Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 105 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

i 2 _ ————ee — — ——— + ee ee “Dan Brown of Denver,”’ The Rocky Mountain Detective. BY JOS. E. BADGER, JR., AUTHOR OF “‘ THREE-FINGERED JAOK,” ‘‘ GOSPEL GEORGE,” ‘‘ THE LONG HAIRED ‘ PARDS,’”’ ‘‘OLD BULL’S EYE,” ‘‘ PACIFIC PETE,” ‘* JACK RABBIT,” ‘‘ CAPTAIN COOL-BLADB,” ETC., ETC. CHAPTER I. CAPTAIN MOONSHINE. Tue rapid clatter of iron-shod hoofs through the rocky defile as ‘*Tansy” Smit touched up his leaders with his long-lashed whip, eager to reach the now not distant end of his beat. The dingy old stage rattled in its rusty joints, swaying, creaking and groaning upon its stiff leathern springs, like some rheu- matic veteran. On through the narrow pass where, on more than one occasion the stage had been abruptly halted in obedience to the stern commands of armed and threatening road- agra and Tansy Smith drew a long breath of relief as the rocky trap was left behind them. ‘“*That was the last ditch,” he said, addressing a somewhat dandified looking passenger beside him, whose frank demeanor and prime cigars had conquered the veteran’s prejudices against fine clothes and scented hair. ‘‘Sence Cap. Moonshine an’ his black-avised critters didn’t lay fer us yender, I reckon we’ll reach Grenada without any— Tnunder an’ guns!” The lead horses suddenly reared up and fell back upon the wheelers, while at the same in- stant the ribbons were torn from the hands of the driver and his legs, caught at the knee, were inned to the front end of the coach with pain- ul force. All this without any visible sign of anenemy, or a sound other than that attending the passage of the stage and the four horses harnessed to it. In the dim, uncertain twilight that filled the mountain pass, the nature of the silent obstruc- tions could only be guessed at, but the pu they were to serve, was not long left in doubt. ‘*Keep your hands clear of weapons, unless you are tired of life!” cried a deep, hoarse, yet not wholly unpleasant voice, as a horseman sud- denly emer from the denser shadows and drew near the stage, holding a revolver in each hand. ‘‘No one shall be harmed unless foolish resistance is offered. In that case, the innocent will suffer with the guilty. for my men shall riddle that coach with bullets until it is fit for musketo netting!” The terrified horses were plunging and kickin madly. The driver was mingling groans 0 gees fear with cries and curses of pain as he vainly strove to free his lower limbs from the excruciating pressure upon them. The in- side passengers, thrown into a confused heap by the abrupt stoppage of the coach, were scarcely less demoralized, judging from the half-smoth- ered curses of men and the screams of women that came to the ears of the bold road. agent. He uttered a sharp whistle, and several men darted out of the shadows and fastened upon the horses, seeking to quiet them. At the same moment the outside passenger bent downward and freed both bimself and driver by one stroke of his knife. With asullen twang, the stout rope parted, and the young owe up the lines that lay upon the foot- ard. “Take them,” he whispered, hurriedly. ‘‘ Use our whip lively—Tll open the road for you. member there’s women aboard—” Tansy Smith was an ihe fg man, and no crack-brained hero of chivalry. No one better realized the value of life, and flinging aside the reins, he grasped the young man by the wrist, muttering fiercely: ‘* Easy, ye pesky hot-head! Try to burn pow- der, an’ down ye go, head-fust!” The keen eyes of the road-agent chief saw that something was amiss, and in obedience to his signal, three men came forward and covered the two men upon the box, with their pistols. “Blow their brains out at the first crooked move!” were the words that dropped sternly from his lips. Only a madman would have offered resistance under the circumstances, and Tansy Smith felt the rigid muscles of his companion relax, as he quietly gave over his desperate project, for the present, at least, ‘Twas fer your good as much as mine,” the driver muttered, apologetically. ‘‘ They’ve got the drop onto us, an’ we’d be hafe way to glor by this time, ef I hedn’t put the brake on. It’s ap. Moonshine an’ his outfit—bad medicine, I tell you /” At the first appearance of the road-agent, a faint red light found birth among the shadows, and ph me oe ag flames of a 1 fire ones a ruddy glow over the scene, e rays of the moon and dimming the P seas studded the vault above. | | “By this light the passengers, both in and on the eoach, could see that Captain Moonshine’ Dan Brown of Denver. had + hege no more than the truth. At least twenty masked men were surrounding the ve- hicle, covering it with their cocked revolvers. Resistance would be folly. The outlaw paused long enough for this dis- agreeable fact to impress itself upon the minds of his human game, then advanced to the door of the stage, flinging it open with a turn of his wrist. ‘‘ Ladies and gentlemen,” he uttered in a tone of mock politeness. ‘‘I deeply regret the neces- sity of interrupting your journey, but business is business. You will kindly oblige me by alight- ing.” f It’s more lead than gold you’d git from me ef it wasn’t fer the wimmen aboard!” growled one of the passengers, as he obeyed the outlaw’s command, then turned to assist a slight, trem- bling figure to alight. ‘‘ Blessings on the sweet ones! This is not the first time I have owed my life to them,” laughed Captain Moonshine. ‘‘Take your stand near the fire. Come—tumble out kee the rest of you! Business is business, and I have no time to w Two men followed, and, clinging to the arm of the last one, came a woman, whose beautiful face showed ghastly pale in the red glow of the meng fire. As she emerged, the young man who had oc- cupied the box-seat with the driver, descended from his perch without awaiting a particular invitation. These six, together with the driver, compris- ed the entire human freight carried by the Gre- nada stage. Captain Moonshine tersely bade a subordinate overhaul the mail-bags and treasure chest, if there was one aboard, then marshaled the pas- ed in line before the glowing fire. Standing before them, his own front was cast into the shade. As before stated, his face was masked by a covering of thick black — leaving no facial features visible save the g it- tering orbs that gleamed through the oblong eye-holes in the mask. His hair was black as jet, hanging in curlin locks to his shoulders, fine and silken as those o a woman. From beneath the mask depended a glossy beard of like raven hue, long and forked. His form was well-knit and muscular, showing to advantage in a fringed, beaded and embroid- ered suit of buckskin. A broad belt girded his waist, supporting a knife and the mate to the one which he still held cocked in his right and. Despite the peril of their situation, those whose journey had been so strangely interrupt- ed, gazed upon the man before them with a cer- tain degree of interest. Though he had not been long upon the road,” at least in that region, Captain Moonshine had made for himself a name and notoriety that will live for years to come in the memory of man a Coloradoan. He and his men seemed ubiqui- tous. Their daring deeds of pave! rapine and murder were legion. Ruin and loodshed followed their footsteps. Many earnest efforts had been made to bring them to book, but never with success. All traps were avoided, or else resulted in the tables being adroitly turned on the enemy, until many really believed that he and his bore a charmed life, through virtue of a a ami made with his satanic majesty in per- son Captain Moonshine appeared to court a close scrutiny, and maintained silence for a full minute; but then he spoke, sharply: ** Beginning on the right of the line, you will give me your names, occupations, the place you came from and your destination. Any at- tempts at concealment or evasion, will at Sis peril. Ihave my reasons for asking the nformation, and [I know enough of the truth to detect any prevarication.” } The one on the right was a burly miner, whose answers need find no place bere, since he has no further part to play in this chronicle, The second was the slight, black-vailed wo- man, who still clung tremblingly to the arm of the man who had assisted her from the coach. He did not give her time to speak, but quietly uttered: ‘‘ The one answer’ll do fer us both, I reckon, critter. She’s my wife—made so as fast as the biggest squire in Denver could do the job. You’ve skeered her ’most to death with your durned foolishin’, a’ready!” ‘* A timid, blushing bride, eh?’ lenges “_ ° tain Moonshine, mockingly. ‘‘ Too hful raise her vail. You're a lucky dog, for an old one, Jack Gill!” ‘‘A dog that kin make his teeth meetin the flesh of ary wolf that threatens his lamb, old or no old,” sternly retorted the man, eyes aglow. ‘I ain’t keerin’? much what youdo to me, but give a crooked look, or raise a finger ag’iust her, an’ thar’ll be dead meat in these ‘No one covets your ‘sweetness,’ old man, so you are wastin * teat breath. I know all about yourself; tha you are making a fortune stock-raising, and that you are one of the lead- ers in the company of Vigilantes recently or- ganized for RY bam purpose of riddin lo- rado of myself and men. Some day we mee ad and settle the question forever. Fall back with the digger, yonder.” The fourth was the young man who had rid- den outside. ‘‘ My name is Horace Treville, from Boston, a gentleman of leisure, traveling for the benefit = my health, and at present. bound for Grena. a ’ Such was his terse account of himself, and Cap- tain Moonshine bowed mockingly to the person whose appearance and dress seemed so strangely out of place in that wild region. A hat and slender cane; garments of broadcloth, fashionably cut; snowy white linen, with diamond studs and cuff-buttons. A form graceful and rather slender; a face clear pink and white, with regular features; neatly trim- med whiskers; lip and chin smooth shaven; hair cut rather short, of a light brown color; in a word, the picture of a fashionable young gentle- man of the upper class. He, too, was motioned aside, though the out: law hesitated for a moment while his eyes were fixed upon the glittering stones that shot forth ae of purest lightin the lurid glow of the e. Without a word the young man from Boston fell back, pausing close beside Jack Gill, but casting a covert glance around upon the half- dozen armed men who stood near as guards. A sudden and complete change came over the demeanor of Captain Moonshine as he turned toward the two remaining passengers, ahd a close observer would have felt pretty sure that only the prologue had been spokenthat the purpose for which the stage had been stopped, was intimately connected with this last couple. ‘It seems to me that I have met you before,” said the road-agent, pausing before the man, who retorted: ‘That is oe Leys I am acriminal law- yer, and in the way of business have prosecuted many ar ou muy have been among the num ber.” A low laugh came from out the shadows where the yeaa. were rding the coach and passengers telling that they could enjoy a sharp hit, even at the expense of their chief. Neither did he seem seriously displeased by the audacious speech. But not the ghost of a smile appeared upon the angular features of the law- er, as he gave the desired information concern- ‘My name is Ezra Blackwood. Iama law- er, from St. Louis. My immediate destination renada. Somewhere near there lives a gen- tleman named Noah Crabtree, an uncle of this lady, whois on her way to pay him and his family a long-promised visit. ‘She being my ward, I have acted as her escort thus far on her me. The lawyer spoke as though from the witness box, without one unnecessary word, but, though he seemed to be listening intently, the road-agent looked only at the fair maiden who clung closely to the speaker. The two formed a strong contrast. Both were taller than ordinary, but there the similarity ended, The form of the young lady was symmetry itself, rounded and well developed; that of her companion was but little better than a mass of bones, joints and angles, thrown together at random and kept from falling apart by a parch- ment-colored skin. Her features were clear-cut and almost classical in their regularity; hei complexion very fair for a brunette, but the to- tal absence of color in her face might be attrib- uted to the strange situation in which she so un- expectedly found herself. Ezra Blackwood was yellow as saffron, his face clean shaven, his mouth only perceptible as a thin slit beneath his long, hooked nose. From the clerical cut of his clothes, and his austere demeanor, he might easily have been mistaken for some dyspeptic minister of the gospel. ‘The lady has a tongue of her own, and doubtless can speak for herself,” suggested Cap- tain Moonshine, waving his hand impatiently. ‘¢ Fall back with the others, sir.” Ezra Blackwood hesita for a moment, as the lady clung to his arm in evident fear, but then the road-agent shook his cocked revolver menacingly, and with a whispered word in the ear of his fair companion, the lawyer obeyed. ‘‘You have nothing to fear from me, lady, outlaw though I may be,” added Captain Moon- shine, in a much more gentle tone. Your name, please?” ‘“Rachel Trowbridge,” in a clear, musica] tone. ‘Daughter and only child of the late Charles Trowbrid , of St. Louis, Missouri?” The maiden bowed in silence, though there was a wondering light in her eyes as they rested upon the masked outlaw, who was leaning for- ward, a ently listening with breathless in- terest for her answer. ptain Moonshine stepped forward and took her reluctant hand. There was strong emotion in his voice as he spoke again. “* Miss Trow you only know me as outlaw—one whose d is raised against men, even as their hands are armed It is natural that you should an all me. me with t ' suspicion, and you may not believe me when I Ecomicboo! mae te => =) * 4 i _” ‘ ‘ +