Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 256 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

a ee Ss ee » ~~} t | Double Dan Te ot ee : ; from Rosa’s side to an adjacent thicket, its pre- _ the magnolias, striving to sing as she went, in sence being utterly ignored by its hitherto at- | her accustomed free and careless way, to relieve tentive mistress. When Rosa saw that there was apparently no ‘one in the gardens, or on the veranda, she ran quickly toward the river, passing through the magnolias; and, by a winding path, here and there, around the thickets, in the direction of the river and cove. The sun was now low, near the horizon line, causing the bottom tim- ber to be shrouded in the deepening shadows of approaching night, On, flitting like a wood-sprite among the ‘shades, the festoons of gray Spanish moss slow- ly swaying overhead, the weird scene some- what relieved by the arrows of red sunlight that shot aslant through the foliage—on flow Rosa Ray, the fawn bounding close after her; when suddenly she was greatly astonished, and not a little embarrassed, by springing around a bend of the path, directly into the arms of the one who ruled her every thought— Leroy Randolph! Only an instant, as she came in contact with a buman form, and felt arms clasped about her, did the thought dart through Rosa’s mind that she was in the embrace of other than Leroy; but in that instant, a most deathly pang of sp- prehensive terror convulsed her, causing her the next moment, when she knew it was really her bero, to experience such excessive relief and | “joy and thankfulness, as more fully revealed to ier the extent to which her heart had been taken captive by him. ‘* Whence, and why so hastily, flies the Belle of the Brazos?’ asked the young man, quickly, as he recognized the form of Rosa, who had be- come iimp and helpless in his arms, The | trembled as she strove in vain to re- _ and reasonings. the negress from any alarm on ber account. In a few minutes Rosi had joimed her aunt, and appeared to be in even more than her usual good spirits; for the words of Leroy, at their second meeting, proved to her that he had been deeply impressed, entertaining for her, it would almost seem, a feeling that was akin to hers for | himself. But, notwithstanding the many thoughts that had run riot in ber mind during her absence at the boat-landing, Rosa forgot not to refer to the fright she had occasioned aunt Roxie, and to the amusement of her father—her good aunt joining in the merriment—related tbe particu- lars of the supposed Indian raid, during aunt Roxie’s siesta in her chair. The maiden retired to rest a far different being mentally from what she had been on the revious night. In fact, she was unable to sleep. Thoughts of the strange occurrences of the afternoon, and of her beau-ideal of all that was honest, brave and true—he whom she felt that se loved with all ber heart and soul—absorbed her entire being. Every motion, act and word of his was again recalled, his features being constantly before her mind’s eye. At length it occurred to her that Roy had Ibe her no explanation of how he chanced to @ afloat on the river without oars, and this now plunged her into a labyrinth of conjectures She eventually arrived at the conclusion that he must have fallen esleep when the boat was moored iu some sheltered cove, and that some enemy had then cut him adrift, with evi intent. This suspicion was bern of two facts: first, she had noticed—although it had ply, and the young man, realizing ber con- | not occurred to her since—that the rope of the dition in a measure, and attributing the cause to her sudden surprise and unusual excitement, his own presence, “IT most sincerely regret that I seem to have startled you, Miss Ray, but upon reaching the landing, I found that I had no oars—no means of returning by boat up the river—and 1 was reconnoi ering, puzzled to decide what to do, ‘* Had I not met you, I sheuld have l:unched my boat into the river to avoid any suspicions ia regard to my baving been there, and then ‘ci; vicinity. This unless en in your kindness take pity on me in ray unfortunate position and lend me a pair of oars, “The Fates have brought us two together in a most remarkable manner, but 1 did not dream that I should have the oe wane ph of again meeting you to-night. I thank my lucky stars from my inmost heart and I sincerely pray that neither of us will ever regret that it has so hap- pened. But I already see that I have been the cause of much trouble of mind and apprehen- sicn to you, Miss Ray, and that even now I am trespassing not only upon your father’s grounds, but upon your good-nature. ‘* Until to-morrow night then, adieu! May every blessing attend you. And now return, | beg of you, to your home at once.” Baring the whole time that Leroy was thus speaking, Rosa Ray had not spoken a word— had not even made a single movement, being indeed powerless to do so—but by a powerful «ffort of will, as he reminded her that she ought to return to the house, she suddenly started for ward, exclaiming: ‘Mold, Leroy! You forget the oars. Take ree Bee a rhe skiff. I pare an extra pair at ie e. oO ‘ou willr in safety, Adios?” Sve ee ‘Ten thousand thanks, Rosa! Forso I must claim the privilege of addressing you, since you have dona me that favor. I had’ forgotten the oars entirely, which proves that your presence banishes ali thoughts except of yourself from my mind. We meet again I trust when next the sun sinks below the prairies, “Then I have much to say to you—much that should be made known to you at once, “ Rosa Ray, you have, although such a short time bas passed since you and I metin go pe. culiar a manner, caused a ray of bright golden sunshine to partially banish the clouds which have darkened my sky. Belle of the Brazos Roy eagpeit. y prays God to bless and gua you now, and always! Good-night.” At this moment the voice of a negro woman was heard from the direction of the magnolias, ca lingin a high key: **Miss Rosa! O—o—o—oh, Miss Rosa!” roy immediately darted toward the land- ng. ‘he young girl gazed for a brief space, with beating heart, glancing through the branches and beyond the river. As she did so she caught a glimpse of a fiendish face, framed in the foliage of a tree on the opposite bank. It seemed bh ek Fegiet faa re was almost murderous, own t @ landin must have arrived, g where Roy Randolph This vision, however, vanished quickly, 9111 imaginary. rung for’, ©"e bounded along the path towerd _prow of his boat had been cleanly severed by a sbarp knife; and secondly, the fiendish face, relieved our heroine by continuing, explaining | which at the first she had dismissed as an imaginary vision conjured up by her own ex- _citement, but which she now believed to be that of some one who was acting the spy upon Roy. Probably this was the very man who had cut the line and sent him adrift, in the hope that he would float out into the Gulf before awaking, and thus perish at sea. The brain of Rosa had been so demoralized that she found sleep to be out of the question. mide my way through the bottom timber from | In fact, the longer she remained on her couch shall now be obliged to do | the more anxious and excited she became; and, unable to bear the strain, she arose, dressed her- self, and stole out from the house. Calling the watch-dog to accompany her, she proceeded to the landing, as if irresistibly drawn thitber. The thoughts of Roy Rindolph, as he gained the cove and secured the oars which he had bor- rowed, and which he handled as though they were something sacred, were of the maiden whose acquaintance and friendship he had formed in so singular a manner. Never before had he been so impressed by one of the opposite sex, and he could not but decide that, from the actions and manner of the lovely girl, she felt more than a mere passing interest in him. From the fact, however, that she had always been kept secluded at Bend Plantation, and not permitted to associate with young men, or to receive such as visitors, he was forced to con- clude that her excitement and deep emotion, her innocent trust and apparent forwardness, were due to that circumstance, and not entirely to a suddenly-formed attachment to himself. Indeed, he was net one who would place such a high estimate upon himself as to jump at the conclusion that every maiden who noticed him particularly, or was at all free in her inter- course with him, bad fallen in love with him. Roy Randolph was far from being a man who was puffed up with an undue sense of his own ersonal attractions and importance generally; had he been such, be would not be the hero of our tale. Having secured the oars, Roy sprung into his boat, and was soon gliding swiftly through the waters of the Rio Brazos, keeping near the north bank, and in five minutes the Bend, within which lived Rosa Ray, was hidden from his view by his passing around a curve in the river. Then, and not till then, did his mind revert to the circumstances connected with his having sought the cove up the river to indulge in sleep, he being greatly fatigued by a long row, the previous night having been spent by him in spearing fish by the light of pine knots, which were sustained over the prow of his boat hy a jack,” or framework of portions of iron hoops secured to a pole, ' The arrival of the hunting-party and the words of Louis Ls Grand, used in connection with Rosa Ray, were deeply more important and of more vital interest, since he had met the beauty of Bend Plantation, who was in danger of being intruded upon, perhaps grossly insult. ed, certainly greatly annoyed, by the most dis- sipated, dishonorable and base young man on the lower Brazos—one who had good cause to hate bim, for Roy had humiliated him publicly, and proved him to be - Ros: cox'd vot decide whether i’ was real or | Pp o be what he was—an unprin Then, as the call of her maid again | cipled coward, devoid of honor or manliness! As Roy rowed up the river he reasoned out. the cause of his having been sent afloat, and he / a , the Dastard. cue 5 berated himself mentally for baving given him- self up to sleep. He was now positive that Louis Le Grand had discovered him while he was in the boat asleep, had stolen his oars and bis rifle, and launched bim out on the Brazos, in the hope that, as night was approaching, he would be carried by the current down the river so far that, without oars, he would beswept into the Gulf of Mexico, and out upon its broad and stormy bosom to be lost. Having decided that these conclusions were the correct ones, he next resolved that he would visit the cove and seek ‘“‘sign” that would give him proofs. Leroy Randolph was now furious. He had been traduced by this coward, who had thus sought his life a second time, and who now meditated wronging ard disgracing a beau- tiful girl, the only child of an old man, whose life and happiness depended oom her—a mere child in years, but whom he, Leroy Randolph, was proud to call his friend! Yes; for be had espoused her cause, and that alone would lead bim toward revenge. Henceforth it must be war to the knife be- tween him and Leuis Le Grand. CHAPTER V. THE SPY ON THE BANK. A¥TER brutally kicking the senseless pens of his slave, old Dan, from the fire where be had falien after Louis Le Grand had felled him with the club, the latter strede forward a few paces toward the point where be and bis comrades bad reclined previous to his discovery of Roy Ran- dolph, then be came toa sudden halt, bis eyes glared around him, his repulsive features con- tracted with an expression of the most frantic fury, his clinched fists beating the air, while from between bis set teeth—bis lips curled away jrom the same, like those of a wild beast—shot the word, half biss, half articulation: “* Cowards !” A roving glance had proved to him that the saddles and bridles, together with the rifles and camp ‘‘tricks,” with the exception of bis own, were gone, A second sweeping and piercing gaze also re- vealed the fact that the horses of bis comrades had been taken from the patch of wild rye where they bad been feeding. Striding forward, Le Grand searched the thickets, and then cried out: ‘*Oh, boys! O-o-oh, boys! Where are you?” No answer came from the dense shades. No sounds met his ear, except the ripple of the river, the chirp of the birds as they scught their rest- ing places for the night, and the champing of Lis horse, with that of old Dan and the pack- mule, in the wild rye. Then Le Grand ac:ually foamed at the mouth, in bis wild rage, and tore around the camp like a maniac, swearing that ke would shoot his cow- ardly comrades who had deserted him, Once before, these same young men, his boon companions in dissipation, reckless gamblers and cheats that they were, had interfered in his plot for avenging himself upon Roy Randolph, by deciding the duello off, on account of his das- tardly act in firing before the word, They had been impressed by the brave and honorable manner of young Randolph, who bad not taken advantage of the cowardly shot which had gone wide of its mark; when he might have killed Le Grand, as he proved by shooting the pistol from bis band, Now the same set of young men, who had so often partaken of his hospitality, and won his money—these same men had deserted him, be- cause he again ‘“‘made a break ” toward getting even with his adversary. This Roy was brave, honest and honorable with no peer in strengtb, beauty of form and face, or dexterity with arms on the Rio Brazos. Le Grand well knew that Roy Randolph was as far above him in all things as is the moon above the earth; and he knew that his comrades enter- tained the same opinion, although Roy did not associate with them. | As far as that was concerned, Roy had no as- sociates, As this fact burst on the mind of Le Grand, he ~ exulted in the fact; for, should Roy escape be- ing carried out to sea, there were more openings to avenge himself, than if the young man had been more social in bis habits. One thing was certain. His own comrades had left him, in a cowardly manner, provi that they were afraid they would be implica in the event of Roy’s death. Or possibly they had so much respect for him, that they would not, in any way, be a party to any injury or wrong done him. Back and forth, raged Le Grand, having at intervals recourse to his whisky flask, which he now felt thankful had not been apr epTiatet And, as the fiery liquor began to affect bis brain, now made more sensitive be intense fury thoughts flashed upon his mind which caused him to hecome more excited and demoralized. Possibly, indeed iaNieeerag the go on some river plantation might discover the fl-ating pened i its apparently dead occupant, and res- im. Then Roy would return to where he had fallen asleep in his boat at the cove, and satisfy him- CoO ,OO com cS (C fs .”* a ri - _— £ a ant = ied os