Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 851 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

_ | Briggs was J . - ee ee) ~~ 4 + in ~ be fi" a erase y trap. Sound kerries a good ways ona still night, an’ thar’s no tellin’ who may be in ther bushes.” In silence they strode along for quite a _ While. Charley Briggs seemed never to be ‘at fault, though the trail leading to the Fair Dove Mine was at times a tangled one. About the time they were beginning to weary of the journey, and wonder when it was to come to an end, they saw a momentary gleam of light in the distance, and toward it Briggs pointed. ‘There is the cabin at the mine, and we are none tooearly on the spot. He isalready there.” They hastened their pace, but were more cautious than ever. The light had vanished, and it did not reappear again. Perhaps Morris Howe was there; and, again, he might have retreated and taken his prisoner along with him.” So silently did they advance that Morris Howe did not hear them as he came rushing away from the cabin. Perhaps he had ears for nothing but the last despairing cry which he expected to hear pealing up from the lips of the girl he had left to her doom. ‘Ts he going away from the girl; or, is he, going to her?’ asked Briggs, his voice low and husky, but his hand, where it rested on the arm of his companion, clntching until it seemed to be seeking to reach the bone. ‘«One of us had better go for the light, and the other follow him. I could drop him, and I would, but if he has her hidden away in one of these holes ir the ground it might be long enough for her to starve before we could find her.” “Which shall be which? Take your choice, and take it quickly.” ‘‘T’ll follow, for that’s more in my line, I reckon. If you need me, sing out loud and V’ll be with you.” “‘They don’t count me in nowhere,” whined Billy Jingle. ‘““An’ me a-yearnin’ fur fun all ther time. Serve ’em right ef I jest split meself, an’ went with all both ov ’em. donged ef I don’t b’lieve I'll try it,” hile the boy stood there considering how that impossible feat was to be performed his companions were stealing forward, each in the direction he had elected to go. The lad was about equally drawn in either direction, and so moved in neither. He might have stood there until daylight had it not been for the signal which Charley Briggs gave as he neared the cabin. He had ental a weak, smothered voice within: ‘Help! Mur-der! Help.” Stella Stone had recovered her senses long enough to utter that cry, and then was again silent. But that one cry wasenough. It hastened Briggs, and really brought Dell Hammond. It would have brought Billy Jingle, too, if the thought had not struck him to watch that some one who was not wanted did not come also. Hammond, in his haste, was leaving his rear unguarded, and what was to hinder Morris Howe from taking the back track also. Billy slid to one side when Hammond rushed past him, and waited to see what else was to come. already flinging himself _ against the door in an apparently vain effort _ to burst it open, and Hammond, thinking he - saw a better way, spent no time in assisting | , but swung himself up on the roof, _ Dim as was the light he could see the out- lines of the top of the chimney, and thought - it would be an avenue by which he might soonest gain an entrance, Something to his surprise he found the top _ almose hermetically sealed, but when he tore hbo the covering there was an opening large enough to admit of the descent of two Sr three men, Witho I'll be ding-: The Tie-T’o Sport. ————— his feet into the aperture and allowed himself to slip downward, The flue was not tall, the heat was not great, and he did not take time to consider the nature of the smoke which came rolling out. Before he reached the bottom of that chim- ney he began to believe he had better waited a~moment. The opening of the top was fol- lowed by a draft upward, and brief as was the passage he thought he could not live through it. When he reached the hearth below he bounded lightly over the fire which was leaping once more into a blaze, and with out- stretched hands went groping through the room, calling as he went: ‘““Where are you, Stella? Speak! We are friends, come to the rescue.”’ Then, as the door, at last giving way un- der Charley Briggs’s attack, came bursting inward, the smoke and the fumes overpow- ered him, and he fell back himself at the in- stant Charley was leaping over the threshold. The last comer was in no danger. A gust from the night came sweeping in with him, and the air was growing poe so rapidly he scarcely noticed that which had overpowered his companion. ‘The fire, too, leaping up into a flame, now revealed the in- terior of the cabin. Dell Hammond, pale, ghastly. upon the floor was the first obj his eyes, The next was Stella, herself, bound and motionless, If she was not dead she looked like a corpse indeed. He sprung to her side with a snarl of fury, and tore the rope away from around her form. Fate and his nimble fingers were in his favor, and the knots scarcely delayed him. He caught up the figure in his arms, and staggered with her to the door. Then, he brought her face below his own, and gazing downward kissed her once, twice, a dozen times, and there were tears stream- ing from his eyes to fall upon her own, and prone ect to meet CHAPTER XIV. WAY OF CARRYING ON MISSION. ‘Haut, Mister Man! I’ve got yer kivered with poppers, an’ ef yer don’t throw up yer han’s I'll put ther brand on.” The challenge came from Billy Jingle, and the party addressed was a man who came hurrying along the trail, heading directly toward the cabin. Billy had no very clear idea of what Mor- ris Howe looked like, nor was he able to see at all plainly this late arrival, but he strongly suspected him to be the present holder of the Fair Dove. At all events, he thought it would do no harm to stop him. The man halted; but it did not seem as though it was because of the shrill order. A gentle glow appeared in the now open door of the cabin, and framed and surround- ed with that glow could be seen the scene described at the close of the last chapter. “Looks ez big ez a rhynoscurosus, an’ I'll be ding-donged ef I b’’eve he heared me atall. Are it Morris, an’ shell I letter bliz- zard?” _ It would have been pretty hard to miss at that distance, with his pistols pointing straight for the center of the man’s back, but reckless though he was, something seemed to hold the boy’s fingers, _ ‘* Don wonder he’s struck all ina heap, an’ I must say Briggsy are takin’ a ongen- tlemanly advantage; but all ther same it won't do ter let this loon jumpin. Lay down, pious friend, an’ think it over.” So ran his thoughts, for he had been steal- ing nearer, and at the last moment recog- nized the man as the individual who had been at the bottom of the first racket at the Gates of Glory Saloon. Hastily he thrust away his pistols, and THE SAINT'S HIS 13 with open hands gave a sharp blow behind the knees of Giant Jack, ‘Then, springing up, he caught the Saint from Side Ace by the collar, and thrust) his knees vigorously into the small of that individual’s back. It was all done with so much rapidity, strength and skill, he accomplished what stouter aud older men had failed to do, Taken altogether off his guard, Giant Jim succumbed to the at aca, and came lumber: ing to the ground, * Billy was too wise to allow the Saint to get hold of him, and was watching that he did not get caught in the fall. Quickly he sprung aside, and then rushed toward the cabin. A glance told him that the pair was no longer in the doorway, and casting his eyes around he saw Charley ‘Briggs staggering away with the form of the still insensible girl over his shoulder, He darted toward them, intending to give Charley a pointer as to the presence of the man he had just overthrown, but for once luck was against him, His foot struck against a root or a stone, and he fell head- long, Billy’s head was hard or it might have been cracked by the blow it got. As it was, he staggered to his feet in a rather dazed condition, and seeing nothing of the pair hurried toward the spot where he had last noted them, They could not have gone far in that brief time, and he had no doubt he could overtake them in a minute, The minute turned out to be a pretty long one, and meantime Giant Jim was not idle.. He Jay for an instant without motion, Seeing that nothing followed the assault he slowly regained his feet and started straight for the doorway, that was still to be seen inthe glow, which was now, if any- thing, brighter than before. Not the least sign of anger did he show,. and one would have thought, seeing how un- moved he was, that possibly he had takem his tumble through some misstep of his own, " “*Tt was little Stella,” he was muttering. ‘The villain had his arms around her. He would kill ber, soul and body, just as he thinks he has killed me, He bas gone back into the shanty, but I'll have him out of there,” Without fear or caution he made his way to the low doorstep, and looked into the room. At first he thought there was no one there, Then, he saw the figure of the Tie-te Sport, stretched out upon the floor, ‘‘ Could it have been all a dream? Was it a temptation from the Evil One to rush blindly forward to strike, and aim, and slay? Verily, it seem like it, for the face of this Shia man is familiar, yet it is not the one saw but a bit ago. Perhaps it was all am illusion. Why should my daughter be here? She died long ago—ycars before I did. It was to fit myself to join her that 1 became the Saint from High Ace. And now—” He looked downward at the sport, whe was beginning to gasp with returning con- sciousness, The sounds attracted his at- tention, but something else riveted his gaze, There was a paper lying on the floor, Sa under Hammond’s outstretched arms. Per- haps it had a familiar look; it may have been because when a man is in doubt he is apt to wander off on any side issue which presents itself, The giant leaned over the prostrate sport, picked up the document, and bending to- ward the fire-light glanced over the folded age, D it was the paper taken from Meg Brandon, and which had been handed over to Stella by the chief of the road-agents, In the slight struggle with Howe it had been dis- placed from her bosom, and had fallen un- noticed to the floor. ‘‘Ha!l This paper! At last! Yet what. to make of it all? This man is not Morris. rs J bl -~ Without a moment’s hesitation he thrust ine. + ar ‘ tua . “ye ‘| Pe ate): ed ! ir - a” * n */a :%. »¥ “ ' » eet Ve - 7 - - ° 4 — q | - > , | | .