Beadle's Dime Library No. 1 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

‘No. 1. Pass and while he knelt down beside it they ft him in the gathering gloom. George Kingslake was anxious to seek his daughter; but a strange feeling seemed to bind | him to the son of his enemy, and he waited his return from the grave of Dauntless Jerry. Now he could account for the frown that had affected | It was the counterpart of a | him so strangely. ( never-to-be-forgotten frown which he had seen on the face of Horace Clifton the elder more than twenty years before. One night; before his marriage to Maud Kingslake, he had sought her in the den, -away from the dazzling light and heat of the ball-room. She had suddenly sprung into his arms with a cry of terror. Then he saw Horace Clifton, standing in the shadow of the vines which clambered over a rustic summer-house, his brows black with a frown of malignant hatred which had been stamped indelibly on the memory of his successful rival. He had never pressed Maud for an explana- tion of that scene. He had always. supposed, and he now knew, that she had flirted with the fiery Southerner, and then roused his fierce na- ture by repulsing his suit. When the son of his old enemy came slowly back from the grove, George Kingslake extended his hand and said: ‘Your father and I have been deadly foes for nearly twenty years; but let the feud go out with his life. t us start anew to-day, and start friends.” ; Horace Clifton grape the frankly proffered hand, with an earnestness which made his eyes humid. ‘Do you propose it?” he said. ‘I cannot ex- press to you how heartily I accept.” Then the procession took up the line of march; for the anxious father could not bear the delay of waiting until a It was nearly day- break when they reached Dauntless Jerry’s hut. Impatient to see her, the father and lover ur d their horses forward. They founda light in the hut; and as they approached, a shadow flitted across the window curtain, the door swung open, and Iola stood framed in the doorway, peering out into the darkness God!” my daughter, alive and well!” cried George Kin e; and spurring his horse to the very door, he threw himself from the saddle and clasped her in his arms. Horace Clifton had generously held back, al- lowing the father to receive his daughter’s first caress. He presently dismounted and came within the of light. As soon as lola caught sight of im, she drew herself from her father’s arms and cast herself upon her lover’s breast. “Qh! Horace! Horace!” she cried, nestling in oThe fath 's feeli k f jeal e father’s feeling was a keen pang of jeal- * but when the pair stood before him so pee AA and beautiful, he joined their hands and gave diene his blessing, with happy tears in his eyes. rt “ Didn’t I tell you I should be your promised ‘wife before you told me anything about your- self?’ laughed Iola, mischievously. “The developments of the last twenty-four hours have left little to tell,” replied Horace, smil ‘Years ago, when returning from Gulifocnia, where I had made — a fortune, I fell in with a man in New Orleans who repre- sented himself as a Spanish count, sojourning in America with his sister, the Countess Pepita. I was but a boy, and, bewitched by the girl’s beauty, was soon engaged to be married to her. Going to her house one evening and not finding her in the parlors, I passed into the garden in quest of her. Hearing voices in an arbor, and supposing it was she and her brother, 1 crept upon them, intending to give them a pleasant - Then I learned that she was in reality the wife of the self-styled count, and the sister of a villain who was in company with them. The plot was simply this :—Immediately after - our marriage, the real brother was to ap in the character of a disappointed lover and shoot ae = ee oaks Se ania ego. posed wid vi ’ eo ne that I confronted them, on the impulse of the moment. They set upon me, and in self-defense I shot at the count, whom you have known as The Red Hand; but the Coun- tess Pepita, now known as Nebraska ; leaped before him, — sm = Migr the i = lifeless, as 1 supposed, arms. down the Sieother, known as Ricardo del Selano, Lescaped. A few weeks ago, I killed him in a duel, in the c of our Bill.” “And, my daughter,” said Mr. Kin e, when Horace Clifton had finished, 2 you clear up one mystery? Who is this youth you have called your brother?” Iola blushed to the roots of her hair, and then a: Fine hid her face in her lover’s bosom, and sai . “Tell him, Horace, I can’t.” . “You must know,” said Horace, tenderly stroking her hair, “that when I bent over Dauntless Jerry, whom I supposed to be dead, I discovered that it was a woman! _My first . thought was that it was a sister, which would accord with Iola’s statement that Jerry was | not her brother. But when I took her into the — eee sss hut, she soon revived; for her wound was but a | slight one, the bullet ranging along a rib and _ stunning her for the time. She then astonished | nor sister, but Iola’s self in disguise. Her mus- tache was false; the blue specks on cheek and chin were but a skillful imitation of shaven whiskers in paint; her hair, eyebrows and lashes were dyed with a dye which is easily washed off. The discrepancy between long hair and short is accounted for by the fact that, when she con- ceived the notion of disguising herself as a man, she had her long and beautiful blonde hair cut off and made into a wig, which she could wear in her character of a woman, and leave off when she personated Dauntless Jerry. ‘‘ All this was devised by my mother, who had been an actress,” pursued Horace, dwelling tenderly and Pare we § on the title of relation- ship. ‘‘ The object of all this was, that as a man Iola could pursue her quest of me freed from the disadvantages she would have had to en- counter as a woman. Nowshe shrinks from having this episode of her life made public, and refers that the world should believe that her brother died. Of course the grave in the grove is an empty one; since lola set out for home, to remove her disguise and be ready to receive us in her true character, before I filleditin. I have out to add that on the few occasions when Jerry and his sister were seen together, my mother took the former character, a time being chosen when her features could not be too close- ly scrutinized.” ‘“My children,” said Dr. Chillingworth, grave Ys ‘‘T have a word in further explana- tion. In revenge for the slight put upon him, Horace Clifton stole our child, our dear little May, through the instrumentality of his wife, who gained access to our house as nursery gov- erness, under the name of Mrs. Henderson. The woman, as you know, afterward repented, and made such amends to you, my child, as she could, without breaking the oath by which her husband had bound her. ‘‘ While explanations are in order,” said Iola, ‘‘yvou may care to know that after my rescue from the cave by Nebraska Larry—or perhaps | hunters. A Hard Crowd; or, Gentleman Sam’s Sister. 2 me by announcing that she was neither brother | some of their Poche and especially to that of trapper and guide from Pembina to the Colum- bia, and Green gave him such a welcome as he ' deserved. Though Nick ‘fought shy” of the —— ee ee ———— Hudson’s Bay people, he greatly “froze to” which his ‘‘ old pard,” Oregon Sol, was a lead- ing member. From him he was willing to re- ceive supplies of tobacco and ammunition, and to him was willing to sell his store of choice skins, for Old Nick never bothered *‘common critters” like wolves and muskrats. He was | these rough, hardy men of t the beaver hunter par excellence of the North: west, and his stock of furs was sure to be choice. On this particular occasion it was hardly dark, when the smell of cooking meat filled the air, and the employees of the Hudson Bay Com- pany gathered around the blazing camp-fires to enjoy the food which had been prepared for their evening meal. It was an interesting and a sight to see e woods, attendin to this ‘‘ duty,” with the same earnest vigor tha they did to paddling their canoe up and down i | the Saskatchewan and its branches. The light from the camp-fires was reflected far out upon the river, and revealed the shadowy outlines of the great mass of stone, on the oppo- site side the stream, rising to the hight of one ee —_ hundred feet and giving the name to the locali- ty. Grim and huge and silent, it stood like some giant sentinel keeping ward and watch over this gateway to the solitudes of the Nortb- west. The meals finished, and the hunters gathered in groups in all the abandon of animal enjoy- ment, and lolling and ying upon the ground smoked their pipes, told their stories and quizzed each other. There was scarcely one among them who was not well acquainted with Nick Whiffies and who was not glad to see him. He had passed around the entire party, shaking hands and exchanging words with each in turn; and now, as the even- ing was more advanced, he and Oregon Sol, were seated near each other by the upper cam fire, both in that easy position so natural Both were smoking pipes, as indeed better, by Pepita—I came home here and as- | was nearly every member of the party, includ: sumed my disguise as Dauntless Jerry: joined Major Gravesend’s party; captured the strong- hold; and ambushed the returning robbers.” > By the way, what became of the major?” asked Dr. Chillingworth, with some anxiety. No one knew; but later in the day the major a to his friend, and taking him by the hand, said: Dr. Chillin call you Mr. Ki e—I wish to express to you how much I have valued and still value your friendship; and the regret I feel at the necessity of ——— from you. But I now come to say good-by; and in ten minutes I shall be on my way to the Far West.” ‘What! Going away? But you have not seen my daughter. And, major, I wished to have your company at her wedding, which is to be the one happy event in compensation for my long years of suffering.” ‘Excuse me, my friend. Bear to her my adieus and my earnest wishes for her future pig ar ea 4: Perhaps the spasm of pain which shot athwart his bronzed visage gave George Kin 6 some erception of the situation. He did not press im further; and they parted with a firm hand- clasp. Then the major mounted his horse, and rode away until he was lost in the splendor of the setting sun, never once looking around. Reader, what more is there to tell? The wronged are righted in their children. When George Kin © weeps reverent] der memory, his tears are kisse resent bright reality; and he forgets the old orace in the new. THE END. ©O LD Nick Whiffles’ Yarn. BY CAPT, J. F. C, ADAMS. THE character of Old Nick Whiffles is happil illustrated in this ‘‘ ae which was told Liew on the accompani e celebrated hunter, Oregon Sol, included a cguple woper and Fitz- a ag ah of z udson’s Bay m as ewan. e party, command noted Captain Green, an } of young Englishmen named simmons—the latter ‘‘ dubbed ” Persimmons b the men for his peculiar traits of character. Bot were gullible to an extrao rdinary de , and many was the joke the rough at played on the adventurers, who were snobs even in the wilderness. ‘‘ Blackfoot Rock,” and when who should come in bu hilarity then, One evening the voyagers, put ashore near Old their cam Nick Whiffles! The camp was all over a ten- away by a _ for the odd old hunter was known to every true | | ing Captain Green, a dozen trappers, and Fitz simmons and Swoper, the latter two displaying handsomely carved meerschaums. Conversation ran along in a desultory sort of way, during which some three or four gave some account of their adventures in different portions of the Northwest, until the evening was pretty well advanced, when Captain Green orth—or I suppose I should | suddenly turned to Nick with the question: ‘Can you tell me why this place is known as Blackfoot Rock? I have often wondered to my. self, when I have heard its name mentioned, or have been passing by it. I have asked several of our men, but there are none that can tell e. ‘Tt takes its name from that rock over there,” replied Whiffles, indicating the rock to which he referred by a mere glance of his eyes. ‘‘Of course,” replied the captain, with a laugh; ‘‘ but I mean to inquire whether you can tell what the circumstance or legend is that gave the name to the rock itself and by which it has been known for so many years?” ‘‘T heered the story some twenty years ago, when I wasn’t quite as old as I am now; it was told me by one of your hunters on the North Fork of the Saskatchewan—Black Diah, that was froze to death the next year, while trap- ping in Oregon. He had heard it when he was a boy, from another very old hunter, who* see’d the sarcumstances that give rise to the name, so you see I’ve got it p straight, but it’s a rough story and I’m af that if I tell it to you to-night it'll give you a p’ison diffikil in the way of sleepin’ to-night.” This protest, sta in such words, very natu- rally aroused greater curiosity than ever, and all insisted so strongly upon hearing the story that Nick could not refuse; and filling up his pipe, and assuming the easiest attitude possible, e told the following LEGEND OF BLACKFOOT ROCK. “Tt must have been more than a hundred ears that the Blackfeet down among the hocky Mountains of Oregon got into a wrangle over something, and had such a fight that about fifty of ’em had to dig out, to save their skulps, and they started off for some wings PS sgn where they might take each other’s skulps in and quiet, and te they might play all manner of pleasant deviltry, without having other folks interferin’ with ‘em. It’s hard to find such a — in this world, for white, red, or black fo it is, by bce, gh and it was some time afore the animiles could light on such a lovely spot, but they hit it at last, and here was the place.” ‘‘ Where we are encamped just now?” inquired Captain Green. — “‘ Not quite this one spot alone, but all around here like. I think one of the causes of their settling here was that rock. Have you ever been to the top of it?” ‘‘ Never,” replied several of the group, look- across the river, at the dimly-seen masa, while the captain added: ! “T always supposed from its appearanee that com 900KS.com-