Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 90 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

a The Dread Rider. eorner of the room has given its warning not: of the approaching hour; the music has ceased, the dancing has stopped, and a death-like still- mess has fallen upon the wondering crowd; broken at length by the <udden arrival of the messengers, who, breathless and excited, are reporting to the eager, anxious listeners in an almost incoherent tone the startling intelligence that Captain Kelley was last seen upon his ‘way to the wedding, when the old clock sud- denly commences in a slow, measured and, seemingly, mournful accent to dole forth the hour. As the echo of the last chime dies away, a hoarse, mocking laugh, seeming to come from above and filling the room with its awful into- mations, breaks upon the death-like stillness with startling suddenness, with fearful vivid- mess, like the knell of doom. A moment,‘and the quick, sharp spang of a rifle follows from the same direction, plainly heard by every ear; then a sharp, piercing cry of pain, anoth- er laugh, and a hushed silence rivaling death “raed upon the amazed and awe-stricken assem- y: _ Fora moment the oppressive stillness holes the occupants of the room spell-bound, men, women and children staring at each other in blank astonishment, almost terror, when again they are startled from their stupor, now by a clear, sharp, ringing voice exclaiming: ‘* Will Manners is wanted at the door!” Dreaming not of danger, only thinking some one desires his presence, the Regulator pushes his way forward through the crowd, and pauses midway in the door, Then, the anxi- ous, excited, surging mass impatiently waiting Yor what is to follow, hears the dull thud of the hoof-strokes of an unshod horse upon the graveled walk without, a hoarse, unearthly laugh, the sharp, ringing report of a rifle, a quick, gasping death-cry, the crash of a body falling to the floor, another blood-curdling ‘{laugh, the continuance of the hoof-strokes, and —wildest confusion imaginable reigns. . “My God!” cries old Gil Rey, afer pushing himself through the excited crowd, and kneel- img by the side of a prostrate form, * Will Manners is shot!’ CHAPTER VIL BESSIE RAYMUN’S BRAVERY. Yr would be but a failure to attempt to por- tray the wild confusion, the awful, terrified amazement following the old mountaineer’s startling affirmation. Women shrieked, and wnen rushed blindly to and fro; some purpose- Ress, others vainly trying to push their way through the mass that blocked the doorway, filling the room with their loud, bitter impre- ations, lending additional terror to the fright- Yul scene, till the clear, deep-toned voice of Curt Dash breaks upon the strangely-confused abel of sounds, commanding silence; and then, during the hushed stillness that follows, the Regulator chief in a few hurried words gives out his orders, when he and a dozen of lhis followers rush out of the crowded dwelling out to search for the assassin, and bring him to justice, a part of the crowd joining in the ehase, leaving the others to attend to the wants of their friends, Quickly mounting their horses, the Regula- tors, vowing vengeance upon the murderer of their comrade, were soon scouring the country in every direction, sparing neither chaparral, mor timber, nor plain, nor river, nor any | known place of refuge, in their wild search for human prey, the pale light of the moon now ring the zenith of the heavens guiding them in their work, and adding a weird aspect to their phantom-like forms gliding from place to place. But, though speedily joined in their efforts by others, and though the search was unremitting and thorough, nothing could be found of their foe, not a single trace of him ©ould be found, not even the hoof-prints of his horse where he must have passed when doing that tragic deed. In the midst of this fruitless hunt, a start- ling discovery was made, a discovery which seemed the key to the mystery of the wedding and which instantly changed their course o. action. The outlaws of the Red Lands had been on u raid! While the people were at the wedding their homes had been entered and much of their property plundered by these freebooters, who, unmolested, had come and gone, leaving be- hind the direful evidence of their devilish work, and accounting for the disappearance of Captain Kelley and the shooting of Will Man- ners. Loud and deep were the threats of the Regu- lators and others against the depredators; dark and foreboding were their faces as they learn- ed of the depredation of their hated enemies. However, little time was spent in idle talk. Some hastened to their homes, others returned to the Conrad Mansion, and still others contin- ued the search for some clue to solve the mystery of the night’s proceedings, and, per- haps, to find trace of the missing Regulator, Captain Kelley. Foremost among those who had joined the Regulators in their operations against the slayer of Will Manners, was the impetuous, duty-loving Col. Raymun, too much of a soldier to be idle in a time like this. Thus he was among the first to learn of the raid of the outlaws; and knowing that his own property had been in danger, he felt it his duty to hasten home at once; when, requesting Curt Dash to return to Conrad’s for his daughter, which was readily assented to by the chief, he turned homeward, with fearful forebodings in his heart, as trying to prepare himself for the worst. Leaving the colonel to return to his home, to find his worst fears realized; his property plundered, and his faithful peons in wild com- motion over the death of two of their number, slain by the outlaws, we will follow Curt Dash back to Conrad Mansion. After parting from the colonel, Curt, leav- ing the others to follow their own option, but knowing that it was useless to continue the search longer, turned back for the place of the intended wedding; however, he had not gone far before the sound of a rapidly approaching horseman caused him to halt; the next instant a man came dashing wildly through the tim- ber, and, without seeming to notice him, would have passed within a few rods of the captain, if he had not ordered, in a clear, commanding tone: “®Told! Be you friend or foe, stand!” In answer to the command, the horseman suddenly drew rein; and then, trembling like an aspen, with a wild, scared look upon his face, Rock Randel rode forward to where Curt had halted upon the edge of the prairie that skirted the growth, exclaiming, in a startling voice: ‘‘My God, cap’en! [ve seen a spook!’’ “A what?’ cried Curt, incredulously sur- prised and amused at the other's strange, in- comprehensible demeanor. ‘A spook, cap’en! A real live ghost!” ‘Oh, nonsense, Rock! You are joking. Come, own up, and say that J scared you.” ‘‘T tell yer, Cap’en Dash,” answered the other, solemnly, in strange contrast to his usually reckless air, “that it am no joke. I did see a spook, or a speerit, or whatever you may call it, as true as I war named fur Randel Rock.” ‘Well, Rock, since you will persist in it, tell me how the thing looked. I am getting interested.” ‘‘ Yer may poke fun at me as much as yer please, cap’en, but I tell yer I’m in dead earnest,” **T don’t doubt that, Rock; but tell me how it looked.” “Yer remember the stranger yer killed in ther duel, Curt—an’ yer warn’t to blame fur it; wal, this war jest the picter uv him, only ten times more so. Thar war them same eyes, that same mustache, that same awful scar, an’ every thing jest as they war thet day only ten times worse. He rode the same roan horse, and, if you would believe me, it had no bridle on, but war the same as when it cleared old Gil Rey. Oh, by heavens, cap’en! it makes my blood bile to jest think uv it!” : ‘‘Pshaw, Rock Randel!” cried Curt, impa- tiently; ‘‘ you are either crazy or half fright- ened out of your wits.” ‘ Hold, Curt Dash!” no man ever called me a coward! I fear man nor beast in flesh and blood. Afore I dreamed it war ennythin’ but mortal, I ordered him to stop, an’ seein’ he didn’t, I up with my old iron aw’ let him hev. But, with an awful laugh, the man, or devil, or whatever he was, kept right straight on, and”—here the speaker lowered his voicé to almost a whisper—‘‘my bullet went clean through him an’ come out upon the other side!” It was evident that the strange Regulator’s superstitious fears were fully aroused, making him seem more like a child than a bold, in- trepid man, ‘“My God!” he cried, an instant later, ‘there it comes!” Out from the timber above them flashed a horseman, Over the grass-covered prairie he seemed to fly away to the northward. One moment he was visible, the next he was gone. Curt Dash had hurriedly raised his rifle, but there was no time for a shot. ‘Let him go, Rock; it may not have been your phantom, after all. If what you have said is true, which I do not doubt to a certain extent, we shall probably know more of it hereafter. Come, let’s go on to Conrad’s,” ‘‘Thank yer, cap’en, but I’m goin’ t’other way. I am goin’ home torun a silver bullet to plunk that spook with, ef I ever see him ag’in. Wagh!” ‘Well, Rock, don’t waste any ammunition on your own shadow,” said the other, with a laugh, as he rode away. Evidently, the Regulator chief was inclined to make light of his companion’s startling ex- perience. Curt found the wedding guests nearly all gone to their respective homes, and Miss Ray- mun impatiently waiting for the return of her father; thus, his explanation and proffered services were eagerly accepted, when a few moments later, they, too, were among the de- parting visitors, : Engaged in talking over the stirring and sad events of the night, the couple rode away from the ill-starred place, taking the main path that led from one residence to the other, and before they were hardly aware of it, were approach- ing the grove in front of their destination, the home of the Regulator’s fair companion. Curt was telling of his meeting with Rock Randel, when, suddenly, out from the thicket that bordered the path, sprung a couple of armed men, seizing the bridles of their horses with such violence as to nearly unseat them. ‘Surrender, or die!” thundered the fore- most, from beneath the dark covering that shrouded his face, telling instantly that he was Brad Wayne, the masked outlaw, so much dreaded. Quick as lightning, Curt Dash snatched a re- volver from his belt, and leveled it full in the face of his assailant. But, almost the same instant there came the quick whir of a blow; and with a low cry, the Regulator chief fell back upon his horse and slipped to the earth, senseless. ‘Come, Bill!’ cried the masked leader, who held the bridle of the other horse, ‘we must be off with the girl at once.” As the outlaw spoke, he stepped forward to seize his intended captive, when instantly a tiny revolver flashed in the moonlight, right in the masked man’s face, and a clear voice, with womanly sharpness in it, rung out upon the still night air: “*Stand!: both of you, or Ill fire!” CHAPTER VII. A BRAVE ACT AND A STARTLING DISCOVERY. ‘Dears and fury!” gasped the baffled out- law: “fooled by a woman!” (ECO AMICG OOO SS €or ——————$—$—$$$ + . - a —— es -_ ——— 4—