Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 662 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

A Butterfly Billy’s Bonanza. not so bad as you think, for by being lost you escaped. I went to look for you and gotaway too, and your brother Arthur also—” ‘*My brother Arthur! Oh! tell me that he too is alive, Buckskin Bill, tell me it, won’t you, and I'll never forget you.” ‘*T do tell you so, for do you see this handsome young officer here coming up the steps?” The guide said no more, for in a shriek came the words: ** Brother Arthur!” She had thrown herself forward in the utter abandon of joy and was caught in Arthur Ashley’s strong arms. Buckskin Bill found tears in his eyes for the first time in many a long year, and he slipped away after Sampson who had led the horses to the stable. When he returned half an hour after he found the brother and sister seated together, hand in hand, and each had heard the story of the other, of how they bad escaped massacre and the events subsequently happening to them. ** And it was through dear old Buckskin Bill here that it all came about, sister,” said Arthur mere as the guide came upon the piazza, **We shared his camp with him one night, and he told his story, and so I recognized him for I believed him dead, as he did that 1 also had fallen on that fateful night. ‘* Buckskin Sam, our chief of scouts at the fort, then told of how a Hercules Ranchero had married a girl he had found upon the plains, ana Bill and myself determined to see if it was ou that had become the bride of the Prairie ercules, **So the fort surgeon came with us, and open- ing the graves we discovered that though my -parents, and brothers, with the three colored servants were there, your remains could not be found, and yet these eight bodies in the graves,” “Yes, eight, and so it was that Sol, my hus- band I mean, Captain Solomon Soulette of the Rangers, decided that they were the bodies of our party, my parents, my brothers and the negroes, with Guide Bill here.” **T am anxious to meet this splendid husband of yours, sis, for I know I shall like him.” ** Well, be will be here soon, perhaps within a week, and he will be delighted to welcome you as from the grave, I assure you.” ** Well, to-morrow I will have to go to the nearest town, as I have some dispatches to send from the commandant of the fort, and some business to attend to, but I shall return in a few days and remain until your busband returns,” ** As you will also do, Buckskin Bill?” ** No, Miss Ellen, I has got to get back to my lts and trap3, for I left ’em uncared for; but ll stay a couple o’ days, and when yer needs me, yer’ll know whar to find me, for I'll see to that.” The following day, under the guidance of Black Sampson, Arthur Ashley started for the town, a couple of days’ ride away, for the negro was going back to his herds in the hills on the way to where the officer wished to go, and Buckskin Bill returned to his trapping in the mountains, so that the wife of the Hercules once more found herself alone, but far happier than ever before in the joy of her brother’s not havy- ing been also slain in the fearful massacre which had torn from her all other near kindred, CHAPTER V. A SHOT IN THE DARK. LIEUTENANT ARTHUR ASHLEY could almost feel the look of settled saddess, so Icng resting upon his face, fading from it as he rode along on the trail which led him from the town back to his sister’s prairie home, He had attended to the dispatches for the colo- nel, and the business that was to be looked after in the town, and started on the back trail, happy in soon again meeting bis dearly loved sister. Black Sampson had guided bim as far as his hidden herds, and from there on the trail was open, and so on his return the lieutenant had found the negro awaiting him. ‘“*T jist run down, sah, from de corral, to head yer off, fer yer said as how yer’d be “long about dis time,” said Sampson. “Yes, and I am glad you came, Black Samp- son, for [ have here some tobacco and a few lit- tle things for you, while I managed to pick upa pair of revolvers of better make than those you wear, which you must accept from me.” Sampson was rejoiced with his presents, and after cooking dinner for the lieutenant, started him on the home trail, while he said: ‘* Tell Missy Ellen, sah, I does hope massa soon come back, so 1 kin bring de cattle back home, And Arthur Ashley rode on his way, his horse readily following the trail, for the thoughts of the rider seemed far away. He had made a few purchases for his sister, and one of a new repeating-rifle for his brother- in-law, the Prairie Hercules, and felt happy in the knowledge that he would sleep that night beneath the roof of a home which he now could regard as almost bis own, ight found him some miles away, but soon the glimmer of a distant light guided him on, and he knew that it was in the window of the home of the Prairie Hercules. He did not notice as he turned into the trail leading direct to Ranch Eden, that a horseman was in sight, and slowly following him. In the datieies he saw him not, and he had no dread of danger. So on he went up to the gate, and on until he dismounted at the hitching-rock, and was soon in the cozy cabin parlor. Another moment and Ellen, who had heard his step, glided into the room and threw herself into his arms with a loving welcome, Then, from out in the darkness came a flash, followed by the sharp report of a rifle, and Lieu- tenant Arthur Ashley fell dead upon the floor, while, severely wounded, the form of bis sister sunk upon his body with a low, moaning cry. Then there came a heavy step upon the piazza, and a man strode across to the open window throuzh which the fatal bullet had sped, and zed down upon the prostrate, motionless orms, St ‘* A dead shot for both, and they deserved their fate. ‘“* Now to go my way wheresoever my accursed as may lead me,” he speaker was the Prairie Hercules, the giant owner of the ranch, his face was livid, and all its beauty gone, marred by the fearful fiend of jealous fury which had taken possession of his heart and brain, And away he sped out into the darkness, just as Rita, the Mexica@h servant woman, alarmed by the shot came into the house and bebeld the red work of the Prairie Hercules, She was a woman of nerve and quick to act, so she sprung forward to find her mistress still living, the officer dead. Instantly sbe ran and called for help from Carlos, her husband, and away he sped to a ranchero surgeon twelve miles away, while the woman did all that she could for her wounded mistrees, It was midnight when the surgeon came, and half an hour after he said: ‘The wound is dangerous, but not fatal, I think, and I will remain and take care of the r woman,” ‘* And the senor?” asked the woman. ‘**Is dead, of course, for the bullet pierced his heart.” ‘**Poor senor,” and Rita told the good-hearted surgeon the story of the coming of the handsome officer: but Ellen had kept the secret of his being her brother, ree that the woman wceuld tell her husband, and he would be sure to head off the Prairie Hercules and make the secret known to him, which she did not desire, intending as she bad said to ‘' surprise Sol ” her- self with the information. Better indeed had it been, had Carlos, the Mexican, known it and told all, when he bad gone to the Rangers with the information that the Comanches no longer threatened that part of the country. And so it was that a shadow fell upon the fair fame of the beautiful wife of the Prairie Hercules, in that the officer was not known to be her brother then, and when it became known that the Rangers had returned that fatal night, and their captain, Sol Soulette, had departed for his ranch, the rancheros felt that he had fired a8 death-shot, maddened by jealousy and then | The surgeon, however, sent his report of the mysterious killing of Lieutenant Ashley, to the commandant of the fort, and an investigation was made which literally made no discovery further than the facts, and thus the matter ended, for inquiries, and pursuit of murderers in that wild land were not very thorough. The body of the lieutenant was laid in a grave on the banks of the little stream, half a mile from the ranch, and at its head mouths after, wandering cowboys and hunters discovered a marble slab on which was carved: “MY BROTHER, Antoun Asuiey, Lizut. —ta JU. §. CAVALRY, Slain by an Unknown Foe, Oct. 14th, 18—,” When after long weeks Ellen Soulette arose from her bed of suffering, sbe was but a wreck of her former self. If she knew who had fired the fatal shot, no word of hers ever betrayed the knowledge, and when necessary to speak of her husband she re- ferred to him as having mysteriously disappear- ed, perhaps from having been captured by a roving band of Comanches, or by Mexican raiders, and she would add: ‘**T do not believe that he is dead, and some day he will return.” Black Sampson seemed to understand all, and was as silent as the grave. He loved his beautiful mistress, as dearly as he bad the Hercules, bis master, and he devoted his life to her. Quiet, sad-faced Ellen Soulette went about her home and duties. She took the management of the place in her own hands, and spent half of each day on horse- back and improved the ranch all in her power. She seemed anxious to add to her riches, and yet it did not appear as though for her own pleasure, No, she was looking into the future still with hope, for her brave nature bad not broken with all that she had passed through. CHAPTER VIL. THE HERMITESS OF RANCH EDEN. SEVERAL years agente away and Ranch Eden had prospered well, Its herds of cattle and ponies were numbered by the hundreds, and all about the home there was an air of comfort never seen in other places where men struggled hard for fortune. Carlos the Mexican was the chief cowboy, for he had several men under him, and his wife was as before the faithful servitor of Ellen Soulette at the latter’s home, Black Sampson wes the trusted manager under his mistress, while she was the superin- tendent over all. Her beauty had returned to her after she re- ained ber health from her long suffering with er wound, and she was noted as the best lady rider upon the prairies. She could lasso ponies or cattle, could fire a rifle and revolver with deadly aim, and had rage to follow a trail as unerringly as an In- ian, She held no fear of anything, and defied dan ger in any form that it might come. But she kept wholly to herself, saw no one who called from other ranches, had buf a cold bow for those she had known when the Hercules was at home, So thoroughly did she ignore all attempts at sociability from admirers, that sbe soon became known as the ‘‘ Hermitess of Eden Ranch,” and also the ‘‘ Hermitess in Black,” for her dress at. home and in the saddle was of deepest black, a sable plume yee ea.. from her black sombrero with its broad brim. Her saddle Carlos had made for her, with one broad horn, revolver bolsters and a crook for the coiled lariat to hang upon, When mounted upon one of the fleet horses she ar i for her own use, she always went fully armed, with repeating rifle, a belt of arrows and a pair of revolvers in her saddle holsters, aud then woe be unto the man who crossed her path with evil intent. One afternoon a courier on his way to the fort “oe ag at the Eden Ranch with a broken-down orse. He was promptly supplied with a fresh animal, and asan appreciation of the kindness shown him by the beautiful Hermitess gave her'a bun- dle of late newspapers. Seated that night in her cozy sitting-room reading over the papers her face suddenly flush- ed and then turned aoe mf pale as she read something that had caught her eyes, , Rising she went out upon the rear piazza and gave a shrill whistle, and instantly it was an- swered by a like call from a cabin not far away. Apparently satisfied Ellen Soulette returned to her room and soon after a negro entered and r tfully bowed while he said: “You want me, missy?” “Yes, Black Sampson, sit down there, for I have something to read to ag ; It was the giant negro who had been so faith- ful to his master, the Prairie Hercules, and af- terward to Ellen Soule ’ St tte. He was dressed in buckskin leggin boots, hunting-shirt, and carried a b -bri med sombrero in his hand. About his waist was a belt of arms, and Black Sampson looked the very man to use them when there was need of it. He was certainly a splendid specimen of a ' (ee) GCOMIICRDOOKS * ee \