Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 570 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

a —_—_—_—__————_———-xXxKXReeeerecvVo7V7V—~<V—<—_e8WOVW—aaw»«—ama>==s ! myself as you ask, for I believe that you care | he had cut into the tree, she burst into tears and when he beld forth his arm to support her, she leant her head upon his breast and wept like a child, : At length he said to her soothing words, and led her away to the cabin, where the dog, when the door was opened, gave her a warm welcome by barks and caresses, In a short while Kent Kingdon had her fa- ther’s room prepared ‘for her, a fire burned on the large hearth, and the man, with real culi- nary skill began to prepare supper, while she and the dog roamed about at will, When, at dark, she entered the cabin and saw all that he had done, she said, feelingly: “T thank you, ob, so much, for your goodness to me, ‘‘ But I am calm now, and I will do my share of the work and let you look after our poor tired - horses,” Hedid as she asked him, and then the two had supper together—the maiden, with a man she believed true and noble to lean upon, becoming calm and having no dread of evil. Tbe things in the cabin were looked over, and Isabel remembered well her father’s ring and watch, but, as before, no papers were found, only the gold which Kingdon had discovered, and nothing else. Several days thus passed at the cabin, and each aay had been spent in searching for the mines, but without avail, and Isabel Drew said: ‘‘ Well, I haye some money saved up, which father sent Auntie Jane for me, and with this I will be quite rich; but I will return East and go to work, teaching, I guess,as I am best fitted for that.” ‘* Your father has doubtless sent money East, and left it in the hands of hisagents, or lawyers, and this would be yours,” suggested Kingdon. ‘* Yes, he must have done so, for 1 remember that he did send gold to pay off his debts, after his failure, but I do not remember who his law- yers are, ‘* Your aunt doubtless does,” ‘*- Yes, she certainly will know, and, after all, I maybe an heiress,” and a sad smile crossed the beautiful face, ‘*But I would rather be poor, and have poor papa back to love me, than be rich and alone in the world as [ am.” They were standing by the grave of her father as she spoke, and her beautiful eyes filled with tears as she glanced down upon the newly-made mound, upon which she had planted wild flowers, ** Tsabel, you. need not be alone in the world,” As Kent Kingdon spoke he took her hand, and as she glanced up into his face he continued, in a low, impassioned tone; “Tsabel, you have known me but a short while, but, from the moment I saw you, I loved My life has been a strange one, and I would hide nothing from you. “My home was in Texas, and my father was a rich cattle-king. k ‘*But he failed, died, and I was left without means,... “ At this time I was forced into a duel witha fellaw-student, for I was at college, and though I spared his life at first, 1 was forced to kill him, ‘*T at once became a wanderer and sought this frontier. ‘‘ Here I have made money, and I can make you a comfortable home, * ‘Tam a gambler, yes, and yet [am not a bad man, . ‘You see that I hide nothing from you. ‘I stood by the side of your father when he died, and pledged myself to care for you as a brother would, “Yet it is not as a brother that I love you, Isabel, for I would make you my wife, “You say that you have no tie to bind you to others, and here, by the side of your father’s grave, I ask you to pledge yourself to be my wife, ) **Let me make you happy, Isabel, and no shadow will I ever bring upon your life. Will you pledge yourself, Isabel, to be my wife upon our return to Sports’ Paradise, for there is a clergyman there in the camps, and he can unite us,” ; She had listened with the deepest attention to all that he had said, and her manner was almost one of awe, But her heart had been gladdened by bis words, for she alfeady loved him dearly, and to have given him up then would have been 4 bitter sorrow to her, ‘*T do love you, Mr, King, and I will pledge -_ 2% ‘ “4 / é . ‘ i ‘ ¢ ~~ ; 7 ‘ - . * é . «| . wm * y* ro ¢ a i’ : Pp <a , .% = S SS 7 see ~ i y Splat A Camille, the Card Queen. for me, and I will teach you to love me more. ‘“‘T am so desolate, so alone in the world, and | Kent Kingdon you have been so good to me, I know that I can trust you.” ‘* And you give me your pledge to marry me on our return to Sports’ Paradise?” ** Yes,” and she her honest heart did not read the guilt in his, CHAPTER XI, AN UNLOOKED-FOR INTERRUPTION, THE community of Sports’ Paradise was con- siderably shaken up when it was announced that there was to be a wedding in their midst, placed ber hand in his, for Those in Sports’ Paradise did not look upon it | as remarkable that Isabel Drew should marry | upon so short an acquaintance for they considered it but natural that she should fallin love with the handsome stranger in their midst, and allof the young miners envied him his beautiful sweetheart, and all prepared to attend the wedding in full force, rigged out in the best clothes that the meager stores of Sports’ Paradise would furnish, That Kent Kingdon had established himself as a gambler in the town, Isabel did not know, for no one seemed to think it anything against bim, or to care to tell ber if they did, She did not know, therefore, that he had In fact the mining-camps were shaken to their | quickly. won the nafne of the *‘ Card King,” on very center by the startling tidings, The particularly curious thing about a wed- ding in Sports’ Paradise was that there was no one to marry, A few miners had brought their wives with them there, half a score of children were to be seen in the camps, and these were the only ones we an idea of home life. here had been funerals in plenty—in fact it was the exception for one not to occur daily. Then there were fights, gambling, borse- racing and stag dances; but a marriage, never. Kent Kingdon ha‘ returned to Sports’ Para- dise and made known te Judge Dal that he in- tended to marry the young lady, Miss Drew, He told the judge that ke had found the fa- ther of the maiden in adying condition, and as Isabel had no one to turn to, he had asked her to be his wife, and that she had consented. ‘* Now, Pard King, you are playing in great luck, for ’d have asked her to marry me, if you had not done so,” said the judge, ‘* Well, judge, we are to be married within the month, and I'll give all the boysa gran@ blow-out, so lay in your stores accordingly. ‘* Now tell me if there is not a preacher in the camps?” ‘*There’s the man we call old Death’s Head and Cross Bones, on account of his deathlike face, and because he always walks with his hands crossed over his breast,” ‘** Is he really a preacher?” ** Oh, yes, he came here to convert the boys and u to hold preachin’ every Sunday until he struck it rich one day, and since then he de- votes more time to digging for dust than saving souls,” ** What is his real name?” ‘*Parson. Prim he called himself when he came, but the boys call him Parson Death’s Head, and Preacher Cross Bones, as I told ou. ‘*T will see. him to-morrow, and he can marry us, while you will give the bride away.” ‘lll do it, though I hates to, seeing as I’m in love with her myself; but then you are a hand- some fellow, Pard King, game to the backbone, and just the fellow to win a pretty girl fora wife, so I gives in,” ‘** And to protect her, too,” was the significant reply. : ‘I believe you; but she'll need no other pro- tection in these camps than her innocent face: but now tell me when it’s to be and I'll have all in readiness, and the few miners’ wives there are in Sports’ Paradise wall help the lady out in her bridal fixings. ‘* By Jove, but I believe the boys will go clean mad over a wedding; but do you intend to live right along with us, Pard King?” ‘* As long as there is gold to win,” was the re- ply, and Kent Kingdon mounted his horse and rude out into the canyons, to find the cabin of the miner parson, So great was the contrast between her splen- did, handsome lover and those about him, that Isabel Drew never tired of admiring the man that had so unexpectedly and strangely come into her life, He was polished in manner, had been reared a gentleman, was so gentle to her, so kind, that each day she found herself more and more in- fatuated with him. ‘ She had written to her aunt, telling of her father’s death, and had spoken cf the great kindness to her of a “‘ Mr. Donald King,” whose deeds she had told of in glowing terms, She bad asked her aunt to let her know the names of her father’s lawyers, or attorneys, and yet not a word had she said about coming home, or of her being engaged to be married to. a man whom she hardly knew, ' In another letter she had dwelt more at length upon ‘* Mr. Donald King#’ and had hinted that his kindness to her had won her heart, But she did not speak of coming home, and asked her aunt to write to her where she then was until further instructions, i ' | | account of bis almost phenomenal luck at cards, and that each night, after leaving ber to go to her room, he would go to the saloon of the Flush Hotel and gamble for hours at a time, The few women in the camps bad become most deeply interested in the’ young girl; they were her friends from the start, and were happy in the thought that there was to be a wedding in Sports’ Paradise, and they offered their ser- vices in preparing the bride’s trousseau. Isabel took all their’ kind acts as they were meant; but she told them, as she had come pre- ared to stay a long time on the border, she had rought her trunk and was most thoroughly pee with all that she needed, but would be glad to have them attend her on the day of her marriage, This, set the good women to plotting to rig themselves out.in their best, and the stores were hunted over for all that could add to their cos- tumes on the festive occasion. When at last the evening set for the weddin came around, Sports’ Paradise was a scene of great excitement. Never before had the miners been so decked . out, and as for the few women and children in the camp, they were dazzling in their costumes. Every miner bad taken an cath on bis e and pick not to drink a drop until after the wedding, and then they were to make up for — lost time, Parson Prim was on band, solemn, silent and sepulchral-looking. e was dressed in his old suit of black, which was worn threadbare, and wore a white tie made out of a cotton bandkerchief. When all was in readiness the bridal came out upon the piazza, where lamps ha placed, and the crowd had assemb]) the hotel on the ground. First came the parson, then the judge, with Isabel upon bis arm, and she ‘looked very beauti- arty been in front of ful in the pretty dress that she wore, though she . was very pale. The miners’ wives followed, as ‘* bridesmaids” they said, and then the deep voice of the parson broke the stillness that was upon all, and he he- gan the ceremony that was to make Isabel Drew the wife of Donald King, as be was. called. But half a dozen words had he uttered, when there came suddenly an unexpected interruption to the services, for a loud voice called out: ‘* Hold on, there, Preacher Pard, for I objects to this marriage!”’ | CHAPTER XITI. THE MYSTERIOUS MINER, A NUMBER of the miners had noticed in the crowd, that assembled at the ceremony that was to make Isabel Drew the bride cf Kent Kingdon, a young man, tall, well-formed and with a clean-shaven face, He was dressed like a miner, was thorougbly armed and seemed to be a stranger in Sports’ Paradise, He kad ridden into the camps on a splendid black horse, with trappings of the best kind, and had hitched the animal toa tree not very far from the hotel, Who he was no one seerred to know: but he mingled with the crowd and took his stand in the front rank, right on the hotel steps, when all assembled to witness the ceremony. It was this man who had called ‘out that he objected to the marriage, and his ringing voice brought every eye upon him. No one. seem more startled than Kent Kingdon, at this sudden interruption, and he turned his piercing eyes upon the stranger, while a dangerous light shonein them. Isabel clung close to her lover, forshe had not yet become accustomed to the rough ways of & mining-camp, . The parson turned upon him a melancholy look and stopped the service, while the judge was very angry at the one who dared to speak at so sclemn a moment, * -— © ae