Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 245 — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

24. ‘ b yard Gulch, that you separated at the V path, | of one undoubtedly a lady, he read his own and you were making tracks for home, when | name: “Mr, William Lincoln.” you heard ber cry for help. You rushed back, Considerably surprised he tore the envelope and saw two roughs taking her eway. You | open and looked at the signature. There he sprung upon them, hit out twice straight and | read the name of Vivian Brown. hard, and they lay flat on the ground. Then Still more amazed he hastened to read the you escorted ber as near her home as you dared | note, which was as follows: to go, and said good-night. Ain’t I tolerably | be wel posted f ‘ . , : | I made you and write a few lines, but it is because I Barranca Bill remained silent, staring at | cannot see how any harm can result therefrom and vacancy. Luke Gridley bad told some truth, at | because I am so impatient to let you know what has least. Bill had rescued Vivian as described, | happened. I may be foolish to disobey you, and I and she had been on the Graveyard Gulch side | will not put my worldly wisdom against that of of the town, and as he reflected the recollection | , Bar ce ee, os whom all crt rig Se is ail of some things then said which had seemed | j/@ “00h a woman's faible. the letter, ¢ : ir . nerely a woman's foible. very strange to him came back with fresh ‘‘Agatha has arrived. She is here in silks and force, diamonds, The long-dreaded time has come. She ** By heavens!” he thought, ‘“‘she had been to | is not a bit as I fancied her, but a soft-spoken little Graveyard Gulch to meet somebody—whom? | thing who looks very innocent, but I am not to be Who is there in this camp whom she would—” | deceived. TI have no doubt she is ‘ Agatha, the He paused abruptly and a startled look Cricket,’ Do not fail to meet me as usual, for Tam . : Luke Gridl lai h wretched. I hope you will say your detectives are n ; sitat- ingly declared that he recognized him—Barran- ca Bill “Mr. Lincotn:—I am about to break the promise “To Mr. William Lincoln,” ; We will not attempt to describe the varying The superintendent remembered the mistake | expressions on tbe face of Barranca Bill as he in identity made by the men of Ramrod Bar, | read. For the most part tke letter was a com- and a wild suspicion floated through his mind plete enigma, but one thing shone out clean and with almost the foree of conviction. plain when the letter and Luke Gridley’s story The man wbo had met Vivian at Graveyard were placed side by side as evidence. Gulch was Herace Lincoln! ‘Horace has been meeting Vivian, and she For a moment Barranca Bill yielded to | thinks she has met me. Now, by the gods, what amazement, almost to consternation, and then | does all this mean? My brain is in a whirl, and he turned to Gridley: | I can only see that Horace is playing some deep “What is your object in coming here with | game. What is it?” this story’ be quietly asked. He devoted some little time to thought, study- ‘I don’t hesitate to say I am hard up, and I | ing the letter as he did so, and then soliloquized thought you might be willing to give a few bits | as follows: to aman who would work as your ally. Of ** It is clear that Vivian believes she has been course, as the son of old Brown, it is my duty | meeting me all this while; this wonderful re- to go to him and tell all, but [am not opposed | semblance has deceived her as it has every one to this match and I'd as soon be your ally as | else; and it alsoappears from her first paragraph his,” that Horace has extracted certain p,omises » +! Well argued, m noble friend. I see you from her which were calculated to m yke his are a trump of the ultra caliber, but as I am a | false position more secure. Is my brcvher so good deal mixed up on this matter I must ask | bad as that?” 7 twenty-four hours in which to decide just how He paused, boping to find some groun. princely shall be my conduct toward you.” | hope that there was a mistake, but it wa Gridley looked at him suspiciously. | attempt. “You intend some trick; perhaps an elope- ‘‘ What game is he playing? I should ment,” he said. was merely one to marry Vivian for her | ‘*Upon my word of honor, no. It has struck | but what of this ag fons ae Agatha? A © me that iG:you are all you say we can be of ser- | girl says she hopes I’ will say my detectives are vice to h other, but I must have time to | on the track. Ah! there is more here ‘lea I form ca, comm You say you are the son of suspected. Whatisit? By my life, I will know; Cephas Brown. Perhaps you will explain.” I will force the secret from Horace’s lips. Bro- ridley saw no reason why be should not and | ther or no brother, he cannot trifle like this; he accordingly related all of the Tennessee moun- | may do that which, by the help of resemblaiice, tain episode that is already known to the | will ruin me!” reader, cerns Bill started up and took two steps towar “Tt strikes me 2% were you, [should press : my claim,” said Bill. ruptly. if Well, the fact islam lameonmy proof. I; ‘* What of Helen Neville and Abe Neal? Both have plenty of evidence as to my parentage, mistook me for some one else; one called mea Horace’s room. Then he paused ab- but there are some other impediments I must | villain and the other sought my life. Can ‘t be overcome before I fasten the screws on him.” that Horace is the original of the men they ‘‘Exactly. Well, see here, Gridley, two | sought—that he is Dona!d Lander and Ben War- heads are better than one and I believe we can | ren, as well as Paul Pindar?” both win a golden harvest by working in The face of the strong miner was a panorama double-harness. Give me one day to revolve | then. He had tried to regard Horaee with the idea and then come for your answer.” affection, because he was his brother, and he Luke believed he read sincerity in every tone | had turned a deaf ear to the evidence of the and readily agreed to the proposal. No one | men of Ramrod Bar, but the lightning had at knew better than he that he was at a standstill | last fallen and the man stood stripped of his in his own fight, and he was not sorry to have | mask, . as clear a head as Bill’s to help him. | ‘Not content with talking so earnestly of Accordingly, he agreed to all and took his | honor when his hands were soiled with blood departure. and crime,” whispered Barranca Bill, ‘‘he has ‘“T have you, my fine fellow,” said the super- | used my identity at Comet Camp to plunge into interident, when once more alone. ‘It was at | fresh villainy. And this man is my brother! Weeping Willows I saw peur face, and I strong- His strong band trembled until it shook the ly suspect that Hecate is the grandmother of | chair upon which it rested and his face was whom you told me. I begin to see that there is | terribly grand. A passion which had slept for a deep game, or a series of them, afoot, and as | years was surging over him until his blood was —— my identity has in some way crept in Ill ap- | on fire. cenieiin peledey : He took another step toward Horace’s room and again paused “JT must wait!” he muttered, huskily. “If I o there now I shall do something Ishall regret. yh me remember he is my brother—if he were CHAPTER XXXII. HORACE PLAYS A BOLD GAME. BARRANCA BILU’s buoyancy of spirit soon van- ished. He remembered the story of Graveyard Gulch and grew grave. Luke Gridley bad | brother!” 4 asserted that he had seen him there, and he be- Alone in the little room Barranca Bill fought But, no, no; he is my lieved the fellow telling what he thought to be the battle with himself, and when be ascended | not I would—would— the truth. ° the stairs he was calm though strangely pale. Tf Vivian Brown is meeting a man who re- Horace looked at him uneasily, reading some sembles me at Graveyard Gulch, that man must | calamity in that set face. be Horace Lincoln. Now, how did they be- ‘‘ Are you ill?” he demanded. + come acquainted? He has been here but a few “No,” said William, slowly. I am well, days—certainly not long enough to haveformed | and yet I have received news that—that— the acquaintance and gained the good will of | Read!” such a girl as Vivian. If she did nov respect Despite his self-control the last word came him she would not meet him like that, so it fol- | out somewhat sharp!y as he tossed Vivian’s let- lows that they have long been acquainted, but | ter across the table. Horace raised it, looked why did not Horace mention the fact to me?” at the signature and then changed color. It ill frowned. He had cautioned his brother | was his turn to be filled with consternation , for not to leave the house, but it seemed that while | a while his face expressed emotions which were he had been outwardly lamenting that he was all the time ‘‘ cooped up,” he had really been car- rying on a system of deceit. At this moment Hans Vedder entered. “Shinaman pring von letter unt then co me a he said, extending a white envelope, tio ter was finished he had recovered all his noncha- lance. ? When he began his desperate game he de- cided that if the crash ever came he could do no more than to make a clean breast of the received it and looked at the superscrip- maltets bracing up a few weak points some- n. what. , There, in the delicate but handsome writing ' He ended his reading, and laughed softly. Ne eee eee eer CL LE Bee RS ES Te a ae Se ee a, ee eagerly read by his brother; but before the let- | ‘Barranca Bill, the Revolver Champion. a a = | ‘So the Jig is a he said, “Up? I should say so. Your mask is torn away, and yet you laugh. Were it my case I | would bide my head in the deepest dungeon of the earth.” Horace looked astonished. | “Why, what do you mean? But, wait; it is | natural, I suppose, and I ask you to hear my story before you judge me, Let me tell all!” And then he told of the visit of Vivian Brown to the house; how she mistook him for William, and he allowed her to labor under the error rather than to betray bimself. Her stery of Agatha, their alliance and subsequent action were clearly told, but he claimed that he bad | done all out of philantbropy. | **T was under a cloud,” he said, ‘‘ and as I sat listening to her story I thought what a grand chance it was todo a good action and redeem myself. I thought men would forgive me for that unfortunate affair at Ramrod Bar, and that if I could once more hold up my head among my fellow-beings it would be a relief to more than myself.” It was a cunning, pathetic argument, for, spurred to the necessity, Horace was an ex- cellent actor. For a moment Barranca Bill wavered; but, as plausibly as the case had been resented, i was too weak in fact to deceive is mind. ‘* And how,” he continued, “do you explain your career as Donald Lander?” This time there was no start; Horace was under control like a well-regulated engine, “Lander? Who thedickens is he? Ah! wait, is he the man you said that missing woman was. looking for?” «é ” “Well, J don’t know Lander. I did?” % : ernk you are Lander yourself.” a Yes. ” Horace burst into a laugh, and then grew grave. “Good heavens! do you want to connect me with every rascal in the land? Have I not suf- fered enough now?” “Have not others suffered?’ torted. ‘*See here, this is not kind. Do you forget we are brothers? Blame me if you will for this affair with Vivian Brown, for though I meant all for the best I may have erred, but do not go further, brother. do not know this Donald Lander.” “How about Agatha, the Cricket, and Ben Warren?” ‘The former is the woman Brown has put forward for his daughter, if appearances are re- liable, but of Ben Warren I know nothing.” ‘Perhaps if Abe Neal should see you he would convince you that you were once Bein Warren.” ‘* See here, Bill, this has gone farenough, [ can bear a good deal from you, but not every- thing. You are piling on the agony too heavily. Give me air; give me the chance one bonesrt man should give another, if not a brother's love and forbearance.” The ch was the personification of impu- dence ‘but it fell on Barranca Bill like a feather. It had suddenly occurred to’him that it would have been wiser to have held his hand and trap- ped the schemer, and instead of expressing the condemnation he felt, he decided to try a differ- ent course, , “Of course we are past the sentimentality of outh,” he said, ‘‘but no man shall say I pushed im to the wall. Ill invite Miss Brown over here to-morrow, and we will have this matter settled. I don’t care to waron m ny and, we may straighten the crooked places in some way before we get through.” And in this way it was left when Barranca Bill descended to the lower part of the house, The door was searcely closed before Horace was transformed into a perfect demon in appear- ance. He drew his revolver and his face was full of a fixed purpose. ‘‘You sealed your own doom, my precious brother!” be hissed, ‘‘ You know too mucb, ' and your tongue shall be silenced. What Abe | Neal failed to do I will accomplish, and then Ef will become Barranca Bill to all the world, as I ' now am to Vivian Brown. Vivian! Ah! evem ‘as 1 begin to fancy her I see ber receding from ‘roy reach. By Heaven, I will yet win her and |} y money-bags. But how? e deed must be | quickly done; I must think of the ways and | means.” | Dropping back in his chair he vine a lon | time without stirring. When he lifted his bea: tue future lay mapped before him, Would his -ife-boat follow the channel? » | Immediately after supper he went to his room ~d put on the same disguise he had used when ling with Abe Neal, and, thus equipped, he ufade his way to the Weeping Willows. ' What passed there will be made plain further on, but, as Horace bent his steps toward Grave- yard Gulch, be was in a mood far from despon- dent. Yet, according to his judgment, that night was to make or ruin him. He had wagered on one bold move; if that succeeded he believed Did you think William re- —=— (Elo) mii! eee)