Beadle's Dime Library No. 237 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

—— ede —— oe ee ~—< wee ee we eee eae —m ie ——_— = | | | | ~- ee ' -Long-Haired Max. eaped to her room, and threw herself into a chair with a moan of anguish. ‘*Oh Heaven, what new torture is in store for me?” she whispered. ‘It is blow upon blow and I suppose my evil fate will follow me to the grave. When I reached this distant land I believed I had found oblivion, and in this house I hoped to find rest, peace, forgetfulness. But, no; this man reappeared and turned my Eden into a desert, a place of torture. What shall I do? Shall I flee again or remain and brave his wrath? Shall I meet him to-night? Yes, I must; for I dare not refuse!” For a long time she sat there, her hands ressed to her feverish forehead. She was suf- ering mentally and physically, for her head seemed ready to burst with pain brought on by her nervous state, but it was no more than she had endured before. Is it a wonder that some unfortunates, beset by misfortunes so persistently, superstitiously believe they were ‘born under an unlucky star?” That day was one of misery to Miss Lingard and even the dread she felt for the meeting did not make it pass Caring She knew that Bar- stow had some plan in his mind which was as ignoble as himself, and she asked herself again and again what it could be. Somehow, she felt sure she was to be asked to attack Don Ramon or his daughter in some way, and she resolved to be torn by tho rack before she would yield. Darkness came at last, and at the proper time she managed to leave the house unseen. Since her coming to Nuevo Madrid, she had rarely gone out, and never during the night- time, and she shivered with fear as she hurried toward the old mission. There were dangerous men about the town, bravoes and conspirators, and she bad none too much faith in the soldiers who followed Mel- lough’s lead; she feared an encounter with any of them. Nothing startling occurred, however, and she approached the frowning walls of the old mis- sion. There is always something gloomy about a ruined building, and a very slight stretch of the imagination only is needed to convert it into danger. Until she neared the broken walls, Miss Lin- gard had not thought of the ghostly stories she had heard from the servants at the casa, but they now came to her mind with crushing force. The crushed tower, the broken roof and the breached walls w darker and gioomier, and for a moment she’stood still, not daring to go nearer. Then summoning all her resolution, she went on and neared the gateway, She had no sooner done so than Barstow ap- peared. “Why did you hesitate?” he asked, with an unfeeling laugh. ‘*Are you, too, afraid of ghosts?” “They are not the worst of enemies,” she said, with unusual spirit. “So you throw the gauntlet of war in my face? Don’t do it, my dear Miss Lingard. Ha, ha! where did you get such a bhigh-sounding name as that? hen a man takes an alias, be chooses a plain one—Brown, Jones, or some- thing of that sort; for he thinks, ‘Amid a thousand of the name I shall lose my individu- ality and myself—my secret will be safe.’ But a woman, let her be everso much of a criminal, must have a high-sounding nam>?. It’s a wonder you did not call yourself De Longueville, or something of the sort.” ‘Tsit to say this that you called me here?” **No; but our history must not be told to the whole world. Step inside this place.” She hesitated, but ended by obeying. The darkness of the ruin alarmed her anew. The broken pillars, which had taken uncouth shapes, seemed like enemies in ambush—all was gloomy and sepulcbral. What a fit place for an assassin’s deed! ** Speak at once,” she said nervously. “TI will, for I do not want to keep you outside the casa until you are subjected to questioning. Hoping that we will be allies from this evening, I would protect you,” **Go on.” ‘*T will_come to business at once, and speak — y- Youand I are old acquaintances, and know certain secrets you do not wish the world to know. I have, I sup , been rather harsh in the past, but we were not friends. We never can be, I suppose, but I am willing to swear to keep your secret if you will win your freedom.” ‘‘ What do you wish?” she asked again, ‘Frankly, | wish to have Don Ramon Vic- toria in my power. As you must have suspect- I wish to make Donna Inez my wife. In order to do this, I must have them in my power, for they are notin favor of the plan. Fwih you to aid me.” “‘ What can I do?” Miss Lin spoke calmly, and Barstow took — from the fact that she did not promptly “He is, as you know, mixed up with this conspiracy in which Castro is concerned. The conspiracy hardly deserves such a name, for it is but the work of a few foolish young fellows like Castro—men who will never create more than a ripple; but sn oe believe it a gigantic plot. Well, what proof of Don Ramon’s guilt.” ‘* How can I, if he is innocent?” “I will furnish you with certain papers, which I wish you to hide in Don Ramon’s private room.” “With what object?” ‘“‘Mellough will find them there and thus se- cure proof enough to crush the proud don, but I shall step forwardin my role of champion, and save them from his hand.” ‘‘ Are you sure the plan will succeed f” “Quite sure, for Don Ramon will not sacri- fice himself for his daughter.” ‘*1¢ will not succeed,” said Miss Lingard, with sudden firmness. “ And why not?” ‘Because I refuse to be your tool. Wretch, do you think me vile enough to turn like a a upon the man who has given me shelter? Do you believe me capable of such Judus-like mean- ness? James Barstow, you have mistaken your << I will die before I will agree to your an ~ The governess spoke with vehemence which surprised the colonel quite as much as itangered him. He had expected some resistance, but her manner told of a fixed resolution which stag- gered bis assurance for a moment. ‘‘ Fool!” he finally exclaimed, harshly. “ But not the wicked wretch you think,” she nates ped h tightl 8 gras er arm tightly. ‘“You will do as I say,” he said, imperiously. * Never!” ‘7 will tell your secret to Don Ramon.” * Whenever you c a ‘‘ More than that, I will tell the authorities here that you are wanted at the East. You shall be dragged back there to suffer for your crimes!” ‘You are wasting words, sir, for I no longer ask for mercy. I have struggled against my fate until Iam worn and weary. I shall strug- gle no more. Go on, Colonel Barstow; shout my secret to the four winds if you will; drag me to the gallows if you see fit; but remember, once for all, that I will not commit another crime to hide that secret. Not even to save m life will I turn against Don Ramon and his family.” The pale, timid governess seemed transformed. A brilliant color had sprung into her cheeks, her eyes flashed and her voice was clear and defiant. She had turned at bay after long years; pressed to the wall she was willing to give up a life which was not blessed with a ray of sunshine. The conviction came to Barstow’s mind, and terrible fury crept into his face. Once more he seized her arm and hissed out a menace with startling force. ‘By Heaven, woman! you will never leave here until you do promise. I will kill you if you refuse! Ha! ha! this is a fit place for a sepulcher, and the old mission will tell no tales. Look around you: see the darkness and the gloom. Ha! you sbiver. Good! now bear me when I swear that unless you give the promise, I will kill you where you now stand.” CHAPTER XXX. A SHOT AT A SPECTER. Barstow bad spoken truly when he said that Miss Lingard shivered. Her nerves would bave been of iron bad she done otherwise. Even when the bope of life has been abandoned, one does not desire to be murdered. The gloom ef the old ruin, the tombstone-like proportions of the broken pillars, the crumbling walls, the fact that she was wholly in the power of this merciless wretch—all combined were enough to have alarmed even the strongest of men, She trembled in his grasp, but her voice arose with firmness. ‘Kill me if you will!” she said; ‘that blow ends my earthly troubles.” * Bah! why should you sleep in this dark den. You know not the horrors of the place. Men say there are no ghosts, but I will swear the mission is haunted. At midnight, I have more than once heard groans and cries issuing from within these dark walls. You must have heard of the tragedy of the place—how a fair young girl was killed by a monk—” ‘‘Yes, and how the girl afterward appeared in the village, alive and well,” Miss Lingard re- torted; but she was really far less brave than she seemed. Before the colonel could answer, a hollow groan sounded from tbe interior of the ruin, & sound so dreadful that the governess almost dropped to the rocky floor. She was not super- stitious, but she was human. d J Barstow stood im silence, but he still kept his hold on her arm. His manner was that of a man very much alarmed, and he suddenly put out bis left hand, pointing toward the eastern wall, ‘ ap he cried, = a husky whisper. iss Lingard obeyed. Along the top of oe broken wall glided a fe- male form, or a visitor from the spirit world. i ' wish of you is to furnish | Seemingly, it was a woman clad all in white, with a ghostly face to match; and Miss Lingard could not bus remember the young girl who was said to have been murdered in the mission. Directly opposite to them she paused and, raising ber hands as though in prayer, turned her face toward the dark sky. ‘*Look!” again whispered the colonel, his voice more husky than ever. His gesture called Miss Lingard’s attention away from the girl and she saw another figure on the wall. This time it was that of a monk, or, more properly, perhaps, his ghost, for he, 7 _— clad in white and his face was pale as eath. He advanced along the wall with a quick and cautious step and reached the girl. Suddenly he flung one arm about her, the other hand arose in the air and then descended with a quick sweep, like the stroke of an assassin. Neither the monk nor the girl uttered a cry, but without a struggle she sunk back in his arms. All this the governess saw with silent horror. Her nervous fears had been so operated upon tbat she looked upon all as real, but, too much alarmed to cry out or seek to flee, she remained as though in a trance. ° The impressive scene had thus far proceeded exactly as on a former occasion when we took the reader to the mission, but it seemed as though an extra act had been added. The stillness of the night was suddenly brcken by a sound which rung out with startling elear- ness, but which even the governess recognized as the report of a revolver, and at the sound the ghostly monk reeled back from the wall, and af- ter vainly flinging his arms about in search of a substantial support, fell headlong into the in- terior of the mission. A curse fell from Barstow’s lips, a sound strangely out of place with bis late show of su- perstitious fear, while at the same moment the hantom girl, vies pve forgetting thut she had ust been scientifically assassinated, showed plain signs of life and fear, and leaped after the monk. A shout arose beyond the wall at the same oint from which came the revolver shot, and ts clear inflection, coupled with the fact that both the monk and the girl had made a very perceptible sound when they struck the mission floor, convinced Miss Lingard that the specter element was a fraud. Barstow was evidently alarmed, and he be- gan dragging her toward the interior of the place, but excitement gave her a sudden cour- age, and she made a quick movement, broke from his hold, and darted through the mission gate. As she did so she collided with another per- son, a man, with such force that both nearly fell to the ground, but he managed toretain his footing, and held fast to her. ‘* You need not struggle; I have caught you!” he cried, exultantly. ‘“‘ What! you ?” The last word was uttered in evident amaze ment, and Miss Lingard looked up into the face of Long-Haired Max. “Save me! save me!” she exclaimed. “Quick, tell me who is in that den!” he said, seeming to at once clear her from all connection with the plotters. ‘‘ 1 shot at something—what was it?” ‘‘A man disguised as a specter, I think,” she said, with equal terseness. ‘By Jupiter! 1 must see this matter threugh. Will you follow me inside?” They will kill you—” “T do not feartbem. Follow me!” Without another word Max dashed through the gateway, and Miss Lingard followed, be- se psn she was too much frightened to remain alone. The ruin had become silent. When Max Geigy after going a few steps, be could not ear a sound except that of theirown breathing. Still, he had reason to suppose there was more to be found by looking, and he burried across the floor, and stood at that point where the monk had fallen. 2 There were nosigns of white-robed or any other species of _— ‘* Be careful!” warned Miss Lingard. ‘‘ There are men bere, and they may strike you un- awares.” “Do you know who they were?” ‘‘ Colonel Barstow was one.” “Aba! I thought so. Did he play the ghost?” The governess regretted that she had allowed the name to escape her, but it was too late to retract. : ‘*T was standing beside him near the gate, when the two white figures appeared on the wall. Some one fired a revolver, and one of them fell; and then the other leaped down, Both struck heavily on the floor; they were not specters.” ‘‘Of course not; I knew it was a trick, and that is why I fired. I now wish I had useda real cartridge instead of a blank one, for I would like to know those fellows. I’m afraid I have lost them, for I baveno means of striking a light to search the ruin.” ‘Tt would be dangerous. We are even liable -OMIC DOO meiosis