Beadle's Dime Library No. 103 — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

ee - ° wr Se ne Se~ ew “am — ewe e gw we ee eae Ce ee eee tee -_——-—_ —“se mw o4 Juan de Uloa, and are engaged to marry the rich daughter of the commandant, to in turn become commandant yourself. Just see what I have done for you, ungrateful boy that you are.” ‘“The best thing you ever have done for me is in hiding from the world our kindred to each other; for that I thank you.” ‘It would not be policy to do otherwise, boy. You are useful to me now, as a stranger; i give you money to play against me and lose, and your ill-luck tempts others, whom you drag in to the sacrifice; for your services | pay you more than double your pay as an officer, not to speak of little loans.” ‘Yes, and keep an account of every peso, to make me pay you back when I marry Victorine Ruidrez.” | ‘* Your borrowea money only, boy; not your salary.” ‘* Which is, or will be, a considerable sum.” ‘Yes; marry sooner, and borrow less fre- quently.” ‘*T will have to, now that you are a beggar,” sneered the son. ‘“‘ And you ure a liar,” pleasantly retorted the father. ‘In that chest I have fifty thousand pesos, and the match to the ring that Merle Freelance wore to-night,” and a smile unfatho- mable crossed the cold face of the Monte Prince, while Major Vista! Guarena gazed upon him as though he believed him Satan in the disguise of man. CHAPTER XXX. A STORY OF CRIME. ‘THAT stone seemed priceless; a finer one I never saw; and you have its mate?” said Vistal Guarena, after a pause of a moment in the con- versation. ‘‘ Yes, I have its mate,” and crossing the room he unlocked, by the use of several keys, the iron chest, and took therefrom a band of massive gold in which was set a single superb diamond. “Yes, it is exactly alike; it would make a lendid bridal gift for the fair Victorine,” said istal, avariciously. “Do asI tell you in one thing and I will give it to you.” “Tt’s a bargain; if it’s not blood-letting.” ‘‘No;: your dainty fingers need not be soiled, and your conscience must become like mine.” ‘God pity me if it did! It is sufficiently elas- tic now; but, are you not going to retire?’ “ And leave my guest awake?” **T willthrow myself here on this sofa divan.” “Bah! you could not sleep; you are too ner- vous, but I can drop off into a slumber that a nursing babe would envy. Steel your muscles, your nerves, and your brain to your own will, my son.” ‘You certainly possess wonderful control over yourself.” ‘* It is an art, uired after long study. See this wounded hand is as steady as a rock,” an he took it from the silken sling and held it out. ‘““T see; it has gotten over its trembling,” said the son, dryly. ‘‘l admit it; Imet more than my match to- night, though he is but a boy. Then I was ner- vous at future prospects, for joy unnerves, you know, at times.” ‘*Satan knows what you had to rejoice at; I don’t.” ‘* That will come out in our compact when you strive for the ring.” “Where did you get that ring?” ** Took it from a woman’s finger.” “Without her consent, of course?” ‘*' Yes, she was unconscious; shall I tell you the story?” ‘Oh yes, let me hear all that is horrible about ou. The eyes of the Monte Prince glittered like a snake’s, and lighting a cigar he said, quietly: ‘‘Tt was when I was with Freelance; we were attacked by a brig, one dark night, and it roved to be a Spanish vessel-of-war, and as we arded, or rather two-thirds of the crew, for ! with the balance was left on our own decks; | say as the men, led by Freelance, boarded the brig forward, the Spaniards boarded the schoon- er aft, and the very Satan was to pay at once.” ‘‘Freelance had his wife on board with him, wife and her maid, and they were in the cabin, whither several Spaniards made their way, and I followed them at once, leaving my men to beat back those on deck.’ | ‘‘T found the Princess—Freelance had mar- ried a Persian princess, you know—” ‘* No, I don’t know—had he?” ‘Yes, and I found her unconscious with fright, as was her maid also, and the two Span- iards in assion of the cabin. ‘**T shot one of them in the back, and cut the other down with my cutlass, ere they were aware of my presence—”’ ‘*'Yes you like tostrike in the back I believe,” said the son, with biting sarcasm. ‘“‘As you may one day find out, when you cease to be longer useful to me.” ‘“‘T pray Heaven I may ever be most useful; but I retard this very interesting romance—if L only knew a novelist, I would give him the points to work up into a story. Proceed, padre mine. ~—— = oe oe - _—- —_———_—- . - — Merle; The Mutineer. ** As the second Spaniard fell I saw upon the finger of the princess this ring, and I immediate- ly rew it off, knowing it would be laid to the charge of the enemy. ‘*The ruby anchor you saw last night, and the diamond necklace, Zulah (that was her name) also wore, and I strove to take those, too —they are worth a million, boy.” ‘* The more fool you, as a thief, for not taking them.” ‘*T tried to; but the setting was too strong and massive to break easily, and the fastening I did not know; but I would have broken them loose had | not heard rushing feet:on deck, and the voice of Freelance.” ““Oh! you feared him, then?” ‘“T did; I ran from the cabin, found the Spaniards had driven our crew from their deck, and once on his schooner again, Freelance was driving the enemy back to their brig, and of course I joined in the fight—” ‘‘ Like a cur running after another cur, when somebody has first set him to going.” ‘*T killed the two Spaniards in the cabin.” ‘‘ Yes: the Christian, the Turk, even the Jew, will fight for his God—you fought for yours— | Booty,” suggested Vistal Guarena, in tones most ' | | | | | | | cutting: but the swarthy face of his father never changed, and he continued: pany, and I let her go, for we were not like turtle- doves in our married life. ‘*It was she who taught me how great were my powers for devilment, and I set to work ex- hibiting my talents upon that stranger who stopped at my house for shelter one night. ‘*That was my master-stroke, for it made a man of me, and of 5 too, for 1 brought you here where you could develop your talents; for ‘like father, like son’ I thought. ‘“Now, what became of my stray wife after she left my bed and board I cannot tell you, for I silenced her tongue ere I learned her story, which doubtless would have been of interest; but, certain it is, a dried-up specimen of female anatomy, I found her upon a prize we oases, and her tongue began to let loose a stream o abuse upon me. “To stop the flow of language, I shot her through the brain. ‘“1lt was an unlucky shot for me, I then thought—but now I think differently—for Free- lance saw the act and ordered me hung at the yard-arm within the hour. ‘* It was dark when I was led forth to execution and I saw an advantagein my favor, if I could use it. We were bowling merrily along withia half a league of the land, and the wind was blowing seven knots, and the schooner making ‘*T told Freelance that | had rushed into the | nine out of it. cabin, single-handed against a half-dozen, and killing two, had put the rest to flight, and he | about my neck I had once favored slightly, by made me his first officer, in the place of the one | savin 1 that had been killed, for I wasa boatswain then, having been with him but a short while.” ‘‘And Freelance took his wife buccaneering with bim?’ ‘*The man who was totie my hempen cravat his life, and I whispered to him to a knife up my right sleeve, and not to bin hands, though seeming so to do. ‘‘Up I went to the yard-arm, hanging clear of the schooner and over the waters, and though ace my ‘‘Oh, no; he was not then a buccaneer; only | choked savagely I freed my hands, severed the cruising in his own vessel for pleasure. ‘* He had been in Eastern waters, but coming this side the Atlantic, 1 j»ined him at Boston, whither I went after leaving home, on the occasion you refer to. ‘‘Of course the ring was missed; but it was laid to the Spanish seamen, and I kept it hidden. ‘Shortly after the affair with the Spanish brig we touched at Charleston in the Carolinas, and Freelance sent me ashore to purchase stores; but he sailed shortly after, leaving word for me to join him at Vera Cruz. It was said he recognized some one on board of an American vessel of war at anchor near him, that caused him to put at once to sea. ‘*T think I was lucky in being left, as Free- lance was wrecked on the Mexican coast some- where, and his wife lost, I believe, leaving him and three others alive. You see the devil takes care of his own.” ‘True, you have lived quite long—let me see, nearly fifty now, though you don’t look it.” Without noticing the remark, the Monte Prince continued: ‘“Those three were a baby boy, his wife’s maid, and a man who was the boon companion of Freelance. He held no rank on the schooner, only the position of friend to the captain.” ‘* A pleasant berth, with a pleasant captain.” “Yes, and this man seemed to enjoy it. Well, I met Freelance in Vera Cruz, as ordered, and went with him into the Mexican service. ‘* You know what side we took, and that he was outlawed by a pronunciamento as a pirate and thus he became a buccaneer, I still follow- ing his fortunes.” ‘You doubtless followed them as long as you could?’ “1 did; but he seemed to think John Manuel too cruel. The crew had an unpleasant way of bestowing nick-names, and they dropped the John, which served as an honest prefix to my cognomen, and called me Red Manuel.” ‘*On account of little indiscrstions on your rt, such as cutting a throat, thrusting a knife in the back, and—” “« Just so,on account of little peculiarities of that kind they rechristened me; but Freelance, not content with breaking me of my rank, one day, because I shot an ugly old hag, whom we nad captured on a prize, and whom I recogniz- ” ‘* Ah! an old friend?’ ‘““Yes, one who looked as though she might have been the devil’s dam; she was your mother, you know?” ‘* My mother !” The face of Vistal Guarena turned livid and he sprung to his feet. “Sit down! Keep cool, for the thermometer isup among the nineties, and you might get moon-struck, my son.” The tone was métallic in its coldness, and the face unchanged. One glance into that face and the young of- ficer resumed his seat, a sigh escaping his lips. ‘Yes, she was my wife and your mother, once a beautiful young girl, an Italian, who danced for a living on the theater boards. ‘‘T became infatuated with her, and she mar- ried me, and we settled down to wedded misery upon the little Florida farm my parents had left me to starve on.” ‘*T thought my mother died when I was a child—you always told me so,” said Vistal, slowly. ‘‘T always told you a lie, dear boy; your mother ran away from home with acircus com- | rope above my head and went down feet first into the sea. ‘“It was believed the rope broke, the dark- ness hiding my act; I was expected to drown _ immediately, and the schooner passed on. ‘* 1 struck out for the shore as soon as I loos- . ened my bempen cravat, and I need not tell you that I arrived, for the presence of your af- iectionate father here proves that much. ‘‘ Now, being averse to yard-arms I came to Mexico to carve out my fortune, going to the Capital, and entering into business there.” ‘* What business?” ‘* Gambling.” ‘** Proceed: | am all attention.” ‘*T had with me all I possessed in the world, for 1 would not leave behind me for others that which was of use tome; so I had some funds, and my diamond ring, besides a number of very fair precious stones, that I turned into money. ‘* After I had laid the corner-stone of my for- tune I felt a longing to see you, my son, so I had you brought hither, concocted a story about your being the son of a wealthy Cuban who had died of yellow fever in Tampico, and left you to my po with some little money, and had no difficulty in getting you adopted by that old fool Inglicia, who died and left you a fair fortune, which you have run through with.” ‘‘ And did you dare go to the city of Mexico after having served with Freelance?’ ‘It seems so; I wore short-cropped hair then, and a very long beard; now I wear very long hair and no beard, only this,” and the Monte Prince quietly fondled the ends of his black, silken mustache. ‘*But about that Don Merlino? You have not told me how you knew him, and how you recognized him?’ ‘‘ Ah! my son is interested, I see, in the story of his father. ‘*T have not seen that dangerous young man since be was five or six years of age, yet | recog- nized him to-night, for, excepting having grown older, his face has not changed. ‘* With even this thrust through my hand, and my one hundred and fifty thousand hard- earned savings gone, I rejoice that I met him.” ‘*T will tell you why,” and a look so very devilish cr the man’s face, that Vistal Guarena felt assured that he was to hear an- other story of crime from his father’s lips. CHAPTER XXX1I. THE MONTE PRINCE SEEKS REVENGE. A Few indolent whiffs at his cigar did the Monte Prince give after his promise to tell Vis- tal Guarena why he rejoiced at baving met Merle; then he began, in a voice as calm as though telling an ordinary story: OAs I told you, Vistal, the son of Freelance the Buccaneer, was the man, or rather youth, for he is nothing more in years, who drove that an- chor-hilted knife through my band to-night, and which leaves me a debt tosettle with him, for my revenge against his father I thought I had enjoy- ed: lam not, however, sO easy in my mind on that point just now, as you will see by my story. ~ “When Freelance was outlawed as a bucea- neer by the Mexican government, he left here in Vera Cruz his baby boy. ‘“'The child was placed at the home of an old Mexican woman, whom the chief had in some way served in the bygone, and the maid of the JOO Gomme S) (E(0)