Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 905 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

dee a ta en ae ‘the wall with blood on his face and_ his eyes _ tarting and terrible in expression. Bike tee ‘A fool loses nerve at the last moment,” it aren . grinned the Crusader. ‘‘ He trembled while ae the pressed the trigger and he didn’t end the aa crusade.” a hats Boulder Belle looked regretful, but the see ‘hand of Dandy Nugget clutched Golliday’s fy ‘arm and pis look was full of joy. i Be The old man tore open his shirt and show- he ed the mark of the bullet, a ghastly furrow Be te _detween arm and side. he ‘“* Not missed at two steps, but not killed,” Be ee said he. ** This, woman, is the work of one i el of your vultures.” , bd DN There was no reply. Me ait ‘¢ We saw oue arm, eh, Detective Dandy, Res Sh sand it wore all the beads.” we wn ‘* Whose was it?” asked Boulder Belle, aN “There are others which you will never A) iat Anspect.” Ree) Sete ‘Think you so, woman?” aah, ‘Tam sure of it! This night marks you, “T. Gold Golliday.” | | So it does, but it marks them as well. | Let me see, Why wait till morning? We , ; Aa) ‘will call together the Red Vigilantes,” AE es! The woman seemed to fall back in the a light, and from near the door she looked at |. -Golliday with stareful eyes. ~ “ihe Scat ‘‘ Why, man,” she exclaimed, ‘‘ that Order {¢ vii oh: i - does not exist in No-Luck.” “You shallsce. You may not know that ithe Red Vigilantes are scattered all over the West. Its members are here there and every- ‘where. You have seen the Order’s work, You may know thet it took vengeance for a «rime in Camp Tartare. when no one thought asingle member of the Orcer was there.” ‘¢ But No-Luck can’t show up any Reds.” “< What is this?” and Gold Golliday opened ‘his shirt still more and showed Boulder Belle #& mark on his dark bosom from which she recoiled. | ‘‘Lam one. There are twenty of us here. _. Thave signaled all and we are brothers still. ie @«=§3=6—6 “Ten is a Courtand twenty is a Death Cir- we ~~ ele. Fate or fortune, call it what you please, con 3 | brought us together here; but [ would not ff all upon them until the last moment. You eh Know what will happen. Redflint knows § what weare after. He knows why Dandy in Nugget came to No-Luck. Captain Mascot & knows as well, so does Tolliver and Hawk, # The missing bead tells the tale of guilt. A very man suspected shall be bared to the sf | Court. Go out and take Bahe vengeance, if a cats) ou will, but that of the Red Vigilantes is at a ‘hand and Paul ig to be avenged if it takes § more bloed than courses through Golliday’s eee ocenn veins, kf es JT accept the challenge,” cried Boulder , ‘Belle, retreating toward the door, “‘ I will vy go ont and strike before you can call the Reds if ffogether.” ry -—-—s- There was DO anSWer hut a smile, and as } sr the white-faced creature flitted through the f door Qulliday turned to Dandy Nugget and i hid the mark of the Vigilantes from view. r __» The end was near at hand, Mi eae my THE BROTHERHOODS BRAND, : ____Gotirpay's revelation Concerning the Red | Ws ba ie pecites more than astonished Boulder . oy) acl, | a apes _ Shehad heard of the dread organization and had even witnessed some of its aveng- as ing work in other parts of the far West, but | Ae she had no idea that it had representatives Pip x, bat No-Luck Camp, least of all that Golliday belonged to it. highs _ $he resolved to strike and anticipate the work of Gold Golliday and his companions, and with this end in view she abruptly left Re i) the “syne “i < a The old Crusader believed this. aa He felt that the avenging creature would ~~ e + Nae. - ‘we none too bold to dash into Captain Mas- | know,” —_—.2_.Y ee SS — = . * oe wt pat 4 “ Dandy Nugget, the Boy Shadow. c- * ; . .. = MOS 10 i On Ere “ay oe ate NGF oR ee . 15 Golliday raised himself and stood against | cot’s house and confront that worthy and his friends with her revolver, There was no time to lose, but leaving Boulder Belle, let us follow Redflint and Tolliver, These two worthbies hurried toward their master's house, Captain Mascot awaited them with Hank Hawk for a companion and the two burst | into the room with some excitement in their eyes, Tolliver seemed to get all his nerve back the moment he spied the cool face of his master, ‘*T have finished the old crow this time,” said he, as he came up to the table. ‘‘ He had Redflint in the toils, had him in his fist, you see, when I put my arm through the window and let drive at him.” Hawk almost sprung from the table but Captain Mascot did not move. ‘*He had you, eh, Redflint?” he asked. *« Did he catch you napping?” : Redflint hung his head a moment and those who watched the man saw him bite his ip. RK He caught me not napping but with his accursed stratagem which I don’t care to talk about,” he growled, ‘* What did he do?” Redflint looked at Tolliver and that worthy bent forward: ‘“ Redflint resisted as long as he could, captuin, but the menace of a six-shooter is something one can’t always withstand, you see,” | ) Did he get the secret?” ‘* No, not that,” retorted Redflint. ‘‘ That [I would never surrender!’ He made me show the beads.” ‘‘Oh,” a cynical smile came to Captain per gi mouth, ‘‘He made you show up, eh?” PX.” : ** Who else was there?—any one?” “The boy.” “What boy? Not—” . A silence almost palpable filled the room, Captain Mascot had not heard till then of Dandy Nugget’s escape from the old mine. ‘The bird we had in the snare, captain,” confessed Redflint. ‘‘ The mine must have undergone a great change since Captain Tebbs died there. counted the beads while Gold Golliday kept me covered wigh the revolver.” ‘‘Why should he count the beads? They ought to know that there are thirty-nine, no more, no less.” ‘* But ke counted them.” The Nabob King turned to Tolliver Tramps. ‘Why count them?” he asked that person, who stood with folded arms, “Let Redflint go on.” ‘«They say that there is an armlet which has one bead less than the required number.” — ‘‘ Who says so?” ‘* Golliday.” ‘Tg that true?” ‘*T don’t know,”’ ‘¢What if there is a short strand?” and Captain Mascot's face became a study. ‘‘T don’t quite understand it.” ‘Neither do I. But you say you finished him?” ‘‘{ missed him on horseback, you know, but on foot—I brought the game cock down!” There was a grin of satisfaction on Tolli- ver’s face. | ‘*You are certain of this, eh, Tolliver?” ‘¢] never miss 2 man at that distance.” . ““True—it was a shot which a blind man could have made. Now the boy is without & partner,” ‘* Unless the woman joins him.” ‘‘Boulder Belle, the robber? Ah, we to that, She robbed me, you must look The boy is out, and he} ‘‘ Of the shares, yes. But why fear the rest of them? You have No-Luck at your heels, captain.” The Nabob King nodded. ‘It looks that way, but I have made a strange discoyery,.” ‘* Herein camp?” ‘* Here.” All three looked at their master, who opened a drawer in the table. They saw him take from ita little roll of buckskin which he unwrapped with deliber- ation, Out rolled a tiny branding iron, Captain Mascot placed it over a bit of paper and struck it with his bard clinched hand, then he looked up while his men bent forward and inspected the marks on the sheet, , They were not very distinct, but were discernible. | Tolliver was the first to speak, . ‘*Tt is. the brand of the Red Vigilantes!’ he exclaimed. , ‘* Where was it found?” asked Hawk, ‘On ashelf in the boy's mine,” was the reply. ‘I found itin the dark, accidentally of course, but my hand must have been guided thither by some strange fate, I found it two hours ago.” » ‘* How came it there?” Mascot shook his head. | : ‘Can it be that some of the R. V.'s are here?” asked Redflint. | ‘I don’t think so. The Order is wide- spread, you know; we have had dealings with it, but not in this part of the country, I have seen none of the members for years; but here at this time I come across the brand of the brotherhood, You know something of it, Tolliver, You know the dreadful oath which can never be dissolved; you still they know that the members are compelled to an- swer a Call from any brother and that ten form a Court and twenty a Death Circle.” The dark faced Tolliver Trumps nodded. He picked up the branding-iron and handled it in the light, . he ‘« Tt is rusty,” he said. a ‘Tt has lain in the mine some time.” : ‘‘Hidden by a passing Vigilante per- a gr* “ T don’t know,” The iron was examined in turn 34 the others and restored to the table by Hank Hawk, | | ‘‘You have met with no signs from any one in No-Luck that we have them here?” asked Tolliver. ‘‘Thave not, The men seem to be coming over to us rapidly, and but for Golliday, this boy ferret and the she serpent from the Southwest, we would be on the last wave crest now,” , 7 ‘Crash them all!” and the hand of Red- | flint struck the table with desperate em- f phasis, ‘ ‘“Death to all who oppose the Black Beads!” cried Hawk. — Tolliver Trumps did. not move. With folded arms he seemed to study the brand. ing iron as if it recalled some unpleasant memoriesof the past. “The death of Golliday will settle the question of the Red Vigilantes being in camp,” he said at last. | “This proves that they have been here,” — | ‘ Paul Paget may have been one, It wag found in his mine, you know, ‘“Yeg, over the door leading to his private office.” . Tolliver looked across the room and seemed ‘| to take in a long breath. } Biete { + Sh fay) . 34 iret 10) . * a : rye, a ‘ Bes: ae \e Ls ‘ [3 4 v “I won't believe they are heretillI face them,” said he. ‘‘ The Order never reached _ Sen this part of the West. It flourished further South, and when it lost Captain Irion, its , = head, it seemed to Peeks 0° A a out of existence.” - ** Let it be so. ow to your posts. Ere this, perhaps, No-Luck has heard all about = your shot, Tolliver. They are discussing it aa *). A ° f P- : y | , i” “ ‘ As , - - oe * "7 : ; ; ike 5, 4 ‘ . W ‘ ay? ee : ‘ Ww * ~ ‘ js F . . 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