Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 293 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

- hedn’t shooted bim. ae hit! oO es she had done to a stranger, she would have laughed in contradiction; considering the sup- position worthy of no other reply. The near past seemed most strange and puzzling to the young girl, as sbe sat thus, buried in deep thought, and unmindful of strange sounds in her immediate vicinity. It was then, that two ruffianly-looking men galloped headlong from the southwest, around the motte, to the side of the slain steer. So amazed was the maiden, and so horrified | by the terrible oaths they uttered, that she was powerless to move a muscle. She sat, with eyes fixed in dread apprehension, upon the most villainous-looking pair. White men they were, but most brutal were their faces, which were heavily bearded, and with long tangled hair. Low-browed, and with black, treacherous, deep set eyes, they were brutish in look, and profane in words. Both were clad in ragged buckskin breeches, and tat- tered shirts; their sombreros being crushed, and smeared with grease. -They were also armed, in the usual manner, with knives and revolvers. Mounted upon half-wild mustangs, and their equipments of the most primitive kind, it was evident that these men were not honest ranch- eros, or berders. Dora believed them to be lawless scoundrels, perhaps horse or cattle thieves. ‘“Wa-al, Satan t’ar an’ torment ther cuss what shooted our steer!” burst out one, after a volley of profanity. ‘‘Lije, I ‘lows, ef I gits half a show, ter chuck a ounce er two o’ lead in- ter ther kiote’s carkidge. Whar'n ther blazes d’yer s’pose he skuted tu?’ ‘‘Dash my dod-gasted heart, ef I hes ther leastest idee!” was the reply. ‘ An’ hit sorter knocks me blind ter form an opine what bit war did fer. “Ther steer war shot plum through ther heart, an’ we-’uns must hack out ther bestest meat, an’ skute lively, er some 0’ ther ranchers mought buck ag’io’ us. Hit ain’t a very bealthy locate, hyeraways, fer we-uns, pard Bill!” “Dog-gone ef yer ain’t kerrect! Levant’s ther word, I reckon. Slash out ther tongue, an’ lll go fer a chunk o’ rump. Thar ain’t no time ter skin thercritter. Cuss ther luck! Hyer we- ’uns hev chased this cussed black steer plenty o’ times, without gittin’ nigh him; and then, arter we hed roped bim, an’ sla oar boss brand onter him, dang me ef he didn’t git ther best on us, a skute with one of our lariats ’roun’ bis neck! ‘*But we'd ha’ hed him, an’run him cross ther Grandee, ef thet galoot—whoever he war— What war ther reason he war shooted down? ‘*Thar’s bin a rumpus 0’ some sort hyer, Bill. Air yer gittin’ blind. Thar’s fresh hoss-tracks a plain trail, p’intin’ toward ther river, ‘Reckon, we'd better skute, fer fear ther galoots monght p’int back. Hit looks kinder ed. ’Pears es though ther steer went fer ebuddy, et stompede speed, an’ they hed ter lug him. er git tossed; though I shu’d s’pose hey mought ha’ gut away wi tharselves, bein’ a-critter-back. “Dang my heart, Bill! Jist gaze yunder! Ther sky’s broke loose, an’ a angel bev dropped, er I air a dod-gasted liar!” The pair, asthey had conversed, had been engaged in tehgee ny babar the carcass of the steer such Pr ige as had been suggested by Bill; and Lije was just securing the tongue of the animal to the cantle of his saddle, when, upon glancing over the same, he caught sight of the affrighted Dora, who, pale with dread, sat in the same position, gazing in terror toward the ruffians, whose words had proved that her con- clusions in regard to their character had been correct, So startled and astonished was Lije, that he d the beef’s tongue to the ground, and s , pointing, as he spoke, over the saddle, to- ward the poor terrified maiden. The words of the villain, and his gloating glance, broke the spell that had bound Dora, and she sprung to her feet, and ran shrieking in the direction of the river; but the rank grass and flowers impeded ber progress, her feet be- came entangled in creepiug vines, and she fell to the earth. ‘‘Ketch her, pard Lije! Ketch her er we're goners, dead sure! Cuss ther luck, she screeches woss nor a hungry puinter, an’ she'll fotch ther i er somebuddy woss, down onter we- ns! Lije bad not stopped to pick up the tongue, but sprung around his horse, and bounded after Dora, at the moment that the latter bad started to run; Bill are to hold the mustangs. When the poor girl fell, the ruffian was close upon ber, and any further attempt to escape from her pursuer was useless. Clutching the horrified maiden in his rough grasp, Lije clapped bis filthy band, now smeared with the blood of the steer, over the mouth of his captive, thus preventing her last hopeless shriek from being beard. Dora, overcome with disgust, fear, horror and despair, again lay limp and senseless in the arms of a man who was an entire stranger, but just the opposite, in character and appearance, LLL LLL OO EO EO Ee ee Stampede Steve. of the one who had such a short time ago clasp- ed her to his breast. Certainly it had proved to be an eventful morning to poor Dora Dale! ‘Grab a bolt on her, Bill!” ordered Lije, quickly, again gazing toward the river. ‘‘T shut off her yelp, an’ she wilted dead away. She hed p’inted fer ther big timmer, - thar’s whar she’s spectin’ sombuddy ter glide rom. ‘“We must skute lively. 1 doesn’t banker arter sich stock, but she'll fotch more ducats over ther Grandee than a bull herd o’ steers. ‘*Cuss me, ef we-’uns hain’t struck a raise, er I’m a lunk-headed liar!” ‘Satan tortur’ me ef we hesn’t, Lije! Jump yer critter, an’ I’!] toss her up ter yer. She's a high-fly piece o’ domestic—dog-gone me ef she ain’t!—an’ purty es a pictur’, ‘‘1l begins ter undercomstan’ ther bull biz. Ther steer stompeded et ther gal, an’ her nag slung her off an’ levanted; then some galoot plugged ther beef, reskied her, an’ skuted arver her boss, He’ll be hyer afore soon. ‘Git, pard—git! I’m arter yer hot an’ heavy, yer kin bet yer bottom dollar, “Glide s’uth’ard, an’ we'll strike ther thick timmer down below!” As the words of the speaker indicate, he had passed the senseless form of the se up to the arms of Lije, after the latter had again mounted his rte Lije spurred headlong in a southerly direc- tion, keeping the mottes between him and the course from the dead steer to the river, Bill mounting and galloping after him at full speed. From the appearance of these two ruffians upon the scene until their flight with their fair captive, but a few minutes had elapsed; and Dora Dale was being borne away at terrific speed long before any one appeared from the bottom-timber of the Guadalupe. One word from the maiden would have caused Steve, the scout, to abandon his self-imposed mission in search of her mustang, but that word had not been spoken, Upon such slight omissions and seemingly trifling occurrences, how often does happiness or even life depend! But, bad the young man remained, our story would never have been written. CHAPTER IV. A RIVAL IN THE CAMP, EXPERIENCING a new-born happiness, Steve Speed gailoped toward the shades of the timber that marked the course of the Rio Guadalupe, something less than half a mile from the point at which be had so providentially arrived, at the very instant which enabled bim to rescue a lovely girl from a horrible death, and which bad culminated in sp such a great change to come over the spirit of his dreams. That this day was the day of al! days for him, during his sojourn on earth, Steve was con- vinced; also that he had met the maiden of all maidens to bim—one who would rule bis des- tiny, his beart, his very soul! Filled with love and admiration for the fair unknown at first sight, even before he had lanced over the sights of his rifle, bis whole ing had been drawn toward Dora upon clasp- ing her unconscious form in bis arms; and, when he had gazed into the limpid eyes, so filled with gratitude and admiration—these emotions being revealed so plainly by the inno- cent, trusting, and impulsive girl—then he had realized what she must hencefortua be to him, if life was to be worth living. Clearly, with both, it had been love at first sight. He had feared that he bad offended her by his having obeyed an irresistible impulse to press a kiss 88 her brow, and dreading above all else a look or word of rebuke or scorn from her, be had sprung to the side of bis horse, to avoid such, then into his saddle, and on toward the river; all his fears and doubts vanishing, how- ever, as the fair maiden tossed a kiss from her a ae toward bim. | his act caused him to regret having thus abruptly broken his interview with Dora, and he very nearly resolved to return, and claim the privilege of bearing her in bis arms before bim in the saddle to the river. It was not a long time before he deeply re- gretted not having obeyed that impulse. At the time, however, he reasoned that when he returned with Dora’s mustang, be would have ample opportunity to speak the many words that he wished to say, and to make some arrangements as to their meeting each other in the future, Steve vowed that he would meet Dora Dale again, at any and all bazards, They bad as yet had no time to speak of each other’s affairs. He knew nothing, even in re- gard to the circumstances surrounding Dora. She had spoken of her father, and bis camp, but not at any length, and she had said noth- ing explanatory of its location, or of his busi- ness, That she belonged to a family of refinement and intelligence, Steve was positive; but this ave him no satisfaction—just the opposite, in- eed, for he felt doubts and fears in this re- spect, and wished, from the bottom of his heart, that she was of a lower stratum in society from that which he felt, from her attire and | speech, she occupied. A wandering scout like himself, with but little money, and less expectations, would have but little chance of gaining a bride of aristo- cratic family and wealth. Indeed, Steve bad. always beld money in something like scorn, caring only for what was necessary to supply’ his wants. But a change had come over him, and he was fated to realize that love brings with it many torturing emotions, creating doubts and fears: almost insupportable, when the object of that. love is in danger, In fact, Steve Speed, the prairie roamer, up to this time free and fearless of the future as the soaring eagle, was fated, during one short day, to experience such emotions as he had. hitherto laughed at, But as he galloped toward the timber of the Guadalupe, he had no warning of what was before him, As unconscious of the misery that was to fol- low from his having met with Dora Dale as he had been a short hour previous of that meeting, on galloped Steve Speed, easily trailing the mustang of the young girl, as the animal bad kept the cow-path, where every fresh hoof-print was clearly defined. Soon the heavy timber was reached, the trail leading through the bottom to the river, the same being cleared of trees. and undergrowth; this fact proving that the stream was fordable at that point. Through the ford the young scout proceeded, and then urged bis gallant bay up the bank on the north side of the riverand along the trail which continued through the timber. A short gallop brought bim within view of a wagon camp on the outer border of the line of tower- ing trees. Beyond the clear space, within which was the camp, was a crescent of mesquites, which hid the wagons from view, Steve’s keen eyes moved around the camp, which had, in so short a time, become of deep interest to bim, There were ‘a dozen wagons, with white can- vas tilts, which had apparently seen little ser- vice. Groups of men, women and children were around the camp-fires: some preparing the morning meal, others watching, with evidentl keen appetites, those who were thus cmauaed: The mules were, doubtless, beyond the mes- quites grazing; and from this fact, at such an hour, Steve would have at once known that he who controlled the train was not accustomed to this kind of traveling. The camp should have been broken, and the train miles awsy, thus avoiding the intense heat of mid-day, which should be passed in a sheltered place. All this, the young scout saw at a glance, and then he perceived a trio of horsemen coming at full speed from the west side of the camp. Steve saw that these men had, in lead, the mustang of Dora Dale, and that they were much excited, one of them giving explanations in a leud voice. Instantly all was confusion in the camp. Steve bad discovered that the mustang had Jeft the cart-trail near the river, and dashed into the timber, and he now knew that it had made its way through the undergrow th, emerg- ing from it at the western side of the camp, and but recently. It was certain that these three men were now starting in search of Dora; and also, that they were both amazed and concerned at the return of the horse, Little time had he, however, for thought; the approaching riders were now gazing at the young scout in astonishment, not unmixed with suspicion. ne of them was a man of soldierly appear- ance and bearing; of sinewy form, although somewhat spare of flesh. He bore the marks of trouble and anxiety. His hair was oe. and gray, and bis eyes blue and keen, although judging from appearance, he must have been near three-score and ten. Steve at once decided that this was the father of the maiden whom he hed rescued; and the young man was favorably impressed, even at. that distance. This was not the case, however, as regards the one who rode next him; for, at the first glance, the scout knew that he was looking upon a cowardly, selfish, and unprincipled mar. ore than this, he felt convinced, though he could not have explained why or wherefore,. that this dark-visaged, foppisb-looking person was destined to be connected witb bis life and — in no favorable or pleasant manner, e was attired in rich and fashionable gar- ments, including a sbirt of immaculate jinen, and a bunting-jacket of blue-black velvet. A ‘biled’ shirt, at that time, was seldom seen, even in the towns of West Texas, A black goatee and mustache, which were carefully dressed and pointed, gave this person-, ane 8 Frenchy look, which his complexion. to. coarse. His hair was worn long, but was straight and. — comicbooks = 4h. ~ : uly A ea on a. pos tha