Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 202 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

‘you've never heard of. “Yes,” added the giant. had a leetle skirmish this morning.” ‘‘How was that?’ Brigham asked. | “Three men came to Dutch Hans’s shebang and picked a quarrel with us. We tried to keep the peace but they wouldn’t have it. Result: they lay over at Hans’s in a row; toes up, eyes closed for repairs.” ‘‘ Drunken mivers, I suppose.” “ Maybe, maybe; but,if I’m not a liar, they sore sent by the Black Masks. Squire, you don’t know halt of the traps those varmints have laid forus. You know that Tom Knott started the lynching affair at their command, but there have been other traps and tricks I tell you we stumbled Cactus Jack, the ‘Zeke and I have | Mr. Townsend began his revolver work, he bad onto a pretty web of iniquity when we come | here, and if we hadn’t had plenty of sand, we’d been swinging ’round the circle on wings before now, but Boze is a bad man to wrastle and I’m a cactus-tree of some diameter. Yes, this last attack come from them— the note, Send out your blue-coats, cap’n, right away.” But, ’'m forgetting | used it as a target because it gave a realistic touch to the practice. He had always carefully guarded the fact that he owned a revolver or used one, Eccen- tric in all things, it shamed him when he was finally caught, and once, when Lucas had seen the revolver in his room, he was filled with con- sternation and afterward kept bis door locked. He had wasted a good deal of lead on the blue coat, but an observer mi:ht have told him he could never-learn to shoot straight. Proba- bly a more wretched marksman never stepped on the soil of New Mexico; and the few holes he had put through thecoat had been made at close quarters. Marian was too happy to take much notice of his confusion, and when all had been made clear, she caught him around the neck and gave him such a hearty kiss that he was astonisbed. At last, the shadow was lifted from their | home; the secret of the blood-stained coat was _explalned; no member of her family wasa crim- The men were sent, and at the end of two | hours returned bearing the body of Elbridge McKey. His lips were forever sealed, for there was a knife-wound in his heart, and they were left to grapple with another mystery. At that same moment, Marian Townsend end Nola were strolling about the nearest hills, arm inarm. Brief as their acquaintance had been, they bad come to like each other well. Miss Townsend found in the mountain girl a congenial spirit, and the latter caught at her | friendship as only those will who have long been deprived of such societ y. The hermit life Nola had'led had prevented her from making many acquaintances, but Marian seemed very good and beautiful in her eyes. She already loved her, and she would have been happy had it not been for the mys- terious absence of Old Prospect. Gradually, she was abandoning hope that her father lived, and the fact weighed heavily on ber tender heart. Strange in his ways as the lone miner had been, there was always good- will between them Wandering along in earnest conversation, the girls turned a point of rock, and suddenly saw a strange sight—one which amazed Marian. Only a few yards away stood Mr. Townsend. At his feet was a pile of small rocks and plants, but the object in his hands was of an altogether different nature. He was busily engaged in loading a revolver. No wonder Marian was amazed, for she had never known her father to even handle a weapon of any kind; but as he finished loading, and ex- tended the revolver as though to take aim, she grew freshly astonished. Some forty odd feet away grew a mesquite tree, and around the body of this a coat was securely buttoned—a coat of blue, with brass buttons, such as was worn by Uncle Sam’s sol- diers; and it needed but one glance to show Marian that the naturalist was about to send a bullet toward it. Instantly a flood of light swept over her. She remembered the blue coat in the garret, the bullet-hole first seen there, and the mys- terious subsequent addition of holes, and the whole truth burst upon her. The eccentric naturalist had used the garment for a target. Crack! His revolver spoke clearly; but as the dirt flew into the air a dozen feet from the mark, it was apparent that be had made a wretched shot. Marian stepped from cover, and then her fa- ther started Vike a guilty school-boy. His pale face flushed, aud he looked the picture of em- barrassment, if not of shame. 1 ‘Having a shooting-match, father?” the girl ch erily asked, for a great load had been li ted from her mind, and she felt like claspirg bim to ber heart. ‘Yes, No, Iamonly— Well, you see I— I am only practicing alittle.” =~ Mr. Townsend stammered like a boy, and looked as though he wanted to take to precipl- tate flight. ‘‘] did not know you had a revolver.” “]T got one a short time ago,” said the natu- ralist, swallowing an imaginary lump in bis throat. ‘You see, Marian, it don’t do to be too peaceful in this country. I saw that every- body else carried revolvers, so [ purchased one, and—and—lI have been practicing.” He glanced ruefully at his target, at which he had vainly fired seven shots that day, and Marian’s gaze wandered in the same direction. ‘‘ Where did you get the coat, father?” ‘‘1t belonged to Hsitom, the soldier who was accidentally shot near our house several months ago. You remember we took him in and tried to save his life.” Marian did remember. She recollected the shooting of the soldier well, and though she never knew what had became of his uniform, she wondered that she had not thought of it before. ’ Really, after the accident, the companions of the soldier had never claimed the coat, because it was mutilated and blood-stained; and when ee inal— But, what had Elbridge McKey meant when he laid a charge of murder, and of complicity with the Black Masks, at the door of one who was an inmate of the house? What could he have meant? She vainly asked herself the question as she wandered on with Nola, for, though she hoped the man had told an out-and-out lie, there was still an uneasy feeling at ber heart. Half an hour later the girls reached the house and encountered Lucas and James at the door. The brothers had just come from the fort and had startling news. Elbridge McKey had been stabbed and mysteriously made away with. His body lay at the soldiers’ quarters, but no one had’appeared to name his slayer. Marian heard with varied emotions. It is a terrible thing to exult over the death of a human being, and death is always dreadful, but in her heart the girl could not help thinking that, whatever McKey had known, his lips were forever sealed. Light indeed was the girl’s heart that after- noon, but, innocently enough, she laid the foun- dation for another storm when, at twilight, she coaxed Nola to again go for a walk. The moun- tain girl hesitated for a moment, for the Bend had not been a safe place of late, but she finally consented, and went out with her revolvers where they could speedily be reached. Straight toward the mesquite grove they went, the evenisg air feeling pleasant enough after the heat of the day, and Marian laughed and talked with a vivacity which su Nola. Miss Townsend wasin a reckless mood that evening. She knew it was not right that she should venture from the house after dark, and that her brothers would oppose itif they should see her; but there are moments in the life of the staidest man nat a when he leans more or less out of his channel. So Marian, in a moment of undue exbilara- tion, resulting principally from the discoveries of the day, was committing an indiscretion which was destined to cost her dearly. When danger came it was with little warn- ing. They were passing, near the bushes when four men suddenly —— out and seized them, giving so little time for 4d: fense that Nola, ex- perienced as she was in wild life, had no time to use her revolver. After that the matter was soon settled. Each girl was in the grasp of two muscular ruffians, and though they struggled as best they could, it was Without avail. Even a ery for help was impossible; broad palms were over their mouths and the grip was not to beshaken off. There was no hesitation on the part of the captors. ‘They bound the girls’ hands, covered their eyes and mouths and then strode away in the darkness. A bundred yards away, horses were in wait- ing, and the outlaws quickly mounted and, car- rying their prisoners before them, dashed away sey the wat ew oone ap to oppose their departure; the hills kg achéd end the well-known gulches threaded; and in due time they arrived at the new lair of the League of Gold. Straight to the lieutenant, the man known as C, they bore the prisoners, only to be greeted with a furious exclamation. ‘* You have brought them both,” added the officer, angrily. ‘‘Curse you for tkick-headed fools, why did you do it?’ , CHAPTER XXXVII. THE PURSUIT. . CAPTAIN BRIGHAM marshaled his force in front of the fort at pc ae t, according to the plan laid by Cactus Jack, and little remained to be done before departure. They were going to beard the League of Gold in its den, and no outsider bad been given warning of the ex- pedition except James and Lucas Townsend. They had heard of the project at a late hour, and Cactus Jack unbesitatingly gave them per- mission to accompany the force. Unknown even to Brigham, the giant guide had made preparations for a few quiet arrests before the See but something occurred to change his plans. Giant Guide. 27 Just as Sergeant Springer had assured the captain that all was ready for the start, a huge, dark object darted into view, heralded by a peculiar flapping which might have been made by a pair of wings, but which was really no more than the runner’s arms, Grotesque the object at first was, but it scon resolved itself into the corpulentform of Molly, the negress employed by the Townserds, and at sight of the young men she seb up a doleful cry. ‘Oh! Lord, she done be’n carried off!” she said, incoherently. ‘* De rebberers hab got her an’de udder one. Dey hab tooken dem away by voylence an’ dey will be kill, fo’ sure, ef you ones don’t run quick!” Lucas strode to her side and shook her by the arm. ‘‘ What do you mean, you idiot?’ he demand- ed. ‘Stop your infernal whining and speak English. Who is carried off?’ ‘Oh! de good Lord!” wailed Molly, “dey hab tooken Miss Marian.” “What!” thundered James, and he, too, seized the woman’s arm. ‘“‘Are you mad? Marian carried off? Who has done it?” “T spect it was de Black Masks. Dey was men wid dar faces all kivered up, an’ dey ker- ried her an’ Miss Nola away on horses. Oh! oh! oh!” “Stop!” shouted Lucas. ‘* Not another howl —do you hear? Now, be calm and tell us all.” It was one thing for them to command and another for Molly to obey, but she managed after a while to tell that she had been hurrying home from somebody’s store, when sbe saw four men dragging Marian and Nola away from the house; after which, they soon reached their horses, mounted and rode away. ‘““That settles it,” said Cactus Jack, tersely. ‘‘The gals have been stolen, and we must look for them in the outlaws’ den.” Both James and Lucas were looking strangély pale, but the latter turned to Brigham with a stern face. | ‘‘On, for vengeance!” he almost hissed. ‘‘In Heaven’s name, captain, lose no time but let us go.” His words aroused Brigham as from a night- mare. Not even the brothers were so stricken as be. Marian, delicate, beautiful Marian, the girl he loved, in the power of the remorseless outlaws—the knowledge almost paralyzed him. But Lucas’s words made him once more a soldier. ‘‘Forward!” he thundered, ‘‘and remember we go to rescue helpless women. Cactus Jack, lead the way at full speed.” ‘‘Bring on your blue-coat critters,” the giant replied, as cool as though going to a target- And then the rescuers swept away leaving Molly to wring her hands and sob out her grief at her leisure. This time the soldiers had taken horses, and as they swept from the village at a gallop Brigham, James and Lucas rode at the head with stern faces. Cactus Jack and Bozeman had seen harder scenes than that before, and come what might, they would still be veterans of the rifle and the trail. They conversed in a subdued key as they rode, but no one thought of asking what they said, and the same gallant horses they had rode when first introduced to the reader took them rapidly forward. ot one of the rescue party saw the single person who, on foot, hung on their trail when they first started; but it was the same mulatto 3. Egg had witnessed the death of Elbridge cKey. He a lightly after them for some distance, but their pace was too bet for him, and he finally subsided into an easy trot, seeming con- fident, if, indeed, he wished to arrive at the same destination, that he would ultimately find them again. ———— Cactus Jack showed equal confidence in lead-— ing the way. He had “lined” the Black Masks in orthodox fashion, and only a sudden change of base on their part could save them from attention, perhaps from ruin, Anon, when they were quite near the den, a dozen men suddenly appeared in front, but, be- fore the searchers could mistake them for out- laws, the foremost flung up his hands with a bearty shout. ‘Hello, thar; save your lead. I’m Bill Bush 0 the Lower Bend. What in thunder is up now 2?” “Who's with yoa, Bush?’ Cactus Jack quickly asked. ‘‘ A dozen o’ ther kangaroos from Keokuk, or to put et plainly, so many miners from ther wer Bend.” ‘‘ Where are vou going?” ‘Ter ther Upper Bend ter have a time.” ‘You can have all the time you want right here. We are hunting the outlaws. Better fall into line, you critters, and cut your bizness where you can do good.” “We're with you, all the time. Swing oe you tigers, an’ get your toothpicks ready. . The miners fell into the rear and the arm went on. Cactus Jack led the way into a can- comicboo cS a= (E()