Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 195 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

The Lone Star Gambler. 5 a in the most insulting manner as he sprung for- ward; but the door slammed in his face, the lock clicked, and he was alone, With grating teetb, and a murderous, deter- mined look the gambler walked at once to the table, poured out a full goblet of brandy and drank it with desperate eagerness, then, draw- ing a lang-bladed bowie-knife from his belt, he felt the keen edge; and muttered in a soliloquy, ‘ his low but deep and hoarse voice expressing the astonishment and apprehension which he felt, the fellow get that infernal information? The mention of that performance of mine on the Red River brought clearly back every devilisb circumstance connected with it. I could hear again Annette’s shriek, and the heavy splash as she struck the swift-running river. Great God! how cold, how icy cold ran the blood in my veins for a full minute. But this brandy gives me new life. lt braces me up for the dangerous work which I feel in my bones is ahead of me. However, Hank, old man, you are better than a dozen dead men yet, and your usual luck will bring you out of this scot free, or I am greatly mistaken. I must get away from this section, but, if I were to fly now, that nigger or Jim, one or other, would blow on ma. Then, of course, the blood-hounds will be let loose, and I shall be torn to pieces. ** By heavens! they know too much here, It is dangerous, devilishly dangerous, and so sug- gestive of a rope that I can actually detect the ‘‘ How, in the name of all the mysteries, did the apartment with a troubled expression upon his handsome, boyish face. Then, crunching his hat down forcibly upon his head, he rushed from the house, wandered aimlessly for a short time through the garden, and eventually found himself beneath the large magnolias, in the vicinity of the bayou. Standing in the cool shades, the young man threw off his hat and allowed the refreshing breeze, which now floated softly from the Gulf, to fan his heated brow. His mother’s concluding words, and her manner toward him, had cut him to the quick. They bad struck bis heart with a deathlike feeling, and filled his brain with the most bit- ter despondency. What ought he to do? The independent spirit, which his mother had just now said that she regretted he did not possess, was fully aroused within him. He made up h's mind that he must leave the paternal roof. He would go, without delay, and begin the work of carving out a name and fortune of his own. But the more he pondered over it and Jaid his plans, the greater grew the difficulties in the way of it, and the more it seemed impossible for bim to accomplish any such undertaking. Had his education been of a more practical nature; bad he even been taught hook-keep- ing, or some knowledge of mercantile sffuirs, ’ the future would not have worn quite such a gloomy appearance. As it was, the outlook was not promising. While thus perplexed in mind, he was sud- denly awakened from the depths of bis abstrac- smell of hemp and feel a choking sensation at | tion and meditation by a shrill scream tor my throat now. But it must be done. They must die -both of them!” Jerking open one of the closets, Hank re- moved a lot of harness from the hooks, and threw the same on the floor. He then gave a slight kick at one of the boards in the back partition, which at once flew from its place, disclosing an opening through which he crawled into the stable, continuing, as he did s0, his soliloquy: ‘‘It was an infernally lucky thing for me ‘that I had the forethought to saw this board out, or I would have been in a tight fix about now. Little did the boys think, and Jim Car bury among them, that when I pretended to be sick and tired of cards, and made out that I was Off fishing in the bayou, I was in the har- ness-room listening to ascertain if they had learned or suspected anything cf my character and doings in the past, as well as to leatn when and how they proposed to raise funds to keep up the game,”’ Gliding through the darkness, Roberts now groped his way to the outer door of thejstable; but, before he reached it, suddenly it opened, avd Dan, the negro hostler, ran against him, ‘Gol a’mighty! . Who dar?” These were the last words that the poor slave ev-r uttered, for, as they fell from his lips, in kis utter surpriss and fright, his throat was clutched in a death-like gripe. Hank’s dark work had already begun. For some moments the dark and gloomy building was filled with sounds that were un- heard by other human ears than thoss of tbe ‘parties in this deadiy conflict. Sounds of the struggling together of strong and desperate men, «ningled with a horrid gurgling and chok- ing, and quickly followed by the grating of steel, as again and again it was plunged in ‘mad thrusts through flesh and bone. Then came a heavy fall upon the floor, and the hor- rible gasping of a human being in the death- ‘agony, as the knife was withdrawn, and the blood spurted against the rough boarding and Over the plank floor. The first part of the dark and cowardly work which Hank Roberts had laid out for’ himself, was completed to his satisfaction. With his gore-stained hands outstretched and holding the dripping, bowie-knife, the assassin ‘stumbled toward the door in the darkness, and opened it. He then fled into the dense shade of the magnolias, his face, murderer though he was, blanched with horror—fied from the crime- tainted air, and the blood that was crying to Heaven for vengeance. Away from the dread death-struggles of his innocent victim—Dan, the old and faithful hostler of Magnolia Planta- tion, and once the servant of the Adlers, CHAPTER V. FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH. For a few minutes after his mother’s de- ‘parture in anger, and with that gesture which forbade further reasoning, Charles Adler paced help, from female lips—from lips that no sound could ever pass without causing his blood to quicken its circulation. For one instant Charles Adler stood in bis trac ss, as if frozen to the spot, and dazed with wouder, and agonizing concern; then, smash- ing his ‘hat into a shapeless mass, and throwing it from him in his excitement, he sprung in eager bounds toward the bayou, from whence the sounds seemed to proceed. Increasing bis pace, as shriek after sbriek of horror and dread rent the air and tortured his heart, in a very litule time be gained the clear space between the magnolia grove and the banks of the bayou; where be was chilled to the marrow, as he beheld the terrible sight before and below him. The fragile boat of Cora Carbury was float- ing, bottom upward, and the beaatiful girl, the idol of his heart, was clinging to a project- ing limb, which was a portion of a partially submerged snag, striving, with a strength that was born of intense horror and deadly fear, to draw herself upward. Her feet were beneath the surface of the water, ber garments were saturated, and her golden hair hung over her shoulders, glittering and glinting in the sun- light; while beneath and near her was the hideous, slimy bead of an enormous alligator, the monster slowly approaching, and appa- rently about to inclose her fairy-like limbs within bis terrible jaws. With a ringing cry of encouragement, al- though bis brain was throbbing at the same time with the horror of the situation, Charles Adler tore off his coat and boots, jerked his huge bowie-knife from his belt, and sprung afar out from the high bluff into the deep waters of the bayou. As he arose to the surface, he slipped his knife quickly between his teeth, and lunged forward; the faint and despairing cries of Cora spurring him on to superhuman efforts to lessen the distance between himself and his idol. As Charles struck the water with a sounding splash, the attention of the amphibious mon- ster was attracted from its prey; and, as he covered half the distance, the alligator swam slowly toward him, leaving Cora, who, unable longer to retain her hold on the limb, fell with a cry of despair and horror into the dark water, looking for nothing but to be crushed to death the next instant, No sooner did the exhausted and fear-para- lyzed girl strike the surface of the bayou, than again the slimy monster turned toward the snag; but, before Cora arose to the surface, Charles swam directly up to the head of the gigantic saurian, his right hand held clear of the water, and grasping firmly his long-bladed bowie, Quickly the huge jaws parted and yawned dismally, and as quickly was the hand of Charies Adler thrust between the rows of glittering teeth, the bowie held point upward and piercing the roof of the monster’s mouth as it closed its ponderous jaws; the handle of the weapon being dexterously left on the inner side of the row of teeth of the under jaw, The moment that Charies had accomplished this daring act he dived deliberately under the water, and swam in a balf-circle around the pain-maddened monster, and toward the snag where, to bis great joy, he saw that Cora had arisen to the surface, and was again clinging desperately to the log, only her death-pale face appearing above the murky waters. In a few seconds he had reached her side, climbed upon the srag, and drawing her upon the log, clasped bis right arm about her waist, supporting himself by holding on to the pro- jecting limb with h’s left hand, Not a word was spoken by either, for both sat silent, and with pallid faces; he, panting with his late exertion, and she, with excite- ment and dread, Fer eyes speaking the thank- fulness that was 3ew-born in her beart, and the feeling of relbef more intense than words could express. Down beneath them, they gazed upon tho iurious alligator, as it lashed the water into foam from the huge jaws that were heid open by the torturing bowie-knife. For a time the amphibious monster thrashed the surface of the bayou for some distance around him with rage and pain. He then plunged down into the dark depths; soon, hows ever, returning half-drowned. Then it slowly swam away from the scene of its defeat, and crawled into the tall reeds which grew near the opposite bank, Charles Adler bent his head, and turned bis pale, a xious face, looking upon the uplifted features ot the shuddering maiden, whose hair, now dripping with water from tbe bayou, and the light of the now declining sun bl.zing upon it, fellover his arm in waves of glittering golden threads; her-grateful eyes met his, and in their depths he read, as in a book, the as- surance of an undying love, . Bending still further, he pressed his lips to hers, while both trembled with the intensity of their passion, now for the first time expressed more openly than by a glance of the eye, “T owe you my life, Charley,” said the young girl. ‘‘Ican never repay you. I can- not even speak my gratitude as I would, You havo saved me from a most horrible death,” These words were spoken low, and in such a tone as was never to be forgotten by the one who so eagerly caught them; and, the last were uttered, she shuddered, and clung more closely to her preserver. “‘T thank God for it, Cora,” he said. ‘He has blessed me, as I believe man never was blessed before; for I do not think there ever was an angel like you upon this earth. But happy, ay, heavenly as this moment is to me, we must consider your drenched condition, Hold on firmly to the snag, darling, while I try and recover your boat.” ‘Oh, do not leave me, Charles! There may be more of those hideous monsters in the bayou. I know I shall never dare to row again.” The young girl’s words of entreaty were, however, allowed to pass unheeded, for Charles plunged into the water once more, swam to and righted the floating skiff, and then re- turned. Seating himself upon the log, he succeeded in emptying the greater part of the water from the little boat; and then, the maiden stepping into it, Charles swam toward the shore, pushing it ahead of him, as the oars had been lost. ‘*T shall try to enter the house, and change my garments without being seen,” was Cora’s remark, as her lover assisted her up the bank; ‘“‘ for, if fatber or mother should see me in this plight, I should be forced to explain every- thing, and then they would probably prohibit me from coming to the bayou again, Oh, dear! I shall never, never forget that horrible monster. I know it will visit me in my dreams,” ‘fT hope I shall accompany it in that case,” said Charles, with a laugh, ‘‘should it chance to disturb your slumbers; as then, it will be for me to stand between you and all harm, real or fancied. I hope you will not be ob- served when you reach the house. Don’t neglect to change your wet garments at onee, or you will certainly be ill. I would like, more than anything elsein the world, to meet yeu in the magnolia grove this evening, if you have recovered sufficiently from your fright, my darling; for I have that.to say to you whicb must be spoken,” **I will be there an hour after sunset, Chaz’ EONNIEDOOLKS (EO)