Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 1003 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

Gold ai. ae “TL bave her, though I peril hellin the attempt!” he muttered between his firm-set teeth. “I'm ready. Good-by, granddad!” she exclaimed, advancing toward the horses. The e'der alighted in order to assist her to mount, but with a spring as light and agile as a bird’s she sprung into the saddle, ‘“No need to assist me, elder!” she cried gayly. ‘‘I can ride ike an Injun, and as well without a saddle as with one!” ‘So I see,” replied the Mormon, remounting. ‘‘Good-by, granddad!” again exclaimed the girl, waving her band to the old man as she rode away. Fiddeman also took a glance at Cripples, but the old man did not seem to pay any attention to either of them. ‘‘ What a fool I was to allow myself to heed the words of that old idiot!’ the elder muttered, ‘‘ Once in my ranch she’s mine paet all redemption.” CHAPTER XVIII. A JEALOUS WOMAN, THE moment the trial was ended, and Judge Lynch had de- clared thésprisoner to be a free man, there was an eager rush forward on the part of the townsmen to congratulate the borderer. They regarded Gold Dan in the light of a champion. To slay a Mormon—for a great many of them really believed that the plainsman had had some hand in Googer’s downfail, despite the evidence to the contrary—was no crime in their eyes. Too long the Mormon bullies, aided by their bravo confederates, the white savages, the terrible Danites, had lorded it over the men of Corinne; but it was plain now ‘that the days of the rule of the Latter-Day Saints had ended. A single man had disputed their power—braved their anger and lived to boast of it. Foremost among the throng was the giant from Red Dog. ‘“‘T know’d it!” he cried, vocifexously, ‘ Untold wealth would I hev lavished tpon a bet that you would git clear an’ be able to grin in the faces of these durned heathens, who gobble all the guls up an’ make ’em skeerce in the market, an’ we free, native- born white men hev to go without!” And then the giant glared ground, eager to discover some Mormon braye willing to dispute his words, but the Saints had already begun to make themselves wwarce. They bad got the idea into their heads that Corinne wasn’t a very healthy place for the followers of Prophet Brigham just about that time, and they had not stood upon ceremony, but had mounted their horses and ‘“‘lit out”—to use the terse westernism. ‘(I’m very much obliged to you, indeed,” the plainsman said, in reply to the many 5 es of congratulation so freely bestowed upon him; ‘‘a stranger in a strange land—” and then be suddenly hesitated. “Bully for you!” sung out the Red-Dogite, always ready tu applaud. “And, friends, if you will join me in a social glass at the Castle of Durango, I shall esteem it an honor,” the plainsman said, taking a fresh tack, and one that impressed ‘the crowd more than the highest burst of eloquence could Have done, ° There was an immediate movement in the direction of the Mexican saloon on the part of the crowd, while Gold Dan and the-man-from-Red-Dog gracefully brought up the rear. In the saloon, which was densely crowded, for all the town were quite ready to drink at the expense of the plainsman—or at anybody else’s invitation for the matier of that—Dan tossed a gold-piece—‘‘ a good solid ten dollars!” as Dandy Jim afterward observed, when describing the events of the night—on the bar, and requested that liquid refreshments be freely dispensed for the benefit of the crowd at large. Then somebody proposed “three cheers for the man that wasn’t afeared to stand up agin’ the Mormon galoots!” The cheers were given with a will, the borderer gracefully pledging the crowd in a glass of cham- pagne. At the time of which we write, champagne flowed as freely almost as beer in all the “first-class” saloons in Corinne, and was sold at the same price—twenty-five cents per glass. Dan now took advantage of the general rush at the bar, and the confusion attending it, to make his escape through a side door. His absence was soon discovered, and a chorus of regret arose, but the Red-Dogite excused the act by explaining that the plains- man was a good little man, but couldn’t hold much fire-water, but as for himself, he, the son of Red Dog’s famous town, could set em up all night, and bes?9uld consider it his duty to represent his friend in his absence, %the merriment proceeded without abatement. It was the first time thet the Mormon gang had ever been backed down in the streets of Corinne, and the inhabitants felt inclined to celebrate the notable event. - Outside the door Gold Dan came face to face with Katherine of weteg es. the Monte Queen, who, through the window, had atching the scene, oe on had a narrow escape to-night,” she observed. “Yes, but a miss is a good as a mile, you know?” “It was a strange thing—the death of the Mormon,” the girl persisted, surveying Dan searchingly with her brilliant eyes as she spoke, nat? Yes, very strange.” h “A friend in need is a friend indeed, they say, and surely you - gan count the hand that fired that shot the hand of a friend, for it came in good time.” The fearless tone in which the giri spoke excited the plains- sais “3 Hing Se who fired the ya he asked, abruptly. | “4M how should I?” «& fancied from your tone that you did.” o, but ee m 15 ———— * Indeed I do not.” **Ts that the truth?’ Evidently the girl doubted. *‘Oh, yes; when you come to know me better you will find that my word is generally to be depended upon,” the plainsman replied, fn his easy, careless way. ‘‘AndI do not fully agree with you in regard to the shot being the act of a friend, for ths effect of it was to lay me open to the suspicion of having killed the Mormonin an underhand and cowardly manner. As Heaven is my judge, I sought not his life, and even when I faced him, revolver in hand, I did not intend to do him serious injury. E am generally pretty quick on the trigger, and about as good a shot as you can scare up west of tha Missouri, although I do say it myself. I reckoned that I could get first fire, and [ intended to wing the fellow and disable him, for I wasn’t anxious for him to plug me, for these greenhorns do make a mistake once in a while, and succeed in hitting their man.” © “I saw where the shot came from!” the Queen exclaimet, abruptly. “You did? Where was it from?” ‘**From behind a horse-shed on the opposite side of the way. I happened to glance in that direction at the very instant the shot was fired, and I saw the little puff of white smoke curl upward | on the air. I believed that it came from a friend of yours, and so I held my tongue about the matter.” ‘Well, I'm very much obliged to you for your consideration, but as it has turned out, it was about the worst thing that you could have done. No friend of mine fired that shot, but somos secret enemy of the Mormon, who took advantage of the oppor- tunity to wreak safe vengeance upon his foe,” “What became of the Mormon woman that ran away with you?’ Katherine questioned, suddenly. **Upon my soul I don’t know! No Mormon woman or any other woman ever ran away with me!” “Oh, it is useless to deny tho truth!” the girl cried, bitterly, *f and I was a born fool to believe that you ever cared anything for me.” The plainsman looked surprised. It was quite evident that he was not prepared for this accusation. “‘T was a fool to believa it, for I had heard often enough that you were as faise and fickle as the wind.” = Ye—yes,” the borderer was embarrassed, and no wonder, for if is no joke to face an angry, jealous woman. * And it is true, too!” cé Oh, no!” . “Oh, yes; you told me that you kad lost your heart within the Castle of Durango, and the very next day you ran away with this Mormon woman; and you have changed, too; you ars not at all the same man; you look like the old Gold Danj and talk like bim, but you are twenty times his better, What has changed you?” The plainsman laughed. ** You do not answer.” ‘“‘How can I? Time changes all things, all men, but as far as regards the Mormon lady, I deny the soft impeachment. The Gold Dan who now addresses you never ran off with any Mormon woman—don’t care much for women, anyway, for to him they have ever brought ill-luck.” “And yet, to-night, there was one woman willing to brave all the rage of the Mormons to save or avenge you. If your opponent's ball had struck you, I would have shot him on the spot!’ ** Katherine, Katherine!” cried Castana’s harsh voice. “Tt is my father!” she exclaimed, hastily; ‘‘he must not see us together, or it will bring more trouble upon you. Adieu!” and then she hurried into the house, leaving the Plainsman con- siderably astonished. ‘In the name of goodness is there anything else that Gold Dan has done?” he oried, as he strode away, / CHAPTER XIX. A STRANGE WARNING. STaarGuT to the shanty which served him for quarters the plainsman proceeded. On his arrival in town he had sought accommodations ag the principal hotel, bat the town was crowded with strangers attracted thither by the near approach of the Iron Horse, and the jovial landlord had tersely said: “Stranger, we kin eat you but we carn’t sleep you, unless you're agreeable to taking your blanket and bunking in the entry. To this the plainsman objected, and a bystander who had overheard the conversation settled the difficulty by saying that he had an unoceupied shanty close at hand, just behind the hotel in fact, and the stranger was welcome to it at a halfa dollar a day as long as he choose, Gold Dan at once planked down a Spr toler: gold-piece, and was cenducted to the shanty in questien. - 16 was a smoil building about twelve feet square, roughly constructed, and appearing more like a horse-shed than anything else, but it was water-tight; there was a comfortable bunk in one corner, ingeniously constructed out of sacking and tree- branches; a small chimney in another; a rude table in the center, made of two boards cleated together and nailed securely on two uprights; a couple of kegs for chairs; and to take the shanty _andits furnishings all in ail, it was far preferable to the narrow apartments of the ho The borderer quariers, — and like the old Indian- after taking possession — “-f 5. e ET 7 ~ - = | « x. é . ee ~*~ at Ps, | —- . / V v | on - . = _—, > . a — Ff. Ci ef O, bimsolf lucky man to secure such sa cs an - -- cs.c om es —