Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 786 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

a ’ ' the darkness before him, or three Lone Hand Joe. 3 | Rai | for there’s a sentinel there. And tell him Pl never, never forget how he threw himself into danger to belp me to-day.” : » The tones were tremulous and earnest, ** Yes: I'll tell bim,” Old Lone Hand promised, “*Tll reecollect every word,”’ He staggered to his feet and stretched his cramped limbs, “This way!” she whispered, leading him out of the place along a narrow passage. ‘* We must make haste; and we must be very quiet. I don’t know what father would do to me if he knew what I’ve done to-night,” The tunnel-like passage opened at last at an obscure poivt op the hillside—a point that was concealed from outward view. She did aot follow Connetty through the open- ing, but whispered after bim: ‘« The river is just there, ou your right. You'll find the borse in the willows only a few yards dowa the bank, You'd better lead him, until you get far enough away to mount safely.” The old man opened his lips to thank her, but saw that she had disappeared. He felt very queer, after all that had tappened, and could hardly realize that be was a free man again, standing out there on the rocky slope beneath the cloudy sky. roy He could hear the guards calling to each other from the walls, and this increased his caution as he made his way to the river. The horse was readily found; and, when he had led it some distance down the valley, he climbed into the saddle and rode silently away. When certain he was beyond hearing of the ople of Prairie Gibraltar, Lone Hand turned in the direction of Good Cheer Runch, as Sidney had done before him, He was sure Sidney had gone there. He did not know of the chase after Ben Stet- son, made by Maverick Bill, Once he beard a far-away thunder of hoofs; but, as he could not tell the cause, and they did not seem to be com- ing toward him, he rode contentedly on, He and Sidney were out of the clutches of the cat- tle-thieves, a thing to be devoutly thankful for; and he did not choose to question the future, When within a mile or two of Good Cheer Ranch, the old tramp was thrown almost into a panic by beholding the Spook Steed loom out of It was riderless, and advancing at an easy canter. To meet it thus on the prairie, so far away from Prairie Gibral- tar, was a thing inexplicable at the time, He sat silent in the saddle with drawn rein, and watched it with breathless interest, as it cantered by only a hundred yards away, He turned in bis seat, and let his gaze follow it un- til it was swallowed up in the gloom, “That beats me!” he declared, drawing a Gece sigh of relief. hen he jogged on toward the Good Cheer. He was given a greater surprise when the ranch was reached. Not asoul wasthere! Two ; ponies were grazing near the ranch buildings, That was al]. And although he looked the place over, he could find neither Sid- ney nor the cowboys, . ‘Up astump ag’in!” was his dubious aver- ment, as he stood in the dourway and took a re- flective survey of the house, ‘‘ I’ve been a-bump- in’ ag’in’ mysteries fer two days now, an’ this is ekal to the biggest o’ ’em !” He entered and sat down in a chair, hoping by thought to find a solution to the problem, He could make nothing of it, Sidney had bad abundant time to getthere, Many things might have occurred, of course, to interrupt him and cause delay, but that could not explain the ab- sence of the cowboys. He had been at the ranch . Many times, and this was the first time he had seen it completely deserted. ‘ As he looked further, be saw saw all about him signs of unnatural confusion, “ They’s somethin’ wrong hyer! Somethin’ monstrous wrong! The boy hain’t come, ner I don’t think he’s a-goin’ to; an’ the cowboys hev been driv’ off the place, Otherwise, they would- n’t hev left! ‘Matters seem mighty topsy-turvy; an’ Old Joe Connetty, here an’ now, app’ints himself a Committee o’ One to go to the bottom o’ things ginerally! If them cattle-thieves hev had a hand in this, I kin tell ’um that they won't be long in hearin’ frum the committee! You bet! Lone Hand’ll play bis keerds fer all they is wu’th ef it runs bim inter Satan’s kitchen.” i ee CHAPTER VIII. Ye A DESPERATE FIGHT, _ Puturp SIDNEY’S vexation increased, rather than diminished, a8 the minutes slipped by er bringing the return of any of the cow- a | He had removed the bridle from the phantom horse, and turned it into the corral. It shone oddly enough there, and be mentally likened it to a diamond in a setting of barbed wire. Feeling somewhat hungry, he re-entered the house and ransacked the pantry for something toeat, While thus engaged, the door was vio- lently thrown open, and a man showed himself in the opening, being clearly revealed by the lamp which Sidney had lighted, It was Ben Stetson. Stetson knew the house was occupied only by Sidney, for be bad approached it carefully and made a survey through one of the small windows, He was still burning to be revenged oa Sidney, and bad followed him there for that purpose. What caused him to do 80 can be speed- ily made known, The sounds of hoofs which Sidney fancied he heard while on the way from Prairie Gibraltar, were those of Stetson’s horse. Stetson observed the Spook Steed heading toward Good Cheer Ranch, and leaped to the conclusion that Old Lone Hand ‘had escaped and was astride of it. Sidney he thought he bad finished with the knife-thrust, He was almost as anxious to unish Old Connetty as he had been to punish idney ; and, feeling that he had thrown Maverick Bill off his trail, be followed the glowing horse at a safe distance, Stetson was close enough to observe the effect of the horse on the cowboys, and had laughed quietly as he saw them speeding away so wild- ly. He did not approach the buildings, how- ever, until certain the cowbcys did not in- tend to return, Then, as already stated, he crawled up to one of the windows and beheld Sidney while the latter was ransacking the pantry. , Tbis was a tremendous surprise to Stetson, and at the first glance be could searcely believe the evidence of his eyes. He could not doubt tbat he saw a living, breathing man before him, when he witnessed Sidney stowing away liberal quantities of eatables. No spirit would eat like that! Stetson’s rage gathered in force and volume as be stood at the window and knew without doubt that the man whom he thought he bad slain was still in the land of the living; and he swore a great oath that he would yet accomplish his purpose, Assuring himself again that the cowboys were not returning, be strode angrily to the door, hurled it open and Jeaped through into the room. Sidney dropped the loaf of bread at which he was gnawing, when he beheld this apparition, and, with a motion that was almost instinctive, react ed for his revolver, Before he could get it out, Stetson leaped on him, tore the weapon from its place, and hurled it across. the room, His desire seemed to be to disarm Sidney, and then slay him at his pleasure. This was proven by the fact that be did not fire on Sidney from the window, He might easily have killed him from that point by a well-directed pistol-ball. ‘* Put down yer hands!” he growled, as Sidney threw up bis arms to defend himself. ‘I hain’t Sa to hit ye yit, Whenl git ready, though, Pll set my heel on your head as if twas the bead of a snake, an’ grind the life out o’ ye!” He had placed bimself between Sidney and the revolver on the floor. There was no weapon within Sidney’s reach, and nothing now on his person except the small knife in one of bis pockets, Even the rude chairs with which the room was plentifully supplied were where he could bot get at them, Stetson believed he had his enemy ‘“ dead to rigits,” as he would have expressed it, and smiled sardonically. ‘* When Pi go out of this houses, you'll be car- ried out, 1 reckon!” an evil sneer curling his lips. “1 see you’ve been ridin’ that phantom boss. No luck ever comes to the man that does that, The thing’s a-movin’, ha’nted mystery, that brings misfortune to every one that meddles withit. I’ve seen it tried dozens of times, and never knowed it to fail yit, When you throwed your leg over the back of that brute, it meant you wus a-goin’ to ride to yourdeath. It meant ee you wus to be killed; an’ hyer Iam to kill ye The words were hissed savagely. Stetson’s eyes were blazing, bis face set with the deepest hatred, and to give emphasis to his words he thumbed the keen edge of the knife he had drawn. Philip Sidney was doing some rapid thinking: but even while be thought, he wondered vaguely if Irene Romero believed in the ill fate which, as Stetson claimed, attached to apy dhe who y, 5 mounted the phantom horse, If she believed in that, and had thought to send him out to his death—be would not credit her with such base- uess, and cast the foul suggestion behind him. ‘*That hoss is bewitched,” Stetson continued, watching the effect of his words, ‘“I€ain’t a thing of this earth. Better fer a man to ride the broomstick of an old witch than to straddle that spook beast,” W bat puzzled Sidney more than anything else was that Stetson seemed to believe in the truth of his statements, : The desperado’s manner was becoming more threatening at every moment, and, for lack of anything else with which to defend himself, Sid- ney felt for the clasp-knife in bis pocket, tetson saw the movement, and, thinking a hidden pistol was about to be produced, leaped on Sidney with tigerish ferocity. The combat that followed was terrible, As the men came together they locked in a bear- like bug; and, straining and tugging for the mastery, they reeled and staggered about the room, with labored breathing and blows that were constant, but ineffectual, Sidney bad succeeded in grasping Stetson’s knife-band, and now used his utmost endeavors to retain bis hold on it, realizing that if the ruf- fian once broke that clasp a desperate and per- haps mortal thrust would immediately follow. ow the fight might bave ended cannot be told, for it was brought to a sudden termination by an unexpected interruption, Maverick Bill and some of his men leuped through the open doorway, with loud and excited cries, Stetson recognized tiie voice of his chief, even before be was aware of bis preseuce, It seemed to portend his own doom, Hurling the young ranchman from him with herculean force he leaped for the nearest window, without stop- ing to count the number of the new-comers. Phe leap was followed by a crashing of glass, as Stetson went head-first through the sash, fallin heavily to the ground outside, The shot whi Maverick fired did not touch bim; so be scram- bled up in baste and made for one of the borses, The horses of Maverick’s men were standing close by the building, and to the back of one of these Stetson sprung. He gave a triumphant yell, as he sunk the rowels deep into the flanks of the startled animal, and turned its head toward the open prairie, ‘* Ketch me, if you can!” With this taunting, backward fling, be cleared the circle of buildings and saw before him the way to liberty, Philip Sidney could not have been more start- led and bewildered, if the floor had suddenly and unaccountably given way beneath his feet, than he was by the coming of Maverick, and the ter- mination of the fight. In spite of his dazed condition he realized that the presence of these desperadoes could bode him no good. He had only exchanged one form of peril for another. : There was a rush from the room and a futile pursuit of Stetson by some of Maverick’s follow~ ers, but Maverick and his principal men did not leave the room until they had secured and safely bound the young ranchman., The runaway could not be captured; and, when this was ascertained, Sidney was borne from tbe house and lifted to one of the saddles, He gave a glance toward tbe corral and start- ed, The phantom horse was gone! CHAPTER IX, STETSON’S SCHEME, THE confused condition of the room caused by the struggles which had occurred therein, was what told Old Joe Connetty that matters had gone wrong with Sidney. The veteran borderman was a keen reader of — signs, and set bimself deliberately to in t the correct meaning of what he saw, That there — bad been a fierce struggle could not be question- ed, Its indications were abundant and unmis- takable. But he was misled by the broken win- dow and the imprint of Stetson’s hands and knees | in the soil beneath it. Joe thought he saw in these evidence that Sidney bad been surprised and had made his escape by that way. | He found further confirmatiou iu this belief when, with a lighted lantern, he searchéd the soil about the building», He found the trail made by Stetson’s horse in leaving the place, and the hoof-prints of the horses that had been urged in pursuit, It seemed as plain as day to him that Sidney bad leaped through the win- — dow, secured a horse, and fled. He returned to the house and again critical Ne inspected it. His imagination conjured upthe — was the broken loaf on the floor; and he pictured | entire scene, as he fancied it to have been. _ - ~~. AW y ' ~~