Beadle's Dime Library, Vol. XII, No. 145 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

. with much disdain. ‘“‘S’pose ther’ were forty Pistol Pards. For a wonder Alabaster Jim's tongue was | turn of the two pards, and then the party must quiet, and so it happened that they heard foot- shift for themselves. steps cautiously approaching the very spot which they had selected as their hiding-place, though still at a considerable distance. Up went Jim’s hand in a warning gesture. “‘'Thar’s some one c min’; keep quiet.” *“‘T always am quiet,” responded Soft Hand. *“You can hear a pin drop when I’m around. (ll take the first one and you reach for the second, if it’s any one that is nosing around af- ter us.” But the approaching party had no idea that there was any one there; and though they stepped lightly enougb, it was not because they wanted or expected tosurprise anybody. The | charge Accordingly, baving placed Gomez and his where they could be easily found, | the two began their approach to the hacien- da, and entered through one door just as Victor and Varna Page, baving passed through _another, bad drawn all attention to themselves. aim. Soft Hand, As he came Alabaster Jim uttered his note of warning, as already recorded, and at the same time covered the colonel with deadly silent as ever, once, for springing forward he shot out a truth was they were fugitives themselves, and | ing from Victor Page toward Alabaster Jim were only too anxious to avoid collision with any one. When the pards rose suddenly from the ground to their feet there was a mav’s oath and a woman’s cry; both low, but. dis- tinct. Alabaster Jim pricked up his ears as he heard the faint scream. ' ‘‘ Hands up, pards; we’ve got yer lined, bnt I reckon we're friends. We don’t Want no dizzy nonsense though, an’ we ain’t trustin’ you till we see what yer look like.” “Oh!” exclaimed the woman, ‘‘I know yotr voice. You were with usin the stage-coach and nobly took our part then; I feel sure you will do it again.” ‘Correct, by mighty! Why ding blast it, you’re ther very ducks we’s been lgokin’ fur. In ther name ov all creation what are ye.doin’ hyar?”’ And Soft Hand, stepping forward, repeated the greeting, and the question; in words, how- ever, that were a little better selected, though perhaps not more easy to understand. The new-comers were Harold and Kate Wil- kins, guided by Gomez. At the mutual recog. nition no one could have been more delighte:l, and hastily they began an explanation of what had happened at Red Cat Gulch, and how bravely Catalina hai spirited them away and furnished them with a hiding-place in the cabin of Gomez. He had provided for their wants until that very evening, when he had come in great excitement and advised an im- mediate attempt at escape, promising to do his best to pilot them on their way as far as they might need his guidance, | “ But the girl! what has become of hér? Sure- ly there must have been some reason why she should have come to you no more. She would not have forsaken you after having gone so far.” Soft. Hand spoke in haste, and looked down the sloping hillside to where in the distance he could see the twinkling lights of the hacienda. ** No: not of her own accord; but Gomez has learned that she bas been a prisoner in tbe house since the morning she left us. To-night there seems to be some strange scheme on foot in regard to her, and it alarmed him. He hesitated, but carried out his duty to her by looking after us. He doubted if he could aid her;.and feared this might be the last chance to help us.” é ) “ Well, say, don’t it look a leetle small, this cuttin’ loose ther tow-line, an’ leavin’ her to founder? That’s low down, an’ Alabaster Jim ain’t that kind nohow. Me an’ my pard, hyar, is goin’ to see the circus out; an’ you'd better lightning-like blow that leveled Leon at once, and from his still clinging fingers tore Cata- lina away. One shot did Colonel Dashword fire wheel- like a flash, but it went wide of its mark. Varna, as the new-comers made = their ap- pearance, had recovered her equilibrium, and | aiming to save her brother had sprung at the ' colonel. Her movement was probably fortu- nate for Alabaster Jim, but it was certainly so for Dashwood since she cast herself right be- ‘tween the two, a shade before Jim’s ‘finger tightened. With a quick turn of the wrist he threw up the muzzle of his weapon and glared around. It’ was time that he did so. A few paces away he saw Soft Hand, -with Catalina over his shoulder, aiming at a fierce looking Mexican, who was springing toward / a | being brought to bear upon him. hold on till the canvas drops. Then we'll. stick to you.” ‘“‘ But what good can you do? There are a dezen reckless, desperate, well-armed men at t heuse. Oh, this miserable uncertainty is i me! Let us go at once!” Kate broke in, hurriedly, and her voice was full of tremulous excitement. Jt was but seldom that she spoke in the presence of these men; but she could not refrain pow. With all the cool courage that she had shown herself possessed of, she was a little hysterical, ‘A dozen men!” answered Alabaster Jim, Ther more ther’ is ov ’em, ther longer they’ll last fur breakfast, We're hyar fur work: ef yer don’t b’lieve me, go ‘long an’ see. ev yer no-tized arything ‘bout me that looks ez though I’d throw off,because a dozen men were double-bankin’ a pard? Thunder an’ blazes, no! We'll look after her, fust, an’ then we'll waltz you out, all sirene.” _ .Gomez was very willing to give up his post as guide to the little outfit, since only his affec- tion for Catalina had led him to take the risk when it seemed that they could do no better. He agreed to remain with them until the re- him with an uplifted knife. But beyond him he saw four hands raise, and each hand grasped a pistol’ that was As they came to a level each muzzle spit forth its little flash of flame, and its leaden messenger. Straight forward upon his face fell Ala- baster Jim, as quickly as though felled by a well-wielded club; but, as he went there flamed out a shot from the revolver in either hand; and now the room was full of sulphurous smoke, Then there was a thundering crash; the lighted candles in the branching candela- brum were burled to the floor, and extinguish- ed; for a moment the combatants stayed their hands; and in the black darkness all that was heard was a single groan. ¢ CHAPTER XXXII. ALABASTER JIM AT BAY. BouT one person knew the cause of the crash, aud the sudden extinction of the lights; and that person was Soft Hand. In danger though he was, from the man with a knife, be had taken time to glance about him, and had seen the peril of his pard. , Instantly he dropped Catalina from his grasp; and firing, sprung forward. He had had his gripe on this same Mexican before, but after this time he would have no use for bim again.. The bullet had gone home, but before he could faJl Soft Hand _ had him, and seizing him, neck and knees, with one prodigious swing cast him at the lights. Then he let go with his fists left and right, leveling two mén whose position he had noted and whose forms he could dimly see, and sprung back noiselessly, to note how fate had treated Alabaster Jim. That worthy bad taken very good care of himself. At such close range all of the four would hardly miss; and do his best he could not pro-' vide for more than two of them. That was the reason he threw himself to the floor, just in time to let their bullets go-hissing over bim. His own shots were not thrown away, how- ever; and as, a moment later, Soft Hand tumbled over the other two, te pistol pards rather had the advantage; or at least it was no longer so far from an even thing of it. He “gave the groan that was heard, and then, slip- ping back a few paces, rose quietly to his feet. At that moment, when Jack was as good as his master, and the chances for victory were fair for the two, they heard without three rapid shots, and then the clanging of a bell and the loud blast of a horn. oe Eve bad slipped away and was giving a pre- arranged alarm. ' The sounds seemed to galvanize new life into the combatants; though in truth all that had happened since the arrival of the unexpected guests had passed with such a flash of con- tinuity that'everytbing was done more rapid- ly than it has been told. acted at | OP Zz ‘Quick! whispered Soft Hand into his partner's ear, apprised by the cocking of his revolvers, where be stood. ‘ We can fight them as well anywhere else; and if that signal is to bring help it may scoop up our friends as they round in. Follow. me to the horses; I have the girl.” ‘*Heave away, I’m with you!” was the an- swer, and the the two made a silent rush for the door. Before entering they had arranged a little scheme in case of a sudden retreat, and now they carried it out to the letter, for they broke straight for the line of half a dozen mustangs, that stood saddlJed and waiting, perhaps a hun- dred yards from the hacienda. A sweep or two of the knife set free the whole caballada, and mounting two they dashed away, driving .. the rest before them, just as the-colonel and his remaining meu swarmed out and opened a | rapid fire, An exclamation of his companion startled Alabaster Jim. “Not bit, are yer pard? he exclaimed. Such a catastrophe might well have happened for the bullets were rattling around them un- comfortably close. “Hit! No. But by heavens! DPve saved the wrong woman.” It was the actual truth, for in the darkness, Soft Hand had exchanged Catalina for Varna, and never noticed it until it was too late to remedy the mistake. She lay motionless upon his arm, and it was only when he saw her flowing skirts and close-fitting turban that he - gave utterance to his disgust, as the suspicion darted through his mind. A second look made the suspicion certainty, and checking his speed he caught her by the two wrists, and droppe her carefully to the ground. ‘‘They can take care of her better than | can; and at any rate we don’t want such an untamed tiger-cat. She'd murder a cripple with two cents, just to keep ber hand in.” Jim looked backward at the form that had dropped in a dark huddle, but said nothing, and a few moments brought them to the little group—Harold Wilkins, Kate and Gomez— who’had been listening, full of intense interest, to thé sounds of the distant fray. ““Hyar’s yer mustang; tumble into saddle quick!” cried Alabaster Jim, as he caught sight of the skulking forms. ‘‘We may not salivate ez many road-agents ez some, but. we're all death on their hoss-flesh !” . At once Gomes stcle away, while the two climbed into their saddles without waiting for assistance; aud without listening for sounds of the pursuit, whicb they knew would follow, the four were off and away, Alabaster Jim taking the lead. . He seemed to bave no doubt about being able to guide the party through the in- tricacies of the mountain passes, and their present objective point was Ground Hog Bar, which lay beyond. No one wanted to return to Tierra Roxo, and its inhospitable population. For an hour they pursued their journey, following a roundabout and by no means easy course. Sometimes they were deep in the shadows; sometimes their way, illuminated by the moon that was not far from full, was bright as day. At times Alabaster Jim. was away in their front; again be dropped into the rear. He alike searched out the path and watched for pursuit; and at last stopped suddenly, throwing bis left hand backward with a warning gesture, while his right rose straight in front of him, and he bent forward in his saddle, listening intently to the sound of a light footstep, plainly audible, when the little band came to a halt, | They were on a narrow pathway that seem almost let into the side of the mountain —a flat roadway, perhaps a dozen feet wide. On their right was an overhau wall of rock, on their left was the clearly-defined edge cof a precipice. .Not very far away the path seemed to come to an abrupt ending, yet that was the spot that the Jeader was watching with such steady earnestness. ‘‘Cuss them,” he muttered; “ they’ve headed us off right at ther Devil’s Doorway, and I bear their steps behind. Ef they ketch us on this ledge they kin pick us off like crow birds out of ther bushes. Why, hind sights an’ trigger- ards! Ef it ain’t ther leetle sport herself! n ther name ov creation, how did yer git hyar?” He suddenly chatiged his tone, and the muz- zle of his pistol dropped, for bounding suddenly mto view came Catalina. ‘“*T rode the most of the way, and climbed (Ele) Ebooks ecoim