Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 1092 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

26 Old Cross-Eye, the Maverick-Hunter. ‘has actually begun toshow symptoms of heal- ing. By the by, sir, it is quite possible that I may not be able to be here to-morrow, and I ~want to say that there is nothing that the best surgeon could do for you, saveto keep you up with whisky, if you are weak, and to dress the wound in the way I shall show your daughters.” He spoke to Helen, as if she was the one he meant; but Diana came forward and watched him as he took off the lint that had been placed over the little round bole that showed the track ‘of Tomlinson’s bullet. Very luckily for the judge, it had gone clear through the body; so that there was no fear of inflammation from the dodgment of the ball. The young doctor showed them how to put the little pledgets of wet linen over the hole, and how to raise the patient in doing it; for he Ahad become too weak to raise himself now from ‘tthe loss of blood. Bandages were useless from the position of the hurt; but the holes were small, and the dressing very simple. A little adhesive plaster to hold the. wet linen on was all that was needed. The patient was too weak to heed much that “was going on at the time; but he beard what the doctor said about “not coming the next day,” and asked, in an uneasy tone: ‘What’s the matter? what’s the matter, doctor? Are you going to neglect me, now that I’ve made my will? 1] can change it, you know —I can change it.” He was very weak and nervous, and the doctor placed his hand on the wounded man’s head, saying, soothingly: ‘* Don’t worry over it, sir; don’t worry over it. It is not certain all; but 1 will come if Iam not prevented. I will tell the young ladies, and they shall say if I may not be detained without “any neglect of you.” ne favored him with a quick glance, and said: ‘*] am sure, father, that he would not neglect ‘you; but be has some trouble of his own that may keep him away from us, [ will ask him, ‘and tell you.” Then, with a look at Helen that showed the two understood each other, she swept out of the. room, and as soon as they were in the dark pas- sage she asked him, quickly: ‘** What is it? Ican beagit. I can bear any- thing. I am not the coward you think me. ‘More may be mistaken than one, you know.” He smiled down on her; for be knew what she umeant, as well as if she had said it openly. ‘*The fact is,” he said, in a low tone, “ that ‘man at the company’s ranch is going to make all the trouble he can for me. It seems that all bis men were sworn in special constables, and that the man I had to shoot was one of them. He has actually got up a charge against me of resisting an r, and murdering him in the line of bis duty. I may be arrested for that to- morrow; but, if I am, it will be worse for bim.” ‘* Why?’ she asked timidly, as if she did not understand what he meant. ‘*T mean that your father will live,” he said ‘with triumph in bis eye that was not there be- fore. ‘If be can on y be kept quiet and this ‘news hidden from bim, he will be allright. That ‘is why I dare not tell him. It would excite him sand perhaps bring on the fever again. In a week he will be strong enough to know it, In ‘the mean time, please remember this: my life depends on his recovery, and that is another incentive to me to bring bim out all safe,” ** And to me to purse him carefully and obey your orders,” she said quietly. ‘“ But why do “you say that?” , ‘* Because be is the only witness who saw the whole transaction between me and Tomlinson,” said Field. “If I am tried for murder, your father’s testimony will show that I acted in ‘self-defense and that the man [ killed was a murderer himself. But, to keep your father quiet is the thing now, and the reason I called you out is ye you ladies can make up stories better than we can, to account for things to sick people. If lam not here at this time to-morrow afternoon, you will know either that I have been arrested or that I have had to leave the county to escape arrest, If it is the latter, ‘which is the most probablJe, I shall be back in a week at the furthest, and may be here in two dys. Can you keep tbe secret?” “T will try,” she said, with an effort to ap- pear brave. Then, in the most inconsequent sway io the world she burst out sobbing, and went back into the room whence she bad come, to the astonishment and dismay of the doctor. But he bad no time to investigate the phe- ‘nomena of ladies moods, for, as he said, bis life was in danger while Berkeley could invoke the | Jaw to his aid, evenin Texas. Herode away to Satanstown to see his friend, Dr.: Horsford, while the two Collingsworth girls concocted a scheme that, for boldness and originality, after- ward -excited the admiration of the whole county. What it was we shall see very soon, CHAPTER XXX. ‘THe office of Mr. Belshazzar Levy, in Satan ‘town, was well known, throngbout Satan shingle in unty asthe abiding place of the only law- s Jer who had yet dared to set np his ‘ * ° we ' 4 - Ei 2 - : .* oo % 4 ne oe = , . . Z ~ J = . * eee cu ~ “ik - : ee — that home of the festive cowboy. Satanstown was by no means the ideal bome for a lawyer, for the office of city marshal was one that was rarely filled for more than*three weeks by the same man, and homicides were the only cases in which Mr. Levy was called on to figure, And Mr. Levy always appeared for the defendant, so that his sympathies were natur- ally directed against the enforcement of the law, rather than in the cause of order. Therefore, when Mr, Leuy was accosted by a strange gentleman and requested to appear “for the county of Satanta, to prosecute a man who had shot an officer in the discharge of bis duty,” he was naturally very much aston- ished, and said hesitatingly: “ ‘Why don’t you go to the district attorney?’ His new client was a well-known personage in the county, as the overseer of the great cattle company, and Levy had to be civil, for the company was known to have unlimited capital at its command; but bis surprise Made him ask the question. Berkeley answered him at once: ‘*T was told that you were the best man ‘in pow for my case, and we are prepared to pay well,’ Belshazzar screwed up his eyes, and only said: ‘‘Hem! How well?” The visitor laid a bill on the table, with a capital *‘D” in the corner. ‘“There is your retainer,” hesaid. ‘* That is as well as the opposition wAhld pay. Isn’t it?” The lawyer’s eyes glittered at the sight, for a single bundred was the largest retainer he had ever yet received, in his experience of Satans- town, “Tl take the cuse,” he said quickly, as he pocketed the bill. ‘‘Give me tbe facts as soon as youcan. Whois the man?” erkeley sat down and began, in a clear sys- tematic way: ‘*'The man who was killed was Jack Tomlin- son, He was a special constable, sworn in be- fore Judge Concha, in this town, to ‘protect the property of the company. In the execution of his duty, he tried to arrest a man of the name of Field, who bad been recognized, the night before, as one of the fence-cutters, who did all that damage, which the county will have to pay for. Isaw the whole affair, and the officer was shot by this desperado.” Mr, Levy screwed up his face worse than ever, as he said, in the dryest of tones: ** Now, my dear sir, you are my client; but it is no use my being your lawyer, unless you will give me your confidence, This Tomlinson wes pretty well known here, and the public will be against punishing any man who has killed him. Are you sure of your case? Have you any wit- nesses?” ‘*None but myself. I saw him fire the shot, and saw Tomlinson fall.” ““What witnesses will he have?’ asked the lawyer in the sametone, ‘‘ Was there no one else about, at the time?” ‘* No one,” said Berkeley, with an air of Some- thing very like triumph. ‘‘ Tomlinson bad just arrested a man they call Judge Collingsworth, who had been in the same affair, e had had to kill him for resisting the arrest. Ningsworth was the only man but myself who was near, and he is dead.” Levy faced his client squarely, remarking: “‘That wasa very lucky th ng for you, sir, But are you sure that he is dead? erkeley laugbed, with a sneer on his lip. ‘* Just so sure as this, that I went to bis house, this morning, to arrest him, and found the cra on the door. The funeral takes place to-day. The lawyer thought a minute and then said: ‘““Very well, I will take the case. Do you know where the man is?” ‘In this very town, Isaw him on thestreet, not an hour ago, He knows me well enough, and stared at me, as ifthe wanted to provoke a quarrel wtth me, but I know when and where to quarrel. What bave I got to do now?” “I will draw up tbe affidavit, and you will swear to it before Judge Concha, who will give us the order of arrest. Have you any men -to execute it? The man who killed Tomlinson must be a pretty hard case, you know—ab, Mr. Berkeley.” Berkeley smiled. ‘*T will execute it myself, if you please. [ came here on purpose.” Levy surveyed biw with an air of approval. ‘Yes, I think you will do. I will draw the affidavit at once,” was all he said. : He heard the tramping of borses and the jin- gle of accouterments outside the office window, are he judged correctly that the posse was out- siae., a He set to work with the rapidity of a man who koows that he is earning a large sum of money easily, and when he had finished, be took Berkeley over to the office of a dark, greasy in- dividual, who'rejoiced in the name of Concha, and in Mexican extraction. Judge Concha and Levy were old friends and understood each other wel], The business was | transacted in a very short time, and the war- | his followers, ‘‘ to execute the mandates of the | County of Satanta, to apprehend the body of | Thomas Field, of the said county, and produce | the same before the said justice of the peace forthwith.” Armed with this formidable paper, the Eng- lishman sallied forth into tbe street, and saw a borseman at the corner below, who made a sig- nal with his hand and pointed to a house before which he was sitting on bis pony. Berkeley rode down the street with all his men, and was followed by a large mob of people who had caught wind of what was going on and wanted to see tht fun. The population of Satanstown was composed largely of gamblers and saloon-keepers, who had little sympathy with the ranchers and cowboys, and Tomlinson bad come from the town, where he was idolized by a certain class, Therefore the opinion of the publhe of the town was de- cidedly against Field, who was said to be in the hous* indicated by the man on watch for him, having been traced there. Berkeley went to the door and tried it. It. was not locked, and be went in at once and traversed the bouse with his posse, searching for the man who had killed Tomlinson, . The house belonged to the pbysician of the place, Dr. Horsford, and Tom had gone there in broad daylight, so that it was thought sure that be would be found without any difficulty. The doctor came to meet them as soon as he heard the footsteps, and asked them what they wanted, Berkeley told him, and Horsford smiled, as he said: ‘* My dear sir, you are too late. The gentle- man was*herea few minutes ago, and he left my house to go to bis rancb; so he said.” erkeley swore a round oath, ‘* How did he get out?” “He went by the back door, toward the country. He told me that he anticipated a dif- ficulty if be went out the front way, because the street was full of bullies of the cattle com- pany. You will find bim somewbere—” But Berkeley waited to hear no more, for he pushed his way past the Coctor, and went out through the back gate, to find if Horsford bad told the truth. The town was built on a single street, and the backs of many of the houses abutted on the open prairie. Horsford’s did this, among the rest; and the Englishman saw, across the green grass, riding leisurely along as if he saw no need of hurry, the object of bis pursuit. To hurry his horse; sweep down the street at full speed; thence out into the plain, after the fugitive; was the work of a very few minutes. hen they saw the man before them, without turning his head, put bis horse into a canter, as if he knew they were coming and had eyes in the back of his head. Berkeley seb spurs to bis own horse, and swept on, in pursuit, while his men raised a yell in the hope of intimidating the fugitive, But the man before them never turned his head, riding on at the same easy canter, and having a good mile the start of them all. They gained on him slowly; but their borses had to use their utmost speed to do it, while he kept at a canter, till they had reduced the dis- tance to a quarter of a mile, = gain that distance, they had to gallop five miles, . ) Then they began to open fire on him, as the poder but eo no effect, for the shots, fired t in equally swift motion, were thrown away, in most cases, : | One or two sent the dust up above the feet of the pony in front; but that was the worst, Then, of’a sudden, while they were still fir- ing, a flash came from the fugitive’s back, and rate — of a bullet showed that be was fight- n ack, et he had not evep turned his head to look at them, though the bullet went so close to the head of Berkeley’s pony, that the animal and nearly threw its rider, who had not ex- pected the “ and was leaning eagerly over the pony’s neck, The bullet, in passing, cut a hole in the hat of one of Berkeley’s meo, end produced a sort of superstitious panic. ad the man in front turned his head, the ef- fect would vot have been so great, but to bave a marksmen who could come so close without even seeing the mark be aim.d at, was what scared the men. Before the surprise had fairly qusmes down, the greater part of the pursuers bad pulled in their horses, and the fugitive bad gained a good hundred yards on all but Berkeley, who raced on, barder than ever. As he went, he | fired sbot after shot, from bis Winchester, as | they could see the dust clouds, all round the heels of the pony. — , x | Then came auotber flash from the mysterious | man, and rkeley’s pony went down, head | it, : The Englishman scrambled up, and ees , for Berk- rant was drawn up and given into the hands of | threw up bis rifle for a steady aim, for Be Berk ey, who w wah in, with a number og eley was no coward, and the best qualities of . ; : . — ss , aa “we xX =! = ’ - ° ~ “ o Yvert ~ iad 7 —_— ’ ; * «eg ‘ oe ae ee ’ <2% ? > ; Oe ee, eS Oe - ES Ar miirht D « = ht «f@ A | C) I | | by ‘ «| | | — a ~~ ~ ° t «=% « x <i +> >. <y pi + oF Se. ~<, . = P > mal at that range, at a galloping borse, from another — ~ over heels into the grass, sending its rider after | eZ