Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 106 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

——e oe a a « ee ———— £224 6s dT eee ee 2 Ps 12 oa - —<——$<—. — -._ — —— - << LS —_— — _ _ an ——s Moore, and in order to screen her you declared yourself the mother of the child. Tom Pepper, oo, your lover, aided you in the deception, al- though he had taken so much interest in his off- spring as to have forgotten the sex.” ‘*Sure, 1 would be willing to take oath, that it was truth I was sp’aking!” Kitty declared, stoutly. ‘**You would be willing to take an oath, but to declare your willingness and to take the cath are two entirely different things,’ Burke reminded her. He had guessed the quibble a once, ‘* Try me!” the girl exclaimed. ‘That is exactly what I am going to do,” the captain responded, and, to the girl’s conster- nation, he drew a small Bible from his pocket. ‘‘Now, Miss Kitty Sheelan, or Mistress Tom i’epper, whichever you may be, have the kind- ness to kiss this book and so make oath to the truth of what you have stated, and—no Irish trick about it, either—no kissing your thumb instead of the book, so as to evade the oath. ‘You see [ am up to all the games, for I am Irish born myself. Come, take the oath, if you dure |”? The girl was fairly cornered, but with the ready wit so natural to the Irish peasant, she tianaged to find a way to creep out. ‘*Troth! 1 will not take the oath to please woul”? she declared, with a toss of the head. ‘Since you will not believe my word, I don’t v8 Why I should bother my head about the ‘iatter at all. You can believe or disbelieve just as you please, I’m sure I don’t care.” The captain pocketed the book again with the utmost sang froid. “That is an extremely neat way of getting out of it,” he remarked. ‘‘ But, it don’t better your position in the least. I know, now, that what J only suspected before is true, You are not the mother of the child, and Maggie Moore “Tf it please you to believe that way, do,” she replied, carelessly. ‘‘Shure, I don’t care what you believe.” ‘**T haven’t the least doubt of that: but now, Miss Sheelan, I want a little information from ou. or You will not get any, sir; so you had better Degone.” ‘Allow me to be the best judge of that, ‘ »ylease,” Burke answered, with icy politeness. - Depart, sir! I have nothing more to say to rou,” ~ Ah, there you see is where the differenee is hetween us; I have a great deal to say to you.” ‘It’s mighty little satisfaction you’ll get!” “Citty cried, tartly. The captain’s manner was vnough to annoy an angel, and the Goose-girl, ‘ithough a very charming maid, was not yet fitted for wings and a residence in the realms ..bove, ‘* We will be able to decide better about that when the interview is ended,” Burke retorted. ‘*Permit me to remind you that you are all alone in the house and utterly in my power. No ery that you can utter will be heard by hu- manears. You have chosen to intrude your- self in this matter and you must accept the con- sequences. Iam determined to force the truth out of you even if I have to forget that you are a woman, and use violence.” Kitty started back in horror. There was no mistaking the man’s meaning; he was in dead earnest, and meant every word that he said. He had spoken truly, too; she was alone, and that hour of the night, for it was near ten, any RD eee + Se ee oe No I SSA EE ee Ea a Ee = | place, j ' | | | | | Sa ——— — Shamus O’Brien. | power. Do, then, my bidding, or it will be the worse for you! Speak! Whose child is it?’ Again he advanced a step, and again the frig tened girl screamed. nd then, with a step as light as a cat’s, a man descended half-way down the open stair- way that led to the upper apartments—a rough, red-bearded man, about the medium hight, rudely attired. In his hand he clutched a re- volver, and with the shining tube he menaced the life of Desmond Burke. ‘he fox was unearthed at last; there was not the slightest doubt in the captain’s mind that the new-comer was the Irish outlaw, Shamus O’Brien. ‘*Good-avenin’ to yer honor!” cried the man, with a strong Irish accent, ducking his head, in mock courtesy. The man had made his appearance so abrupt- ly that Burke was taken somewhat by surprise, although he felt sure that the outlaw was con- cealed within the house, and he had expected that the cries of the girl would be pretty cer- tain to induce him to come out of his hiding- In truth, the captain had threatened the girl with the express idea of forcing O’Brien ‘*to the fore.” He had his hand on his revolver, but O’Brien had appeared so suddenly that he had had no chance to draw it, and now that the other was menacing him with the leveled weapon, all the advantage of the situation was with the rebel. ‘* Aha, are you there, James O’Brien?” called out Burke, as cool as a cucumber. ‘*Meself, Jim O’Brien, if you pl’ase!” replied the other, with another Lace bow. ‘* It is some time since I have had the pleasure of seeing you,” the officer remarked, surveying the other with a great deal of interest. O’Brien was splendidly disguised; attired as he was in a rough, dirty suit, like a drover, he looked nearly twice as big as he really was, and the rough beard and wig that he wore com- pletely disguised him—so much so that even his most intimate friend would have been puzzled to have recognized, in the rough, burly drover- like man, the young, handsome, and elegant Shamus O’Brien, ‘Upon me sowl, sur, if I had my way you wouldn’t be afther seeing me now,” the other replied, still persisting in speaking with a strong brogue, evidently trying to disguise his voice. ‘Well, to come at once to the matter which more nearly concerns us than any other two men in this world, you and I are rivals, I pre- sume, and, unfortunately for me, it is quite evi- dent that vou are the favored one,” ‘*Sur, you are probably the best judge as to the likes of that,” O’Brien replied, with another polite bow. ‘* | suppose that there is not much chance of: my getting the lady as long as you are in the land of the living,” Burke remarked. ‘** And that is the r’ason, I presume, why you and your sodgers have hunted me so carefully and closely. Bedad! if I wasn’t as cute as an Irish fox, | would have been caught long ago.” ‘* But, asitis, the tables are turned, and in- stead of my catching you, it is your good for- tune to catch me.” ‘* Faith!” cried the hunted man, with a laugh, ‘“‘T believe that you have hit it this time, en- tirely.” ‘‘And now that you have caught me, what do you intend to do with me?” *Troth! I’m like the man that caught the lion by the tail; he couldn’t hold on, and he daren’t let go!” O’Brien admitted. ‘‘ I’ve got cries that she might utter would not be apt | you fast enough, but what I am going to do to bring assistance one and little traveled even in the daytime, **Oh, sir, you are ‘rorie MBS know you are!” she cried; “‘a gentleman like you would not be after harming a poor lowly girl like myself.” of Kitty Sheelan, I want the truth andI will have it!” the captain exclaimed, fiercely, for the first time searing yt of anger. ‘‘ Speak now and instantly, or [ will do you a mischief that in all the years of your life you will never be able to forget!” CHAPTER XVII. THE TRAP IS SPRUNG. ‘* For Heaven’s sake, sir, go away and l’ave me alon>!” Kitty cried, in genuine terror, the brogue coming out strong in her excitement. _ Desmond Burke’s reputation was none of the best; he was commonly reputed to be bold, hard-hearted, cruel and vindictive, and now, in this moment of peril, the girl firmly believed that he meant every word he had uttered, and that he would to the fullest extent, carry out his threat [on “Come, come; decide quickly!” he cried, in an angry voice. ‘‘l am innomood to be trifled with. Reveal to me the truth or suffer, and b my eternal soul, I swear if you attempt to baf- fle my will, better had you be with a hungry wolf this night than in my power.” He advanced a step toward the girl as he finished the sentence; terribly alarmed hy the action, Kitty screamed at the top of her lungs. ‘*Oh, you are only wasting breath!” the cap- tap cried. “You aro utterly helpless in my | for the road was a lonely | with you is a puzzle.” | “I can suggest a very easy way to settle it,” Burke suggested, still preserving the cool and contemptuous tone in which he had at first spoken. ‘If you do, sur, I shall consider meself your debtor.” ‘* The obligation wil] not trouble you long,” the captain answered, dryly. ‘‘You are armed, and so am [: you owe me revenge for shooting my horse the other day, for I presume that it is you that I have to thank for that—‘ especial service,’” ‘“*Sorra a taste of a lie in that!” “The night is light enough for us to settle our little difficulty outside. An exchange of shots will, in all probability, settle which of us is to have the pleasure of looking after Miss Maggie Moore for the rest of her journey through this vale of tears.” ‘*Upon me wourd, sur, I don’t bel’ave that my life or death will make an atom of difference as far as you are concerned!” O’Brien exclaimed, scornfully. ‘* Allow me to console myself with the hope that it will,” the captain retorted. ‘‘ But come; what do you say? will you give me my revenge or not?” ‘Oh, ’'m your man!” O’Brien cried. ‘‘ Upon my honor I never denied any one a chance to get a crack at me if there was the laste taste of r’ason in the world in the wish so to do.” ‘“{ will walk off thirty paces, turn, and then—” ‘* May the best man win!” added the outlaw. ** Go ahead, if you pl’ase.” The officer bowed, advanced to the decor, pees es ee mr ee eee ee een. opened it and passed out. O’Brien followed, but the Goose-girl caught him by the arm as he passed over the threshold. “Oh, Jim, why did you come from your hid- ing-place!” she exclaimed. ‘‘ And it is all my fault! If this big villain hadn’t nearly frighten- ed the life out of me I wouldn’t have let a cry escape me.” ““Don’t be alarmed, Kitty; I doubt if there is a man in Ireland whois my better with the re- volver. I learned to handle the weapon in America, across the sea, and there were times, too, there, when I was on the frontier, when my life hung upon my skill as a marksman. So don’t be frightened; I'll wing this red-coat and teach him a lesson which be sadly needs.” Then out through the door passed the pro- scribed man. Burke was already in position and waiting for the appearance of the other. ‘* Are you all ready?’ called out O’Brien. ‘‘ All ready!” the captain replied, drawing his revolver. O’Brien raised his weapon, but before he could take aim and pull the trigger, out from the shrubbery that fringed the house sprung six men who had been concealed in the bushes, and, in a twinkling, they flung themselves upon O’Brien. Although taken so much by surprise as to be unable to use his weapon, yet the outlaw made a vigorous resistance. Down upon the ground went the struggling men,allinaheap. O’Brien struggled and kick- ed; despite the overwhelming odds against him, once he managed to nearly free himself from the grasp of his assailants and half rose to his feet. Burke was on the watch, though; he had advanced to the spot where the desperate strug- gle was taking place, and as he saw that O’Brien was getting the best of his assailants, he stoop- ed, picked a a stick that one of the men had dropped, and as O’Brien, with a powerful effort shook himself free from his antagonists, and half rose to his feet, with cool, deliberate effort the captain gave O’Brien a vigorous crack on ae head that dropped him as if he had been shot. Down went the outlaw, striking the ground with a violent thud, all resistance for the time being completely taken out of him, Smithers, who had been in command of the attacking force, but had refrained from taking any active part in the struggle, advanced in alarm. ‘By Jove, captain!” he cried, ‘“you have killed the man!” ‘*Oh, no; no fear of that,” Burke replied, coolly. ‘* An Irish head and a blackthorn twig are too old acquaintances for a little tap like that to do any serious mischief.” ‘“*A little tap!” exclaimed the lieutenant, in amazement. ‘ By all the gods of war, my dear fellow, I wouldn’t let any one crack me in that way fora thousand pounds! Why, the stroke was enough to fell an ox,” “Not the least bit of mischief done, and the fellow would have succeeded in getting awa otherwise,” Burke remarked. ‘‘ Pat the hand- cuffs on, Dooney.” The process-server had been the foremost one in the attack, and, asa natural consequence, had suffered considerably, for O’Brien had used both fist and feet with wonderful ability as the sore shins and bruised faces of nearly all of the as- sailants could testify. ; Dooney had grabbed O’Brien with both hands, eager to revenge the wrongs which he had suf- fered, and the outlaw, witha half a dozen power- ful blows, had completely altered the looks of the “pine pegend face. To use the old say- ing, he had put him in such a condition that his own mother wouldn’t have known him, | MacDarrow was busily engaged in wiping the blood from his disfigured countenance, at the same time relieving his mind by swearing like a trooper, when the captain’s order reached his ears. Never was a command more gladly obeyed. The manacles of a felon were snapped upon the wrists of the fallen man, whose only crime was that he loved Ireland and scorned to sell it. Shamus O’Brien was now, hard and fast, in the power of his deadliest foe. CHAPTER XVIII. SMITHERS PAYS A VISIT. BURKE was quite correct in regard to his esti- mate of the thickness of an Irish head and the amount of violence it could sustain without serious damage, for in a short time O’Brien re- covered from the stunning effects of the blow and looked up with undaunted eyes into the face of his captors. The soldiers assisted him to his feet, and Burke, with a smile of conscious triumph, sur- veyed the man whom he had entrapped so MONG ‘At last I have you, Mr. James O’Brien!” he exclaimed, without attempting to conceal the satisfaction that he felt at the success of his plans. ‘TI felt sure that you were concealed in . the house of this Goose-girl, and I felt equally sure that you would never be able to remain quiet in your place of concealment and listen to her cries for help, and you will now perceive 0\(0)(6) a i a ——_—_—___ — — --—— EON MIICE S) Se ee tr ae ee ee Cs ee = ys (EO) ’