Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 1003 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

Sere » » in he , ‘ a . ARS RLS i ‘ r oo -— * - » 4 4 we 4 a e ie ‘- e 4 mPye at. és Le a 1 J ‘ ve . ~ 2 ete amt © peak Pacyis A th ‘fe nn? a" < . 4 roy ‘ . . a ¢ * eS es « eg -_ Ps -=aa < a - £ ‘ ee 7 q : Le . F . ‘x & * eS oe >» * é s PALS %, * | ety Gold Dan. 19 ———__ = ee eee 4 “Oh, yes, I will, if I have to,” Clark replied, not a trace of ex- | citement in face, tone, or manner. ‘“ Don’t flatter yourself, elder, that you have got any advantage over me because you seized upon the opportunity, when my back was turned, of drawing your revolver and hiding it in your lap. Iknew what game you were up to when you asked me to get the whisky; but don’t flatter yourself that you will gain any advantage over me. Elder, your hand ain’t steady, and if it comes to action and you should endeavor to hit me with a snap-shot, the chances are a hundred to one that you’d miss me, because you ain’t used to that sort of thing; you ain’t been going about for twenty years with your life in your hand, not caring much whether you lived or died, as Ihave. Why, elder, smart and quick as you think you are, before you could get that revolver out from under the table, raise the ham-ver, and fire it, I'd slice you all to pieces with my knife!” Cit The stout Mormon fairly shivered at the words, and yet there was not the least bit of bravado about the tone of the speaker. A dead man, galvanized into unnatural life, could not have been more calm, more cold. “(What's the matter anyway? What have I done to you that we should quarrel?’ Biddeman demanded. “Oh, you know well enough,” Clark replied, contemptuously, © “ A guilty conscience needs no accuser.” “Upon my soul, [I don’t; I never trod upon your toes, to my kauowledge.” ‘“‘How about the little girl that you have succeeded in tricking away from her home?” The Mormon elder first grew red, and then pale. Red with anger that the Danite should dare to interfere in the matter, and pale with the thought of the terrible struggle which soon must eome, for he was determined not to give up the girl. ““ Well, what of her?’ he asked, nervously. ‘Where is she?” ‘« How should I know?” ‘‘Gammon!” cried the Danite, contemptuously, ‘I know your gare as well as though I saw you play it. I stopped at the house as 1 rode by, to-night, and the old man told me that the girl had gone off with you to attend to your sick housekeeper. I knew at once what you were up to, and I determined to follow you at once, for I have made up my mind that you shan't have the girl!” Again the Saint grew red with rage, and the hand that griped the revolver under the table fairly trembled with the excitement of resentment. “And why shan’t I—what have you got to do with it? But I understand your game, too, as you callit; you are after the girl yourself; you want her, and that’s the reason you interfere!” ‘‘ You're quite right, elder; I want her, and that’s the reason I interfere,” the Danite repeated placidly. ‘‘ But do you ’spose I’m going to give her up to you?” Bidde- man cried, ‘‘ Why ain’t I got as good a right to her as you, hey?’ ‘Of course you’ve got just as good a right, provided she gives it to you.” ‘J don’t understand what you mean?” “‘ Don't you? Well, I want the girl, if she is willing to come with me of her own free will, not like you who have carried her off byatrick. The girl is in the house now, I suppose; bring her down and let her choose between us. If she takes you, I am con- tent, and will depart in peace.” CHAPTER XXIV. A SUDDEN BLOW, | Ir was a fair offer, but Biddeman did not dare to accept, for he felt sure that the girl would not choose him at any rate. “‘She’s only a child and don’t know her own mind!’ he ex- imed, sulkily. wa iaiws enough not to want to stay with you, if she has any chance to get away.” “And if she should want to go with you, you couldn’t keep her!” declared the elder, spitefully. “Why not?” asked Clark. « Because, if you take her away from me I'd make the country ‘so bot that it wouldn't hold you. I know a secret regarding the girl that concerns her very life. You know what it is, well enough; I have warned you already aboutit. I told you that the warning eame from Brigham Young, but there I lied, for he knows nothing about the’ matter. By chance the secret came to me, and I saw that it was too precious to by ‘ightly parted with.” The Danite shook his head. | ~ “Edo not understand; you speak in riddles.” mS ‘‘Have you not been warned? Did I uot warn you at our last meeting on Antelope island?” | “Something of a warning I remember, but I paid but little heed to it.” . eS ““} warned you that you were accused of sheltering—of giving gid to a survivor of the Mountain Meadow massacree.” “Yes; I remember that.” “Suppose the news were brought to Brigham’s ears that you were false to the oath you swore, and that you had knowingly assisted one whose testimony in regard to that bloody affair would put the rope around the neck of a dozen prominent Mor- mons, the president himself included, do you think that the ee se : ‘Prophet wouldn’t hunt you down even to the ends of the “The Danite smiled scornfully at the threat. Brigham’s power is on the wane,” he replied; “never, in , will he reign in Utah as he bas done in the past. The » growing stronger and stronger every 5 - 6 = old time, and with a rod of iron I ruled the town; that day is over. I shall be off as soon as I can for Southern Utah, down on the Arizonian line. I’m going into mining, and there, in an honest life, try to forget the past,” ** Brigham’s arm will reach you there easily enough, if I but say the word to put him on the scent.” ‘Say what word?” ‘‘ Why, inform him that you have protected ons of the Moun- tain Meadow survivors.” “But LT obeyed the warning, and started the man off at once: nor did I know, when I aided him, that he had been in Utah be- fore. I met him in Lower California, years ago, and he helpcu me out of a tight place, once; by ehanco I happened to run across himin Brigham City; he remembered me, although I had for- gotten him, and claimed my aid, which I freely furnished, for I’ve a long memory for either a friend orafoe” ~~ ‘“‘Oh, you’re on a wrong track altogether!” the elder ex- claimed. ‘‘ This man you speak of wasn't the party at all.” No?” ‘Certainly not! Carry back your memory to the time of the Mountain Meadow massacree; don’t you remember coming across a white child in a Ute camp, in the Wahsatch range?” ‘ec Yes. ” ‘‘ That child you bought from the Indians, and gave to a white woman in Corinne to bring up.” ‘Yes; I remember that well enough. Ihad a suspicion at the time that the child had escaped the massacre, although the Indians denied it; but the woman moved away long ago and took the child with her, and I haven’t any idea what bas become of either of them,” ‘‘ Ab, but I have, and I thought you knew; the child is this girl, Polly.” The Danite was surprised at the {ntelligence. ‘Tt may be true,” he said, slowly. ‘‘Oh, Iam sure of it, and I have questioned the girl, too; she remembers the massacree well enough, but has sense, gal as she is, to keep a still tongue in her head, and that’s the reason, John Clark, why she is not for you.” ‘‘ And does not the same reason interfere with you, too?” ‘Oh, no!” exclaimed Biddeman, quickly. ‘‘I am one of the leading men among the Mormons, As my wife of course she will be obliged, for her own and for her children’s sake, to keep quiet about what she knows in regard to that affair; a sad mistake it was, too, John, although we did need the emigrants’ plunder pretty badly at that time, but I'm afraid that some of us will be brought to book for it some of these days. Now, if you were a regular Mormon—” | ‘‘ Instead of being merely a Mormon tool!” interrupted Clark, in contempt. , ‘Tf you were a Mormon, why, you might stand a chance of getting the girl.” “But as it is, the girl is yours past all redemption, eh?” the Danite asked, in his slow, solemn, measured way. ‘‘That’s the way I look at it, John!” and Biddeman gave a defiant shake of the head. ‘‘But not the way I look at it!” and the Danite slowly arose to his feet. | ‘‘ ih, what do you mean?” : ‘‘Exactly what I told you before! the girl is not for you, ex- ~ cepting that she chooses to remain with you here in this house of her own free will.” : ‘‘The girl is not in the house!” cried Biddeman, desperately. A contest was at hand and he shrunk from it. ‘Oh, don’t lic to me, elder; you’re only wasting your breath!” was the Danite’s contemptuous reminder, and as he spoke he took two steps teward the door. Biddeman was on his feet in an instant, the revolver glisten- ing in his hand, but in his confusion and anger he had neglected to cock it, : ‘(See here, John Clark, I don’t want to kill you!” he cried, ‘‘T don’t want to have any man’s blood upon my hands, bus that girl up-stairs belongs to me, and I’ll die before I yield her up to any one! Take care, now! I’m desperate, and Ill lay you out colder’n a wedge if you don’t quit interfering in this here matter!” “Oh, she is up-stairs, eh?” and the Danite, turning suddenly, faced the Mormon, his powerful, keen-edged knife glistening in his brawny fist. ; stg your hand, or [ll cut you into mince-meat!” he cried, ** Keep back, or I'll fire!” yelled Biddeman, almost beside him- self with rage. ‘* You shan’t take the gal from me; she’s mine, and I'll have your life first!” Leveling the revolver full at the brawny breast of the Danite, the Mormon pulled the trigger, but as he had neglected to cock the weapon of course no discharge followed. es Jobn Clark’s keen eyes had noticed that the hammer was not raised, or else the Mormon would never have pressed the trigger With a single motion, Clark caught the Mormon by the throat ig pressed the razor-like point of the keen knifeagainst the ot your weapon, or I'll drive the blade home!” he hissed. 1d most assuredly would he have kept his word, had not another hand interposed. A shot echoed through the room, and a groan of mortal agony came from the elder’s lips.