were cousins, who came from Spain to Texas some- thing over forty years ago, and settled in Gal- veston. Both were immensely wealthy, and strongly attached to each other, but they were very unlike in disposition, the former being dis- sipated and strongly addicted to gambling while the latter was a student, with refined anc intellectual tastes, rather inclined to sclitude, and never so happy’as in the bosom of his own family. A few years after the arrival of the cousins in America, the wife of Navarro died, leaving be- hind her q single child, Josepha, who has already been introduced to the reader. After this sad event, the father devoted himself entirely to the education of his daughter, and they were hardly absent from each other’s sight until he was re- moved by death, when Josepha was about fifteen years of age. This blow nearly killed the affectionate child; but she aroused at last, to find that she was left alone in the world, with an immense fortune, safely invested, and only awaiting her maturity to come into her hands, with a few friends, none of whom could ever take the place of the cher- ished parent she had lost. The natural consequences of his evil courses followed Emilia Negrete. His fortune soon passed from his hands, and he became entirely dependent upon chance, and whatever his cousin chose to give him. His applications were never refused, and so long as Navarro lived, Negrete never suffered for money. But with his death camea change. He was too proud to ask of the daughter what he had, un- abashed, claimed of the father; but his evil heart at once concocted a scheme by which he hoped to gain all and more than he had lost, Comanche Dick, and His Three Invincibles. \ ’ Could he secure the hand of Josepha, as a con- sequence her fortune would go with her—and so he set himself to work, by every art of which he was master, to gain her heart and secure her rich inheritance. He probably would have succeeded, had not a troublesome third party appeared upon the scene in the shape of Walter Middleton, The meeting between the young couple was quite ro+ mantic, and of such a nature as to make a Jast- ing impression upon both. Love rapidly grew and strengthened between them, and all seemed going well; but Negrete, although baffled in one direction, did not de- spair. It was plain that if Josepha should die, her property would revert to him, as next of kin; so he plotted against her life. He had not the hardihood to attempt it him- self; but in such a country as Texas, where out- laws and criminals of every degree have found a refuge from the pursuit of justice, there were not wanting men who, for a price, were ready to perform the deed. A year or so after the meeting of Middleton and Josepha, and after they were plighted to each other, be sailed north to make his farewell visit home, for the purpose of returning, mar- rying his betrothed, and settling down perma- nently in Galveston. The vessel upon which he sailed was wrecked; but he and most of the passengers were saved, Negrete carried the news to Josepha, and stated that he and several others were lost. Josepha, who had no suspicion of his baseness, believed him, and again it seemed as if she would lie down and die from her overwhelming grief. Now was Negrete’s time. After a while he versuaded her to make a visit to an uncle in Santa Fe, who had been dead several years, but who, by means of forged letters, was made to appear extremely solicitous of a visit from his adored niece. The journey was quite dangerous, but she was given a powerful escort, which was placed under the direction of Alfredo Manzal, a villain of the deepest dye, who agreed, for the sum of five hundred dollars in gold, to bring back the girl’s scalp to Negrete, which was to be the evi- dence that she had been put out of the way. The plan well-nigh succeeded. When they were so far removed from civilization as to place her entirely in his power, Manzal revealed the whole conspiracy to her, and then attempted to put it into execution. But hisown men were at- tacked and massacred by a party of Comanches, who in turn were driven off by Ccenasehe Dick and his followers, The villain Manzal revived, and made his wa back to Galveston, where heclaimed his reward; but Negrete would not give it until he produc indisputable evidence of the death of Josepha. So the assassin returned again to New Mexico, and affiliated with the Comanches for the purpose of accomplishing his ends. Ourreaders already understand enough of his actions here to make further reference to him unnecessary, When it became known that Ephraim Hopkins had really slain the evil spirit of the whole busi- ness, he became a hero, even in the eyes of Com- anche Dick and his hunters, The former made him a handsome present in mopey—mcre porta- ble and valuable than half bis flock of shee would have been—and the four hunters escorte Middleton, Josepha and the Yankee through Texas, and did not leave them until all danger was passed, The parting between Josepha and her adopted father and mother was very affecting, and brought tears to the eyes of all. The four hun- ters and the lady continued to wave their fare- wells as long as they continued in sight. Comanche Dick rebuilt his hacienda, where he and his friends remained till the breaking out of the Mexican war, when they joined in that strug- ele with the same vim and vigor that always characterized them, Black George fell on the hights of Chapultepec, and Long Eph sunk never to rise again after the bloody day at Resaca de la Palma, : Jake Jaggleton and Dick settled in Santa Fe, where, at last advices, they were stil] living. Upon Walter Middleton’s return with Josepha to Galveston, Emilia Negrete hastily fled, and was never heard of them afterward. Ephraim Hopkins established himseif as a suc- cessful merchant in the metropolis of the Lone Star State, and our hero and heroine set- tled down into that happiest of all mortal states —that of marriage; andthe money so ‘safely husbanded by the careful hand of Alfie Navarro was never squandered or misapplied by either his daughter or her husband. THE END,