Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 105 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

tiie calles Po ~ 2 ee oe ee ee - De ee —— -_ — ee <~ —~— =a, eS a ee eED aree oy at o---e —— =< . oe ——-. wer - —e-. «+ — yee ke —— — - - la ite a Ni aan | ee teal stvoop down and empty our corrals. As a favor to me, remain here. Keep ail well secured in the house, and if an attack is made, send up three more rockets, and we will answer the call,” Your hounds, with old Music as leader, were piaced upon the trail, and close «t their heels r.de the Vigilantes, sternly res Jved to make sure work of their bold enemy this time in case they should overtake him. The dead herdsman was carried to his own evbin, where his heart-broken wife and terrified cai d mourned bitterly over his corpse. The two Blackwoodd retired to the dwelling- house, and as Rachel and her aunt were with Ruth, they drew close together and conversed in low, guarded tones. The herdsmen left on guard over the fire, James Kintner and Robert Harvey, though feeling tolerably safe now that the Vigilantes were afoot, took warning by the fate of their comrade and kept closely under cover, talking in low tones that were far from steady. Igno- rant and unlearned men, like the majority of such, there was a vein of strong superstition running through their compositions. Both be- lieved that the man whom they had helped to hang was dead ere they left the grove; and yet they each would have solemnly sworn that they recognized Will Wilder in the horseman who ved that death-shot. ‘He swore he’d come back to ha’nt us,” mut- tered Kintner, with a nervous glance around em as though frightened by the sound of his own voice. ‘* ve binsorry ever sence. It was rough on the poor feller. Jest ’cause he was in ':-ve with the gal. The old man is too durned Lard. Poor ez I be, ef I was once a good hun- cred miles from here, 1 wouldn’t change places with bim, fer all his cattle and horses!’ **They’ll more come of it, be sure,” uttered Robert Harvey, the second stockman. “Ef I live through ontel mornin’, ’m goin’ to pull out o’ this fer a healthier kentry, whar ghosts don’t ride hossback an’ shoot down honest critters!” Thus they conversed, adding co their own fears by the wild fancies to which they gave utterance. More than once before they had elped to take human life, but then there had ‘een no after-clap. The dead rested quietly in ‘vucir unhallowed graves. But now—they felt ‘uat they were haunted men, and had the sur- rounding darkness not added to their fears, they ould have mounted their horses and fled far oway. early an hour passed thus, when the freshen- ) uf breeze fanned a portion of the fence intoa +. aze, and for the moment forgetting their fears 1) a sense of the duty they owed to their em- niover, both men ran out from their cover with u-ipping blankets to extinguish the flames. They succeeded in doing this, but then a cry of superstitious horror broke simultaneously from their lips. Out from behind the nearest corral rode a dark horseman, and recognizing what they be- leeved to be the restless spirit of Will Wilder, tv.ey turned to flee in mad affright, making no : ao to use the weapons they bore in their elts. Swift as an arrow the borseman overtook and passed them by, and as he did so, those fear- inspiring words once more fell from his lips, sounding to them like like the awful trump of doom |! There was a swift circle made by the rider’s hand, and then a horrible gurgling shriek burst, f:om the lips of James Kintner, cut short in his Laroat as the cold noose of a lasso tightened eround it and hurled him headlong to the svround, A wild, fierce laugh came back as the terrible avenger sped away over the plain, the body of the doomed herdsman at the end of the lasso, sounding and dragging after him! Half-insane with horror, Harvey ran to the house and burst open the door before the alarm- | ed inmates could admit him. The Blackwoods, father and son, either were, or seemed to be, too greatly confused to do rught, but Mrs. Crabtree glided out to the ‘torehouse and quickly discharged the rockets that were to hasten ber husband’s return. The Vigilanies made their appearance before ‘hey were expecied, the trail they were follow- lag rb made a wide circuit and then ap- } roached the ranch from a direction opposite to caat in which it bad departed. Some little time was lost before the horrible facts of the case could be learned from Harvey who, for the time being, was wholly unmanned and almost senseless with fear. But then a brief ceuereh resulted in finding the hat which had iallen from the doomed stockman’s head as the fatal noose encircled his throat, and by means of this the bloodhounds were quickly placed up- on the right scent. Swiftly they ran, and close upon their heels rode the Vigilantes, their faces pale and stern- set, for they knew that they were one and all marked men—that their lives were not their ewn while this terrible avenger ranged the plains, Straight for the little grove where Will Wil- der had been hung four-and-twenty hours be- fore, the hounds le! the way, and as the horse- Dan Prown of Denver. men reached the edge of the timber, the low but gradually rising wail from the mouth of old Musie told them what to expect. Each man knew that they were too late, and it was with strong feelings of awe that they rode into the motte, pausing before the death-tree. There, hanging over the swift-running water, pendent from the same limb to which Will Wil- der had been hung, dangled a dark and shape- less mass that all knew could only be the re- mains of unfortunate James Kintner. Such proved to be the case. Horribly man- gled, scarce retaining the semblance of humani- ty, the dead herdsman was cut down. Upon his breast was pinned a scrap of paper, briefly stating that he was slain for a murder an innocent man, It was number two, and appended was the name of Will Wilder ! CHAPTER XIV. ‘‘IDAHO IRA ON DECK.” As that clear, incisive voice burst so unex- pectedly upon their hearing, Captain Moonshine and his men instinctively threw themselves on the defensive, but it was only a single man that confronted them, instead of the marshal’s entire posse, as their fears had at once suggested. Active as a panther, the bold speaker arose from the deep shadow lying at the base of a rock hard by, and with one swift leap stood be- tween the prisoner and his five captors. Two silver-mounted revolvers gleamed coldly in the rays of the moon, and the polished tubes rose to a level as the outlaws touched their wea- Ons. ac Slow and easy, gentlemen!” the bold in- truder cried, in a clear, resonant tone. ‘‘If an enemy to you, I could have shot you down from yonder cover and sent your spirits wailing ene the death-trail before you could have reali what wasup. But Ididn’t. Dog don’t eat dog as long as more palatable food offers itself.” ~ What in blazes do you mean, then, by this interference in a matter that does not concern you?’ demanded Captain Moonshine, angrily, yet flinching before the leveled pistols. ‘Simply that I have a prior claim on the life of Marshal Enoch Dodge—a claim so serious that, five to one as you are, I mean to fight for it to the very death!” ‘** There’s room for both him and you down in the gulch,” uttered the road-agent, menacingly. ‘‘fHle knows too much to let slip through our fingers now!” i short, reckless laugh parted the lips of the stranger. ‘*l could kill two of you before you could draw a weapon—another brace before you could fire a shot; and Idaho Ira has yet to tind the single man that can handle him—” ‘“‘Are you Idaho Ira?’ interposed Captain Moonshine, eagerly. ‘‘T am—now what are you going to do about it?” ‘* It was your brother that he hung, six months ago!” ‘‘Exactly—and that constitutes my claim upon him. There was no great amount of love ] full, round chest, small waist, hips almost as swelling as those of a woman, muscular thighs and lower limbs, well displayed by his buckskin suit. A face that was not uncomely, though dark as that of an Indian; a face that would have been handsome, only for the bulbous ap- pe of the nose which, in company with is cheeks, seemed bloated with bad whisky. His hair was long and curling, of a jetty black- ness, and the well oiled locks seemed the special pride of their wearer. ‘Spit it out, and lively, too!” he cried, im- patiently. ‘“‘Are we to fight for the honor of wiping this fellow out, or do you acknowledge the justness of my claim upon oe 2 ‘*You may kill him and welcome,” romptly responded Captain Moonshine. “ So that he is killed, ['m not particular about doing the job myself. But I don’t want him to die too soon. He has a secret that he must reveal. You can’t object to our ter him through a little course of sprouts, before you polish him off.” ‘* Even if he had been born deaf and dumb, he should hear and answer any question you may put to him,” said the desperado, with a ferocious laugh. ‘‘T’ll inflict torture enough, never fear—for 1 mean to skin him alive, inch by inch!” Reckless, malignant though he undeniably was, Captain Moonshine drew back with an involuntary shudder as these words dropped from the lips of the desperado. To be flayed alive! The punishment far exceeded anything his fertile fancy had pictured. Yet neither he nor his comrades uttered any remonstrance as Idaho Ira strode swiftly up to the bound and helpless prisoner, his bared knife glittering omi- nously in the silvery rays of the smiling moon. Enoch Dodge had overheard all, and felt that his end was nigh at hand, but even with such fiendish torture in prospective, his bold spirit did not quail. His eyes undauntedly met those of the desperado, and a cold smile curled his -_ lips as the bared blade gleamed before his ace. ‘* Let up on your monkeyin’, an’ do your dirty work, critter,” he said, grimly. ‘‘I’m only sor- ry that you wasn’t by at the time I hung your brother whelp, so the same rope could ’a’ ended the p’izen breed forever!” If bis desperate purpose was to provoke the fellow into slaying him outright, it appeared that Enoch Dodge had gained his end, for, with a low, snarling cry, Idaho Ira closed with him, his knife making two strokes in swift succes- sion. Loud, angry cries burst from the lips of Cap- tain Moonshine and his men, for they belicved that the desperado had slain the prisoner, thus destroying their last hope of obtaining the pre- cious document they estimated so highly. Mad with fury they darted forward to tear the slayer from his victim, but with a sherp ew Idaho Lra turned and leaped upon tlem, urying his knife to the very haft in the braw: y throat of Wolf, its keen point ranging down- ward and cleaving bis heart in twain! Swift as thought in his emotions, Idaho Ira lost between brother Ben and I, but blood is | leaped on a pace, then wheeled with a brace of thicker than water, and I swore that I would vow his death upon this hound. Whatever else | may be, I am no liar. Kill him I will— and if you interfere, he will have company across the dark river.” Captain Moonshine and his four companious each drew a long breat of relief as the bold in- truder uttered these words. They well knew the reputation of [daho Lra as a *' bad man,” and heavy as the odds were in their favor, little | relished the idea of meeting the desperaco in a life ordeath grapple. Before the announcement of his name, they believed his purpose was to rescue Enoch Dodge from their grasp, but that fear no longer troubled them. } ; | } ! The brothers, Ben and Lre Hardin, bad won a | bloody and most unenviable reputation as fire- eaters and desperadoes of the most dangerous class. Time and again those two alone bad ‘‘ captured ” towns containing as many thousand inhabitants, holding the streets fur hour after hour, running matters as their own wild will suggested, and then riding away in mocking triumph, leaving dead and dying men behind them as mementoes of their raid. Then came a quarrel between the brothers, and they separated. Ben Hardin wandered to Grenada, and while half drunk attempted to ‘run the town,” single-handed. Enoch Dodge had just been elected marshal, and promptly ‘‘went for” the wild “ waugh-hoss,” taking him into camp after a free burning of powder and a tough personal encounter. In that affray two outsiders were killed, and the result was the speedy trial, condemnation and hanging of the desperado. ms Idaho Ira had always been counted the “ best man” of the fighting brothers, and as his range had been principally in the sister State to Colo- rado, he and the road-agents had never until now encountered each other. Feeling him a kindred spirit, Captain Moonshine and his comrades now curiously upon the notorious des- perado. d F But little if any above the medium hight, Idaho Ira was a perfect model of muscular grace and pbysical perfection. Broad shouldered, ’ revolvers in his hands, confronting the amazed road -agents. Crack—crack ! and two of their number flung aloft their hands and spun around in death, a bullet crashing through the brain of each. Then, dropping one pistol and hurling the otber into the face of the fourth outlaw with a force | that knocked bim backward into the vigorous arms of Enoch Dedge, Idaho Ira leaped upon Captain Mocnshine lke a hungry panther, grip- ing his throat and bearing him backward to the ground with resistless might and crushing force! The breath driven completely out of his body | by the fall and the added weight of Idaho Iv¢. Captain Moonshine fell an easy victim to big ; ¢- sailant. Turning bis head, Icaho Ira saw tha: Enoch Dodge bad also overpowered his antago- nist, overthrowing him and thumping his heac against the rocks until he was senseless, “ Pick up the corcs I cut, and bind this fellow Dodge,” said Ira, in a remarkably friendly tone for one who had declared himself such a bitter enemy but a few minutes before. “Its worth double the risk, you know, to capture Captain Moonshine.” But even as he spoke a curse of astonishment and bitter fury escaped his lips. In his hand he held the black mask which had screened the face of his captive—but with it came loose the jetty beard, revealing the stubbly chin and loated face of Billy Cooper, the drunken sot and bummer! Bnoch Dodge stared aghast, unable to believe the evidence of bis eyesight. Surely there must be witchcraft in this! or else the devil was striving to shield his favorite son! ‘* Kin it be that Drunken Billy hes bin playin’ us fer fools all this time—that he is Cap’n Moon- shine?’ he gasped. “No,” grated Idaho Ira, savagely. “ It is the coyote masquerading in the prizzly’s hide. “But no doubt he is a member of the band, and. as such, worth taking care of. He can be made to equeal with proper pinching, and to some purpose, Truss up your game, and then lead up the horses,” (E() > JOOKS