Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 194 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

ee oe eee te we Y= “4A Pia . er j ee - ¢ J. 7 - ~ 10 2 “It surely will, senor,” said’ the amazed Mexican. Wilder leaned nonchalantly back in his chair. “ Did any one give me away to Roberts?” he Te you; ‘bub your levant thwarted him and be © no arrest whatever,” o“ What of Braxton?” © * His burts are healing slowly, but he swears he will be avenged on you,”’ » ‘1 don’t care a continental for him.” “If he shows his teeth, remember the Triad is at your back. The negro and Laro’ready to fight for you.” ; a Thanks, _ What of Jog Pike?” » 6 Digging” gold ‘and muttering about Pike’s Peak the same as ever.” | ““f owe hima favor. Now, then, to. business, The Triad must strike to-morrow night. " _* Weare all ready.” | : ‘You see, the Austin family is going on a hide-and-seek, romantie trip up the foothills to-morrow; and they will come back go tired out that they will sleep like logs. Consequent- ly, that is the time for us.” " \ Correct, genor.”’ ~ You don’t suppose any one suspects our pur- y ‘* Not a soul.” “Well, I have new quarters this time and shall call myself Abe Turner while I wear this: ise. 1 don’t want Roberts to tumble,” -**He can’t su anything. Even your own brother would not.” ** Preckon if I was to show up with the circus men J should puzzle them all. At one time we were short of help and [ used to chip in and wash the indelible marks off the tattooed man —our bills said the marks were put on bim in Now Zealand, but he had never been outside of the United States—and he professed to love me like a brother—when drunk, But 1 reckon this outfit. would floor him.” “Tt is excellent.” “Well, I must go now, but I'll see you again, Meanwhile, prepare for to-morrow night. ” ‘* Ay, senor, we will.” ; Pablo s with alacrity, but Wilder, look- ing = as he went away, shook his head ow sad T doubt if he would be so ready if he knew of the white figure I saw the other night near the mound. Query what was that figure— ghost or human? don't know, buf one sight of it would seare Diaz out of the job.” The night of the following day three men cautiously approached Judge Austin’s house. It was nearly midnight,’ and as the Triad neared the inclosure they saw that all was dark and silent. ‘Our arrangements will get us over the fence easily,” said Wilder, *‘and we; have only to fear 6 Dorval and the dog.” pak: fhe dog should be killed,” said Diaz. “ Wehave talked of that before. We won't tronble the dog unless’he troubles us. Are your ladtleve ready, Major?” Jones answered affirmatively. By that time they were beside the iron fence, but they were one to overcome the barrier. Wilder had manufactured two rope ladders, with hooks at the end, and whirling one of these over his head, he easily caught it on the top of t nce, . ’ far, good. Remember, no noise about the'work,” he said, as he prepared to ascend. ‘Going up, he fastened the socond ladder for the further side and then, by careful moving, managed to get himself over the barbs un- opped inside and Pablo lightly followed, e negro, on arriving at the top, lost cour-. age and.was- some time in getting his heavy body over the pinnacle. He succeeded at last and soon beside bis allies. The Triad had won, the. first move in the e. ‘i or ! dat are was pokerish business,” Jones ce!’ commanded Wilder. ‘‘ Youare to’ ke no u ms Pm aunts wah 36 poo “Beware of the 0 Pen er the ex-circus- man, who never forgot > facetious side of the T he led the across the yard and hen he | -" y OE eryho tas “nin e ‘_ = was d and the bare plot of enced in by the small iron concern, dr a spectral look, but the leader of the ‘Triad was not given to idle fears... . “This fence is a meré’ eggshell,” he said. Oh oughly A 2 one end and we will move it ily | , : He ; ‘doubt about their ability to catty ouvlinne dea, but a strong effort in con- junction set it on one ene clear of the mound. Their hop to run high, The house was quiet, the place of work retired, and the hour late; surely they ought t6 accomplish ee jo tein a a . ctu ni Ay ore them mysterious mo ip lednctuary doubtless: for proud chiefs vend n leaders of a people whose very name has Don ‘Sombrero, the! Califor some of. Braxton’s friends po as — — lost to history, never to be made known. Un- der these bleak sods sOmé of the Srey deid lay buried. Perhaps time had changed their forms to dust, or maybe they were petrified; but at any rave it was a placé of deep interest, It was not because of the things before men- tioned that. the Triad was so much in earnest. What to them were the mounds and legends of bygone days, so far as history and science were concerned? They sought only golden’ trea- sures. ‘*Dip in,” said Wilder, tersely, as they took their spadés, Major Jones turned the first sod. The earth was like baked clay; and even the leader of the robbers grew thoughtful’ as he a labor néeessary to accomplish the wor ‘*] havo heard it'said that those old fellows built well,” he muttered, “and it must be so, since even their graves are adobes in the rough.” **Golly!” said Jones, ‘‘ we shall need suffin’ ter sharpen de spades afore we are fru.” “ We'll take 1 Ray skull. Dig on, my worthy corner of the Triad.” ‘‘Took out that the buried men do not arise oa seizo you, Senor Jones,” said Pablo, faceti- ously. “Dey would neber take a fat darkey like I is. You mustn’t t?ink dey are at all slow ef dey hab be’n buried dese four or five fousand y’ars.”’ “ bce de the way you size’em, ie it? Well, senor, We will argue the question anon.” The upper crust gave way slowl was a promise of easier digging they worked with increased zeal. Wildor, who was playing the part of a looker- on in Venice, often allowed his gaze to wander toward the house. * Sho. is yee re, the sleep of innocence,” he muttered, ‘‘ while [ am playing the grave-rob- ber. Such is the way of the world. The chances are she will never marry me, but ber future husband may this day have been carrying a hod or picking his teeth in Frisco with a silver crowbar.” His career as an amateur philosopher sudden- ly ended as a baying sounded from the kennel of the dreaded dog. | “Golly! we am discobered!” cried Major ones. * Rubbish! The dorg has got the nightmare, and there neath, so Dig on, my dusky corner, dig on!” But Pablo, who had looked keenly around at the first bay of the dog, suddenly gra Wild- er’s arm and pojn with the other hand straight into the darkness. CHAPTER XV. ‘(4 GHOST CLOTHED ALL IN WHITH.” Tue leader of the Triad glanced in the direc- tion to which his attention had been directed, and, as one man, the three grave-robbers saw a white figure gliding through the garden. It was between them and the house, liable to pass on without seeing them but just as likely to do the reverse, and, in any case, an unsafe neigh- bor for their venture. Wilder remembered the like object he had once before seen at the mound, but he had no susperstition in his nature and had no thought that this prowler in white was anything more pong some female inmate of the Austin ouse. Not so with the minor “corners” of the Triad. Both were ignorant and superstitious, and when they saw the figure, Pablo fell to crossing himself/and the negro’s eyes dilated with horror. . “It am de ghost ob de dead men!” Jones said, with chattering teeth. : . ‘*He is angry because we have profaned the soil that.covers his bones,” Pablo added. , “Nonsense!” began Wilder, tersely; but, just then the white figure turned and glided directly toward the mound. There was a simultaneous cry from Pablo and the Major, both wheeled together, and then there ‘was ‘‘a vacancy in the air where they had stood ” as they beat a precipitate retreat. Wilder was equally alarmed, but from differ- ent reasons. If the unknown came to the mound she would not only find the burial-place disturbed, but, if they stayed, would also find them, a dire calamity in any Case. Catching up the several spades, he darted after his allies, but paused when at a safe dis- tance to watch further developments. Straight to the mound advanced the un- known, and, when there, she—we adopt Wil- der’s opinion in i to sex—paused and looked as though surprised or angry at what they had done. The overturned fence, the broken soil and the fresh earth told a plain story, and she remained * some time gazing at the vandalism in si- ence, : : ‘‘Tt must be one of the Misses Austin,” said Wilder, ‘‘ though why she is prowlin this hour [ don’t know. Confound it! 1 am conka toretreat at once. If Iam discovered, it knock all my plans in the head and my vows to reform will be dashed to chaos in the start. However, I am not going to be bluffed. I have set out on a great and good work, money - —— r — nia. Road Gent. | night. ———————— eee eee about, at | ste $$$ I must and will have, and this is the place to getit, Aha! our ghost kneels by the mound.” Sure enough, the unknown had sunk on her knees beside the grave, and then Wilder saw her begin to restore the disturbed dirt to its place with her bare hands. The sight was an unexpected one, for, whe- ther she was one of the ladies of the house or a servant, if would have been more natural for her to let the man-of-all-work perforni the task. * Maybe it is one of the daughters, but, if so, she must be even crazier on the subject than old meres She acts just as though she was in deep grief. So little work had been accomplished when they were interrupted, the mound soon began to assume its former appearance beneath tho nimble fingers of the ** specter.” “By Jupiter!” muttered Wilder, ““T want to know who she is, Pll drop the spades here and creep through the bushes’ toward her. Wonder where my fellow-‘corners’ are?” _ He glanced around in the darkness and finally discovered Pablo and the Mujor peering from behind a bush. “Seared out of their wits,” he commented, a grimly. ‘ They don’t cotton to ghosts.” He laid down his spades and began the ad- vance on th» creature by the mound. To do this he was obliged to make a short de- tour, in order to avail himself of the. cover of the bushes, but, steadily and silently, he neared ‘| the spot. Then, putting bis head out from behind a shrub, he saw—notbing. ~The specter had disappeared! Even then he felt no superstitious fear, but, though he looked an yi closely, there was no further sign of the unknown, At the end of five minutes, he arose and went to tbe mound. ‘The earth had been restored to its old place, as nearly as possible, and there was little sign of the work the Triad had done except in the overturned fence. ‘‘Somewhat romantic and mysterious,” he commented, ** buf Iam not to be beaten off. L will summon my corners and begin anew.” The words had scarcely pa his lips when there was a sudden baying just behind him and he turned to seea man and dog rushing across the garden toward where Pablo and Major Jones had been biding. ‘* Duke Dorval is on the track!” he cried, in consternation. And then he ‘saw his allies suddenly break cover and rush for the fence with the garden guardians in elose pursuit, the voice cf the dog making very audible musicin the meanwhile, ‘The jig is up! No more grave-digging to- it, you corners, go it!” Forgetting bis own danger, he followed after and saw his co-workers take to the ro der and scale the fence with wonderful wf **T must save the spades; we shall want them a ee he suddenly thought, unning back to where he bad deposited them, he snatched them up and started for the fence at a point somewhat above where bis allies had escaped, and the spades were soon on the further side. **So far. good, but how the dickens am I to get out? I suppose I can try it at the gate, but the concern is probably locked and Dorval will be Sig Bobih like a jealous Turk.” HD looked critically at the fence, but, with all his circus accomplishments, it was too much for bis vaulting powers. ‘‘ The situation is serious, I’m in; and thera is no way to get out. What will she think it I am caugbt like a rat in ber father’s barn?” He reflected and could see but one hope. There might be a chance at the front gate and © he must try it. ‘ , “The judge isa fool!” he said, as he crept through the bushes. ‘*‘ Who ever heard of a erg a civilized country building a fence like is?” Cautiously he advanced, but, scarcely fifty feet had been passed when there was a shout 3 ser the left, quickly followed by an angry ay. Duke Dorval and his dog were on the track. Wilder had weapons in his belt, but, resolved to use them only as a last resort, he broke into a run and dushed through the garden with Dor- valand the dog in hot pursuit. ; His course was toward the further side of the inclosure, but he had no idea what he was to do when he reached it. There seemed no way ex- cept to turn at bay and face the guardians. is eyes were busy, however, and, as he saw several stout young trees growing beside the fence he canes a sudden idea. ° “Pll try it!” he muttered, desperately. ‘I may be spitted on the barbs like a Christmas turkev, but, if so, the mound will hold one more.” Dorval and his dog were not gaining wef but as he saw the intruder running into what he believed a trap, he bad no doubt of ultimate success. He had confiscated the rope-ladders, and the way of escape was cut off, Suddenly, however, he saw a sight which amazed him. Wilder, running at full speed, leaped into tha “ (E(@) (E(0) in S ( sO)