Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 917 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

iz laid, and if the dynamite charge did its work, there seemed every reason to look for success, But we must leave these reprobates to their night’s rest, and goon tothe next day,and to the vicinity of the mine, It was not long after daybreak when Dug- Out, accompanied by Flash, each with nimble tread and hopeful face, entered the mine, So far as Griscom’s plan was concerned, they | wereinthetrap, There was little danger that | they would leave their gold—in promise, before | nightfall. | | | | lt was about ten o’clock in the morning that Tim made his appearance. He was accompa- nied by Linda Melton, A reconciliation seemed to have taken place between them, for they were chattivg freely. | Her presence can be easily accounted for, | Tim, too full of the marvel of Dug-Out’s discov- | ery to hold his tongue, had told her the story of | the golden find, whereupon she insisted on his | taking her into the mine, She was too eager to see the golden discovery for delay, stances, another victim was prepared for Gris- | com’s murderous scheme. Jerry Jacobs, who was on the watch near the entrance to the mine, saw this pair enter the tunnel, and instantly hurried to Griscom to fre- | port, ‘*T didn’t see how to get Bess in, Jealousy will do it,” he declared. ‘‘1f she knows that that girl and Flash are together in the mine, ropes wouldn’t keep her out, But bow is it to be done? She won’t listen to me,” ‘* Leave it to me,” said Griscom. can manage that.” He started at once on this promising errand, Jeaving Jerry still on guard. His mission proved successful; in less than an hour afterward Bess made her appearance at the mine mouth. She was flushed and eager, as if full of jealous suspicion. Shortly afterward Griscom reappeared. ‘* Ts it time?” he asked Jerry. ‘* Are they all within?” ‘‘{ think so,” answered Jerry. ‘‘ But I have been away from my post for ten minutes, Our man above there signaled, and I went up to him,” ‘* What did he want?” ‘** Nothing but a chew of tobacco.” ‘*The hound! You should not have stirred. Some of them may have leff the mine in your absence,” ‘* That’s not likely.” ‘‘T never take chances,” rejoined Griscom, sternly. ‘‘ This thing has got to be done, once for all. We must slip inside to see if they are still all there. If one should be out it would be fatal to our whole game.” Leaving word with their confederates, who had been Ly me on guard in such localities that they could transmit the signal when given to the man concealed above the mine-mouth, the brace of villains entered the tunnel together. i They were soon in deep darkness, They did not dare carry a light and had to grope their way through the cavernous opening. Meanwhile events of vital interest were taking place inside the mine, We must go back for some time before the period we have now reached and trace these ' events, Dug-Out and Flash had been working diligent- ly since morning, and had prepared and set off a blast which tore down a considerable quantity of rock. They had just returned to examine the effect of the blast, when Tim and Linda made their appearance, She ran forward excitedly, for- saking her cavalier and hurrying to Flasb. ‘** Tell me all about it!” she cried. ‘‘ Is it true that you have found gold? Letmeseeit. Iam so interested.” Dug-Out looked ie. angrily from among the fallen rocks over which he was bending. ‘* Who told you that?” he asked. ** He did,” she replied, pointing to Tim. ** And how came you to know ’bout it?” he de- manded, advancing to Tim, who shrunk back from his stern looks, ** |—I come in here and saw—and heard—” “*Spyin’, was you? you tailor’s runaway ‘pren- tice! Blame my eyes, if I ain’t got half a mind to yom ye like a ’tater-bug! 1 hate spies wuss nor I bate p’ison!” ‘‘ I—I wasn’t spying—I only—” na Dry up, and keep outer my reach, ’cause I’m ugly when I’m r’iled, Vamose, you beetle, i while yer skin’s whole,” The old man looked so fierce that Tim drew back involuntarily into the dark part of the mine, where he crouched balf-concealed in mor- tal fear of the irate old miner, “*T fancy I 4 e ‘te : } : y a i> Po : § *-% ’ -* * a, 4 24 4 4 ~ See me £ Ps feet : my gt oP ) 5 “ 5 - 4 . is - ‘ ’ . ‘ AF ORE Ss See ee ee es a Tbus, by an unexpected chain of circum- | frightfully.” she cried, excitedly. Tell me all the rest. Flash Lightning, the Mountain Mascot. Meanwhile Flash was showing Linda the gold- trace in the rock, and explaining its character to her. ‘‘ Tell me all about it. itis very interesting. I want to know how the find was made.” Thus requested, Flash told the story, first ob- taining her promise to keep it a secret. ‘* And it was really little Bess that found it!” ‘*That’s very surprising. I want to know all that happened,” Flash grew sober-faced as he proceeded with the story of Bess’s jealousy and of the scene that had passed between them. But his listener lavghed at it as if it were an excellent joke. ‘“That’s too good for anything!” she cried, excitedly. ‘‘ Jealous of me and you! Well, 1 never thought of that. And, cdo you know, you’ve got Tim ready tocut your throat? You never saw avy one in such a rage as he has been.” ‘* Where is he?’ asked Flash. “Yonder. Old Dug Out has scared him ‘* Jealous, is he? Come, we must give bim | something to be jealous for.” ‘‘ No more kissing, you rogue.” ‘‘Rut some hand- pressing is admissible,” laughed Flash, clasping both her hands in bis, ‘* And soft words are never thrown away.” ‘‘If thrown at me, I fancy they would be,” she replied. Yet the pair looked very loving as they stood there clasped hand in hand, their eyes fixed on euch other, and their voices sunk to low, mur- muring tones, Tim glowered from his corner, lost in mind between fear of Dug-Out and rage at the seem- ing lovers. But there was another spectator of whom they had not dreamed. For at this instant Bess made her appearance in the mine. Her face was deeply flushed as she emerged from the darkness into the lamplight, and her eyes gleamed with augry fire as they fell on tbe masquerading pair. ‘Mercy on us, Bess!” cried Flash, starting back with a haste that redoubled the guilty seeming of his attitude, ‘* Bess!” echoed Linda, turning bastily toward her jealous rival. ‘¢ Yes!” she hotly exclaimed. ‘‘ And I never want to see one of you again—not one of you again! After all yousaid. Oh, Flash!” She crouched down with an aspect of hopeless misery, burying her face in her hands, ‘‘ But we were only joking!” exclaimed Flash excitedly. ‘‘ We did not mean anything,” ‘* That is true,” repeated Linda. ‘‘Tt is false! It is false! I don’t believe it,” she moaned, rocking herself in a helpless fash- ‘‘Oh, come, Bessy!” cried Dug-Out, ‘ Nary one of ’em ain’t wu’th your goin’ on so ’bout.” ‘¢ He said he loved me!” cried the distressed girl. ‘‘He lied to me and deceived me!” | ‘Tt isn’t so,” cried Flash desperately. ‘“‘I’d lika to hear anybody but you say that, I tell you we were only in fun,” He took hold of her and attempted to lift her, but she broke from his grasp and darted away, crying: **))on’t touch me! Don’t lay your hands on me! I never want to speak to you agains! Never! never! never!” He stood dazed and irresolute, turning angrily toward Linda, “What did you make me do this for?” he asked, hardly knowing what he said. ‘‘T make you?’ she rejoined asangrily. ‘‘It was all your own doing.” ‘*That is so,” cried Tim, rushing in a rage from his covert. ‘‘He has been making love to you straighton! Dveseen him! I’ve watch- ed him!” Bess looked up at this, ‘*T know it! I know it!” she moaned. ‘*He has lied to me!” ‘‘ Yes,” cried Tim, ‘‘That is it. He has lied to you. He has been making love to two at once, and cheating both.” ** What!” ejaculated Flash, his excitement: breaking into rage as it found an abject tc vent itself upon. ‘**What, you mule’s doctor! you tenth part of a man! you polished atomy! Do you tell me I 1 ef” ‘*'Yes, you lie!” yelled Tim, beside himself with jealous fury. With one bound Flash was on him, and had seized him by the colla™, A quick surge and Tim was lifted in his strong arms, and dashed again on the rocky floor. ““That for you, you fool!” cried the incensed lover. ‘There, I can’t stay here any longer! ‘wenleoeaal * IRE, APP Ill burst if Ido! Tell Bess the truth, I must get into the air.” ; He rushed madly away, too wild with excite- ment to know what he was doing. The next moment he passed Griscom and Jacobs without seeing them, They had beheld the scene we have just described, and were making their way out again to finish their devilish plot. But the way was unknown to them, and they stumbled ove obstacles which Flash shot past. He was in the open air and a hundred yards from the mouth of the mine, while they were still a considerable distance witbin. Then he paused a moment in his flight and drew out bis handkerchief to wipe off the sweat that stood in beads on his face, He gave the white handkerchief a flirt in the air as he did 80. Ere he could restore it to his pocket and re- sume his flight, there came a thunder-like roar that seemed to tesr the bills asunder, A crasb- ing sound followed. Flash was struck as bya cyclone and dashed stunned to the ground. He had unknowingly given the signal, and the dynamite charge had been exploded! The vast rock had fallen, fatally sealing up the mouth of the mine, and imprisoning the two villaivs along with their intended victims! CHAPTER XIII, THE OLD MINE SHAFT. A HUGE rock, split from the parent mountain as if by some earthquake of the far past, had loomed over the spot at which Dug-Out had _be- gun his tunnel into the mountain-side. He had not fearedit. It had stood there for hundreds of centuries, and probably would for as long a time in the fu' ure, And yet it overhung so that it only needed a giant push in the cavity between it and the mountain to move it from its base and hurl it below, This Griscom had seen at a glance, and guessed at once that a charge ef dynamite would give the push needed to overturn the rock, He was right; the violent explosive had caused the huge mass to topple and fall, and it now lay so as to completely choke up the mouth of tke mine, imprisoning along with their vic- tims the villains who had devised this murderous scheme, Five minutes psssed after the explosion. Then one of the ruffianly band came cautiously down the hillside and stocd gazing on the result of the explosion. Soon after another appeared, with a face in which awe was mingled with villainy. ‘* [t's down?” he demandcd. ‘*-Yes. Where's Jake?” ‘‘Gone under. Passed in his checks, The idiot got too close, and a splinter o’ stone tuk bim under the chin and shaved the bull top of his head off.” ‘“The deuce! That's sudden, I allers said Jake was too venturous. Now, where’s our men?” ‘‘Somewhar round yere. It was jist t’other side that bush the handkercbher waved,” ‘ ‘*T never seen nothin’ neater done. Tell yer what, I like that Griscom.” ‘* He’s a hull team, sure.” As they spoke they came near the spot where Flash had fallen. Suddenly there rose before them a tall, nimble, athletic Ggure with a face that burned with indignation. [t was Flash, who had heard their whole con- versation. Hisquick wit told him not only what had happened, but the way it had been done, and his own involuntary share in it. He rose before the two ruffians like a vision of vengeance, “You want to know what has become of Griscom and Jacobs?” he thundered. ‘‘ Yes,” faltered one of the men, as he recog- nized the form and face of their late prisoner, ‘‘The pair of them are caught in their own trap. They were inside the mine, and it was I ee agate the handkerchief and gave the sig- nal,’ “The fury you did!” cried one of the villains, in a rage, drawing a pistol. A quick lift of Flash’s foot, and the weapon went ringing against the rocks. The next instant he sprung upon the two men, dealing blows to right and left with a strength and skill that broke down their defenses and quickly stretched both of them on the ground. Ere they could rise again Flash had recovered the fallen pistol and covered them with the deadly weapon. ‘¢ The first of you that tries to get up is a dead man, And you can take my word for it that shee no bunkum in that,” he said, deci- sively. Ps | ee | : Oe dies a