Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 743 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

‘“T closed Ralph Ross’s eyes after death, I heard his last words, and be gave me your name, told me your sad story, and more: told me that Richard Drummond had been the one to give him bis death wound,” ‘* Heaven have mercy ‘¢ Now, you have suffered deeply, Miss Glenn, at the hands of Richard Drummond; but let me tell you how much more cruelly I have been made to feel, for I, as I believed, became the wife of the man whose lawful wife you were, and 1, too, saw bim squander my fortune, then desert me, leaving me, as he believed, dead, ‘*T have come here to seek you, to learn the story of his perfidy from your lips, that I might be nerved to keep a vow I have made to be avenged, ‘‘ Yes, Richard Drummond is alive ; but when I send you a notice that he is dead, you may know that it is true.” CHAPTER XVI. THE RENEGADE STRIKES AGAIN. It was many months before Ruth Redmond returned to ber home in Texas, She had remained several days in G——, and she and Ella Glenn bad become devoted friends, strange as it may seem, with both the victims of one man’s cruelty. But when Ruth left, she had papers that were full statements of the crimesof Richard Drum- mond, The old parents of Ralph Ross she had visited, and all that their son had been she shielded him, so that they should only feel kindness toward their dead boy. Armed with all facts regarding the guilty life of Richard Drummond, Ruth Redmond had he- gun to play the part of a sbadower, She followed him step by step in his}wander- ings, from place to place, and in every case arm- ed herself with proofs of bis guilt. At last her detective work led her to Mexico, and she visited the deserted home of Senor Inglis, stood by the grave of Ignacio Inglis, whom Richard Drummond had killed in a duel, and then tracked the man through his life of outlawry as chief of a band of Mexican raiders, Into Texas she followed him, and there dis- covered how he had entered upon the life ofa gambler and man-killer. How he had discovered the secret of her in- beritance, and selected her as one to destroy, an had then so nearly done so, after winning her love that for him had been almost idolatrous at first, but which now had turned into hatred equally as intense, At last she returned to her home, and Bible Bill, in whose charge the ranch and all cor- nected with it had been left, warmly welcomed her home, He knew only that she had been north to seek friends and had no idea of her real work asa shadower. ‘* Well, Captain Ruth, ’m awful glad to see ou back again, for though all has gone well at Eiieet Ranch, there bas been red work done at the ranches far to the vorth,” said Bible Bill, ‘* What! have the Comanches been upon an- other raid?” ‘¢‘That is just what they have been, Captain Ruth, only they struck to the northward and it would have been a complete surprise to the people, bad not Buck Pavlos been scouting above in the Indian country, saw their game and rode his horse to death to speed the alarm.” ‘‘ That brave fellow is always rendering ser- vice to others,” said Ruth earnestly, ‘“* Yes, but { fear he bas gone on his last trail, Captain Ruth, for the red-skins captured him and you know that means death, for the Co- manches hate him as Satan does a preacher.” Bi And he was taken?” thoughtfully asked uth, ‘* Yes, they got him, though they bad to fight bard to do it after they corraled him.” ‘* When was this?” ** Some three months ago,” ** So long?” ‘¢ Yes, miss,” ** And you have not heard whether he is dead or alive? **No, miss, not a word.” “* Was it the same chief who made the attack on us?” ‘Yes, miss, if was the Death Hand.” ** Ka-noon-ka?” ‘* That is the one; but do you know that I half believe be is a white man,” “Ah! a renegade?” Bible Bill podded and Ruth said: ‘* Why do you think so?” ** Well, Captain Ruth, I heard bim give orders when be attacked us, and though he spoke in 19? ; ‘ * yh + . ‘7 . 7 4 7 er : ‘ - .. ity . a "ae S+} - , pees. LA PS Le — 2 lh EE ———————————————————— TL Buck Taylor’s Boys. the Comanche tongue he commanded in the sharp, ringing voice of an army officer. ‘*Then too I saw him, and his bearing was that of a white man,” ‘* Well, Bible Bill, don’t speak of this to ethers, but try and find out, if you can, if any one be- lieves as you do,” ‘Tf will, Captain Ruth; but my pard Buck was not the only one captured by the Coman- ches?” ‘* Who else was a sufferer?” ** Captain Hassan’s little daughter was taken, and they do not even now know whether she is dead or alive,” ** Poor child! and this same chief it was who captured her?” 2 Yes, miss, and the shock nearly killed her mother,” ‘*T do not wonder at it,” and Ruth Redmond seemed most deeply moved at all she had heard, ‘* Well, Bible Bill, I am sorry to bear what you have to tell me, of how that cruel chief had struck another blow, and I am determined to be prepared for him should he come this way again,” ‘* Tt will be a good idea, Captain Ruth,” ** Well, we will talk it over and hit upon some plan, for, if alive, Buck Taylor must be rescued, and also that poor child. ‘*Come to me to-morrow and we will decide what is best to be done; but 1 wish to thank you now for your devoted care of my home and my interests, ‘* You have done nobly, Bible Bill,” **Tl am glad that you are pleased, Captain Ruth,” answered Bible Bill and he went off happy at heart at the praise Ruth had bestowed upon him. And when he departed Ruth paced to and fro with thoughtful, clouded brow. ‘* Yes, he has struck again, and his next blow will be at me, ‘* But Buck Taylor and that poor child must be rescued, if they yet live, and then I must strike my blow, must capture that renegade chief, Death Hand, and when he is in my power ey one have mercy on him, for I never will, CHAPTER XVII. IN DOUBT. MONTHS passed, and like wildfire ran the rumor along the line of settlements that the Comanches had met with a crushing defeat, one they would long remember. Buckskin Sam, the captain of the rangers, had gone alone upon the trail to see if his young pard Buck Taylor was dead, or still a captive among the Comanches, He had discovered that Buck Taylor, for some strange reason, had been spared by the Indian chief, and was preparing to make his escape, carrying with him the little captive of the Comanches, the daughter of Captain Hassan. Buck Taylor had planned well, and aided by Buckskin Sam, he made his escape with little Belle Hassan, and led bis pursuers into an am- bush where they were shot down without mercy by the cowboy cavalry who were anxious to avenge the ranchmen. At the same time Buckskin Sam and his ran- gers, with cavalry from the fort, bad attacked the Indian village in the mountains, so that the blow dealt was a double one and most deadly. But no one of the pale-faces knew whether the great chief Ka-noon-ka had been slain or had escaped, He had been seen in the thickest of the fight, where the Indians were led into an ambush by Buck Taylor, and then he bad disappeared, and it was said that he had been killed, In the excitement of the moment, and anx- iety to move away to the support of the soldiers, the dead had been bastily buried, and no one bad thought of looking for the body of the chief until when the story of the fight was told along the line of ranches, Ruth Redmond’s first question was: ‘* Was the chief Death Hand slain?” és Yes.” ** Who saw him killed?” This question no one could answer. ‘* Who saw him after Le was killed?” No one responded to this question. ‘* Ts there any proof that he is dead?” No proof could be given. Then Ruth Redmond turned to Bible Bill and said: ‘‘T wish you to have a dozen men ready to move within a couple of hours with me, ‘*T shall take the ambulance, and in it our provisions and spades and shovels.” ‘*And which trail will you take, Captain Ruth?” f ‘*T shall follow the trail of the victorious ranchmen back to the scene of the ambush, for I must know whether the chief Ka-noon-ka is dead or alive.” Bible Bill was one to obey implicitly, and three hours before sunset the fair owner of Sun- set Ranch rode out of the yard, followed by ber band of cowboys and the ambulance, which, greatly to his distress, Primus had been forced to arive. But Primus was a fine cook and an excellent hand in camp, and Ruth wished him along, while she could not but smile at the weeping farewell of his wife to bim, who said: ‘**'Yer’ll be scalpt, Primus, and I’l) never see yer ag’in this side o’ Jordan’s stormy banks.” Primus was not encouraged by this parting, but the word of his mistress was law, and so he went along as driver of the ambulance, while he muttered: ‘* Dis ver’ ambulance hev got ter bea reg’lar buss, or dead-cart, and I hain’t gwine ter hev no luck long as I drives it.” The trail was a good one to follow, and Ruth pushed rapidly on, camping twenty miles from home the first night out, The next morning an early start was made, for with the first glimmer of dawn they were on the trail. It was nearly sunset when at last the scene of ambush was reached, the spot where there had been a fierce battle between paie-faces and red-skins, A Ng, ye pe was first found, and then on foot Ruth went over the scene, accom- panied by Bible Bill. Prowling coyotes, digging at graves, ran yelping away at their approach, and vultures soared rapidly into the air, The graves of the whites were few in num- ber and apart from the others, and more care had been taken with them, while those of the red-skins were in the canyon where the fight had occurred, and were quite numerous, It was too late to begin work that night, so Ruth and Wild Bill returned to the camp to supper, wbich Primus had prepared, though he constantly kept his eyes open for the appear- ance of a red-skin, which he firmly believed would appear. Although Primus called the ambulance a hearse, Ruth showed no dread of sleeping in it, and as they were in a dangerous locality, in spite of the recent defeat of the Indians, three men were put on post as sentinels, Up with the dawn they had breakfast, and then the cowboys set about their disagreeable work of opening the graves, not one of ths men understanding the motive of Ruth for wishing it done, yetobeying her willingly. As they set to work she said in her quiet way: 2 Boys, I am in search of a white-skin hid- den by Indian paint, , ‘*See if you can find among these dead war- riors the body of Ka-noon-ka the chief.” ‘*But was he a white man, Cap’n Ruth?” asked one. ‘‘He was; so now you know what you are here to discover.” With this information the cowboys set to work with a will, and the graves of the dead warriors weré opened one by one and the bodies examined for a white skin hidden under the war-paint of the savage, But the search was useless, and as Ruth Red- mond turned the head of her horse homeward, she said to herself; ‘‘ He was not killed as it was reported, ‘I did not believe that he was, for bis life is strangely spared through every danger, spared for me to take. ‘** Now to find bim, for find bim I must.” Without adventure the party arrived at the ranch, and the next day, after a long talk with Ruth, Bible Bill set off upon a lone trail.” CHAPTER XVIII. THE ‘COWBOY PARSON, ‘‘ Writ, Bible Bill, what brought you over to our camp, for glad I am to see you?’ and Buck Taylor sprung from a serape, where he had been stretched out at full length upon.the ground, and grasped the hand of Bible Bill, who rode into his camp of cowboys. “Well, Pard Buck, I came to see you and have a talk with you, ‘But let me congratulate you upon your es- cape from the Comanches?” ; - was playing in great luck, Bill, was L no ** cbooks.com- ‘nee *