Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 239 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

- ee he - = The watcher was now most perplexed, He felt sure tbat his victim would soon re- cover. and would naturally, if he recalled the meeting and friendly drink, inquire for him, and with no friendly intent. The departure of Lionel prevented an imme- This was some consolation; but no socner had the thought entered Blackbird’s mind than he was dumfcunded by a sight which caused him to nearly lose his grip and fall to the pround Hearing a swishing of bushes in the direction of the river, he had turned his head quickly iu that quarter, and, to his astonishment and ap- prehension, discovered Lionel Lacrosse wallk- ing leisurely through the bottom, when he had supposed him to be far up the stream, and riding toward his home. Lionel did not have his rifls with bim, but carried, as was the universal custom, his revol- ver and bowie at h'‘s belt, At first Blackbird, as does every guilty man, feared that the young ranchero was in search of himself; but, upon second thought, he re- flected that this was impossible, »s Captain Warrington had not recovered sufficiently to reveal any particulars, On down the Salado went Lionel, soon dis- appearing from the view of Blackbird, who de- cided that the former bad agreed to wait until Baldy brought more favorable intelligence in regard to the state of Winnie, It was not a very comfortable position in the tree, and Blackbird descended, making his way through the dense undergrowth toward the river, where it was more open, scattering thickets being the only obstruction to the view. Within one of these Blackbird ensconced himself and watched for the return of young Lacrosse, hoping that he might be able to judge by his face the state of his mind. Expecting Baldy to join Lionel, Blackbird at times cast glances up the stream through the timber. His eondition was by no means an enviable one. For a full quarter of an hour did the con- eealed plotter crouch in the thicket, no sound striking his ear except the chirp of wood-birds, the hum of insects, and the ripple of the ad- jacent stream, At the end of that time, much to his anger and apprebension, he heard the tramp of horses’ hoofs out on the ‘‘ open,” approaching the ranch from down-stream, Soon he recognized in the loud voices of the riders, who had evidently been drinking frevly, his crowd of associates. He bad no doubt that they had met stock- men, who bad just come from the Guadalupe over the open plain by the route which he would have taken, and having reported to bis friends that no one had crossed the prairie north, the latter had returned, doubtless sup- posing him to be still at the Brown ranch, or overcome by drink, and sleeping it off in the timber, This return of his associates was most ill- timed, and greatly maddened Blackbird, who indulged in an unusually large drink of brandy from a flask which he carried in a side pocket, and which was free from the maddening drug; altboug®, in its unadulterated state, the brandy was demoralizing enough to craze any one who ventured to indulge in it to any extent, Ke bad barely replaced his flask when, glanc- ing up-stream, he discovered, to bis horror, no other than Captain Warrington approaching bis covert. The officer was alone, and glancing suspi- ciously at every thicket he passed. Blackbird felt sure that the captain was in search of him, although he had no grounds for thus thinking; as all, doubtless, supposed him to have returned home, and his boon compan- ions could not bave reached the ranch until after the captain had set out for the timber. The plotter was now positive that the tables were turned, and that his life was in danger. All was lost, should he be discovered. The captain’s mind cculd not be entirely free from the effects of the poison, and he would aot hesitate to shoot him on sight. F.ra moment everything whirled before the eyes of Blackbird, be being filled with a terri- ble dread; then there burst upon his mind a most hellish and dastardly resolution. Lightning like flashed the thought that Lionel Lacrosse was down-stream, and that these two could again be brought together, when no one was near to interfere with them. He was mot sure that Captain Warrington still entertained his insane animosity against the young man. He might possibly be even now seeking him, for the purpose of apologia- ——— —- = teams —E ing; but there was a chance, even a probabili- | The Terrible Trio. He had murdered one man, and worse than | ty when the condition of the officer’s mind was ' murdered another, for he had fastened his own | _ to diate apology, should the captain be so inclined. | considered, that he was seeking Lionel with _ evil intent, Not an instant of time did Blackbird pause deliberate, Stealthily making his way down-streain, within a line of dense thickets, he soon turned a bend in the Salado, when, to _his great joy and relief, he discovered the | with a revolver in his band, at full cock. I young planter standing in an open space be- tween the tree-trunks, facing the creck, and Fol- lowing Lionel’s glance, the lurking Blackbird saw a large water-snaké swimming down the stream, and at once interpreted his object. He was about to shvot the snake. No sooner was this fact apparent than, with a fiendish exultation contorting bis swarthy face, the villain jerked his own woapon, and slowly drew back the hammer; the slight click of the lock being unnoticed by Lionel, who was intently watching the fast approaching snake, Thus ready, Blackbird glanced quickly up- ward, ascertaining, to his relief and joy, that the topmost branches of the thicket, within which he crouched, mingled with the thick limbs and immense masses of gray moss hang- ing from the trees above, and would thus pre- vent the smoke of his pistol from being seen, He was playing for a heavy stake; the hand of the only maiden who had ever made an im- pression upon his coward heart, who had in- fatuated and bewitched him by her beauty; and he had now, in his brandy-demoralized brain, decided upon a terrible and dastardly double crime. His own life hung upon a thread! Should he not pull trigger simultaneously with Lionel Lacrosse, his life must pay the for- feit should he not be able to evade pursuit, Everything was most favorable. Tie wind was blowing up the stream, and he had the game in his own hands if he but played the right card at the right time. His eyes were glaring and glassy, fixed upon Lionel; his sense of hearing strained to the utmost to catch the soft footfalls on the car- pet of leaves, which would be the signal of the approach of Captain Warrington, At last the terrible moment arrived! Blackbird saw the captain walk slowly and cautiously up in the rear of Lionel, as if he d‘d not wish to disturb his aim. He saw the revolver of the young planter leveled, pointed toward the surface of the Salado. Then Black- bird, with murderous glare, threw up his own weapon, aiming at the breast of the unhappy man, and, the devil favoring him, pulled trig- ger at the same instant as did Lionel Lacrosse, Both reports blended in one, and close after came a heart-rending yell of terrible agony, which caused the young planter to whirl in his tracks, when his face blanched and he reeled as if stricken with palsy, bis eyes bulging ina horror and soul-drawn anguish at the fearful sight that met bis view. For, as be turned, Captain Warrington was clutching at his breast with both bands, the blood welling from bis mouth and nostrils. A moment more and he had fallen to earth, the stamp of death on his face and an awfal dread in the depths of his filmy eyes. For an instant Lionel stood as if he had been suddenly petrified, his tongue cleaving to the roof of his mouth. Paralyzed with horror he thus stood, and then slowly staggered for- ward, still holding bis revolver. Placing his disengaged hand vpon the breast of the man who had s0 recently outrageously insulted him, the father of the maiden whom, though he had not met her until that day, he felt that he loved more and better than his own life, the young man paused to note the pulsations. Then the revolver dropped from his trem- bling hand and he clasped his throbbing brow, while a deep groan of the most intense agony of soul burst from his lips. Captain Warrington was dead! CHAPTER IV. FLEEING FROM THE AVENGER. As that terrible cry burst from tha lips of the death-stricken officer, the assassin thrust his fingers into his ears, and for a moment stood riveted to the spot from whence he had fired the dastard shot; then, as he saw his victim fall, he sunk to the earth, and crawled through tbe thicket toward the creek, and thence into the rushes and reeds along the bank, until at a safe distance from the scene of his cowardly double crime, | | ee SS eee crime upon him. And there, by the dead man, stood Lionel Lacrosse; his arms folded across his breast, motionless as a statue, and nearly as cold, The arrows of gold from the setting sun, shot throagh the foliage of the bottom timber, and fell, gently and lovingly as ever, upon the awful spot, Captain Warrington was dead—murderedl Who it was that had done the dastard deed, Lionel could not dream. He was sure that a shot had been fired simul- taneously with his own, but who had fired it, was a mystery. IL.ionel was crushed. ) All the events of the day, that bore on tho crime, now came down on him, The captain had become, in some inexplicable way offended with bim, and bad struck him, Could it be that he had come, at the last, to make an apology? It really seemed that this must have been the case; and the thought caused hm double anguish. In the sight of the world, he, an innocent man, who had never wronged a human being, or a brute, was now a murderer. Already he could hear the outcries of those who would hunt him to his death, yet he moved not. The shot, and the yell, had been heard at the ranch, Perhaps, she, Winnette Warrington, had heard that last agonized cry of the father she so much loved. ** Oh, God!” The bitter cry came, long and deep, from bis anguish-parched lips, as he gazed first at the roseate sky above him, and then upon the horrible scene of murder below, Not long, however, stood the young man thus, Rusbing bois'erously through the timber to the spot from which the cry of the slaughtered man had come, the balf-intoxicated companions of Blackbird came within view of the gory corpse, and of him who stood near it, Sobered at once, by the awful sight, not a word came from that noisy crowd. Then, as each recalled the blow that had been given by the now dead captain, and the appar- ent enmity of the latter toward Lionel, they judged that a duel had been fought; but, mpon further reflection, considering that but one shot had been fired, they all walked forward im a body, not speaking a word to each other. All were actuated in this movement by a common object—to ascertain if the dead man beld a weapon, or to inspect the ground for the revolver which, in the encounter, might have fallen from his grasp. No weapon, however, was to be seen, but that of Lionel, which was still held in bis grasp; the unfortunate young man still standing in the same position, his eyes never once wander- ing from the face of the dead. Everything was quickly noticed by the eb- servers. . There could be but one interpretation to the scene, Lionel Lacrosse bad shot Captain Warrington —had murdered, had assassinated him! As this conviction flashed upon them, they darted forward, as one man, and grasping Lionel, snatched the revolver from bis hands, Two of the young men then held him fast, but he gave no sign of resistance, but lifted his head, and cast a quick glance around the circle —a glance, so filled with horror and despair, that it would bave melted a heart of stone. Any pbysiognomist who saw bim then, woul have felt satisfied that Lionel Lacrosse was guiltless of the death of Captain Warrington, But those who held the young ranchero were but too eager to believe the worst of | him. They asked him no questions. The proofs, indeed, were too plain, even had these men been his friends, And now, one of their number came running | from the ranch. He had left his associates, the moment they had discovered that a murder had been committed, and bad gone at once to report the dread event. So excited had he been, that he thought not of the daughter being within the dwelling; and every word, that he spoke on the veranda, was overheard by ber. Not until a shriek sounded from an open window, did the listeners without realize the indiscretion of the man who brought the appai- ling news. All were now dumb with amaze comicbooks ef" (E(o)] — a. a TP el me