Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 859 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

wt Oe ee from his fellow-men and hoard the gold that he seemed to live soiely to accumulate, The mansion was a large and rambling one, with several wings, a vast cellar, a ‘square tower and altogether dismal in the ex- treme, In its day it had been a grand old home; its halls had rung with merry voices,now long since silenced by death, and its possessor had been noted as among the and wealthy in the land. — ee Cie ee ee | | ae a oe What the poor wanderer’s life was, what scenes he passed through no one knew; but, long years after, a score it was, when the memory of his act was almost forgotten, and another generation of people had grown up about his old home—where the city growth had, encircled the mansion—he came back to the scene of his tragedy, accompanied by a little girl of ten. most aristocratic | But a few days bad the girl remained in th e dismal old home; then she had gone But, a blight had fallen upon the place | away, no one knew where, and the man ‘when its heiress had one night been killed by the master of the mansion, her own father, The fair girl had dared to love one whom her father disapproved of because who was a poor struggler for wealth and fame, un- known in the circle in which she was a bright particular star. The maiden, sought for her beauty, powers of fascination and wealth, had refused the offers of suitors whose names were known well, to love a poor youth, the sailing-master of her father's yacht. He had sprung overboard one day in a storm, when & wave had washed her off of the vessel’s deck, had seized her in his arm’s, and himself gave the order to lay the yacht to and lower the life-boat. He had held her unconscious form in his arms until the boat came and picked them poth up, and then, when she was safe in her father’s care, he had resented as aninsult the offer of the rich man to pay him for what he had done. His angry rebuke of the father caused his discharge when the yacht dropped anchor opposite to the mansion of the owner, but he had soon become the skipper of a small coasting-vessel, and at each coming into port the two lovers—for such the rescued maiden and the young sailor had become— met by stealth, At length discovering that his beautiful daughter was clandestinely meeting the ssilor, the enraged father threatened to shoot the lover, as he would slay a robber, the next time he found him in the grounds; and, to make sure that the young sailor should receive no warning theirate father confined his rebellious daughter to her rooms. But, Mabel Maxwell was not to be thwarted thus, for love made her brave as ‘well as rebellious, Determined to meet her lover at all haz- ards, she secured, through her maid, a suit of. male attire anda rope ladder, and so Jeft her rooms one moonlight night when she supposed her father was asleep in his chamber. It was the night that ber lover was to incet her, at the arbor in the grounds, and, glid- ing among the evergreens she sought the trysting- place, when, lo! a flash came, a sharp report rung out, and the father dash- ed out of the arbor with the words : ‘So, thief and villain that you are, you have met your "i doom!” ‘Father, it is not Nathan Chandler that - you have shot down, but J, your daughter Mabel. With a wild cry, Paul Maxwell fell like one death-stricken by the side of his wound- ed daughter. Thus the servants found the two, when, alarmed by the shot and cry they ran to the scene, It was weeks before Paul Maxwell rallied from the attack of brain fever that followed his mad act, and learned that his daughter died, yet left him her forgiveness. And more: she told him that mouths he- fore she had secretly become the wife of Na- than Chandler,and had intended to confess the truth to him and go forever from his home df he was unforgiving. Pau! Maxwell heard all with hard-set face, made no comment, and discharging his ser. vaats, closed the mansion, and went abroad, to become a wanderer in foreign lands, with stern face and white hair had become known as ‘* Miser Max of the Haunted House.” A. complaint had been made by some acainst him; but it was found that he was the owner of the mansion, so he was undis- turbed and there he lived alone, amid the scenes of former years of happiness with those he then loved, haunted by the specter of his great crime in taking the life-of his beautiful daughter, Though worth a large fortune, his only object in life seemed to be to accumulate more. He was from early morn until night- fall doing all in his power to make money and hoard it up. Why, no one knew, for it was said that he had nota single heir to leave it to, nor a soli- tary friend on whom to bestow his posses- sions, Many of the old people shunned him, in remembrance of his crime in the past, while the children hooted at him as Miser Max, of the Haunted House, and stood in awe of him, too—none of them dariug to invade the grounds surrounding the forlorn old man- sion, And it was ‘‘ Miser Max” whom the masked robbers had slain. 7 CHAPTER IV. THE DEADLY SHOT. THe words of the man who had come into the home of the miser, entering the room where his dead body lay, guarded by the young girl and the youth, told why he was there—that he had expected to meet his pals in the old rookery, and supposed they were counting over the gold of the man they had come there to murder and rob. The surprise of the masked villain, who had come late upon the scene, was great, as we have seen; but as such miscreants are usually on the alert for relia that may happen, he at once drew his pistol to cover his retreat, if necessary, by another tragedy. But, Graveyard Jack was too quick for him, for the boy’s revolver had flashed in a second of time, and theaim had been deadly. The masked man sunk in his tracks with not so much as a moan, for the bullet had sunk deep into his forehead. The girl gazed at the youth, speechless in her terror and amazement, as he stood there cool, silent and watchful. At last she found the power of speech, and said in a hushed voice full of awe: ‘*Oh! what have you done—what have you done!” ‘* Killed him,” was the cool response in a wholly unmoved tone. ‘‘Are you sure that he is dead, or has he only fainted?” came in the same hushed voice, ‘‘Men don’t faint as women do, and one like him could not faint,” “Then he is dead?” ‘ cc Yes. ” ** You are sure?” and she made a step for- ward. ‘** Do you see that little hole in his forehead, just between his hat and the top of his mask, which has slipped down?” “é es ” ‘““That’s where my bullet hit.” **T wish that you had not killed him.” **Then I would now be as he is,” was the reproachful reply. en New York Nat, the Gamin Detective. 3 ‘Oh, Jack! I did not mean that. I wish that he had runaway. But, I saw that he meant to kill you.” ‘That will save me from being jugged, perhaps from a rope dance, for my own tes- timony would be no good in a court.” ‘*Must you be tried, do you think, for this act?” ‘‘T guess so, though I wish I didn’t have to be. What did you say your name was, miss?” ‘* Olive,” ‘It’s a pretty name; but I guess I'll take a look at this man and see if | know him.” He stepped forward as he spoke, and with a firm hand removed the black mask from the pallid face. It was a cruel] face even with the scar of death upon it, vicious and sin-stamped., ‘‘Tt is Brass Knuckles Bill, a tough,” said Jack quietly. ** Who is he? ‘You knew him then?” ‘Yes, miss, as 1 know many of the toughs in town, ‘‘He killed a man some years ago, they said, and was sent to State’s Prison, seryed out his term, and when he came back went to robbing, but was too sly to let the cops get a grip on bim again, ‘‘His pals called him Brass Knuckles Bill, for he always wore brass knuckles un- der a glove. ‘| guess the cops will be glad to know he is dead, for he is one less of the bad band known as the ‘ Masked Angels,’ and whom the police have never been able to spot, or identify, seeing that their faces were always masked when any crime was committed; but Bill is pow spotted, for sure.” ‘‘- You seem to know much of these wicked men, Jack,” sadly said Olive. ‘‘T do, miss, but 1 hope to know more,” was the frank el The girl started at this response, and placing her hand gently upon his shoulder she looked her rescuer squarely in the face and asked: ‘* Jack, tell me eho and what you are!” The youth was silent for a moment, his 2 busy; but, after awhile he respond- e ‘‘See here, miss, there are those who think me all that is bad, while the cops are hunting me all the time.” ‘* Why do they bunt you?” ‘Because they believe me to be a hard case—a night prowler and burglar’s spy-—- ycs, 8 murderer too,” ‘‘And are you bad, Jack?” ‘* Before God, I am net!” The words fairly leaped from the lips of the boy, so sudden and vehement they were spoken. Olive started at the outburst, then she placed her other hand upon the boy’s shoul- der, and looking him in the eyes as though she would pierce to his inmost soul, said in a voice full of confidence: ** Jack, I believe you—lI do not believe you are bad.” ‘Why don’t you?” ‘¢ Tn the first puace you came to my rescue, and you drove those bad men off.” «Any one would have done that,” «T don’t think so; but, inthe second place, you confess that you are called bad, yet if you were so, you would keep the fact hid- den,” ‘* Well, miss?” ‘In the third place, you would not live in a graveyard if you were wicked and a mur- derer—a man of evil would mot dare do that!” ‘Yes, miss?” inquiringly replied Jack, as though expecting another reason, ‘*You have just killed that ruffian to de- fend me, and so you are brave, and good, as. well; you cannot be bad, No, a what- ever you may seem to be to others I believe you are incapable of a criminal life.” = | comicbooks.co