Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 727 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

- — a . —e~ - all LS ~ ' Noble, ee ee Oe ce — ent ee gt ee Oe OS ee «eee - _ in - EE FR ee ee pl Headlight Harry’s Siren. -- ea | = associates invariably referred to them collec- tively as the Railroad Pards. “The most striking outcome of this robbery,” Headlight Harry was saying, ‘‘ is the manner in which suspicion has been fastened upon Roy It is astounding to note the rmesc's f with which this ridiculous rumor bas spread, and that it has received such general credence is a fact much to be regretted by his friends. Why, even his employers believe him guilty, if their recent action in tempo: arily relieving bim from duty is to be taken as a criterion.” ‘T's a ’tarnal shame, that’s what it is, to have sich ugly stories floatin’ round,” broke in Rofe Ruffle, righteously indignant. ‘ Roy Noble should be the last man in the world to be accused of complicity in sich a dirty job. [ s’pose the next move ’ll be to nab the suspect an’ lock him up for safe-keepiv.’ I should think the authorities would be afraid their bird might un- fold bis wings an’ quietly soar away,” ‘That would prove a difficult task, 1 think, should Roy choose to attempt it,” declared the engineer, with a knowing smile, ‘‘It may not be generally understood, butis nevertheless true, that while the police bave not seen fit to arrest the object of suspicion, yet bis every movement is closely spied upon, and should he make an effort to leave town it would be to find his intentions neatly frustrated. Such precautions are quite unnecessary, however, for Roy Noble is not the coward to seek safety in flight, when he is perfectly innocent of any wrong-doing.” ** Now you’re just a-talkin’, pard!” cried the irrepressible Rufe. ‘‘ Roy is goin’ to face the music like a man, an’ there’s plenty of us that'll stan’ by him until his innocence is demonstrated to the satisfaction of all concerned. Us rail- roaders are bis friends, evry man Jack of us an’ we’re a-goin’ to stick to bim through thick an’ thin. Ain’t that so, boys?” A murmur of approval instantly ran through the room, showing that the young fireman in his uncouth and vigorous language had voiced the sentiments of aJjl present. ‘“‘Thank you, gentlemen, for the opinion so emphatically expressed, Believe me, it is grati- fying to know that IL bave still a few true friends left in this hour of trouble when they are needed most,’ These words, falling in clear, ringing tones upon the ears of the railroaders, bad much the effect of an electric shock, for the entrance of the speaker had been quite noiseless, and until this moment none were aware that the subject of their conversation was standing in the open doorway, quietly listening to all that was said, The Express-messenger now advanced, to be in- stantly surrounded by the surprised railroad boys, all eager to grasp his hand. He looked a perfect picture of health and strength as he stood there in their midst, and from the smile that wreathed his handsome face, no one would take him for a man under the dread shadow of suspicion, ‘* Well, boys,” he exclaimed, ** there is an old saw that asserts that ‘the listener never hears aught good of bimself,’ but for once I am in- clined to dispute the truth of that time-honored saying. Once more, my friends, permit me to thank you for your expressions of rhe eet and, in return, I have to offer a bit of news which I[ feel sure will be welcome,” ** About the robbery?” questioned everybody, in an eager chorus, Roy smilingly nodded in the affirmative as he threw himselt into a vacant seat, and displayed a@ newspaper still damp from the press, ‘* {t’s quite a story that. the morning papers give us; they’re selling like hot cakes on the streets. You see, the perpetrators of the rob- bery have communicated with President Mel- rose, very considerately revealing their identity and explaining why the crime was committed; also, binting that other similar exploits may be expected in the near future. In fact, these miscreants proposs to inaugurate a veritable _ reign of outlawry and crime, if their own boast- ful statement is to be relied upon.” ‘Very bold of them, not to say indiscreet, to ublish their intentions in advance,” declared eadlight Harry. ‘Bat, go on with your Tevelation. How was this communication re- ceived?” “In rather an unusual manner, I should say. I was making acall at Mr. Melrose’s bouse last evening, and, while “e were all cozily seat- edin the parlor, our tranquillity was suddenly disturbed by a ring at the bell so violent as to bring us all to our feet in dismay. The servant who answered the bell was just in time to see a horseman ride down the graveled path like mad ‘and disappear in the gloom, A small package addressed to President Melrose was found upon the steps where it had been placed by the mys- terious messenger; and, upon opening the same, a most curious and interesting document was disclosed, ‘** It comprised several sheets of brown wrap- ping paper, each covered with writing in the same bold, irregular hand as the superscrip- tion, From the appearance of this won'‘erful epistle, 1t’s my opinion that the author used a sharpened stick for a pen, and in lieu of ink utilized the juice of some wild berry, Be that as it may, it took us fully two hours to decipher the communication and make a copy of it for future use, ‘* [’d like to show you the document, but Mr, Melrose has locked it up, and declares bis inten- tion to preserve it as a chirographic curiosity, However, the daily papers were favored with a copy, and here we have the interesting epistle verbatim et literatim. Listen!” All bands gathered closer ina state of eager expectancy as Roy Noble leisurely unfolded his newspaper and read: **MAvRICE Mretrosz, Esq., 3 ‘President, R. &S R. PR. Co.:— DEAR Str:—As this ec mmunication greatly con- cerns the corporation of which you are chief cook and high-cockoiorum, the writer takes the liberty of inviting your personal aitention to the same, feel- ing that you cannot fail to become deeply interested in its contents, As a starter, I desire to inform you in particular and the public in general that mine was the brain that pia ned the recent Express robbery which has cr ated suc! a bubbub in your lively town, and under my personal guidates was that p) .t brought to a successfu! culmination, Asa direct result of our enterprise, we are to-day some- thing cver a hundred thc usand collars richer in cold cash, not to mention a quantity of watches and other trifles, fur all of which we are duly thankful. Aud right here let me sav, in behalf of those who, as I understand, are suspected of complicity in the aff.ir, that we recrived no aid whatsoever from that source; and the reason why the Expressmen made no resistance is simply because we gave them no a Dip i f.r sd} doing. You see, I object to sharing the glory of this achiqyement which right- fully belongs to me alone, “'T» proceed, Maurice Melrose, I must tell you who I am and what I propose to do, and, if the lat- ter doesn’t startle you, then I'm n> Yankee at guessing, Dc you recall the name of Nick N rman? Do you remember the man who was once an hum- ble employee of the great eccrporation whose head you have the honor of being? who was thrown into a prison cell for some trivial offense? who escaped and, accompanied by his faithful daughter, sought shelter in the wilderness, only to be hounded from place to place and finally brougrt t» death at the ruthless fonds of your own bloodthirsty minions? Of course you remember, Maurice Melrose! The circumstances are yet fresh in your memory, I'll warrant, Know, then, that Iam Madge Norman the daughter of the man so mercilessly hurted down by his enemies—that daughter who was faith- ful to her father till te Jast, and who is now pre- pared to avenge his wrongs! ‘** Doubtless you will recollect that when my fath r was killed, 1 made my escape frem the gang that wrought his destruction by hiding in th» f rest. ‘’ hey scoured the country in every direction, but I fooled them all, Ha, ha! In the year or more that has elapsed since that time I have not been idle. I bave worked indefatirabiy with but one object in view—to acquire a p sition where I could strike to avenge my father, .One by one my men were select- ed, many of them old friends and comrades of Nick Norman, and every one bold, determined fellows, until now I can boast of a powerful band, ready at all times to do my bidding. * Already we have struck the first blow for venge- ance, The recent plundering of the Express w ll serve to illustrate what we are capable of doing; but that exploit is by no means a circumstance to what is bound ‘o follow, With my powerful force, I propose to inaugurate a veritable yeign<f terror all along your line. Trains shall be wrecked, pas- sengers robbed, property destroyed—in short, there shall be no limit to my p rsecution. And when the story of our doings shall have spread b oadcast, when timid travelers will no ‘longer intrust their precious lives to your care, and shippers of freight object to consign their property to probable ce- struction; when traffic is suspended along the entire line and a once powerful corporation swe pt over the verge of irretrievable ruin- th: n, I say, and not till then, shall I deem my work of vengeance complete! “Laugh, if you will, at this warning. Maurice Mel- rose, and call it en icle threat. It is for the fyture to show how thoroughly Iam in earnest. Ere many days have elapsed, you will feel the full weight of a woman’s vengeance, and look in mingled terror and amazement upon the destructive care r of “Map MApDGE.” Such was the remarkable effusion that Roy Noble read to his interested hearers, and when he bad finished, all stood in open-moutbed aston- ishment. ‘* Well, boys, what d’ye think of it?” queried the messenger, at lenath breaking the silence, ‘*TIs it not a choice specimen of epistolary ele- gance#” ** A very suggestive nroduction, truly, breath- ing of knives and pistols and dynamite bombs,” * commented Headlight Harry, with a grim smile, ** According to the assertions of the author, this railroad is doomed to complete annihilation in the near future. The prospect is exceedingly dubious, to say the least,” ‘* Little need of anticipating so dire a calam- ity, | reckon,” returned Roy, incredulously, ‘I, for one, am inclined to view the contents of this letter merely as a big bluff. Should this Mad Madge be rash enough to attempt the nefarious business she hints at, I fancy she’ll find a bigger task on her fair hands than she bargained for. She will soon run up against a snag, and prob- ably meet the same fate that overtook her es- teemed paternal ancestor,” But Headlight Harry gravely sbook bis head. ‘*] sincerely hope, for the company’s sake, that your idea is correct; yet, | fear there is something more than mere bluff in this strange letter from the outlaw’s daughter. We have already witnessed a fair specimen of ber prowess; and, in my humble opinion, the brain that con- trived that cunning Express robbery is fully capable of plotting any amount of mischief. That she bas a strong force at ber back to ex-~ ecute these schemes is hardly to be doubted, We may expect to see some lively times before Icng, just mark my words, boys!” ‘Let ’er rip, say I!” cried Rufe Ruffle, eager- lv. ‘*1t’ll seem like cll times to haye a little fightin’ mixed in with our ev’ry-day routine, I swear I’m gettin’ rusty for want of a scim- mage. Why, it’s be’n more’n a year, hain’t it, pard, since we wiped out Nick Norman’s gang?” ‘* Yes, Rufe; considerably more than a year has elapsed since that memorable occasion; though, in truth, it seems but yesterday, so vividly are the events impressed upon my mem- ory. Well doIT remember the tragic death of Nick Norman and the mysterious disappearance of his beautiful daughter. And now she as suddenly reappears in the awful role of an aveuger. Why, I can scarcely believe that so young and beautiful a woman would launch herself upon a career of violence and crime,” ‘* Yet, such is the case, if we are to credit the misguided girl’s own vainglorious statement, I have yet to be convinced that these terrible threats amount to anything more than a colossal bluff. If, however, she undertakes to perform the deeds at which she hints, it will prove, to my satisfaction at least, that she is mentally unbalanced, for surely no sane person would be guilty of such foolhardiness.” ‘*True; it is quite possible that grief for her ill-fated father has driven the poor girl insane. In that event, she merits the sympathy and charity ofall. However, we are likely to know the whole truth before long, Meéantime, Roy, you may be assured that this Jetter from the perpetrator of the recent robbery is bound to have one good effect—that of lifting the cloud of suspicion that has hung over you on account of that affair.” “Do you really think so, Harry?” and the messenger’s fase brightened visibly, ‘So sure of it that I extend my congratu- lations in advance, and— Hello! Bless me, it’s nine o’clock and time to be going, Come, Rufus, stir your Jazy shanks!” ‘(It’s barely possible female avenger,” suggested Roy, as the Railroad Pards hurriedly arose to depart. ‘If so, please extend my best regards, and look out you don’t fall in love with her, yourself, for, as everybody knows, Madge Norman is lovely aud fascinating as a houri,” “Don’t laugh at me in that connection,” laugbed Headlight Harry, as be hastened from the room. ‘‘ My heart is already appropriated, you know,” Fifteen minutes later the morning Express inoved slowly out of Richville station and en- tered upon its long eastward run, In the cab of the ponderous iron-horse sat the Railroad Pards, light-hearted and merry as was their wont, neither suspecting that the present trip was destined to add a most exciting chapter to their already eventful bistory, CHAPTER V. THE RAILROAD PARDS IN DIFFICULTY. Tre Railroad Pards bore the enviable reputa~ tion of being the best, as well as youngest, en— gine crew in the employ of the great R. & 8. R. R, Co., and consequently were favored with a regular ruu on one of the most important trains. Leaving Richville at 9:15 A. M., they conducted the Fast Express east as far as Gran- don; then, after a short wait at the latter point, returned with the western Mail-and - Express that reached Richville early in the evening, Diy after Jay, week in and week out, was a may meet this