Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 289 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 Zeke Tibbles would not have believed that such an idea could find lodgment in Kitty’s mind; but fathers know so little about their daughters. The time fixed for this daring and decisive step was the night succeeding the visit to the place where Kate Helmsley’s locket was found. Kitty, whose discreet behavior had reinstated her in her father’s good opinion, and who had gained a point by the young nabob’s igno- minious failure as a spy, had no difficulty in stealing out. and meeting her lover at the time and place appointed. She was dressed nicely but gray and car- ried nothing but a small sachel that held a few of her belongings. ‘* Oh. Dennis, this is a terrible thing to dew,” said Kitty, when she had submitted to her lover’s customary caress. ‘It seems so awful.” *There’s nothing terrible about it at all, honey,” replied Dennis, as he cheered her with another caress. ‘‘ Don’t we want to git mar- ried? Thin there’s ownly wan way to do it, and it’ll.sune be over,” ** But to run away from pa—” ** We'll rin back to him, alannah, as fast as we rin away, and it won’t be long before we ayse his mind, if it can be aysed at all.” “Shall we come straight back, Denny dear?” ‘*Shtraight as a loine, me love. Uve gota tame on the road across the bayou, an’ a naygur to dhrive us, an’ we’ll jist rin up to Vidayly an’ git marri’d an’ be back here in a jiffy.” Dennis took his darling to the skiff which Paul Delarosse and Fred Henning had previous- ly used, and rowed her across the bayou. From the point where he landed it was buta little distance to the road, and Dennis was sure that he knew the way, or at least could take the right direction and follow it. But he bad never been out that way at night, and night. is apt to change the aspect of the most familiar things, and that particular night at that hour was very dark, and kissin and caressing are not conducive to steadiness o brain, and—in short, he lost his way. He did not come to the road as soon as he had expected to, and hurried on, after a blind and stumbling fashion, thinking that he would soon reach it; but it happened that he was heading in the wrong direction, and bis hurry SR 008 him further out of the way. en he became excited, as people will when they are lost, and what was left of his head went sailing off into space, His excitement was contagious, and Kitty grew hysterical, which made matters worse. Dennis tried to soothe her, but was obliged to confess that he had not the faintest idea in what direction the road lay, and was quite in- capable of finding his way back to the bayou. ‘And what will we do naow, Denny dear?” she demanded between her sobs. ‘‘Oh, L was sure that somethin’ terrible was goin’ tew nepoen tew us for darin’ to dew such a wicked ' Dn * “We'll do. well enough, darlint, if we kape our sinses about us. There’s no wild bastes to ate us in these wuds, an’ the road can’t be fur away. Waita bit, now, Kitty dear, till L call the naygur b’ys. I ought to have thought of that before.” ee did eall, and his voice started up the night birds; but he got no other response to Sis shouts. He considered the situation coolly, and took a new departure. ‘*Come on a bit furder, darlint,” he begged. “ We'll sune be shtrikin’ the road now.” He led Kitty on, almost supporting her, as she was so overcome by excitement and fear and remorse that she could scarcely walk. ut they came to no road. Instead. of that, they saw in front of them and to the left dark pools of water, and the ground an to sink under their feet, _* Tt's the shwamp!” exclaimed Dennis. ‘The shwamp, that’s full av thim divils av shnakes. Li at git away from this, Kitty, phwatever we do, But Kitty, holding him closely with one arm, _ was pointing with a trembling hand at an ob- ject a little distance from them at the right. ** What’s that?” she asked, in an awe-stricken Dennis looked as she pointed, and saw, under the giant trees and their trailing banners of moss, a white or grayish figure, that looked like the form of a woman. | ‘*The saints be betune us an’ harrum!” he ex- claimed, ‘‘ It’s a ghost!” The specter seemed to start, and glided toward them, stretching out its arms. Flush Fred’s Full Hand. ee had he in any way given her to understand that | of the steamboat disaster briefly, and explained he felt.an interest in her. But it was he who had caused the captain of the Royal Arch to leave the Sabine a little sooner than he otherwise migkt have done, The grief of Kate Helmsley when she saw herself separated from ber friend—from the man whom she had expected to be her aid and companion during the voyage—was evident enough to Jonas Hexamer, and he took ad- vantage of it to force his own society upon her, ‘* You are sorry to leave your friend behind,” he said. Kate gave him a glance of surprise, in which a little displeasure was also visible. ‘He is all right,” continued Hexamer, ‘‘ Nothing the matter with him. There comesa boat that will take him off. But she is bound up the river, and you won't be likely to see him for some time.” The appearance of the man was not prepos- sessing; but be seemed to mean kindly, and politeness prompted Kate to answer him. ‘*Mr. Henning went below to get my sachel,” said she, ‘‘ and that is how he got left,’ “Mr. Henning? I know him. He is well known on the river. I know you, too, miss; that is, I know about you.” ‘Indeed, sir?’ replied Kate, the least bit alarmed, ‘Yes, ma’am. I know that your name is Kate Helmsley, and that you are from Ten- nessee, and that you are going to Mrs. Bren- ner’s, near Martigny. I came from those per, you see, and heard about you there, and saw One name on the Sabine’s register, and that is ow I happened to know you.” Kate made no answer. Evidently the man was taking advantage of the calamity to introduce himself to her; but, as he was a neighbor of Mrs, Brenner’s, there was nothing objectionable in that. He went on to complete the introduction, ** My name is Hexamer, Miss Helmsley—Jonas Hexamer, of Martigny. I know everybody about there, and everybody knows me. Mrs. Brenner was speaking to me about you a while AZO. | I believe that you are sorter related to her. ‘* Distantly related, sir.” ‘* Mighty nice old lady is Mrs. Brenner. One of the best families in that part of the country. You will find it yery pleasant, living with her. I suppose you don’t know anything about the place or the ple—do you?” , «Very little, if an omnes ‘*So you will need somebody to kinder pilot you and get you safe on the way to Mrs. Bren- ner’s, and I will be glad to help you in that way, if you care to have me. Now, when you get off at Martigny—” ‘‘Martigny is not the place,” interrupted Kate.. ‘‘I believe Iam to land at Vidalia,’ “ That so? There must be some mistake. You can get there from Vidalia, of course; but it is the longest and hardest may This boat bas no landing to make at Vidalia, but is bound to stop at Martigny, and from there I can send you on by a good conveyance, if we get in early enough. If not, there is a good hotel at Mar- tigny, where I always stop when I am in town, and they will take good care of you for Mrs, Brenner’s sake. By all means, Miss Helmsley, Martigny is your best chance.” Kate suffered herself to be persuaded. Mr. Jonas Hexamer, though not at all attrac- tive, spoke fairly, and doubtless meant well, and seemed to be acquainted among the people whom she was going to visit. It was true, as he had said, that she needed | somebody to pilot her, and there was a more serious consideretion yet—she had no money, | and it. isa very embarrassing thing, to say the least of it, to find oneself in a strange place | without money. All ber available funds were in the sachel which Fred eS had returned to get for her, and just then they were entirely unavail- able. At Vidalia she would be quite unknown, and that would be awkward; but at Rass Mr. Hexamer micht at least accredit her to the hotel- keeper, and Mrs, Brenner’s name would do the rest, So she suffered. the Royal Arch to steam past Vidalia, and wben a landing was made at Mar- tigny she went asbore with Jonas Hexamer— ‘‘drv so,” as one of the natives might have ex- pressed it. ) He congratulated her upon the fact that they had. reached Martigny in the morning, so that she would have plenty of time to get to Mrs. Brenner’s before night set in, eee that the young lady wanted a conveyance as soon as soon as possible to take her on to Mrs. Brenner’s, ‘The best you have got, Mr. Biggs,” said he, **as Miss Helmsley won’t want to go in a rattle- trap, even if she has been shipwrecked.” This was liberal; but of course she would not be indebted to Mr. Hexamer for the turnout, as the bill would be paid by Mrs. Brenner. A good horse was soon put to a nice buggy; but the tavern-keeper explained with regrets that he had nobody but a negro boy to drive, as his driver was ill with a fever, and he was almost afraid to trust the boy. ‘If Miss Helmsley will allow me,” said Jonas Hexamer, “I will drive her out to Mrs. Bren- ner’s. I have to go near there, and of course I know the way.” Kate was unwilling to put him to so much trouble; but he protested that it would he an accommodation to him, rather than a trouble, and she consented, Why should she not? He was apparently a responsible man, well known and respected, and she would feel much safer under his protection than in the company of u negro boy who was admitted to be unrelia- e. The journey was rather pleasant at first, as the road was a good one, leading past nice houses and fine plantations, and Kate enjoyed the balmy air and the strangely beautiful scenery. But, before they had traveled many miles, they turned off from the main road into one that was much rougher and little traveled. There were no more nice houses or fine plan- tations to be seen, as they rode through a gloomy forest, where the giant branches of the great trees, with their heavy draperies of gray moss, made a weird and somber scene, On they went, the road growing worse, and the forest deeper and darker, with no sign of a clearing, or even a glade, and the sunlight it- self was saddening as it struggled through the dense masses of foliage. Still they went on, until the horse’s feet be- gan tosplash in swampy pools, and the wheels of the buggy to sink in the moist turf. ‘*I hope we have not much further to go,” said Kate with a shudder. ‘We are nearly there,” cheerily answered Hexamer. ‘* Mercy on us! swap?” ‘* Not quite so bad as that: but we have to go through a swamp to get there. You will soon get used to that sort of thing down here.” It was not a pleasant thing to get used to; but there was no help for it just then, Finally the buggy was stopped where further progress was manifestly impossible. Beyond the borse’s head Kate could see noth- ing but a stretch of dark and shining water, On each side were the great trees of a swamp, funereal and draped with moss, with glistening pools and dark hummocks between the trunks. Jonas Hexamer alighted from the buggy, and hitcbed the horse, though the animal was not likely to stir from his tracks in that position. ‘* What are we going to do now?” anxiously inquired the young lady, examer hesitated a little before answering. ‘‘ The fact is,” said he, “that there is a diffi- culty I hadn’t looked for. The river has been rising wang If Fred Henning bad been there, he would Does Mrs. Brenner live in a _ have promptly told the man that he lied, ‘‘The river has been rising, and that backs up the bayous and fills the swamps, so that the road this way is a little mixed. But there is no real trouble, and you will soon be safe, I will call one of Mrs. Brenner’s niggers, who will take you over one enough.” He put a whistle to his lips, and sounded a peculiar call, Then he waited, while Kate sat in the buggy, wondering and uneasy, but quite incapable of doing anything to extricate herself from that strange situation. She almost shrieked when a big and burly negro suddenly showed himself at the side of tbe horse, — He was very black, very ugly, and attired only in a few tattered rags, . | ‘* What do you mean by this, Marius?’ an- grily demanded Hexamer. ‘Does your mis- tress allow you to go about in that kind of clothes?” | | The negro only grinned hideously, showing a formidable set of white teeth, ‘* Well, I suppose it can’t be helped. As you are here, we will have to take you as you are. This voung lady is Miss Helmsley, who is going. to Mrs. Brenner’s, and I want you to carry her across this bit of water.” This was gratifying news to Kate, who began | to feel as if she had nearly come to the end of | her trouble, and was well disposed toward the | man who had at least smoothed away some of | " her difficulties. “ All right, sab,” answered Marius, as he Jonas Hexamer led her at once to the | stepped up to the buggy, and reached out his “hotel” he had spoken of, which proved to be a | long arms, | small but comfortable tavern, and. there ed Kate drew back, shuddering. easily established bis claim to consideration. **T can easily get out,” she said. ‘‘ Where is shrieked, and fell in a faint. CHAPTER XIX. _ & FRIENDLY A D FALSE GUIDE. WHEN Jonas Hexamer stood near Kate - Helmsley as the Royal Arch backed away from the snagged Sabine, there was no papers cause r for the triumphant look which Fred Henning ———o Bi fancied he saw on the man’s face, As the tavern-keeper received him cordially, |. the—boat?’ — ; ,! _. If be was, triamphing over anybody, it must | likean old acquaintance, it was evident that _“'There ain’t any boat,” replied Hexamer, a | have been by anticipation. » | be was well thought of. at least in that quarter. | little eoay. ‘The water is too shallow for a . f bai He had not yet spoken to the young lady, nor" He introduced Miss Helmsley, told the story boat; but it is as wet as any other water, , fe , s 7 m “Ss oofe) (G(0) C om Bi (E