Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 702 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

, al ee NO yea * Tg SEE LF ppm omen GF a MR area eme s ~ PP PR OE LO OE LOS, OT ee ee eee ee es to) made a bold fight with Mexican Joe’s aid, and perhaps beaten the outlaws off. So the coach rolled on its way, while Colonel Rockwood wrote a letter hastily and dispatched it by special courier. It was addressed to: ‘*Roy REDFERN, El Paso, Texas.” CHAPTER XIV. LARIAT DICK TAKES THE TRAIL, Wuen Lariat Dick fell unconscious upon the iazza of Settler Baxter’s home, he was seen by Rath, who quickly called aid. He was seen to have received a bad cut on the head, from which he had bled freely, and he was at once taken back to his room and put to bed. The settler was out upon bis place, but soon came, and a physician who lived teu miles away was sent for with all haste. What had happened neither the father or daughter could guess, and Lariat Dick was un- able to tell. The physician arrived by night, and found the young miner in a high fever, and delirious. He dressed his wound, gave bim some medi- cine, and awaited at the cabin all night to note the result, The next morning he said that the miner had brain fever, and only the best of care could save his life. ‘* He shall have it,” Ruth quickly responded. Then the settler took several of his men and followed the trail of the miner after be left his home on his way back to the mines. In a few hours he returned, and told Ruth that the miner had been ambushed and robbed by some one, but who did the deed there was no means of finding out. He never for a moment thought of the man who had gone down into the canyon at Lariat Dick’s shot. But Ruth did, and asked: ‘* Could it have been that man, father?” ** My child, can the dead come to life again?” ** But are we sure he was killed?” **The chances of his not being were one in a million.” “Still that might have been his chance.” ** No, I cannot believe it; but we will wait until Lariat Dick is able to tell us.” ‘Yes, if he ever is; but, father, why does he bide his name from us?” “Some whim of his, my child, for I do not believe him to be a bad man.” ‘*Or a fugitive from justice, as many here on the frontier are,” ‘*No, if he was a fugitive, I think be would have given us an assumed name to avoid caus- ing suspicion.” * True,” And so the weeks passed away until at last the strong frame of the*young muner defeated disease, the fever was broken and he awoke one morning very weak, but with every prospect of speely recovery. “Your life has been saved by the devoted love of Ruth Baxter, sir, if it is any pleasure for you to know it,” said the physician. ** It is,” was the quiet response, “There is no longer said a my services, so I will leave you a tonic to take and give you into the charge of your friends who will soon bripg you round,” ** Doctor, I have not a dollar here to pay you, but | have money at my cabin. ** The one who tried to kill me, robbed me of everything.” ** My dear sir, I am in no need, and when you come again to see Settler Baxter bring me what you deem right, ‘*[T have made you just twelve visite, so the fee will not break you,” and clasping his patient’s band the physician took his leave. From that day Lariat Dick improved rapidly, and in ten days was able to be out, One afternoon he rode with the settler and Ruth up to the scene of the ambush, He could tell nothing, for be had not seen his enemy. But he went over the scene like one who un- derstood what he was about, and then made his way to the spot where Ruth had taken the dar- ing leap. He laid down and looked over and gave a low whistle. ** What is it, Dick?” asked the settler. “There is a tree below the edge here some cod feet, and the roots are some of them pulled ou “That man may have caught there,” “But that would have done no good,” Blue Jacket Bill. **'You say he had his lariat about his waist, Miss Ruth?’ ‘* Yes, to bind me with, he told me.” Lariat Dick at once took his own and the settler’s lariats and made them fast to a tree, Then he lowered himself over the edge of the cliff as coolly as a sailor would have done, and began to swing outward and back until his feet rested upon the tree, It bent under his weight, but supporting him- self with his lariats he slowly reached the po- sition, After a long while, it seemed to those above, he came up over the cliff. ** Well?” said Trent Baxter eagerly. ‘‘ The horse went down, the man did not.” **'You are sure?” ‘Yes, he was lodged in the tree while we stood bere talking about him,” ** But how do you know, Lariat Dick?” ** Well, the tree has given considerable, there are marks upon it where a rope has been tied to hold the man in at nigbt, and smal] rocks were t. xen out of crevices, while, best proof of all, I found this there,” and he held up a white silk handkerchief from which strips had been torn. ‘* He had a white silk bandkerchief,” said Ruth, ** We will now ride around to the other side, for he could not get up from this.” ** Nor from the other.” “That remains to be seen, settler,” and mounting their horses they rode around to the other side of the canyon, There Lariat Dick went to work in the same systematic manner as before. ‘* See here, settler, do you see those scratches upon the rocks?” ac Yes.” ‘They were made by feet,” ‘The man is nota bird, Dick.” ‘*No, but he swung across the canyon at the end of a lariat,” ** How could he?” **Here is a rock with pteces of the handker- chief on it,” said Ruth. ** Yes, he tied a rock to the end of bis lariat, made it secure with strips from his silk handker- chief and practiced until he threw it so ag te catch around some limb. ** Now to find the limb.” ‘Lariat Dick you are a wonder,” said the settler. ‘No, Iam reading very plain signs—see, here is the limb,” and he pointed to where the lariat bad drawn tightly around the branch of the tree, as was plainly shown by the bruised bark, ‘“*Now, my man went from here to the trail, and seeing me, while he had his lariat, he simply roped me, tor my neck proved that. ‘‘He needed food and a home, and he got all I haad—see?” ‘Yes, 1 see that you bave solved the mys- tery,” said the latter admiringly, ‘*And the next thing is to find the man,” was Lariat Dick’s determined response, CHAPTER XV. LARIAT DICK MAKES ANOTHER DISCOVERY. BACK wo the seitlers’ home rode the party, all impressed with the discovery that had been made, That evening as they sat together upon the piazza, Lariat Dick said: ‘Tyent Baxter, I think I am well enough to start home.” ** It’s a long ride, Dick.” “Pll go slow; but ll have to get 1n outfit from you, of horse,weapons and all that,” ‘‘Certainly, all I have is at your service, Dick, but you better not be in a hurry.” ‘Ob, I'm all right now, only I don’t know how I can ever get even with you and Miss Ruth,” “Don’t speak of what we did, Dick, in the face of your services to us,” said the settler. ‘Well, Pll go back and sell out my mining interests, and then take a trip southward.” ** Indeed?” ‘* Yes, I've got a snug sum saved upto my credit in the Bank of Omaba, and I can get a good price for my mine, I think,” “I hope so, Dick, but remember, you will al- ways find this your home, whether you are rich or poor.” ‘You are very kind to a poor wanderer, Mr. Baxter,” replied Lariat Dick, and then the con- versation turned upon bis going away. The next day heagain started upon bis way to his cabin, following the same trail on which he had very nearly lost his life. A ride of several days brought him to the mining country. and he rode up to his cabin one evening just before sunset, LDL TLE ee ne It was locked, and all as he had left it, but it seemed very dreary to him now for some reason. Tbe next morning he rode down to the mining- camp, known as Metal City, and stuck up a no- tice there in a store which read: ** Lariat Dick will sell his mine to any one who has | got the dust to pay for it. | ‘Apply to Lariat Dick, Nugget Gulch, Smoky | Range.” Purchasing what supplies he needed, Lariat Dick set out upon a voyage of discovery before returning to his cabin. He bad heard the name of Ben Bostwick men- tioned somewhere in the mines, and he wished to find that Vp eaters da Many bad heard of the man, but did not know just where to locate him, and so Lariat Dick started upon his return to bis home, He had a good load upon his borse, so dis- mouuted to walk upa long and steep hill, the animal following. As he neared the summit he saw two men crouching behind a bowlder, their rifles ready in band, their faces turned upon the trail on the other side of the ridge. ‘*That looks like an ambush,” he muttered, and he quickly led his horse behind a thicket, and creeping nearer to the two men, called out as he covered them; ‘‘Hands up, pards, for only a coward will shoot a man from ambush,” The men started to their feet, but they obeyed the command, for each felt that he was covered. But one looked as though he’d chance a shot, when Lariat Dick sung out: ‘* Shoot them, boys, if they wink!” That settled it, for not seeing the ‘*‘ boys,” or knowing how many there were, the man Called out: ** I squeal, pard,” : ** Count me another,” said the other. ** Watch ’em, boys, while I clip their claws,” commanded Lariat Dick, and he stepped quickly forward and disarmed first one and then the other, Tossing their belts and arms behind him, he said coolly: ‘Now, what game were you after, pards?” ** We was jist a-restin’.” ‘Yes, I see, with your rifles leveled to kill that horseman, ‘* Ho, stranger! do you know these gents?” The one addr bad suspected no one’s presence until the call of Lariat Dick, who now threw himseif upon his guard, revolver in band. He was a fine-looking man of fifty, dressed in a cerduroy suit, top-boots and slouch hat, and looked like a miner who had struck it rich and was content to take life easy. ““Ah! what’s up?” he asked, **T was on my way up the ridge trail, and came up in the rear of these men, who lad their rifles trained on you, ‘Thinking I had backers, they wilted, and I clipped their claws, sir.” ‘* If ’'d ’a’ know’d yer were alone I’d ’a’ kilt yer,” growled one, ** Yes, we'd bev done yow up.” ‘‘it would have been a _ three-handed game, pards, for I don’t die easy.” ‘“*] know those men, my young friend, and it has not beena week since they threatened to have my life. ‘Ben Bostwick is your friend for life, and that is no idle thing to say,” and the horseman held out his band, ‘Did you call yourself Ben Bostwick, sir?” **] did, for such is My name.” ‘*T was looking for you, sir,” ‘Indeed, and how can I serve you, for I am more than willing.” ‘* What shall we do with these men?” **T would do the country a service to shoot them both; but let them go, if you wish, for I have no fear of them, as I shall put a dozen men on their trail to-morrow, and they know what that means if they are caught. ** Don’t you, men?” One of them made a significant gesture to- ward his neck, while the other said: “Tf you'll let us go, Boss Bostwick, we'll git out of the mines for sart’in.” ‘*Go then, and if you are caught you shall hang, for I'll put men On your trail to-morrow sure, Lariat Dick stepped forward and picked up their weapons, which he tossed into the bed of a small stream fed by @ spring up on the ridge, ‘By the time you fish those out, it will be dark and you can not follow our trail. Will you come with me, sir?” ‘* Certainly,” and the two rode off together, ‘My cabin is but a few miles from here, Mr,