Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 525 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

* Ah, Injun, Mars’ Henry am gone.” class from their looks and style of conversation, | tend ter tell, ef I dies for it.” * **Where gone?” Upon his return to the ranch with Red Wolf, ‘* Waal, Sim, all we kin do is ter kill ther nig- Scraps simply pointed his hand up toward the | Scraps saw these two men seated in front of the | ger and ther Injun and live here ourselves. \ skies. little cabin, while their horses, ready saddled, ‘“‘This are a good ranch, the critters is fu’st- % ‘Gone happy bunting-grounds?”’ and the | were grazing near, ready for use if needed. class, and it jist suits our blood.” Indian spoke with real feeling. Out upon the prairie the cattle and mustangs ‘*Come here, Nick,” and Sim Lucas led the ““Yes, Injun, Mars’ Henry is dead; but hab | of the young ranchero were feeding, and under | way out of the cabin, you anything to eat about your clothes, for 1 | the eyes of the two cowboys, “Waal?” talk better when [ hain’t so empty: it makes ‘‘ Waal, Scraps, whar in thunder is the boss?” ‘¢ We kin jist sail around the kentry, git a few my voice sound like a base drum?” asked Nick Rawlings, one of the cowboys, and | cowboys together, tell ’em ther nigger and ther ‘Eat then,” and the Comanche pointed to the | a tall, gaunt fellow, with the strength of an ox. | Injun bas kilt pard Henry, and then they'll p horse of the balf-breed hitched near, ‘* Mister Nick, and you Mister Sim Lucas, my | string ’»m up. 3 ““Ah! and I’ve gota horse too, a real good | poor marster is dead,” said Scraps, sadly. ‘* Arter mney hes done so, we kin easy find that 4 mustang, and all for only killin’ that yaller The two cowboys sprung to their feet in sur- | box, which I hev seen Pard Henry looking inter ree varmint; and Scraps quickly went to the balf- | prise, and Nick Rawlings cried: often, and we'll jist own this ranch, you bet.” breed’s horse and was soon devouring a piece of ‘Dead! Is Pard Henry dead?” “THs a go, Sim, so you git the cowboys ter ; jerked buffalo-meat and a pone of corn-bread, ‘Yas, Mister Rawlings, he am dead and | come, while I watches ther murderers,” was the ; eating with an eagerness that showed how hun- | buried, for I dug his grave,” and then Scraps | ready response. | - gry he was. | went on to tell the sad story as the reader knows J ‘ ‘. In the mean time the mae yey took oor en ork ; CHAPTER VIII, ' body of the outlaw all that was useful, an e two cowboys seemed greatly impressed, { hatided “over the weapons and things to Scraps, | and walked apart and talked SLopetlier tor quite Tee, 2 WO BUCUTS, who said: awhile. Art the time that Scraps and his young master _**Now these do come in well; but whar did Then they returned to where the negro and | were “ jumped” by the Comanches, and had to they cotch yer, Red Wolf?” Indian were standing, and Nick Rawlings | fly for their lives, two horsemen were making a ** Over on prairie in motte, said: flank movement, to avoid the band of Indians, “4 ‘* Was on trail, and threw lariat on me.” ‘Scraps, I’m awful sorry about yer master, | which they had sighted from a distance, creep- ~ : ‘*T see, and dey jist had you sa’ti’n dere. but as I knews all about what he wanted done | ing upon, as they suppose, a herd of buffalo or ** Waal, what yer gwine ter do now,” ef he got kilt, [ll just take holt, and bein’ as he | deer. “* Anything.” pe He owes me considerable money, TP’ll hold on to When the Comanches started in full cry after 5 ‘*S’pose we be friends and you go to ranch | ther ranch and ther critters ontil ther estate are | the fugitives, the two horsemen referred to stop- wid me, now Mars’ Henry am gone? settled up for the nighest of his kin,” ped short and looked at each other, “Heap glad to go!” “Mister Rawlings, Mars’ Henry left me words They were Night Hawk and Broncho Bill : “Then we is tixed. as ter what ter do with what he leaves behind | Powell. ) “Now let’s go and I’]] show you whar Mars’ | him, and thar is a box. as has his papers in it to They were at the time on a scout, to make a i . Henry am buried, and then we'll stay ober in | show for it, and other things I is ter look arter, | report to the commandant of a fort, who was — ty 4 de cabin into the motte to-night, and strike | besides consider’ble gold.” meditating a move against the red-skins with all out to-morrow for Ranchero’s Rest, as my “Give me the box then, Scraps.” the foree at his command, ‘ poor marster called our home in de pararies.” ‘*No sah, I keeps de box, for I has a duty to Raising a_field-glass which he carried to his -So saying Scraps mounted the half-breed’s pore for my dead master, and I knows that | eyes, Night Hawk took a long survey of the al +? horse, and the Comanche springing upon his e only owed you and Mister Sim Lucas one | fugitives, and then of the Indians. . own mustang, the two set off together, leaving month’s pay, when if am due on ther fu’st 0’ One 1s a white man, Will, the other a negro, — dead body as the negro expressed: ther month, which are several days off yit, sah. | and they are well mounted, though their horses _ “To p’izen coyotes with.” | ‘** But Pil pay you that, gemman.” seem a trifle faggea.” ‘ , . ——_ ‘‘ He owes me a very largesum, nigger, which | ‘‘ They must be that young ranchero and his — | - 4 CHAPTER VII. T loaned him.” negro servant we bave heard about, living down a ae USURPERS, ‘‘Why did he borrer money from you, sah, | near the river,” replied Broncho Bill. . ¢ mT P Ir was several days before Scraps and the | when he had a neat little sum in de box?” ‘‘ Doubtless: but there are seventeen Indians — ; Qndian chief arrived at the Ranchero’s Rest, Nick Rawlings’s face wore an ugly look, but | in the party.” re | the home of the unfortunate young man who | Sim Lucas made a sign to him to restrain his ‘Tf we could only have been nearer the fugi- — A had sought an abiding-place upon the Texas | temper, and so he asked: tives than the Indians, we four could have stood — Ay |. + dorder. A . ‘And what do you intend to do, Scraps?” them off,” re ; | | -—- They had gone by Red Wolf's cabin, some ‘‘ Mars’ told me, sah, to stay here on de ranch, “Ves, and as it is, Will, I think we can help | bag Se ho score of miles distant from Ranchero’s Rest, for | and ’tend ter certain matters for bim.” them,” . ba) ba the Indian to get his traps and carry them ‘Well, did he speak of Sim and me?” ‘ Wollow the reds?” | -with him to his new home, for a warm friend- “No sub, and I'll pay yer what are due yer, “Yes,” - ‘i ship rung up between the chief and | and then 1 guess me PER ther Injun kin Pot ‘They haven’t seen us?” o re _ Scraps and they had decided to be allies for life. | arter ther cattle and bronchos, gewmen,” No,” i ha. eames” The young ranchero had brought with him Again Nick Rawlings was about to bresk out “Tm ready,” ——s to, ‘Texas @ snug sum of money, and had in- | into 4 passion, but was restraincd by Sim Lucas, | “ Well, we will see what we can do to help | 7 ay _- vested it in cattle and mus!angs. who said: them,” Fr in He had a complete outfit for bimself and “ That’s oll squar’, pard, and Scraps hes ter 5o saying, the two scouts started off in a ar. ) = “ Se aps and had carried all our to the spot he | do as he are told, sweeping gallop in chase of the Indians, 0 apt: had selected as his bome in on xsmbulance which ‘You will hev ter lose yer money thet Pard The situation was as follows; ( iy ts > henge del £ ie 1ad purchased. : Henry owed yer, but we kin git our wages, andg “lhe surprised party had been camping upon a a a Several cowbvys whom he had hired, had | then we'll go; but we'll help yer out, Scraps, on* | Small stream for dinner and rest, ae milo — e . «7 7 - a . / : — + . ‘ ia ; ‘ an ee oy tte Brothers in Buckskin, —_ SP gg ie PADRE IS eS note = The Mexican seemed accustomed to surprises, for in an instant, without stopping to see from whence had come the shot, or how many his foes, he bounded to the side of his horse, threw himself in his saddle and drove his Mexican spurs deep into the flanks of the animal. As the mustang, with an angry snort, dashed gisint a shot whistled by the Mexican’s head with a nearness that was very uncomfortable. As fast as his horse could carry bim the Mexi- can sped over the prairie, while out from his re- treat came Scraps, revolver in band. ‘* Hallo, Red Wolf, | is glad to see you,” said the negro as he advanced, But he stopped suddenly and glanced down at the half-breed. ** Let me see if dis gemman is dead, sah, afore T shakes hands wid you. a Yas, he were bit right whar I aim, in de head, ‘* Now, Red Wolf, I oncommon glad to see ou,” and Scraps hastily freed the Indian of his nds and grasped his hand, “Red Wolf much glad too, ‘‘ Black Face save Red Wolf’s life—he heap good friend. ‘““Where white chief?” said the Comanche with quiet dignity, which had not been dis- turbed even in his greatest danger. by two cowboys in the employ of the ran-| mischief, and he knew that there was nearly a chero. thou-and dollars of gold and some important With a comfortable room to dwell in, Scraps a | papers in the box, good cook, and plenty of provisions, a number ut Nick and Sim kept an eye Bpon him, and of books, his guitar, horses, firearms, dogs, and | one of them was constantly with him, cattle, the young ranchero had taken life easily, They asked him to go with them to drive up though upon his career a shadow had fallen, and ; the cattle when night came on, and in the next he seemed to care never again to go back to the | twenty-four hours neither the Indian or the scenes of civilization, which he had been so well nAgrO could get out of their sight. suited to adorn, for he had graduated high in his hen the second night came, and after having class as a West Point cadet, and as a lieutenant | gone to bed both Scraps and Red Wolf were of cavalry had already won fame upon the | surprised by being awakened by a revolver frontier, when suddenly he had resigned his | shoved in their faces, commission, giving no reason for so doing, and Their weapons had been removed, and, wholly returning to Alabama, had sold his old home, | at the mercy of the two cowboys, from whom and sought a retreat in the wilds of Texas, the | they bad not expected real treachery, they were faithful Scraps following his fortunes into his | compelled to submit, and while Nick Rawlings self-imposed exile. covered them with a revolver in each hand, Sim lt was while on an extended hunt with | Lucas securely bound them. Scraps that they had been surprised by Coman- ‘‘Now, nigger, 1 wants yer ter give us thet ches, and the race for life had begun, which had | box, and durned quick,” said Rawlings. ended so sadly in the motte, ‘** Boss, I hain’t a-gwine ter do it.” The two cowboys who had been left in charge ‘* You is dead meat ef yer don’t,” of the ranch, the young ranchero knew nothing ‘* No, sah, P’ll die afore I goes back on my about, dead marster, and you'll find I hain’t got no He had employed them to look after his cattle, | chicken heart, ef niggers does love chicken and they had attended to their duties well, | meat,” was the plucky response. though they were by no means companionable ‘* Make the Injun tell, Nick,” said Lucas, _ to him, and ae i to be of the desperado ‘* He don’t know; but I does, and I doesn’t in- Te en ee en — yo | a nek iriven his cattle out for him and then had distant the band of Indians had been watching helped to build his cabin, which was a structure ene the m from a rise in the prairie, o their of three rooms and strong as a log fort. an in the least. scouts having discovered them and med “¢ _ and upon the banks of small stream. | he could em off, and so decided to | & “ _ In the rear was a stockade whe cattle, | put up with matters as they were 1 the end The two scouts been riding - ‘ia several hundred in pumbe t re corraled at | of the month, which would be three dayslonger. | ward the Indians, when, ascending _ Susp ail of danger, but which at other times | He dared not go to the hiding-place of the tin | prairie, they had cautiously looked ove id at J ‘were wed to run on the prairies, guarded | box, for he was half afraid the two men meant | once had discovered their foes. — , a ¥ : , : > ; ; y , ‘ ys rR un ia toot fa, RR Nani Ss capt Ty | , . | x Nu _ eee - = 4 . .. . a wns & a Terie Wat ~~ ~~ EQMICDOC Q r ri rT “ ans i is = a + i el i