Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 105 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

~anooo oe “You,” came the prompt response. ‘* You belong to me. Dead or alive you shall be mine. {f you will go quietly, well and good. If not, then I will compel you. Which is it?” ‘Spare me—go and leave me!” gasped the terrifled girl. ever know—” ‘* You are only wasting your breath,” was the remorseless - interruption. more for you than ever man endured for wo- man before! I was wounded, flogged until my back was cut into ribbons of bloody flesh, and then I was hung like a sheep-killing cur! And for what? Because I dared to love you—only that!” Ruth shuddered at the bitter malignancy with which these words were rapidly enun- ciated. Whatever love she might have felt for this man was dead now. The entering wedge | had been when he insisted on her continuing | her flight on that fateful night, after she tegged | to be allowed to retrace her steps. Bit by bit | the black doubts grew amid her sorrow and self-abasement, until the night when the aveng- | er dealt his first blows of bitter retribution. | There came a great revulsion. She saw in the man who had won her young heart’s first love | a ruthless assassin. It was a bitter shock, and she well-nigh sunk beneath it, but there was a) trace of the old Crabtree spirit underlying her gentle nature, and Ruth was in a fair way of recovering when Wilder made his second and more audacious stroke. His brutal conduct completed the cure. Her love for him was dead and buried. In its place came an unutterable horror, even loathing. It seemed to her that if this man should touch her, that it would kill her outright. His mere pre- sence in the room appeared to poison the atmos- here and render it unfit for pure lungs to ‘ reathe. Her lips parted in the attempt to speak, but no sound issued therefrom. Aniron hand seera- od clutching her throat. ‘‘Silence gives consent,” added Wilder, with a low, diabolical laugh. “It is as well to spare words. Your father is a light sleeper, and might be alarmed. You know what would hap- pen then? He would rush up here—perhaps Da- vid and your mother would follow him. He would open the door—and then die! One after the other I would shoot them down—and then bear you, my dainty bride, away in my arms over their bleeding corpses.” “Spare them—snd me!” gasped Ruth, her brain reeling. ‘‘ Go—I will never betray you— I will never tell—” ‘‘No more,” he rudely interposed. ‘‘ You might ac well plead to a lump of stone. [came for you—I mean to take you away with me. If you prove ugly, then I will chloroform ty as [ have your friend yonder. Take your choice.’ ‘* What am I to do?” faltered Ruth. ‘‘ Arise and dress yourself, unless you prefer to take your bridal tour in that charming cos- tume! But remember! If the alarm is given those below, whether intentionally or not, death will surely follow. I have gone too far to draw back or hesitate now.” ‘‘f will remember, not for my own sake, but for theirs,” said Ruth, with greater steadiness than she had before shown. as wuch as youcan. I promiseto make no out- ery. "Phe road agent visibly hesitated as he gazed keenly upon the speaker, seeking to read her in- | most thoughts through ber snow-pale face by the dim, uncertain light which filled the low chamber. He was loth to lose even a morsel of his carefully brooded reyetirs but he saw some: thing in the maiden’s eyes that warned him to yield. Despite his desire to encounter Noah Crabtree that night, — —EE—————— ——E ‘*T will never tell—no one shall | ‘I have undergone | ‘Spare my shame Dan Brown cf Denver. They could bear Crabtree bid the men hasten to saddle horses for the road; they could hear him talking to his wife and son, and each mo- ment they dreaded to hear him or one of the others ascending the steep stairs for some rea- son. But this did not occur, and Wilder drew a long breath of relief as he heard the outer door close, and he tiptoed to the window to note the further movements of the men. ‘* Lucky for us all!” he muttered, with a grim chuckle. ‘‘ Let them get fairly started, then for our romantic elopement!” Better for him, perhaps, if he had not uttered 23 a i a ' broke in Wilder with an insolent assumption of this last taunt. It maddened Ruth, by showing | her the fate he beld in store, and with acourage | born of despair, she sprung forward and flung herself heavily against the ruffian, causing him to lose his balance and fail headlong through the open window. She heard the sickening thud, then uttered a piercing scream, falling to the floor in a nerveless heap, senseless! : CHAPTER XXIV. THE AVENGER DEALS ANOTHER BLOW. Noa CRABTREE heard that swooning cry, _and recognized the voice of his daughter, just as he was on the point of mounting bis horse to answer the rocket-signal. Followed by David and the others, he rushed toward the house to solve the mystery of that piercing shriek. Only for one of the hounds, Wilder might even then have escaped, though bruised, bleed- ing and half-stunned by his unexpected fall from the chamber window. He was scrambling to bis feet in a dazed manner, when the dog dis- covered him and rushed barking toward him. Straight at his throat the fierce af 0s Pig: ack its Na ab jaws closing upon the arm which Wilder instinctively raised to shield his face. The man was flung back against the end of the building, which saved him from falling. The sharp pain in his wounded arm recalled his scattered senses, and drawing his knife, he plunged it to the haft in the animal’s belly, fairly disemboweling it with a furious down- ward slash. The dog fell dead, but it bad per- formed its duty, and Wilder uttered a furious curse as he saw the enemy, led by Noah Crab- tree, rushing upon him. He never gave one thought to escape now. He saw the white-haired chief of the Vigilantes before him, and the remembrance of that horri- ble scene in the lone grove rendered him fairly insane. With a snarling cry that was more like the yell of a wild beast than aught human, he leaped forward, brandishing his blood-dripping knife, thinking only of the vengeance he had so earnestly sworn. But it was no feeble girl whoin he had to deal with now. With an activity remarkable in one of his age, Noah Crabtree eluded bis rush and the venomous thrust aimed at his life, at the same time dealing him a blow with his revolver- butt that hurled him to the ground, senseless. A cry of stern wonder broke from his lips as he bent over the fallen man, turning his face upward in the clear moonlight. A momentar chill of superstition crept over him, for he felt that he was looking upon the face of the dead— _ of the man whom he had seen hung by the neck | ' | | repeated threats, he had no | Noa _ state of terrible confusion. not through fear, but his revenge would be less — _ noxious fumes of the chloroform yet lingerin exquisite. “Very good; you shall have your own way 80 | far as it can be granted without danger to my plans—to our elopement.”’ As he uttered these words Wilder turned to- ward the window, and as he did so, a sharp ex- clamation of annoyance rose to his lips, for from a long distance he saw three rockets soar high into the air at brief but lar intervals. More than once he had witmessed the same sig- nal, and knew orly too well that it was the sum- mons for the in mounted and ready for stern, desperate work, A single moment of breathless suspense—then he bit his lip flercely to check a sonorous curse of rage as he heard the herdsmen calling aloud to each other, then hastening toward the house, igilantes to take the field, | | herders were guardin more than a week before. But this feeling was not of long duration. There must have been a ve mistake. By some means unknown Will ilder had escaped death by the rope, and he Spe the stern avenger who had arisen to scourge en. ‘** Bind him hand and foot and hold him safe until I return,” he said to his awe-stricken men, — -_ a= —— ee tenderness. ‘‘ I ask no favors at his hands—ten thousand curses rest upon his head—” One of the herders unceremoniously checked his speech by sae a broad boot-sole upon his lips with no great degree of tenderness. ‘“*Go back to the house, daughter,” steruly ut- tered Crabtree, shaking her hand from his arm. “This is no scene for you, nor are your lips the ones to plead in his behalf. Return to your mother at once.” Shaken, weakened by all that she had under- gone, Ruth obeyed, but there was a deep regret in her eyes as they lingered for a moment upon the face of the prisoner. ‘“‘He has bin tried an’ condemned; reckon we’ve the right to string him up out o’ hand, an’ then it won’t hender us from answerin’ the call from Munro’s,” spoke one of the herders. *“*No; that would look as though we were afraid to let our justice see the light of day,” replied Crabtree. ‘‘ We will hold him safe un- til we learn what Munro wants. Then, when the entire band can be present, we will give him another trial. If found guilty of murdering our friends, then the doom which the majority may pronounce, shall be carried out without fear or favor.” The prisoner laughed, low and mockingly. ‘*'You killed me once, yet I came back from the grave to seek vengeance for my bitter wrongs. So it will be again. My spirit will never rest while one of those who scourged and then hung me, treads the footstool] and breathes the breath of life—I swear it! Two of them have already fallen—the rest shall follow. You are doomed—doomed one and all!” ‘* David,” said Crabtree, paying no attention to this wild outburst, ‘‘ you will remain bebind and guard the prisoner. We will place him in the bouse. Close and lock the doors. Wutch him clo.e, and if he attempts to escape, or if there is any attempt on the part of his friends in evil to rescue him, blow his brains out.” Four men raised the bound form in their arms and bore it into the house, laying it upon the floor in one corner. Then they departed to collect the horses which had been let loose in the excitement of the unexpected alarm. Noah Crabtree bade Ruth and her mother go up-stairs to pass the remainder of the night with Rachel, who was just recovering from the effects of the chloroform, then repeated bis instructions to David. Wilder watched the lad curiously as he closed and secured the door after the form of his father. He knew that David was a trusted member of the band to which he belonged, and bound by a frightful oath to lend succor to any and all brothers in distress. Not for a moment did he believe that the lad would dare refuse to set him at liberty when he uttered the distress call. And this he made almost as soon as the hoof-strokes of the departing Vigilantes died hs in the distance. ‘You may as well spare your breath, Wil- ** You carry them der,” was the unexpected r nse. heard my instructions, I mean out to the very letter.” The outlaw stared aghast at the lad, who doggedly met his gaze. It was clear that he spoke in sober earnest. ‘** I give the distress call, and you dare refuse to nd?” *“‘Yes—and I would were you the captain himself,” was the sullen response, ‘‘ You as- saulted my sister—would have carried her away, only for her bravery. That deed ab- solves me from my oath—and I am getting disgusted with the whole business, anyway. I am more of a slave to the family than a free then hastened to the house, where he found a | man. I mean to cut it all—” “Cut your own throat, you mean! Fool: ‘** Rachel Trowbridge was still insensible, the | you cannot retreat. Dare to attempt it—refuse _to set me at liberty, and before the setting o! on the air and explaining much of what ha happened. Ruth was just recovering, under the care of her agitated mother, and incoherent- ly trying to explain what had occurred. Noah Crabtree soon heard enough, and with hard-set features he returned to where his the prisoner. During g _ this interval they had satisfied themselves that he was really in the flesh, and were question- ing him as to how he had managed to escape from what all had believed was the death-noose. But not a word would he utter in response to - their inquiries. ——— doubtless for the purpose of arousing Noah — " | an infuriated giant with the stout lassoes that With a quick, cat-like leap he was beside | Ruth, holding the point of a bared knife against | Crabtree. her bosom. “Not a word—not a sound—or I lay you a corpse at my feet!” he snarled, as the loud knocking was heard upon the outside. ‘‘ Quiet, or death to you and death to them!” They could hear Noah and his son as they arose and answered the startling summons, “Three rockets from Tom boss!” cried one of t}c herders. in the air, | reckon!” It was different when Noah Crabtree came up. A vorrent of curses and reviling burst from the lips of the prisoner. He literally foamed at the mouth, and when the old man w close beside him he spat at him and wrestled like confined him, Just then Ruth came rushing out of the house, still pale and trembling, fearing the worst from the loud, an words she had caught. The moment Wilder ce ay sight of her, his rav- Ly apererty though the devilish look deepened ise ‘‘Father,” faltered Ruth, abashed by the in- quiring glance which the stern old man turned unro’s ranch, | upon her, “spare his life. Show mercy—he has ‘“'Thar’s music had mueh to imli ter him—” “Spare your blushes and your breath, Beth,” another sun, there will be fifty keen knives ready to Seenad A heart of the last drop of treacher- ous blood!” “Two can play at that game. One word from me, end the family will have all they can attend to—the Vigilantes will make things hot for them.” ‘* Enough will escape to insure your death— be certain of that. Come—enough of nonsense. Set me free. Your own safety demands it, I tell you.” “Do you know what I am thinking of at this moment?” slowly uttered David, squatting down beside the prisoner and toying significantly with a revolver as he spoke. ‘“ You can betrry me to the Vigilantes, if they find you alive on their return. I believe you have sivendy decid- ed todo so. At any rate, I would be a fool to give you the chance.” ‘ do you mean?” impatiently demanded Wilder. ‘You heard what father said? If you tried to escape, I was to blow your brains out. One ae ce my ope yt would end _ ot And e is whisperin my ear at this very moment—‘ Do it—kill him aud say that he was ing to escape when you fired the shot !” ere was a dangerous light in his eves as he uttered and Wilder ae that he was powerfully tempted to carry out the covert threat. Only his i iron nerve uted his coun- Geom Gboo S (EC)