Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 5 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

Vagabond Joe. 9 rotted away upon one side near the bottom, it had fallen, and lodging in another tree, now lay atan angle of about forty-five degrees. Seeing the great hole in the side near the root of the fallen monarch, Joe exclaimed: “That'll make a spankin’ chimney for a fire- place, so here goes.” He rolled up ball after ball of the damp snow large as he could lift. These he arranged in lines in the shape of a hollow square so that the open end of the hollow tree would come on the inside. He made other balls, compact as possi- ble, and piled them up on this foundation, He laid up tier after tier of the erystal blocks until he raised a wall four feet high. He then cut some long slender sticks and laid them across the top, and upon these he spread two blankets —completely roofing over his little snow struc- ture. He hung another blanket over the door- way or entrance, and his house was completed; but not quite ready for occupation. Creeping inside he carefully rolled and scra all the snow from the floor and threw it outside. This was accomplished very satisfactorily, for a thick layer of leaves underneath enabled him to l bor ice and crust from the ground without diffi- culty. To keep up the spirits of the pretty fugitive Joe whistled softly and merrily as he worked away. She knew not what he was doing, for her face was covered; but it seemed as though she had been seated there for hours when she was at length aroused from her mental agony by the voice of the youth saying: ** Now, then, Miss Graceful, if you’ll rise I’ll escort you into the Crystal Palace.” He lifted the blanket from about her head and form and shook off the snow. Then he took Grace by the hand and leading her to the snow- hut, drew aside the blanket that covered the entrance, A cry of surprise and delight burst from the girl’s lips. The ruddy glow of a fire on the inside flashed brigbtly out into the night and storm. race Manville entered the novel little struc- ture, her sad heart gathering courage from the sight and influence of the cheerful glow of the fire. The light reflected by the white walls lit up the apartment with a dazzling splendor. She fended around her with surprise written — 1er fair face, and a smile hovering around her lips. She saw that walls of sparkling snow were upon all sides; and blankets stretched across the top and supported by sticks, an- swered the purpose of a roof. The open end of a reclining tree, she perceived, answered the purpose of a chimney, and the ground the pur- pose of a hearth. A cheery little fire was al- ready burning thereon—the smoke dancing off up the tree. ‘“‘Is this what you have been doing for me, Joe?” the maiden asked in rise, ‘‘T’m pleased to say it is, Graceful,” he TOSI with a smile and a look of manly pride. ‘‘Oh, you are certainly a little hero, Joe! I begin to think that a snow-storm is your ele- ment. Why, this is a bs sure enough! Iam rised, delighted.” ‘* That’s it, e y—that’s what I wanted to do, for I was bound and determined you shouldn’t suffer, Miss Graceful,” Joe replied, carpeting the floor with a blanket. ‘ ee a —e he did angen pe pts the an , and spreading robes and jaguar- skin upon it, invited his to be seated. ‘‘Thank you,” she said, accepting the seat. ‘‘T do hope, Joe, you will put yourself to no at aoe trou le for me to-night. You must be ati » ‘Great mollyhorns! this is fun for me, Miss Graceful,” ‘*Then you must be a storm-spirit, Joe,” she declared; ‘* but I would think the heat of your fire would melt down your walls.” ‘Oh, no; not a bit of it, Graceful. Me and an old hunter lived six weeks once in a snow- house snug as b’ars ina holler snag. After the storm covers the palace over, and stops 8 all the cracks and Fr cg, Sais warm in here without a fire, if you keep well bundled up. But then we'll keep a little along for light; and to drive the blues out of one’s feelings. A cheer- ful light’s a wonderful , Miss Graceful. Many and many’s the t l’ve set alone for hours watchin’ the fire. 1 could see most any- thing in the flames; and I were felt better after holding a mental concert with the people, dogs and deer that my fancy figured out in the es. ‘* You're an idealist, Joe;” and Grace gave a smile of admiration. ‘‘ You are a poet as well as a hunter and trapper.” Joe accepted the compliment with thanks, al- though he was in some doubt as to what an idealist was. Presently, he rose tohis feet and d: ‘I b’lieve Pll run out and gather up some more fuel to do through the night; then we will make arrangements for the morrow, providin’ it isn’t stormin’. It can’t be sich an awful while till day now.” He lifted the blanket over the door and passed out, carefully closing the way afterhim. Grace Manville now found herself alone, and a feeli of gratitude for her deliverance from Cudmore’s power filling her breast, she fell upon her knees, and clasping her hands together, lifted her voice to Heaven in pray er. Deep and fervent were the thanks she offered up for her escape from the hands of her enemies. She implored God’s protection of the brave little Joe and herself, and asked for strength and courage to carry them beyond the dangers that beset them upon all sides. As if in mockery of her prayers, a prolonged and unearthly scream that chilled the blood in her veins and sent an icy shudder to her heart, smote suddenly upon her ears—holding her there transfixed upon bended knee like a statue of humble penitence—unable to move, unable to speak CHAPTER VII. WHAT WAS IT? GRACE MANVILLE’s eyes became fixed upon the fire as though held there by some horrible fascination; for, from the earth under the flame that awful scream had seemed to issue. A min- ute, that seemed an hour of desperate agony when that choking, quivering wail urst orth again and again. The maiden saw the fire begin to dance, sputter and flash asif fed by sifted gunpowder, She heard a rushing, scrambling noise in the interval between the awful screams;and this told her from whence the dreadful sound was coming. It was from out the hollow tree up which the smoke and steam from the fire were ascending; and it was the dry, powdered dust of rotten wood on the inside, that was falling in the fire and feeding its flames. Before the terrified girl had time for a second thought, there came a sudden rush and scramble, and the next moment the lithe, agile form of an American panther shot out of the tree—scatter- ing the fire as he rushed over it—and dropped into a couchant position before her. A tingling sensation of horror shot through every nerve and vein in the girl’s body She was conscious of her danger naving y real- ized the situation at once; but, ike one in a trance, she was unable to move or unable to speak. The body refused to obey the volition of the will-power. She was held enchained by the sense of a sudden horror. Blinded by the smoke and half suffoca the ther crouched in the snow-hut, breathing ard and quick, and at the same time turning his head from side to side as if trying to accus- tom his eyes to the —s light that was re- flected from the white walls of the hut. ring forma with «, borcited, stare, apd.et ngs e orm with a ho and at len their eyes met—the maiden’s and the ther’s. The huge beast seemed to shrink as if under a magnetic shock when his scintilla orbs met those whose light was radia froma human soul. He lay stretched at full length along the earth, his white claws c into the ground, his head between his extended paws, his spotted nose quivering, and his small ears lying close to his head. For fully a minute the two eyed each other: but, gradually, the panther’s brute courage and instinctive ferocity rose, and it prepared for a leap. Its tail to the ground, and every sinew in its agile form seemed strung to its highest tension. A movement now, however slight, would be fatal to Grace Manville; and although ignorant of the fact, she never moved a muscle nor re- moved her eyes from those of the beast, A thou- sand et ix Spovants, Sted and mp ural rapidly oug @ poor girl’s mind, Her vary soul seemed to be undergoing a horrible t ormation. Strange sounds, like the rush of water, filled her ears, while her bod seemed to be sinking into a dark, unfath abyss that grew more illimitable and dark as she descended; and then, as the last ay of Hens appeared to fade above, a heavy on jarred the air and she knew no more. The ther lay a quivering mass the floor of the snow-hut, and near by lay the un- conscious form of Grace Manville. And Vagabond Joe, with a revolver in his hand, entered the snow-1 and bent over the inanimate girl. The muzzle of the weapon he held was still smoking, for it was he who had aimed the bullet that slew the panther. Carefully lifting Grace from the ground, Joe laced her upon the couch of furs: then he agged the carcass of the panther® outside, brought in an arm-load of dry limbs and twigs and depositing them at one side, sat down an watched over his insensible protegee. It was the first time Joe had ever seen a per- son swoon under any circumstances whatever; and being totally orant of any remedy to apply, even were it to be had, he could only wait and watch for nature to apply her own re- storative and release the overwrought mind from its fetters of unconsciousness. It seemed weary hours that he watched by her side; and it was with a feeling of great joy that he, at length, saw her open her eyes, gaze wildly around, and mutter incoherently. The youth endeavored to assist her in regain- ing her thoughts; but not until she had fully re- covered could he convince her that she was safe in his snow-hut. ‘‘ But the panther! where is the panther?” she exclaimed, gazing wildly around her. ‘* Deader’n a door-sail , Miss Graceful. I put a bee in the critter’s ear, and it keeled over, sprawling and quivering. No, Miss Graceful, you’re not dead by a long pop.’ “T thank God!” she exclaimed, “ though I presume it would be just as well, were I dead.” ‘Oh, gallinippers, Graceful! don’t talk that way ” Joe replied, in a gentle, reproving tone. “Tt is mornin’—broad daylight; and jist as soon as I can git us a slice of breakfast, I’m go- in’ to pike out for home after my team to e you to the settlement. I’ve got the snuggest ir of elks, Miss Graceful, you ever seen. hy, I can work them like horses, and I’ll hitch up and skip off up here in my Yankee-jumper, and then I'll take you a kitin’ down the Lizard. I know you'll enjoy it.” Grace was delighted with the boy’s earnest enthusiastic devotion in her behalf. She could not find language to ress her thanks for what he had already done for her, to say nothing of what he still proposed to do. ‘I sincerely hope, Joe, that I may be able to repay you for your kindness,” she said. _ ‘Qh, botheration take the pay, Graceful, "less it’s in good wishes and sich things, and not in money. Why, I’ve got over two hundred dol- lars now that I dont know what to do with, "less I give it to the poor, or endow a college, as Ive heard them tell about. But, Graceful, that old painter got routed outen his nest nicely, didn’t he? He couldn’t stand it, could he?—too much smoke for his paintership. Great molly- horns! didn’t it let off a rip-roarin’ scream, though! I tell you, I took the hint purty quick, and back I piked just in time to slap a b et in- to the ugly critter’s head. If you’d’a’ echinnel Miss Graceful, I ’ you’d never know what hurt you. Painters are awful savage critters; and when they go at a feller, I tell you they make the ribbons fly.” race shuddered as she thought of her narrow oceans and anxious to change the subject, she “* Joe, has it quit storming?” **No, ma’am; it’s still beltin’ it down like sixty, Miss Graceful. The snow’s two feet d now, and the good Lord only knows when itt let up. I tell you, I’m afeard there’s going to be another cee ee this one’ll be of snow instead of water. But let it come; we’ve got our ark ready, hain’t we? We'll jist stick to stal Palace, Graceful, and I'll bet we'll come out in the sp like daisies. Grace’s face litup with a smile, for she had be- gun to e of some of the youth’s hopeful spirit. Heretofore she had doubted his ability to accomplish what he had planned; but she had found that, Tue gave free rein to his tongue, and r his fancies, he left no point unguarded; i and performed with tch things that would have honored older heads and abler The lad took the rifle he had brought from camp the ~ ome previous, and went out in search of game for deer are unusually tame d the of heavy snow-storms, he had the fortune to kill a fine doe when but a short distance from camp. Securing a quar- ter of it, he hastily returned to camp. ““T never seen r so tame, Miss Graceful,” he remarked, as he entered the “Palace.” “1 didn’t go a hundred yards till I brought this fel- ler down, though ee rather shot it a mile away than so close to camp, for fear them dasted In- down this way. But now, Miss Graceful, we'll Eomic cS JOO — —— ee ere we re