Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 755 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

. bright an’ shinin’ shore! aby > ‘ei f <li _ seckies! An’ b'gosh! Pep -cayuse stopped its heavy breathing and to and fro, though the night was one o : t 4 Gold-Dust Dan’s Oath. man, Gold-Dust Dan is a clean white sport, and | ages were moving up—slowly, surely hemming a detective ter boot! played it on you ter-night is Flush Frank, a | gambler an’ an ontlaw!” Jonas Bradlaw reeled in his saddle, and a groan broke from his lips. ** Brace up—brace up!” urged the guide, a devilish smile distorting his face; ‘‘ we’re enter- in’ ther timber now, an’ neither Flush Frank nor ther reds’|l be apt ter bother ye long!” Just then Media and her father joined the two, ek . moment later all had entered the timber and. | ‘“Ah, I feel safer now,” remarked Duke, as ; they came to a halt, ** You're safe—you bet!” Hackamore returned, in a tone of deep siguificance, dropping his rifle and drawing his revolvers, * Hands up—both of you !” Media uttered a slight scream, while both Duke and his father turned pale, Before either could utter a word, however, a shrill — pealed from the lips of the treacher- ous guide, and forth from their leafy coverts leaped full two-score men, red and white, who burled themselves upon the doomed train with all the fury of beasts of the jungle! ‘*Fly, Media wr and may God help you!” shouted Duke Bradlaw, and raising his revolver he sent a ball crashing through the brain of Hackamore Hank! The next instant, both Jonas Bradlaw and his = fell before a murderous volley from the out- ws, Sick at heart, almost fainting, the hapless girl touched spur to Hurricane, darted out of the island and away over the plain, the sole survivor of that awful massacre. CHAPTER III, OLD CALAMITY, THE MAN OF MISFORTUNE, “Mup-caTs an’ houn’ pups! ’Chixt you an’ me, Pepper, et do look es ef Ole Calamity was erbout ter receivea through pass fer Esarnity’s yar we be, corrilled at last, wi’ ev’ry avynoo ov escape shet off, s'rounded by a bowlin’ pack ov red-skins, an not a ea’tridge left! B’gosh! we’re gone this’ere time, Pepper—gone !” Dolefully came the words, and doleful looked the speaker: a little old man, feeble in appear- ance, sad-eyed and sad-faced, zopiinena. of worn and greasy buckskin covered his thin angular frame, and an old black hat sat well down upon the long, thin wisps of gray hair falling about his shoulders, Athis back hung a rifle, in his girdle a pair of big revolvers; but his sule hope was now centered in the weapon clutched tightly in his skeleton hand—a long- bladed bowie. He was kneeling in the tall prairie grass, be- side an ugly-looking old cayuse, as thin and gaunt asits master, The animal lay flat on its side, breatbing hard, with its sorry neck stretcb- ed to the full, its head on the ground. “ But, D’gosh! ’tain’t a new thing fer you an’ me, Pepper—misfortune ain’t,” continued the old man, his cracked voice sinking to a plaintive murmur, a solitary tear stealing down bis ghastly face. ‘ Misfortune, b’gosh! hes stuck ter us sence we war weaned an’ kicked out knee- high inter ther stream ov life, an’ we’ve bin buffed an’ knocked an’ cuffed till we’ve got used ter et, an’ expect et, b’gosh! But et’s hard, Pepper, ’chixt you an’ me—et’s hard, b’mighty! whem we're grown weary ov this vale ov tears, an’ ets trials an’ tribbilashuns an’ misfortunes an’ are jest ready ter lay down an’ pass in our ps carm an’ peaceful like, b’gosh! ter hev these yer’ red imps ov perdition try ter worry us aleng, raise a calamity an’ hurry ther ob- r, when I git ter thinkia’ on et, et r’iles all ther good blood in me an’ makes me feel es ef ’twa’n’t jest time fer us ter give up yit awhile, An’, Pepper—” @ murmuring strains ceased abruptly. A fierce sparkle took the place of the ad, wistful look im the dim blue eyes of the old man, There was a visible swelling of bis muscles as he croueted closer to the earth and stared fixedly at a point im the grass a few feet distant, As if censcious of the approach of danger, a y like an animal bereft of life. Here and there, the tall grass swayed gently e calm; a faint, barely distinguishable, creeping, rustling sound came frém a dozen points around the old erman—all within a radius of twenty _ Old Calamity heard, and the fiery gleam in his _ «sunken orbs grew bri well be knew the meaning of it all. The say- Wy hter and fiercer. Too * ae o— rrr Thet feller yender who ! him in! But, his burning gaze swerved neither right nor left. With the sinuous motion of a serpent, he crept forward and crouched just beyond the head of the cayuse, one hand slightly uplifted, the otber firmly clutching the knife, A moment thus, then the grassy screen. before the borderman suddenly parted, disclosing the visage of a red-skin! The beady black eyes of the warrior emitted a flash of triumph, and be rose upon one knee, batchet in hand. Whirr-r-r! It was the deadly warning of a rattlesnake, and seemed to come from directly beneath the red-skin. Witha gasp of alarm, he sprung for- ward and upward—only to be dropped down by the grasp of an iron hand upon bis throat. The ready knife of the old borderman rose and fell, gleaming in the hazy moonlight like a blade of fire, and the earthly career of the warrior was ended, Old Calamity bent his head and listened, That faint, creeping, rustling noise had ceased, Not a sound broke the silence, A subdued chuckle came from the borderman, Lower he bowed bis head, and up from the sur- rounding grass rose a series of those warning rattles, soft one breath, furious the next, accom- panied with a sharp, serpent-like hissing. — A moment thus, then, with a guttural) ejacula- tion here and there, came the hasty tread of re- treating feet, ‘* Fooled ’em ag’in, Pepper, b’gosh!” laughed Old Calamity, gleefully patting the head of the cayuse. ‘Jest wait a minute, an’ we'll throw ther smoky-rinds inter fits!” Deftly appropriating the cartridge-belt of the dead warrior, the borderman reloaded his weap- pons, then cautiously made a survey of the sur- ruunding plain, The red-skins, nine in number, had retreated about seventy yards to the nortb, where they were grouped, awaiting developments, some mounted, others afoot holding their horses, “Up, Pepper!” The old cayuse scrambled nimbly to his feet, 7 Ht tem a wild yell the ranger vaulted into the saddle. Up to bis shoulder came the butt of the Win- chester, and thrice in as many breaths its report boomed across the prairie, each bullet finding its billet in man or horse, Confused by this sudden onslaught, the red- skins broke and scattered in momentary ic, then rallied and with fierce yells charged straight toward their daring foe. But, Old Calamity had accomplished bis pur- . Uttering a hoarse screech of derision and defiance, he turned the head of the cayuse to the southeast and darted away with the speed of a racer. ‘* Box et lively, Pepper! Hoe ’er down fer Kingdom Come!” he cried, slapping the animal with his old black hat. “ , gal! Ther’s a conjemmed misfortune hangin’ ter our heels, an’ we must kick et off ef we're ter die in peace, b’mighty!” A mile at that mad drew rein and looked bac A shrill, cackling laugh pealed from his lips. The red-skins het given up the chase and were turning back, ‘* Ye’ve given ’em a sample ov style an’ quality they don’t often see, Pepper,” he exclaimed, pat- ting the neck of the cayuse, ‘ Thar ain’t a hoss on ther plains ’at kin tech ye fer goin’—thar ain’t, by mighty!” Then at an easy, swinging lope the ranger pushed onward till a swell in the prairie hid his movements from the eyes of the enemy, when he turned due west and urged his steed into a run. Mile after mile fell behind the tireless ore Gradually, the face of the country changed, be- coming broken and irregular, betokening an ap- proach to the foot-bills, An hour after miduight, the old borderman forded a shallow stream, drew rein and dis- mounted in the edge of a timber island several acres in extent. A hasty reconnoissance assured him that he was alone in the wood, and with a grunt expres- sive of satisfaction be returned to the cayuse, re- moved its trappings and turned it loose, then stretched himself on the ground and closed his eyes in slumber. But he was not to sleep undisturbed, An hour se dawn ieee taetinen : by the touch of e 8 nose is face, Pi bat is et, ole watch-dog? Danger, eh?’ he exclaimed, springing to his feet and burriedl replacing the saddle and bridle on the well- pace; then the ranger t me ’ a ‘ rr , ' : ‘ 7 . , 4 . es ‘ «& } es 4 hd avis Me . fa > bm af \ Mort, © ol, tees :” , ee Li . “a a hy. Pom i Siting eases aa RSA RR nae Le oA eg Tn NR hr it gle, lv ae LS % jy ; a kl r; Mm » : * ;4_ 5 £4)" we we! _ y: ‘ Fa wad Ses * Knock ther sod, ole slay ye, and fall by shall! — ‘* Jest wait, old pard, till I take trained brute. a look,” Gliding to the edge of the motte, Old Calam- ity peered out across the open, Approaching from the north, and scarcely a hundred yards distant, were a dozen horsemen, all heavily armed and masked, ‘** Outlaws, by thunder!” ejaculated the ran- ger, springing back tothe cayuse. ‘* Pepper, git out ov this, lickety-split! Thar’s another ov them conjemmed misfortends hangin’ over our heads, ready ter drap eny minute! Them dasted hellyuns hev a captive, an et falls on us ter lay low an’ plan a resky !” Bending low in the saddle to escape the spread- ing branches, Old Calamity urged his steed swiftly across the island and out into the prairie, keeping the tiraber betweea himself and the ap- proaching party. Three hundred yards from the island, he drew rein, dismounted, and forced the cayuse to lie down in the tall grass, ‘Stay byar till 1 come or call, Pepper,” he muttered, patting the animal affectionately. ‘“‘T’ve got a dasted misfortunate calamity on band, an’ when I want ye Ill want ye ba-ad, b’gosh !” A cautious scrutiny of his surroundingsand a few minutes of patient waiting and listening convinced the ranger that the outlaws had not detected his presence. Looking to his weapons, he tightened his belt and crept away through the grass, heading toward a small thicket at near end of the island. It required but a few minutes to reach the oal, pud with a chuckle of satisfaction Old Ca- amity Ke ted in the dense undergrowth to cogitate the next move, cely had he settled himself in a comforta- ble position when a faint rustling sound within a yard of him warned bim that he was not alone in a and swift as thought he drew his knife, Then the foliage before him was abruptly parted, disclosing a massive head and a huge band clutching a cocked revolver, ‘*Scat! ye wizeved lectle pirit!” uttered the unknown in a hoarse whisper. ‘‘ Drap thet knife an’ throw up ye han’s!” ** Mud-cats an’ houn’ pups!” the old borderman ejaculated, his eyes gleaming wrathfully, his rip on the bowie tightening. ‘‘ Who are you, Pa like ter know!” “Pm ig Dae y, ther Hunter.” : ‘* Wal, Mister Big Davy, ef ye’re huntin’ a conjemmed misfortune, sail in! I’m Ole Ca- lamity, an’ I’m rank p’ison ter smoky-skins an’ outlaws, b’gosh!” A chuckle came from the giant, CHAPTER IV. GOLD: DUST DAN—THE OATH, THE hour is'midnight; the place, the foot of the southern slope of Owl Butte. Under a low-growing scrub oak a youth lies sleeping, his head pillowed on bis saddle, a pleas- ant smile hovering over his slightly-parted lips. A stray moonbeam, finding its way downward through the interlacing branches, lights up the face and the form of the sleeper, and discloses in, him a splendidspecimen of young manhood, The face is of the Greek type, and is strong and resolute even in repose. The massive sboul- ders, swelling chest, the perfect trunk, the mus- cular arms and firm, round limbs, are all those of a trained atblete, and indicate cat-like agility no less than they betray prodigious strength, His garb is buckskin, with cavalry boots and a light sombrero, A fine repeating rifle rests beside him, and a belt of side-armas encircles his trim waist, Out in the moonlight, leisurely cropping the prairie grass, is a magnificent black berse—as fine a specimen of the equine as its master is of man. Suddenly it lifts its head, pricks up its ears and looks away to the south, There, on the crest of a swell, in outlive against the hazy sky, is a horse and rider, and the riderisa woman! , “Ho! hol ho! You wretch! you scarlet devil! And thus ye add another to the long list of foul, black crimes we rit ig” bt life! But strike, Red Panther—strike! Rob! maim! mur- der! There is none to prevent, for your arm is strong and your minions many and merciless! Crush, as ye crushed poor Ruth! If yeu sparea life, rob it of peace and leave the soul dead! ‘Ob, ye dastard! ye fiend infernal! you have your own fate—written in blood your own doom! For te Ruth hath sworn to her band ye must and ooo) Gom ’ , - acaee | | a ) pe! | iy . EEE a ~ A a > ,* ‘ > ' rm ™ PES I -~ < er o | o — ey,