Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 901 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

" his companion fell toa shot fired from above. ~ t> k * ‘“j é in , we 45 a 4, : . ” oe 7 ae already the speed of the train was beginning to slacken, while by the side of the track, at some little distance ahead a light like that of a torch was flaring a signal for a halt. They heard a party in the next seat say: “T hoped we could get through ahead of it, but I’m afraid the strike has hit us, right on the home run.” , “Sounds more like train robbers!” exclaim- ed another voice, ‘‘ Better hide your valuables till, we see. Listen!” They did listen, Mrs, Vane’s ears the most anxiously strained of all; and they heard the rattle of fire-arms, and a shouting, coming from somewhere near the front eud of the train. The air had gone on with a jerk, and sparks were flying under the sliding wheels, Around them was confusion and bustle. Mrs. Vane gave a little cry of terror, and then gathered her nerves up as well as she could and put on a brave front, while Vera looked around, uncertain exactly what could be the meaning of all this. The speaker who had first suggested train- robbers was looking out of the window, and dodged hastily back, just after Vera had heard a pentiiter, shori, sharp sound imme- diately outside. It was the hist of a bullet; and though ‘hearing it for the first time the young lady recognized it instantly, and grew a trifle paler, though, save for that, and a nervous contraction of her slender, shapely hands, she gave no sign of alarm. ‘‘ We'll make it yet!” exclaimed the in- dividual who had dodged the already escaped bullet. ‘‘ They’re having some sort of a private circus among themselves, and the engineer is going to run back if he can get the start of them. He's getting it now, and if they don’t mount his cab—” He looked from the window again, with- out finishing his sentence. A stray bullet or two was not as hard to face as unsatisfied curiosity. Vera had noted the gradual, yet com- heigl quick, stoppage of the train, —_— =-— ow, she felt a slight impulse from the } other end as it seemed. The wheels had re- versed their motion, the train was crawling backward. Nothing could have raised such an agony of impatience as that slowly acceleratins rate of speed. She glanced once into the shining eyes of her mother to make sure she was not overcome; then she threw up the window which’an hour before they had closed, and looked along the line of other heads, trying to pierce the dimness of the night, and read between the flashes which were lighting up the forward end of the train, ‘By the Lord of Israel!” exclaimed the man on the seat in front, ‘‘they’re getting something they don’t often meet with. They’ve met &® man that knows how to handle himself—and them, too! Ill have a hand in if it takes a leg off!’ And, with a pistol in his grasp, the in- dividual sprung from his seat and hurried out. Had Vera been able to follow him with her eyes she would have seen that he managed in some way to gain the roof of the car, and then run along until the baggage car wig reached, when he began to fire at the dark figures which were already be- gioning to drop away from the more swiftly moving engine. The crisis was about over, The man fired three shots, and then sudden- ly bent forward, Below him, on the parrow platform of the car several men bad dragged themselves up, and gained the deck of the now swiftly moving train. Desperate villains they were, and had not yet given up all hopes. | From the tender came a huge chunk of coal, thrown by a powerful hand, which sent one of them reeling from the platform, while ‘At 7 & otis" * 2 ott it. - . : “ § . I< oa” ; am - * . o! te. ‘ ‘ J _ : a} Ge JY é i ‘ my 5 n vs Bea Le rey een Te apr rc Nag tee oe aie E atx «Cte, 2S 1a = ft? >. ~~ A ; Pee | nin? | 4 be a AA, hee by gow © A‘ ‘oo .- errr a bed? % 7s a i he! = 5, + “i? = % a st i eens. - ‘ zz : 5 nae it oe i - tg A 7 a pea” ~ it + ty ” "> ~_=— . ’ f. . 7” - > a : Diamond Dave, the Gilt-Edge Shooter. For the present the victory was complete, | on with her questions until it began to seem: and for once a swoop of the train-robbers had been foiled. The “conductor had taken a shot or so from the rear of the train with his Winches- ter, and seeing the chances of battle were in favor of the train, started forward. He drop- ped to the platform just as Diamond Dave swung himself over from the tender to. the baggage-car, and pounced on the wounded outlaw a trifle ahead of the conductor. ‘Hands up, you!” shouted the latter, sternly, while he tried to bring his Win- chester to bear. ‘‘ No use to resist; we got you foul!” ‘That’s all right, Cap!” yelled the man from the top of the car, who lay stretched at full length, peering down. ‘* He’s the Gilt-Edge Shooter that’s been doing all the fighting. Steady now! It’s Diamond Dave, from Dead Latchy and as square a man as ever trod shoe leather.” -‘* Thanks, Mr. Gross,” said Dave, without turning his head. ‘‘ It’s been a lively little hustle, but I reck- on we got there with both feet. And say, Cap, one of your men who started into this thing with me is on the tender pretty badly hurt. Get acouple of the crew to help me carry him back where we can look him over, and then I’ll tell you bow the land lies.” “ All right, if Mr. Gross vouches for you. It won’t be so easy, perhaps, but we’li try it on, It won’t do tostop the train for another mile or so. Who is the man?” ‘¢ Baker is his name, and he has been locat- ing aside track to the Fair Isabel. If it hadn’t been for that you would have had a dead engine and a looted train on your hands.” ‘‘ Yes, if Tom hadn’t cracked on steam, and run through them. That’s what he ought to have tried, perhaps.” ‘* And Tom would have taken the ditch in the very sweetest style before he was many minutes older, I1f.there had been a chance to get through do you suppose we would have been risking our brains crowding into this sort of work, Excuse me.” . The train \was now moving backward almost at schedule speed, and the passen- gers, who knew well enough what had hap- pened, were congratulating themselves on their escape, and beginning to yearn forthe particulars. | Vera was perhaps as curious as the rest, and was wondering how soon they could learn the facts, and whether another effort would be made that night to pass the spot of danger, when there was a backward move- ment of those in the aisle and through the door came crowding four men who carried between them the limp form of Kent Baker. They paused under the hanging lamp, and Vera caught a glimpse of the face of the young engineer. It was white and hag- gard, save where it was splotched with blood, yet those who had ever known it could recognize it only too well. Vera remember- ed ‘it, and crouched back with a low, tremu: lous cry. Ate CHAPTER IY, | THE SECOND SWOOP. Mr. Gross came back to his seat after a while, and looked carelessly over his move- able property with the conscious air of a man who has done bis duty, ‘‘Is he dead?” asked Miss Vera, leaning over, and nodding toward the now made up berth, which contained Kent Baker. ‘‘Not yet, nor is he going to die for the present. Think he was just knocked sense- less about the end of the game. Dave says so, and he is as good as a doctor, Ought to be—he’s furnished enough subjects.”’ The last was said with a chuckle which had much of admiration in it. ‘‘What was it? How did it happen? What is to be done next?” Ny With a woman’s expansiveness she went wf oe m Ci : ‘ A | Shao, ‘ — A ' She a" nee Ae ~ ANS to e + L a - badd ey its : rh kt yt bi i 4. - ~ —_ 2 ie oe pM EB Gs : “"s - 7, ‘ar. 4 é a ~ ie 4 : Be: oe IRE, vi a « ‘J is ce y" Saad 8 li « ' = ’ ~ » v > 2 > Taf pits iN € ’ 4 * ‘ » Ny os A - / See a to od re epee SO Fi oY ) ar -_ ee A } A am»#—i hlharnanal— , ~ “Eomicbooks.com “ie ‘. ‘alia an | | , Se PA }\ } N = eo aN 5° ya ORL As tg + Sh, S. : J = ons — +. ‘ |) aS . ; 7 a =< 2 as though they would have no end. | “Tam afraid I cannot answer atall. I | helped carry bim in, and so didn’t hear what © the men had to say; and Dave was too busy to talk. Guess he'll be this way shortiy, \ © and if you have ears you can take one age particulars. Neither of us will ob? ; having a listener,” ho) ‘‘ And whois the gentleman you call 1 4) Is he one of the postal «* "ks?" ee She had already siu 74 out the ye xg man, and something told her he was nuta passenger, while she was a little puzzled to 4 — think what position he could fill on the train. ‘‘ Scarcely,” was the dry response. ‘‘ He’s . & sport, and a square man to tie to, as we say out West. Handy with the pasteboards and revolver, and probably could do some- thing at a pinch, with a knife. And mighty * good it is for us all that he happens to be that sort of a man. As near as I can make out, he took the contract to whip the whole ¢@ | outfit of train robbers pretty much «lone. y The other gent is game enough, but he left bile | his sixes at home. If he lives to bea thou- * “4 sand years old I don’t believe he will forget them again*” Pot ‘You know him, do you? Is heafriend — of the gentleman who was hurt?” pe ‘‘T know him, of course, after a general sort of way, as we know everybody in the West who happens to come our way. Have probably taken a hand with him half x dozen times, though I never expected to see him here. As to the other gent, it is probably the first time they ever met; he is in the em- ploy of the company, more or less. <A civil engineer | think.” While they were talking the train came to a halt. It had been running slowly since it had fairly got beyond the reach of the out- laws, with a flagman preceding it. There was little danger of being run into, but in al? cases a conductor is expected to take the | safe side. op We 7 +» ‘oe ‘‘ Here we are, back again, at last. may as well make up our mind to stay all night,” continued Gross, and with a bow he turned away. a Like a good many other passengers. he “ ~ wanted to stretch himself outside, and glean what intelligence was possible as to future prospects. ie Vera arose, after a while, and went to the water-cooler, Her mother had little to ~~ gay, and she was growing nervous with vn- ~« certainty. Bees. | The conductor had just come in, and ~ was speaking to Diamond Dave, This an- swer came to her ears quite plainly asshe | assed them, 5 RRR CD ie “Thanks, Cap, but I’m not engaged in | hunting train robbers—not until the have { io made heir haul, anyhow, I've told you §) just how things lay when I left there, but . — ts ia Sa 4 e . ‘ - if you want to send a hand-car up to repair ~ damages that’s allright. I’ll stay here with my friend till Isce how the case pans out, 7. If the boys try to hold up the train, that’s q ©» ~ different matter. T’ll hold my cards right | along with the rest of you, but I can’t say’ I’m gushing over the road, or that I want to Ve turn an honest penny, shooting ftllow _ mortals. [I did rather more ° J “ be an¥ of it to- Ayes. than I cared to, but that was some ue " else.” y, Yuh ‘Don’t stuy on my account,” said a rather, weak voice from the neighboring berth, and -. Kent Baker partly rose i “Fit He made no very hr ‘some picture, for there was a cloth bound around his head, | RR and several ugly-looking bandages of court- as eh plaster could be seen. = Oe ie “Don’t worry, old man, I'll be staying =»), on my own, which is good enough for me.> a You lie downand gotosleep.” - © Kent Baker dropped back again, but it ~~ was not altogether from weakness, Brea Res genta Die He had caught a glimpse of Vera Vane’s. : ’ vy Ay eet : .y > 7 H ee WwW | ’