Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 106 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

oe ee ee Ne ee —_—- = ee a ee ee ee mee eee eee ° , | 4 ———S ee = —_—— — — ~~ - ee ee ne ere ere ee — _—_— _ tle action. It is a hard name that ye have made for yourself, Dooney MacDarrow, since ye have come into Connemara. Many a wid- dy’s curse rests upon your shoulders, In all the time since ye kem into this county ve have never shown mercy to any wan, and now the time has come whin no mercy will be shown to you. You are quite right in one thing, though; ver worthless life isn’t in any danger; not but ‘vhat ye deserve killing a dozen times over, but that is not the game that we are afther this night. Weare going to make an example of ve—an example and a warning. Captain Des- mond Burke is your patron and yer backer, and whin we strike you it is the same asa blow at vim. Shamus O’Brien isin Burke’s hands, and iow, through yees, we, the bould boys of the mountain, say to Desmond Burke that Shamus O’Brien must be released.” ‘it’s nonsense ye’re talking!” the process- server hotly answered. ‘if you know Des- mond Burke, as it is likely ye do, all of yees ought to know that he will laugh at your threats; and thin, too, how can he release O’Brien? Isn’t the man in the hands of the Government, and will he not have to be tried for phat he has done?” ‘* He’s not in the hands of the Government, yet!” the masked leader retorted, significantly. ‘*We know where he is, well enough, and we know that Desmond Burke can wink at his es- cape if he wants to.” ‘But he won't—put that in your pipe and smoke!” and MacDarrow spoke defiantly. An ugly growl came from the throats of the disguised men at this bravado, but with a ges- ture the leader of the band restrained the rest, ‘* Hold hard, boys!” he commanded; ‘‘we talk furst then act aftherward, Now, Mister Process-server, have the politeness and the gen- tility to bear this message to Captain Desmond Burke, and take care not to whisper it on the way, either, to any other living sowl. We have the leftenant in our hands and no harm will come to him if O’Brien is allowed to escape. Burke can arrange it aisily enough if he has a mind to, but if he delivers Shamus into the hin is of the Government, thin bitter bad luck will come to the leftenant and to Desmond Burke himself the very furst time that we get acrack at him. It’s a bloody message, mind, that we boys of the mountain are sending.” ‘*Shure, you'll only get well laughed at for vonr pains!” Dooney replied, impudently, his courage returning when he realized that he was .1 0 immediate danger. ‘* Waix! there will be wan man who won’t do much laughing, when he thinks of the boys of tne mountains,” the masked man reminded, ete then with his hand he signaled to the rest. All had evidently been arranged beforehand, for in a twinkling the process-server was seized by a dozen pair of hands and carried by main force, despite his struggles, to a large tree at the —— end of the glen. To the trunk of this tree he was securely bound, his face to the trunk and his back exposed. Then, with some stout limber switches the server was most thoroughly beaten until he ro wed and yelled for mercy in the most abject manner. Never had the jacket of a petty tyrant been more thoroughly dusted. The punishment completed, the wretch was released from the tree, again blindfolded and conducted back to the neighborhood of Ballina- hinch, where he was dismissed with a warning to be sure and deliver his message correctly. The wrath of Desmond Burke when Mac Dar- row told his story was great. ‘*If they want Shamus O’Brien let them come and take him!” he exclaimed. CHAPTER XXIII. THE HEIRESS DECIDES, Tue bold captain was considerably astonished .by the audacious movement on the part of the secret league. ‘True, be had a suspicion that such leagues existed in the district, for Fenian- ism is not altogether a scare and a bugbear; he felt pretty sure, too, that O’Brien was hand in‘glove with all these secret organizations, but that the ‘‘ boys of the mountain,” as they term- ed themselves, should have the audacity to lay violent hands upon a man wearing her majesty’s aniform was really quite beyond his compre. hension,: But, it was a threat, only. He felt quite sure of that; the secret league would nev- er dare to proceed to extremities; bold and un- scrupulous as might be the leaders in this out- rege, yet they would hesitate before they inflicted any bodily harm upon the lieutenant, and so bring down upon their heads the wrath of Britain. Smithers and he were known to be intimate friends—boon companions, in fact, and upon this circumstance the conspirators counted. They calculated that at all risks he, Burke, - would doall in his power to get Swnithers out of the unpleasant ‘‘ hole” into which he had fallen. ‘**Tf the derisive Miss Movre is inclined to be reasonable, then this fellow mav have a chrnce oe ee oe ee your —_ ——-- ——— 5 , Shamus O’Brien. jail,” be muttered, as he reflected in regard to the matter. To the old lawyer Burke made known his plan and the astute O’Glory jumped eagerly at the chance to assist the scheming captain. The ‘‘trifle of money” that Burke had wheedled out of him was probably the main reason why O’Glory was so willing to aid in the matter, If the dashing captain succeeded, he would be in funds again, and would be able to settle the lawyer’s claim; if the captain did not succeed in getting the money from the heiress, the chances were about a thousand to one that O’Glory would never see the color of his guineas again. lt was Desmond Burke’s last, desperate chance; if he failed now, he would surely go to the wall, and his creditors might consider them- selves lucky if they got coppers where they had advanced gold-pieces. ' As embassador, then, from Captain Burke, the old lawyer approached the heiress of Kill- kerran. Of course Miss Moore had not been kept in ig- norance of the fact that O’Brien had been cap- tured, and was lodged in one of the dungeon- cells, deep down beneath the old Hall. She had said very little, though, and those | who expected a violent outburst of grief on re- ceipt of the news, were disappointed. Young as she was, the heiress had learned to vail her emotions, With perfect calmness, then, she received the old lawyer. ‘* Upon me word, me dear gurl, it’s sorry I am to know that Shamus O’Brien is in the hands of the sodgers, at last,” O’Glory declarea, with a hypocritical whine, which did not deceive the heiress in the least. ‘‘ it was mighty unwise for him to come back to the country afther he was once safe out of it, and though it is a hard thing to say, maybe, yet, me dear Miss Maggie, it is yerself, alanna, that brought the foolish boy back.” “If he had taken my advice he would not have come,” she replied, quietly. ‘If he had done as I wished, he would have waited until I attained my majority and then I would have joined him beyond the sea.” ‘Yes, but youth will be rash, you know!” with a wise shake of the head. ‘It’s an ugly fix that he is in, too, for Captain Desmond Burke, you know, has no reason to love him, for if it wasn’t for O’Brien the captain thinks that ye might be afther listening to his suit.” “The captain flatters himself!” the heiress exclaimed, ig ‘Oh, to be shure, I know that! I know that sorra a chance has he ever had, at all, atall. I thought that he did once, you know; and think- ing that it would be a good match, I did all I could to induce you to favor the captain’s suit. Of course I see now that I was wrong—that the captain was not the man for a gur! like ye, but that was a mistake of mine; we are all liable to make mistakes, ye know, but I’m sorry now that I did it, and I acre that ye bear me no ill-will, for I did phat I thought was for the best.” ‘*Oh, it is all over now; it isa thing of the past, and I never think of it!” ‘“‘That is like you, Maggie, the best-hearted gurl that there is in Lreland this day!” O’Glo exclaimed, with enthusiasm in his tone. ‘‘ And, Maggie, dear, I don’t feel hard about the matter either, although 1 own I had a very strong pre- judice ag’in’ Mister O’Brien, but I’ve got all over that now; in fact, I feel very sorry indeed for the poor young man in his present position, and I have been arther racking me wits for to find some way to get him out.” The young ot ooked at the old lawyer in a way that evidently expressed suspicion of his sincerity, but O’Glory was honestin the matter ; he was acting in O’Brien’s interest, for he saw no other way to recover the money which he had loaned to Burke. ‘*That, seemingly, is a hopeless task,” she de- clared. . ‘Ob, no, not at all!” he confidently an- nounced, te Shure! the thing can be done—not aisily of course, for it is difficult, wour' it how you will; but it can be done, if you choose to say the wourd!” ‘I?” and the heiress betrayed her astonish- ment. **Yis, it all depinds upon you.” ‘Upon me?” and a dark suspicion came into the mind of the voung girl. ‘Oh, itis all fair and above-board!” he has- tened tosay. ‘‘I give you me word of honor as a gintleman and an honest man that Mister O’Brien can be saved, and it does not require any sacrifice on your part, either. That is whin Isay that it does not require any sacrifice on art Imane that the sacrifice is a trifle, and I know as well as that Iam standing here that you won’t stand for it for a moment.” ‘Pray do not keep me in suspense!” the girl cried, hastily, and in evident agitation, ** let me know at once what it is that is required of me. ** Mind, old lawyer urged. “*T will not make any promises in the dark!”’ to save his precious person from an E lish the heiress replied, impetuously. e’re not to say a word about it to mortal soul—not even to Shamus O’Brien!” the; know first what it is—and if the sacrifice is one that I can make with honor, both to myself and to Shamus O’Brien, be assured | will not hesi- tate in regard to it.” ‘**Oh, I know that well enough! Itisa jewel of a guri that ye are, Maggie Moore! I said a sacrifice, but I know well enough that a gur! of your spirit will not consider it as such for a single moment. Shnre! you are not the gurl I take you to be, Maggie, if ve let a trifle of money stand betune you and the life and liberty of the man you love.” ‘*A trifle of money!” cried the heiress of Moore, eagerly, new hope springing up in her heart. ‘* Quick! let me know how much is re- quired!” ‘““T said a trifle in a figurative sinse, me dear, for in truth it is asmall fortune that is required, no less than ten thousand pounds.” ‘‘'Ten thousand pounds!” Maggie repeated, in amazement. ‘‘It is indeed a large sum; and how is it to be used?” ‘‘That is where the saycret comes in,” ex- plained O’Glory, mysteriously. ‘O’Brien is safely locked up in a cell down-stairs. Captain Burke holds him firm, but the captain is over- head and ears in debt, and he don’t know how to get out; his creditors, too, are pushing him. Nowif I could goto the captain quietly and say to him in a way that I know how—‘ Captain, if O’Brien should, by hook or by crook, manage to escape out of this, it would be ten thousand pounds in your pocket ’—Il lay a hundred guineas ag’in’ one that before two days were over Sha- mus O’Brien would be a free man ag’in, and no wan in this world, verself, meself and the cap- tain except, would be able to tell how the es- cape was managed.” ‘But, can you trust the captain?” ‘‘Faix, not a copper piece of the ten thou- sand pound would he get until O’Brien was safe in the hills where he could laugh a whole rigi- ment of red-coats to scorn,” ‘“*Willingly—gladly will I give the spe prepare the check at once and I will sign it the moment O’Brien is at liberty.” The chances seemed good now that Burke would win his stake. CHAPTER XXIV. ANOTHER SUITOR. On the day after the night which had wit- nessed the capture of the English lieutenant by the Boys of the Mountain, the Goose-girl, busily engaged in the meadow hard-by her cottage at- tending to the wants of her feathered friends, caught sight of O’Glory’s clerk, the astute Mis- ter Mickey Feakle, coming across the bogs. And as he was heading directly toward her, Kitty began to suspect that he was coming ex- pressly to see her. Now this was a source of wonder to Kitty, for she and the old Jawyer’s clerk were not on the best of terms, Rarely did they meet without a war of words, for the girl looked upon Feakle as a sour, ugly old ‘*‘ blaggard,” while he, on his part, regarded the Goose queen as a pert, impu- dent hussy. Not the least bit of love was lost between the two, and, as a rule, each avoided the other. | So the girl had good reason to be surprised when she caught sight of the usually morose and ugly Mr. Feakle approaching with a smirking smile upon his unprepossessing coun- tenance. ‘The top cf the morning to yees, Miss Kath- leen!” he exclaimed, with a very elaborate bow, as he came up to the girl. ‘It is well ye’re lookin’, and it is well I hope ye are, me jewel.” ‘‘No jewel of yours, nor the likes of yees Kitty retorted, sharply, not at all impressed with the address nor the smirking civility of the man, whom, in good truth, she utterly de- tested. ‘* And me name is not Kathleen either, I'll have you to know, and J’ll thank ye not to be after calling me out of me name!” — The speech came sharply and with bitter ac- cent, and Kitty fully expected a harsh reply, for Mickey was noted for having as bad a tongue as any man inthe county. Judge then of her amazement when Mr. Feakle, instead of getting angry, only grinned in the most good-natured way in the world. or ‘Re the Bie Rock of Cashel! but it is a foine, able tongue that ye have, me dartint!” he ex- claimed, as though he wes highly pleased, ‘“‘ Be the piper that played before Moses! I vow I would rather be on good terms wid you than to have ye ag’in’ me, for divil a sharper tongue is there in all Connemara than yer own, me jewel!” ; “Tm not yer jewel!” cried Kitty, without the slightest sign of abating in her hostility, despite Feakle’s conciliatory speech and plau- sible manner, ‘ and dow’t be after putting the soft words on me as though you were fresh from kissing the blarney stone!” . ‘¢ Be the tail of Father Murphy’s big black cat —and by this token that baste knows more than a human—I’d have to be afther kissing half a dozen blarney stones to do justice to such a foine gurl as you are.” The girl grew more and more amazed. Vhat on e had got into the man to induc: * :m to 1”? “Tet me talk after this fa:bion? Eomicvooks TC ES (E() | | | | | ee RN — = os