Beadle's Dime Library, Vol. XII, No. 145 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

em ee ee ees |e SS CSC - - —- ‘Now, say it sharp. What is wanted?” ‘‘ My child,” said Varna, and for tbe first time there crept a softer tone into her voice. ‘“Where is she; who is she? Shall I ever see her again?” 7 ‘I’m sorry, miss; but I don’t keep much _ ac- count of children, 1 will tell you something, that maybe you don’t know, This Colonel Dashwood, that has been mixing in our affairs | has another name and it’s Captain Skull. If that don’t seem to stir you up any, make it Allan Page and you won’t be far wrong.” “ Allan Page! How dare you mix the name of my dead brother up with a mining-town gambler, and a captain of road-agents?” “That’s the question. It does seem rough; but Allan Page it is. I thought Id tell you so you could give him a little caution. [’m afraid his game is about played. There are eyeson him. Good-morning. Don’t try any games on me, and I'll see you again. [’m pressed, just now, for time.” With an easy bow he cast the revolver on the bed and turning walked out and away, without ever once looking back. When he was fairly gone the two drew a long breath, for judging him by themselves it was only when his last footstep sounded faintly in the ball that they felt assured that he would not turn and rend them. ‘He has Satan’s own luck!” at length whis- pered Page. ‘Yes! Can we hope to ever see it change?” “Can wef Yes, we must, we will! Yet this is no place for us. For all his quiet ways he must be more than mortal if he does not, sooner or later, seek his revenge. When he does strike it will be the crashing of a thunder- bolt.” ‘‘You are right there; yet I would sooner fight than flee. More than once we have held his life in the hollows of our hands, and we stopped to dally with him. We do not know that he is invulnerable, because we have never struck him a solid blow. And itis worth our whiie tosucceed. Perhaps even he may begin to fear for the future. Why else should he have told us so foul a lie?” ‘Bah! Don’t be so indignant. It cannot harm the shade of the departed; and I cannot see that we are in so much better business.” ‘*You do not fora moment believe? And et—truly there was a strange mystery there. t we mad enough to give this Captain Skull a - few truths in my very recklessness,” “ And if he be Colonel Dashwood then he has no little hold on us,” “ And if he is Allan?” “Hush! We know the truth only too-well. It is too late to swerve from our course. We must find out what this man is going to do now and lay our plans accordingly.” But with all their shrewdness the two plot- ters bardly supposed that Soft Hand and his ally were beading in a bee-line for the ranch of Colonel Dashwood. : CHAPTER XXVIII. COLONEL DASHWOOD DEFINES HIS POSITION. Ir bad not required a great deal of ingenuity to entice Catalina into the trap; but once she was there its jaws held very tight, and even a Baron Trench might have been puzzled to get out very speedily with the means she had at her command. The girl had little fear for her own safety. Eve Ramon, the Mexican woman who had sprung the lock upon her, hated her very heart- ily, she knew; but she would not be allowed to work her will unquestioned, and sooner or later she believed she would be released, even though she had befriended and saved those who were her uncle’s aversion. Although she did not, at the time, let it ap- pear, the positive recognition of her uncle as Captain Skull gare her more painful matter for reflection even ber own captivity. She was by no means passionately attached to him, for their life together had been one of much jangling: she knew that he was no saint, and in her way she was careless enough, reckless enough herself: but to be the niece of a bandit and in seeming league with highwaymen was more than her proud spiritcould brook. She was not altogether sorry to be alone with ber certainties, a suspicion of whicb had more than once crossed her mind, especially since she had overheard a conversation certainly not in- tended for her ears, She threw herself on the —EEE - punishment. it was not hard to believe that he was one of PEOPONERRSS. bed with ber head resting on her arms, and considered the problem of her future. Over and beyond her uncle’s double role she had grave matter for reflection; and the pair that she had succored were strangely promi- nent in all her thoughts. The day wore on. When she began to fairly | feel the gnawings of hunger, Eve Ramon ap- peared on the outside of the door, bearing a meal, “ Senorita, you are not to starve unless you wish to. I have your dinner here and will hand it in to you if you swear to me to make no attempt to barm me or to escape, but to re- main in the further corner of the room until I have closed the door again.” It was a natural precaution, but Catalina felt somewhat disappointed since she had laid her plans for a rush. There was no chance to argue the question, and as she knew that she would be all the bet- ter and stronger for the meal, and none the worse off for the promise she gave it for with- out much hesitation. ‘‘Wait a moment, Eve,” she said, as the woman placed her tray upon the table and turned to leave the room. ‘Such things as this are never done without a reason; tell me what is in the wind now?” ‘‘Something that should have been thought of long ago if I had had my will; and I told it pretty clearly to your uncle. You are in the way and as no one here wants to wring your pretty neck they talk of providing some one to do it for them if it should be needed,” ** And so they would murder me. Beware!” ‘No murder, though sometimes that would be the better for choice. They mean to give you a husband.” Catalina’s eyes flashed with anger. “A husband! They must be mad. Who have I seen here with whom I would mate? A woman must be won; and who has ever come here to woo? Why, woman, I have been shut up here as in a living tomb, from which I could only wander out as a corpse or a ghost, to look upon a strange world.” ‘The wooer has seen you all the same, and he is a brave young fellow, trust me for that. When he comes, with your uncle and the priest, you will hardly say him nay. And if you do it will not make much difference.” “You are speaking falsely,” exclaimed the girl passionately. ‘ Because I have gone counter to Colonel Dashwood’s wishes, and in- terfered between him and his revenge I am shut up here, and such tales are told me for When will this outrage be?” “Tt is true enough! In three days.” “One question more, and a strange one it is for an expectant bride; who may be the chosen man?” ‘“* Leon Cerrado.” “The worthless vagabond! what service can he have done that he dares claim me as his re- ward? Or is it upon him that I am forced, to suit the hand of this scheming, treacherous, wicked uncle of mine? The half-dozen times that his glittering, beady little eyes met mine, I bad a strange temptation to crush him as though he was a snake. Pity that I had not done so! His soft words poisoned me, I hated him from the first, and told him so, ‘You mistake. Leon Cerrado is one that many a senorita would be too happy to win. He is young and handsome, and in Mexico has a great ranch. True, he had to fly from there, but that is all right now. He goes back soon, and will take with him his wife. ‘You have been a great trouble to your uncle, you will trouble him no more,” “That will do. You may gonow. I ‘have nothing more that I would ask you.” It was a temptation, perhaps, but Catalina had pledged her word. She made no move- ment to interfere, and Eve left the room, unmolested. When once more alone, Catalina considered the story, and for the very reason that it had such an ugly look, she was inclined to believe in the truth of it; though why Eve had re- vealed the plot, unless instructed to prepare her for what was to come, she could not understand. | It was probable enough, for this Leon Cer- rado was @ young man of whom sbe seen some little, since, more than once, he had come to see her uncle, and had lingered to talk to her. With the knowledge that she had lately gained, the band of Skulls. Though she was some- what indebted to Dashwood for a careless Tt TT — | ! | 21 kindness in the past, yet she had good reason, in the variable nature of her treatment, to know that if she crossed him too far, sbe could expect nothing from his mercy. Perhaps she had gone a step beyond the line in her late interference; but she vowed that she would not regret it, and would turn all her energies toward escape. But, when she came to look around, she found that she was about as well secured as if she had been in any jail in Christendom. She had her pistols for defense, but they could help her little to clear the way for their use, _ Even them she lost, for Eve, either being cau- tioned or thinking that they were not safe things for her to have, the next time she came coolly told her that unless she gaye them up, she would have to do without food or drink until i | they relieved her of the care of ber prisoner, There was some dispute about this, but in the end Eve triumphed, and the girl waited in ber prison for the crisis that was none too far off. When the hours of day and night bad gone around with a weary sameness, until Catalina was almost crazed with the monotony, and the thoughts of what was to come and the two prisoners in the cabin of Gomez, the door flew open and in stalked Colonel Dashwood. He had not been at all seriously injured; but the hard usage received of late bad not added to his beauty, and it looked as though, if he met a few more men that he was hunt- ing for, his head would be more bandage than cranium. As sbe looked up into his face, un- certain whether to be glad or distrustful, she thought she had never seen ‘it more forbid- ding. He threw himself into a chair and looked at her with a cold, calculating glance. “Well, girl, are you ready? Eve says she bas told you of my intentions.” “Eve has been babbling, but certainly I would believe no such story as that which she told.” “You may as well believe it, for it is the truth. Ihave been a fool to burden myself with such an ungrateful chit so long. No mat- ter what my idea was when I first took you in, I bave given it up and must make some other disposition of you before you work me a mischief that cannot be undone. As the wife of Leon Cerrado I fancy you will be out of harm’s way. It must be either that or something else; and I hate to kill you.” “Do you think that I will submit to such an outrage? Have I nothing at all to say in the matter?” “Very little, my dear. The facts are, I took you as a child, brought you up, fed and clothed you, educated you, and asked little or nothing in return. 1 thought you had some gratitude, even if your affection had not been awakened. Yet the first time you get a fair opportunity you set yourself against me, threaten my life, and if I, thinking that my ends were accomplished, had not yielded, I verily believe that you would have slain me where I sat, It is true I admired your courage on several other occasions, but that did not strike me so near at home. This came near costing me my life. over, that you cannot be controlled and that I need never anything from you. “Very well, let me go then and I trouble you no more. I have never asked anything at your band, and now I never will.” “Thank you, but that does not suit, It is because I do not want to slay you that I turn you over to Leon, who adores you, and will ‘make a proper husband no doubt.” “And do you really suppose that you can break my spirit so that I will give my conse» to such a villainy. ‘You shall never force me to give my consent if I die for it.” “Your consent will not be at all needful. | The truth is the marriage part is rather an afterthought. I was g to send you out otf the way anyhow, and spoke,” ‘ “About how long, then, do you think Leon Cerrado will live after you attempt to put such oe in operation? If I have learned anything n this half savage life I have been leading it is to handle my weapons. I will kill him lke a dog; and no one knows better that I will do it than yourself.” ‘o ‘Perhaps; but we will put it to the test. I thought it might be as well to warn you that the time was close at hand and caution you that any resistance will only make a disgrace- ful scene without benefit to any one. You hardly want to enter the matrimonial state EOMNMUCE OOK) cS com It shows, more- _