Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 801 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 Tom Conner, who had returned to the ranch and was at the moment sitting on one of the cots engaged in unpleasant thougbt, was aroused by this ominous outburst, He arose and wheeled quickly, at the same time drawing his revolver, An instinctive feeling of peril swept over him, He sbrunk back, however, as his gaze looked full into the deadly tube held in the hairy hand of the High-Kicker from Killbuck, The latter was glowering at bim and working his shaggy brows; and as that roar again came from the cavernous throat he seemed to the frightened Conner more like an enraged gorilla than a man, Kirby had just returned from his visit to Piebald. He had scarcely expected to find Con- ner at the ranch buildings; but beholding Con- ner’s pony tied near the corral, he had ridden behind the cottonwoods, left his broncho there, and had stealthily advanced to the bunk-room on foot, Conner cowered and let his half-uplifted weapon drop at bis side. He saw how fool- hardy it would be to attempt a shot while covered by that deadly aim. The merest touch of Kirby’s finger would be sufficient to send him to death. ‘What do you want?” he asked, vainly at- tempting to assume an air of jocularity. ** You're always at your tricks, Kirby. I can’t say that it is funny, though, to stand here look- ing into that gun.” ** You won’t bave the privilege of looking into it long, so you’d better sot yer two eyes on it while you kin. I’m upto your little game, Con- ner. Fu'’st, before shootin’? uv you—whbich I ought to do instanter—tell me why you toppled Seal Shelton off the cliff into Rogue River this morning. Tell me the truth, or so help me, Ill let daylight plum through you witbout furder words!” The look which came to Conner’s face was one difficult to understand, ** You’re off, Kirby! 1 swear to you that you are mistaken, 1 hada fight with a fellow onthe cliff this morning, and I got the better of him and threw him into the river; but it wasn’t Seal: Shelton!” Kent Kirby was a good reader of faces; and therefore he could not fail to notice the evident sincerity of the statement, Although staggered by it, he returned hotly to the charge, ‘That won't do, you know, Conner, I seen the hull thing with these hver two optics; and when I see a thing I seeit! I saw you pitch him into the river, and it was Seal Shelton!” ‘* Pm willivg to admit you thought it was, but all the saine it wasn’t, Til admit, too, that I might have good cause for serving Shelton in that way. don’t say that I have, but I'll admit it just to please you.” ‘“‘Who wus it, then?” the High-Kicker im- patiently thundered, ‘*There you have me. I don’t know!” You dou’t know?’ Kirby fairly howled. ‘* That there’s a likely yarn, that is!” His manner once mere became aggressive and the revolver which had been held in constant readiness, was again uplifted, **T couldo’t string a straighter yarn if I was to bs hung for it. It’s the solid truth, Kirby, I don’t know who it was! To my knowledge I never saw the rascal before!” The High-Kicker dropped his weapon and stared his bewilderment, ‘* Explain the tangle, Take the snarls out uv it as best ye kin!” ** Well, I was attacked on the cliff by an un- known man and forced to fight for my life, got the better of him and threw him into the river. I suppose he went tothe bottom. And that’s all I know about it.” It was a seemingly unreasonable story; and when Kirby remembered how Conner had fled across the blackened waste and disappeared among the rocks, his Jjoubts returned, ** Toss that pistol onto the cot over there and then [ll talk with ye about it,” Conner sullenly hesitated for a moment, then obeyed. He did not relish being ordered about by this man who had so recently been his in- ferior, Even yet, however, the thought did not enter bis head that the bloviating High-Kicker was a detective, ‘* Now set down there comfort’ble like, fer I want to ask you a few questions,” He dropped into a squatting posture near the doorway and motioned Conner to a seat, **T don’t mind tellin’ you that I can’t swaller the bull ov what you’ve said, Still, I'l] not shoot a —not jest yit—as I p’intedly meant to do, f | was shore it wus Shelton you pitebed frum ‘that cliff P’d settle with you right now. But Kent Kirby, the +e ¥ we'll let that pass, The truth will come out after awhile,” His eyes were blazing with suppressed excite- ment and his words came with a suggestive clicking sound that resembled the cocking of a weapon. Tom Conner shrunk bsck before the fire of his subdued anger. ** Tm a-goin’ to talk to you about Jim Carlow! You wus Carlow’s foreman an’ you knowed a good deal about him, I think you could give a good guess as to who killed him, That’s my p’inted opinion!‘ Huin’t it yourn?” Conner shook his head negatively. **T don’t know anything about the case.” *“Mebbe this "ll belp your remembrancer!” again lifting the weapon. If Conner had been given time to think he might bave wondered at Kirby’s too manifest interest in these matters. But he was not giveu time to think, Tne High-Kicker lashed him on with commands and interrogatories, emphasizing these with the threatening steel tube. Conner equivocated and denied, This con- vinced Kirby that the ex-foreman was possessed of some knowledge on the subject, and he **bluffed” him into a confession, ** [3s my opinion,” and Conner’s voice shook a3 he fumbled in his pucket for some object he wished to produce, ‘* It’s my opinion that Sylvy Sterling killed Jim Carlow!” Kirby could not but be struck with the fact that this was the theory advanced by Shelton and Marian Carlow, It was a theory he had rejected as being groundless and overborne by evidence pointing in another direction. ‘What gave you that idee?” ‘* This!” extending to him a small roll of bills. ** Look at them; aud when I tell you that they were given me by Sylvy Sterling, you’ll be in- clined to agree with me.” Kirby unfolded them and examined them with much curiosity, One of them was blood- stained, In reply to Kirby’s further questions Conner elaborated his reasons for believing in Sylvia’s guilt. The chain of proof was sufficiently puz- zling, but it did not shake the High-Kicker from his preconceived idea, ** Pll take charge of this bloody bill, with your permission, and then I’m a-goin’ to carry you over to Piebald and deliver you to Cash Colton, to be held until I know whether or not you kill- ed Seal,” Conner had hoped what be had done and said would gain favor in the eyes of Kirby and se- cure his release, He had good reasons for not wishing to fall into the hands of the sheriff. But his objections were so much wasted breath, Kirby held bim silent with the threat of the re- volver, and then deftly Sound him with a lariat. Having accomplished this, Kirby left the bunk-room for the purpose of bringing forward his broncho, As he emerged from the cottonwood grove on his return be gave vent to another roar of rage. It had abundant justification, Sylvia Sterling had slipped from the house and released Conner; and the two were speeding across the prairie, mounted on a pair of the fleetest ponies to be procured from the corral, Ou the impulse of the moment, Kirby threw bimself into the saddle and gave chase; but he drew rein almost immediately. The attempt to overtake them would have been futile. He dismounted and walked thoughtfully toward the corral, This act of Sylvia’s discon- certed and bewiJdered him. He could find no ready reason for it. He did not believe sbe was in love with Couner, If she had known Conner thougbt ber guilty of Jim Carlow’s death she surely would have shrunk from thus extending him aid, The ex-foreman had not told Kirby, however, of Sylvia’s fit of jealousy, nor éxplained fully why she bad transferred to him the money, More knowledge on this point might have assist- ed Kirby in getting at her true motives, But be had not this knowledge; and so stumbled about in the fog of doubt, like a desert-lost wan- derer, constantly retreading the small circle of possibilities, f CHAPTER XVI, A SENSATIONAL EPISODR, THE Rev. Mr. Templeton, recently stationed in Piebald, started shiveringly from his couch, os there came a resounding knock upon the front oor, Piebald was a missionary station and he was the only minister ‘in the town; and, for that matter, in the entire country. The citizens of Piebald, while really honest and sincere and with kindliest intentions, shock- ed and terrified him, They addressed him High-Kicker from Killbuck, - familiarly as ‘‘Parscn;” and one enthiz — individual bad even gone so far as to boistero. ly slap him on the back and wish bim a net fuh_ of sinners at the first sweep of his seine, In addition the men all wore rough ie ors, and big hats, clanked jingling spurs and sporte miniature cannon which they affectionately called ‘‘ guns,” In short, they were of the cow- boy variety, as was to be expected of the in- habitants of a cattle town. Mr, Templeton shivered whenever he thought of them, notwithstanding his intense desire to do them good, And now, as he lay awake at this extremely late bour and hearkened to that ominous thundering at the door, an icicle of the most frigid variety crept slowly from his head to his heels, His first inclination “as toremain quietly in bed and ignore the knocking; but when it became louder and more imperative, and he began to fear the door would be broken in, he bastily dressed and crept fearfully down-stairs, ‘*Don’t be violent, please,” he pleaded, in chattering tones, ‘‘ Just one minute,” With tais heapplied a key and swung open the door, carefully screening himself behind it to avoid any chance bullets. To his astonishment, instead of the rough mob be anticipated, he beheld a lady and gentleman, quietly and neatly dressed, ‘¢ JT beg pardon!” he exclaimed, gliding from behind the door and advancing with outstretched hand, ‘Step rigbtin, Your names—ab—” ’He was holding a lamp above bis head and its light now revealed to bim a small concourse of people further back in the darkness, These were not so prepossessing, but the invi- tation to enter bad b2en extended and was being accepted by the lady and gentleman. He. felt forced, therefore, to lead the way into the parlor, and arrange chairs for these unexpected guests, A half-dozen cowboys trovuped after, and en- sconced themselves in the seats provided, after depositing their big, white bats carefully on the carpet, The reverend gentleman was then informed that bis visitors were Seal Shelton anc Marian Carlow; that a license bad been procured and they were candidates for matrimony; and that these cowboys had come to act as friendly wit- nesses of the ceremony, If a woman ever looks handsome in her life it is when she stands before the marriage altar by the side of the man she loves, Marian Carlow, as she seated herself to await the actions of the Rev. Mr. Templeton, was not precisely before the marriage altar, but her pulses were fluttering quite as wildly and the roses bloomed quite as redly and sweetly on her cheeks, At all times a bancsome woman, she was, on this occasion, surpassingly and ravishingly beautiful, Although her attire had a generally sober and somber hue, yet she was tastefully dressed,. The black ruche that encircled her throat gave tothe skin an ivory whiteness by contrast. "Her eyes shone like stars, Seal Shelton, as he sat down beside her and bent on ber an affectionate glance, was more wildly and madly in love with her than ever, They felt they had abundant reasons for taking this sudden step. Seal had passionately urged it since the moment he had secured her promise to be his wife, She was alone in the world since the death of her reputed father, Jim Carlow, Not only that: one of the shrewdest detectives in the Southwest, Kent Kirby, the High Kicker from Killbuck, believed her guilty of the murder and was industriously working to secure proofs against ber, Shelton’s cheeks flamed and his heart grew hot with indignation whenever he thought of this, He mentally denounced Kirby as a crazy old ‘fool, whom it was flattery to call a gentle- man, Kirby’s theory of the murder had reared an almost impassable barrier between him and his former friend and ally. Shelton bad almost grown to bate him, ‘Because of the chain of circumstantial evidence, Kirby would ruin the life and fcrever blacken the name of this true- hearted woman. This was the way Seal Shelton thought about it, and he waxed nore and more furious 9s the days wert by, He'told himself he would never forgive Kirby for bis persecution of Marian Carlow; forgetful of the fact that Kirby had whispered his belief to no one else, and instead of pursuing the clews furnished by the articles found in the old well, was devoting bis entire time and energy to the work of unearthing the counterfeiters, Jt is scarcely necessary to say that in all this Seal Shelton bitterly wronged his old-time friend. But when a man is desperately in love es i + ti) » SF - co ot, wae OAs } 7