Beadle's Dime Library, No. 198 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

The Skeleton Schooner. 5 ——— —__— the arbor, and approached the spot where was to be the strange meeting between a revengeful woman and a crime-stained man. CHAPTER VIL THE DUEL. MARK MORTIMER had so much confidence in his own perfect marksmanship, and certainly with cause, that he had made up his mind, when he decided abruptly to meet Mrs. Wyndham, to knock the pistol from her hand with his bullet, and give her her life, and then take the consequences of his act with Captain Wyndham. With tbis determination he picked up the pistol, as he believed, which he had laid upon the trunk of the tree, and walked quietly to the stand which had fallen to his lot. Nina Wyndham, without the slightest hesita- tion did the same, and then beckoned Uncle Toby and Pheebe to her side. ‘“This man is merciless to men and women alike, so my death at his hands may follow, and I beg you again, in such an event, not to neg- lect a single one of my instructions to you.” “T will not, mistis,” said Uncle Toby, im- pressively. “You may depend upon me, mistis,” answered Phoebe, with one hand sbielding her eyes, as though to shut out the scene before her. “1 trust you both. ** Good-by, Uncle Toby.” She stretched forth ber hand and grasped that of the old negro, who never uttered a word, but bent his honest face downward as though to shield his emotion. “Good-by, Phoebe, and remember you and your father are not forgotten in my will.” ‘‘[ dislike to break in upon this very pretty scene, my dear madam, but I have an engage- ment, as a friend takes tea with me, and I[ would not be late,” coldly said Mark Mortimer, looking at his watch. ‘ill not delay longer, sir, but you will not keep your engagement, if in my power to pre- vent,” was the calm response. ‘** Who will give the word to fire, may I ask?” returned Major Mortimer, with a sneer. **As Uncle Toby was at the duel between yourself and Captain Wyndham, sir, he will understand doubtless bow to give the word now,” “As you please, for I yield to anything in this very remarkable meeting.” “Uncle Toby, you will give the word, if you remember how,” said the mistress of the old slave, and he answered politely: ‘*T have seen that duel, mistis, between master and Major Mortimer a hundred times in my dreams, and I remember every word that was said, and can never forget them,” auswered Toby, with impressive earnestness. ‘‘Tnere you and [ differ, Toby, for I seldom think of it, although the wound your master gave me so nearly cost me my life,” put in the planter in his nonchalant manner. “Take your stand there, Uncle Toby,” or- dered his mistress, and the order was obeyed by the negro taking the designated spot. ** Now cock your gun.” “Yes, mistis.’’ ‘** Now, when you give the word to fire, if Major Mortimer fires in the air, shoot him in his tracks.” The planter paled at this stern order, for it showed how terribly in earnest the woman was, and that she meant to force him to fire upon = to clear her own conscience should she kill im. ‘*?m in for it to the death, it seems,” he muttered, with an oath. ‘* Are you ready?” Toby asked the question in deep, calm tones, and Phoebe started, and covered her face as though she were the one in danger. ‘Yes, slave, and anxious to end this farce,” replied the planter, savagely. ‘*Yes, Uncle Toby,” responded Nina Wynd- ham, and there was not the slightest tremor in ber voice. The two—the bater and the hated—stood ten paces apart, and the man was upright, cool, and his paleness alone showed that he deeply felt the scene, The woman was without a tremor of ner- vousness, held her pistol in her right hand, amid the fold» of her waving dress, which were drawn gracefully around her with her left. Her form was drawn up to its full hight, and, but for her pallor, her face would have been exquisitely beautiful. ————eee - At one side, near the Magnolia Arbor, stood Phoebe, the mulattress. and at equal distance between the two was Uncle Toby, his gun rest- ing across his arm and ready for use. It was a thrilling, strange picture, and the suspense must have been fearful to all, as the old negro hesitated for answers to his fearful question: * Are you ready?” Receiving the answers, he continued in a_ deep, distinct tone: With lightning-like quickness the weapons came toa level, and the triggers were touched at the same instant by the man and by the wo- man, But the report came only from one, and that was the weapon held by Nina Wyndham. Straight to its mark went the bullet, and | Major Mark Mortimer sprung high into the air | and fell his full length upon the ground. Sunn ee CHAPTER VIII A STARTLING DECLARATION. . _ For an instant after the fall of her enemy Mrs. Wyndham stood like a statue, the smok- | ing pistol still in ber band, and then she walked | _ straight forward and gazed down upon the man | as he lay at ber feet. | His face was white, stern, and av. bullet , wound was in the very center of bis forehead, | proving how deadly had been her aim. Bending over, she took from his lifeless grasp his own weapon and glanced at it. ee ‘Good God! it was not loaded. “IT knew there was but one report,” she cried, in a tone of bitter anguish. With the bound of a panther the mulattress sprung forward, and, dropping upon her knees, raised her face and hands imploringly to her _ mistress, while she cried in broken accents: | “Fergive me, mistis, but I did it.” ** You did what, Phoebe?’ asked the woman in cold tones. ‘*]T did it to save you, mistis.” “You did what, Phoebe?” came the question | a second time, in the same hard tone. | “Changed the loaded pistol for the unloaded | one, mistis.” The cry that burst from the lips of the woman frightened both Toby and his daughter terribly, and reeling, she stretched forth her hands, her eyes stared wildly, and then with a groan she fell upon the body of the corpse. ‘‘Lordy! I have kilt my mistis now,” groaned poor Phoebe, and Uncle Toby stood by in silence, not knowing what to say or do, so deeply was he shocked. | _— ooo —_—_———————————ee—_ But a bounding step was heard behind him, and the next instant a youth appeared, and threw himself by the side of the woman, while he cried in tones of great anxiety: “In the name of Heaven, Uncle Toby, what bas happened, that I find Major Morti- mer dead, and my motber unconscious?” ‘“‘Marse * Percy, there has been sad work here, sir, and I am glad you have come,” said Toby in a trembling voice. ‘‘ Here, Phoebe, quit your crying and try to restore my mother to consciousness, while you, Uncle Toby, tell me what all this means?” The youth spoke in the terse, commanding tones of one who was born to command, and | expected to be obeyed. He was about eighteen years of age, and possessed a form of rare elegance, being well matured. His face was such, that were it not for bis tall form and broad shoulders, he could have passed for a maiden, and a béautiful one too, had he donned feminine attire. He had inherited from bis mother her per- fection of features, and large, lustrous eyes, in which dwelt a look of sadness, seemingly na- tural to them, rather than called there by scenes of a sorrowful nature he had passed through, Dressed in a suit of white linen, with a | broad-brimmed Panama bat sheltering his long _ chestnut curls, he certainly was a personage to ' rivet attention under any circumstances, but doubly so now, as he knelt on one knee beside his mother, and had his face turned up to Uncle Toby, listening to his low, impressive words. ‘“* Marse Percy, it is a sad story, sah, and one I hate to tell you, but I must, for your father is away, and you may see a way to help us all out of this mighty trouble. “‘Tt seems, sah, that your mother had a *The negro abbreviation of master, grievance, a bitter one against the major there, which she would not let your father settle, or you, sah, fearing you might be killed, sah. So she sent master to New Orleans, pretend- ing he would meet the major there, while sbe wrote him to meet her here, sab, and she forced him to fight a duel with her. ‘*God in Heaven! do I hear the truth?” cried the young man springing to his feet, and grasp- ing the old negro by each shoulder with fear- | ful energy. “T tell you only the truth, sah.” ** And he fought my mother?’ ‘* Yes, sah, he was forced to.” ‘* And she killed bim?’ ‘* ‘Yes, sah.” ‘“‘ Heavens! she may be wounded then,” cried the youth anxiously. ‘No, sah, for the major did not fire.” ** God bless him for that.” ‘‘Tt was not his fault, sah, for my girl Phoebe changed his loaded pistol for an unloaded one,” ‘“ And my mother knew this?’ The youth almost gasped the words, and was most deeply moved. “No, no, sah; Phoebe did it to save mistis, and when she told her of it, then it was she fainted, sah.” ‘* By the heavens above! but there is some strange mystery in all this—ha! who comes here?’ | Percy Wyndham turned as two horsemen appeared upon the scene, drawing rein suddenly as they beheld what they did before them. ‘‘Ah, Mr. Wyndbam, there seems to hava been some deadly work done here,” said one in a surprised tone. The youth drew himself up to his full hight, and answered with the utmost calmness: ““There has, sir, for I just killed Major Mortimer in a duel, and my mother fainted upon suddenly discovering what I had done.” CHAPTER IX. FOR A MOTHER’S SAKE. THE self-accusation of Perey Wyndham was fn intense surprise to old Toby and the mulattress, Phoebe, but they realized that he had taken upon himself the determination to wholly shield his mother, and they dare not do otherwise than acquiesce in his wishes, even had they felt a desire to do so, The two gentlemen who had arrived on the spot were planters of the neighborhood—Mer- ton Massey and his son Morgan—and their ap- pearance, with dogs and guns, proved that they had been on a bunting excursion, and were re- tnrning by a path through the forest to their own hume further up the coast. ‘* This is a sad affair, Percy,” said the elder gentleman, in a serious tone, and he added: ‘* We were just on our way to The Everglades, having promised poor Mortimer to dine with him upon our return. . ** How did this affair occur?” ** Major Mortimer was the insulter, sif, and I bus did as any man of honor would do—fought him,’’ was the cool response. “‘But where are your seconds, Percy?” “We needed none, sir, under the circum- stances; but I will not here discuss the matter, but elsewhere, when, if my word is not con- sidered sufficient guarantee that it was an hon- orable meeting, I am willing to take the con- sequences,” said the youth, in a haughty tone, as though to dismiss further conversation upon ap unpleasant subject. Then, turning to Toby, he ordered him to go with all haste to the stables for the carriage, but to breathe no word of what bad happened, and requested Mr. Massey to break the news at The Everglades, adding: ‘‘] will remain by the body, sir, until you return.” The two horsemen rode away, earnestly discussing the affair together, and instantly turning to Phoebe, the youth said: ‘Phoebe, you heard my explanation of this affair?” ‘Yes, Mars’ Percy,” said the girl, who was weeping. . **So it must be.” ‘* Yes, Mars’ Percy.” | ‘Your story must be as mine, do you hear?’ ** Yes, sah.” ‘“‘T wish to see you and your father alone as soon as we go to the mansion, and to your care I intrust my mother.” ‘‘T’ll take care of her, sah.” “T know it, good Phcebe, and in the future I will not forget you or Uncle Toby,” GOMIIGVOOCKS