Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 705 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

x . > - > re = vi “— 7 wre .. a — "45 . ; iv 5 oy 7 = ipe?> Vl Py. Pere ¢ SP ott ~ . Pe ae va RY * ae ; v oh ‘ — 4 - 4 Ke > gt 7 . HRs , oa n” finds I love another he will not think of me save as a miserable girl who has betrayed his affec- tion. He would not take me back if I went to him and asked it on my knees.” ** You are right!” A dark figure stepped out from the deeper shadows beneath the pines and confronted them, It was Violet Vane! With a choking cry, lone sprung from the young mine superintendent’s side and stood Jike a marble statue, staring in terror and appeal ata her forsaken lover, » The ex-robber lieutenant uttered not a word, but confronted Vane without a tremor or the least show of fear. For several seconds the three stood there silently in the gathering gloom of the on-coming night. Vane was the first to speak. **{T do not ask an explanation of this little scene,” be said, in tones that were hard as steel and cold as ice. ‘‘ I understand it well enough,” The fair girl started forward a step with her hands outstretched in appeal, but he checked her words with a calm and deliberate gesture, ** Stop!” came firmly from his lips. ‘‘1 have no desire to hear anything you may have to say. You cannot change the situation by words. Words will not justify your conduct. Ido not blame you for loving another if you have found one more suited to your taste, but I do blame you for failing to act honorably with me. You should have come to me and told me the truth. Iam not the man to want an unwilling wife: I am not the man to keep a woman bound to me when she loves another. I would give her up even if tore the heart from my bosom! Youare a@ woman; to you [ have no more to say.” ‘** But [ beg—” She said no more, for he turned coldly from her as if she had ceased to exist. He faced the man who had stolen her love from him, and like red-hot darts the words leaped from his lips. ** You are the one whom I shall call to an ac- couut!” he thundered, striding forward three steps and standing within arm’s-reach of the un- flinching superintendent. ‘‘ You have won her love!—you have robbed me of her!—but she shall never be yours till you have faced me like a man! If you have not the courage to face me, then I will kill you like a dog! I willgive you sufficient provocation so you will have no loop- hole of escape.” Then, with his open hand, he struck Bayard Swift in the face. The following instant, as Violet Vane leaped back a step, the hands of both men dropped on convenient weapons; but, with a wild cry of bor- ror, lone flung herself between them, begging them not to murder each other before her eyes, “This affair can only be settled in blood,” said Bayard, his voice quivering a bit; ‘‘ but this is not the time or place, You shall hear from me soon, sir.” Violet Vane bowed with formal politeness, as he replied: ** You will find me ready and waiting at any time. The sooner it is over the better. Four men stood in a moon-lighted glade with- in a few miles of Damascus, Two of them were Violet Vane and Bayard Swift, who had met there to settle the trouble between them. The others were their seconds, Royal Norman and the little Dutchman, Frisky Fritz. Royal represented the superintendent of the Royal Duke and Fritz looked after Vane’s interest. “*I really hate tosee this affair go on,” de- clared Royal. ‘‘ Is there no other way it can be settled?” * Sag remained silent, but Fritz promptly re- plied: “ Nix. Vevasnod der poys v’at come avay oudt here vor defunuf him, Id vas peesness mit us, yon pet my poots,” Royal bowed, although the bright moonlight showed a look of regret on his face, ‘* Pistols are to be the weapons?” a) Yaw.” * Have you regular dueling weapons?” ‘** Vell, ve haf der kint v’at vas in sheneral uses in dis partuf der countrys, der sigs-shooter, Dot vas coot enough vor our styles.” ** Who will pace the distance?” ‘** [ dinks perhaps you hat petter attend to dot, vor mein legs vas so short that they vould pe getting der mugzles uf their bistols scarred acainst each other.” The distance was paced and the two duelists took their places facing each other, six-shooters grasped in their right hands. Vane was calm asan iceberg, nor did the superintendent ex- —s——— + * o~ 5 ew ~~ a Ee a => - > -, e ds tec oF ee) tte Le ee ‘4 ea ‘ tite . : “eo " & . 7 ? w * . “s E as aire Fane > —-ap~d fe St Taina y 5 “. —- A495 : att Lai 5 Fa He ~~ oo “ —-* >)? ry 5 = ‘ ‘ , "Sa worn Violet Vane’s Vow. hibit any nervousness. Both men looked pale in the white moonlight. Royal Norman was to give the signal, and he exhibited more emotion than any of the others, The little Dutchman seemed as undisturbed as if he were attending a wedding. ‘* At the word you are to fire,” Royal called. bs Ready 17 Swift turned his right side toward his foe and lifted his cocked weapon, Vane stood squarely facing the superintendent, his weapon only half lifted. ‘*One, two, three—fire !” Just as Bayard Swift pressed the trigger, Vane threw up his hand and discharged his re- volver with the muzzle turned directly toward the sky. The two reports sounded almost as one. For an instant the two men stood as if neither had been touched, then Violet Vane fell heavily forward on his face, Fritz quickly turned the fallen man over, showing the first signs of emotion as his eyes rested on a tell-tale blood-spot in the very cen- ter of Vane’s forehead, ‘* Mein Cott!” be cried,in horror. ‘‘ He vas shot plump drough der prain pans! He vas deater as olt Atam,” CHAPTER XVI. BAFFLED KIDNAPPERS, ALONE Ione Wilson paced up and down the length of a small cabin room, her face pale as death, her eyes blazing with a light little short of madness. Every few moments she would panse in a listening attitude for a short time and then resume her walk, wringing her hands wildly. ‘* Merciful Heaven!” she sobbed, although her eyes were tearless, ‘‘ Why was this sent upon me? Can it be my act deserved such punish- ment? This is a thousand times worse than death!” She struck her breast with her clinched hand as if she were driving a dagger to her heart. ‘* Yes, worse than death!” she repeated. “I did not mean to do anything so very wrong, God knows! WasI to blame for loving Frank the most? I could not choke down the love that grew in my heart, although Heaven knows [ tried to do so. I tried to be true—l tried, I tried!” ‘** And now they have gone to fight a duel— gone I know not where! Did I know, 1 would do my best to prevent it—I would fly to the spot! Yes, I would throw myself between them if their bullets pierced my body! That might be a just and merciful fate for me. Hark!” She beard a soft step at the door and her heart was frozen with terror, for through her brain flashed the thought that she had forgotten to fasten it, She would bave darted forward and made it secure, but her fear overcame her till it was too late, Slowly the door swung open, moving noise- lessly. A horrible thought almost stifled her. One of the duelists had been slain and bis spirit was coming back to haunt her! She would have cried aloud, but was powerless to do so, A figure in a black cloak and hood glided into the room—a female figure. The hood was thrown back, and lone Stood face to face with @ueen Ada! For several moments the two stared silently at each other, then the leader of the Serpent Six spoke, scornfully: ‘*Good-evening, pretty one! Youdo not seem pleased to see me?” ‘What do you want here?” Ione demanded, when she could command her voice. The intruder laughed, cuttingly. ‘“*Want?—why I want to see you, of course, I want to lock upon the fair creature over which two men have zone mad.” Ione recoiled a step. ‘Ha! hal” laughed Ada. ‘* You look fright- ened. Can it be you are afraid of me?” ‘*No, I do not fear you,” ‘Then, why is your face so white? You are pale as the dead. All the color has left your cheeks and with it your beauty has fled. You depend very much on yourcolor. Without the pink flush that seems to come and go at your command you would not be a girl to turn the head of any man. And you will lose if when you become older—you will fade.” She seemed to take delight in taunting the tortured girl. Her own beauty was marred by the bard and cruel lines which had formed around her mouth, and, like lone, much of her natural color was absent, ‘* Why do you come to me with such talk?’ asked Ione, balf-reproachfully, balf-angrily. ‘*T have told you why I came, I wanted to _-_—- xr eaeeeeesEr LL LLLLLLLLLLLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL eV 7 ye » . ‘ + oS oh! 4 feat ; _s “ 5 “es \ i ai - “> ais C if bg va f “ 7 - 5 : as r vi =, a ; zt, . Py ‘~ ‘~ ~ ~ look once again upon the face of her who has turned the brains of two strong men. They both love you—or imagine they do,” It was needless to ask whom she meant, ‘Tt must be they imagine they love me,” con- tinued Ada. ‘‘It is an infatuation that will wear off. You cannot hold the love of any man! But for a time they are deluded, and they have gone out to kill each other for you. W hat folly!” Beneath such biting scorn the color faintly tinged the cheeks of the listening girl for a mo- ment; but it quickly faded as she thought of the two men who had loved her, oneof whom might be lying dead at that moment, shot down by the other. She silently wrung her hands and pressed them over her face. ‘Is it thus you try to shut out the haunting vision of the two who at this moment may be looking into each other’s eyes over the barrels of loaded pistols? I,should think your heart would be wrung with the bitterest torture when you think of tuat,” ‘* Don’t, don’t, don’t!” ‘“‘Aba! It does touch you! Still you are here while they have gone out to slay each other! You let them go! One will not return and his blood will be on your hands! You will be as much his murderer as if your hand held the weapon that ended his life!” ‘¢T would have prevented it if I could!” Ada laughed, scornfully. ‘Tt looks that way!” ‘‘ Yet it istrue. If 1 knew where they were at this moment, 1 would go to them if I bad to creep the distance on my hands and knees!” ‘‘ And still your folly sent them there, You led one of them to believe you loved bim, then you turned to the other. ou were false to a man whose love was a thousand times nobler than you deserved. I would have died for such a love as he gave you, yet you were false to him! You bartered his love for the affection of a man who had fallen in the scale of humanity, for what is Frank Fenton? A robber lieutenant at one time, but even then he showed his true nature and turned traitor to the men who trusted him. He is truly a fit mate for you!” The color was creeping back into Lone’s face again, The Outlaw Queen saw this, and hasc- ened to drive it away with her next words: ‘* But, you have looked on Frank Fenton for the last time till you see bim a corpse, Violet Vane is a dead shot, and he will puta bullet through Fenton’s heart. Only one of the men will come back, and that one will not be the wretch for whom you sacrificed a noble man’s love.” The listening girl uttered a low moan of hor- ror and sunk into a chair, once more crushing her face into her bands, Ada smiled with al- most fiendish cruelty as she saw how lone was suffering. ‘* That is not all,” continued the cruel creature, gliding close to the chair and bending over the girl. ‘‘ Violet Vane has seen your perfidy, and henceforth he will scorn you. I shall be able to win his love, and the bappiness will be mine that should have been yours, Is that not a pleasant thing for you to think of?” No sound came from Ione’s lips, but she shook with unuttered emotion. Swiftly Ada unloosed the black cloak and held it in ber hands, a desperate light in her eyes, She paused a moment to hiss in her intended victim’s ear: | ‘*] will take nochances. When Fenton is dead it may be your fickle love would turn back to the man you betrayed. He would scarcely have the folly to care for you then, but—I will take no chances.” She spread out the cloak and a forward, flinging it over Ione’s head and shoulders, At the same instant she uttered a sharp signal whistle. The door was flung open and two men darted into the room. They were Rush Cole and Pistol Pete. ‘*T have her!” exclaimed Ada. ‘‘Here! Are the horses ready?” ** All ready,” ‘*Then carry her straight to cur new retreat, — and guard her as you would your life,” The maiden was lifted and borne from the cabin. As they reached the open air, she suc- ceeded in tearing the cloak from her head. ‘** Help, help, belp!” she sbrieked. The ruftians uttered oaths of dismay. ‘* Mount—mount lively and be away!” com- manded Ada. But to Ione’s cries there came answering shouts and the clatter of hoofs: then, as borsemen ap- red plunging thro ugh the shadows near at and, there were several pistol-shots, f —_ ~ a £ 9 rh 4 . he a 4 cbooks.co = 4 are a y ; ‘4 Was ) | ~~ D x ot et on = - . Py = a » . - Nee * \ < * ‘ 7 A mM