Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 496 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 T’'m the guardian of that gir] yonder, whom you kidnapped from home, and I’ve come for her I’m Don Juan Mellique!” ‘*? Tis false! You are not the young woman’s ardian, nor did we kidnap her from her home. he came to us of her own free will and sought protection from your persecutions. You have no claim upon her, for she is already the wife of another man!” **Ts that so? Who is this other man?’ ‘* Richard Bristol ” “Where is he? Show him up!” ** He is not here.” ** Aha! If that girl is married, where’s her cer- tificate? Show that if you please!” **That is not possible, just now, for it is de- posited in other hands for safe-keeping!” ‘You lie, you old vagabond! Give me that certificate or Pll murder you!” ‘*T repeat, sir, [ have not got the certificate, nor is it in this house.” ** Who’s got it;then, curse ye?” **T decline to tell. Murder me if you wili, you ruffian, but neither my wife nor L willgive up the secret of the whereabouts of that certifi- cate!” ‘* Ye won't, hey! Well, bythe gods, you’re a bravo, ain’t you? But Ill clip your spurs before I’m through with you. Wake up that girl an’ tell her I want her. She belongs to me!” ‘* No! no! you shall not disturb her!” the min- ister cried, excitedly. ‘* Youcannot awaken her for she was taken very ill to-night, and the doc- tor put her under the influence of opiates. She must not be disturbed!” ** She mustn’t, hey? Well we'll see. Stand aside there, you pair of idiots!” and drawing a knife, the ruffian rushed savagely upon them. **No!no! you shall not touch her!” fairly shrieked both the minister and his wife, main- taining their position in front of the couch. ** You shall not touch the child!” But vain was their attempt to shield her. With merciless fury the Don bore down upon them, and his knife flashed swiftly through the air. Two screams of mortal agony and the min- ister and his wife fell to the floor. Quickly raising the insensible form of Nola in his arms, Don Juan turned to his com- panions: ‘Quick! now!” he ordered. ‘‘ Fire the she- bang in a dozen places, for no evidence of this crime must be left behind. Noone knows the irl was here, and we must be well away from ere ere daybreak!” The order was obeyed. ‘The house was fired in several places. Then the gang mounted and sped away through the night as fa t as their horses would carry them; and when morning dawned the Salem home was in ashes, and two shapeless, indistinguishable masses of smolder- ing flesh were left to speak of that nocturnal horror. The coroner impaneled a jury that day, and a verdict was rendered to the effect that the Sa- lems came to their death through being inciner- ated in their own house through probable care- lessness with fire, CHAPTER XII. OLD AVALANCHE PUTS IN AN APPEARANCE, EARLY evening of the day following the fire, Don Juan stood in the library of the Mellique mansion, gazing about him, inquiringly. He had just returned to the city, and had stealthily entered the house, half afraid to let his presence be known, for, guilty wretch that he was, he was now constantly haunted by a fear of impending danger to his personal safety. But, when he stood in the library, and saw not, as he had feared, the distorted face and fig- ure of Myra, lying ghastly in death before him, he drew a long breath of relief. “Ah! I did not kil! her, after all,” he mused, turning up the light, ‘*‘ Perhaps it is all the worse for me that I did not, for sheis a very | tigress, and now she will go for me in dead ear- nest. She’s got the vengeful Mellique blood in her veins, and she'll never forget the insult I put upon her. Humph! I wonder if there’s any servants left in the house?” He rung a bell communicating with the ser- vants’ quarters, and presently an old servitor of the Mellique’s made her appearance, ** Ah! olly, is that you?” the Don said. “Where is your mistress?” ** She is gone, sir.” “Gone? Gone where?” ** Sure I don’t know, sir, She did not tell me, She had a satchel when she went.” ** Did she leave any word behind for me?” “Yes, sir. She left a letter I was to give you. Pll get it.” Monte Cristo, Jr. And she retired, but soon returned with the letter, after which she quickly disappeared. Don Juan lit a cigar, and then opened the mis- sive, This was what he read: “Juan Metu que, Murderer and Monster:— ‘I leave my late father’s roof, to-day, for a time. During what time you have yet on earth, you can occupy the house if you chouse. Your days, how- ever, ere numbered. and you had better make what reparation is possible, while you have life at your command, I have taken all the money, so you will never finger that. Beware! for yeu have but a few more hours to live. A tigress is on your trail, and hell hath no fury like a woman's hate, Myra.”’ Juan tore the letter into bits, and his brow clouded darkly. ‘* Curse her!” he muttered, venomously. ‘Id rather have a dozen men to fight than her. [I must indeed be on my guard!” Just one week later, we look into the spacious bar-room of the Planter’s Hotel. It is Saturday night, consequently ‘* money ” night for many a thirsty piigrim, and the crowd assembled to sample Jim Burns’s beverages is large and varied; while in the adjoining card- room money is changing hands rapidly, among excited devotees of the game. Among those ranged along the bar, we recog- nize our veteran friend, Old Avalanche, the Great Annihilator. Evidently the old man had but recently ar- rived, for, after getting a drink, he drew awav from the bar and proceeded to ‘size up” the crowd, who were continually passing into and out of the saloon. By-and-by, he took a look in- to the card room, but, evidently, did not find the person he was looking for. Finally, he strolled into the hotel office, and found the ever genial Jim Burns there presid- ing. ‘* Be you ther chap who runs this hyer she- bang, cap’n?” the Annihilator interrogated, after scrutinizing Burns's herculean proportions. ‘Waal, yes, I allow I’m somewhat that same,” was the good-natured reply. ‘ What can Ido for you, pardner?” ‘* Well,” replied Avalanche, mebbe ye can’t do nuthin’, an’ then, ag’in, mebbe you kin. Reckon how as mebbe you've got a purty good memory fer names, eh?” ‘“* Tolerably fair. Lookin’ fer some one?” ‘‘Jes’so. Ye see, thar war a friénd o’ mine kim down hyer, long back awhile ago, in charge of a corpse, an’ as he’s most generally gittin’ himself into some tarnal deeficulty. I allowed et behooved me to take a Waltz down this way an’ see what had become of him.” “Ah! yes. Yousay he come in charge of a corpse?” ‘Yes. <A feller got salivated, up in Del Norte an’ Dickey he tuk charge o’ the stiff, an’ fetched et bum.” ‘Tt was the body of Don Jose Mellique, a gambler,” was it not?” ? Same cadaver, by ther great ham-bone, es, ‘* And your young friend’s name was Bristo]?” ‘‘Same chap—Dicky Bristol: better known up nor’, tho’, as Deadvood Dick, Junior. D’ye know ther boy, pardner?” ‘Slightly. He registered here, one night. You see, when he first came here, he put up with Don Pedro, brother. to the dead man, but finally, there was a fallin’ out of some sort, and young Don Juan challenged Bristol to fight a duel. Your friend war goin’ to sail in an’ fight without a second, but I wouldn’t hear to that, an’ so [ went along and seconded him, and—” ** Dickey got salivated!” *“Nary! He crippled Don Juan, wile Juan let fly a wild bullet an’ killed his Uncle Pedro, stone dead,” An’ bekim of ‘Great ham-bone! Dickey?” “Well, all I know is that he started, that same day, fora place in the mountains, called ‘The Turrets’—a spooky old place that was willed to him by Don_ Jose Mellique, the dead ganibler. Since then, I haven't seen hide nor hair of him. . I warned him to look out for his- self, cause ‘ The Turrets’ hev got no good shakes of a name, but he allowed he could take care of hisself.” ‘* Bet sure’s thunder he’s got inter another deefickelty,” the Annihilator declared, grimly. ** Did any One go with him?” 7 ‘Yes, a lawyer, nnmed Sykes, what came along with him, from Del Norte.” ‘* Has he showed up, yet?” ‘**Haven’t see’d him. Yer friend told me, afore he went, thet if he never came back to lay his funeral to Don Juan, the feller he fought the what eens 6 eee | duel, —_——- + duel with. Ye see, ther Don were expectin’ to inherit ‘The Turrets,” and when it leaked out that yer friend were the real heir et made the Don hoppin’ mad, Then, too, I believe thar was & woman connected wi’ the case, somehow— sort 0’ love case, ye know, an’ yer friend got the hip-holt on the Don. That’s how et come to the But, come vround in the morning, when Pve got more time, and I’ll talk with you,” end the host of the Planter’s turned away, to attend to other duties. Avalanche was about to return to the bar- room when he was approached and tapped upon the shoulder by a young man who, lounging near at hand, had been an attentive listener co the foregoing conversation—a very dandified- appearing young fellow he was, too, of below medium hight, with small, womanish features, black eyes and hair, and a graceful little mus- tache of the same color. His attire was expensive and fashionable. and his general appearance was decidedly that of a sport. ‘- Ah! beg pardon,” he said, as the Annihilator looked around, ‘* but I chanced to overhear a snatch of your conversation, and I infer that you are in search of Richard Bristol]? ‘* Thet’s ther very identereal hairpin I’m look- in’ for,” was the reply. ‘*‘ What do you know about him?” ‘* Well, not very much, I confess. I made his acquaintance when he first came to Santa Fe, and knowing it was his intention to remain here for some time, and that he has been missing for a matter of some eight days, I bave grave ap- prehensions that he has met with foul play.” ‘* Ye hev, eh?” ‘‘ Yes; but I don’t care to say too much open- ly, here. If you will take a seat in one of the stalls in the adjoining room, we will speak fur- ther to the point.” ‘*Kerect! I’m with yer, pard, fer I’m power- ful anxious consarnin’ Dickey, ’ca’se I think a heap 0’ him—by ther etarnal ham-bone, yes!” They were soon seated in one cf the stalls, with a table between them; then the dandified fellow said: ‘* Let me see; what may I call you?” ‘‘ Wal, I opine Old Avalanche aire my bandle —ther Great Injun Annihilator, an’ furst pard- ner of ther Terrific Triangle, you bet!” “Ah! 1 believe I heard Mr. Bristol mention you, in speaking of'some of his adventures.” ‘Did, hey? Wal, now, I tell ye Dickey an’ I hev bin in some almighty cluss corners, an’ that’s why I ken’t believe ther boy hev gone under now.” ** Well, I hoe he kasn’t, believe me. But the chances are that he’s 9 goner.” ** What’s yer name?” ‘Myra Mellique.” “Oho! A girl, eh?” ‘Yes, but breathe not a word of that. for, were it known, I would be in deadly peril. TI have not as yet been discovered, Ihave even met my worst enemy face to face, and he has not recognized me,” " Who is your worst enemy?” My covsin, Juan Mellique—the same party who has been the death of Deadwocd Dick, pro- viding Deadwood Dick is really dead, You see, both Dick and Juan fell in love with my foster- sister, and she ran away, 2s I suppose, with Dick, and possibly they were married, I think that perhaps Dick tock her te ‘ The Turrets,’ for he went there after the duel. At any rate, I believe Nola is a prisoner in Juan's power at ‘The Turrets,’ and if Dick is alive. no doubt he is a prisoner there, too, ‘**Don Juan has been absent from town sev- eral times duri. g the past week, ard I place no other construction on his absence than that he has been to ‘ The Turrets,’ ‘*T have taken it upon myself to reconnciter, and find that every available avenue of are ach to the place is guarced by men whom I helieve to be in Don Juan's employ. Therefore I argue that Don is guarding something, and what more srobable than that it is Nola, or Dick, cr rer- berm hoth?” “Ye'r’ right!” the Annihi'ator Ceclared, ‘ T)] beta hen ag’in’ a hump-backed Fog yer’ right. An’ ef my pard Dickey or his Jadylove is in any such a scrape as that, why ther Terrific Triangle aire goin’ ter sail in, tooth and toe-nail, to git em out!” ** And I’m with you! I want {osce them out of trouble: then for my revenge on Juan Mel- lique, and. the recovery Of My Yights! But we shall bave to play our cards sharp, old man, to win. It will take all our ingenuity to get past the guards, and into the old chatean. » And. even then, we may not be able to find those we search for, for the old place is said to be a very r