Beadle's Dime Library, Vol. XII, No. 145 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

. ee . TE A rr ee ee ee a The shutter closed, but almost immediately | Irish Molly appeared below. - She was a tall, stoutly built woman, dressed in rather a nondescript costume, and around her waist was strapped a belt in which hung a brace of revolvers, but she looked with rather a kindly blue eye upon the girl, who stepped quickly in, followed by Soft Hand, who car- ried Harold Wilkins in his arms as easily as though he was a child. “Lay him on the bed, jintly. He looks most reddy for a wake, but don’t be froight- ened, darlint, avick! we’ll make a new mion av him, praise the Virgin.” Alabaster Jim halted on the threshold, and peered curiously around the room. It was lighted by a single candle, and was long ahd narrow. In one corner, where the rays of the candle fell the brightest, was a low couch, and upon this the man ‘from Cinnabar laid his burden softly down. Away on the opposite side of the room, where the shadows were deepest, it seemed to him that he could make out the outlines of a human figure, silent, motion! ss, and yet living. Who was it, and why lurking there? He gave a step within the room; and at the same time the figure moved forward toward him, and he saw that it-belonged toa woman. No man had that light, pantberish' step combined With that graceful, airy movenient. Right in front of him this woman halted, and gazed upon him with a searching look, which he returned with interest, for she scarcely was thé kind of person that he expected to find in Irish Molly's ranch: - She seemed to be about twenty years of age, and was clad in a suit of loosely fitting black velvet; while her'small, slender feet were cased in Néatly -fitting) light boots. Pushed back from her facé was & broad~brimmed black sombrero, over the rim’ of which trailed away a long feather of the samecolor. Her eyes were large aiid’ black, her features rarely well cut, and ove? her shoulders, in a great, unconfined wave, fell ‘a mass of raven hair. - ‘To Alabaster Jim she spoke shortly, and yet with a pleasant voice, nodding toward tbe lit- tle group at the couch. - “What meatis this? Did you say yonder man had fallen at the hands of Captain Skuli’s men?” - tou : ‘That's the size of the yarn, miss, an’ I fitid it a true bill.” ** And how doés it come that he seems dying, while the rest of you are unburt?” “That's thé chances, miss. One of the boys had miy pard) over. yonder—leustwise, he's a pard with the! pistols, fer outside ov his shootin’ I dén’t*khow hit wuth a cent—lined, an’ he no slouéh 6f I do blow my own horn. So ther blue pill went on, an’ dosed old mau Wil- kins; who didn’t ‘know no better them to be standin’ in ther road, an’ that opened ther ball, Then’ we sailed’in, a bundred an’ fifty pounds to ther tquaré’inch, ‘an’ ther way we bustled out them agents war three cautions an’ a half. At ‘least three ov ’em is layin’ up there yit, oné ov ’ém staid awhile fer a talk, an’ ther rest ain’t blood y, 50 I let’em go.” “And you two got away with the agents; something that no one else has done?” | ' “That's ther bill; large type, an’ red let- ters.” °° eo ert! " »' ; “Itseems strange; men that act seldom talk so much. Are youcertain that you are acting honestly by yonder man, who seems scarcely able to pick and Choose for himself/ You look more like a road-agent yourself. You are no honest miner.” ‘Alabaster Jim gave utterance to a frank, laugb. “Oh, I'm ‘talking fur two, thet’s all, my pardner never opens his mouth except fur rocks, 90 I hey to keep ther mull stream run- nin’. Dm sorry yer don’t like my fizzynog- nomy fur it’s ther best I’ve got, ent l’d a heap sooner ner not be yer friend. 1’m a good man to tie to, leetle pard, fur Alabaster Jim comes to Stay when he once hitches on.” “Thanks, but wy friends are few. Irish Molly is one—she once saved wy life—but I hardly ‘think I need you, though who knows? I ve a presentiment I shall see more of those people over yonder, and perhaps of you. Stand aside; I am no longer wanted here.” Alabaster Jim drew respectfully to one side; but before going the girl stepped forward _ matters in his mind. and as “wi sor one moment gazed fixedly at the SEE Se played thé drop*game,. ter he knows all ther es ezgood' er ef I'd taught him myself, fer op ther shoot, but ns - — —_——— Pistol Pards. eee ooo oe i a. Oe ee ae ee eae ee. te — —_ ——— wounded man, and the two forms hanging | into the Hall, but went by ft, and wandered a over him. Then she turned, passed out and soon the steps of her galloping steed were audi- ble, as, at full speed, she sought the trail that passed the Red Cat Gulch. A few minutes later Alabaster Jim, having taken a look at the wounded man, and held a short conference, also took his departure, but when he reached the main road he turned to the left sharply, and made his way to the camp which he had left but a few hours before, CHAPTER X. INTO AN AMBUSH. ‘‘ HELLO, pard, how’s the old man gittin’? Ef you'll take a fool’s advice you'll git him out o’ thar ez quick ez he’ll do to move, ef not | quicker, an’ keep a handsome look-out fur yer- self. I wouldu’t be surprised ef they was reachin’ fur ye now.” ** Who?” was the terse answer. The speakers were Alabaster Jim and the stranger from Cinnabar. It was several even- ings after the swoop of the road-agents, and as the latter came galloping into tne town the former strutted out of the Star of Empire, looking on very good terms with himself and the rest of the world. He was, indeed, a pros- perous man, for he had been fortunate enough to sell his captured horse to a party that was leaving southward, and a fair run of luck at cards had set him quite on his feet. “Oh; I'll never tell; but a) nod orter be ez good ez a wink. Agents mebbe; some'n else jist ez likely. But how about ther old man?” “ Better. Tl bring him through,” ‘‘ And hev yer seen anything ov ther black- eyed spitfire ag’in? Who is she? Ef she’s round ther ranch much I wouldn’t mind comin’ out, jist to see them peepers sparkle; but from the way she looked when she left.1 suggest she’s on’y part o’ ther floatin’ popurlation.” The other shook his head with a nod that might mean balf a dozen things. ‘‘Oh, dog-gone it, ye’r’ a sport, I know; but yer’ a mighty silent one, Hev’n’t yer nothin’ to say?” ‘* Not much—put it there, pard, and then [ll move on. I’ve got to see Mitchell, of the An- gels, and I’m in a-desperate hurry.” | He held out hisshand questioningly, and Jim responded by placing his own on it with a re- sounding smack. “ Thar itar’!) I'm a rough an’ a tough, but I’m a good)one to tie to, an’ don’t you furgit it. I'm sticrin’ ’em up hyer, an’ thar’s a chancerfur lots ov fun ef you'’ve'got ther nerve; but, say, you look out fura Mexican monte-dealer, Pedro Mercado, that runs things hyer sometimes, He's a b-a-ad man, an’ some day he'll be layin’ fur ye.” ; ‘*I’m looking! So long!” ‘Yes, ye’r lookin’,” muttered Jim to him- self, ‘‘an’ if ye’r satisfied with that why should 1 bu’st myself tryin’ to tell yer somethin’ mebbe I only dreamed; but I'll be’round, allee samee. Thar’s more money in, this’ place, an’ Alabaster Jim’s goin’ fur iti Ef,he’d only buckle right down to work what stunnin’ pards we'd make!” At the thought of so much lost opportunity the sport sighed softly, and made his way to- ward Hoodlum Hall, where, despite an occa- sional black look, he was as much, at home as any of them. Of course his return to the camp had elicited some comment, but he had held;his peace until the rumor got abroad that the coach on which he had gone out had been stopped by agents. Then they interviewed him in regard to. the affair, and he gave an account that was built with a solid corner stone of truth, but the bal- ance of the fouudation wus so large that it was hard to find it. When asked what bad become of the coach bis answer was that it had gone on; andtoa further question whether the rest of the pas- sengers had gone with it he responded that they could not prove it by him, ashe ran his own vehicle and the balance of the world might | | boy should reappear. | was.a boy at all. little down the guich. When he came back he had a glimpse of a boyish figure that shot in through a side door. He halted and slapped the brim of bis hat until it stood straight back from bis brow. There was sometbing familiar about the figure and be wondered what it was doing there, In- stead of entering, as he had intended, he lounged about, waitmg until the suppositious He did not believe it He believed it was the girl that he had seen at Irish Molly's. The boy did reappear, followed by a tall, wicked-faced Mexican. At the door they con- versed but a minute and then separated; but | that minute was sufficient. “‘They’re after him, sure enough, an’ little Black Eyes hes gone back on him, My ears an’ eyes kin beat any such game, every time. Ther little girl's goin’ out ov town an’ there’s no use to follow her; but we’ll see whar Pedro pulls up at.” Caretully he followed the Mexican until finally he saw him halt near the Seven Angels, when he was joined by Victor Page. The two held a short conference but there was no earthly way of getting within earshot, as he had by the merest chance succeeded in doing once before. He could. only guess at what was said, and he saw them part without knowing more of their business than he did be- fore. “They’re wuth ther watching?’ he thought to himself, “‘an’ I'll keep an eye on ‘em. Ef they get away from Alabaster Jim they can call him a hip-shot elephant an’ a condemned old scarecrow on wheels,” But watch though he might, that night there was no reward for. his vigilance, since Pedro dealt monte for the rest of the evening and the most of the night, as unconcerned as though he bad no. secret. that. he was hiding from the world, and Jim heard him say tbat he in- tended, the next evening, to start for avother mining camp some forty miles away. At sunrise it was certain that Mercado was sleeping in the little shanty that he called bis bome; and at sunset it was just. as certain that he bad disappeared from Tierra Roxo without Alabaster Jim, who was fascinated for the time, by a poker table, being any the wiser, The, trail was lost; and it proved no easy matter to take it up again; and meantime Pedro was arranging for work, ) As Victor Page had announced that he in- tended tolook at the mining features of Tierra Roxo, and had engaged board at the Seven Angels fora week. with a possible extension, he could come and go without, question; and he did come and go, but so carefully’ that no one once suspected that he had any other business than looking at mines, and caring for the health of his sister who had) medical ad- vice to live in the open air, and im the-saddle. Only one man kept an eye on him; though fortunately, or unfortunately, just when some- thing of real importance was on the..carpet, an interesting game of draw, with a wonder- ful balance of lJuek and skill, claimed bis atten- tion, and; for the time, he forgot Pedro Mer- cado, Victor Page; and, his suspicions, If be had heard Page’s parting words, that he failed to catch, he might have been, more on the alert. , “I will be on the watch, and if be comes in the evening we will know what todo. Biing him to the,,old mission—and. alive; you will find us there, and. everything must be ready. Do your work with any kind of care and he will never be missed, or asked for, and once I have him safe I care not what becomes of those at the ranch,” So. when Pedro slipped out of town with lasso, revolvers and knife, he was bound for no forty mile trip to the Southern mining camps; but doubled back on bis trail, and that night lay in wait, with two men, north of the camp, by the side of the road that ran past the head of Red Cat Gulch. In the darkness they crouched like three walk for all he cared. He thought tv bimself | great, human spiders, and in his right hand that it might be as well to say nothing of the trio he had left at Irish Molly’s; and he was disgusted. with Soft Hand for venturing into — town, and so running the risk of being followed back. For the sake .of Wilkins and his daugbter it would have been better to have re- mained hidden. As he went along he was revolving these a result, to carry out certain trains of thought, he did not turn Pedro held a coiled Jasso, a terrible weapon in such a hand as his, for straight around his mark he could fling it, at any reasonable dis- tance, with unerripg aim, even in such dim light as that wich lay along the road beneath him, For several hours the three had waited; ever since Soft Hand had dashed by on his way to- ward town, Well hidden behind the crest of a bank, some fifteen or twenty feet above the ECOMNIEOOOLKS