Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 708 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

_————— --- — Light-heart Lute’s Legacy. ** No use in swearing sour milk is sweet cream, now she’s taken the first taste! And—you want the whole trath, Grace—vall it Elton, if that leases you most! And J want to give it to you, f only to pay off the score you’ve been piling up ever since we came here!” ‘* Because I felt, instinctively, that you were false—falee to the very core!” impulsively cried the maiden, facing the virago undauntedly, “I could not deny that you knew my father, since ! you claimed as much; but I felt you were lying when you said you were his friends, Because my father is a'gentleman !” Pose words stung sharply, as that deepening flush declared, and as though conscious that the tempest must fairly spend itself, Huck Shaw slouched across to the door, leaning lazily against one side of the casing, glancing from face to face under his shaggy brows, ‘* A gentleman, eh?” shrilly cried Mrs, Shaw, her arms akimbo. ‘‘ Yes! Adam Elton is a gentleman—if to be a gambler, a cheat, a liar, a drunken fraud and slimy-tongued seducer, is a gentleman !” Grace Elton turned pale as a corpse as she listened to that swift tirade. When the last word was uttered, she sprung forward and back, both movements taking barely a single second, Yet that brief space was long enough for her a brown hand to sharply smite those red ips! rc Stiddy, Roxy!” cried Shaw, fairly frightened, starting forward like one whodreads a tragedy ; but the virago waved him back, laughing shrill and mockingly before saying: **Don’t be a bigger fool than the girl, Huck Shaw! [ll pay her off, but not after your fash- ion: my blows will cut, not bruise!” ‘“*'You have gone too far, Mrs. Shaw,” coldly uttered Grace Elton, one hand pointed toward the door, ‘‘ Go! leave this house, and never—” ‘* When I get a good ready, which will not be before I’ve ovened up with the silly idiot who calls herself the daughter of Adam Elton,” was the sneering response, ‘* You surely could not have understood the full meaning of that bit of paper, Miss Elton?” ‘Itshows a lie on its face, just as your face now proves. my first instinct correct, As you asked shelter in my father’s name, I could hard- ly refuse it; now,in his name,I bid you be- gone!” ‘* You said that before, and idle repetition is hardly a mark of good sense, leaving good taste entirely out of the question.” For afew moments there was silence between them. Grace stood with her trim, rounded, maidenly figure drawn proudly erect, ber beau- tiful face very pale, but showing no sign of per- sonal fear, She knew that she was pbysically unable to enforce that command against this tall, powerfnl woman, leaving aside the wo wit man with the bull-dog face. She disliked yield- ing, even in part, but those walls could no longer contain both ber enemies and herself. ** Will you oblige me by taking your de- parture, madam?” ‘*From my own house?” replied the other. ‘*'You utter a falsehood when you say that, but [ll not lower myself to your degraded level. Since you refuse to go, I'll leave you for—” **On guard, Huck Shaw!” sharply cried the woman, as Grace turned toward the door. “I'm rigbt hyar, Roxy. An’ you, little gal, don’t run clean over me, please!” chuckled Shaw, équaring bis burly form and fairly filling the doorway, ‘* How dare you, sir?” “Because I say so!” laughed the woman, lacing herself in front of the door leading ao the other room, used by Grace as a bed- chamber, ‘‘ Because we’ve both got a big debt against Adam Elton, and since he declines to show up, we’ve got to do the next best thing: pay it off on your stim shoulders, my beauty !” ‘Take care!” warningly spoke the maiden, retreating a little, but still showing a brave froot. ‘‘ It’s true, I’m only a girl, but I know how to defend myself against insult and out- rage. f is the simple truth an insult?” sneered Mrs, Shaw, plainly enjoying her triumph, pitiful though thatmust have seemed toa true woman, “Tf so, square your shoulders, for I’m going to pelt you without end! “You flung out because I asked if Adam Elton—so-called—was really your father. In- stead, you ought to have thanked me for doubt- pet a dirty scoundrel as he has proved him- lf could be father toa perfect lady, such as you have shown yourself!” ** You shall pay for every word that passes your lips,madam! When father comes home—” ** Meaning to this lovely palace?” sneered Mrs, Shaw. back here, for—” ‘*'You have not dared—what have you done to my poor father?” ‘* What bas be done to us, rather!” flashed the woman, hotly. ‘‘ What has he done to my poor sister? What has he—stop, girl!” abruptly breaking off, as Grace turned toward the door. ‘‘Bar the way, Shaw!” ‘‘Tt’s done barred, Koxy!” grinned the bull- dog ruffian, ‘**Out of the way, sir!” panted Grace, almost suffocating with rage, ‘‘Give way, | command you! ‘* You command !" sbrilly laughed Mrs. Shaw, her handsome face—if was bandsome, though too masculine in strength and feature to be termed beautiful—showing both scorn and pity for themoment, ‘*‘ What right have you tocom- mand? Instead of being mistress here, you are aslave! A slave—bought and paid for!” CHAPTER VI. DRIVEN TO DESPERATION. DESPITE her native courage—and Grace El- ton was a true daughter of a brave man in that respect—the maiden shrunk toward the wall furthest from her newly declared enemies, a strange chillof dread attacking her as she looked into that glowing face, ‘*[ mean just that,” nodded Mrs, Shaw, asshe called herself for the occasion, ‘“ You area slave, duly bought and fully paid for. Ay!” with a sudden access of bitterness in her tones, ‘“‘ paid for at a figure ten thousand times above your real worth, at that!” **Tetch lightly, Roxy Ann!” warningly rum- bled the man with the bull-dog face. ‘* No need to rub it in too mighty deep!” ‘You button up!” flashed the woman, with an angry glance in that direction. ‘‘I’m running this outfit, please bear in mind.” ‘‘An’I ain’t doin’ the kickin’, Roxy, jest so jyou don’t run it clean into the ground—ye mind that?” growled her fitting mate. | It was only another instance of how prone a drowning person will catch at a straw, but Grace Elton turned toward the sulky brute, r/o out her hands appealingly as she fal- tered: 3 ‘* Oh, sir, you are a man, and—tell me—no harm has come to my dear father?” _** No wuss harm then he’s brung onto himself,” was the gruff response, his blocdshot eyes flash- ing a brief glance into her pale, appealing coun- tenance, then sinking to the floor. ‘“‘ on, Roxy Ann! Git itover with, kain’t ye?” ‘ll do the talking, if Miss Grace will do the listening, be sure,” laughed the woman, lightly, ‘*T wish to bear no more, madam!” ‘Then you'll need something better than your dainty finger-tips toplug up your ears with, my angel!” sneered Mrs. Shaw. ‘‘ Now I’ve fairly struck a trot, ’m bound to keep on until under the wiré—a winner, you mind! A win- ner, even though I’ve lost far more than a host of your class could ever repay!” she added, with an abrupt change of tone. ‘You haven’t forgotten what we told you on our arrival, two days ago, but nevertheless I’m going to recall a part of that, We told you we ere old friends of your father’s, That was only partly a lie, We would have hit the mark had we said old acquaintances, instead, for we never were friends with Adam Elton. ** We did know him: had known bim for near- ly two years, He never came to town without calling at our place, partly because it was the lace of all others where he could make or break he most speedily. In still plainer words, he came to our place to gamble!” ‘** And you expect me to believe the base cal- umnies you have poured forth against him—a ‘true-hearted, honorable gentleman?” slowly asked the maiden, twin spots of color coming back to her cheeks, ber eyes shining brightly. ‘ You— a pair of self-admitted gamblers?” ‘* With Adam Elton desperately striving to climb high enough to be entered in the same class: don’t forget to add that, my dear,” sneered her immediate adversary. ‘It is the naked truth, We kept a gambling-hell, and your father—if he really is your father!—was one of our regular patrons.” , “You are lying when you make that charge.” “You are lying when you deny the truth, though I'll give you the poor credit of believing what you say, my angel,” bowed her enemy, clearly enjoying this battle of tongues, ‘ And when I’ve ruv this deal out to its end, you'll be forced to admit as much! ‘““As I started to say, we ran a gambling- room, and whenever your father came to town —for supplies, or to bank his gold, as you no ** Bah! you poor fool! He'll never come | doubt believed, / or innocent!—he was the first: man inside, the last man to leave the table be- fore the lights were turned out. ** Pll give him what little credit is his due; he was a bold, reckless player, and never hung back while he had a stake left to his hand. And at first, he was willing to quit when his supplies ran short, ‘* Later on, he broke this rule, and would ask for credit, or an advance. We generally gave it. Why not?» He had poured many an ounce of cleam dust into our coffers, and we knew that. he was too true a gambler ever to make a sneak while be had a stake left about his clothes! *That is how wesummed him up, after the first few visits, And, at that time, the estimate was a true one. But then—well, the wisest of us will make mistakes, and we were not the rare exception, as [ll soon prove to you, my girl! ‘“‘We never knew where Adam Elton held forth when at home; indeed, we never knew that he had a home, at first! Least of all did we suspect that he had a child of your age and dimensions. If we had—but, as I said before, we all run up against a cold deck, at least once in the long game!” ‘“You are growing wearisome, with all the rest of your sins, Mrs. Shaw,” coldly interposed Grace, moving toward a chair neafer the inner room. ‘Since you force me to listen, at least permit me to sit down,” The buman bull-dog at the front door gave & soft chuckle at this, and only for the angry flush that leaped into the face of his ally, he might bave betrayed his appreciation still more posi- tively. ‘‘You are wise in time, my angel,” forcing herself to speak with a sweetness hardly suited to the occasion. ‘‘ I’m coming to a point in the deal where you'll require some such support.” ‘‘ Enforced listening does not imply belief, Mrs, Shaw.” “But truth is mighty, and will prevail? Which is a platitude to match the one you pre- sent, my child,” sneered Mrs, Shaw, now—to business! ‘* When I said that Adam Elton was a bold, reckless player, it was the same thing as tellin you he nearly always rosea loser. So he did, And even at the very hour when he was plan- ning a foul play, we were pitying him because of bis streak of bad luck!” ’ ‘‘T believe I alluded to a sister, some few minutes ago, but now I’ve got to speak of her more at length, though—bah!” flinging out one hand and restlessly pacing back and forth, though still keeping near enough totheinner door to frustrate any attempt which Grace might make to escape into the chamber. ‘‘ What’s done 1s done, and I’m a weak fool for stammering over —out with it, then!” Turning to face Grace, her own countenance showing strong excitement, the woman spoke rapidly: ‘Yes, I bad a sister; younger than I am, an@ much more innocerit, as the poody-gont ‘world judges. I never permitted her to enter the room where cards ruled. I kept her ia almost complete seclusion, guarding her against all of our wild associates as one guards the apple of one’s eye! Yet—lI let down the bars in favor of —Adam Elton!” ‘Beware, woman!” sternly cried Grace, her hand rising in menace, ‘* You shall answer for every word you utter now—I give you fair warning!” ' “Thank you for nothing, Miss Grace!” bowe@ the woman, mockingly. “I have only the sim- ple truth to speak, and even your saintly gentle- man of a father could hardly object tothat! Of course he could do nothing which he would fear having all the world know—including his angel of a daughter! ‘“ Ag I said, I let the bars down, once. We believed Adam Elton was « bachelor. I am un-. der the impression that he told us as much im Jain words. Am I wrong, Mr. Shaw?” ‘* He said it—sure!” “One liar backing up another!” sneered the | maiden. “We are in good company, my angel,” laughed the woman, recklessly, then adding, rapidly: ‘And under that belief, really pity- ing the luckless fellow who was pouring a yellow flood across the painted cloth into our coffers,, I gave Adam Elton an introduction to my sister, ‘ Possibly you can guess the rest, but I prefer- telling it after my own fashion. en weary of play trig and we both noticed that Adam Elton wou | losing his last dollar, contrary to his previo habit—this honorable gentleman would call a our private rooms, to see—my sister! \ “And | occasionally leave the table before ~alD