Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 724 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 is Violet Vane’s Vengeance. ~ e Charlie laughed. , ‘ Money did that,” he declared. ‘‘ You were paying them by the day. The longer they were in your employ the more they obtained. They actually did strike the trail of your enemy, your wife and yourchildren. That I feel certain of, They rantbemdown, Then a large sum of money was placed in their hands if they would betray you. You were betrayed, and the ras- ' cally detectives still remained ia your employ, eating up your money, There are any amount of such bogus officers in the business, and for ‘that reason it has fallen into disrepute in a measure with those who know the tricks of the profession, Asarule, the average detective is not nearl7 so well paid as the public in general supposes, and a large sum of bribe-money easily beri ae him from the straight path of honesty.’ **T believe you are right, I know it is the best thing’ that ever happened to me that I trusted you. You have won your reward ina noble manner.” ‘* You forget that Mat Rougal is sot yet my prisoner.” ‘*No, Ido not forget. He soon shall be.” ‘You are right. We will lay for him till he is in our power, His crooked career shall come to a termination.” ‘* Tt has been crooked, indeed! The man never forgave me because I would not shield him in his first crime and thus become an accessory, That was when we were scarcely more than boys and working in the same bank, In after years, when I was married, we met again. He seemed pleased to see me, and as he shook my band warmly, he declared I had saved him from a life of crime, He seemed truly grateful, and I little dreamed ' the base treachery and thirst for revenge that still remained in his black heart, Oh, the miser- able devil!” For several moments he was silent, his emo- tions quite overcoming him, Finally, he went on once more: ‘*T introduced him to my fawily, and he be- came a frequent visitor at the house. He made much of little Harriet and Baby Dick, My wife jiked him—liked bim because he was my friend. { did not tell her of the past. Without my re of the truth, the serpent began bis work. ‘* How that man succeeded in poisoning my wife’s mind against me without my becoming aware of it I do not know, but succeed he did. He worked silently even while he shook me warmly by the band and smiled in my face, He led me on and on from little thing to little thing, step by step, till at last he succeeded in placing me before my wife’s eyes in a position that seemed to prove my guilt. Still I was in- nocent, The wine I bad swallowed had robbed - me of my senses, ‘‘ When I became myself once more I found my wife and children gone. Jennie had left a note—a few burriedly-written cruel words. She said she knew all—had seen what made her very soul revolt against me, I would never see her again, and, as she could not thiuk of leaving her e oF ges she had taken them with her, She would rather they would dit than fall into my bands. She also intimated she had a true friend who would stand by her to the end. “You cannot imagine my feelings—it would be an utter impossibility for me to describe them, I discovered Rougal had vanished—then I knew the truth, She had fled with him—he had worked my ruin. Nota doubt of this was eftin my mind, for he had left a note behind eaying 58 was revenged and sneering at me for my blindness. Then I became like a madman,” _ Once more Danton paused while he excitedly paced the floor of the little room, his hands clinched behind him and his face betraying the emotions whica rocked bis soul, “‘ I at once pat detectives at work, giving them every clew ears os he went on. ‘“*At the same time I set about obtaining the evidence that would clear me in the eyes of my wife when she was restored to me. In this I succeed- ed, but I was destined never to look upon her face again, Sbe is dead, and her death lies at the door of that black-hearted wretch! He basely deceived her—ruined her life and mine! pat have found my children, and, at least, I will have the comfort of their company in my old age. : : “Bat Rougal, that infernal dastard!—never will I be satisfied till I know he has been fitly punished. He tried to end his work of ven- geance by taking my life, but he failed, My turn comes next! | , There was an intensity of hatred about the man’s words that made Charlie shiver, Danton had been bitterly wronged, and his very soul thirsted for vengeance. - _* dream,” declared the amateur detective. ** W hat is that?” *“*Have you thought it eae me Rougal is try- (“Phere js one thing of which you do” nét | | ore, ee ee OOS SO CC eee eee eee eae ee ee eee ee eee ses, he put one of your children out of the way?” anton turned white, and with two strides reached Charlie’s side, catching him by the shoulder, ‘*‘In God’s name, what do you mean?” he gasped, hoarsely. “IT have told you of Dick’s cough.” S Ves; eal’... »:* ‘*It seems as if the child bad consumption, if I can judge from what his sister says.” * Well?” ‘“* This is a country to cure consumption in its first stages, but not to breed it,” ** And you think—” ** Rougal is giving him bad medicine,” sé Ha ? **And I think that medicine is slowly carry- wy 3. boy off.” Janton staggered back. ‘Great God!” he cried. right!” ‘*] feelsureI am, He wants the boy cff his hands, Dick must be quite an incumbrance to him, With only Harry, be can more easily elude pursuit, arry is pretty, and he means to keep her. For what purpose | cannot say— but I think [ know,” Horace Danton trembled from head to feet. **{ must go to my cbildren at once!” he cried. “‘T can stay away no longer!» Do not ask me! That devil is poisoning my little Dick!” ‘“Now that would be the very worst thing you can do! Just keep quiet a few hours longer and we may have Rougal in our clutches; but if you go to the children now, he will take the alarm and we shall not be able to get our hands on hits,” ‘* But he is poisoning littie Dick! Heavens alive! do you think I can remain quiet while that is going on?” ' “Only for a ehort time longer. If we do not get our hands on our man to-night, I will con- sent to your seeing them and we will take Dick’s * medicine ’ from him.” But, it wasa long time before Charlie could succeed in convincing the excited father tbat was the best course to pursue, In the early part of that evening Danton en- tered the saloon of the Columbia, Already was Charlie, with several trusty companions, in- cluding Old Sunflower and Red Hot, watching the cabin of the waifs. Denver Dave was in the saloon, and, as usual, he had a large crowd around bim, while be was freely expressing bis aind in a lond tone of voice, ‘**] am more than half-inclined to believe these so-called Regulators are in with Black Burk and his gang,” he declared, ‘* What makes you think so?” asked a listener. ‘* Well, I have my reasons,” nodded the gam- bler; ‘‘and good reasons they are too, They are wooling this camp in great shupe.” ** Now looker hyer, man,” said Judge Whittles pressing his way forward and confronting Dave, ‘** It will not_be healthy to insinnowait ary | erg’in’ this yere camp as yecan’t back up. reckon we are ez sharp as most people as comes from Denver, b’gosb!” — “That’s all ri ht,” laughed the black-whisk- ered man, waving one hand ina careless ges- ture, ‘ They are playing a mighty shrewd ggme, and would be liable to deceive anybody.” ‘*' Then how is it you bev sech a blamed heap of wisdom thet you tumble ter it?” Dave scowled a bit, **Oh, I manage to catch on toa t many things. I have no absolute proof I am right, but still [ am pretty certain 1 am.” , ** Waal,” drawled the judge, ‘‘ if ye hain’t got no abserlute proof, I ‘low ye’d best shet up.” ‘*You are an old man,” said Dave, slowly; ““butif you were not, I would make you swallow those words,” ‘* Why didn’t you make Violet Vane swallow his words when he called you a cheat?” cried some one on the outside of the circle, The man from Denver wheeled toward the speaker, ‘If the man who made that remark will ste in bere I will agree to knock the angles off bis va he said, | o one stirred. ‘“*f thought so,” sneered the gambler. “A coward, as was the fellow who called himself Violet Vane. Where is the little sport in velvet now—” ** He is here!” The circle parted at one side, and Violet Vane bimself strode forward and confronted the boaster from Denver! ‘*T believe you are \ Dave staggered as if struck in the face, turn- ing white as a sheet, as he gasped: ‘* Gods! the dead alive!” *‘Not by considerable,” said Vane, calmly. re: have never been dead yet, to my know- ge. ‘But I saw you-—I saw you fall into the water. It swept you down to—” ‘* Ah-a!l” shouted the little sport, in amaze- ment. ‘‘It was you who fired that dastardl shot! I thought it was another. But, the bul- let did not touch me. The rail broke beneath my weight and I fell into the water. By good fortune, my clothes caught on a jagged point of the rock which supports the bridge, and I was saved from being carried down to death, Now Iam here. And now—you have it !” With a single stride forward, he sent out his right fist, the hard knuckles striking Dave fairly between the eyes and knocking him down, In some way the man’s beard caught in the button on Violet Vane’s coat-sleeve, and when Dave fell the whiskers were jerked from his face. They were false! As the gambler struggled to his feet, Horace Danton cried: ‘‘ Great heavens—Mat Rougal!” But another name fell in a shout of astonish- meut from the lips of the many spectators: ** Black Burk!’ CHAPTER XV. ‘THE VENGEANCE OF VIOLET VANE!” THE amazement of every one was so great that the crafty desperado was enabled to make a break for liberty before a hand was raised to detain him, Straight toward the crowd between bimself and the door leaped the unmasked villain, giving utterance to a savage yell, Involuntarily tbe men fell back before that wild figure that now brandished a glistering knife in bis right band. Once or twice he struck, and the bright blade was dimmed by a dark stain. Then he broke through the circle, “Stop him! Stop hin!” | Horace Danton blocked the doorway, a re- volver in his hand, 5 tte ‘* Stop, Mat Rougal!” he shouted, lifting th weapon. ‘‘ Halt, or I fire!” ‘The desperado snarled out an oath and hurled his knife at the man be had so bitterly wronged. Fortunately, be missed his aim, ith a side- long leap he reachea the window. The next moment there was a crash of breaking glass a he leaped through it, carrying away sash and a Several bullets followed him out into the darkness, but be was untouched. When tke men rushed forth from the saloon to search for him, be had disappeared. A sharp bunt was in- stantly inaugurated, butit was useless, The man had vanished as if the earth had opened and swallowed him. And Violet Vane was also missing. No one rembered seeing him after the unmasked des- perado leaped through the window, Among the man-hunters Horace Danton was the most eager and excited. He bad fired at Rougal as the villain crashed through the win- dow, but it seemed as if Satan guarded bis own. Danton was loth to give up the search as useless, but be was compelled to do so, After quiet bad been restored, he crept down toward the cabin of the waifs, where he knew Charlie Ross and his companions were on the watch. They had heard the shots and cries, and when he told them what had occurred there was excitement, indeed, ‘ Old Sunflower was the most excited of any one. ‘Did ye say my ketle pard Sweet Violets wur thar, an’ knocked ther critter down?” he whispered, hoarsely. ‘Ob, holy Christopher! Then thet leetle cuss bain’t dead a tall! Oh, squint-eyes Betsey! Ob, great Jehocus! Oh, howlin’ hallelujah! Git out o’ ther way an’ let me kick a hoel in ther darkness! Someaea) throw me down an’ putt a board over my mout afore I yoop right out loud in meetin’! Ob, Smotherin’ Moses!” | It was with the greatest difficulty the old fel- low restrained the exuberance of his spirits enough to keep from arousing the echoes of the» ket with several yells that would have puta ocomotive whistle to blush. After a time the party settled down to watch and wait once more, It was a tinesome task and before long the miner Red Hot was sou asleep, stretched on his back with bis arms out- epread; but when he began to suore, they were forced to arouse him, — = a =, ~~, ous “=” = wee ~ Rae? ond ee _ := . A a . : « 2 -< " a > * o-} ——_ ee i tee'