Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 202 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

20 ways of her sex well enough to doubt his suc- ee ess. He had not misealculated, ‘ Bare assertion amounts to nothing,” said Nola, a flush of anger on her face. ‘* Where is your proof?’ ‘‘Here!” and Dupage tapped his forehead with bis finger. ‘‘ltis in my brain, my mem- ory; for I am knowing to the facts of his de- | ; never open to tell what he knew of the past of Zina, or of the present of the League of Gold. The murder had been scientifically done. The chief laughed lightly, made a boast of bis marksmanship, and then, at his command, the body was dragged to the edge of the cliff and _ pushed over. pravity. What these facts are, I must decline | to tell. My pledge to another woman forbids. Lhave given my word; I shall give no more.” ‘** T decline to accept so vague a charge.” “As you will. Your business is not mine, but I wanted tosave you. There is something in your youth and innocence which appeals strongly to me, but you must walk the path of your own choosing.” “Tf you would prove what you say —” ‘‘ Ab! but [ decline.” ‘Then, do you expect me to believe your charge?” . “Frankly, I do not. A woman will never believe aught against the man she loves.” ss Sir a * Well?” ‘‘ What would you insinuate?” ‘My words were plain, and they can not be warped into an insult.” ‘| know Mr. Townsend but little better than I do you. It is absurd to suppose—1 love him, as you express it.” *¢ We will not quarrel on trifles,” said Dupage, placidly. ‘““T am going now, and it is likely you will never see me again. Somehow, I feel ill at ease and oppressed, as though a great calamity was hovering over me. I have enemies about these hills and I will seek a securer place.” | The man glanced warily about, looked to his rifle and then started away. He bad gone but a tew paces when Nola called to him. ‘‘ Where can 1 find you, if so I should desire “Ask of the wind; it can answer as well as I,” was the somber reply. ‘‘ Like you, I may perbaps be dwelling in a cave of the cliffs or— under the sod. Don’t calculate on my future, young woman; it is too uncertain.” So saying, Dupage lifted his rifle to his shoulder and walked steadily away, not once looking behind; but Nola watched bim witha changing expression until a turn in the way hid him from ber view. A half dozen men crowded silently bebind rocks, dark, mysterious, anid ominous, with masks on their faces, and weapons drawn for use: a little force of men at once recognizable | become of bis guest. One enemy was removed from his path. The Frenchman would not come back to do him injury, for, even if he had not been dead at the first, the fall would crush him out of shape CHAPTER XXVILI. NOLA’S PERIL, Two eur Papas quietly at Black Bend. Monsieur Dupage did not return to the city, and Dutch Hans was puzzled to know what had If all his bills bad not been paid, he might have thought he had left for otber fields on the sly; but as he bad paid in advance, it was generally believed he had fallen victim to the Black Masks. His disappearance caused a slight ripple, but | as he had no personal friends at the Bend, it soon subsided. The robbers seemed to be lying low. Men came and went unmolested, and Captain Brig- 'ham began to feel a faint hope that the gang had taken alarm and fled; but if Cactus Jack and Bozeman shared that opinion they gave no sign. On the contrary, they were nearly always busy. When men thought them in their room at Dutch Hans’s hotel, they were really abroad | and looking about as only sharp mencan. Some slight fhreads had been picked up by the way—- more than they revealed to Brigham; and a Cactus Jack, the Giant Guide. ———E——— ‘““Tf it will amuse you, drive.on the hearse. A woman is like a voleano—if she couldn’t spit out fire and brimstone now and then she would go to eternal smash. Start the mill if your grist is ready, marm.” The facetiousness of the masked leader did. not deceive James Townsend. He knew he was in full earnest, and as the gang was probably a detachment from the Black Masks, trouble seemed near at*band, They were vicious and merciless, and as Old Prospect seemed out, Nola must bear the brunt of the trouble—aided by him. The girl could not have been more outwardly calm if all the garrison of Fert Black had been behind her. ‘You are robbers and assassins,” she bitingly said, still keeping her revolvers in line, ‘* You live by stealing from honest mien who work hard from day to day, and when your interests demand, you do not hesitate to slay your vic- tims. There is many a grave around Biack Bend which would not be filled were it not for your infamous league.” ‘‘Infamous! That’s a hard word, girl.” ‘‘What one will better describe so low, cowardly and merciless a gang as yours?” The masked leader threw back his head with an angry air. “That is neither here nor there,” he said, savagely. ‘‘We are here to act, not to talk. We want that hump-backed old pilgrim you call father, and the sooner you trot him owt the man who knew their keenness might have sus- | pected that the silent searching was bearing fruit, Down at the Lower Bend all was serene. Bill ' Bush was wielding the pick steadily to replenish his funds, and Tom Knott, the, stranded man, ‘now and then did a little work, which enabled him to hold his head well up at either settle- ment. The affair in the canyon, humiliating as it had really been.to him, had borne fruit to his good. _ Men regarded him well since he had been a vic- as members of the League of Gold, but with | a purpose, if purpose they had, not so easily understood, ’ The place was west of the canyon road, where a sort of natural trail led mt by a wide shelf | of rock at the top of acliff. There, with their ehief at their head, the gold robbers were _ awaiting like red-men in ambush. Twilight was falling; but though they had waited for some time, they still kept their gaze fixed up the trail. — “Why don’t he come?” the chief impatiently muttered. ‘‘ He may have gone another way.” ‘| think not. Oh! he will come sooner or later, and then good-by to Monsieur Dupage.” Tne leader shut bis teeth with a snap at the last word, but just then C, who was beside him, touched his arm. Down the trail a single man was coming, his rifle thrown across his shoulder, and his man- ner that of deep, and, perhaps, gloomy thought. “It is Dupage!” hissed the Captain, and he moved his rifle forward to the face of the rock. The act was terribly suggestive. It was like a death-warrant, and, so well was the ambush arranged, there did not seem to be one hope for the Frenchman. He came on as before, and when quite near, the masked outlaw covered him with his rifle. In the dusk the sights were not very distinct, but the would-be assassin was not a man to miss his aim, ‘* Exit, Dupage!” he whispered, across his rifle barrel, and then his finger touched the tri ger. e report rung out sharply, and the rocks took up the sound with rolling echoes; but be- fore the echo was over, the Frenchman went headlong to the rocky surface, falling with scarcely a sign, and then lying perfectly still. The chief gained his side by a few quick bounds. He lay upon his face, but the assassin turned him over roughly. The work had been well done. The stamp ch death was on his face, and out over the rocks a red rivulet was already trickling. . ‘‘He never knowed what burt him,” said C. ‘*] will make sure,” the leader answered, He tore open the shirt, and then, bending lower yet, saw a smal! red hole directly over his victim’s heart. There was no room for doubt. <A bullet could not have gone surer, or with more deadly result. As the robber had said, he never knew what had hurt him, and, lying there on the cliff’s edge, with the merci- less outlaw bending over bim, his lips would | i | tim of the outlaws, and many a free driuk went down bis ready throat. He seemed to bear no ill-will toward Elbridge McKee, for he was often seen in the latter’s stere, and already he was talking about a bank for the Bend. Phe Yowneemnié moved serenely on their way, and ouly Marian was ill at ease. She could not forget the blood-stained coat of blue, fer she could not understand how it had entered the house unknown to anyof its inmates. James did not forget Old Prospect and bis daughter. Perhaps the lone miner singly would not have interested him much, but the face of Nola was always before his eyes. Such being the case, he resolved to see ber again, and one afternoon he shouldered bis rifle _ and started for the upper hills. In going, he passed McKey’s store and re- ceived a nod and smile from the proprietor, who was standing in the door, for every one liked James and Lucas Townsend, with their ‘agreeable and gentlemanly wavs. a a ——e - Leaving the bend, he began the ascent of the mountain, and at the end of two hours neared the vicinity of Old Prospect’s cave. Only once did he pause, and then to wonder how the half- crazed miner would receive bim; but he was willing to dare all, and pushed ahead. Reaching the entrance, be passed within and soon emerged into the main chamber of the cliff retreat. i As he turned the last corner he heard a voice at a pitch which led him to believe Old Prospect | was in one of his wild moods, but it was too late to retreat, and as be turned the point of rock a strange and startling scene. was pre- | sented to bis view. | | | | The general look of the room itself bad not | changed, but, instead of seeing the old miner and his daughter alone, as James had thought probable, he saw a dozen strange men In a group and faced by Nola with a pair of vers in her bands. James was amazed at first, but the truth soon crept upon him. These men, all of whom were masked, were of the band which had earned so unenviable a reputation about Black Bend, and he suspected their mission to the cave was to rob Old Prospect. Entering, they had found Nola alone, but from the way in which she faced them, she seemed like a rock in their course. She stood erect, face and form unshaken, eyes steady and fearless, while the yawning mouths of the glittering ‘‘sixes ” did not tremble a particle. “ Hold up, there!” said the foremost of the masked men. ‘‘ We have got the under hold here, and you are only sowing for a harvest of trouble when you act like this.” ‘Tf the worst comes,” answered the. clear voice of the mountain girl, ‘I can die. Noone can do more. Yet, 1 do not expect to die at present—certainly not at the bands of the masked outlaws of Black Bend.” ‘*You seem to know us well,” ‘Too well to think good of you, what I know of you?” Shall I tell revol- | better,” ‘‘T tell you he is not in the cave.” ‘* And I tell you Ido not believe you.” ‘“‘T stand prepared to prove my veracity by these revolvers,” Nola said, with strange calm- ness. ‘‘ You dare not fire.” ‘‘Try me and see.” ‘‘T have no quarrel with you; what I want is Old Prospect,” declared the masked man, in angry impatience. ‘Why do you want him?” ‘*For murder.” ** Murder?” “Ay, for murder. Listen, and [ll explain all to you. We lately had a brother whose name was Sturgis, a goodand true man; and he was appointed to watch your respected parent. The old man had. been seen in the village and we wanted to know more of bim. Sturgis tried to play the trailer, but Old Prospect was too cunning for bim. He laid in ambush at the top of a cliff, and when our brother reached the spot, hurled him over to his death. For this deed we nearly planted two innocent men: but since then we have learned the part Old Pros- ect played and we are here to avenge our rother’s death.” ‘“T knew the man,” said Nola, contemptuous- ly. ‘‘He was one of your spies at the Bend, a man of a double face. How he died, if he is in- deed dead, I know not; but you will have a sultry time before you can kill or capture my father. He kvows bow to use his weapons as wellas any man in New Mexico, and he has taught me something of the art. 1 hold this pass, sir outlaw, and ] swear thatif you raise a hand to molest me I will make your work fatal to you.” The mountain girl looked very pretty in her defiant mood, and also ominously in earnest, but the outlaw snapped his fingers. , ‘What can you do? You are a woman!” he sneered, but under all was a cruel, threatening current not to be mistaken. ‘“ Woman I am,” Nola calmly said, “ but this mucb I ean do; the river quickly dries when its head-waters are cut off, and if your men make one move you shall be the first to fall. Now, advance if you dare, for my revolver. covers your heart and I never miss!” Thus far, James Towsend bad listened unseen by either of the belligerent parties, but as he saw matters drawing to a focus he resolved to stand up and be counted as a defender of Nola before it was too late. Consequently, he now stepped forward, a re- volver in each hand, and his clear voice supple- mented the girl’s declaration of war, ‘‘That’s about the size of it, and I’m a stock- holder in the same concern. We are only two against a dozen, but in case of a dry rain we can furnish accommodations for a good many.” Profound silence reigned in the cave for several moments. The only man who seemed to bave a call tospeak was the leader of the outlaws, and he stood staring at James in a stupid way. ‘*What the blazes do you mean?” be finally demanded, putting one hand to his mask as though to see that it was in place, ‘Simply that Iam here as a defender of this lady, and that I will shoot the man who tries to molest her,” was the firm reply. The outlaw uttered a curse. ‘‘You had better throw off the belt before you start the machine,” he savagely aid. “ Allrests with you, sir robber. If you will retreat, well and good; if you persist in making trouble, I will do all I can to fill up the obituary column of your band,” ; The leader stood looking into the muzzles of the four six-shooters for some little time in 200 ¢C S ae tml acme