Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 271 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

ere 2 ee SN — = — > ee a ee eee SC; *? The would-be rescuers consulted. What were ‘they todo? There did not seem to be any way for getting at the desperado, and night was fast approaching. They shivered at the thought of leaving Zura in such company. ‘‘There is just one chance,” said Blake, ‘steadily. ‘* What is that?” **The cliff! must be climbed.” ‘1+ is impossible,” “The chances may be against success,” re- ‘plied the reformer, looking at the almost smooth ace of the rock steadil’, ‘* but, as I have said, it is the only chance, Zora must be rescued! There was a time when I was noted as a -climber, and I am still strong and long-winded. ‘I shall make the attempt.” ‘‘But you will surely f 11 and be dashed to “pieces at the foot of the cliff.” ‘‘In that case,” said Blake, in a tense voice, **T shall die in a good cause.” + “But, even if you escape that peril, Yates (will see and shoot you.” “‘T must take the risk. The chances are he will not dream of our vita so desperate a “venture. He thinks we cap only get at him by the ledge. Well, I have a plen by which you shall make a feint in that quarter and keep his -attention, while J endenvor to go up the cliff. ‘Say no more, my friend, tor my resolution 1s fixed.” Allen was bewildered. In this crisis Deacon Btonefist had come out as a new individual, and was proving himself a remarkable man; but it ‘seemed rank suicide for him to try his plan. True, the cliff was seamed, bere and there, and in some pl»ces almost equal tos‘airs, but asa whole it made a fie'd of action Allen believed no man could enter upon and live. Arguments were useless, however, and they prepared for the desperate venture. irst of all they madé a breastwork to shel- ‘ter Allen during his operations on the ledge. This was done by cutting a quantity of pine boughs, and making them into a shape like a ~cotton-bale, with thin, slab-like stones inside to make it bullet-proof. Tne whole was secured by tough withes, and, though cumbersome, was | capable of being rolled by one man as fast as ‘was desired. Thi. was put in place, and then Blake went -around to tbe foot of the cliff to begin his peril- Allen waited until he judged he had begun, rand then rolled the breastwork into view, Yates’s attention at once became fixed upon it, and as it made a revolution toward him he ch ocean he understood the purpose of his ene- mies. For a moment he looked anxious, for if they ‘should roi] it to his niche, and then both spring out at once, te might not be able to shoot more ‘than on- before the othr would shoot in turn, ‘and do him tatal damage; but an idea soon ‘flashed upon bis fertile mind, and he ran along the ledge for forty feet, and then pulled a rock, twice the size of bis head, out to the middle of the narrow path. This done, be went back, smiling grimly. He ‘knew the breastwork could not be rolled past there without giving him at least a cbance at “one of the men, and the other he could pick off at his leisure, After that he watched the progress of the un- ‘wieldy thing without a suspicion that only one aman was bebind it. In the meanwhile Bartholomew Blake was ‘toiling up the cliff. He had laid aside his close- ‘fitting coat, and his form was more plain! visible. An observer would have admired it ‘then, even as they would have admired the way in which the man climbed. Gallantly he fought bis way up the sheer rock. At times be had but a narrow crevice ‘for the grasp of his bands; anon, be hung with his whole weight, suspended by his arms; but his resolution never relaxed, Onward and dad he toiled, every ener ‘bent to the work before him, Already his wlothes were rent and bis bands bloody, but he theeded no obstacle and pressed on, han ing “where a mi-chance would dash him to death on ith. rocks below, CHAPTER XXXVII. THE STRUGGLE ON THE LEDGE, “Yates had plac’d Zora well back in the niche—a place he had often been in before, and where food and drink wrre al vays kept stored by the outlaw trio to which he belonged—but he stood well out on the shelf and watched the breastwork approach. He had yet no occasion to fear a revolver ifrom that point, and he watched it advance with supreme scorn, Had he looked over the cliff he would have ‘been astonished to see a single man clinging to ‘its face, slowly and painfully toiling up, but as resolute as the rock itself. Blake did not falter. He knew what was at stake and kept on. His bands were cut and bleeding. but he did not heed them. His mind was on Zora and he was resolved to save her. Not once did he look behind him. Such a course would have been most dangerous, for it smight have made him dizzy, but he knew what \ =. Stonefist, of Big N ugget Bend. a a ee ee was there, well enough; be knew that if be lost his hold and fell sure death awaited bim below, Few men would have had the courage to at- tempt the feat; fewer, sti:l, the strength to ac- complish it, Even Blake was relying more on desperation than anything else, and when tbe top grew nearer he was met by the probability that Yates would see him first and hurl him over tbe ciiff. But he wuld not pause, and witb firmly-set teeth he toiled onward and upward. Sterling had pushed forward the barricade with the best posssible judgment. He could not take so much as one look, fur he had al- ready seen a specimen of the outlaw’s work- mansbip, but, unknown to him, he was nearing the point where Yates had placed the obstruction, The latter Smiled grimly and, with bis rifle ready, awaited the result. It was at this moment that a human head arose above the edge of the shelf. A human face followed and Blake looked with gleaming eyes at the outlaw. Thus far fortune had fav- ored him, for be was behind Yates, Could he gain the ledge unheard? Zora was looki. gout of the recess with de- spair at her heart, for she forgot all else at first sizht of the climber, She looked tn hewilderment und then grew am zed as she saw Deacon Stonefist graspa point of rock and draw himself to a Jevel. He was not an inviting looking object. Some of the blood from bis cut hands bad become smeared over his face and his eyes were wild and fixed, Little strength seemed left bim then, but it would not do to pause. With a great effort he rose to his feet, lurched forward and flung all bis weight upon Yates, bearing him to the rock, Another moment and a_shout—the pre- arranged signal—aroused Sterling, who quickly arose from bis cover. He saw the two men lying on the ground, Yates making a desperate effort to free himself from Blake’s grasp. Under ordinary circum- stances he would have been like a child in the hands of a giant, but Blake’s splendid strength had been nearly exbausted by that long climb, and be was terribly weak, Only the grand re- solution of his nature enabled him to hold fast to the outlaw, Zora bad come forward from the niche, and, still bound at her wrists, was in an agony of fear for ber champion, but she uttered a glad > Hay she saw Allen bounding to the rescue, ates saw bim, too, and be struck Blake in the face, but even that did not loosen his tena- cious bold, Another moment and the new-comer had flung bimself upon the outlaw and he was again beaten down. How it would have ended had Blake then given way is uncertain, for Yates was strong and desperate, but he kept bis hold and the doubly-bampered desperado was forced flat on bis face and secured. A word to Zora brought ber to Allen’s side, and the cords were quickly transferred from her wrists to Yates’s, hen he was rolled back in the niche and left grating his teeth in impotent rage, When Allen turned from this work he saw Z ra on her knees and holding Blake’s head. The latter looked ~ ore like a dead man than anything else, With the victory won his strength had all gone, and he lay with closed eyes, his face marble-white, except where the blood from bis wounded bands bad smeared it. Zora burst into tears. Her heart was tender and grateful, and, realiziag what this mau had done for her, and believing him about to die, she could not look with calmness upon him, But the tears which fell upon his face served to arouses him at once. His eyes opened and he smiled slightly. ** No, no!” he said, for I shall be well in a moment. haustion.” Yet, his eyes closed again at once, and there was little to encourage the girl. She told Allen of the stock of waterin the nicheand he brought it to wash away the blood-stains. They found no wound except on the reformer’s bands, but they were cut in a way which told bow terrible bad been his climb. Once, Zora looked over the edge of the cliff and shivered at the high, sheer ascent, and then she went back to her self-imposed task of hold- ing Blake’s head. Allen had found brandy, too, in the niche, and be brought it with some besitation. After all ‘‘ Deacon Stonefist ” had said against liquor he did not believe he would touch it, but when he mentioned the matter the reformer observed that “ all medicine is medicine,” and took a long draught.” Consistent, or not, the liquor bad a happy ef- fect on him an’ he soon began to recover strength. He did not seem in a burry to arise but as night n to fall unmistakably around them he raised his bead from Zora’s hold, She would have banda his hands, but he made Jigbt of the matter, laughing in a strange- ly-genial way, and when he found his feet well under him, was the first to speak of returning to the village. ** Shed no tears for me, It is but ex- “They went, with Allen in charge of Yates and Blake’s arm for Zora’s support; for, baving no foe but exhaustion to overcome, the re- former had almost regained bis ola power. As they toiled down the mountain, Allen vaguely noticed that his friends talked a good deal and without signs of their old difference of opinion, but he wisely gave most of his own at- tention to the prisoner and to keeping out of the chasms which - wned by the way. Ten-Mile Valley was reached without further accident and tbe borses found where they bad been left. As some borse must bear double bur- den, the same as during the race, it came to pass that Zora rode with Blake, So far as could be seen they quarreled none on the way; if they did it was in tones so low that Allen heard nothing. Yates, still guarded by bis old enemy, went in sullen silence. There was no knowing what a night would bring forth for him, in a land where lyncbing is not unusual, but be would not esk for mercy. Big Nugget Bend was reached in due time, but none too soon to save Lockyard’s reason, if appearances were reliable. Beset on all sides as he bad been, of late, Zora’s disappearance was the last feather to bis load. Allen had gone on the pursuit too hastily to see any one about the matter, soit was not known in town what had become of her unil she returned. She found Altbea at the bouse, drawn there by a desire toe comfort the sorrowing money- lender, and Zora was very kind to her for Allen Sterliny’s sake and insisted on her re- maining all night. Althea flushed a. little at the idea, for she knew Sterling would soon be there, but Zora would not listen to a refusal and the teacber re- mained, Allen had seen Yates safely confined with their other prisoners before returning to the office. He bad tried in vain to bring Blake, but be was not sorry when be saw Althea. In bis opinion, her company made amends for any other loss. They met with a slight embarrassment on both sides, for they couid not help feeling tbat it was the beginning of a new relationship between them, but Althea mude a march to cover her confusion, at once. ‘** You should have been a knight of the days of chivalry, Mr. Sterling,” she said. ‘* You seem especially created for a brave and devoted defender.” ‘*T suppose you refer now to my services in your bebalf; but it would be a contemptible knight that was not stirred to heroic «ffort for such a ‘lady fair’—if you will allow the old term.” ‘*T dare not reprove you, since [ am so much in your debt, but if I bave read bistory and remance aright, knights have before now been deceived by the ‘ladies fair’ for whom they fought.” ‘The remark will not apply to you,” Allen declared. ‘‘In this case the knight only wishes he was worthy of carrying the scarf of the lady fair, as in the old days,” Althea laughed, ‘* Very pretty and romantic. but, as a usual thing, romance is nonsense. Don’t you think ‘‘T think I prefer reality for shadows, like the majority of people at the present day. But, as regards this last rescue, give credit where it is due. My sbare was insignificant, for Bartbolo- mew Blake won the prize by a deed unsur- passed in history, ancient or modern.” “Zora has told me something cf this; but I thought ber gratitude must have made her ex- ap gerate.” ** She could not do that,” said Allen, warmly; aim he told the story of Blake’s climb up 1é . It must have been thrillingly told, for Althea followed each phrase with rapt attention, and when he told of the pee on the ledge the color retreated from ber cheeks. ‘What the climb itself was we can imagine, for no human eye looked on as that gallant man swung between heaven and earth where one mi-step would have dashed kim a mangled mass of flesh on the rocks below.” Allen spoke with a fervor which made the gir! shiver. ‘*He is very brave,” she said, ‘* And they call bim a crank!” added Allen. ‘‘ He may be odd in bis ways— Miss Lawrence, I do not know what to think of him.” ‘Why so?” “This last affair bas made a great change in his manner, and as be lay on the rock, with Zora weeping over him, he looked at her with an expression not only buman, but, I could almost swear, tender. What are we to think; has Deacon Stonefist’s beart been touched?” A peculiar expression flashed over Althea’s face, but as Zora joined them the sulj-ct was dropped and rot renewed again that night. CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE TUG OF WAR GROWS Warm. As Big Nugget Bend had no jail Yates was t into the same room where Jack Bunker and Horace Kellogg were confined, Warfield and (©) Eomichbooks ee eee a