Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 778 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

0 eee Ye aga . 7 —— Spee le 12 ‘* A miraculous shot!” declared Batts. ‘Grand old cuss!” proclaimed Bruiser Bill; ** right nobly have you won yer thousand, and succeeded. to the title o’ Wizard Rifleman,” ** Better run up and see where I put the bul- let, strangers,” suggested the old customer; “* mebby the critter’s only wounded. I aimed for his belt so’s an overshot or an undershot of a foot or so’d fetch him anyhow.” "" All right, stranger !” said Adder-Nose; ‘‘ and while we're gone, git over,if ye can, on this side o’ the chasm, so’s we can shake your paw and cultivate yer acquaintance. We love you aS Man was never loved before.” ‘‘I’m afeerd o’ that dumbed, ugly-looking dog that keeps up sich a yowlin’ at me,” the old man replied; ‘‘I don’t want no hydropobia in my thousand dollars.” ** Don’t fear the hound, ole man,” said Bruiser Bill; ** we'll take keer of him. We’ll be back in a few minutes with Highland Harry’s head, I hope.” The outlaws all hurried away up the trail as if each one was determined to be the first to reach the hated foe’s body. _. The old man watched them until they were about forty rods away, then he threw off bis old greasy coat, revealing a straight, supple figure clad in a neat-fitting hunters’s jacket. ext he removed his cap and a head o: light- brown hair was disclosed. His squint eyes opened wide and clear as a wild buck’s; and when at last he removed his mask of stubby whiskers, a boyish face, radiant with a trium- hant smile, was revealed. Jt was the face of ighland Harry, the Wizard Rifleman ! CHAPTER XVI. HIGHLAND HARRY TAKEN OFF HIS GUARD, ** DELUDED mortals!” mused Highland Harr aloud, a habit peculiar to persons who live muc of the time alone, ‘*‘if you find any one dead up there it will be one of your own friends. Were I certain you had no other friends in these dig- gings, l’dopenon you. Ha! ha! that disguise must have been perfect, though I was awfully afraid that dog would give me away, and—” ‘** Avaunt! throw up your hands or [ll plug you through, you deceptive varmint!” lt was a sharp, defiant and earnest voice that spoke thus, and turning about, Highland Harry found himself gazing into the black muzzles of a long double-barreled pistol, back of which stood a strange man, who evidently meant busi- ness. He was a smooth-faced man of fifty or more years, rather under the medium in hight, slen- der and slightly stooped-shouldered, with thin, sharp features, und keen, gray eyes that leamed along the barrel of his pistol with a urning light. He was dressed in buckskin breeches and a short coat of gray jeans. On his head was a Jeather cap with a long, black peak, At either side,; by means of straps, assing over his shoulders, hung a canvas ag. Highland Harry was taken completely by sur- prise by this odd-looking old man whom he at once decided must be an outlaw, or an enemy, at least. The pistol the man held leveled upon him was an ancient affair, and the face and form of its owner rather insignificant; but the eye that leamed along the weapon told Harry that a earless and resolute spirit confronted him. The boy was too cautious to do aught that might provoke a shot, but maintaining his com- posure with a nerve and presence of mind de- cidedly remarkable for one who had just passed be hea, an exciting ordeal, he calmly replied to tbe old man: ‘* Say, stranger, hav’n’t you made a mistake? Please put down that double-nosed iron and let’s compare notes,” ‘* Oh, yes! you want to get the drop on me,” replied the old man; ‘‘ you’re a slippery youn fraud. I see’d yer whole performance with them five excited gentlemen, I was ambushed near when you stole them clothes and whiskers and put ’em on. Them’s my goods.” ‘* Indeed?” exclaimed Harry ; ‘‘ well, in dodg- ing the outlaws I found them, and, not dream- ing the owner was about, I put them on to trick the outlaws.” ** Well, you did it, you scamp; I saw the hull proceecrnaa: and it made my heart bleed to see ow deceptive and demoralized are the youth of the land.’ ‘* Then you must be a missionary,” Harry ob- served, facetiously. ** No, I’m no gospel mill, but I like upright- ness in all children just the same. Now, them clothes are my Sunday suit, I left them by the rock and went off skirmishing for bugs, not ~~ rr ‘ . ‘ : . ‘ « ‘ o> ‘ ‘ ’ yo 5) MAPLE = 1 Ae ew’ = < q 3 . ‘ < - r . 3 » - be eA ; nd Ps | Ys = » ri supposing cag te be mussed over by a boy’s dirty hands. So you are Highland Harry, Pop- shot of the Mountains, and them five fellows are outlaws? Well, 1am Simon Plunkett—Pro- fessor Simon Plunkett, entomologist—hunting up bug specimens for Brownsonian Institute. ighland, honor yourself by shaking Professor Plunkett’s hand.” With this the old codger lowered his weapon and advanced with extended hand to Harry his mouth wreathed with a pleasant smile an his keen eyes beaming with admiration. But, despite this radical change in the man’s conduct toward him, Harry was loth to accept it as entirely sincere. He bad some misgiv- ings as to the old fellow’s reputed character. His vernacular, as well as his appearance, did not speak ver forcibly of his being a scientist; and then the fact of his carrying a disguise in that region was strongly suspicious of decep- tion. The old fellow did not fail to notice the youth’s hesitancy and distrust, and endeavored to set him at ease by taking from the bags at his side several small bottles, in which were various specimens of insects, and dilating in a very interesting way upon each different bug. But instead of winning Harry’s confidence by this course, it only served to increase his sus- picion. It suddenly occurred to him that the man might be talking to distract his attention so as to gain time, and determined to force an issue, he said: ‘* Friend Bugs, I enjoy listening to your talk about your collections, but I see them outlaws have reached the supposed fallen foe, and as he is one of their own friends, instead of Highland Harry, of course they are very wrothy, and al- ready coming back this tag hot as hornets; therefore it behooves me to be moving off at once.” ‘*Shades of Diogenes!” exclaimed the old naturalist, ‘‘ then that will leave me in a pickle if them varmints find me. I can never explain things satisfactory; therefore, if you’ve no ob- jections, ll go with you.” ‘* All right, come along,” replied Harry, starting off ;‘* but I’m worse than a bug-hunter on the go, I can tell you.” ** Don’t worry ’bout my keeping in sight of you. I’mold, 1 know,in years, but nimble as aspring lamb on the tramp. Some two years agoI went flying down through these moun- tains like an inflated bladder in a flume, pursued by two varmints that I’d like the pleasure of bottlingin alcohol for the Brownsonian Insti- tute. But here we go, Highland Harry and Professor Simon Plunkett.” And away they did go, the old man keeping pace with Harry with the nimbleness of youth, allthe whilehistongue rattling away in facetious observations quite amusing to. the young mountaineer. All distrust of the professor had vanished from Harry’s mind, and he had accepted the jolly and somewhat eccentric old man into full fellowship. They traveled northward through the hills about five miles, then turned and bore eastward, Finally they came to the edge of a declivity that sloped abruptly down into a great canyon. It was entirely devoid of timber, but covered with a growth of sage-brush and other vegeta- tion scarcely knee high. Its lower extremity was lost in the darkness of the canyon nearly five thousand feet below. Down this declivity Highland Harry suggest- ed they descend into the canyon, ‘* Woof!” exclaimed Professor Plunkett, with a shrug of the shoulders, *‘1 can never make that, lad: I’d pitch headlong into the canyon. I can climb up a hill, or skin over the level, but I cannot climb downward. Can't we get around some way?” ‘* Yes,” answered Harry, ‘‘but this would be anearcut,and— Hark!” . They listened. Thereport of a rifle and the sound of a conflict came up from the depths of the canyon, ‘* Fighting going on down there!” declared Plunkett. ‘‘ Yes,” responded Highland Harry, buckling his belt tighter about him, ‘‘ and a friend may be in need of my assistance. Plunkett, I hope we may meet soon again—good-by, I’m going to leave you.” Before the old entomologist could reply, the young mountaineer dashed away down the de- clivity. Plunkett w almost dizzy as he watched the daring boy go bounding down the hillside, at times seeming to clear a hundred feet ata bound, ‘*My God! the wild boy’ll be killed!” the old man exclaimed to himself, rr Soon the boy disappeared from his view, am then with nervous footsteps he moved on alon; the brow of the hill. He could still hear the sound of battle below now growing louder, now fainter, and, finally, when it had become hushed altogether, he mused: ‘*The fight’s ended. Somebody has won a victory—somebody has been slain. May the Lord have dealt gently with Highland Harry. He is a grand, noble boy.” CHAPTER XVII. THE FLIGHT OF AJAX, AJAX, the Infant Giant, with his precious burden, the unconscious Kitty Boyne, sped away into the hills, never dreaming of becom- ing separated from Highland Harry until he suddenly discovered that such was really the case. A feeling of bitter disappointment and regret filled his breast. He stopped and listen- ed. He heard the report of Harry’s rifle more than a mile off to the right, and then all hopes of rejoining him soon, if at all, vanished. Meanwhile Kitty was recovering from her swoon and when she at length was able to speak, the first word she uttered was Harry’s name. She was seated upon the ground supported by the arm of Ajax. Around them it was almost total darkness. ‘‘Harry is not here, Miss Kitty,” the young Giant said in alow, kind voice; ‘‘ but we'll meet him soon I hope. Have no fear.” ‘“WhereamlI? Whoare you? Where is Se- guin?—and that dreadful Giant I saw in the cabin?” she asked as the past came back to her confused, distracted mind. Ajax kindly answered each of her questions in detail, besides giving an account of how they came to be in Teton Basin, and of their adven- tures therein. ‘*You and Harry certainly run great risks, Ajax,” the maiden said, her mind set at ease by the young Giant’s explanations and assurances; * and it was very unfortunate thet you became separated. Bat, oh! how very fortunate for me that you brave young men came into Teton Basin when you did! But, Ajax, how did you find out where I was?” ‘*We did not know that you were alive at all, Miss Kitty,” Ajax replied, *‘ until we had rudely forced ourselves, half-starved, into Se- guin’s cabin and taken possession of a well-filled table of food which the negress in charge in- formed us was her master’s wedding-supper. Then a little inquiry brought out the fact that ou were alive and the bride of Hank Seguin. Ve had heard that you had been killed by Harry’s bullet which slew your captor near Red Bar, so it was a big surprise to us when we found out different.’ ‘* No, I was not even wounded by Harry’s bul- let,” the maiden said; ‘‘ but when my captor fell I think I must have fainted. I remember a ery bursting from the fellow’s lips when the ball struck him, and the next thing after that that I became conscious of, was of being in the woods in care of some strange men who claimed they had rescued me from a party of Indians, They carried me off through the mountains telling me that I should be taken home, and in every way treating me with the most considerate kindness. But all the while I mistrusted the character of the men, and when we arrived at their stronghold, and I was confronted by Hank Seguin, I felt satisfied that my abduction had been preconcerted, and that Seguin was at the bottom of it all. ‘*T became a guest in the house of an outlaw whose wife kept a close watch over me, though { could not have been kindlier treated. Hank Seguin came daily tosee me. I always detested him. Many times in our home at Red Bar have I spurned his pretended love, and when I became a prisoner in the outlaws’ den he re- newed his petitions. Again I refused him, and he gave me to understand he would compel me to marry him, and carried his threat into ex- ecution by compelling me to submit to a pre- tended marriage. The man performing the ceremony claimed to be a priest, but I know he was an outlaw.” hel ‘‘Of course be was, the sacrilegious scoun- drel!” Ajax exclaimed, indignantly, his blood stirred by the maiden’s storv; ‘‘ and I thank the great Jehovah that we were there in t:me to prevent further wrongs against you. But_ know it would ’a’ done your soul good, Mis Kitty, if you could bave seen Harry and me sweep that supper-table like a cyclone. We were hungry as bears, and yet, if the wench ‘d been white about it when we asked her for something to eat, we wouldn’t have raided her table like coyotes; but when she got sassy and - * a eh es .