Beadle's Dime Library No. 152 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

—— te ali caine tne eae ay em «- 26 —s wis ———— trent Captain Ironnerve, the Counterfeiter Chief: muslin which he puils from the wall, and then he draws the other Lorna away. She, too, is crying, for she can feel for the one who is no more, having herself discovered what it is to. love. One of the soldiers comes to Ralph. **Tronnerve’s goin’ under,’’ he says, ‘‘ and he 21s asked for you,” and Ralph accompanies the inan to the other end of the room, where he fads Gordon Crandyl, alias Captain Lronnerve, suffering intensest agony. “It has come,” he says, between his catching breath, as Ralph draws near, . “ You kept your word, my boy; the knave lost, and you have won.” “‘T am sorry for you, Crandyl,” says Ralph, and be means it, for he is sorry that the man before bim is so steeped in crime; ““ Yes, I think you are, Ralph. Bend lower; I have something to say to you,” and. Ralph bends over the prostrate form and listens. What he heard was giyen between long pauses, but it was as follows: “IT do not deserve any mercy or considera- tion from you,” said Crandyl, ‘‘ but there are some things which you ought toknow. I had thought never to tell you, but to-night has changed things for us all, ‘* My life has been an eventful one, but there are some pages in its history, for which I hope the Lord will give me credit. . ‘* Eighteen years ago, your brother Tom, Paul Leonard and myself started together for u tour around the world, traveling west from England. We did the circuit but instead of returning from St. Petersburgh home, we went to Spain, and there the man whom you knew as uncle Paul Leonard—and who in reality was my half-brother, met Lorna’ Lenola, “ She was a beautiful Gipsy girl, with great black eyes, that shone like coals of fire, or meltei like drops of evening dew. “He—Paul—loved her, and without my knowing it, used my name in courting her. Paul was also unprincipled, even more so than myself, and God knows that is bad enough. ‘‘We could not get him to come away; something held him there, and one day he told us he had married this little Gipsy queen. “Time went on in its relentless way, and finally, one day, your brother was taken vio- iently sick, but there was really not much dan- ger; still he thought he was going to die, and in the face of this idea, he gave Paul the power of attorney over all his property, which you know was very large, and which you have al- ways thought he gambled away, ** This was all Paul and I wished for. Wesaw a chance to better our conditiom, for neither of us were rich, and so—we—well, he would have recovered had we allowed him to—but he died, and Paul and I fled. ‘‘ We had for a valet, a fellow named Men- gari—half. Italian and half English, although favoring the- latter in looks. This fellow ac- cused Paul of Tom’s murder, and Paul struck him with a koife, and left him there for dead. “We fled—my brother leaving his young wife without bidding her good ‘by—and return- ed to England, “You know your mother died soon ‘after your father, in giving birth toa daughter, whom you always supposed died at the same time, but that was not so. Your aunt, Paul’s third wife, had just lost a child, and they took little ‘Lil- lian, resolyed to bring her up as their own, and the one redeeming feature of Paul Leonard’s life, was the love he always bore that child.” Ralph started back, and a great emotion shook bis whole body, as he exclaimed: ‘Then Lillian Leonard—!” “Ts your own sister; and Ralph, as much as I have hated and wrcnged you, it gives me joy —makes my death easier, to make you, in a measure, happier.” ‘**Go on—go on!” said Ralph. is or was—Lorna Atherton?” “She was Paul’s daughter by his first. wife, with whom he was always fighting, so that soon after the birth of her daughter, she got a di- vorce, and in doing so, she took the name of Atherton Afterward I married her, but she soon died, and I was left with Paul’s daughter to care for; and no man ever loved a daughter better than I loved her.” ‘* But Lorna Atherton, being of the first wife, how does it happen that the names should be alike?” ‘“A coincidence, that is all, and the likeness between the two Lornas, is a freak of nature which I could never understand. Let me iell “Who then, the story in my own way. I have only got a few moments to live. “Time went on, and finally, after the death of our wives, Paul and Icame to America to live. Afterward, you came over, and on the steamer with you, was the Gipsy Queen, Vega, whom you told me about, and whom you though was crazy, though with a strange method in her madness, ‘“‘In some way, she found out Paul, and went to him, but he turned her away, refusing to recognize his own daughter, preferring the love of the one he had adopted—your sister. “Soon after this, Paul and I had a serious misunderstanding, which ended in our utterly ignoring each other’s existence, and as months went by, we drew wider and wider apart. “Then I conceived the idea of organizing this gang of counterfeiters, which you and Roebuck have broken up, and not long ‘after that, Mengari came to me from nobody—knows —where, and I made him my lieutenant, he passing under the name of Munger. It was he who murdered Paul.” “Yes,” commented Ralph. ‘‘ But he has paid for it. He was killedin the fight by Roebuck.” ‘““The very man whom he brought here. Fate again.” Crandyl pauses and calls for brandy, and, upon its being administered, goes on: “The two Lornas are half-sisters, and daugh- ters of Paul Leonard’s, who was your uncle by his third marriage, which was no marriage at all, and it is Heaven's kindness that both chil- dren born of that union died. “Lady Lorna was my niece by birth and my daughter by marriage, and we always gave her her’ mother’s title—Lady.” It was all clear now—thée mystery that had puzzled Raiph so much. ‘“When we were about to torture you,” Crandyl goes on again, ‘‘ Lorna—Gipsy Lorna —dashned into the room dressed exactly as her mother was, and 1 thought hera spirit. Where she got the dress I do not know, unless Munger brought it here with him. He knew the Spanish Gipsies, and, I have always thought, was allied to them in some way. It must have been an inspiration that told her to don that garb.” poh Ay echoed Ralph. “And it saved my ‘life.” “That is all I have to tell,” Crandyl added; while his face was convulsed with pain. “I am going now to meet the Almighty Judge. Can you forgive me, Ralph? I think [te will be more lenient if. you are, whom I have wronged so.” es, Gord. I can forgive you now.” Crandyl looks up with unspeakable thanks- giving in his eyes, and with a fervent, though gasping “God bless you!” a fierce trembling shakes his whole body, and then, with one wild cry of more than moértal agony, his form stiffens out, and Gordon Crandyl, alias Cap- tain Ironnerve, the counterfeiter, is no more. The mystery is solved at last. CHAPTER XXXIV. | HARMONY—PEACE—AND QUIETUDE. THE bodies of the slain ones have all been conveyed to their last resting place, and Ralph, Philip Roebuck, Mosquito, Lorna and Lillian are all at Laurel Lodge. Prince’ had ‘sneaked off almost at the commencement of the battle, and he never molested our friends again. _ The prisoners were one and all conveyed to Rich- mond. Lady Lorna has been interred near her fa- vorite arbor, and that peaceful calm which al- was follows a storm, seems to fill the air. Two months after the events narrated in our last chapter, Ralph leads Lorna to the altar, and there makes her his wife. ing wife she is; even more beautiful in her new office than she. was as the wild Gipsy girl. Mosquito has been sent away to get an edu- cation, and Ralph and his bride are spending their honeymoon near the scenes of Lorna’s earliest infancy. Lillian is back again in her old home in Rich- mond, and almost every syening brings a caller to whom she reads each of her brother’s letters in which he is as intensely interested as her- self. His name is Philip Rogers, or, as better known to us—Rvoebuck, and one day, but a year later, when Ralpb and his wife have re- turned from abroad, there is another wedding, . And a dtiekin- and Lillian Gordon becomes Lillian Rogers, for better or for worse. LETTER FROM RALPH GORDON TO MosgvurrTo. ‘*My Dear Boy,— “Tris m morning brought us a new blessing—my wife and I. It is in the shape of a little atom of hu- manity which we speak of as Ralph Gordon, Jr. We are all glad to hear how well you are progressing in your studies, and hope one day to see the lad who stood by me through thick and thin, honor the name of Gordon which I was proud to give him ere he went out to fight the world afresh. Philip says he is he ealous; that I have two sons and he none, but I him to wait with patience, and he may be a blessed some day. I must be brief, for to tell rie truth, I am teh ag to spend my time in letter- w riting, All n sending love and well wishes. “Your adopted father, ‘*Ratpa GoRDON,”’ Four years later. Extract FrrRoM LETTER FROM MosgviTo To RALPH GORDON. ‘(My MORE THAN F'ATHER:— ‘In one year more I will finish my college course, and the faculty—that is one or two of them with whom I am a favorite—think (hat I stand fair to win the prize for extempore speaking. * “Tam glad to learn that Mr. Rogers te we, to be jealous of you, having himself received the usual benediction. Convey to him, and also his wife i heartfelt congratulation. * * *.~ * much love to all, and particnlenty to little Ralph, L am, ours devote ‘dly, *“ HaRRY Gorpon. m It is Christmas. Once more they are all together at Laurel Lodge; Ralph Gordon, his wife and son, now a dashing lad of nearly six years; Philip Rogers, wife and daughter, and last, but by no means least, Mosquito—now known as Harry Gordon, the adopted son of, Ralph Gordon, The waves of trouble that rolled over one dark chapter of their lives have all settled down into a peaceful calm, and the future looks bright for all. THE END, Half-Dime Singer's Library 1 Waoa, Exma! and 59 other Songs. 2 Caprarms Corr and 57 other Songs. 8 Tae Garnsporo’ Hat and 62 other Songs. 4 Jounny Morean and 60 other Songs. 5 Pu. 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