Beadle's Dime Library No. 27 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 — - ee ORE er LUA tel DENY O’Shane’s face; then he stroked his mustache, ap- parently deep in reflection. O’Shane had noticed, the look and was puzzled to account for it, but he assumed an innocent expres- sion, drew down the corners of his mouth, and wrin- kled his forehead in imitation of Blackie, as if he too was troubled with weighty thoughts. Blackie, in a few moments, seemed to have made up his mind. ‘‘O’Shane, there’s trouble ahead.”’ ‘Sure, and that’s what I was afeard of!’’ O’Shane replied, knowing] : ‘And that trouble comes from a woman,”’ “That's been the cry iver since the days of Mother Eve!’ The Irishman spoke Se pee ly. a bit of mischief there’s been in this world but that a woman’s been at the bottom of it.” “You might as well know the truth, O’Shane,”’ Blackie said, thoughtfully. ‘‘The chances now are almost two to one thatI shall not marry the heiress.”’ “That’s big odds, me b'y, but it’s many a time I’ve seen the dark horse win the race and the favorite ‘way in the wake,” O’Shane observed, reflectively. ‘Sure, I thought that it was a ‘walk over’ you'd have. Van Tromp said that the gurl was ‘ dead gone’ on yees,” ‘* Ah, it isn’t the heiress that I’m to have trouble with,’ Blackie answered, with a doubtful shake of the head. ‘It’s the other one.”’ ‘“What has she got to do with the affair, at all, at all?’ exclaimed O’Shane, pretending to be greatly astonished. ‘ “You might as well know the whole truth,”’ Blackie said, thoughtfully. ‘‘ Don’t you remember that when Van Tromp, on the night we three met in the Pavilion for the first time, asked me if I was free to marry, I replied that legally I was, though morally I was not?”’ **Yis, to be sure I do.”’ ‘*And, if you remember, I further explained that, just at the close of the war, I had been engaged to be married to a young girl in Nashville, Tennessee, but becoming involved in a brawl, I had been obliged to fly for my life, and that since that time I had never met the girl, although I had searched for her?” “Vis, [ remember.” “Well, that girl is this Rosaline Ameston.” ** Bedad! that’s ugly now, isn’t it?” * Yes, I fancy that it will be unpleasant.”’ **And jist as you were getting along so nately wid the heiress! By the powers! it will be hard for ye to ma her now, and ye in love wid the other gurl, and it’s a beauty she is, too!” the Irishman said, thoughtfully. b ‘*No, no!”’ exclaimed Blackie, looking at the Irish- man in astonishment. ‘‘ You are laboring under a mistake. It is Ernestine that Iam in love with, and not this other girl.” The Irishman gave utterance to a prolonged whistle. He was astounded at this intelligence. “The divil ye say!” he exe ed, breathlessly ; 7 — ye are not in love with Rosaline?”’ ‘* Be gob! but ye said ye was.” ‘Yes; but when I said sol had not met Ernestine, I thought that [ truly loved Rosaline; imagined, too, that the Jove was still in my heart and would never be aeiget es by another passion; but, as I have said, I had not met this girl then. Since I have known her, little by little the old love has faded out and the new one has taken its place. Why, not twenty minutes ago, in this very room, Ernestine and I plighted our troth. And now, like a phantom in my path, rises the woman whom I thought I should never see again.” ‘*Faix, I wouldn't see her, me jewel, at all,” sug- gested O’Shane, who was at his wits’ end to find a way out of the scrape. lackie shook his head. “That course ot be followed,” he replied. “IT know Rosaline of old. If Ido not go to her, she will come to me.” ; “True for ye!” exclaimed the Irishman, impuls- ively. , Kh) I see that you know something of her reso- lute will,”’ Blackie said, a little astonished at the ex- clamation. * VYis—of course—sure, one can see in her face’ Irishman that she’s not a gurl to be trifled wid,” the explained, tsa a little confused. She, naturally, will receive me as if there’ had only been a br of days in our love instead of Ms ee Blackie continued. ‘‘ You can easily judge ow painful it will be for me to repulse the caresses of the woman who was once so dear to me, how terrible the task to tell her that I love her no longer, and that I am engaged to be married to another.”’ “Sure, she knows that already,” blurted out O’Shane; and then hardly had the words passed _ his lips before he commenced to inwardly curse his own pidity in speaking. < ‘**She does know it?” Blackie exclaimed, in wonder. ** Who told her? who knows anything about the af- fair, except us three?”’ “Sure, it was me that told her, the blundering vil- lain that I am!”’ cried O’Shane, pathetically. ‘‘ Now call me a blockhead—a murdering thafe of the world —anything ye like! Kick me out of the house, if it pl’ases ye; sure, I deserve it! I’m the biggest blag- g’ard that ever lived!” Serious as were the thoughts that were pressin upon Blackie’s mind, he could not help smiling a the comical misery of the self-accusing frishman, “The mischief is done and words will not hel any,’ Blackie replied. ‘* But tell me, how did it pen that I became the subject of conversation tween you?” ‘“Sorra a one of me can tell!” exclaimed O’Shane. “Your name came up some way, She gave a de- seription of ye, and of course I said ye answered to it, and then I belave that she said something about Elbert Van Tromp sp’a that his sister would be married soon, and I replied carelessly, ye know, that I belaved you would be the happy man, Oh! bad "cess to the wagging of me tongue! Faix! I would have thanked any jintleman to have taken meé by the throte and choked me until I was black in the face jist thin, as I saw her face change and her eyes get as big as saucers.”’ “She seemed an then when she heard that it was ni no that 1 would marry Ernestine?” Blackie queried. ‘“‘Divil a word of a lie is there in it!” O’Shane re- joined, promptly. “Since I’ve got you into the it p- be- scrape wid my blundering, it’s only right that I should make a clane breast of it,”’ a xi go to her at once.’’ Blackie’s tones were de- cided. ‘“Oh, Blackie, me jewel, will ye ever forgive me _ for getting ye into the scrape? One woman is bad ** Sorra | | time worse than the actual trouble. enough, but two at the same time is the divil!”’ ‘**Perhaps it is as well as it is. Your disclosure has broken the force of the blow. The sooner I see her the better. Anticipation of trouble is half the Wait until J get: my hat and coat. I will be down in a moment.” Then Blackie left the parlor. O’Shane chuckled quietly to himself. ‘*Waix! and I got well out of that,’ he muttered; ‘‘divil a bigger blunder did I iver make in all my life. I wonder what the end will be? Bedad! it will be a nate ruction!”’ CHAPTER XXTII. THE LOST LOVE. Insripe of five minutes Blackie returned, ready “pe the street, and he and O’Shane at once left the ouse. As they descended the steps, O’Shane looked around him wees He was looking for the man in gray, but that individual was nowhere to be seen, and the Irishman felt correspondingly jubilant, Blackie noticed this action of O’Shane, and inquired the cause, and that gentleman proceeded to relate his little adventure with the unknown, who had kept such constant watch upon him from the time he had left the hotel until he had entered the Van Tromp mansion. Blackie rather wondered at the affair, but could of- fer no solution to the mystery. The two walked rapidly down the avenue until they arrived at Thirtieth street; then they went through to Broadway. And as they joined the crowd- ed ee pressing aa the busy street, O’Shane happened to glance behind him, and to his disgust and astonishment he saw the man in gray coming r leisurely along the upper side of Thirtie eet. “The dirty blagg’ard!’’ exclaimed O’Shane, sudden- ly, stopping short in his walk in disgust. at’s the matter?” demanded Blackie, stopping also and wondering at the words of the Irishman. “That divil in gray—the murdering villain!’’ O’- Shane exclaimed, in a passion. ‘* What of him?” ‘* He’s follering us—bad ‘cess to him!”’ O’Shane had en his eyes from the man fora moment to < to Blackie, and as he turned his again to tieth street to direct his compan- on where to look for the man who was evidently playing the spy upon them, to his utter astonishment no man in gray could be seen. O’Shane rubbed his eyes for a moment and then stared around, blink- gs an owl brought suddenly into the glare of the light. ‘*Oh! Saint Patrick save uc! but it’s bewitched I am!” he cried, inamazemeny. “I'll take me oath I saw that villain coming along .ne street, and divil a hair is there of him there, now. . re, ’mnotdrunk, for sorra a ae have I taken this « y but me coffee, and that don’t go to a man’s head,”’ “‘The explanation is simple enough, ‘aid Blackie; “the fellow probably saw that you haa oticed him and took advantage of your you 2yes from him a second to slip into some doorway.” ‘“*Let’s go back and have him out, the dir’ blag- = exclaimed O’Shane, in a rage, flourish _.> his cane. ‘What is the use of that?’ Blackie inquired, in +%- tonishment, ; ‘* Then we'll make him explain what he manes by folle re us se as if we were two pickpockets, bad cess » ‘*Suppose he denies that he was follo Blackie asked. ‘‘ You forget, he denied that Shee you.”’ ““Yis, but didn’t I see him wid me own two eyes?” O’Shane demanded. ‘What if you did? The streets are free to every one; besides, you have not committed any offense which renders “ liable to the law, so the man is clearly not a police spy. What does it matter if he does follow you? Come along and never mind him.” “* But it’s disagreeable to have a dirty b ‘ard like that dogging a man’s footsteps all the time! By me nou Til murder that feller if he annoys me much onger!”’ en the two proceeded down the street until they reached the hotel. “Tl [take you 2 to her room right away,” the Trishman ona “TI know where it is and it’s no use bothering the office. Blackie consented and they proceeded up-stairs immediately. Arriving at the door of Rosaline’s room, O’Shane knocked. The clear voice of the girl bade him enter, and in a moment more the two men face to face with the diamond beauty. She advanced to receive B ie with outstretched hand, not a trace of embarrassment in her manner. us?”’ e was O’Shane had watched her closely, cting to see some traces of itation as she her old-time lover, but he was disappointed. ‘*And now, Miss Rosie, if you will have the kind- ness to excuse me, I'll be after l’aving ye alone wi Mr. Blackie. I have some important business * transact down-town. Ishall be pl’ased to call uy). .. e this evening, for a while, if you are not enge zed,” >'shane said, gallantly. “Oh, yes, T shall always be at home to yor, Mr. O’Shane,”’ she replied, smilingly. “I am aways glad to see my old friends.” Then O’Shane bowed himself out, mentally won- dering how the affair would end and ong himself that he was not in Blackie’s position. “Sit down,”’ the girl said, pushing a rocking chair toward Blackie, after the door had fairly closed be- hind O’Shane, ‘‘let me take your hat and ove. sat. I give you fair warning that I e you to pay ec quite a visit. I’m not going to let you run woy with a how-d’ye-do.” Blackie submitted with a a " his overcoat he gave it. with his hat into the hands o the spe woman, then took the seat which she had roffered. J Rosaline sat down by the center-table and rested her arm upon the polished marble. Blackie, three ces off, could not help remarking how much she improved in the few years that passed since | self-reliance—of command visible in the | flushed and his temple Removi.iz . the table, loo _ a they had met. The slender, fragile girl had been transformed into a stately, superb woman; time ha! rounded the glorious form and given a rare beauty to the winning face with its clear-cut outlines. Blackie, too, noticed with wonder the jewels which adorned her person; the diamonds in her ears alone were worth a mint of money. It was plain to hiro that fortune had dealt kindly with his old-time lover. It was not alone the changes in her person telling of fortune’s favor and of time’s perfecting hand which had attracted his attention, but there was an air of rl’s face and in her graceful carriage which he could not re- member of ever seeing there before, And on her part, too, she had been mentally com- paring the man who sat before her, cold and impas- sive, with the eager, reckless lover who once knelt at her feet, pressed warm kisses on her willing lips, and vowed himself her slave forever. To her eyes, Blackie had changed but little. His face was paler and thin ner, but the dark eyes still shone with their old joyous light, and the careless, happy smile still played about the mouth, ‘“ Well, how have you been since we last saw each other?’ the girl asked, breaking the silence, ‘“‘T have lived,” he replied, in the old-time careless way that she knew so well. And you mean by that, that, having lived, you have en Fe your life,” s ® said. ‘ You were al- ways of a happy disposition. ys of disposition.” “Andis not that the best way to meet the rude blows of the world?” he ask “The man who metre oe wins.”’ n have you won?’ she Setter quickly. ‘Yes; won a living,’ he replied, laughing, “Tf one can judge trom the fashion of your dress, ou have ou it tad more than a bare living," ) y. “Ah!” e exclaimed, behing 8 “take care! Do not question too Ned Sf or I may try that too. Fortune has not bestowed her gifts upon you with a niggardly hand, if one may judge from the diamonds ap wear. Why, Rosaline, an Indian princess from he far-off East could not boast richer jewels; they May Hore one’s eyes.” “There was a time, Alex, when you declared that, you could not look at me because hg eyes were dazzled, and I wore no diamonds then,” she sail, meaningly. ‘“Yes,”’ and a low sigh came from Blackie’s lips, and — it was hardly a sigh, more like a long-drawn — h; his eyes, too, wandered restlessly to the oor. The cool, clear eyes of the girl watched the face of the man. It was evident that she was more master of her feelings than he of his. ‘* Alex, how do I look?” she asked, suddenly, and she rested her forehead in her hand, the arm of which was supported by the table, and gazed at him in . agen eamy way from under her long, dark eye es. ““More beautiful than ever,’ he replied, slowly, raising his e to her face as he spoke. ‘** And in the face of the woman of twenty-four do ou discover traces of the girl of seventeen who, ke a little stupid goose, thought there was only one man in the world, and that his name was Alexander Blackie, a gallant captain, so dashing and so hand- some in his blue orm ?’’ she asked, a smile upon her face, and yet Blackie could plainly see that there was but little mirth in the girl’s h ‘Oh, yes; I should have recognized you anywhere had we met,’ he responded, affecting not to notice she said the pointed allusion to the old-time intimacy so ap- parent in her «eg POSR it tne has improved yon great ‘Yes; 0 a e has ou tly. ‘6 rosebud has bloomed into the erfect flower.” ? tow familiar that sounds!’’ she exclaimed; ‘*you used to make just such ie! speeches before. I was a young and foolish then; and when you said that you loved me, I believed it.’’ CHAPTER XXIV, A LOVING VENGEANCE, QuITE a long silence followed Rosaline’s speech. The words had been years lightly enou b. tat there was a sting in her tone that reached Blackie’s heart. The struggle was near at hand, and the in- stinct of the man told him it would be a painful one. “Young gi’ are 5O , you know,” she said, finding that he did not ; **Rosaline, you are reproaching me,” he protested, gravely. * Reproachi ou! Why should I reproach van wilt Me qu ou?” There was a bitter meaning in the simp on. " mg you think that I have wron you,” he re ' ‘Why, how could you wrong me?” and her lips curled as she put the question. ‘“* By be unfaithful to the vows I swore,” ‘** And that was about seven years ago,’ she said, thoughtfully. ‘Seven years is a very long time for love tolast. Ido not expeet miracles in world. You forgot me before seven months were gone, and now I do not expect you to remember r seven years, “Forgot you after seven months!” he cried, in wonder; ‘‘ ba saline, you wrong me, upon my soul you do! t was many a long year before your mage faded from my heart—before I gave you up as ne lost to me forever.” ‘* Alex, in the old time I believed you, and now I am ashamed to learn that the man whom I once loved has fallen so low as to hide himself behind a falsehesu!” exclaimed the girl, indignantly, and she rose from her seat and walked to the further end of the room, her face full of angry passion, and her lit- tle hands clenched tightly together. Blackie did not reply, although his cheeks had ad burned when the bitter words of the incensed woman had fallen upon his ears. And then, annoyed that she let anger master her ine came slowly back and by the side of , with a face white as the marble upon which her d rested, upon B hes are very bitter against me, Rosaline,"’ ho ‘‘ Have I not reason to be?’ ‘* No,” Blackie replied, firmly. f did you not answer my letters?’ she doe- man NIGDOOKS (©) € (E(@)