Beadle's Dime Library, Vol. XII, No. 145 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

Om eS ee e-St—“‘i<i— SS == trail, they had lurked in utter loneliness, since not another living soul had passed. * Curses on the kiote, why does he wait?” muttered the Mexican, tired with the long vigil. ‘‘It is getting darker andif I miss my fling there will be workto do for your re- volvers.” ‘¢Whist! What’s that? coming now” One of his companions held up his band warningly, and ail listened. Sure enough in the distance they heard a galloping horse. Pedro swung the lariat loosely to see that it was ready for use, and the others cocked their pistols softly. “S$ 'posin’ it’s not him? S’posin’ you yank ther wrong man off, what yer goin’ to do about it?’ suggested the third man of tke party. Mercado drew the edge of his left hand across his throat, from right to left. “Turn his pockets out and fling him in the bushes, What business has he riding this trail to night?” Nearer and nearer came the rider. They could see hisform bending forward slightly in the saddle. He rode with a loose rein, and the mustapg was going its own gait, a swift gallop. As be came nearer, Mercado swung his cord around his head to gather momentum, and then, suddenly rising and stepping forward he made his cast at the man directly below him. Small blame to the man trom Cinnabar if, taken uvawares, there was no resistance made. ‘‘Ah!” be exclaimed, as the noose settled around him. Then with a heavy crash he fell head-first from his saddle to the ground, and lay motion- less, while the mustang, free of its burden and wild with terror, darted into the night ata racing run. : ‘‘ We have him; now for the mission and the gold!” And Pedro, followed by his companions leaped down the bank, and ran to the side of the inanimate man, CHAPTER XI. YOU MUST DIE. Wuen Soft Hand had fairly recovered his senses he found himself propped up against what seemed to be the wall of a-cellar, and bound hand and foot. A lantern cast rather a feeble light on the scene; and directly facing him was a man who held, pointed at him, a cocked revolver, and who now, seeing that he was conscious, growled out the words: ‘* You must die!” ‘* Ah, indeed! Why?’ The threat was savage; the answer was too careless to be defiant. ‘‘ Yeu ask that question? me?” ‘‘ By sight and hearsay simply. Some told me you were Victor Page.” ‘“ Yes, Iam the brother of Allan Page,” ‘Ah! I didn’t know there was such a man as Allan Page, though somehow the name seems familiar.” | ‘‘ Wretch! Dare you flout me in that way! There lives no such man now because you killed him.” ‘I? Oh, you must be mistaken. I don’t re- member anything about it if I did; and my record’s not. such a long one that I could have forgotten him. No! I don’t think Idid. I shot a man named Payne at Alamosa, once. Really, that is the nearest that I ever came to it,,’? Surely you know one ‘‘Oh, I did not think you were so cowardly oa to attempt to escape my just vengeance by a e! ‘Hold on, hold on! I’m not trying to escape. That’s not my word. When they double bank I sometimes ‘retire.’ I’m willing to do that now, All the same I know of no reason why you should be hungering formy blood, If you were why didn’t you call up and settle/ I was always ready.” ‘*T tell you you slew him cruelly, treacher-’ ously, wantonly, when he was your guest, when he had confided bis life and safety to your hands. You turned him adrift in an open boat, without mast, sail, or provisions. His shriveled corpse was found on the beach, five hundred miles from where you began your murder.” “That was a rough sort of a journey for him to take; I don’t wonder. he was wilted before he got to theshore. A cruel sort of a By the powers, he’s | | | upon bis breast‘ Pistol Pards. 4 —- --_—-- —_ — ee ee ee man I must be; so, if you mean business, I suppose you may as well go on with the circus.” ‘*Do not be impatient. Ihave yet another witness against you. Varna, stand forth!” At the call a female figure glided from the shadow of a doorway, and stood facing the bound man. ‘* Pierre Redette, you know me.” She was a wonderfully handsome woman, this velvet clad beauty that stood there, with acruel smile on her full lips,and her dark eyes sending a stream of hatred straight to those of the prisoner. There was a broad, low brow, lined by delicately curved eyebrows; there was a face whose every feature seemed most truly regular, and whose complexion, olive and peach, had only been hightened in beauty by sun and wind; there wasa form, just alittle over the medium hight, that was rounded out with the most faultless curves, and the hand that she raised was long, slender, and altogether shapely. For an instant the captive did not answer; and as she watched his soft gray eyes she saw them actually glow with a flash of admiration. When he answered, however, it was in the same careless tone in which he had spoken be- fore: ‘‘ Excuse me, miss, but though it’s bad man- ners to contradict a lady, you’re twice mis- taken. I’m not Pierre Redette, and I don’t know you. -Unless—” He stopped suddenly, and looked at her steadily, with a gaze of calm curiosity. , Unless?’ ‘You might be Sapphira, I’ve heard of her.” The black eyes flaned with sudden fury. “Villain, would you flout me? Iam Varna Page that was; | am Varna Redette that is. I am your wife—deeply wronged, grievously slighted, and now come to take vengeance. It was for the sake of that yellow-haired siren, whose name was too soiled. then to pass my lips now, that you slew my brother. Oh! a wo- man’s revenge for slight and scorn may come slow; but it is sure and terrible at the last. If she. lives doubt not that I will find her, vain though the search may so far have been; and as you die the lingering death to which we have decreed you, you can console yourself with the thought that she too shall suffer.”’ “Excuse me, madam, if madam it is; but I’m not Pierre Redette. It’s true I had some other name long ago, so long that I forget whether it was Tom, Dick or Harry, but at present they call me Soft Hand. 1’m sure I never would have had the bad taste to run after any yellow-haired siren if I had been blessed with a bandsome, amiable spouse like yourself; so you see it’s alla mistake, At the same time I never want to spoil sport, and I’m not very fond of living anyhow. That last is the rea- son, I suppose, that I’ve always pulled through with all the advantages against me. Maybe if I die, the real, out-and-out Pierre Redette will be all the bappier for it. It’s alittle awkward, this being trussed up here, and I know I don’t show off to geod advantage, but Lhope, in the future, you'll remember me a little kindly, as a man that died cheerfully for your accommo- dation, and if you ever fiud out your. mistake don’t worry. I’ve had an unpleasant life so far, and really you are doing me a favor, I reckon there’s some money in this, too, some- wheres. There generally is. Ifso, and you can spare the stamps, I wish you'd put up a stone slab, with a silver plate on it, and on the plate, ‘Soft Hand, aged 28. He was a competent man.’ You see I've been a competent man all the time, but the world wouldn’t have me at any price. That’s all now; drive on with the hearse,” Even the woman, with all her hate, was puz- zled at the soft, even, utterly unconcerned man- ner of the man, whose eyes were fixed upon her in regret rather than anger, as he made this, for him, wonderfully long speech. But Victor Page, who had drawn a little to one side, and had been studying the almost colorless face of him he called Redette, dashed forward at this, his eyes sparkling with wrath, ‘Would you shy his glib tongue once more to deceive you! look! By this sign I knew him.” _ soon me r., he “eqs he tore open the clothing of Soft nd at the breast, and disclosed his bo- som a broad blue circle, iccon) ee the flesh, in the center of which was a red heart, and a hand, - “Did I.not tell you that he had the mark Il Lad sharp eyes to watch 9 bim, and while he slept, at the risk of life to examine him, After that there could be no more doubt. We laid in wait for him. As he _ passed, a lasso dragged him from his horse and TT re eC threw him senseless to the ground. . Then he was bound and brought hither. He knows Low to whom he is indebted for this tardy vengeance, and it is useless longer to delay. the same covert sneer on that accursed mout! that we knew so well.” As he ceased speaking Pege hands, A moment after two men care slowly into the vault, almost staggering under the weight of a long, narrow, heavy box. With them came a third, carryivg a second lantern. Soft Hand gave a lightning glance at the three; but little use was it if he hoped to re- cognize their features. Each bad his head en- veloped in a piece of black crape. The same material was twisted around their hands, while a single garment of white reached from neck to foot. Thoroughly masked, were they; and not a word did they speak as they placed the box upon the stone floor, and removed the lid. Then Victor Page motioned toward Soft Hand, and with his three masked satellites ap- proached him, raised him from his feet, placed him in the box, and hastily fitting the lid upon it, began, with a hammer that they had brought in the box, to spike it home with heuvy nails, “Thump! thump! thump!” The blows sounded hollowly, the man with the hammer worked with nervous haste, V stood with face deathly white holding the lantern bigh above her head; and from within the box there came no sound of curse or prayers. Soft Hand was game to the last. —E—E CHAPTER XII. ALABASTER JIM TAKES UP A CLAIM. PERHAPS two dozen nails beld the lid tightly in place; but the man within was net entirely cut off from outside air, since, in the foot of the box, there were several auger holes. He clapped his | Watch him and you will not doubt. There i was not in immediate danger of suffocation, , The work thus far done to their satisfaction the five stood for a moment in silence, Their task was not yet completed; and what really seemed the hardest, most cruel part of it was to be done, Yet Victor Page gave no signs of relenting, nor repugnance. To one side of the box be stepped, and motioned to his men, who each took one of the three remaining corners, and lifting the coffin, with its living contents, they followed Varna, who passed out through the door by which the box bad been brought. Through another room, or cellar they went, and came to a third, if anything damper than the others. In one corner was a heap of stones, and some freshly dug earth, beside which was an opening. Without more ado the box was lowered into this shallow grave, the dirt was carefully filled in so that the air was not altogether excluded from the one end of the box, and then the stone flagging was relaid, and the floor brushed — over. The sharpest of eyes could scarcely bave discovered that there had been any recent tampering with the floor. * Victor Page swung the lantern over the spot once or twice, and seeming to be satisfied, ut- _ tered the one word: a eee ee sti— ee Ce * Come!” ‘ Silently by his side walked his sister; be- > hiud him the three men, who, when they bad a come to the first room, stripped off their dis- guises, and flung them into one corner. Then all ascended the stone stairway, and stood in the doorway of the deserted, ruined old mis- sion house, | . ‘You have done so far your share of the You know me, and must. Here is the sum that I promised down; if int days I find all well the rest will be given to Mean- time one of you must keep an eye on the spot all the time, to see that no one enters without our knowledge. There are three of you, you work well. 1 know you and can trust you. ‘a can divide the watches so that it be no great task. If you need me you can me at the Angels, Pedro, come me a mo- ment, I can give you your as I go along.” | . | Into the outstretched band of he drop- ped a small but heavy bag, and turned away, Pedro following &s he was JOO GOMNGE Sj ~ ~ (E(e) /