Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 209 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

’ manded Rosalba. -and by the two men who had broyght him ee. Z i ae ee Buck Farley, the Bo oe . ee ee ag | near the edge of the chasm, from which a large | limb reached out ominously over the gulch. | turning to his wife. ‘* Rafferty said, hat they ‘“‘ Bill Saunders,” said the leader of the party, had seen a2othing of him. since the fight, and “vou have been caught in the act of trying to | supposed him to have been killed or captured. rob a stage. No proof is needed, as we all The Green Guard have taken him, and have know that you are guilty. Have you anything | strung him up, Oh, they shall pay dearly for to say for yourself to show why you should not | this night’s work.” ‘ be hanged?” ‘But why should they carry him to the ‘““T never did it afore,” began the prisoner, | Guleb?’ asked Senora Rosalba. with a doleful whine. ** That is more than I can tell you, Call two “That is a lie. The same gang stopped the | more men, Martin, and bring me my horse. stage several times this season, and you were | We will go and take him down,” with them every time.” Tbe gun -was-rising when Pedro Rosalba and { | | ‘‘Tf must be Bill Saunders,” said Rosalba, “T mean ter say that I never did it afore [| his three companions reached the Gulch, the jined’em. And they made me jine’em, They | cowboy who had brought the news to the ranch forced me to it. T couldn’t help myself. Let; |) banging back as if he teared to see that dread- me off, boss; and 1 will leave’this yere kentry,:| ful sight again. | and never come in sight of it ag’iu.” It was anything, but a pleasant spectacle to The leader shook his head. the others—that.of the man_swinging there “Tt ’ud from the braneb of the tree, lifeless, and with Saunders. n make’ if wuth yer while, an’ | discolored face, and, with the buzzards hovering no mistake. Letyme slide outen this, an’ ri tell ou the names of the gang an’ who's at the ead. It’ll’stonish you a heap, an’ Pll-let you into all the games they’re up to.” ‘““We know évery man of them,” coldly re- plied ‘the léader. ‘* Bill) Saunders, you have said nothing ‘to show why you should not be hanged.” “Please don’t hang me!” begged Saunders, piteously ‘I ain’t’fitten to die. and don’t hang me!” ‘Did you ever have mercy, Bill Saunders? Look around you, and think where you are.” The prisoner gave one glance around. Then he drooped bis bead and shuddered. ‘ A rope was passed over ths large limb of the tree at the edge of ‘the guich. One end was held by four of the'men in green. A noose at | ing over a flat gray ‘stone, imbedded in the and he was stood up under the limb, just at the | morning’s light he read this inscription: brink of the chasm. The leader of the party pinned a paper upon his breast and stepped back, ‘Bill Saunders,” said he, *‘if this had been your first offense, or even your ‘first season of unlawful work, there might be a chance for your life. But you are also here now to atone for another and greater crime—the crime of murder.” ‘Who did I ever murder?” whined the mis- | erable wretch. ‘You remembered that deed when I told you to look around. On this very spot—how many years ago'was it?—you and three other merciléss fiends launched into that bottomless abyss a man who was bound and helpless in your hands, That man Was named ward Dorlon, and be had never done you any wrong.” ‘Who told you that?’ screamed Saunders. *‘Tt’s a lie! You can’t prove it!” ‘*T am the man, and I have come up from the grave to accuse you.” The doomed man writhed until) the noose tightened around his neck, “Take me away!” he entreated. ‘*Whatever» you do, don’t hang me here!” The leader raised his hand, and the four men at the rope ran up their helpless victim until he |. dangled over the abyss. a Then the rope was made fast to the tree, and the men in green mounted theirvhorses and rode away. | . 4 sel On that same night Pedro Rosalba was. aroused from his. sl at a late hour by two riders, who brought with them a man who was’ badly wounded. ~ : as He let them in at once, cursing as he listened: to the tale they told in as few words ‘as \possi- ble. led ; A bed was prepates ‘for the wounded man, and he was made as’ comfortable as:possible. No physician was sent for, though one might: bave been brought from Death Gulch, His: needs were attended to by Rosalba, his wife, py aron to let me off,” persisted over his head. In spite of his distorted and blackened fea- tures, they easily recognized the hanging form as that of Bill Saunders, and speedily performed the unpleasant task of lowering him and remov- wer rope from his neck. o paper was fastened upon the dead man’s breast, and, Pedro. Rosalba turned pale and trembled as he read these words: “NUMBER ONE.” ‘¢ What does that mean?” heasked, ina hoarse and unnatural whisper. ‘‘ Number One! What other numbers are to follow?” **Tiook a-yere, boss!” exclaimed one of his companions, ‘ Yere’s suthin’ mighty queer.” Rosalba stepped to where the man was bend- Have mercy, ** SAORED TO THE MEMORY OF EDWARD DORLON, Who Died Suddenly NEAR THIS SPOT.” A date followed—a date which Pedro Rosalba had good reason to remember. , ‘*Yere’s another of em,” said another man, and on the other similar stone he read a similar inscription, with a different date,.and with the name of Henry Warren in place of Edward Dorlon: | As hé rose from the ground his face was ashy pale, and his stout frame shook like a leaf, showed intense emotion. ‘Take Bill Saunders away from there, and bury him as s00n as you Can.” He mounted his horse, and rode away, as one aes men described it, *‘as if the devil drove ( bos ewe CHAPTER XIV. “A FAMILY QUARRELS © ’ rorya mel Se i180r 4 ; . ‘ ? . SmnoE,the disastrous failure of the New Ophir s lation the, marrie Pi tanas of peRie alba and his, Lucia had not been a happy oan» In fact, Shey Done fo Bt pe H ife. e. , m, not only for the actual losses inc b ‘that Se aidtion, Bat for the down- -fall of the high hopes “it, and was,,continually .‘‘ w to arging .bim With baying Haat ee pin of the ? ruin Of amuy. . For they were,practically ruined. The ranch still, yielded them a living; but the greater part of their personal i had_ bee ept way, an y, sorely felt the lack of the com. forts,end. luxuries they had enjoyed during so BIONET CAMA onistlidtsscoa edd Yo ean eende . | » It isotrue, that.welcome,sums of money had there. nw i | lately come,in et eerie A Sm | lt of When he had done what he’could forthe suf- | one of the, i 7 bad sr € view o ing f ers ulations whic ferer, Rosalba went down'stairs, and: listened to-| dertaken, outside of the law, with ) the story which the two men told him atleng replenishing. his, purse and cri “tho His Brows were dark, his*temper ett al Yankees,” Farley and Warne; but the of and his words were none of the sweetest,» » the gone tot reactive Senora Rosalba Joined the conference, which’| in the ent ‘who did the work and took lasted until a late hour of the night, or rather, | thé risks, and the short but, decisive campaign until an early hour of the worning. / -. \of the Green Guard, seemed to have struck a Shortly after the two'men left the ranch, and | deadly blow to brigandage, considered as _a while Rosalba and his wife-were discussing the’ |b news they had brought, one of the cowboys came riding in a state of great excitement. His usually ruddy face was pale, and his accents were full of terror. _— ; ‘What is the matter with you, Martin?’ de- 4 a. “What brings you here at this time in the morning?” ft “Oh, senor, such a sight! May I never see the like again!” ‘‘What sight is that?” 7 “Tt's at Death Gulch, senor—not the town, but the gulch itself—where a large tree hangs over the cliff!” “But what is it, you chicken-hearted block- head? What have you seen?” : ‘“‘ A man is hanging from that tree, senor. I could not see his face plainly; but I thought it might be Bill Saunders.” When -he came gallop Galch, ‘“tas»if the.deyil Rosalba was | | and done there; but he was so badly shattered, phvsically men ry. that she could get nothing coherent from him for a while, and it ‘was not until be had fortified his system with fiery draughts of whisky that he could summon gre to speak. ; . ‘‘ What is the matter with you, Pedro?” she “home from, Death rove. bien Bonote livered coward. that the.sight of a dead man can throw youintoafit”” . ‘Tt was not the dead man alone,” he replied. “It was Number One !” ‘*Number One? Are you crazy, man? What do ou mean by that?” ‘On Bill*Ssunders’s breast was fastened a nanza Prince. Ais ‘he spoke, the hollow tones of his voice |. that she had builded upon r to learn what_he had. seen_ | demanded. ‘ Have yougot to besuch a white- | ————————————————ee - — oe - ——_— — — _ 1 paper, and on that paper was written Nwmber ne.’ “What of that? It means, I suppose, that they have made an end of one of the gang, and have labeled him Number One,” “Tam afraid it means more than that, Lucia. The tree from which Saunders was hanging stands over the spot where that Yankee, Dor: lon, went over the gulch.” What has that to do “Surely yoo are crazy. with your Number One?’ ** Near the tree we found a flat stone, like a “tombstone, and it was marked to the memory of Edward Dorlon, who died there suddenly, and the date was given.” ‘* Santissima madre !” exclaimed Senora Ro- salba. ‘‘That is strange, indeed. Who can have done it? But I do not yet see what it has to do with the paper on the dead man’s breast.” ‘‘There were four of us, Lucia, who pitched that fellow into the gulch, and Bill Saunders was one of the four. eis Number One, Who will be Number Two?” ‘** Tt ought to be you, you craven idiot. Ifthe fool-killer of whom these Yankees talk were to come this way, you would go off suddenly. Do you sop Oe that Dorlon has come to life, after having been thrown into that bottomless pit? Or do oy fancy that his ghost is wandering about Death Gulch, ng heavy stones, cutting words on them, and hanging oe. ‘* Lucia, do you know what he said before we swung bim off? I told you, but you have doubtless forgotten it. I shall never forget one word. I have wished to forget it, but cannot. This is what he said: “* Twarn youthat from this night Loe ou will be marked men, Yow shall yet pay ‘he debt you OWe me, and, living or déad, I will be on hand for the settlement.’” “Living or dead!” mused Senora’ Rosalba. “He cannot be living, and the dead do not return. He was trying to frighten you, Pedro. If he did not succeed in scaring you then, he bas put a scare on you now that bids fair to last through your life.” | “You may make sport of this, Lucia; ‘but what does it mean, if it is not a vengeance?” ‘Bah! You make me sick. You are getting childish ag you growin years. This is nothing but what is called—what is the word, now?—a coincidence, Bill Saunders was caught robbing a stage, and was hanged by the Green Guard. That is plain enough. The stone must lave been placed there by some friend of that fellow Dorlon. Who could it have been? Benito was strangely fond of him, and you told me that he was there when the accident happened to the young man. May it not have been Benito who placed the stone?” Pedro Rosalba poured down his throat another strong dose of whisky; but it did not change the deathly paleness of his face, ‘*¢ Another stone is there, Lucia, and the story it tells is one of which Benito could bave known nothing.” - ‘* What story is that?’ “The other stone is marked to the memory of Henry Warren, who also died suddenly on the ‘same spot, and the date of his death is given.” _. It. was Senora Rosalba who then shivered and turned pale, and in her turn she resorted to the Whis nyPlk Ser treet. a baeUky, en!” she exclaimed. ‘My husband! “This is news to me. I was ‘never told how he died, ‘Was he, also, thrown’ into Death Gulch7”,, * r" _ What a LE pie had become of him?” demand ba, his spirits rising’as those of “Il did know. He peared. sup- ps he died @ hatiral deat How'should I | nev r asked; because the riddle was roe easy to guess. 4.1 had we hae T woul , nee nav mn ou if I had no en sure ls ‘Geath, uy ure T was obliged to make sure.” “So you killec him,” she exclaimed, fiercely. “You threw bim into Death Gulch. Oh, you murderer!” ~- Munderést” replied Rosalba, with a sneer. wt Spuy ould not pind spond at me that fall back upon your own he am a murderer, Shab are As Dorion died, so did Henr Warren, and in the death of each of these on} ag ei) your wishes and obeyed your oreers, . ' “Oh, yo seas. Facet y me A arte SEIU: a ou aré a coward, to try to ° _ your mis eds upon me. I never consented to fie ty tay hsband T wish ‘he had not Haat huted bim because he was a Yankee; ‘but he was a man, and he would never have stripped me of everything and left me to starve, by rushing headlong into crazy speculations of which he knew no more than a child.” * "You approved the speculations, and encour- - aged them,” replied Rosatba. “T did not. I trusted in you, and believed what you seid, becanse IT supposed you to be a man, Instead of Stat wade blockhead and a cowardly fool, who is w enough to hire others to work the revenge which he is afraid to seek for himself.” Rosalba replied angrily, and one word led to another, until they were quarreling as hotly as 7 MICLOOC) (C(O) € SalE@