Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 256 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

- ; >. qe - 16 a Double Dan, the Dastard. When the time prescribed did arrive, aunt Roxie was in her easy-chair on the veranda, and was as much startled as when she had been awakened by her niece on a former occasion. The maid rushed to the door and thence to the feet of aunt Roxie where she fell upon her knees, trembling violently, and making ineffec- tual efforts to speak. ‘** Bless my soul, Chloe!” exclaimed Miss Roxie in astonishment, *‘ what in the name of wonder ails you? Dospeak! You frighten me!” At last Chloe burst forth in an agonized voice: “Missy Rosa—Oh, Lordy! What’ll ole Mars’ Richard say an’ do? Missy Rosa done gone, Miss Roxie—she not in de cham’er, Oh, Lordy! Oh, Lordy, Lordy!” Miss Ray arose stiffly from her chair, pallid and speechless for a moment, then she cried out: “Get up, Chloe! Get up this moment, and run to the landing! Idare say your young mistress has gone out unobserved by us, and is in her hammock. I know she must be, and the dog is with her, of course; indeed, I have not seen Hero all the morning.” Before speaking thus, the thought that gave birth to the words passed through her mind, and she felt greatly relieved. Her manner and appearance changed, and this banished much of the fright and apprehension of Chloe, who now sprung to her feet and darted through the gar- dens toward the landing, disappearing in the timber. The face of aunt Roxie was a study at this time, but not an agreeable one; as a second thought led her to decide that her niece would ass have gone to the landing without informing er. A suspicion of something too terrible for thought took possession of her mind, and when, soon after the disappearance of Chloe, she heard the horrified shriek of the latter, the poor old lady staggered forward, clutching at a post of the veranda; but her hands beat the air, she seemed to be stricken blind, and she sunk sense- less to the floor. The terrified Chlos darted from the magnolias with loud screams, spring- ing in mad trides over the garden path asif the devil and all his imps were close behind her, Reaching the veranda, she found that Miss Roxie lay there, gpa tide dead. This was too much for Chloe. e rushed out through the back door of the mansion, shrieking as she went, and shotinto the cabin of Aunt Dinah, the cook, overturning the latter, and crawling under a table. There she lay, regardless of the pan of water which the old negress threw over her, as soon as the latter regained her feet. Tn an instant the kitchen was filled with negro women and children, who gathered from the row of cabins a short distance away. When Chloe recovered her speech she cried out: ** Run, some of you no ‘count niggers, an’ tell ole mars’ dat Miss Rosa am gone, an’ ole mist’ am dead! Dat’s all de good Lor’s trufe, sure an’ sartin!” Then followed a scene of confusion. A dozen little darkies fled to the fields for Captain Ray, each eager to he the one to bear the astounding news, but all of them too frightened to truly realize its appalling significance, Aunt Dinab rushed into the house, bidding some of the wenches to follow; but when she . discovered Miss Roxie and turned to give ordcrs, she found that she was alone. Springing tbrough the window, the old cook procured camphor, cologne and smelling salts, in fe cea time; and soon had Miss Ray in her chair, partially recovered, but still speechless. The frightened servants, lookin distance, perceiving that their mistress lived, now hastened to offer their assistance. Just then the captain dashed up at headlong speed, crushing flowers and shrubs in his course, his face ghastly and terrible, Jerking his steed to a balt opposite his sister, he strove to speak, but only a spasmodic gurg- ling sound left bis trembling lips; and Aunt Dinah, to whom Chloe had spoken of what she had seen at the landing, being also unable to ae pointed significantly toward the river. Down the long ae to the magnolias shot the captain, quickly disappearing from view. A moment more and the overseer and field hands came on the run, the finger of Aunt Dinah directing them also to the landing; and on they sped, not daring to believe that their young mistress, the beauty and belle of the razos, was gone, none knew whither! Aunt Dinah, seemingly the only one who retained a fraction of judgment or sense, directed the house-servants to search the rooms, one and all; she herself striving in vain to revive aunt Roxie, but the old lady kept her eyes fixed on the magnolias, at the end of the path, the expression of her face proving that she expected to see the corpse of poor Rosa being conveyed, at any moment, toward ber home. Chloe had no sooner rushed down the path to the landing than she darted back again; for not only did she see that the boat of ber young mis- tress was gone, but she discovered Hero, his head crushed and bloody—sufficient proof that Miss Rosa had been carried away in her own skiff, most certainly during the night, or the on from a dog would not have accompanied her to the landing. Captain Ray saw the same, and came to the same conclusions at once. He knew, as soon as he perceived that Hero had been killed, that his darling had been eet eee besides, her boat was not in its place. When Williams, the overseer, rode up, the captain had dismounted and held in his hand the club which, without doubt, had been used in killing the dog. He gazed at this for a moment, then at Hero, and then at the surface of the cove, where the boat ought to have been; then be sunk upon his knees, the tears running down his furrowed cheeks, while be cried in deep supplication, clasping his hands: ‘Oh, God in heaven, protect, preserve my darling! Give me strength to bear up under this fearful blow! Giv- herstrength until these old arms can again clasp her—until [ shall punish the misereant, avenge this terrible out- rage, and save her from shame and death!” Then he arose to his feet, changed in every- thing. A merciless thirst for revenge was im- sya upon his features; a resolution mani- ested that could be lessened or broken only by bis death. Anguish the most agonizing was stamped upon his face as he said to bis over- seer: ‘Williams, my child, my Rosa has been stolen from me, and from her home! Send out some of the servants on each side of the river, up and down stream, to search for her and the skiff. Then jump the best horse, and gallop for aid up the river! ‘**Tell Roy Randolph to come, for he is a good trailer. My child, my darling must be avenged! I swear to rend the villain limb from limb who has stolen her! I shall go mad! ‘*See, Williams, there lies our faithful Hero— dead! His skull has been crushed by that club, and the boat, too, is gone. That proves that my Rosa has been carried away against her will, Ob, God! sustain me, or I shall go mad!” To describe the scenes that followed, and con- tinued through the day at Bend Plantation would be useless. The wail of the negroes could be heard on all sides, at all times; and Captain Ray rode here and there, like a mad- man, bis judgment completely warped by his overpowering grief. But there was no trace of Rosa Ray. The water left no trail, and the negroes saw nothing of the boat. And thus, in hopeless despair and deepest anguish, on the very borders of Te vy Randolph and his companions found Captain Ray, as upon panting, foam-flecked steeds, they galloped into the Bend, the expression of Roy’s face making it scarce recognizable, CHAPTER XVIIL. WESTWARD HO! WHEN Roy Randolph and the ex-comrades of Louis Le Grand galloped madly up to Bend Plantation, the captain was at the landing by himself; it was the last spot.in which he knew his darling to have been, and he wished to be there for a time in solitude, . Not the slightest trace or trail had been found, and the brain of the poor old man seemed to be bursting. Springing from their panting horses, and securing the animals to the veranda posts, the new arrivals hurried to the landing, directed thither by old Dinah, Miss Roxie having taken to her bed, in a most deplorable state of mind. Roy rushed wildly down the path, bis heart bleeding, bis brain like molten lead, as he dashed around the thicket where Rosa Ray had been folded in his arms. Her beautiful, confid- ing, innocent face, and her girlish, graceful form had been ever before his eyes; her hands stretched out pleadingly, and her limpid eyes filled with tears. . And now Le Grand, the demon, the mis- creant, was dragging her away. This true picture of the present state of things nearly drove the young man distracted, It was especially torturing to him when he re- membered that he himself had been the means, indirectly, of all this misery—that bad he not fallen asleep in his boat, all the chain of dread events would not bave occurred. The fact that with the anguish and concern which he could not banish entirely, and the depth and intensity of which he knew had surprised the young men who accompanied him. * Captain Ray,” he called out in a firm, clear voice, as he sprung upon the platform, ‘ allow me, as a neighbor and friend, to express my deepest sympathy in this most severe blow that bas fallen upon you, and to say that I am yours to command—that your daughter must and shall be restored to you, and that Louis Le Grand, who has abducted her, shall be hanged like a dog!” Captain Ray sprung to bis feet as if aroused from a deep sleep, astonishment merging into relief, and this again into amazement and won- der, to bear a new arrival assert the name of his daughter’s abductor when not a soul at ree Bend had the slightest suspicion in regard it. Carried away by force all knew that she had been, as the body of the dog and the missing boat but too clearly proved. ‘Louis Le Grand!” almost shrieked the old man, as he grasped the extended hand of Roy Rando!ph. ‘‘ In the name of wonder, how do you know that Le Grand has stolen my cbild? ‘“Thanks, gentlemen, all, for your kindness and proffered services! I am not in a fit con- er of mind to reason in regard to this terrible affair. In a few words Roy revealed the vaunt and wager of Le Grand at the bhunting-camp, and also that the ruffian had twice very recently sougbt bis life. But he said nothing of his hav- ing been saved by Rosa or his having met the latter; he stated, however, that he knew when be was searching for the man who had attempt- ed to assassinate him, that that man—Louis Se Grand—had gone down the Brazos, and from a tree had inspected the landing where they them- selves now were. An examination, be suggested of the opposite side of the river would revea plain ‘‘ sign ” to substantiate this. ‘Good heavens!” wailed Captain Ray, ‘my poor little Rosa in the power of a brutal and merciless assassin: and be, too, on the borders of delirium from drink! Gentlemen, for the love of mercy give me some hope! Where has he taken her? Willbe harm ber? What can be his object? ‘But I ought not to ask—I dare not even think. My friends, I shall mad if some trace of my child is not soon found. My cross is beavier than I ean bear.” ‘* What have you done, Captain Ray, toward the search?’ asked Roy, quickly. ‘“ We must get to work at once, and that in a systematic manner.” ‘‘[ have had my slaves search both sides of the river, up and down, for some distance. I cannot say how far they have been, for you cannot depend upon blacks in such an emergency as this. The sudden disappearance of my daughter, who was beloved by them all, is look- ed upon by them in a superstitious light, as they cannot be brought to believe that any ee being could be so depraved as to barm er.’ ‘“‘ Louis Le Grand has not gone up the river,” s id Roy, very decidedly. ‘‘ It is unreasonable to suppose this, as he was well aware that we were all searching for him in the vicinity of the point from which he shot me, and the camp where he brutally murdered his old slave. ‘‘He knew he was not safe at bis plantation; that a rope was ready for his neck, and there- fore he would go, if by boat, down the Brazos to the Gulf. From thence he could get passage in some coaster, to a point where be would think himself safe. He would probably repre- sent his captive to be an insane relative, or would smuggle her through in some cunning manner,” From this reasoning of Roy, all were con- vinced that the only course to pursue, with any hope of success, was down the Brazos: !os- ing sight of the fact, that Le Grand, in all bis late perfidious acts, bad proceeded in a very unreasonable manner: and also that be bad a most foolbardy and desperate way of returning, and loitering around the scenes of bis crimes. Having come, however, to this decision, Roy Randolph and his comrades, accompanied by he had been blessed by becoming acquainted | Captain egy? once procured fresh borses, with, and loved by Rosa, through the strange happenings of the past day and night, did not lessen the last unlooked-for, too terrible to con- template occurrence; as be believed that he would eventually have known and loved Rosa Ray under more favorable circumstances. When Roy reached the landing, Captain Ray was seated on tbe platform, bis face buried in his hands. Roy realized that he must control his own feelings, and concentrate his whole mind on ferreting out the course thet Rosa bad been taken, and the pursuit of the wretch who had torn her from her home. He regretted then, more than it was possible for him to ex- ress, that he bad saved the Dastard from the Saves of the alligators. No one seemed to have any judgment, or to have pursued any reasonable plan of rescuing Rosa, and our hewo braced himself, a stern determined and revengeful expression mingled and procee down the river; examining, after reaching a reasonable distance, in a syste- matic manner, the bayous and coves. A dozen negroes were sent across the river, on @ raft, to proceed in the same manner on the Opposite side. Thus they wasted precious time, which taken advantage of by Le Grand; although it did seem the most sensible course for them to pursue. In this way two days were spent, one of the young planters hastening headlong to the mouth of the Brazos, and there ascertaining that Le Grand had not been seen, and that no trace was to be discovered of bim. Thus, they returned to Bend Plantation, on the second evening after their departure; all, except Roy, utterly dispirited and discouraged. Then it was, that they were rendered frantic by their foolish expenditure of valuable time: (ECON MICE S) JOO Cor