Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 662 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

— ee (ct eI with some one else whom she met, and sharad the fate with the rest, then I will take you to where @ man lives who found a young girl on the prairie I have heard, and made ber his wife, and may mistaken, but J think her name was Ash- CHAPTER III. WHAT A GRAVE REVEALED. “TELL me, Buckskin Sam, tell me all that ou know, and if it be my sister, alive and well, t will be the happiest man on the soil of Texas, this night,” and the lieutenant turned to the scout, who said: ‘* As I told you, lieutenant, I don’t wish to ex- cite false hopes; but I'll tell you all I know. ‘*T met some time ago, a man whose remark- able appearance at once attracted me, ‘* He was a ranchero, and had come to Texas some years ago, and brought with him a negro servant who was like his master a giant in size, ‘The ranchero is six feet five in height, I believe, isa perfect form, with massive broad shoulders and a face that is both handsome, fearless and determined. ‘**He made him a home far on the border, in one of the advanced settlements, and it was said that he found a girl on the prairie one day whose people had been killed by Comanches, an sent her to school for several years. “Then he went after her and married her, so the agent goes, and it strikes me that my infor- mant told me that her name was Ashley, but I may be mistaken, lieutenant. ‘ Still, when you know what those graves contain, I will guide you to the home of the Prairie Hercules, as the boys call the ranchero, and you will soon know if his wife is your sister or not,” “I knows whar ther Hercules is, or about ther neighborhood, fer I has heerd o’ him, Sam; so let me guide ther lieutenant, ef it’s all ther same ter you, fer I has told yer that I knowed her, an’ as I went on ther s’arch fer her thet awful day, Id like ter find her,” * All right, Bruin Bill; I will be glad to yield, especially as I wished to ask a few weeks’ leave when I got back to the fort, to run up to San Antonio and see my old pards,” responded Buck- skin Sam, Then the party retired to their blankets to sleep for the night, all except Arthur Ashley whose brain and heart were too full of hope an fear to allow slumber to come to his eyes, Before dawn the yg was on its way,a led horse being given to Bruin Bill, and late that afternoon they reached the fort; but the dawn of the next day saw Arthur Ashley at the head of a dozen fresh troopers, and accompanying him was Surgeon Renforth, who went to: exam. ine the bones in the grave where the massacre of the Ashley train had taken place. Buckskin Bill, as the lieutenant still called the “rapper, went as guide, and his devotion to Ar- thur Ashley was really touching. He spoke to him in atone of deepest respect, “and seemed to feel for him as though he suffered with him the hopes and fears about his sister, the dread that a short while would tell him the fate of all of those who had been his kindred, The camp in the timber was reached at sunset, and the escort at once picketed out the horses and built a fire. Then Lieutenant Ashley walked over toward the graves, and as he did so Buckskin Bill set to work to spread his blankets for him and make him comfortable, There was no joking around the camp-fire that night, and the men sat about as though awed into silence by the surroundings, ang the mem- ory of the fearful massacre that had occurred there, They seemed to feel the deepest sympathy for pears commander, while Surgeon n- ad alw their forth ays regarded him with the warm- ht est friendship, A couple of pack-horses had been brou along, with shovels, spades and stores, so that os party could make themselves very comfort- able, All retired early, and the night passes in deepest quiet; but with the dire glimmer of comp er noe u , and after breakfast set to work di n © graves. The Gonwork of the wa and ambulances of the train, twisted out of shape by the fire that had consumed them, were removed from the la common ve into which all the bodies had atk x been orth arranged a blanket near for his work, and when the first body was un- earthed it was b ht to him, , The flesh had crumbled to ashes, and the bones ad Se Butterfly Billy’s Bonanza. alone remained, and after a few moments Sur- geon Renforth said: “I take this to have been your father, Ash- ley.” The young officer stood by with folded arms and uncovered head, gazing down reverently upon the sacred dust, ** Yes?” he said, inquiringly. ‘And this is your mother’s body, and the were buried side by side by some kindly band,’ ‘Yes?, Heaven bless the one who did the kindly act,” was the low reply. “This is the body of a boy of seventeen, I should think,” the surgeon said, as the third body was laid before him, ‘“A boy?” ** Yes, ** You are sure?” ** Perfectly.” ‘* I am satisfied, then, ‘It was my brother, younger than I, but a oars of years older than my sister. ‘The next, please?” and the young officer seemed to be anxious indeed, for as the remains of his parents and brother had been found side by side, showing that some friendly hand had placed them in their graves, the next to be taken out must be his sister—if she also had fallen a victim to the cruel Comanches, The fourth body was placed by the side of the others and almost immediately the skilled anat- omist said: . These are the remains of a negro woman.” “Ab! Old Aunt Patience, poor old soul,” said the officer. «© ‘* And these are the bones man, and these of a boy,” “* Also a negro?” quickly asked the lieuten- ant. ‘‘ Yes, there is no mistaking them from the whites to one who knows their peculiarities,” and that accounts for all but my sis- - of a negro also, a “Yes, Lieutenant Arthur, for you and I are here, and there were nine of us, you remember,” said Buckskin Bill, who suddenly dropped his border dialect, ‘* Yes, nine of us with you, Bill,” ‘But the other is to be accounted for—my sister !” ‘* And there are two more bodies,” These were brought to the surgeon, and as uickly as he had read the difference between the whites and blacks, he now discovered the bones under inspection to be of neither of the two other races. ‘* This is an Indian, Ashley—yes, too, and both were men.” ‘““Thank God!” came from the lips of Arthur Ashley, and then he stepped quickly to the open grave, ‘* No more?” ‘* No, sir.” *“* You are sure?” ‘* Yes; these eight are all.” “Then my sister was not slain,” he said, in a voice full o meaning, ‘* No, Ashley, she is not here, so you must go with Buckskin Bill to see if the’ wife of the Hercules is she,” “Yes, Renforth,” and turning to the soldiers, he continued: ‘*My men, I thank * ii from my heart for your noble work, and I am going to ask you to ury the Indians in the grave you have just seg but my parents and brother, and the three negroes, { must ask you to dig other graves for, in a spot apart from this?” The men were anxious to obe the remains were all again bu and brother of Arthur Ashley in a separate grave, the negroes not far awa , and the red- skins were left to the spot from which they had been taken, After dinner Surgeon Renforth and the men on the return for the fort, while Arthur Asbley, with Buckskin Bill asa guide, continued on toward the home of the Prairie Hercules, CHAPTER IV. THE HOME OF THE HERCULES RANOHERO, A Trxas ranch, pleasantly situated upon a rise on the swelling prairie, with a stream run- ning near, and sheltered by fine old trees, looked the picture of contentment for those who had found a home there, The cabin, commodious and comfortable, the outbuildings showing thrift, and a well-to-do look upon all, with cattle by the bundred, and a large herd of ponies upon the prairies, presented a scene of real life on the border that holds a fascination for so many bold-hearted men, But @ rumor of Comanches un the war-trail changed the peaceful scene in this home, for the and this one, , and by noon ed, the parents a See a ee ~ ~ —_ _ aw * —_ - 3 cattle and ponies were driven away to a securer peas i the master of the ranch, a captain of ngers, took the trail of the red-skins with bis gallant men, and far away toward the Rio Grande threw himself between the danger threatening and the homes of the settlers, A Mexican cowboy acted as scout about the ranch, for there had been left two persons, the wife of the Mexican, and the mistress of the house, She was the wife of the Ranger Hercules, and a beautiful woman indeed she was—beautiful in face, form and character, Young, for she seemed scarcely out of her teens, intelligent, and a perfect housewife, she was calculated to make the home of any mana happy one. And there she dwelt, happy in the love of the man whose wife she was, Seated upon the rustic the front of the cabin, was wife of the Prairie Hercules, She was dresse¢ in a neatly-fitting homespun suit that fitted her faultless form to perfection and the wealth of red-bronze hair was fastened in a heavy coil at the back of ber head, a few stray ringlets, however, escaping and clustering about her temples. She was engaged in embroidering with beads a pistol-belt and holsters for her busband, and looking up from her work her eyes fell upon two horsemen coming across the prairie. With a glad ery she sprung to her feet, for who could it be coming toward Ranch Eden but her husband? A second glance, however, showed her that she was mistaken, that one was in the uniform of an officer, the other clad in buckskin. . At once her thoughts turned upon an officer whose command had camped near the ranch some months before, and who had taken a great fancy to her, so much so that the jealous nature of her husband was aroused. “*f am sorry he is coming when Sol is away, for poor dear fellow he is so jealous, that hus- band of mine, “Tt is his only fault, though, and I can read- ily put up with that, and not give him cause for ousy. She took a field-glass from the rack and turned it upon the horsemen, and, after a min- ute, continued: ‘“* Yes, it must be ne eae Rupert, for the leading horseman looks like him, and the other is a scout from the fort, evidently. ‘* I only wish that So] was here.” The strangers were not long in reaching the yard gate of the ranch, and riding up to the rack, they were about to hitch their horses when a negro man, a perfect giant in size, and as black as ebony, approached and said: “Tl take yer horses, gemmans, and Missy Ellen is yonder on de piazzy.” “Thank you my man; but look straight into my face and tell me who it is that I remind you of?’ said Arthur Ashley, and he confronted the negro squarely, ** Waal, massa, yer does look like Missy Ellen, I declar’, for yer has de same eyes, de sane hair and you ts like her fer a fact,” ‘Yes, I am her brother, whom she has long looked upon as dead; but where is your master, my man?” ‘He am off on de war-trail arter de Coman- ches, sah, and I just come back this mornin’ from having taken de cattle over de hills away from de Injuns,” In the mean time while the young lieutenant was talking to Sampson, the black giant and comrade of the ranchero, as well as his man of all work, the trapper, Buckskin Bill, had slipped from his horse and made his way to the piazza, Ellen Soulette had risen from ber chair at his approach and gazed fixedly at him, Memory was taking ber back, at sight of hig face, to years ago, when he was the guide of her father’s train, True, he was a young man then, and now his hair and beard were gray; but she knew that the man before ber was Buckskin Bil] the guide, or his father, so striking was the resemblance to the man she had known so well, ** Oh, sir, are you, can you be—” ‘‘ Your old pard the guide, Miss Ellen, Buck- skin Bill, whom the red-skins never got hold of, and I’ve found you at last.” piazza that ran along Ellen Soulette, the She sprung toward him with a glad c , and both his hands, while she said with voice broken from deep emotion: “ Tha you too escaped as I did, for I have mourned you as dead with the others, my parents and brothers,” “It was a terrible butchery, Miss Ellen, but —— 900 Cc \ : ’ - : ly» o>? Kt ’ iy ¢ & - fest com . y tS % - ye”