Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 560 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

LACIE SiGe te ee 2 95 o> hates bei a Faeiake 85 Gui h Fae Oe: eee He Ss She a ty : i shel Sait, er) een WREST a nee: a rae En ee THEE As Fo eee ee “fe 3 aie Pawnee Bill, the Prairie Shadower. | f | af Ate, Zs I Quickly the brave youth lightedalampand| At length he dropped into a deep sleep. | which you had been ciphering ows the oombina- | wa gazed around him, When he awoke'day was breaking, and his | tion of the safe, : re * ani _A prostrate form near the door leading into | head seemed fairly splitting open, it ached so. ‘*Nojone else than you, sir, are guilty, so I 5 fag the bank, told him that one of the men was “What a nightmare I had last night,” he | beg you to accept my clemency and go, for if 1 dead. said, and after an effort he arose, you remain here you shall go to prison. 10 Hastily he dressed, and then going to the Suddenly his eyes fell upon something on the ** Go, sir!” bee bank’s outer door, the one leading upon the | floor. Gordon tried in vain to speak, rc street, gave the loud shrill whistle of alarm, — It was a letter, and he picked it up. His heart and brain were full to overflowing, i It was vot long before two watchmen came, What he read by the early light of breaking | and he glanced appealingly toward the young | wo They had heard no firing, as it had been with- | day seemed to surprise him. cashier. mi AN £ in doors, and there were few people dwelling itis face paled and flushed, and he hastened to But the latter said: ce sah rev near the bank to arouse, dress himself, though he need not have gotten ‘‘For the sake of your good service in the } RY me They at once gave another signal of alarm | up for a couple of hours. past, Lillie, my father will not prosecute you, Pi ay, + and in a short while half a dozen men were at He walked about the streets for awhile, and | unless you drive him to it. ve han me dev thebank, _ then went to the depot to meet the incoming ‘‘Tt is known that you have been dissipated ar, of The man in Gordon Leslie’s room was found | train. of late, have gambled and lost heavily), and rt twe to be dead, and the bullet-shattered bed showed On that train Andrew Rolston was expected, | took the money to cover up your tracks. . £ that there had been a bot fire upon the brave | for he had been to a neighboring town since the ‘“But go, for my father is merciful, and does can youth, who fortunately was unhurt. Saturday before. not wish to send you to prison, and we will me} Descending to the yard with lanterns, the “Let us walk up, Mr. Rolston, for I have | keep the robbery a secret, and pocket the loss, to. second man was found,and in a dying condi- | something to say to you,” said Gordon. stating that you were called away unexpect- for tion, for the fall had broken his leg and injured In a short while they were in Gordon’s room, ony 's | _4 him internally, in addition to his bullet-shatter- | and the letter which be had picked up was} One long look did Gerdon Lillie give the ad fine edarm. shown to the young cashier, young cashier, and then he was about to speak, Bey! et The boat still lay anchored under the cliff, Andrew Rolston seized it eagerly, and then | and his expression showed that what he said tbe of. but the third man of the party was gone. said: would be bitter and to the point; but just then : tell He had sprung from the cliff into the river, “Tf will see my father about it at once, | Ruby glided up to.him and said: ue bey and thus escaped by swimming. | Gordon.” ‘‘Gordon, [ do not believe you guilty; but go, ‘a ts But the dying man’s confession told that the ons who had escaped was known as Black Ben, not and that he had planned the robbery, and also pin: decided to kill the clerk, Gordon Lillie, after the tary bank had been robbed of its treasure. tim The next morning the town was wild with ex- 4 ¢itement, and Gordon Isiliie became more than nea evera lion, while the thanks of the citizens, for cro} his brave conduct, were publicly extended to rest him, ' H Ors TAC longs CHAPTER V. nip ts UNDER A CLOUD. beh AFTER his adventure with the bank robbers, ina Gordon Lillie stillremained at his room, though N_ Mr. Rolston told bim he would place a regular exp: guard there if he wished, anit **Oh, no, sir, I do not think it necessary, for soor they have given me warning by their visit, and the Iwill be prepared for them,” Gordon had re- pres plied, “But the spirits of the two men,I should van think would haunt you, Gordon,” said Ruby, spee nervously, “ag Gordon laughed at this, and responded: It I do not believe in ghosts, Miss Ruby,” ade “§till, Gordon, I should think you could not wea’ but fecl bad, sleeping in the room where you had der killed a man, and, in fact, two of tuem, for it ed | was your shot, the doctors sail, that caused the spru. death of the other one, rather than his fall.” com ‘If I felt that I had done a great wrong, Mrs. "Rolston, 1 would be sorely troubled in con-- science at sleeping where the tragedy occurred, Tl ‘*But I was protecting the property of Mr. ror Rolston, and I did my duty, while my life was im, also at stake. i In “I cannot but feel it, that I have deprived the fellow-beings of life; but still self-preservation ' A isalaw of man as well as of Nature, and I did his! but my duty.” tori ‘You are:a brave, noble fellow: but I am Bi glad after all, that Andrew has taken such a pow fancy to staying with you,” Mrs. Rolston said. able ‘Yes, my son hinted that he stayed oftener Tl than he eared for, as he felt that you must be miss lonesome,” said the banker, and thus the conver- att! sation ended, while Gordon could not but smile to if at the excuse which Andrew Rolston, Jr., had ‘evn * given his parents for remaining at the bank at the «1 The banker had given Gordon a splendid tor! horse, in place of the one that he had lost, and ly a the animal was said to be the fleetest in that part F. of the country, and to have the endurance of a furi' hound, and As the animal was inky black, without a ten | white mark about him, Ruby had named him | “ Black Ben, and Gordon had rented a stable inte mear the bank, and took care of him himself, ash thus saving a few dollars each week to add to now* powerinas, which had begun to grow intoa yery Ge BIT tne atch Gomdon Lillloastok hh e: One t Gordon Lillie awoke, and theagh he _ the ti his utmost, he could not move, -roac Sumething seemed to chain him to the bed,. rifle ‘There was a light in the room, and a form was i ie fate ae veloped in a black cloak, and over It wasa form env in a black c an H wearin a mask and slouch hat, th + ttl _ In vain he tried to cry out, to spring from the 1 ; vy -. Fel iinges . seed you a tue her ' a f yy “ ;.* . - He was powerless to utter a word, or to move, | sabe os es pervade the room a sicken- : Byles jan # 2 ; ‘ ; oH; ri deals | aA in m Soy de ere | 6 148. 2 é ty AW geht Peas J) ‘ ee : \ eas 5 At nine o’clock Gordon Lillie was at his desk, the banker in his private office and Andrew at ae post, with the several other clerks ready for uty, The cashier opened the safe, and at once ut tered a cry of alarm, ‘* The bank has been robbed !” The cry was heard by all, and every one ran to the side of the cashier. ** Impossible, my son!” “Tt is not impossible, father, but certain, ** The safe has been robbed.” ** But why?” _“T left ten thousand dollars in bank notes right here last night, and two bags of gold with five thousand more, ‘** Where are they?” “Search the safe, sir,” sternly said the banker, The safe was searched but the money could not be found. ‘** You had the keys, Andrew?" ‘* Yes, father.” ° ** Did you carry them with you when you left town Saturday?” * Yes, i.” ‘“* Yet the safe has not been forced open?” ** No, sir, it was opened with the combination, as it only can be.” ‘*Who knows this combination other than yourself, Andrew?” ‘** No one except you, father.” ** ‘You are sure?” . ** Yes, sir.” The banker was puzzled, and for a moment did not speak, Then he turned to the clerks and asked each one if he knew the combination to open the safe. They did not, and Gordon Lillie also replied in the negative, | Then the father and son walked off together, and they told Gordon that they would go to his room for a conference, They did so, and the result was that when the broker and his son went home after banking hours, they spoke no word to Gordon Lillie. But upon bis desk was a note, and it read as follows: ° “T have decided to place a night-watchman in the bank, and he is to occupy your room, as your ser- vies are no longer needed in my employ, and I would advise that you at once leave town, ‘As for the bank’s being robbed last nicht of fif- teen thousand dollars, I do not care to have the fact reach the public, so you will not refer to it, andI have so instructed my other clerks, “T have placed in your desk in your room the amount of money due you, sari trust I will not have to be more explicit in what your good sense must tell me my wishes are regarding you. ‘“ ANDREW RoLston,”? Gordo; Lillie was as white as a corpse when he read this letter. For a Jong while he stood in silence, and then going out he mounted his horse and rode to Cedar Hill, — The banker declined to see him, but the youth boldly entered the room where the family were seated, discussing the robber Mr. Rolston, do I understand you that I am ree ay of robbing the bank last night?” he asked, r:* wy | “You have dared intrude, sir, and I will answer that I know that you are the ro ber.” SP RHOW GP tall in es, for papers were found in ur in - J « i ef ' Ben in the road and tried to capture gen fe) and in time prove your innocence.” ‘*T will go, Ruby, and Banker Rolston, I thank you for your mercy to me under existing cir- cumstances,” ue 3 He gras Ruby’s hand as he spoke, and with a bow to the others, left the room, | As he was about to mount his horse, Ruby ran up to him, the tears streaming from her eyes: 9 se epee aA this not got engl ; ‘But 1 do not besieve you guilty, I again say; but go, and some day all will come well, I ow, ‘‘Good-by, Gordon, and remember that I ay love you.” {In her impulsive way she threw her arms about his neck and kissed him, and without a word he sprung into his saddle and rode away like the wind. That night he rode out of the town, and he carried with him only the sum of money, some seventy dollars, which he had had with him when * became a bank clerk, and all the souvenirs given him by the Rolstons, all except Ruby’s photograph, he left. : His horse he felt that he was entitled to, and the money paid him by the banker he return to bim in an envelope. | Thus, after nearly a year, Gordon Lillie was as poor as when he had first met the Rolstons, anh be went forth again in the world to carve out his fortune; but he went away feeling that he was under a cloud. | CHAPTER VI. RED JENKS OF PROSPECT CITY. Tne desire of Gordon Lillie, when he rode out of the Illinois town, where life bad seemed so bright to him, was to carry out his former in- tention and go to the far frontier. He was older by nearly a year, had had much experience in business, which bad made hima better judge of mankind, and he was imbittered by the fact that he was accused of a crime of which he knew that he was not guilty. is He had smelled powder in personal combat, and on each occasion, on the highway, when he rescued Ruby Rolston, when be had met ean an again in bis room in the bank the night of the attempted robbery, his nerve had not deserted. him, and be had met danger with fearless front. "= ‘‘T have some seventy dollars, a good horse and outfit, and average pluck and will with which to begin life anew, soTll not feel de- . spondent,” he said, to himself as he rode along. The point for which Gordon Lillie aimed was Colorado. . He had heard much of the mining-camps there, and felt that he could see something of | prairie life in going there. . So he set out by easy stages to make his way there, and by camping at night to become ac- customed to a life of hardships, One magne as he was nearing his journey’s end, and drawing near the Colorado border, he stopped at a small settlement and sought ea ing at what some great stretch of the landlord’s — imagination termed a hotel, | t was known as the ‘ Bonanza Hotel,” and consisted of a dozen rooms, in which were half a rl pF against the wall and a mattress stuffed with prairie grass, — , : 2 inte table war vod ol sh of bap an ng table was devoid of cloth or kin, while the service, though called by Land- ‘ ; ‘ ; . i ‘4 , a - * é ; LAG - eM. ee ~s << a