Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 708 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

| / ” he saw his antagonist fall, seemingly s vo PEG was clear that Shaw neither _ clinching as though the Light-heart Lute’s Legacy. e done with her, ye creepin’ sneak on two aigs?” ** You lie, Huck Shaw, if you dare hint—” ‘*Chawit! Swaller it back, ye cur!” savagely growled Shaw, jerking fortk a pistol as he spoke the words. But Showy Joe Hoover was already prepared, as we have seen, and his weapon was the first to speak, even as he squatted and sprung nimbly to one side, the more surely to foil his adver- sary’s shot. Ghanes guided his lead, for it struck and shat- tered Shaw’s right hand, knocking the revolver from his grasp, wringing a howl of savage rage and pain from his lips. “Ye devil! [ll drink yer blood fer—” he roared, stooping to snatch up the weapon with his left hand, but falling forward on his face as Hoover fired two more shots in swift succes- sion. ‘*Say you will, eh?” snarled the yrend as ot through and through by both bullets. ‘ Play double on @& man and your master, will you? Try to—” ering a startled curse as a glare of light lit up hat prostrate heap, and a bullet whizzed close to his face. Huck Shaw was not dead, though he might be crippled, and CT as much, Hoover shrunk back, lifting his pistol for a finishing shot. Before he could perfect his aim, Shaw fired again, and a yelp of pain burst from Hoover’s lips as the pistol fell from his benumbed fingers, Without attempting to regain his weapon, showing far less pluck than the lesser ruffian, Showy Joe turned and took to his heels, too badly demoralized to make au effort to find out how badly he was burt, He was able to dodge nimbly from side to side as Huck Shaw sent bullet after bullet in chase, and just then his sole thought was of carrying his precious carcass out of range as speedily as possible, He had forgotten all about Light-heart Lute and his possible allies, for the time being, and it was only when he caught sight of a man run- ning to cut his line of flight—only when he heard a clear, stern voice hailing him, that he remembered, Halt, Showy Joe!” cried Light-heart Lute, prs, yma the slender figure of the fleeing gambler, ‘* Halt, or Pll down ye for keeps!” Instead, Hoover wheeled abruptly to the left, too blind with fear to see what lay before him! ‘* Look out, yé fool!” cried Laarimer, in hasty warning. ‘ Halt! or you'll fall—” He left the sentence incomplete, for words were useless, Realizing his peril only in time ‘to give vent to a despairing screech, Showy Joe oover plunged over the nearly perpendicular wall of rocks, down to the bed of Little Roarer, full fifty feet below! Light-heart Lute ran swiftly to the a but he could see nothing of the gambler. He called to him, but Showy Joe Hoover made no reply. “He never knew what burt him!” shivering a bit as he turned away, after a final look, ‘I didn’t mean just that sort of ending. It’s too mighty good for such a dastardly cur!” aving noted the spot from whence those. shots came in chase of the doomed gambler, Light-heart Lute, his own pistol in readiness, picked his steps that way, quickly distinguishing the motionless body of a man, “Ts that you, Lem?” he called out, yet stand- ing on his guard. o answer came, and seeing noth to alarm him further, Light-heart Lute drew closer, giv- ing a breath of relief as he recognized Shaw, not Clay bank, as he had at first feared would prove the case, ‘It took but a few moments tc assure him that Huck Shaw was still living, though badly hurt; and knowing that this accounted for the entire outfit, he did not hesitate about dragging the wounded rascal across to the cabin, where he could examine him more thoroughly by the aid ’ of a light. ‘““You’ve got your last dose, old fellow,” he {| said, as Shaw opened his eyes with a faint groan. ‘Clear off your score as well as you may, and tell me where to find Grace Elton, as a starter?” ‘“‘T—durn ye, Joe—I’ll down ye fer—” i im nor comprehended that question, A spasmodic struggle accompanied that broken speech, then the wounded wretch seemed to fall into a sort of stupor, Light-heart Lute frowned darkly, his hands ling itched to close upon that hairy throat and shake the whole truth out of the knave, even though life came away with the information. But that temptation was quickly put aside, and disarming the fellow, he ‘fore she could ra passed out of the cabin, closing the door behind him, after which Light-heart ran at top speed to the spot where he had ieft Roxy Ringgold in bonds, He had been drawn from her side by the sound of firing near the Elton cabin, and naturally fearing that Lem Claybank was in sore trouble, had made hot speed tothe scene of combat, ‘* You’re wanted, Roxy,” he said, cutting the bonds from her legs, ‘‘ It’s a case of doo eat dog, and your husband is at the cabin, ¢yinz!” ‘*Dying? My husband? Ob—iet me go to him! My love—my life!” panted the woman, terribly shaken by the news, so bluntly broken, CHAPTER XVI. BETTER THAN ‘‘ GOOD ENOUGH!” AFTER all, it proved a lucky mistake Light- heart Lute made, acting on the parts played by Roxy Ringgold and Huck Shaw the day be- before, It was her one weak point, Roxy’s intense love for Showy Joe Hoover; and the statement that he was lying at the point of death in the Elton cabin, Ser yp unnerved her, and be- ly her wits, Light-heart Lute had a fresh stroke in 1 eadiness, His main point was to learn where Grace Elton was hidden, and until her safety was fully assured, he had no room for pity for these convicted criminals. When Roxy betrayed her intense relief and joy at fluding Huck Shaw instead of Showy oe, Light-heart Lute pitilessly described how the gambler had rushed blindly to his doom, Then the woman really broke down, and a full confession was not difficult to extort from her lips. With high hopes, leaving Roxy bound, and Shaw barely conscious, the Lad of Luck has- tened to the cave, only to neet with disappoint- ment, though he paused long enough to make sure that a prisoner of some description had surely been stowed away in that cheerless den, Returning, he used bis last drops of brandy in bracing up the wounded rascal, making him fully comprehend the utter uselessness of further lying, since his death was only a question of a few hours, at the best. ‘Take your choice, Huck Shaw,” he said, with merciless distinctness, ‘‘ Die in peace, or be choked to death like a sheep-killing cur! For, J] swear to you by all that’s holy! unless you make aclean breast of the entire business, lll fit a noose about your neck and haul you up to a limb of the tree out yonder!” ‘‘Sw’ar you'll let me—die my own way—l’ll tell!” panted the wounded wretch, gazing up into those stern eyes, ‘‘] swear: now do your part, or I'll do mine! First! what were you and Hoover fighting about?” Huck Shaw explained, as well as he was able, and by adding what he already knew of Showy Joe and his plans—vaguely outlined during the consultation so abruptly broken up by Lem Claybank—Light-heart Lute gave a shrewd guess as to what had taken place, Grace Elton was gone, yet all three of those plotting against ber were accounted for. Lem- ‘| uel had vanished, as well. Then—what more likely than that those two had come together? Leaving that point for the present, Light-heart Lute questioned Shaw concerning Adam Elton, and after se:uring a repeated pledge that he would not be tortured, the dying criminal con- fessed that he and Joe Hoover had waylaid the old gentleman, each one shooting him at the same time, then burying his rifled body, as they supposed, forever. till other crimes were confessed as the miser- able wretch grew weaker and less able to parry the questions his own broken words suggested, and before the end came, Huck Shaw made one particular revelation which was fated to exert a@ powerful influence over the Lad of Luck in days to come; for it was tbe first itive clew Luther Larrimer had as yet found ring on the mysterious disappearance of his father, SO my 4 long years before. As the effects of the brandy began to die ~s Huck Shaw 3 breaking out into wild curses, threats against his enemies, interspersed with prayers that he be shown merey—that Light-heart Lute would not bang him for killing Adam Elton, ‘Yo’ plum’ foolish, w’ite man!” just then broke forth a familiar voice from the threshold, ‘‘Kayn’t hang a man fo’ killin’ a man what grew less coherent, finally hain’t bin killed! How yo’ kiJ] a man when he hain’t dead, eh?” - I ‘ Oy J . c ee a. hee ee ae Ce eee te **' Lem!” *Dat’s dess who I is, boss!” chuckled the negro, dancing a double-sbuffle on the doorstep, the picture of high glee. ‘‘ An’ de young lady, she done ax me to ax you, boss, ef—” ‘** ‘What young lady?’ ‘*Miss Grace Elton, sah! Fo’ a fac’, boss! An’ she’s back dab, sah, at de hole we walled np, nussin’ ob de ole gemman, boss, what—” “If you’re lying, Lem Claybank, I'll skin you alive!” ejaculated Light-heart Lute, unable to believe his own senses, It was nearly noon when Lemuel Claybank put in bis appearance at the cabin, and it was more than an hour later before all misty points were fairly cleared away. Blind luck Jed Lem to the right spot, after becoming separated from his boss, and seeing this young lady with one of the conspirators, who was in the act of using force to bring about his wishes, the plucky colored lad called his good right arm into play again, literally ‘‘ knocking out ” the arch-villain. At first Grace Elton regarded Lem with sus- picion, but in the end they reached an amicable understanding, and having drawn from him the account of Adam Elton’s finding, Grace insisted on his leading her to the death-cave at once. Thanks to the horses provided by Showy Joe for quite another purpose, this journey was uickly made, and no sooner had they touched the first of the rocks piled up before the en- trance, than a hollow groan came to their ears from within. Lem wanted to run, but Grace held bim under her pistol muzzle, making him work swiftly, for she divined the marvelous truth—her father was living, not dead! And so it proved. He himself explained, later, how he had fallen intoa trance, which Light-heart Lute mistook for death. He could hear all that was said, but could neither move nor speak. And bis one consolation was the solemn vow Light-heart Lute made above his body, to rescue and care for the *‘ little girl!” By the time Lem bad finished his story, Huck Shaw had paid the last penalty, dying in a dull stupor, apparently without pain, at the end, Light-beart Lute a eaeed a package of food, giving it, together with a loaded revolver, to Roxy Ringgold. He bade her depart, with the somewhat sarcastic bope that she might repent her sins and iive a better life from that time henceforward, Like one in a dream, the sorely broken woman moved away, and so she disappears from these pages, The corpse was removed from the cabin, and placed for the time being in the little cave where Grace Elton bad been confined. Then, fastening the house, and mounting the horses which Lem had brovght back with him, the two men nasten- ed on their way to join the Eltons, It seemed a miracle, but Adam Elton actually did recover from his hurts, and within a few short months became as strong and hearty as ever before, His gratitude to Light-heart Lute and Lemuel Claybank was very great, but only Lem was willing to accept any actual reward. The colored lad was richly rewarded, and after a time he drifted away, growing tired of life in the mining regions, where he could not “ play ball!” His greatest ambition was never fully grati- fied, owing to the prejudice against his color, but Lemuel is to-day the * phenomenon” of a strong amateur club, champion of its county; and only the other day the writer had the piea- sure of seeing him “do up” a rival club while officiating “‘in the box!” And Light-heart Lute? At first he was a little abashed in the presence of the lady whom he had pictured only as a ‘‘ little girl,” but that feeling soon wore off, and in due course of time there was a wooing anda wedding, in both of which Luther Larrimer maintained his reputation as a “‘ Lad of Luck.” : THE END.