Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 28 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

| if! } | PS ee — a ‘ment seemed about to make a break for cover, but then a low, devilish chuckle from Sleepy }George reassured them. | “Who sais luck ain’t on our side? Thar’s jone o’ the worms now, a-axin’ us suckers to swaller him. That’s the cuss they call Crazy Billy—mighty kind to save us so much trouble. Hyar goes fer that—” _ “‘ Boss said we must take him last,” put in one ttellow. _**Who’s to tell him better? What’s the use hin waitin’ to hunt fer what’s run right in our | e pb? You jest watch—see how pretty [ll play }bugs on the cuss, an’ he’ll never know it,” |} chuckled the miscreant, arising and gliding to- ward the hermit. }@ evidently attributing it to fatigue. a << ‘ip fita- | { : | } it } ] ! fl | | | | | | —— i ; ‘ * ‘ — ho! : ie yit! Squeal—oh, gitout! The varmint was , Crazy Billy seemed unconscious of his peril, 'and Little Volcano half-arose to rush to his as- ‘sistance. Butit was not needed. Before Sleepy | George was within arm’s length of his intended | victim, a long dark body shot through the air, ae aay full upon the bummer’s breast, hurl- him heavily to the ground. It was Beauty. ith shouts of anger and alarm, the outlaws ag to their feet, drawing pistols and knives. ut, before they could do more, Crazy Billy ut- tered a peculiar cry and Sprag into the dark- | ness, immediately followed by Beauty. | “Rill ’em—kill em!” screamed Sleepy George, | but his voice was drowned by a sharp report, and he fell back with a wild yell of agony! CHAPTER XX. OLD ZIMRI MAKES A DISCOVERY. | YZir« Coon it was that fired that shot. | "Though nothing was further from his wishes than a collision with Long Tom’s party, at ' least just then, the crisis found him ready for | work. As Sleepy George drew near his intend- ed victim both of the ambushed miners covered his heart with their firearms; but Beauty re- quired no assistance, and the bummer was | \ ' \ i Sleepy George’s comrades an- 4 i enough, but stricken down. ' swered his yell for help pra before they could make use of their weapons , Crazy Billy appeared to awaken from his trance- | like state Sail, calling to the panther, bounded | into cover. Sleepy eorge sprung to his feet— only to reel back, his face covered with blood as the spiteful crack of the old digger’s rifle rung forth. With a quick but unerring aim Zinifi Coon sent the leaden pellet to its mark, then with a shrill, taunting laugh, he turned an glided away, stjll firmly grasping the boy | miner’s arm. me i| ‘Keep close to the crazy critter—run light, ’ we'll fool’em slicker ’n goose,” mut- tered Zimri Coon, as they caught sight of the hermit and his faithful follower. ‘*They’ll think a hull army’s ’bushed ’em—they’ll take to kiver an’ waste a hour tryin’ to surround an’ , out-bamboozle nobody—the eae? eenhorns!” “You killed him—I saw him fall,” muttered the boy miner, half-resentfully, as he remem- bered how Zimri had prevented his firing a shot hee es Dick stood almost within arm’s ength. oon chuckled in high glee, but made no re- Bly, for Crazy Billy and uty were gradually istancing them. ough he had no fixed plans Zimri was not quite ready to part company, an so they pressed on more rapidly as they were now far beyond ear-shot of the enemy, if, as he believed, no pursuit had been made, — | Moodily enough Little Volcano followed, his thoughts only too busy. Black and bitter were they. Despite her avowal of love—despite the w note brought by. Cee Lee, he be- lieved Mary Morton had been playi with him —nor did he stop to ask himself her reasons. Since that night he had recalled many little points which had ee unnoticed before. He knew that Laughing Dick boarded at the Miner’s Hear Heh egetone aie poe once speaking with Mary, though she ways a peared cool and distant—still that a, i y prudence. Then came that meeting beside the a the oe were recalled he more than ever believed Laughing Dick was the man. And, too, how had she learned the plans of _ Sleepy George and his fellows—how but through her bler lover? Yet there was one point. . eri a she play false with Laughing Dick, as we ‘* Peg along, little ’un,” cheerily uttered Zimri, _as the boy miner stumbled over a loose stone, he ‘We're thar. Yender’s the place whar I used sleepy ee fer grizzly b’ar bait—he! he! ho! urned ef that dodge won’t be the death o’ wide awake then, you bet!” ‘‘He’s going to the cave then. I’m glad of that. He’s got something there I want to have another look at. I was too bad scared when here before, but I heard them talking about it in town—that is, something like it; those pic- tures at the hotel, you know.” ‘*Pd give a purty to know the hull story o’ them—yes, I would,” muttered Coon, thought- fully. ‘‘They must be a story—an’ that pesky Tom’s mixed up ‘long o’ it. Why, cha Lo + 'd mario a black mark on his face when he saw ’em!” § “I wish it was in any other place, though. at | Even if the animals ain’t thoroughly tamed, : re, re , -<- — = 33 ~ - es LL SS a ee eee ee a ——— ae on —— POS PO PEE eS Se LA a they are chained upso I don’t reckon they could get loose. But the snakes aren’t. I could see and hear dozens—hundreds, for what I know— and felt them crawling all over meas I lay there—ugh Y? _ “T don’t reckon thar’s much use in our goin’ inside—them dratted cusses is the wust to give a critter the ager you ever hearn tell,” suddenly added Zimri. Little Voleano chuckled. He knew right well what a pious horror his old friend had of snakes, whether venomous or not. ‘You can wait for me, outside—but I must see that picture again. I can remember aright, it will give me the clew I’ve been hunt- ing. foe these three years.” either spoke ain until the cave was reached. The hermit entered and struck a light, and then called aloud for them to enter. Little Voleano obeyed without hesitation, and. Zimri kept close at his heels. ‘I reckon I kin go wharever you do,” was his quiet response to the quick look of Little Voleano. ‘‘We’re pards, you know, What comes to one, comes to the both on us.” The scene was a peculiar one. All around crouched the chained animals, now lying quiet as though recently fed. An owl or a.bat would occasionally flit from perch to perch on noiseless wing. Besides these only the serpents seemed restless, gliding here and there, now coiling themselves into a glittering pyramid, now his- sing sharply as though angry at being disturbed by the hermit as he passed by; but, though the warning rattle would skirr, the moccasin or copperhead hissingly display their fangs, not one attempted to strike; and Little Volcano gradually recovered his composure, turning to- ward the painted canvas, dwelling long upon each figure, closely scanning each face in the different scenes. He, too, reco the likeness—as others had—to Lon om; and another face seemed familiar—that of the victim who stood upon the scaffold in the last scene. But try as he might, he could not place it, until Zimri—who by this time become in a measure used to the snakes—cried: o Look at that young feller—it’s your face, The boy miner started, as the truth flashed upon him. He knew the face now. He had seen the same—only a trifle younger—in the mirror. “Stand still—don’t move a muscle—if you stir an inch you areadead man!” hissed Crazy Billy, gliding up beside them. ‘ Obey, and I will save you—don’t start, unless you wish to die. There is a rattlesnake coiled around your leg!” The sickening horror inspired by these words stood the miners in good: stead. They seemed stupefied—though - ae, sense was’ painfully alert. Their first imp was to rush for the a air, but fortunately their limbs refused to obey. Unable to move, even to lower his eyes, Zimri Coon could feel the truth of the warning. Around his right leg—the one nearest the poy miner—an iron band seemed tightening itge until he felt that his leg would be crushed to a pulp. Now it seemed as though of ice—now of molten iron. Yet all this was the effect of im- epeetion, since he had not noticed the presence of the snake until Crazy Billy spoke of it, nor had ‘tthe i moved since, its eyes riveted up- those of the hermit as he crouched: down be- ore it. | ‘A low humming sound came from the her- mit’s lips, wing louder and more distinct as he gradu y extended his hand toward the re tile’s head. For a moment it seemed as thoug the serpent would strike the extended hand, but then, as the voice grew clearer, its jaws closed, its head glided forward and rested upon the BS gee palm. Inch by inch the scaly body glided around Zimri’s leg, the shake crawlin up the hermit’s arm.. It seemed to Coon as 1 the tendons of his limb were being pulled out, one by one, and the cold drops of perspiration started out upon his face, so acute was ima- ginary torture. Then Crazy Billy rose upright. The rattle- snake lay upon his arm as though sleeping. Zim- ri waited for no more. With one mad leap he was out of the cave, nor did he pause until at the foot of the hill, where Little Volcano found him, faint and breathless, trembling like a leaf. “Shut up!” he gasped, as the boy miner be- gan. ‘‘Don’t you ever speak to me ’bout that, or I'll cut your heart out—I will, by ——!” ‘“‘Tt’s the picture I want to speak about, old friend,” said Vittle Volcano, in a subdued tone, ‘Those two faces—one is Long Tom; the other is—or was—my brother !” “It’s like you as two peas. I never knowed you hed a brother—you never spoke of him.” ‘It is a black story, and I don’t like to talk about it—but I must now. ‘You saw those pic- tures—they will explain the most of it. brother was arrested for murder—they found him beside the body, with a bloody knife in his hand. On that knife were his initials. Two men swore that they witnessed the murder, It seems that my brother and the dead man had been gambling together, and my brother lost a —-= eo ee — —— — very large sum—even more than he was worth, since it was found that the books—he was as- sistant cashier in a bank—were falsified. They quarreled in the gambling hall—came to blows, even, Brother swore he would be avenged. Then—they found him as that picture tells. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to be hung, on those two men’s evidence. He was hung— and buried. That was when I was a child. When I grew up, I learned all this—and more. The two men whose evidence hung him, and who were both employed in the same bank, were suspected of fraud, but they fled, after rob- bing the bank of a large sum. hey were never heard of again. But this, coupled with other facts which gradually came out, made me believe that brother had suffered innocently, and I took up the search, ‘swearing never to leave it until dead, or I had brought the truth to light. And now—lI believe I have found the men!” ‘* Long Tom and—” “ Orazy Billy!” ‘““It may be—but, lad, don’t be too brash. Take time to think it all out. Le’s wind up the job we’re on fust; then I'll help you all I know ow. You'll do this fer me?’ **'Yes—I have learned patience since I took the trail. A month more will not hurt. But I can’t stay here—so near him, thinking as I do. If I saw him now I should shoot him like a dog! Come—let’s get away from here.” Nothing loth, Zimri complied, and once more they set out toward the golden placer, in si- lence. They both had too much to think of for speech, The sun was crowning the mountains when Zimri halted, upon a mony er and aking out his chart, carefully studied it as he glance keenly around. “*Can you make anything out of it?” at length asked Little Voleano, a little nervously, now that the moment was at hand when the truth or falsity must be known. “Ef the thing don’t lie, I kin take you to the spot in five minnits!” promptly replied Zimri, refolding the chart. ‘‘Come—le’s know the hull truth, one way or t’other.” Scrambling over rocks and crevices, swinging down by vines and bushes, the two men rapidly descended the hill, their faces growing flushed and more eager with every moment—already showing si of the yellow fever. And then they, stam the little valley, where, according to the chart, lay the pee lacer. At some distant period this had been the bed of some mighty stream, coming from the heart of the mountains. The bowlders were rounded, the crags worn smooth, though now the valley was verdant; bushes, young trees and grass alga Be around. - Then Little Volcano uttered a sharp cry as he sprung forward. Stooping, he tore away the sand—then stood erect. In his hands shone a dull yellow eer of metal, nearly as large as his clenched fist CHAPTER XXI. PREPARING FOR WORK, For one moment they stood glaring upon the re: of dull yellow metal. eir breath came in short, qui a Their faces grew inflam- ed, their eyes bloodshot. Instead of blood, li- quid fire seemed coursing through their veins. Little Voleano suddenly drew back his hand and thrust the nugget intashis pocket, scowling at Zimri Coon as though fearing lest he should attempt to rob him—then he fell upon his knees and began tearing up the sandy soil, flinging bits of rock aside with a curse after cagerly glancing at them—now and then uttering low, growling sounds of ferocious delight as other olden nuggets were unearthed by his nervous He had the ‘‘ yellow fever” in its most viru- lent form. Zimri Coon stood by, leaning upon his rifle, his eyes riveted upon the flushed countenance of his friend, now scarcely human in its covet- ous madness, For one moment he too had been affected by the burning lust of gold—but the madness quickly left him as he noted its effects upon the boy miner, The frightful change in him acted as an antidote—and well it was that such was the case, ‘Ef I was like him whar’d we be?’ muttered the old man, wistfully watching. the boy miner as he continued his frantic search. ‘Most like we would git to cuttin’ of each other’s throats afore sunset. At best we’d hev thoughts fer nothin’ else but gold—jest keep on a-scratchin’ fer it ontel we drapped down, clean tuckered out, or them ’tarnal cusses over yander sneak up an’ fill our karkidges fuller ’n a Ute’s head is 0’ lice, That’s what it’d eendin. Mebbe °t ’il] anyhow—he’s so durned headstrong an’ con- trairy when he oncet gits sot, thar’s ‘most as much hope o’ ticklin’ a snappin’-turtle atween the shoulders ’th a straw, as movin’ him! I’m segs tee ih a. am so!” @ Voicano had eyes only for the gold. Indeed it was a_ sight a. set wild far aides a and steadier heads than his. Truly the placer was a marvel of richness, were one to judge by the specimens already gathered. Any other than a skilled miner might have passed over the wEOMICDOOkS (€ (0)