Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 720 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

\ _— -_ 12 ~ —, a a — ™ --* is this about insurance? What is the plan that you bave on foot ia regard to that?” ** Ah! that wasa thought, a glorious thought! Tt am playing a role you little suspect, little can suspect, There is nothing—” ‘Cut behind! Cut behind /” Loudly rung out the tnoterrupting cry, and the Méxican glanced over his shoulder to learn what it meant. W bat happened then has been told. ‘‘Confound his impudence!” the Mexican muttered, as be turned again to the fore, **I ought to have given him more than I did.” ‘* Who was it?’ the woman asked, in some alarm. ‘*Oh, only a common nigger.” ** Are you quite sure?” ** Didn’t you see for yourself?” * Yes; but [ am nervous, Do you think he heard—” **No, no! And evenif he did, he wouldn’t be able to put it together to make anything out of it. Don’t let that worry you.” ‘What were you saying, Miguel, dear?’ Skinny’s ears were set at full cock, taking in every word. Whata dashing widow this must be! was his thoucht, **You were tatking, Ata,” was the answer, ** You were about to tell me of that insurance scheme,” ** Oh, yes, sol was. Well, it isa darling plot, as lam sure you will agree with me; and when I tell you thatit was all owing tomy love for you that I have done it, you will see that my beart has never been false to you, no, not for a moment has it been false to you!” **T am willing to believe you, Ata, for I love you aS woman was never loved before. Go on and tell me everything.” “T will, I will.. When I learned the truth re- arding old Lodgelaw’s money, I wasin despair. saw that I had thrown myself away for noth- ing, as I believed. But almost at the same time @ young insurance agent came here and hung out his shingle, and the idea came to me to have the old dotard insured. I became the most loving and affectionate creature you ever heard ? ** Ha, ha, ha!” Yes, you well may laugh. Why, my genuine love and showing of affection for you, could not half come up to the way [ played love with him. I could twist him around my fingers at will. Presently I mentioned insurance to him, show- ing him that I was unprovided for in case he died—though I could not bear the thought of that! and off he went and was insured for a big amount,” ** A wonder they accepted a man so old,” “You have not heard the half yet, dear Miguel. That part of thescheme by itself would be unworthy a woman of any intellect whatever. Any common mortal could think that far, ard perhaps might profit by it; but I went further and made the matter doubly sure, I put my- self in the way of: this agent, flirted with him, got him to fallin love with me, and then when it was all ripe, made a proposal to him that ought to bave made his hair stand on end—but it didn’t.” ‘*T begin to see, Curse him! I hate him!” “A sure sign that you do love me, Miguel. But do not let jealousy ruin my plan, now that it is sure to succeed. He wanted me to elope with him, deserting old Lodgelaw, and I agreed, Then, as though a new thought had come to ms, I proposed that we insure Lodgelaw for a big amount, let bim die, and then bave the money to sport upon and have a goodtime. And he agreed.” ‘‘Ha! Then it was you who put him out of the way.” ‘““No, no! You are wrong fhere, Miguel. Not but that it might have been done, soon enough, but it wasn’t done. He died of natural causes. You see the doctor was bribed, and he was liable to die at any moment when he was in- sured, It was something the matter with his heart; this is the truth, believe me.” ** All right, Pll take your word on that point.” ** But don’t you approve of my work? Don’t ou think it immense? Now we shall soon have he money in our hands, and then—bappiness!” ** Ob! it certainly is a fine scheme, and I think you have done nobly; but I can’t enthuse over it as I would have done some time ago.” ** Why, how is that?’ in some surprise. ** Because I am rich myself now,” ** Rich!” ‘** Immensely rich, I assure you.” “Explain. It is almost too good to be true.” “Easily done. The last of the Mendez faniily is dead, and I am the sole heir; I could buy the half of this Territory.” roadway Billy's Fall Hand. **Ob! such news, such good news!” ‘* You see this little scheme of yours pales into insignificance,” “Yes, so it does. If I had only known— But, perhaps you will not desire me, now that you know me so well—know that money is one of my gods?” ‘* Res. vasy upon that point, Ata. I love you, love you as well as though no shadow had come between us, There is only one thing that I can ask, and there seems new to be something in the way of that.” ‘* Ask what you will, Miguel.” ** lt is that you go with merto Mexico within a day or two,” **Oul would that I could—would that I dared doit! To run away would give the insurance people good grounds against me, and investiga- tion then might lead to discovery of fraud, and— and it might imprison me!” “IT see all that as well as you do, but just as soon as you get bold of this woney I want you to cut loose trom that agent and come to Mex- ico,’ ‘*T will do that, gladly will 1 do that! He | can whistle for me, as soon as I get the money in my grasp. Thenl shall be safe, for he dare not say a word, and the company will be out of the race,” No need to say that Skinny was all ears. He was storing this away \ ith care, making sure of every point as fast as they came to bim, ‘““When are you going back?’ the woman asker, ‘‘T would go at once, were it not for one thing,” “ What is that?” “ The murder that bas been done here. Fora stranger to leave suddenly after that, might turn suspicion against him. I don’t want any of that in mine!” ** No, L should say not, But after a few days it will be all right, and then | suppose you will be off. Ob! how I wish I could go with you! My beart has been with you all this time.” ‘*Come to me as soon as possible, that is all I can say. Just as soon as you get the money, or a3 soon as itis safe, come.” “*T will, L will.” ‘*And in the mean time take care to let no one know that Miguel Mendez has been here, [t would be ruin to me,in a certain direc- tion. “IT will take care of that. But, there is no one whom I would mention it to, and no one will ever know of this meeting but ourselves, When our interview comes to an end, I must get out of the carriage and you must leave me to go home alone,” ‘Yes; but I will take you nearly there, We have gove far enough ,to turn now, | suppose, One kiss, before we go back, old woman!” “Old woman! Ha, ha, ha! Yes, take a dozen if you will,” By the sounds that followed, Skinny believed the measure was being filled up to the full num- ber, with perhaps a few over. After tbat the vehicle was turned, and the ride back into town was begun, the conversation running on mucb ag before, * Why is it that you do not want it known that you have been bere, Miguel?” the woman presently asked, after a brief pause. ‘** J cannot tell you that now,” was the answer. ** Believe me, it is important, and must not be known,” ‘* You are stopping at the very hotel where that murder was dore,” ‘‘ Yes, that is so; and I was there at the time when the crime was committed. If I went in a hurry, as I bave said, suspicion might fall upon me,” **But you could prove your innocence, of course?” ‘*{ guess it would be a hard matter for them to prove me guilty; but, I want nothing to do with it. You can see how it would be, or I should say how it would have been. It was my intention to leave the town that sameday, Sup- pose I bad gone suddenly about the time the crime was done—Ugh !” **Tt was fortunate that nothing of the kind happened,” “More fortunate than you dream of,” was the response, ‘] tell you if must not be known, positively must not be known, that Miguel Men- dez has been here in Santa Fe,” “Tt will never be known through me, be sure of that.” From that point their talk was mainly a re- petition of what had already passed, more in de- tail, and interspersed with a good deal of love- talk and nonsense, At last tbe carriage stopped and the woman got out, and the Mexican lost no time then in getting the rig back to the place where he had ired it, Finally that place was reached, the man sprung out, paid the bill and went off, and the horse was taken out. When Skiutiy beard the feet of the animal sounding on the stable floor, as it was led away, he slipped out from his place of hiding and put distance between that locality and himself as speedily as he could. CHAPTER XIV. SUSPICION AWAKENED. iy GREAT ginger!” Skinny exclaimed to him- self, This was when he paused, after his sudden flight from the stable, ‘*T wonder where IJ'Il find that Billy now?” he questioned, ‘‘I want to see him bad.” As there was no one to answer the question for him, he bad to trust to bis own powers of guess- ing. ‘*Mebby heds where I left him,” he thought, ‘for itis certain that he didn’t foller the car- riage any further— Ha, ha, ba!” ’ At the recollection of that ‘‘cut behind” episo’e, the lean lieutenant bad to laugh heart- ily. It had tickled him through and througb, and be was not likely to get over it right away. “Tli amble around that way, anyhow,” he decided, ‘‘ If 1 don’t see him there, I’]] know he must be at the hotel. Tl off with this disguise though, for there’s no use wearing it any longer that I cun see.” It was buta little work for him to do this, and he went on as Skinny the Lean,in proper eTSOU, a Yes; I must see Billy as soon as possible,” he decided. ‘‘ for lL must unload to somebody or bu’st. All that information [ took in is liable to congest my brain, if I don’t get rid of some of itsoon, Can’t carry sich a load as that long, and retnin my even temper. I’m too thin, as Billy would say.” A short walk brought him into the neigbbor- bood he aimed for, and a short bunt around dis- closed Billy. He had not yet removed the black from his face, having no eS gdeeerseg not knowing how soon Skinny would return, and not wanting to miss him. He was leaning against a fence when Skinny came upon him, and looking rather cast down. Skinny went up quietly, gave bim a poke in the ribs, and exclaimed: ‘*Cut bebind, Billy!” Instantly Billy’s arm swung around, with a stiff switch in his grasp, and Skinny received a stinging cut across the lean legs that made him wince, “Yes, I'll cut behind,” Billy responded. ‘* How do you like it? I expected you would say jest that, and I was ready for you,” ‘“*That’s the meanest thing you ever did in your life,” Skinny complained, “Thought I’d let you know how it feels, so it wouldn’t seem so awful funny to you. That was one on me, 1 admit, Skin; but I want to nip it right in the bud, so’s you won’t bring it up forever. See?” ‘“‘] see,” Skinny answered, ‘‘ You'll see, too, if you do that again. Ti) getmad and walk into you, see if I don’t! But, come; let’s get to the house as soon as we can, for I’ve got more infor- mation aboard than I can carry.’ ‘‘ What have you found out?” ‘‘Can’t tell you here; it would take a half- hour,” ‘* Any pints in it?” ‘* There’s millions in it, Billy!” ‘Got onto anything about the Mexican?” ‘You bet! Ob, if he ain’t a bad one, and if that woman ain’t a worse one, then you can kick me fer a Kickapoo.” Why?” “Why! Wait tillI tell you. That scene last nigbt didn’t half show what a terror she is.” ‘“ Well, then, let’s get there as soon as we can.” ‘* How about your blackened face?” ‘‘ Tl] take the chance of smugglin’ in th’ back wa ? ‘ All right, and hope we won’t ke seen, not b that Mex, anyhow. He might ’spect somethin’, seein’ it was a nig that was after his yh aga ‘“'That’s so; but we'll try it. Don’t know where else we could go, unless away out to that old witch’s cabin, pe that’s too far,” , Their minds made up on the point in question, they set out for their hotel at once, Arriving there, they went around and entered by the rear way. Billy had wiped a good deal of the black from his face, and hoped by making haste through