Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 773 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

\ \ , ! t dl Yaa i) “oe | : ; aon ie i] : ‘| al} } s a] “ . ‘ 4 iy : The Rustler of Rolling Stone. lowed this by advancing into the room and clos- ing thedoor after him. Red Fee knew that Thomas had seen the girl, and he grew flushed and bot in consequence. ** Why didn’t you send fer some one an’ have ker nabbed?” was Thomas’s anxious query. ‘‘ It ain’t too late, yit.” He placed a Land on the door-knob as if medi- tating doing it himself. **Set down!” commanded Fee, growing still redder, ‘“* But she’Jl git away!” Thomas urged. ‘‘ I’ve been watchin’ fer her straight along, an’ that’s the fn’st time I’ve seen ’er. Where did she come frum?” ** Hanged if I know!” Thomas was about to dart from the room in spite of the command. ‘*Set down, I say! I don’t want that girl tetched. Dve hired her!” The other was dumfounded. "You heerd what I[ said?” I’ve hired her! She come in answer to my ad, fer a secretary, an’ T took her in.” ‘Well, may I beswitched!” Thomas siid into a chair, inert and helpless. He bad no words with which to meet the state- ment, He could only stare his amazement, ** What’s wrong about that?” trying to assume a brazen attitude to conceal his shame-faced- ness, ‘‘A thief! The thief you was a-huntin’ fer!” As be said it, a look of craftiness overspread his features. **That was only guess-work on our part |” de- termined to ride Thomas down and force him to adopt this new opinion. ‘* You don’t think me a fool, Curt!” Thomas maintained a discreet silence, His thoughts might not bear utterance, “* Ye see it’s this way, Curt,” brightening asa new idea came to him, ‘* The way things stand, now, we couldn’t prove she took that wallet, even if we arrested ber. If sho stays hyer, I can mighty soon find outif she’s a thief, That's why I took her.” A humorous twinkle was showing in Thomas's yes. ‘“‘T‘low I can see as fur through a mill-stone as the next man, if there’s a big enough hole in it!” and the corners of his mouth twitched in a grin, ‘All Pve got to say isthatif you don’t watch her, she'll steal the houso over your head, jist as she’s stole yer heart!” it was a parting and center shot; and baving delivered it, he swung the door open and bolted into the street, auxious to see what bad become of the young woman who had already gained such an aseendency over his chum and partner. CHAPTER V. A GHOSTLY APPEARANCE, “My God! what’s ibat?” Red Fee had gone into his new mine to look after some details of work. Very little had been done as yet, only enough to show the richness of the veins and anticipate their development. It was night; extremely dark without, and pitcby black within, Red Fee carried a miner’s lantern to light bimon bis way, and this fell from his hand to the flinty floor, as he uttered he exclamation, W hat he saw was enough to chill the blood in the veins of thesanest. Twenty yardsaway was auother man—or apparition in the shape of a man—Fve was not sure which, though he incliv- ed to the latter supposition, He bad beard a tinking, clinking sound, Sup- posing it to be the pick of soine belated miner, be had not given it much beed, but bad hurried on his way. He had stopped aghast, on turning one of the shoulders of rock, At almost the point where he and Curt Thomas had found Pailip Craigen was apparently Craigen himself, The general resemblance was remarkable; even the face was clotted and gory as Craigen’s had been. Red Fee reeled as if about to fall in a swoon, but gathered his staggering energies and drew himself erect, Tve horrible thing, plainly revealed hy the light of the bilf-overturned lantern, was staring at him ina blood-chiliing way with eyes that seemed fixed, There was a grotesque expansion of the crimsoned lips as if some rending ery was to be hurled at him, Red Fee was sufficiently courageous on all or- cipary occasions, but he was accustomed to con- tend with creatures of flesh and blood instead of specters from the grave. But for the similarity in look, he might not have thought of Craigen in this connection. True, he had never seen Craig- en’s face, it having been completely masked by its bloody covering; yet he felt that before him was the very face, the very form tbat he and Thomas had borne to the river-side, a few weeks previous, Could the dead come to life, or their spirits re- visit the scenes of earth? Ho had always scoffed at the idea. He had never cared to think much of what might lie beyond the boundary of this existence. Here was ocular demonstration that the dead might and did return. Otherwise, he was dreaming or the victim of a hallucination. He bad never been given to anything of the kind, He forced himself to pick up the lantern as a measure of reassurance. As he did it, the un- canny thing moved toward him with a slow and gcliding motion, Red Fee gave a quick cry in which was com- mingled horror, doubt and indecision. Bat, he as quickly recovered, and drawing his revolver fired at the moving figure, Not once, only, but twice and thrice, The echoes reverberated and rolled, like the discharges of artillery, yet the specter stood in the selfsame place, unmoved and undisturbed, There seemed even a smile on the horrid red lips, a smile of derision and accusation, Tais was too much for Fee’s nerves, He threw down the revolver and the lantern, and with acry of terror bounded through the dark- ness toward the entrance. And after bim came a chilling and unearthly wail, repeated and multiplied by the echoes of the cave until it seamed that all the demons of inferno were voic- ing a chorus to frighten him. There was a low nattering of feet, too, which was similarly mul- tiplied by the echoes; and with a yell froz2n on his lips, Red Fes reached the opsning and dashed out into the starless night, He ran like ons bereft of bis seuses, not stop- ping until he pitched headlong over a bowlder, where he lay panting and bruised, and almost afraid to rise. ‘*Great Jupiter!” he gasped, as his courage began to slightly return, “ What could that have been, anyhow?” He glanced back toward the mine, but could sed nothing. Neither could be hear anything, though for fully ten minutes he lay there strain- ing his ears for the slightest sounds, He got up on his hands and knees and gsur- veyed his surroundings over ths top of the bow!l- der, He was near the river’s edge, and had he cootinued on in that mad race, whould bave run plump into if, He was already shivering like a leaf, and now the cold perspiration broke out on bim. To hava fallen into that torreut in the darkness might bave meant death, His mind was in so chaotic a state, that the gurgling of the leaping waters, as he now turned his attention to it, seemed like echoes of the eerie howl that nad so startled him, He scarcely knew how long he crouched there bebind the bowlder, He did not want to remain there, but he was not yet brave enough to risk venturing from this place of concealment, “If Curt was only here,” was bis longing thought, He courted Curt among the bravest of the brave; and even began to fancy how he and Thomas would return to the cave and pump lead at the thing that had frightened bim. This brought with it the uncomfortable reflec- tion that he had three times fired at the gbost without result, What would Thomas;’s bravery avail in a contert with a creature like that, a creature that was surely not flesh and blood. Tbe sweat stool in cold, Sanip drops on his face, when he finally crawled from his hiding- place and made his way fearfully toward the town. He was so weak he could scarcely drag one foot after the otner; but he reached home finally, and pulled himself wearily into the office, ‘* gad!” he cried, pouring out a glass of fiery liquor and swallowing it almost at a gulp. ‘* That goes ahead of my time! I wonder what Thomas will say to that?” CHAPTER VI. FACE TO FACE, He dropped into a chair, with the glass and the liquor-bottle near at hand, and endeavored to speculate on the occurrence that had so startled him. He could make nothing of it, though his courage began to come back to him as he drank of the potent contents of the bottle, He grew so brave after a time, that he earnestly desired the coming of Thomas, for the purpose of going with him to the cave. Nevertheless, when there came a sharp and distinct rap on the door, be started and shivered, and exhibited as much nervous trepidation as if the ghost had suddenly anpeared at his elbow. Not until the rap was repeated did he venture to get up and see who was there, lt was Quartz, the assayer, who advanced into the room, without giving Fee a chance to invite him. Quartz was not one of Fee’s favorites, but any one promised to be better company than bis own thoughts, and so he cordially welcomed him, at the same time filling the glass. Quartz gave his bead a negative shake. **I never drink,” he declared, pushing back the liquor, ‘‘] don’t think it’s a good idea for a man who has any business to attend to; and even ons who hasn't, would no doubt be better off without it.” ‘** As you like,” retorted Red Fee, draining the glass himself, for his tingling nerves still felt the need of a bracer, ‘‘It’s a little raw out to- night, and this warms a feller.” He shivered and glanced hastily about the room, **The reason I mentioned business is because that is what brought me here,” and the assayer drew a folded paper from the inner pocket of his coat. There was something so familiar in the look of the paper that Red Fee could not repress a start, “Tf I’m not mistaken, you’ve seen this be- fore,” unfolding the sheet and holding it up for Fee’s inspection. The latter sbrunk into the depths of his chair, as if desirous of hiding himself; but no word of confession passed his lips, though Quintius Quartz looked at him scrutinizingly. Red Fee recognized the paper, but he had no intention of saying so. It was tbe notice he had taken from the cleft stick, and which had Cisap- peared with the wallet. A multitude of sugges- tions crowded his balf-fuddled mind, ‘*You don’t think you ever saw it?’ drawing it out that the writing might be more easily read. ‘‘ You might be able to make some men think so, Mr. Raimond, but not me, You have seen this more than once, and know a good deaJ more about it than you care to say.” “What air you a-drivin’ at?” Red Fee growled, burrowing still deeper into the depths of the chair and working his head down into the collar of his coat, like a tortoise withdrawing into itsshell, ‘‘ Hanged if 1 ketch on! Lemme see the thing.” “You can see it very well from where you sit! You might take a notion to rip it into rib- bons, I think it’s safer in my bands, If you wish, I’!l read it to you.” ‘**T don’t see that it’s anything but some feller’s claim notice. They’re as thick round hyer as the leaves,” *““Then you can read!” refolding the paper and thrusting it into the pocket. ‘* We’ll retire it from exhibition, and see if we can get down to business,” Red Fee was troubled by a sense of uneasi- ness. He fancied some demand was to be made on him, though be knew nothing of its character. The thought that this Quintius Quartz was the thief who had taken the wallet was also upper- most in his mind, Then the girl was innocent! There had likewise come to him a suspicion, born since the showing of the paper, tbat this very man might be the ghost! Evidently the assayer had an interest in the mine, or he would not be there now for the purpose of bargaining and haggling. But the old rogue was resolved to do nothing to implicate himself, and so ield his peace, per- mitting the assayer to continue. ‘““As you saw, it’s the claim notice of Phili Craizgen. That’s the name signed toir, Now, happen to know that this man Craigen is not dead. More than that: he bas commissioned me to see you concerning his title to the Grizzly Bear Mine, for be claims it as bis,” Fee turned a shade paler in spite of the liquor flush on his naturally red face, ‘*Mebbe you koow what you're a-drivin’ at, though I’ll be hanged if I do!” ‘A bit of history may aid you,” Quintius blandly asserted. ‘‘This man, Craigen, whose name is attached to tbe notice, stumbled on the eavern which holds the Grizzly Bear Mine, as he was coming to Lucky Ledge some weeks ago, He saw the richness of the ore veins, and put up the notice as the first step toward holding them. He was attacked by a benr, and left for dead. You found him, you and “urt Thomas; substi- tuted a notice for his; and carried him out to the river, thinking he would die. But he didn’t. He is still alive; and has sent me to tell you that he intends to make a fight for the mine,” 4s Bosh ” Red Fee was visibly trembling; but he gave as much force to this sneering exclamation as he comicboo | gal vi <s.com * b ‘ A . ae &, ol Mie