Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 90 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

¢ rf : The Dread Rider. 5 nowhar. Howsumever, it opened my eyes, an’ seeing I hed got to strike out fur myself, I ups my old iron ter let it speak, but fur the fust time it broke—it was no go! Jest then I ketched my foot in a vine an’ went ter the ground kerchunk. Guess the greasy varmint would hey wrung acold deal on me, ef you hedn’t come jest es you did. Give us yer paw, old boy!” **Do you know the object of this assault? Have you ever seen the man before?’ asked the Regulator chief, abruptly, as he grasps the other’s hand. ““T spect I hev; it am an old quarrel, Cap, Sum yurs ago I got inter a leetle diffikilty in Taos, an’ thar war sum tall fightin’ done! I made more than one of the dirty Greasers bite the dust! When it war all over up comesa couple of the bloody Spaniards an’ swore thet I sh’u’d die. They hunted me a leetle, but I throwed ’em off the trail, and s’posed long ago thet they hed givenitup. But it seems they hain’t, leastways one hain’t, an’ the fight ain’t over yet. No! he got the best of me ter-day, the sneaking coyote! But we shall meet ag’in, an’ then—wal, he or I will go under! Wagh!” “You can count upon me as your friend in this affair; but, for the sake of that little woman of yours, Rock, don’t do anything rash ” ‘By hookey, Cap! yer touched me in a ten- der place. For Luella’s sake, I will be careful. But, by Randel Rock! Ill let no sneaking Greaser go foolin’ round me. No! it’s his own doin’s, an’ V’ll wipe him out or pass in my checks!” There was no mistaking the speaker’s mean- ing, for Rock Randel is no idle boaster. ‘‘ Wal, Cap,” he continues, in a far different tone, after a moment’s pause, ‘‘ Iam afeer’d the old woman ’ll git oneasy; let’s dig for home.” “Thank you, Rock; but I must return to Burley’s. Ha! as I live, here comes Deckers! Now I shall have company. Good-day. Look out that you ain’t caught napping again.” With the words, Curt rides out of the tim- ber to meet the horseman coming down from above; and after exchanging salutations, they ride on together for the Prairie Home, leaving Randel to return to his own abode alone. As this new-comer, who has so suddenly ap- peared upon the scene, is to act a strange and important part in our narrative, we may de- vote a few words to him. The first thought of a stranger upon seeing Curt Dash and Vall Deckers would be that they are brothers. But the second thought would show the absurdity of this, and leave him wondering how and where the likeness had so suddenly disappeared, for upon a close examination that which seemed at first a sim- larity, proves a contrast. I $ Like Curt, Vall Deckers is above medium hight, with a lithe, compactly-built frame, capable of an almost iron endurance; with glossy-brown hair and heavy, drooping mus- tache, from beneath which occasionally gleams a set of pearly-white teeth; regular, perfectly- outlined features; dark, glistening eyes, which seem to wield a fascinating power; a fluency of speech, though silent demeanor; a gentle- manly deportment, in spite of the almost sad expression which accompanies his every look and action; decision, calmness of mind, and stoicism of character stamped upon every lineament of his face, making him a person to command respect if not friendship. His age is evidently less than Curt’s—per- haps two and twenty. “But no one in Chester- ville seems to know aught of his past history, for it has been scarcely six months since he came to the place, a stranger, and unlike the captain, he has made neither friends nor foes; and though he joined the Regulators soon after his arrival, most of his time is spent in wan- dering over the neighboring country, with his horse and rifle as his sole companions, After discussing the topics of the day until exhausted, the two ride on toward the Prairie Home, where they both lodge and board, slowly and silently, each seeming busy with his own thoughts. One revolving in his mind plans for the future, by which he will be able to throw off the evil genius of his destiny, and win his heart's choice; while the other—well, silence seems his nature. though from the ner- vous twitching of his mouth, and the tigerish gleam of his eye, thoughts of more than com- mon moment must be surging through his brain. The Regulators soon come cut upon the main path leading from the river to their destina- tion; and the lengthening shadows of the trees proclaim that the day is fast waning. They are in the act of quickening the pace of their horses, when the heavy, regular thud of the hoof-strokes of a horse is heard coming up the beaten track at a smart canter; but without increasing their speed, the two continue on their course, expecting to be speedily overtaken by the approaching horseman, if such it shall prove to be. Nearer and nearer, but more confused, comes the sound of the hoof-strokes, until it seems almost upon them; and expecting to see a horse and rider full in sight, our friends turn in their saddles, when, to their surprise and astonishment, not a single object is in sight, though they command a view of the path for fully twenty rods. Still they hear the same regular, well-known tread almost upon them, and coming nearer, nearer! Astonished, perplexed, startled, with amaze- ment plainly written upon every feature, the Regulators watch with anxious looks for an explanation of what seems to be the hoof- strokes of an unseen horse. But not a singlo living thing is to be seen in the level, hard- beaten path as far as they can see; neither is there anything in the timber that skirts it upon either side; still that familiar tread, now seemingly slackening to a trot, continues to approach nearer, closer, until it seems as if a horse must be in the open space scarcely ten feet from them, when instinctively, as if fear- ing to come in contact with they know not what, they rein to one side of the track, and the unseen horse, for it can be naught elise, reaches them, and dashes by! As it passes, a wild, unearthly laugh rings out upon the air, rings out with awful suddenness, terrible dis- tinctness, sending the blood curdling through their veins. No wonder Curt Dash, with all his bravery, turns pale as death, and careless, reckless, fearless Vall Deckers trembles from head to foot. On, on seems to rush the unseen horseman, until, turning an abrupt angle in the path, a few rods ahead, the hoof-strokes suddenly cease, A moment of silence; then, again, breaks upon the air that maniacal laugh, hoarse and scornful, quickly followed by the sharp spang of a rifle, the death-cry as of a stricken victim, the heavy thud as of a body falling to the earth, another laugh as terrible as the first, and again the hoof-strokes are heard, until they die away in the distance, — ‘My God!” cries Curt Dash, the first to re- cover his self-possession, ‘‘ what is the meaning of ail this? Somebody has been shot!” and he dashes forward to the place from whence that shot and those strange cries had been heard, closely followed by Vall Deckers. The stillness of death hangs over the place when the Regulators draw rein upon the very | spot where they expected to find the body of a murdered man, But, upon examination, not a single thing can be found to account for the startling cries and sounds which apparently gave warning of a deadly combat between man and man. ‘“T don’t believe in omens,” exclaims Vall Deckers, as they ride on once more for the Prairie Home, after satisfying themselves that they can in no way solve the mystery; ‘but, mark my word, Curt Dash, something terrible is going to happen.” Ay, mysterious Regulator, your words may prove more prophetic than you will wish! - CHAPTER V. AN AWFUL WEDDING, AGAIN all Chesterville is on the qui vive; and not only Chesterville, but the neighboring sections of the county. Old and young, sad and gay, the rough mountaineer and the prat- tling child, the staid matron and the coy maiden, the sturdy rancheman and the adven- ture-loving Regulator, all are alike awake to the keenest interest; all have alike discarded other thoughts to dwell exclusively upon—not the pleasure of a shooting-match, not the ex- citement of a duel, but the anticipation of a wedding. Conrad Mansion is allablaze. In and around it all is life and gayety. Already the musi- cians are at work, and the merry dance has commenced, Still new guests are cout.nuaily pouring in; and soon comes the entrance of Bessie Raymun, leaning—not upon the strong arm of the Regulator chief, as we should have expected, but upon that of a tall, gentlemanly- looking young man, with a pale skin, and, if it was not for a slight, silken mustache, of almost effeminate appearance. This we know is Will Manners, the general favorite of Ches- — terville, who is not known to have a single enemy in all Shelby county. Little would the casual observer dream of the fire slumbering in those mild blue eyes, or of the iron nerve ‘ and determined will concealed beneath that slender, almost boyish form. Close behind the couple who have just pass- ed us comes our dashing Regulator friend Rock Randel, Dandy Rock, who goes even to a wedding armed with a brace of revolvers and a huge bowie. By his side is a dark-eyed Spanish beauty, evidently, his ‘‘ better half.” Seeing none but strangers following, we turn to look for the happy couple whose union this merry crowd has collected to celebrate, There is an old saying to the effect that all brides are charming. We are not prepared to prove this assertion, but know that in this case it is true. In her bridal robe of spotless white, relieving to good advantage her fair, pure, blonde complexion, with graceful sylph-like form and free, ingenuous manner, Rose Con- rad is indeed a charming bride, But, who and where is the fortunate man who is to bear off this prize? Is it Mark War- ing now conversing with her? No. They say it is a stranger, the bold, handsome, rollicking Captain Ned Kelley. If so, where is he? Ah! that is the question which is now puzzling one- half of the guests, which is fast coollng the ardor of the joyous throng, and is keeping the anxious bride and her friends in fearful sus- pense, for, though the hour for his arrival has long since passed, the bridegroom has not yet come, Surely, it must be something of more than common importance to keep a bride like this waiting. Hark! Outside upon the graveled walk are heard the quick, ringing footsteps of a man rapidly approaching. The merry dancers pause, and every eye in the room is watching the door, hoping, expecting to see the captain enter. But, asthe owner of the footsteps comes through the entrance, a look of surprise and disappointment takes the place of joyous anti- cipation: the dance is resumed, and the sus pense continues, for it is only Vall Deckers. Unconscious of the disappointment his en~ trance so innocently ca Vall wanders through the room im an apparently listless manner, though really his eagle eyes are taking in every object as he passes, until suddenly they rest upon Curt Dash enjoying a tete-a-tete with Bessie Raymun, when a dark frown sweeps over his features, and with a half-inut- tered malediction upon his lips, he turns and strides out of the house—out into the open air —leaps upon the back of his powerful, fleet- foeted horse, and rides away for the Red Lands, his form soon disappearing from view. Another half hour and the time for which the wedding was appointed has almost come. Still the bridegroom is absent; and fearing that something—they know not what—has befallen him, men have been dispatched in different directions to see if anything can be learned of his whereabouts, or the cause of his non-appearance, while the bride has retired to her room with a few chosen friends to await their return, which is momentarily expected, The old-fashioned time-piece standing in the (ENN MIUCE ONO) “cS