Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 727 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 alone. Reclining listlessly in a comfortable easy- chair, her feet upon an ottoman, her sewing- work on which sbe had vainly sought to fix her mind lying unheeded in her lap, she presented a must abject spectacle of grief and misery. Her cheeks had lost their rosy bloom, her once bright eyes were dimmed with tears—her entire appear- ance was woe-begone in the extreme. She had but just returned from the center of the town, whence she had jvurneyed to seek some tidings from her missing lover, Fully a score of times had this errand been repeated since the news of his disappearance first reached her ears; and now, as before, the same cruel an- swer awaited her. No tidings from Headlight Harry! Where was her unfortunate lover, and for what fell purpose was he spirited away? Was he yet among the living, or was he—horrible thought—lying at that moment cold in death, in some wild and desolate spot, food for the moun- tain vultures? It was generally believed in town, she had heard, that the notorious girl bandit, Mad Madge, might, if she chose, clear away the mystery surrounding the engineer’s disappearapce. This might, or might not, be the case, since at that particular time all deeds of violence and crime were likely to be attributed to the Outlaw Queen, however innocept she might be. If true, however, what could be her motive in kidnapping Headlight Harry? Did this female fiend, said to be beautiful as a houri, wish to steal ber handsome lover from her? A pang of jealousy pierced her breast, as, with a woman’s wonderful intuition, she divined the truth. With these and myriad other thoughts surging madly through her fevered brain, poor Ruth endured an existence of intense mental agony. Oh! why had this cruel blow fallen upon her in the very hour of supreme happiness, when the future seemed bright with glorious prospects? The terrible suspense, she feared, was slowly driving her to madness, If she could but receive one word from her absent lover, telling ber thit he was alive and well, what a welcome relief it would be to her anxious mind! The hour was growing late, and the lamp burued low. The weary flagman had long siace sought much-needed rest in the adjoining bed- room, from which his sonorous snores now re- sounded with startling distinctness. And still the maid continued ber reveries, quite regard- less of the flight of time. Gradually, however, the soothing influences of slumber stole over her senses, Her heavy lids drooped and closed; ber head bowed low upon the swelling bosom that regularly rose and fell, \Soundly she slept; aud for the time her troubles were obliterated. Swiftly the moments flew, with naught to break the silence save the deep breathing of the sleepers, and the monotonous “‘ tick—tick ”’ of the old-fashioned clock on the mantel, as it faithfully chronicled the flight of time, staring down upon the slumbering girl with its great solemn face as though aghast at this unusual scene. Lower burned the light, while fantastic shadows disported themselves about the room. The old clock warningly proclaimed the hour of midnight; but still Rutn Sharon slept peace- fully on. Then it was that the two shadowy forms, that for some time past had skuiked like red Indians in the thick shrubbery outside, stealthily emerged from their lurking-place and drew nearer to the window from which shone the shimmering ligbt, The curtain was but partially drawn, and, through the aperture thus opportunely left, it was possible to view much of the interior of the dimly-lighted room—a fact that appeared to give great satisfaction to this pair of midnight prowlers, Great burly fellows, the latter, whose faces | were shrouded by somber masks, through the holes of which their eyes burned with demoni- acal glee, as they beheld the apparent object of their search reclining, sound asleep, in the easy- chair, almost within their reach. Who were these nocturnal prowlers, and what their mission here? What fresh deed of violence was about to be committed? Without a word, without a sound, the pre- cious pair of rascals went about their business with a dexterity that. betokened long practice at such nefarious work, The window was securely -e nec means of the ordinary catch, but this proved only a slight obstacle in the way of the intending house-breakers, <A glazier’s dia- mond was produced, and with it a piece of the pane deftly removed, Through the opening thus made it was an easy matter to reach and i eimai — style= e-tss>sss- — oo | Headlight Harry’s Siren. undo the fastening, after which the window was noiselessly raised, the entire operation having taken bardly a minute to perform, Oue of the unknowns now proceeded to climb through the open window, his passage being greatly facilitated by a liberal boost from the accomplice who remained outside. In another moment he alighted, catlike, upon the floor of the apartment, and stood witt glouting eyes fixed upon the fair girl who peacefully slumbered scarce ten feet away. Poor Ruth Sbaron! Was she, too, destined to fall an easy victim to the wiles of these midnight marauders? Was there no escape from the horrible peril that threatened her? Pausing only for an instant, the bold intruder move stealthily toward his unconscious victim. Suddenly she stirred, while muttered words fell from her parted lips. Was she about to wake? Like a flash, the masked visitor vanished bebind a high-backed rocker; but his alarm proved to be quite groundless. Ruth was only dreaming— a very pleasant dream, judging by the sweet smile that played about her marble face, Alas| could she have but known the truth, that bliss- ful dream would have had a rude awakening. Once more the stalwart intruder resumed his interrupted work. Drawing still closer, be bent over the sleeping maiden; then, producing from his pocket a lange handkerchief, he saturated it with the contents of a tiny vial, and with a dexterous movement clapped it ower her nose and mouth. The effect was instantaneous, for the half-wakened girl gave one sLort, convulsive struggle, then lay like one dead, quite overcome by the powerful drug. Ap audible chuckle escaped the miscreant’s lips, as for a moment he gloatingly surveyed his work; the next, he had lifted the frail form lightly in bis werful arms and passed it through the window to tke accomplice who waited impatiently outside. Across the garden and into the road, the triumphant night-bawks now noiselessly flitted with their prey, to the spot where several comrades with horses anx- iously awaited their coming. One minute later, the inysterious party was riding swiftly along the road that led from the town into the country, in the direction of the neighboring mountains: while across the saddle of her stal- wart captor, supporved by his giant arm, poor Ruth Sharon Jay, unconscious of her terrible situation. CHAPTER X. THE WRECKERS AT WORK. THAT Mad Madge, the Outlaw Queen, was fully resolved to carry out to the letter those terrible threats embodied in her famous mani- festo, was evidenced by the series of startling exploits that followed closely upon the Express robbery and the equally audacious kidnapping of Headlight Harry. Freight trains were ruthlessly plunged over steep embankments, such of the crews as es- caped with life and limb driven away, and the cars plundered and burned. Several passenger trains, too, heavily Jaden with precious human- ity, were saved from a similar fate only by ex- traordinary vigilance and good fortune. Depots and other railroad property at various points along the line vanisbed at dead of night before the flaming torch of the incendiary. Growing even bolder, the marauders next invaded the Richville yard, in the'very heart of the town, overpowered the watchmen, ruine? fully a dozen costly locomotives that were housed for the night, destroyed a large quantity of tools and supplies, and finally departed after kindling ar extensive confligration thet was extinguished only when thousands of dollars worth of proper- ty bad gone up in smoke, , These sturtling deeds of vandalism and crime followed one another in swift and bewildering succession, Searcely was one wreck cleared away and the tracks rendered passable, when another even more serious would startle the community, and bring fresh toil and trouble to the exasperated railroad men. Mad Madge’s predictions, so lately laughed to scorn by the haughty railroad maznates, were already becoming verified; for, as the existence of this chaotic state of affairs on the R. & S. rapidly became known on every hand, that luck- less road suffered an immediate loss of traffic in allitsdepartments, Intenling passengers either stayed at home or chosesome more roundabout route, preferring this inconvenience to risking their precious lives; while shippers were equally chary, about making consignments via this line, when it was almost a certainty that their freight would either bring up at the bottom of a ditch or Mires in smoke before tbe incendiary’s torch, The circumstance of so many incendiary fires occurring simultaneously at numerous stations, covering a distance of fifty miles or more, was evidence that Mad Madge had her secret emis- saries well distributed along the line, However, the various wrecks and robberies, which would naturally require greater numerical strength to accomplish, bad all taken place witbin a few miles of Richville; and this would indicate that the Outiaw Queen’s main force was concentrated at no great distance from that town, Yet, while the opinion generally prevailed that the authors of all this mischief had their rendez- vous somewhere among the neighboring moun- tains, the authorities bad as yet proved unequal to the task of ferreting them out. Lying care- fully concealed by day, the miscreants continued their dastardly work under cover of darkness, laughing to scorn all efforts to check their career of outlawry aud crime, And while the authorities seemed powerless to cope with this new and enormous evil, the un- lucky raiiroad people were plunged into the depths of despair, If such a chaotic state of affairs had been brought about in a few short days, what might not be anticipated a month hence, if Mad Madge were permitied to continue her revengeful career uninterrupted? It was to be feared that the fatter: in her in- sane thirst for vengeance, would fulfil) her dire threats to the very letter, nor rest content from her dreadful work until the entire road was an- nibilated; and, in her impatience to accomplish this fell purpose, it wes likely that she would continue to ‘* strike while the iron was hot,” be- fore the dazed and terror-stricken community could recover sufficiently to cffer effectual re- sistance. The next exploit of the notorious Outlaw Queen was fully equal to ber past efforts in point of audacity. As before stated, though several attempts had already been made to wreck various passenger trains, the alertness of the trainmen bad in every instance enabled them to di-cover and avert the tlreatening peril, much to the dis- comfiture and rage of the would-be wreckers. However, such immunity from the ‘wrath of Mad Madge was not Jong to continue. The first to succumb to her cunning machina- tions was the evening Mail-and- Express — the train that Headlight Harry bad driven, up to the time of his inveJontary yisit to the secret baunts of the Outlaw Queen. Since his strange disappearance, the run was given to Rufe Ruffle, and that gallant youth, in the face of trying circumstances, bad acquitted himself wiih great ability in bis new and responsible ) «sition. Constantly on the lookout for danger, Rufe was never mcre Vigilant than upon this particular occasion, nevertheless, be went straight into the trap that cunning hands had prepared. It was an early bour in the evening, and the train was rapidly approaching the end of its long homeward run. The night was dark as Erebus, and objects along the line were dis- tinguishable only by means of the powerful headlight. At a point perhaps a dozen miles from Richville, the roed ran through a deepand narrow cut, the precipitous sides of which arose to a height of a bundred feet or more on either hand. This place was abruptly spproached around a sbarp and giddy curve, rendering it impossible fir an engineer to see objects in the cut until close upon them, even in broad day- light. wt the train rounded this curve at ordinary speed, and plunged between the gloomy walls of the cut, the headlight’s far-extemding rays sud- denly revealed a spectacle that fairly caused Rufe Ruffle’s hair to rise with horror, There, directly in front of. the speeding iron-hcrse, dn cnormous bowlder blocked the way, threat- ening instant destruction to the train and all on boar, Even as the gaze of the horrified engineer fell upon this terrible mouster lying across bis course, it was to fully comprehend the enormity of the impending peril, and spring with ready hands to the task of averting it, quite hopeless though that task might be, One short, sharp, piercing whistle for brakes, a frantic but futile endeavor to check the train’s wild flight, then— With searcely abated speed, the ponderous locomotive collided with that huge, uvyieldir mass of stone, with a mighty clash that shoo the very hills, The great iron-horse, its bead- long flight SO suddenly arrested, reared into the air like a prancing steed, then fell over Upon its side in the adjacent ditch, crushing the unlucky fireman who was unable to escape in time to save his life. ~~ comicbooks.com 7