Beadle's Dime Library No. 1 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

- =~ io -o—_ —- —— —— oa — te ~— See ey wer ee x i e - OrOOO areereeo 8 The New York Library. the lasso. A quarter of a mile down the road At this point they were interrupted, by the which Gentleman Sam’s sister had taken, he voice of ajor Gravesend, who called out found where a horse had fallen and struggled to we his feet again; but then the night settled down, ‘* Look out! We’re in for it!” hurrying clouds bringing swift darkness, and he was denied time to study its significance. With a feeling in his breast, when he thought of the girl whose fate was thus involved in un- certainty, which he would not have thought possible on so short an acquaintance, and in- spired by one whose name even he did not yet | know, he turned, to retrace his steps to the town he had left that afternoon, on foot; and to confront his assailants again, that very night, in a remarkable manner. turned just in time to see The Red Hand crouch- clutching the hilt of his bowie-knife, while in his right.a cocked revolver hung at his side. With a yell that began in a rattling growl and swelled into a perfect shriek of fury, the consciously Pe ae 3g the trigger, so that the _ bullet was discharged through the floor at his | reine ping bg. "eho te Be 5 ag tahoe the bowie-knife is right , he came on, CHAPTER Vil. | his eyes blazing, his white teeth glittering THE RED HAND IN CHANCERY. | through his tangise beard. CONCURRENT with the scene depicted inthe | Called so suddenly from his painful thoughts fifth chapter was the by-play in which Dr. Chil- into the presence of such imminent danger, the lingworth, Major Gravesend, and Dauntless _ doctor was helpless in his bewilderment, and Jerry were engaged. made no effort to avoid the murderous attack. ith the mysterious picture in one hand, and > holding Dauntléss Jerry by the shoulder with | the other, Dr. Chillingworth gazed into the face | of the youth with a look in which memory was | groping through the shadows of the past for some lost clue. ? Dauntless Jerry offered no resistance, nor did he have recourse to his weapons, with which he | time to escape the major’s bullet. was usually so ready. He shrunk away, not The Red Hand came to the floor with a crash, with apprehension, but only startled with the | jabbing the point of his bowie-knife far into the suddenness of the doctor’s clutch. | boards. With a wild oath he was about to Not heeding the wild yell of the Red Hand, | - plies to his feet and renew the attack; but which prevented Jerry from replying, Dr. Chil- | the cold muzzle of a revolver was pressed to his volver and_ shot at the advancing ruffian. But Standing nearer the center of the room than did the doctor, he leaped to one side, and, as The Red Hand passed him, stuck out his foot, over which the ruffian oipbed, falling just in lingworth repeated his question, unconsciously | temple, and a clear, ringing voice commanded: shaking the youth in the intensity of his emo- ‘“‘Stidy, thar, boss! ur yeour carcass ‘ll have tion. a beauty-spot what won’t wash off! Ef I should ‘Boy! boy!” he cried, “‘ who are you? What | take a notion to lay yeou along side o’ Missouri are you?” | Bill, I reckon you don’t stand no show; so ‘**T reckon I hain’t nothin’ but what you see,” | yeou’d better obey orders!” replied Dauntless Jerry, the danger which ~ It was Dauntless Jerry whose activity had threatened himself and the doctor for the mo- | proved equal to the emergency. As he stood ment driven from his mind by the magnetic | over the prostrate villain, holding the cocked power of his interlocutor’s passion. revolver at his head, his face white, his nostrils “But your parents—who are they?—where | quivering with passion, yet his arm as steady are they? as an arm of bronze, the major, even the doc- ‘** Gov’nor, I allow I'll have to pass. I’ve been up that stump a heap o’ times; an’ I never got no further than yeou be at the present writin’.” “ Are not they living? Where is your home?” * Stumped ag’in, boss, by the fust question. As fur t’other, I reckon my home’s wharever I git my washin’ done, by the law o’ the State.” ‘‘ But your family—your father and mother?” = heckion I never had none.” ** Never had a father and mother!” “Leastways, they’ve never come to chalk, to my knowledge.” ‘Don’t you know who your parents are?’ ‘‘ Never seen nobody what claimed me. Reck- on they’ve got lost, if thar ever was anybod what I belonged to. Do you know any sich? allow I'd like to find ’em jest fur the curiosity 0’ the thing.” Dauntless Jerry looked wistfully into the doc- tor’s face. A new hope was springing up in his breast, that rendered him oblivious to the vi- : cinity of The Red Hand, and to the mischief it | might on some future occasion ‘‘ take it out of might portend for him. his hide,” he deemed it ‘‘healthy ” for him to e doctor gazed into his face forgetful of | make some demonstration; and flourishing his everything else, and, as if communing with | ‘‘six-shooter,” he cried: imself, said, in a hoarse whisper: | ‘Fellers, air we a-goin’ to stand by an’ see ‘“Who is it? Where have I seen it before? | three dogs onto one? Not ef the court knows Why does it affect me so? It eludes me con- | herself, an’ we think she do! Let up, thar, yeou tinually; and yet I seem so near. Great doggauned whelps! For’ard, fellers, an’ we'll Heaven! is it hopeless?” rub ’em out hand over fist!” Then he gazed in silence until his eyes became |__‘‘Salt that yelpin’ cur—he’s all bark!” cried suffused with tears from sheer disappointment. | Dauntless Jerry. ‘‘ Let the wind out o’ him, an’ Dauntless J 2 returned his fixed gaze, stand- | come on!” , ing perfectly still, scarcely daring to breathe, At this instant The Red Hand, pressed his lest should break the chain of the other’s | tongue against his teeth and blew a note that thoughts. He saw the tears start in the doc- | rung shrilly through the room. tor, could not help marking his rare beauty. When he saw that The Red Hand compre- hended his situation, Dauntless Je stepped back a pace, still, however, covering the an with his weapon. Then, without removing his eyes from the head which he intended to per- forate if necessary, he addressed his friends: “Gents,” he said, ‘this hyar’s a mighty on- healthy place, I reckon yeou’d better slope, ef yeou want to git out with whole skins!” ‘*But you must save yourself,” cried the doc- tor, now having recovered himself. ‘‘ We can’t abandon you in this den of wolves.” “Come on. I[ reckon I’m nearest the door,” replied Jerry, backing toward the entrance of the saloon, yet still preserving his aim. All this had transpired so rapidly, that thus far Poker Tom had stood in bewilderment. But, seeing his champion down, and well know- ing that if he failed to come to his support at such a time the capricioustempered Hand tor’s eyes, and the lines of care deepen, until he | oss, I don’t want to salt yeou—I’d hate to, looked. like an old man in his despondency. | like p’ison,” cried Dauntless Jerry; “ but I rec- Then, thinking that he might aid his memory, | kon I’ll have to. Ef we git another whimper he ventured to ask: out o’ yeou—” But he was interrupted by an answerin whistle from the street, and the sound of rapid- ly a hing feet. y With one leap backward he reached the door t. ‘*Do I look like any one yeou used to know? | —a man or a woman?’ The doctor dashed the tears from his eyes, and lifting the youth’s hat, gazed at him even more earnestly. and shot the The boy’s brow was as white as snow, though ‘*Take the back door!” he cried, ‘‘ an’ drop the lower part of his face was bronzed by ex- | eve body that stands in the way! Lively! posure. In marked contrast with his forehead Lively!” was the jet black hair that lay in silken rings, In the one instant while Dauntless Jerry was An odd expression flitted across his face and | in the act of leaping backward and his aim was x he flushed slightly, as he said: ** Never a the ha’r—that might be almost any color. But do I look like any one yeou ever knowed?” - ur yeou’re a dead man! TAKE IT OFF!” Sympathetic tears came to his eyes as he e Red Hand had turned his head, so as to turned his face so that the light could fall full top with bloodshot eyes over his shoulder at upon it, in his eagerness to assist the other’s | his youthful conqueror, He saw the white de- memory. termination in the beautiful face—the merciless Lie aret Red Hand started to his knees and clutched his remaini pistol. “Take yeou’re hand off o’ thar, yeou devil! Suddenly a great wave of crimson swept | glitter in the eye that glanced along the pistol- across his face; and with a startled look he barrel with unerring aim—heard the metallic averted his face again, and snatching his hat ing in the clear voice; and knowing that an from the doctor put it on so that it shaded his t’s hesitation would seal his doom, he re- features. moved his hand from the butt of his pistol, with In his disappointment Doctor Chillingworth | a scowl that Satan might have envied, grinding forgot to feel rise at this procedure. | out a fierce oath of impotent rage between his He only shook his head despondently and said: “‘T don’t know. I can’t tell. It baffles me com- pletely. It is hopeless—hopeless!” clenched teeth. On the other hand, while he would have shot at’ ‘pae ee ee ek Doctor Chillingworth and Dauntless Jerry > ing like an animal about to spring, his wolfish | eyes riveted upon the doctor, his left hand ruffian leaped toward his intended victim, un- | To save him, Major Gravesend drew his re- | Dauntless Jerry was even quicker than he, | the ruffian without a qualm if necessary, Danni Vol, I. less Jerry knew that the security of himself and friends lay in not firing the first shot, if it could be avoided. An energetic warlike display on the part of even three men, who were known to be ghting only on the defensive, might cow the whole unorganized mob which occupied the room, having no particular interest in op- posing them; but a single shot, which looked as if they were assuming the offensive, might draw upon them a volley from the crowd—as several dogs will watch one another with grinning teeth until the snapping of one brings on a general engagement. ‘*’m with yeou, gents!” cried Dauntless Jerry to his friends. ‘‘ Pass them as minds their own business; but drop every coyote what proposes to take a hand in the game; an’ don’t waste twe shots on one man!” A rallying cry sounded in the street and the footfalls were just at the door. Encouraged by the ak jag of help, and desirous of showi his zealfor The Red Hand, Poker Tom sta forward with an answering cry. ‘“Rescue! Rescue!” he shouted, ‘' Hurray! we'll wipe the doggauned varmints out!” But he was met by Major Gravesend, who advanced with a cocked pistol in either hand. ‘‘Clear the way!” he cried, making straight for the back door of the saloon. ‘‘ We make war only on those who war against us!” He was seconded by Doctor Chillingworth, who cried: ‘‘Stand aside! If you compel us to shoot, your death will be on your own head!” Looking down the throats of four revolvers Poker Tom ‘‘caved”—in other words, he fell back precipitately among the crowd, his face livid with fear. This was the signal for the mob to divide; and they backed off toward the sides of the room, leaving a clear avenue to the back door. | Meanwhile, Dauntless Jerry, keeping The Red Hand covered with his revolver, had passed round him, and was following his friends through the crowd, walking backward. It required nerve to keep his eye upon one man, trusting to his friends to prevent any one of the score who surrounded them from shooting him; but, Daunt- less Jerry was equal to the task, and not a glance to me met or left betrayed any uneasiness on part. Still kneeling where he first fell, the blazing eyes of The Red Hand were following Jerry with the tireless vigilance of a tiger’s; and he knew that a momentary diversion of his atten- tion would give the ruffian an opportunity to spring to his feet with leveled weapon and rob him of the advantage he now held. But, already the door was shaken by ruffians from without. Then a heavy shoulder made it creak in every joint. A momentary pause, and the door came in with a crash, ushering five brutal-looking cut-throats pell-mell into the room; and, reckless of the danger, The Red Hand leaped to his feet with a yell, just as Major Gravesend raised the latch of the door. Instantly six pistols were brought into range. The crowd surged further a , each man try- ing to shield himself behind his neighbor. ‘Down! Down!” cried Dauntless Jerry, as the door swung open. . Six sheets of flame almost simultaneously lit he further end of the saloon, followed by a cloud of white smoke, and the room rung with the report of smallarms. But the bullets pat- tered harmlessly against the walls, or sped through the open door. The doctor and major had both taken Dauntless Jerry’s warning, and dropped out of danger. n out through the smoke bounded The Red Hand, with his cut-throat crew at his heels, wave J oe and werd renee 5 eeapee through the oorway, the ever-thought e ulling the door to after him. ; eyes Wild with rage, The Red Hand tore open the door, determined to continue the pursuit. But as he was crossing the threshold, a fist shot from the darkness, ing him fairly between the eyes and felling him to the floor. The flash of his pistol, discharged without aim, lit for an in- stant the faceof Dr. Chillingworth; then a hand gees him by the ankle, and he was drawn y from the room, while a voice from out the darkness cried in clear, ringing tones: ‘‘ The galoot what attempts to pass that door- wars a dead man!” e ruffian followers of The Red Hand me short. No one chose to make of himself so fair target as to pass through the door with the lamp light full upon him. But a device was hit ope. ‘Out with the lights!” cried a voice; and in ten seconds the room was in total darkness. Then came a blind rush for the door—a con- fused pesca Ge gegen igs me finally the ringing report of a pistol, followed ay.9 shriek of mortal agony from some luekless fellow who. had ‘‘ stopped a bullet!” CHAPTER VIII. — MISSOURI BILL IS ‘* PLANTE D IN CHRISTI AN STYLE. When the saloon door closed behind Dauntless. Jerry and his friends, Dr. Chillingworth eud- denly exclaimed: “comicbooks "y = SS