Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 256 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

i eee ew 2 Double Dan, the Dastard; The Pirates of the Pecos. BY MAJOR SAM. 8S. HALL, (‘* BUCKSKIN SAM,”) AUTHOR OF ‘' THE ROUGH RIDERS,” “* MERCILESS MART,” ‘* ROCKY MOUNTAIN AL,” ETC,, ETC. CHAPTER lL. THE HEIRESS OF BIG BEND, In the yout of grace 185-, there was within a beautiful bend of the Rio Brazos, Texas, a fine mansion, with stables, outbuildings, and a long row of negro cabins, these being owned by Captain Richard Ray, as well as large tracts of land extending south from, and up and down, the noble river we have mentioned. Vast fields of golden corn and snowy cotton waved in the breezes, whith blew fresh and cool from the Mexican Gulf but fifty miles east- ward, these fields being to the south of the mansion, and the towering trees of the bottom timber. Around the dwelling were tastefully-laid-out gardens, dense flowering shrubbery, arbors cov- eréd with vines and creepers, and approached by sandy paths, bordered by dark-green box; while to the west, east and north, on the verge of the bottom timber, were two rows of beauti- fnl magnolias, these being the outer guards of orange and lemon orchards and flower- ens. be mansion was two stories in hight, witha wide veranda on three sides, fromeach of which one could sit facing the gracefully-curving crescent of magnolias, which swept around the bend, all at an equal distance from the river. Within the timber the dead branches and brambles had been removed, allowing free pas- sage by winding ways here and there through the dense green shades; but with this exception nature had been allowed her own way, un- marred bythe hand of man, Almost impene- rable thickets were to be seen on all sides, and some points the river bank was quite perpen- itlt~n at SOV D0) Jieylar—it being fifty feet down to the waters, bese teemed with fish, turtles and alliga- Cay fain Ray was an old Texan, a veteran of the Mexican war, after which struggle he had ‘eturned to his home in Louisiana. There he married the one woman whom be had ever loved and then migrated with all his earthly ~ possessions to the Rio Brazos, where we first bring him and his before the reader. And well off in this world’s goods was the captain, as has been mentioned, or intimated, ay yur ¢ escription of his pia he having | ifty slaves and as delightful a home as yne could wish, At the time of which we wr ppose. Rey. the daughter of the ex-army- _ Officer, was about fifteen years of age, she having been born on the Bend Plantation, as the captain termed his home, her mother hav- gz died some years previous to our intro- oi EN abd 1, ‘ the daughter of Richard Ray had great extent been dependent on * she having been from by a middle-aged ne- as to watch over her 4 4 . = a : 4 Nit) Tis, a hia; end frond 4ive fact. tbat her mother reat invalid, the little Rosa’s grief at the death of her parent must have been much ess than if she bad been her constant com- rightly little elf, of medium eveloped form; piquant, full irits, always flitting hither ~ and thith earch of pleasure, excitement, — on venture—like a bee from flower to flower. ‘merry laugh and joyous song were heard from Spd,“ aatey night from the innermost sweep of the Bend to the negro cabins. ; She was beloved by all, and almost wor- ‘shiped by the blacks, both old and young, of both sexes, and Bend Plantation seemed de- 2d if she chanced to be absent now and then eighboring planter’s for a day’s visit. your girl had a favorite pony, upon bieh she frequently rode afar out on the P 8s insearch of wild flowers, and the in- toxicating pleasure of a rapid gallop over the smooth sward. | She also fished, boated, and practiced with her little rifle in the river-bottom, or climbed to some perch, a favorite resort of hers, in the moss-draped trees, to peruse her books. An aunt from Louisiana resided at Bend Plantation as housekeeper after the death of Mrs. Ray, and she being an_educated lady—as education ran in that latitude—took upon her- self the task of teaching her niece at the re- uest of the captain, who could not endure the thought of sending his darling away from home to a boarding-school, as he felt that life would be almost insupportable without her, AS fF >’ » a > , 5 ’ " . Rosa was a S| bt, and well- lifeand high % : 1 ¥ ~ a a 7 : place u she believed that her | her in company with a y Double Dan, the Dastard. Rosa’s every wish was gratified; indeed, she | favorite retreat of the fair heiress of Bend wasina fair way of becoming a spoiled child, until the advent of the aunt referred to some- what changed the course of affairs. The rea- sonings of that excellent lady with the captain opened the eyes of the latter to the fact that he had been treating Rosa more like a boy than a girl. Our heroine’s hair was dark-brown and hung in rich and wavy abundance over ber graceful, well-rounded shoulders. Her eyes were a changing blue, almost black when she became excited, and were shaded by long lashes. Her nose was perfectly Grecian, her lips like Cupid’s bow, and almost continually parted in smile or laughter, showing small, even, pearly teeth, Her skin was fair, the bloom of health rest- ing upon her cheeks, and there was a vivacity and flash in her eyes that was charming to the beholder. Her movements were as graceful as were those of her pet, Lulu, the prairie fawn, st frequently accompanied her about the end. As we have mentioned, the every wish of the little maiden was anticipated by her father, she being indulged in every whim; but, as she grew older, and more especially at the time when we propose to follow her footsteps more closely than mere mention, Captain Ray became most particular and watchful in regard to her asso- ciates, he being determined that Rosa sbould form no warm friendships, indulge in no flirtations, or become attached to any of the opposite sex. 6 looked upon the young men in that vicin- ity as a set of jackanares, unworthy to perform even menial service for his queenly daughter, Not only this, but he selfishly resolved that he would always keep her with bim—that no man should win her ag his bride, The old captsin was some excusable for this, as he felt from the bottom of his soul that. bis heart would break if he “pd deprived of the society of his cherished child, And Rosa was much the same in disposition as her father. In some respects, indeed, sbe was quite willful and stubborn, and the oft repeated warnings that were given her—more like com- mands—in regard to forming associations with the opposite sex, only served to interest her in them the more—to bend ber thoughts more upon the subject. This was quite natural, She resolved that, did opportunity offer, she would flirt to her heart’s content with any presentable young gentleman whom sbe might meet—and that regardless of her father’s commands, the first and only restrictions he had ever sought to ipon her movements or inclinations. From the fact that Rosa Ray had resided at the Bend all her life, never having been far from home, and then only for a brief period, she knew little of the world or its people—except such Ruowievee as she gained from her books, or from her aunt. The latter was a maiden lady—in fact a con- firmed old maid, and an inveterate hater of the stronger sex in general, Consequently, Rosa, had she believed one-half of what she was forced to listen to from father and aunt—the former egending to lose sight of the fact that he was himself a man—would have prayed earnestly that she might never be brought in contact with one of the horrid crea- This state of affairs w young lady to a female fr with much fun and laugh part, she considering an te Je pa shou ntleman, would in the future **stake hecbat ¥ ontthe lawn, to prevent her straying from the plantation. osa’s girl friend, as a matter of course, re- lated, word for word, to ber rt a and friends that which Rosa had confided to her; and this awakened quite as much interest on the part of the young men of the neighborhood as id the prospective wealth of the little beauty, vents was no more than natural—to draw attention to her, rather than hinder them from forming her acquaintance. | . The pee on the Rio Brazos, at the time of which we write, were, in most instances, many miles apart, any planter living within fifty miles, or a day’s ride, being dered a neighbor. Just opposite the main entrance to the man. sion of Captain Ray was a wide path, which extended in a straight line to the magnolias, which were but a rifle-shot away; but, beyond that line of trees, one must proceed by other and winding paths, amid the undergrowth of the bottom timber, to reach the river at the outermost curve of the Big Bend. Here the bank had been dug away, affordii an easy descent to the water’s edge, where little artificial cove had been formed, w which was gecured the boat that Ros; : quently rowed over the deep, slow-moving Ra waters to the opposite shore, or up and down | the river, as her sweet fancy led her, A platform, or boat-landing, had also been built for her, This was arched by overhanging branches, and ‘‘old man’s beard,” or drooping festoons of Spanish moss. The branches sus- tained a hammock, proving that this was @ | | out of hearin cheile i ue, and superb mus ea pratnely not mo Piantation. _ And now, having described our lovely hero- ine and her charming surroundings—her life, up to the age of fifteen, having been a veritable summer’s dream, without aught of incident or accident to mar her happiness, if we except her mother’s death, we will proceed to detail her strange and soul stirring experiences from the age mentioned, when the Fates seemed suddenly to have become aware of her existence and poured out a torrent of wrath, misfortune and calamity, not only upon her devoted head, but, through her, buried misery and anguish upon her old father, her aunt, and their faithful slaves. CHAPTER IL A VILLAIN AND HIS PALS, ON a most beautiful and balmy afternoon, about a week after Rosa Ray had revealed to her girl friend the expressed opinions of ber father and aunt iu regard to the young men of the day, and the commands she bad received from her relatives that she should avoid form- ing the acquaintance of any of the opposite sex, @ party consisting of half a dozen of the sons of neighboring planters was encamped some five miles above Bend Plantation in a pic- turesque place beneath the timber on the bank of the Rio Brazos, A small pack of hounds that were secured to bushes and lay outstretched on the ground panting laboriously, together with the fact that quite a quantity of game bung from the lower branches of the trees, indicated that the young men bad been on an extensive hunt, and the condition of their borses, which were lariated to the branches of the trees, proved that they had ridden Jong and fast, An old. negro bent over the camp fire, en- gaged in preparing coffee and broiling venison and bacon, and the young men were seated in a group, their bats thrown bebind them, while a flask of. liquor was being passed from one to another, The hunting-party had not been in their camp more than ten minutes, they having just relieved their horses of their oF gag, gern and cast themselves upon tbe sward, all showing sig s of fatigue. ad they reached tbis point, which they bad chosen for a camp, but five ope Sapaion 2 a8 eee d through the covered a boat with a single occupant, a young man who bent to bis oars, causing the skiff to shoot into a small cove overarched with branches. This bank was not twenty paces from the spot which was soon after chosen by the hunting-party foranencampment, Making bis boat fast to a drooping limb, the young man tore a number of long festcons of moss from the trees overhead, and cast them into the boat. He then, placing his. upon the forward seat for a p low, reclined upon the moss, in a languid ma eetiiee t| That this ig Man was ignora the roximity © _ the ‘bunting-party, wa their horses into the clear spa near him, No y, Ol oreted anit telet proulel him from a semi-somn However, from the-fact that veal bimself, one would decide e was acq-ainted with the in solitude and slumber, he bad not! $506 with them, or wished not to ai. alse oc: ag The young man himself was a pe ie mien and beari roa ; Z 4 ’ “ -~* - -~ ’ Sad = ewe o eV 7 af a Jaq, “a “¢ ; we at 2% * a takscaine) *. of age, his face sunburned but bandscme, his eyes hazel and piercing, bis brow broad and bigh, indicating superior intelligence. A slight | mustache ornamented bis lip, and a small im- ‘perial bischin, A scornful look came into his face, as the voices reached s ears, rev ehes s ach of even teeth that were white as pol vory. A single glance into bis face would decide a fearless—one, whom all wor would not tempt to. swerve he be- lieved to be bis duty. | ate ale Resuming his recumbent positiiniand listless attitude, the youth seemed not to deem the new arrivals worthy of further notice; and, doubt- less he would have pulled his boat to some cove U of their conversation, could he bed it without being observed. ag pt betrayed no fear, however: > countenance | bu simply @ disinclination to reveal his pres. yho, for some reason, he seemed It was evident that he wished, if possible. to avoid overbearing the neighboring’ party’ as they conversed avong themselves: but the ex- “arg of deep annoyance, which was bis at the rst, soon gave place to manifestations of deep interest, mingled with indignation, at the words <€om o * . Ebooks.com>