Beadle's Dime Library No. 263 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

de OOS. AES “Ha! ha!’’ echoed.The Wild, “I seem to hear the pom Lucifer, This is a merry, merry time, good 8 , Doctor Rube shivered. He believed the two were go to their fate, but it was useless to try to con- rol the Destroyer. But the latter grew cool and methodical as they neared the city, nnd though the people, alarmed at last, were moving about restlessly and in many cases trying to gct their goods away, he made good his boast of taking them undetected to Camp's house, where Diamon:d had quartered himself since the previous day, ter a series of dodges and detours, the trio stood under the stove walls of the house, AJl knew for wha phemibad come; Iron-Armed Abe to take pee in the last act in his hatred for Diamond; tor Rube to seek for Leora Rexeplson. If any windows were that night fastened the failed to find them; ingress was easy and the criti- cal moment was ear at hand, Tron-Armed Abe had twice promised to find Leora, ne ee . if she was to be found, before he showed himself to Diamond and started. a tumult, and he at once bade Rube. follow him when they entered, though the proved that in all probability he had entirely forgotten, for the time, why Lube was there. 6 led the way to a door on the second floor with- out being by any. one, pushed it open and entered, Captain Diamond sat at a table at one side, fever- ishly turning over a quantily of gold, some of which was already placed in smal! canvas bags, and it was easy to see he was preparivg for, flight from (se doomed ety He turned impatiently as he heard a sound at the door and then sprung to his feet. He saw Iron- Armed Abe, with The Wild leaning on his arm, and Doctor Rube close behind, A look of mingled alarm and fury crossed his cold face, and he darted toward a bell-cord at one side, but the hunchback intercepted him and then coolly cut the cord. ‘* No, no, King, Diamond,” he said, ‘“‘ we want no wee witnesses here. \Vo shall do very well as it “What do you want!’ Diamond demanded, al- most with.a groan. “To see you; to talk of the past; to square the account,” Diamond looked at The Wild with a bitter hatred which nothing could destroy. The woman was far quieter than usual and clung tightly to Abe’s arm, but her gaze was on her destroyer, and it was plain she recognized ** Lucifer,” It was not the scene Doctor Rube had sought, but he lacked the power to withdraw. The serpent’s ee oR restlessly, scemed to hold him fasci- nat “Diamond,” resumed the Destroyer, “this is Little Nora. I know you recognize her, for you lately shut her up, fearing I would find her. You knew I thought her dead and that my hatred would be the greater if I knew she had lived to suffer so. You reasoned rightly, for who suffers more than the mad? He spoke with ominous calmness, but Diamond burst out with great veheiuence. “Why do you blame me so much? What wrong didIdoher? I never tried to ruin thegirl. Isthere no other case on record where men, or women, have loved and then cbenged their minds?”’ **You never loved her, You were rich, proud and of fashionable degree; she was poor, unlearned and humble. You took a fancy to her pretty face and deliberately won her love, intending all the while to east her off at the end. You did as you planned, and the dastardly deed wrecked her reason. Her gentle nature would not bear the blow. You see what you made her!” He pointed to the wretched woman, who laughed tn her old, unmusical way. “Ah! this is Lucifer, kind sirs, this is Lucifer!” sha aait back . ** Ay, this is Lucifer!” repeated Abe, in a ringin voice. ‘‘Heis tbe prince of demons, the ruiner o homes and hearts. See, Doctor Rube, what a fiend he is, but hear me when I say his career is t. This night is his last on earth; the hour of doom laas come!”’ CHAPTER XXXIX. ‘ THE LAST HOURS OF THE DESERT CITY, Docror Ruse had always been surprised at the Manner in which Diamond cowered before the hunchback; and in the present case his mixture of craven fear and struggling defiance was uliar, but he had yet to learn wherein lay King Diamond’s wi The desert Samson had his vulnerable point, but what was it? The doctor foresaw a long interview which would be well worth Jooking at, but his mind wandered to Leora and he determined to seek her. Abe was too much occupied to heed him in any way, so, without a waste of wo he turned and left the room. be had given it as his opinion that Leora would be in the same house, and as no servants or any- thing of the kind were visible, he had the desired ° cae ee for searching. the he paused fora moment to look from the northern window upon the grandly terrible scene presented. The fury of Smoky Mountain was momentarily incr A sheet of flame was rising from the crater, ashes fell over the valley like snow and the sickly, yellow ligat was over all. Golden Valley had never more deserved its name; even the somber dresses of the Black Riders looked golden-hued in the volcanic light. “The end is near!” muttered the doctor. “As : d, the lava will soon be OIE” £20 soon, it ey ag for my aie. I must find ra and, if she be indeed less guilty than I have thought, take her to a safer place, He opened several doors in succession, only to find empty rooms. but he finally reached one which was locked. The key was in the door and, after a roe hesitation, he turned it and entered cau- usly This caution enabled him to look upon a scene he had not expected. He saw Leora. e was. on her knees bya chair, her head pillowed on her arms, ber hands clasped beyond it. —— Tron-Armed. Abe, the Ffunchback Destroyer. Unless the position was deceptive, she was praying and, af the same time, shutting out the light trom Smoky Mountain. Doctor Rube paused and instinctively bared his | head. It was not that she prayed, for under the | touch of alarm the wicked pray as fervently as the | “aes but the Lod made a picture which was not in nop ng with sin’s terror. “ ra!” He spoke lowly and brokenly. The girl started | slightly nae did not raise her head, | ra ” This time she turned, sprung to her feet and | stood facing him. That face, with it’s splendid | beauty, was pale and agitated. ‘** Leora, forgive me if [ intrude, but I—” ae aused, at a loss for words, but she spoke | Cc Jy. ** You here, here, among those who will kill you at | sight? Doctor Rube, this is madness. ee, flee | while there is yet time!’’ Her voice thrilled him. ‘“Why should I flee? Of what value is my life? Why should you care for my safety when I have been your foe?"’ ‘*That does not make your life less valuable. If ou have done me injustice in the t I now believe t was done conscientiously and through error. It does not matter if the injustice is continned, for I feel that I shall never again see San Francisco. This dreadful place is doomed and I shall lose my own life in its fall.” “Never!” he cried, striding forward and catching her hand. “It shall not be! I have come to eave you, to bear you away. Hasten; go with met’ * No, no!"’ she murmured, faintly, A booming noise like the distant note of a cannon floated over the valley from Smoky Mountain. “T say it shall be; you rhall not perish here, The door was locked upon you; you were aprisoner, I ° have suspected this and I am come to release you. Norola has told of your noble efforts in her behalf, | I have wronged you and would now make amends. | Leora, come with me!”’ He spoke with subdued intensity. She trembled like a leaf, but he placed his arm around her and she did not repulse him. ** Why will you risk anything for one so bad as you think me?” she brokenly asked. ‘“* Before Heaven, I think no evil of you. My opin- ion has changed. I knowT have been under a cloud, but it is passing away. Irespect—nay, I adore you! Leora, my dear girl, forgive me for the past and | trust me as I trust you. There is a mystery some- where, but if we both live it shall be cleared away. f you sh here I shall never know the truth, Come with me, trust me asa friend, and if I can save you I will. Come!” Leora trembled more than ever before this ~<d- dress, but she still hesitated. “This is but an artifice born of your manly honor to get mé away. Do not deceive yourself; you no longer believe in me when we are safe.” *T will believe and trust you ever. How can Ido otherwise when I love you? Ay, 1 will speak the words, though I have been your bitter foe and you must hate me.” ** Doctor Rube, I do not hate you, for I believe you the soul of honor. But, as I have a feeling that I shall perish in this terrible place, let me solemnly swear that Iam the real Leora Templeton, and that Lhave engaged in no plot with Diamond. When I knew him as St. JeromeI did believe him an honorable man, and defend him, but my eyes have been opened; he has proved himself my deadly foe and the persecutor of an innocent girl—Norola. Something of the truth_I learned from a tool of his hiring; a man called Jake; and it was because of this I fol- lowed you across the desert.” Back to Rube’s recollection came the words Norola | had stated Leora said to her before they started: ‘Your father and one in whom I have an interest are on the desert;”’ and he looked into her face with a wild hope. ‘** But why should you care what became of me?” ** Because. bocause— Oh! Doctor Rube!” Her hesitation, her confusion, her expression made all clear, and as he clasped her tighter in his arms she pillowed her head on his shoulder. Clouds there still were on their lives, but they were drifting away and all might be clear if they lived to leave Golden Valley. But even as they stood thus the house shook as though in the grasp ofa giant, a deeper boom sound- ed on the air and the sickly yellow light fell even more strongly ifito the room, e demon of Smoky Mountain was raging madly to cast off the last of his chains and go forth to blast and destroy. “Tt is an earthquake!” exclaimed Doctor Rube. “Come, there is no time tolose. Let us go!” They turned from the room, hand in hand, and sre the door. As they didso a lithe form darted ong the hall, closely followed by a huge, mis- shapen one. They were Diamond and Abe. The latter caught his victim and uttered a triumphant roar. But the desperate king of the valley turned at bay and fought like a tiger with hand, foot, tooth and nail, They fell to the floor and rolled over like wild beasts. ey arose, with Diamond held tightly in Abe’s arms, face white as marble and a white froth on his li He was like one in a fit. a “Ho! ho! who triumphs now, King Diamond? **Down with Lucifer—down, down!” . Abe and The Wild spoke together, but man’s wrath grew small and weak before a grander, Joftier power. ; ain the house shook; again the internal ele- inten boomed. The hall reeled, and the walls cracked until the yellow light fell through and a stone rattled from ite place. Doctor Rube would wait for no more. Holding fast to Leora, who was deathly pale but grandly calm, he rushed away; but Abe overtook him at the door, bearing Diamond in his arms, The Wild at his | side. “Follow me!” said the hunchback, more calmly, and with an anxious glance at the fiery pillar oe: ing above Black Pit. “I know the shortest road across the valley.” ————— begun. They saw frightened people on all hands, but al! were fleeing like themselves. No one was Doctor Rube did not demur, and the flight was | | back’s _ View, Doctor ey ED mad enough to delay longer, for they knew the City of the Desert was doomed. The ground trembled | under their feet, the air was hot and ashes-laden, and over all was the sickly yellow light, One-third the distance to the mountain had been passed when Diamond, who had lain like a senseless thing in Abe’s iron arms, suddenly aroused. 2 7 Redspur!" he cried, sharply. ‘ This way; help, elp!”’ All saw the stalwart Black Rider chief and he | paused in his flight and looked at them. Another appeal from his master and he unsheathed his saber and barred their way. His grim, gladiator-like face had never been more grim, and the volcanic light | showed it stamped with determination. He dashed at Iron-Armed Abe, who had no visible weapon, and, expecting to see him cleave the hunch- head. Doctor be drew his revolver and pulled the trigger. are a dull click followed; the weapon missed Leora uttered a moan of terror, but Abe's bold front never wavered. He passed Diamond to Rube, as though h® was to be taken care of like a rare ewel, and almost in the same breath darted under ‘hug dvoe8 to: @ din a death-grappl ey droppe ® ground in a death-grapple and rolled over and over while The Wild lau hed | in unreasoning glee. Doctor Rube held a knife at Diamond’s breast, but the man was too thoroughly cowed to face an ordinary enemy. All his old reso- lution was gone. Leora aroused. ** Confess that you have wronged me!” she said. ‘Tell the truth now, St. Jerome, and say whether I am the real Leora Templeton.” “Yes, yes; I swear to it,” he said. “TI give up the game. I have played and lost. Only let me go free now!" ** What was your object?” “T hated you and yours, and m your race before me, She left me “ What was your plot?” The question remained unanswered. Lron-Armed Abe arose, flushed with a new victory, and Redspur would never fightagain. It wasnot hard to prophesy where his grave would be. The Destroyer looked toward Smoky Mountain. “Come!”’ he cried, sharply, “leé us go. It is death to remain here; the lava is coming!” There was no room to doubt it. Plainly seen in the yellow light a darker substance was moving on liké a gigantic roller meant to crush whatever was in the valley. Then all fled wildly. Our friends mixed*with the Black Riders and none paused to do them harm, It was for life all labored, and none tarried or bur- dened themselves; none except Iron-Armed Abe, He bore Diamond as he would have borne a child. On, on toward the hills; on, on to escape the lavatic flood. It was a thrilling race for life! CHAPTER XL. THE DOOMED u.sii~ CTO°"NG REVELATIONS. Tron-ARMED ABE watched the advancing flood with a keen gaze, and as he saw The Wild falter his reso- lution was taken, He tossed Diamond aside con- temptuously and caught up his sister instead. His judgment was confirmed when his old foe remained prostrate on the und, too overcome to rise. There was no time to lose; ‘the hills seemed to bend forward as though promising shelter, and it was never more needed, Doctor Rube could not equal the hunchback with his wonderful strength, but he kept his arm about Leora’s waist and they ran at full speed. It was a narrow chance, but they reached the higher ground in safety and climbed to an elevated spot just as the aor flood went past. It swept over the spot where lay dethroned King Diamond and went on to bury his city and erase all that re- mained of his great work, Friend and foe then looked alike on the dread mother hated t legacy.” scene, no one thinking of going further then. Black Pi: was pouring out its torrent; the moun- i ' tain demon had fully burst his chains, at last; the City of the Desert was doomed. The lavatic flood struck the place and the humble cabins vanished like egg-shells. The water of Gold- en Creek hissed and boiled under the touch of the red hand. Leaving a level waste behind, the flood rolled on. The lofty walls of the stone pg) | erumbled as the cabins had done; nothing stay the march of the destroying element. Standing there, Doctor Rube thought of what Abe ' bad told him of the building of the place; how Dia- mond had discovered the gold in the creek and gathered his rough men and his city around him. it was not hard to build the latter. Small as the Horseshoe comparatively was, it contained almost ail that was needed and man’singenuity did the rest, What wild dreams Diamond had felt for power and wealth no one coul:| tell, but now man and city were alike doomed and—gone! Yes; the flood had reached the southern boundary of the city and only a level waste was visible in the yellow light; not a wall remained visible. “Come!” said Abe, his voice a little hushed. “ Let ka to our cave!” speictitie'iwillonened 6y went, and were welco by G Ned boxfield and Norola. ' ar: ‘Bt are a sight for blind eyes, fur et’d make ‘em sae,” said the veteran. *“ When you went away I bad my doubts ef we would ever see ye ag’in; I had ‘em sore; an’ when ther an’ brimstun got a-flow- in’ we allgiveyeup.” “Tt was not to be,”’ said Iron-Armed Abe, in a deep voice, “ Our time had not come. I ean say I have been brought through many dangers. My narrowest escape was at Diamond’s house at the time of the explosion. He first dropped me down a trap, whereby_I strangely disappeared from your Rube, and then, when his chemicals exploded, the house was on fire; but my time had me 9 come and I escaped. Now, I hope my dark career is past: Diamond is dead and litile Nora is partially ten om r “‘ But Ishall never know why he hated and plotted inst me,”’ said Leora in a trembling voice. ‘** You will know all,” said the hunchback serenely, “for I have gathered thread by thread, until I can tell the story as well as he might have done. But not now, not now; we all need sleep." They yielded to his will and, taking Wild in his > COnn (C (0) 00) CS.C