Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 705 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

“She is too good and pure to bespoken of by such as you!” *“Do you think so? Oh, blind, blind, blind! I would to God you could read her heart!” ‘** But you called me back to warn me,” sé Yes,” ** Of whom?” ** The survivors of the Serpent Six.” ** Nonsense! You are one of. them.” ** But I do not thirst for your blood.” He smiled scornfully. ** You do not believe me,” she cried, ‘' but it is true. That is my reason for warning you, Since you came to Damascus you bave slain two of the band, Of course the others were furious and it was necessary for me to join in with them, We have pledged ourselves to kill you, but 1 stand ready to aid you in any way possible.” **You would prove a traitor to your own dupes?” ‘**l would do anything for you—anything!” He felt that she told the truth, and for a mo- ment a feeling of compassion for the wayward woman stirred his heart; but he swiftly smoth- ered the emotion, for was not she a degraded creatare whose hands were stained with crime? ** You are playing cards against yourself, for I shall keep my vow to wipe out your dastardly band. To do so it is not necessary for me to ad- minister justice myself. Every one of you are badly wanted in different parts for crimes you have committed, and at those places lynching would be your punishment. I ended the careers of two of the band to prevent them from com- mitting murder, It was my duty; there was but one thing for me to do. The others are booked, but [ hope to escape the unpleasant duty of cashing their checks,” ‘**Are you nothing but a cold-blooded human hound?” “My vow to the dead is sacred.” ** And still I love you!” “That kind of talk is becoming stale. It ae be a great relief if you would give me less of it. Her eyes flashed, her head was lifted, her nos- trils dilated, She looked like a beautiful wild thing that had been angered, and Vane felt his blood stir despite himself, ‘*So you scorn my love?’ she hissed, ‘* Be- ware!” ** Yes,” be replied, with a reckless, tantalizing smile, ‘* | scorn such love.” She sprung to her feet, furious. ** You are the first man whom I have not been able to bring to my feet!” she cried, her hands clinched and her head thrown back, the golden hair falling to her waist, ‘I will yet bring you there—or kill you |” She stamped smartly on the floor with one small foot, There was a sudden soft clanking click of steel and a dozen metal bands instantly closed over Viclet Vane’s limbs and around his body, locking bim to the chair in which he sat. He was trapped! CHAPTER XII. THE MERCY OF A TIGRESS. For a seconi time Violet Vane bad fallen into the power of the Outlaw Queen. Once beforein the past had she insnared him, and although he had been constantly on his guard, he had again fallen a victim to her wiles, With a cry of rage, he attempted to tear him- self from the chair, but the relentless clamps of steel held him fast, and the woman laughed in his face, ‘It is useless,” she declared. ‘‘ If you had the strength of a Samson you could svarcely free yourself, so you may as well give over the effort.” He fell back glaring at her. ‘\That is right,” she smiled. ‘I am pleased to see something besides a look of contempt on your face. You are beginning to realize lam not to be scorned,” “IT am beginning to realize you have the trickery of a treacherous cat!” **Do you give me credit for brains?” ** Yes, brains for concocting murderous plots. You are a child of Satan!” She laughed again. **So your blood is thoroughly stirred? Well, Tam pleased, You will understand in time that I am not a common woman. Since you sat down on that chair I have been watching you asacat watches a mouse, and yet you flung your scorn in my face, I was waiting for you to assume the proper position for the clamps to get in their work, and after a time vou uncon- sciously fell into it. Then I stamped upon the floor here, where, beneath the matting, there is an ingenious arrangement connected with the spriugs which works the clamps, In an instant a Violet Vane’s Vow. the springs were released and you were in my power.” “ ‘*Did you plan this infernal machine your- self?” “IT did, but a master workman built it for me.” 3 ‘*Tt is a worthy instrument of such a woman,” ** Many thanks,” | ** Now you bave me here, what do you intend to do with me?” ‘* Well, that depends, I may kill you, although I hardly wish to do such a thing.” ‘*T will guarantee it is not your conscience that makes you hesitate.” ** It is plam you think me much worse than | am, I swear to you, fate drove me to become the woman you know, Iam not half as bad as you believe me, Many a woman who is a good church-member and a professed Chris- tian is worse at heart than I. I regret my past life and bope to lead a difierent future, But although I have associated with outlaws, I have never tarnisbed my womanhood beyond the stain it received from its surroundings, I swear it! From the first falsestep I bave not been able torecover, 1 became the wife of a criminal who was under ban of the law. He was forced to flee to the mountains where he gathered a band of reckless men around him and I found myself the wife of an outlaw chief, Since then I have never been able to shake myself clear of the life he led me into,” ‘*T scarcely believe you have tried.” “That is where you do me an injustice, for I have tried. And I have not given over trying. I believe there is still hope.” A scorpful smile cucled the helpless man’s lips, ‘That kind of talk sounds well; but what hope can there be for a murderess!” A cry came from her lips as if wrung forth by his crnel words, ‘*There isno blood on my hands!” she ex- claimed, holding the small and shapely members up before his eyes. ‘“‘ You cannot lay Owen Wilson’s death at my door!” “Why not?” ‘*T gave strict orders that there should be no bloodshed,” ‘*’You confess you led the kidnappers?” sé Yes,” **One of them killed Mr, Wilson, and for the man’s death you areequally responsible with the wretch who struck him down, But for you, he might be living to-day.” “You look at it wrong, wrongly! If you reason thus, then you are to blame, for it was my love for you that led me to the act,” ‘* A logical reasoning, indeed! The reasoning of a woman whose mind is warped and distorted by crime! Such a creature talks of love—love/ Can it be you know the true meaning of the word?” She leaped forward, ber eyes glowing like liv- ing coals, her hand tearing a dagger from her bosom. There was something in the supple movement of her lithe body that reminded him of the spring of an angry tigress. She bent over him with the glistening dagger held aloft by one perfectly molded arm, seeming on the very verge of driving it straight into bis heart, ‘Say your prayers!” shehissed, her milk- white teeth gleaming out between her drawn and parted lips, ber hot breath scorching his cheek. ‘*The limit has been reached! You have aroused me at last, and you shall die!” Then the man displaved his wonderful nerve. He felt she meant to kill him, but he knew there was no chance of escaping from the fatal clasp of the death-chair, so he did not make a strug- gle. He did not cry out, his eyes met hers, he smiled! Had he been conversing with a very dear friend upon the most agreeable topic in the world he could not have smiled more pleasantly, ‘“ Strike,” he said, not a tremor in his manly voice. “It will be a little thing—for you. Only another daub of blood upon your hands, I ask no mercy—strike!” Had he quailed—had he cried out or shown the least symptom of cowardice, the furious woman would have completed her work. But there was something about his undaunted demeanor, something about the placidness of his voice and the dauntless glance of his dark eyes that stayed the fatal stroke. The wo- man’s face became as white as that of a corpse, she gasped for breath and swayed asif about to fall; the dagger fell from her hands, striking the floor with a musical sound, ‘*T cannot—I cannot!” sbe panted. ‘* Even though you have sworn to wreck my life, I love you so I cannot do this deed!” She staggered back and fell into a chair, bury- ing her face in her hands, She did not see the ND | SSS revulsion that came over the helpless man. He had expected death, and when she did not strike it seemed every drop of blood in his body rushed in a torrent to bis heart, For a moment his face turned as white as bad the woman’s and he trembled in every limb. But, with a mighty effort, he shook cff his agitation and gained control of bis nerves, becoming cool and upshaken once more, For several minutes Queen Adu remained where“she had sunk in thechair. Finally, she looked up, and in her eyes he saw not the light of anger but a glow of admiration, **'You are so brave—so brave!” sbe murmur- ed, ‘* Not many men could bave looked death in the face like that and remained unshaken, I do not wonder I love you,” ‘*And have you quite given over your mur- derous intentions?” he calmly asked. “Yes, If I knew I was signing my death- warrant by my folly, I could not force myself to end your life. I know when I turn you free you will again resume the death-bunt; but what care I for life?’ It holds nothing for me nuw.” Was she an admirable actress, or was her emotion genuine? He would have given much to know, ‘* But I have one satisfaction,” she continued, ‘You will never marry lone Wilson. As God is my judge, [ am telling you the truth when I say she is falseto you. 1 know it.” ‘*That game is too thin,” he sneered, ‘* You attempted to play it once before, and—fool that I was!—I was deceived for a time, It wil) not work this time.” ‘‘T acknowledge I tried to deceive you in the past, but this time I am telling you what is true. It makes little difference whether you believe me or not, you will Jearn the facts for yourself soon, Then perbaps you will not scorn my love,” ‘*Do not delude yourself in such a manner, If Ione were in truth false, you could be notbing tome. Were you a pure woman,! could not respect you after you had so boldly declared your affection for me. Py doing so you cast aside the natural reserve and modesty whieh makes a woman attractive and assumed the po- sition of a man,” ‘‘ But what is a woman to do?” she cried, des- perately. ‘If I had not told you of my love, you would never have dreamed of it,” ‘* But bow much better cff are you for telling me? Would it not have been much better if you had said nothing about it?” ‘* Perhaps so,” Ada confessed. ‘Still we can- not tell what the future may bring forth. Frank Fenton was the lieutenant of my old band, and while [one Wilson was a captive in my bands he fell in love with her. She was enamored by him at the time, but sbe had resolved to remain true to you, and when she was rescued she tried to forget him. A second time she became a cap- tive in my hands and Fenton followed us, re- solved to rescue her. Before the opportunity came, she escaped through the carelessness of tne band, and he must have found her while she was wandering alone amid the mountains. He immediately brought her to Damascus, where she is knéwn as the Vailed Mystery. She is very intimate with Fenton, and bas told him she would marry him when her father’s death was avenged,” ‘* A very pretty lie!” ‘““Tf you think so, goto her and demand to know the truth. In that manner you cap settle it very swiftly.” ‘*Tam scarcely able to walk so far at pres- ent,” langhed the nervy man. “I happen to have a binding engagement right here,” ‘*'You shall be released.” She arose and advanced to the chair, ‘‘ If I wished I could keep you a captive, and my men would see that you were disposed of quietly, It would not be necessary for me to do the deed, But I am going to set you free. I have no thirst for your life; but l will warn you that you need expect no mercy at the bands of the comrades of these men you destroyed, They have sworn to wipe you out, You are free,” She touched a spring and the clamps fell from him, sliding silently into the hidden grooves in the chair, He leisurely arose, stretching his limbs and smiling his thanks. ‘“‘T am greatly relieved by your kindness, If you please, I will bid you good-day.” ‘*-You are free to depart,” Her hand sought the lamp and the light sunk. Then she made another move and the door swung open. He picked up his hat and walked quietly to- ward the open door, without uttering another word. She did not speak, but he heard a low 41 ‘-books.c © - , . 8 te O