Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 289 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

16 | Flush Fred’s Full Hand. Kate Helmsley was made as comfortable as possible in the cabin, old Dinah doing all she could to make the girl’s life there at least endurable. The mulatto woman also took a lively inter- est in her, and she bad reason to believe that they were both her friends, though Dinah was the only one in whom she fully trusted. She had nothing to do with the men, who were, as a rule, rigorously excluded from the hovel which she occupied with the women. But she was.occasionally permitted, under the escort of Dinah or Jule, to walk about the swamp island, and then she saw enough of the black and white Moccasins to perceive that they lacked little of being savages. Taney had no visible occupations, and their existence seemed to be so precarious, us well as so brutal, that it might well be doubted whether they had gained anything by the sort of free- dom they had acquired. When they were not foraging in the woods and swamps or about the plantations, they ed the time mainly in sleeping, or in eating and drinking when they had anything to eat and drink. They did not always have something to eat and drink, even where the necessities of life were so easy to get, as they were an improvi- dent set, living from band to mouth, making no provision for the morrow, and gorging them- selves when they chanced to get anything. Sometimes they got liquor, or made a rude and fiery rum of the refuse of niolasses barrels and sugar hogsheads, Then they were demons, and the women tried to ay out of their way, shutting themselves up in the smaller hut, barricading the entrances as well as they could, and trembling as they listened to the oaths and yells that came from the orgie outside. On one occasion a drunken black got in among them before they were aware of any trouble of that sort. This was no other than Marius, thé big and ugly brute who had carried Kate over to the island, He had contrived to steal some liquor on one of his prowling excursions, and had started a private debauch of his own, of which no other oye on the island knew anything until he ad finished the stuff Then he started out on the war-path, his brutal instinct leading him at once to the hut in * eae the women were eating their evening ineal. His condition was evident as soon as he step- ped inside, and they shrunk from him in fear and horror. His hideous face, scarred and seamed and pitted, was uglier than ever when his blood was inflamed by liquor, and his eyes glared like those of a wild t. The mulatto woman recovered herself quick- ly, and advanced upon him. *'W’ot yo’ want yar, yo’ big brack hound?” she demanded, ‘‘Git out o’ dis, now, mighty sudden!” ‘Marius wants de w'ite gal,” he answered, fastening his eyes upon Kate as she shrunk into @ corner. *Yo’ cain’t git her,den! Cl’ar out, I say!” The black fiend dashed her away, and strode ward the corner in which Kate Helmsley lay cowered., | But Dinah rose up before him. The old woman seemed almost to renew her outh as she stood there in defense of ‘‘ Miss usie’s ” child, She was not weaponless. She had raised and cocked a large, old-fasb- ears horse-pistol, which she leveled at the big ru ‘*G’ way frum yar, you Marius!” she shouted. *‘ Dis t’ing is loaded, an’ I’se bound to shute!” The infuriated negro gave no heed to her threat, but pushed forward toward Kate. Dinah pulled the trigger of the ancient wea- pon, and it was fired with a report like that of 4 small cannon. Blood spurted from the black man’s side; but this only angered him, and he pressed ee knocking old Dinah down in his mad rush. Kate shrieked for help, and help was at hand, Another black man had entered the hut— a young negro, half-naked as Marius was, but far more co:nely and Jess vicious to look at. Yet he was by no means a bad match for Marius, frantic as the big negro was with rum and “ogee | What he lacked in weight he made up in agility, in the strength of his loins, and in the muscles and suppleness of his limbs. He sprung forward like a panther, and the force of his leap sent him Maer against Marius, knocking the big fellow out of his course and against the wall of the cabin. us drew himself together with a howl like that of a wild beast, and hurled himself upon this unexpected opponent. His foe was ready for him and they grappled as two wild-cats might grapple. Then the cabin was hideous with their black forms as they rolled over and over and bere and there, writhing, twisting and struggling, I their labored breathing and savage cries add- ing. horror to the scene. he young fellow was the more active of = av? and had the advantage of a clear ead. But Marius was the heavier, and his frenzy made his strength sometbing ferrible. Yet the wound that Dinah’s shot kad inflicted was no mere scratch, and the loss of blood was telling on bim., The three women squeezed themselves into corners, and found if no easy task to keep out of the way of the combatants, whose struggles carried them all over the cabin, smashing and splintering the little furniture it contained, At last the young negro succeeded in throw- ing Marius ee the hearth and pushing him into the fireplace, When the live coals burned into his flesh he be os with agony and sprung to bis feet as if e bad been shot upward, throwing his antago- nist forcibly from him and on the earthen floor of the but, The next instant he had leaped upon him there, and was ee roming him with both hands. It seemed as if all was up with the young fellow; but he was neither dead nor subdued. In another instant they were again rolling over together, an almost indistinguisbable mass of black bodies and limbs. But there was one thing in the mass that was fearfully visible. It was the bright blade of a knife in the band of the younger man, which flashed in the dark- ness as it rose and fell, and the sickening sound of its blows was plainly audible as it cut into the black flesh of Marius. This new assault upon his life was more than he could endure. His limbs relaxed, his big frame .quivered, and at last be lay motionless on the floor, while his antagonist stood over him, holding the drip- ping knife, panting from his exertions, and covered with blood and dirt. Jule then ventured to creep forward to see the end of the desperate struggle. Dinah went to the assistance of Kate Helms- ley, who had fainted in a corner. CHAPTER XXII. KATE HELMSLEYS ESCAPE, ALTHOUGH Jonas Hexamer did not happen to be on the swamp island at the time of the affray that resulted in the death of Marius, he was frequentiy there before and after that event, ire the greater part of his time was passed t ere, He had not inflicted his society upon Kate Helmsley, and had not anno her beyond what might have seemed to him to be neces- sary. His communications with her had been, as it seemed, only to see that she was made as com- fortable as she could be under the circumstances, and to assure her of the inflexibility of his pur- eof marrying her tothe young man of whom e had spoken. Kate was really thankful to him for the con- sideration he showed her, and in time began to regard his matrimonial project asa joke, rather than aserious affair. It must be a joke, as if progressed no nearer to its realization as the days went by, and as she was decidedly of the opinion that she could not be made a wife against her will. There was no doubt, however, that she could be confined to that island and kept from her friends against her will. . Of this she bad an abundance of practical proof, much to her displeasure and disgust. That was bad enough; but to her it seemed to be the worst she had to bear or expect. Naturally she thought of Fred Henning, and wondered what had become of him. Had he taken possession of her sachel of val- pabiew Sue left her to her fate? ot he Never for the faintest fraction of a second did she give harbor to the idea that he might have deserted her. She relied on him with a supreme confidenoe, never doubting that as soon as ble he would follow her, anxious to discover and rescue her. It was not a question of his willingness but of his ability. She knew that she was well hid in that remote and inaccessible swamp, and that more than ordinary ability, 1 eg ert by unusual luck, would be required to lose the secret of ber hiding-place. Fred Henning had at least ordinary ability and was by no means unlucky, and of course he would do bis best to find her. She relied on him implicitly, and this it was that kept her hope alive when the clouds about her were the darkest and the thickest. After the raid of the big ne crazed by liquor, Kate changed in feeling, if not in opin- ion, on some of these points. Tbat terrible scene had shattered her, making her nervous, easily frightened, and unusually apprehensive. us was dead and buried, and the men, as well as the women, were glad that he was out ie oo of the way, as he had been feared among the Moccasins far more than he had been loved, and it was not merge that the bad example he had set would soon find an imitator. But it was useless for Dinah to urge these facts upon Kate, or to endeavor to soothe or en- courage her. The girl had become nervously timid, and she could not help it. “*T can’t stand this much longer, Dinah,” said she. ‘*I am continually afraid that something terrible will happen. If I am ever to leave this place, I must get away soon.” ‘* Yes, honey, an’so yer shell,” sympatheti- cally answered the old woman. “Ise done got de trick e’ena’most fixed up.” Jonas Hexamer, also, was considerably exer- cised in his mind by the insane attempt of the big negro. ate’s danger on that occasion bad inspired him with the fear of losing her, und ber loss at eee time would have spoiled his most cherished plan. Marius was dead and gone; but there were others who were able to be about as vicious as he bad been, and who could tell when they might break out? e readily opened his mind to Kate on this subject, meeting more than half-way the com- plaint she bad to make. “Yes, young lady, you are quite right about that,” said be. ‘‘It won’t do for you tostay here any longer. I don’t wonder at your being scared. I was pretty badly worried about that affair, myself, and 1 am going to take you away.” ‘You mean to set me free, then?” joyfully exclaimed Kate, ‘‘Am I to get back to my friends?” ‘‘ Better than that. Iam going to marry you to the nice young man I spoke of—a fine young man, rich, of —_ family, and just what you want for a husband.” ‘But it happens that I do not want any- thing of the kind. Besides, I have never seen him.” ‘*That don’t matter.” “It matters to me. me.” ‘*He will see you when he marries you. That will be soon enough. I have been letting this thing run on, young lady, hoping that you would see the reasonableness of what 1 want you to do, and I didn’t care to hurry you. But now I must bring it to a point, as I may And he has never seen say. and settle it off-hand. I have got every- thing arranged, and to-morrow night I will take you to a place where you will meet the young gentleman, and there you will be mar- ried,’ ‘*So you kave arranged everything to suit ou?” remarked Kate, ‘If that is the case, here is nothing left for me to say.” “Just so, I suppose you ain’t very well off for clothes?” ‘It would be strange if I were. When you brought me here I had nothing but what I was wearing, and there has been no chance to get anything since then,” ‘You have managed to take mighty good care of them, though, and they will do to get married in, After that you shall have the best that money can buy. It is ull settled now, and to morrow night I will come for you.” Kate made vo further protest or reply. She knew what she had toe , and also knew what she bad to guard against. It is reasonable to sup that she con- sidered herself able to make trouble for any a wpe would attempt to marry her against er will, She unfolded Hexamer’s intentions to Dinah, and asked the old woman if she thought she could guess who the ‘“‘nice young man” was to whom Hexamer meant to marry her. ** Spec’s 1 kin, honey. Dis ole nigga mought make a pow’ful good guess. But dar’s no use taikin’. Let bim go ‘long. He ain’t g’wine to marry you, an’ de fust t’ing he knows he may slip up an’ bu’t bisself.” “Are you going to get me away from here, then, you dear old Dinah?” ‘**Co’se I am, honey. You’s been yar long enough, Ole Jonas hes got tings fixed to suit him, an’ I’se got t’ings fixed tosuit we, You know Jim?” ‘*Who had the fight with Marius?’ answered Kate with a shudder, “Yes. Dat’smy son—my m4 per. He got yo’ chain, too, an’ he must arn it. To-morrow night Jim will kerry you across de watah, an’ set you on de n’ ober dar. But he cain’t take yon far, ‘case he’s got to be back yar.” ‘“‘T don’t care for that, auntie. If I can only et away from here, it is nothing to’me if I am eft alone in the woods. 1 can make my way somew here.” ‘You comes o’ good stock, Miss Kate, an’ ain’t afeard o’ nothin’. Truss my Jim to gib yer a good start.” Kate trusted Dinab, and trusted Jim, and neither of them disappointed her expectations. Her only difficulty was the fear that Jonas aces might come for ber before she could away. But J fim and his mother managed that for her, IOO (E - <€om ‘S cor :