Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 523 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

2 -_ at es 8 ee ee Ome - — ee The Dandy Sport. an ee ee — - = -— ty A scene wild and picturesque it was; far, far | wrapped in his cigarettes and contemplation of up on eitber side towered the rugged walls of | the grand and beauteous mountain scenery. the canyon, upon which fell the slanting rays of | On rattled the stage through the gathering the descending summer sun, At one side of the | shadows. Rocky Tom had imbibed just enough guich yawnec a chasm, from the depths of | of the ardent to make him reckless, and he which the murmur of swiftly flowing water was | urged on his three-in-hand with whip and voice faintly audible; beside the abyss ran the rude | until the canyon rung. mountain trail, so narrow at places that it | The road was a perilous one to traverse under seemetd but a mere bridle-path upon the side of |; the most favorable circumstances; to guide a the precipice, | coach in perfect safety required a cool head Along this pemlous way, rapidly drawn by ; and a steady hand. Small wonder, then, that taree powerful horses, moved a ponderous stage- | the frightened passengers, realizing the tipsy coach. Perched on the lotty driver’s seat, a | condition of their driver, heartily wished them- stal..art, roughly-clad mountaineer guided his | selves safe at their destination. flying animals; urging them on with whip and Of the three, the dude on the box was the Voice. : coolest. Seemingly unconscious of the danger, vom his maudlin speech and reckless driving, ; tbe puffed serenely at his ‘‘ Old Judge,” much to it was plain that Rocky Tom had indulged in { the disgust of the Jehu, who bad anticipated more “‘ tanglefoot ” than was good for bim; and | considerable amusement at his expense. this fact had not failed to impress itself upon However, as the stage reached the dismal the three passengers who bad intrusted them- | chasm that rejoiced in the fitting title of Satan’s selves to the guidance of the dare-devil Jehu. Kettle, and the trail narrowed until the wueels Two of the number, without doubt compan- | of the vehicle seemed to dance upon the very ions, sat within the vehicle. brink of the abyss, the young man might have On® was a man of fifty, with a strong and | been seen to glance nervously about as if awak- massive frame and the air of one used to com- | ening to a true sense of the situation. mand; he wore a heavy beard; and a pair of Rocky Tom, on the alert for some sign of sharp eyes twinkled from under shaggy brows, | weakening, was quick to observe it, and a grin while his features denoted great energy and | stole over his face. shrewdness, hampered by but very few conscien- ‘‘Ther ninny hez got more grit than I give tious scruples. him credit for, but he’s a-beginnin’ ter crawfish,” Just the reverse in appearance was the young | he muttered, and then deliberately guided the lady ‘vho sat by his side. coach over a spur of rock that he might easily Scarcely twenty, lithe and graceful as a fairy, | have avoided. ! she was a fitting subject for the artist’s pencil. There was a terrific jolt—a jar that nearly Her features were perfection itself, her azure | jerked the rickety concern to pieces, followed eyes sparkled like twin stars, while a wealth of | from the interior by a feminine shriek of ter- golden hair formed a fitting crown for a face so | ror. fair. Then, for the first time during the journey, Tue last of the trio, who is deserving of more | the thoughts of the Dandy Sport found utter- than passing notice, sat upon the seat beside the | ance. driver; yet, had his position been less conspicu- ‘‘Il say, my good fellow,” he began, quietly, ous, such was this passenger's appearance that | ‘“‘ will you be kind enough to exercise a litile he would attract attention anywhere, more care and judgment? It’s deucedly unpleas- He was a young man, apparently, of | ant fora chap to have the breath jolted out of three-and-twenty. He was slightly above the | his body at every step, and, besides, there is the metium hight, and possessed a figure that, | liability of landing us all the bottom of yonder tsough frail and slender, gave promise of con- siderable strength and activity, iiis face, slightly pale, was by no means un- handsome, while his dark eyes flashed with the light of intelligence and good nature. His hair wax dark and wavy, and his upper lip supported a dainty mustache carefully wax to a point. Taare was nothing remarkable about the form or feasures of the youth; it was his habiliments that had excited the curiosity and admiration of the residents at the station where he had boarded the coach for Canyon City. He wore a swallow-tail coat of faultless fit; a satin vest as immaculate as the driven snow; a pair of pantaloons of gorgeous pattern, so tight that it seemed almost a miracle how the wearer had ever managed to get inside of them: a light hat of latest style rested upon his wavy locks; jJavender gloves incased his hands, small and delicate as &@ woman’s,. and his patent leather shoes were polished until they shone like a mirror; a gaudy neck-tie, spotless cuffs and a collar of enormous widta went to complete the attire of this traveling phenomenon. A heavy gold charm dangled from his fob, while from his bosom a diamond sparkled with wondrous brilliancy. In short, he was a genu- ine specimen of the genus clude, and as he sailed He spoke quietly but firmly, and his speech along upon his lofty perch, twirling asilver- | had much the same effect upon the driver as headed cane in his dainty fingers, as he pnffed | would a scarlet rag upon a rampant bovine, janguidly at a cigarette, his appearance was | With an angry roar that might have been gorgeous in the extreme. heard a mile, Rocky Tom arose in bis might, Such a spectacle was by no means common in | towering above the other, a veritable mountain that wild region, and when the dandy had | of strength. climbed onto the coach at Jump-off Station,” | ‘*Durn my eyes, yer ‘tarnal monkey,” he ‘‘soas to get the fresh air and enjoy the beautiful | howled, as he elevated one ponderous fist, “ ll sccnery, doncher know,” surly Rocky Tom bad | —[’]]—” expressed his opiniun of him in language more | Rocky Tom stopped abruptly, for the Dandy _ forcible than polite. had made a single lhghtning-like movement of ** Darn my old trowsers, but things hev cum | his arnj, and the dumfounded Jehu now found to a pretty pass when sich specimens as this air himself glaring into the frowning tube of a allowed to roam ’round unconfined, It beats | seven-shooter. me all holler ter see what earthly use they kin Where the weapon Came from was a mystery ; be, onless,” as a brilliant idea struck him, ‘they | but there it was, small and dainty, yet looking kin be used by er tailor fur a walkin’ sign, er else | just as dangerous as the heaviest ** six.” sot up fer a target in a shootin’-gallery, I'd ‘*Stop your horses instantly, or I'll scatter give an Ounce er dust jest fer one shot at ther | whatever brains you may have.” critter myself. Ugh! If be dares ter bother Sharp and resolute came the voice of tho me with his infernal stuck-uppishness, [ll chuck | young traveler, and as the Jehu looked into the him inter Satan’s Kettle, cane, collar an’all. | pair of flashing eyes that backed the glittering ang me fer a Dutchman if I don’t!” | tube, he felt that the kid-zlove sport was not so However, the belligerent Jehu was spared any | soft as he looked. cause for such energetic action, for the dandi- But whether or no the reckless driver would fled traveler who was evidently of a quiet and | have obeyed the order wil} never be known, for peaceable disposition, never Once vouchsafed a’| at that moment an incident occurred that com- remark to his companion, seeming totally ‘ pletely upset the calculations of all concerned. chasm, don’t you know.” At this speech, Rocky Tom sat for an instant as if paralyzed, then giving vent to his feelings with aloud guffaw, as he turned his face toward that of the audacious youth. ‘* Look a-hyar, young feller,” he growled, savagely, *‘ lemme give yerap’inter. I'd advise yer to bottle up yer chin-music fer futur’ use, fer ’m Rocky Tom, ther high-cock-o-lorum of ther Canyon City trail, an’ I don’t ailow no half- rowed idiot in store clo’se ter dictate ter me. ’m a-runnin’ this hyar hearse, an’ she’s got ter go through on time if I bu’st therhull outfit. If yer don’t like my style o’ progression, yer kin git out an’ walk. Yer never would be mi sed!” The belligerent Jehu expected that the re- cipient of this advice would immediately go into his boots, but, on the contrary, his words did not seem to intimidate the dude in the least. Instead, his dark eyes flashed, and a sarcastic smile played about his boyish lips, ‘¢ Your advice is right to the point, my friend, but I must decline to accept it. On the other hand, I insist on your taking mine, not know enough to exercise due cavtion, es- pecially when the life of a lady depends upon you, then it is time you were taught. Now, drive slower, if you please.” If you do | OO _— In his eagerness to annibil his enemy, ' Rocky T'om had left his team to fake care of it- self. Suddenly the leader stumbled, the others followed, and in less time than it takes to tell it, coach and borses were lying in a coniused heap _at the very brink of the chasm, while the air | was filled with the neighing of steeds and agonized human cries, | Four persons sprung simultaneously from the over aaa vehicle in a despeiate scramble for safety. ‘Lhe Dandy, with cane in one hand and pistol in the other, alighted upon his feet with the agility of an acrobat; but when he turned about, but one of his companion: was in sight. It was the inside passenger, who had made his way out with an alacrity that was remarkable for one of his years, Rocky Tom, howling in mortal terror, had gone whirling down into the dismal de ths of | Satan’s Kettle, to a doom brought upon himself by his own recklessness, | | The young lady had also disappeared, and as the Dandy noted this, he rushed forward with a cry of alarm. ‘The young lady—where is she?” he breath- | lessly demanded. ‘* Quick, man, have you seen her?” The gentleman shuddered. ‘* Alas!” he gasped, greatly agitated. ‘1 was about to assist her from the coach, when, crazy | with fear, she sprung through the window on | the opposite side. I fear she has gone over the | precipice.” The youth darted to the brink, and, throwing himself upon the earth, peered into the dismal depths. Instantly a glad ery escaped his lips, About twenty feet below the surface, his quick eve caught sigbt of a white object which he, im- mediately recognized as being the light-colored outer garment worn by the missing girl. . By a strange interposition of ever-watcbful Providence, the young lady’s fall had been ar- rested by some indistinguishable object; and she now hung as if supported in mid-air, in plain | view of those above. | Was she dead or living? | ing unuttered through the minds of the two men | was speedily answered by a low moan that came | floating upward to their listening ears. | ‘Thank Heaven! she is alive!” murmured the traveler, fervently. 4 ‘* Yes: but perbaps seriously injured,” return- ed the Dandy. ‘‘ We must lose no time In res- | cuing her from her present position.” | ——— — This question, flash- While en route, he had observed a lariat, among other articles, lying in the ‘* box,” and procuring this, he proceeded to make the cord fast to a convenient spur of rock, while the other end he knotted firmly around his waist. ‘Now, then, lower me over,” he commanded, throwing off his hat and swallow-tail. ‘“* When _ you hear me whistle, you may know that I have her safe. Then banl away for dear hfe.” The rescuer was quickly lowered over the dizzy brink—down steadily, incl by inch, until at last the bold youth found himself dangling beside’ the motionless form, upon a narrow ledge where a hardy shrub had thriven, spreading its sturdy branches outward in various directions; and upon these the falling form of the girl had alighted and remained. At once he grasped the inanimate form in bis strong arms, and gave the signal to hoist away. strength, and soon the two were safely landed upon the rocks, . To restore the rescued one to consciousness was the next act, and while the young man chafed her hands and brow, his companion pro- duced a flask of brandy, a liberal dose of which helped considerably to bring about the desired effect, Examination showed that, beyond a number of scratches and slight bruises, the young lady had escaped injury; indeed, she declared her ability to continue the journey without further delay. The Dandy now made haste to ascertain the condition of the coach and horses, The former and two of the latter were comparatively upin- jured, but the leader lay upon the ground with a broken leg, A bullet through the head soon put an end to his misery, aad then the two men went to work to right the overturned vehicle. This, an exceedingly difficult task, was suc- cessfully accomplished, and everything was put in readiness tO resume the journey. ‘‘Now,” said the Dandy, When all was com- plete, “‘ if you will have the goodness to resume your seats, I will try my band at the reins, Pm rather green at the business, 1 fear, but will do | The man above pulled with all his great | | co books C co