Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 707 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

ee eee ei ~ , Th e Red Sombrero Rangers, 13 can go to the nearest camps for provisions, and bring them back, and Pll stay here to guard the girl and wait until the old lady dies, ** T loved her some twenty years ago, but I'll transfer my affections to her caughter now,” and the man laughed in a cruel way. Ethel cared to hear no more, but returned and told her mother all. Mrs. St. John grew stronger in face of the danger that threatened, and said: ‘*] will not die, my child, for nowI know that man at last, ‘** His face has haunted me, and if I am right he has deceived your poor father as he has me— yes, I believe, Ethel, that be is the murderer of your father—he is Hugh Hammond. ‘* Await until to-morrow and note closely if his right eye is not a black one, his left eye blue,” ‘** 1 will, mother, and if so, when those two men go, we can escape to-morrow night, for he said there was a good trail from here to a min- ing camp some thirty miles away, and we will claim the protection of the honest miners. ‘* We can take ali the horses, so they cannot follow us, and push along the trail, which the animals will follow, I know,” “Yes, my child, we willdo so; but remember, we must be just the same as ever to him.” So it was arranged, and the next. morning mother and daughter treated the traitor just as sweetly as ever, though it cut them to the heart to do so, Mrs, St. Joha pretended to be quite ill in the afternoon and Ethel went out to gather her some wild flowers, she said, but in reality to note the situation of affairs. She saw where the horses were kept, and that ae could go from there down the trail spoken of. : Then she noted the camp of the two men over in a glen, and saw that there were but two horses, which proved that the other two had gone after provisions. After their frugal supper tha mother and daughter pretended to retire early, and Hugh Hammond, for his black and blue eye had be- trayed him as such, went to his cabin and began es play cards with Trailer Tom and Bricktop ack, Then the mother and daughter crept from their cabin, sought the horses, and saddling their own, led the pack-animal and the steed of the outlaw after them. They dared cot go to get the horses of the other two men, so struck out in the darkness on the trail which Ethel had noted in the after- noon, For several miles they went along until they came to a surging stream, They dared not cross it in the night, so felt that they must await the dawn, They argued that the outlaws would not awaken before dawn, and perhaps not discover their absence until some time after, so they - would have a fair start. So they halted and sought out a resting-place near, holding the stake-ropes of their horses in their hands. At dawn they arose, crossed the river, and reaching the other shore, found themselves sur- rounded by a dozen horsemen, dressed in Mexican costume and wearing scarlet som- breros, A youth stepped forward quickly, and said as he doffed his sombrero: ** Have no fear, ladies, for we were upon your trail, knowing that you were in the power of an outlaw known as Blue Jacket Bill. “If you are Mrs, and Miss St, John I may be known to you through Miner Gray St. John’s letters as Redfern the Scout.” Words cannot express what followed, and Ethel quickly told their story, which was lis- tened to with deepest interest by Redfern, Lariat Dick, Benson, and the half-score Red Hat Rangers of the Vailed Lady of Mexico, ‘*We will await them here,” said Redfern, and the Red Hats went into ambush. They had not long to wait, for soon Blue Jacket Bill appeared coming at a gallop, and following were Bricktop Jack and Trailer Tom, riding double. Into the stream they plunged, and as the out- law chief neared the other shore a lariat encir- cled his bead, and he was dragged from his sad- dle into the water, and thence ashore, At the same time the Red Hat Rangers spur- red into the stream from their ambush and cap- tured the other two outlaws. Unable to offer resistance, captured as he was by Redfern’s lariat, and dragged through the water, Blue Jacket Bill was seized and bound, Then came the order from Redfern: ** Men, throw a lariat over that limb, for he has just ten miuutes to live. ** This time there shall be no mistake,” ‘*And the others, captain?” asked one of the Red Hat Rangers, ‘* Must hang with him. ‘**'You, Benson, lead the ladies yonder out of sight,” ‘** Do you intend to carry out your threat, Red- fern?” asked the outlaw chief, who was now calm, but very pale, “1 do.” ** Will nothing change your determination?” ** Nothing.” ** Not even if I was your father?” ‘*No, I would bang my own father if he were such a man as you are, forI know all your crime-stained career, Hugh Hammond.” ‘* All?” sneered the outlaw. ** ‘Yes, all.” ‘**T am sure that you do not, so I will strike at you yet. ** Have you a piece of paper and a pencil?” ** Yes, pen and ink if you wish,” ‘*So much the better. ‘* But will you pledge yourself to give the pa- per unread, to the one to whom it is addressed?” ‘67 will.” ** You mean it?” *¢T do.” The outlaw smiled, and paper, pen and ink having been given to him by one of the Red Hat Rangers, he wrote in a bold hand for several minutes, Then he folded it up and addressed it, while he said: **T wil die with this in my hand. “When I am dead take this paper, and un- read, give it to the one to whom it is addressed,” **T will do so,” was the reply. “Then Lam ready.” ‘* Have you no confession to make?” ‘* None, for you know me as Hugh Hammond, alias Trent Baxter, alias the Sharp from Texas, and last as Blue Jacket Bill, ‘* What more need I say?” ‘That is enough; but I will give you time to make your peace with Heaven.’ ‘Thank you, no, it would do no good. **) am ready!” “Swing him up, Rangers!” came the stern or- der from Redfern, and the outlaw chief was dragged up into mid-air, while the other two outlaws quickly followed. When dead they were buried upon the banks of the stream acd then the party went into camp within sight of their graves, CHAPTER XXVI, CONCLUSION, From the spot where Blue Jacket Bill at last met his fate, the Red Hat Rangers, escorting Mrs, St. John and Ethel went on their way to Devil’s Ranch, where the mother and daughter were given the best quarters in the New Mexico Hotel by the delighted landlord. Leaving them there to claim the mine of Gray St. John and place its management in honest hands, Redfern and Lariat Dick went to Fort Blanco and after hearing the story of the Red Hat Rangers, Ccionel Rockwood no longer doubted that at last Blue Jacket Bill bad met his fate. While Lariat Dick returned to the home of Settler Trent Baxter, to tell the story, Redfern went back to the mines and from thence to Mexico to deliver the last message of the dead outlaw chief as he had promised. He was welcomed warmly by the Vailed Lady, and after telling his story, handed to her the paper given him by Hugh Hammond. She read it and uttered a low ery, while Red- fern heard the words: ** A cruel, but a just retribution!” hen she swooned. Calling for the maid of Dolores, Redfern seized the paper and read it. It was as follows: ** DOLORES :— ‘*T have been captured by my ozn son, and he will give the order to hang me. ‘**He does not know me as his father, but I know him as my sop, for the man, Felipe Soto, whom I hired to kill him, kidnapped him instead, and a Strange life has been his. “ This is my revenge, that I die by my son's hand, “Huan HamMonp.”’ Thus did Redfern know the terrible secret; but heaided in restoring bis mother to con- sciousness, and then said softly: It was a just retribution, my mother. “* Cast the past utterly from your heart, as I will, and happiness will come to us in the uture,” ‘*T will,” was the low reply, and Dolores kept: her word, as much as lay in her power, She was made happy in the future, when her son, who still kept. the name of his adopted father, led to the altar Ethel St. John, whose mother’s life had passed away among the mines, and who found her last resting-place by the side of her murdered husband, As though to escape the memories of the bit- ter past, Dolores sold out the estates in Mexico, and became an American, purchasing a grand old house in California, where she, her son and daughter still live, and where no one knows the son as Redfern the Red Sombrero Ranger, or the other as the Vailed Mystery of Mexico, THE END, Beatles Dime Library. BY PHILIP 8S. WARNE. 1 A Hard Crowd; or, Gentleman Sam’s Sister. 4 The Kidnapper; or, The Northwest Shanghai. 29 Tiger Dick, Faro King; or, The Cashier’s Crime, 54 Always on Hand; or, The Foot-Hills Sport, 80 A Man of Nerve; or, Caliban the Dwarf. 114 The Gentleman from Pike. 171 Tiger Dick, the Man of the Iron Heart. 207 Old Hard Head; or, Whirlwind and his Mare. 251 Tiger Dick vs. Iron Despard. 250 Tiger Dick’s Lone Hand. 209 Three of a Kind; or, Dick, Despard and the Sport, 338 Jack Sands, the Boss of the Town, 359 Yellow Jack, the Mestizo. 380 Tiger Dick’s Pledge: or, Tne Golden Serpent. 404 Silver Sid; or, A ** Daisy ** Bluff. 431 California Kit, the Always on Hand, 472 Six Foot Si; or, The Man to * Tie To.” 502 Bareback Buck, the Centaur of the Plains, 522 The Champion Three. 544 The Back to Back Pards. 567 Captain Midnight, the Man of Craft. 583 Captain Adair, the Cattle King. BY GEORGE C. JENKS, 898 Sleepless Eye, the Pacific Detective, 432 The Giant Horseman. 507 The Drummer Detective. 526 Death-Grip, the Tenderfoot Detective, 538 Rube Rocket, the Tent Detective. 554 Mad Sharp, the Rustler. 572 Jaunty Joe, the Jockey Detective, . BY OLL COOMES, 7 Death-Notch, the Destroyer. 43 Dakota Dan, the Reckless Ranger. 44 Old Dan Rackhack, the Great Extarminator, 46 Bowie-Knife Ben, the Nor’west Hunter. 48 Jdaho Tom, the Young Outlaw of Silverland, 51 Red Rob, the Boy Road-Agent, 99 The Giant Rifleman: or, Wild Camp Life, 187 Long Beard, the Giant Spy. 148 One-Armed Alf, the Giant Hunter. 619 Kit Bandy & Co , the Border Detectives, MISCELLANEOUS, 6 Wildcat Bob. By Edward L. Wheeler. 9 Handy Andy. By Samuel Lover. 10 Vidoegq, the French Police Spy. By himself. 11 Midshipman Easy. By Captain Marryatt. 82 B’hoys of Yale: or, The Scrapes of Collegians. 60 Wide Awake, the Robber King. By F’. Dumont,,. 68 The Fighting Trapper. By Capt. J. F. C. Adams, 76 The Queen’s Musketeers. By George Albany. 78 The Mysterious Spy. By Arthur M. Grainger, 102 The Masked Band. By George L. Aiken. 110 The Silent Rifleman. By H. W. Herbert, 125 The Blacksmith Outlaw. By H. Ainsworth. 133 Rody the Rover. By William Carieton, 140 The Three Spaniards. By Geo. Walker. 144 The Hunchback of Notre Dame. By Victor Hugo, 146 The Doctor Detective. By George Lemuel. 152 Captain Ironnerve, the Counterfeiter Chief, 158 The Doomed Dozen. By Dr. Frank Powell, 166 Owlet, the Robber Prince. By S. R. Urban. 179 Conrad, the Convict. By Prof. Gildersleeve, 190 The Three Guardsmen. a Alexander Dumas. 261 Black Sam, the Prairie Thunderbolt, By Col.. Jo Yards. 275 The Smuggler Cutter. By J. D. veges 812 Kinkfoot Karl, tbe Mountain Scourge. By Mor-- ris Redwing. 850 Flash Falcon, Society Detective. By W. J. Cobb. 353 Bart Brennan; or, The King of Straight Flush, By John Cuthbert. 366 The Telegraph Detective. By George H. Morse, 410 Sarah Brown, Detective. By K. F, Hill. 518 ee Richard, the Thoroughbred. By J. W. sbon, 584 Green Mountain Joe: or, The Counterfeiter’s: Cave. By Marmaduke Dey. 542 The Ocean Drift; or, The Fight for Two Lives, By A. F. Holt. 566 The Dauntless Deteciive: or, The Daughter Avenger. By Tom W. King. A new issue every Wednesday. Beadle’s Dime Library is for sale by all Newsdealers, teu cents per copy, or sent by mail om receipt of twelve cents each. BEADLE & ADAMS, Publishers, 98 William Street, New York, <7 + a Feet cS comicdpoo