Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 589 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 men have, at times, a horror of deliberate mur. der. Should they slay him in cold blood and their plot become in some way revealed it might go hard with them. In the present case, supposing my theory to be correct, they could produce the young man alive, if pressed to the wall, and probably escape with comparatively light sentences. ‘* When they had disposed of Curtis and se- cured the incarceration of Edgerton on the charge of murder, then they were ready to pre- sent the second act in the drama. ‘* Forged papers were prepared and published to the world and the Edgerton Mine was seized by the strong arm of might. When the Gold King is dead nothing will stand in the way of their complete triumph, except the life of a pone woman who is now bowed and bruised ike a crushed flower.” Brentwood rested his head in his hands and for a long time stared at the floor in silence. ** Edgerton is an old fool!” he said, at last, bitterly. ‘* His obstinacy and pig-headedness is laying him right into the hands of these fel- ows. ‘* And then the idea ofa man attempting to coerce his daughter in that kind of style! And then shooting her lover because of a secret meet: ing which he in reality forced upon them. His high mightness disgusted me when I called on him; and the more I think of it the worse I am disgusted. No wonder that Lily does not care to visit him. What daughter could honor and respect such a father?” ** Now ye’r’ a-talkin’!” said the Tom-cat, break- ing silence for the first time since Molly’s de- parture, AP pacslaihcam looked up, as if recalled by the words, ‘* We will have our hands full of work for the next few days. IL suppose, Tom-cat, you are sufficiently rested to take the trail again?’ ‘Some more o’ the shadder bizness, eh?’ with an impatient shrug. ‘Why I thought you rather liked it.” Brentwood laughed at sight of the cowboy’s gruesome face. ‘* Not when it’s chasin’ a steam engine like that air Hammond. That feller don’t give his- self any rest, sca’cely. An’ as fer sleep, I don’t believe he takes two good winks in a week.” ** Well, (ll not ask vou to follow Hammond this time. We must find out where Clifford Curtis is concealed. Somewhere in the moun- tains, I believe you said.” ‘Them war the identical words,” **The mountains cover a good deal of terri- tory in this corner of the planet, so the trail is not a very plain one up to that point, ‘* The only instructions I can give you will be eneral. If Clifford Curtis is held somewhere in the mountains there is some sort of commu- nication kept up between the gang that is de- taining him and the members of the Silver Cir- cle here, “‘That is proven by Hammond’s statement that Fighting Fred was in from the mountains with a report,” ‘*Them war the identical words!” the Tom- cat again asserted, solemnly. ‘Then I think your first movement should be to hunt up this Fighting Fred, as they call him. When you have once found him, don’t lose sight of him a minute until you have trailed him to this lair in the mountains,” ‘*T kin do it!” asserted the cowboy. ‘ He’ll have to be a cross atween a weasel an’ a bird ef he slips away from me after I onc’t clap my peepers onto him.” **T can trust you to do the work correctly!” said Brentwood, with an approving smile. ‘* Now, of course, you can’t be in every place at once!” ‘* He kin come as nigh it as the next ’un!” de- clared Mitchell, who had until now, been a silent listener. ‘*Yes; but noone can do that! Our friend, Mitchell here, can assist you in keeping a look- out for Fighting Fred. And Reke Tanner could also give you valuable aid.” **Thet we kin!” cried Mitchell, emphasizing the statement by a stamp of his heavy boot. ‘*Then we will consider that part of the pro- gramme settled. I will give all the help I can, and may even find time to assist iu trailing the scamp into the mountains. ** My especial work, however, must be to add fuel to the fire that Iam trying to kindle here in Silver City. ‘**T already have some of the best men in the town on my side. Not one of them will lift a anger to aid the Gold King, but they are all willing to stand by the Gold King’s daughter in a fight for her own. Tom-cat and Pard. “Tam adding converts to my theory every day; and like a rolling snowball the movement gathers bulk and force at each revolution, ‘“T want to organize a company of deter- mined men, men of fighting caliber, that I can pit successfully against any force Hammond may bring into the field. ‘*T want to do this, and doit quickly for two reasons. ‘* The first is that Edgerton’s trial for murder will not occur for more than two months; and 1 believe that Hammond will grow desperate before that time and storm the jail with a mob. If he does I must be ready to meet force with force. ‘*The second reason is that if it becomes known that I am gaining strong and influential backers, it will have a tendency to awe and hold in check the turbulent scamps who would otherwise flock to Hammond’s stand- ard for the sake of the plunder to be gained thereby. ‘* [In my rounds to-day I discovered that Ham- mond rather lost his grip last night by his ac- tions at the mine buildings,” ‘* How’s that?” Mitchell questioned, ‘* He showed his hand too plainly! Peopleare not all fools, by a good deal, and his pretenses were altogether too transparent. There are not many skulls so thick, but that an inkling of the truth worked its way through them. ‘*The town is like a tinder-box, now. The least spark is liable to start a conflagration that could only be quenched in blood. There are rumors and counter rumors; and nothing is too marvelous to be believed. **So, you see, 1 have to work carefully. I don’t want to precipitate a conflict, for I find that Hammond has hosts of adherents, And they are generally desperate men. All I want to do is to keep his men cowed into a semblance of submission, until Clifford Curtis can be pro- duced. ‘* That will relieve Edgerton of the charge of murder; and when that is done, I believe Ham- mond will acknowledge himself whipped and give up the fight.” ‘**T hope so!” said the old man with a sigh, for the troubles of his friends pressed him sorely. ‘*Hyer comes Miss Molly!” announced the Tom-cat. His eyes had scarcely left the trail a moment during the entire time of her absence. ‘* Hookey, ’m glad of it, fer ’m holler plum down to the heels o’ my boots. I reckon, too, that that little angel over yender’s a-feelin’ some’at better by reason o’ the good news Molly brung her,” Molly came in, flushed and heated by her rapid walk. ‘* Oh, father!” she exclaimed, as she began to clatter among the dishes. ‘‘ It would have done ore heart good to have seen Lily when I told er that Cliff was certainly alive!’ ‘* No doubt! no doubt!” said the simple-hearted miner, slowly knocking tie ashes from his pipe into the palm of his hand. ‘‘Sech news is enough to make anybody feel ruther spry and chipper!” CHAPTER XIIT. A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE, oe OH, Miss Molly! Oh,my dear missus! Oh! } A fat negress waddled hastily up the path leading to the Mitchell residence. She was frightened and excited, and sbe alternately clasped her pudgy hands and rolled her eyes heavenward, while from her lips issued a series of moans, broken sentences and ejaculations, It was the morning of the second day after the conversation detailed in the last chapter. Molly Mitchell, good-natured and rosy as ips was beginning preparations for break- ast. When she saw the hysterical negress rolling up the path, she dropped the tea-kettle with a thud that shook the house and threatened the destruction of that useful utensil. Then, heed- less of the flood of boiling water that gushed out onto the carpet, she rushed to the door to meet the panting woman. The negress was one of the Edgerton servants, and Molly divined at once that something start- ling had occurred. ‘* What’s the matter, Deely?’ she asked, as the negress puffed and panted up the path. ‘*Oh, Miss Molly! Oh, my missus! Oh! Oh! Dis am a drefful country! was nebber done to’ up so in my life afo’! May de Good Master sabe us!” She sunk down in the doorway, wringing her hands and moaning piteously. ‘*Can’t you tell what’s the matter?” Molly de- manded, giving her a half-angry shake. ‘* Has anything happened to Lily?” **Oh, Miss Molly, she’s done gone!” ** Gone?” ‘¢-Yes, Miss Molly. WenI done clambed up to ’er sleepin’-room ’w’ile ergo she was done gone}! Oh, oh! May de Lawd presarb us!” The negress commenced to rock herself to and fro, in the desolation of her distress, and Molly saw that it would be a waste of precious time te attempt to extract further information from her. No other person was in the house except John Mitchell, who was snoring soundly, utterly oblivious of all earthly trials and tribulations. The thud of the falling tea-kettle and the ex- cited conversation had not in the least disturbed him, ‘*Tt would take an earthquake to wake father up,” Molly exclaimed, as she ran to the door of his sleeping-room and commenced to pound on it, at the same time shouting at the top of her voice. ‘Eh, eh? What is it? Another fire?” John Mitchell sat up so quickly that he al- most rolled out of bed; and then began bur- riedly to dress before he fairly comprehended who it was that was calling to him. When he came out of the room Molly was. again laboring with the fat negress, vainly try- ing to extract some further bits of information, ‘Lily was not in her room this morning when Deely went to call ber!” said Molly, turn- ing to her father. ‘‘ I’m afraid something awful has happened. ‘I’m going over there now, and will you hunt up Mr. Brentwood and the Tom-cat and send them there just as quick’s you ever can? They were out all night last night.”™ She threw a shawl about her shoulders, clapped a sun-hat on her head, and darted away without waiting to see that her requests were carried out. ‘‘ Better hustle over there,” said Mitchell, to the moaning negress. ‘‘Mebbe Molly’ll want ye fer somethin’. “Sides, I’m goin’ to lock up the house now and go over into town.” ‘‘Oh, oh! Marse Mitchell, do you reckon Miss Lily’s dead, er been toted away?” ‘‘Carried off, I cale’late,” replied Mitchell, buckling on his cartridge-belt. Then he locked the door, and the negress wad- dled slowly homeward, moaning and wringing her hands. When Molly reached the home of the Edger- tons she found the greatest confusion prevail- ing. The servants were doing little save rush- ing from room to room in a wiid and distracted. search. They had covered the same territory a half dozen times already, and were now egain peering into every little nook and cranny where a cat could searcely find concealment. One of them had tried to convey the startling news to the Gold King, but had been refused admittance to the jail; hence, now, they scarce- ly knew what to do, ‘“‘Oh, Miss Molly,” one of them exclaimed, coming Sree forward. ‘I’m so glad you've come, e’re jist that tore up that we’re a’most crazy.” Without stopping to ask many questions, Molly requested to be led to Lily’s room. The snowy bed was undisturbed, showing that it had not been occupied the preceding night. Nothing indicated that any violent struggle had taken place, The window was open, and the cool air from the mountains toyed with the cur- tains. Everything bore the sign of peace and quietude. ‘“Was the window open that way?’ Molly asked, of the huddling group of servarts that had followed her. ‘‘ Jist that way when we first come to the room this mornin’!” was the answer. ‘“ Miss Lily was seen a-settin’ there, with the winder open and her head eecpee forrard on the win- der-sill, on’y a little while afore we went to bed las’ night, An’ that’s the last we ever seen of her,” A knock at the front door was followed by the entrance of Mitchell, Brentwood and the Tom-cat. Without ceremony they came up to Lily Edgerton’s sleeping apartment. ‘““Rether startling news!” was Brentwood’s greeting, a serious look on his earnest face. Then he proceeded to question the servants; eliciting at first only the information detailed. Then a question accidentally developed the fact that Lily bad had a caller the previous day, and that the caller was none other than Ham- mond. ‘¢You are sure the fellow was Hank Ham- mond, the gambler?” ‘It’s the feller that’s took possession of the ~ * =e . J . y ; “, ane." Pity * wit _ <r as.” — : , » : 7. 2 a5 J pee ogee [i - te * “ p -. a ‘ ; { Th a * + : P. it 4 a as . tat , ” ' Lie _ - Pa» Ata 1 J a | / | | | * = ; 7 4 4,” ' | , » ‘ aN ye vr , Ie ae See eS ee : > : . ’ AF ‘ ’ ° . . - y Ma ae © 4 few es", na ; ~ 4 : 18 . ete, Py ad ' * 1 Go . . a Teas i: >