Beadle's Dime Library No. 297 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 5 - - “ y ‘ Colorado Rube. ‘There are none,” Broderick coolly observed, “but I thought you would like to take a walk.” **T don’t care to break my neck over these rocks. No; I'll postpone my ramble until to- morrow,” said Nelson, decisively. ‘“‘“Pardon me; but can’t I persuade you to oblige me?’ Broderick spoke in a steel-like voice, and as he did so he thrust a revolver under the colonel’s ear, ** Hands up, or you’re a dead man!” he sharply added. It was evidently a complete surprise, and Nelson stood speechless; but when the last order had been repeated, he slowly raised his arms. ** Keep them there,” continued Broderick. ‘‘ If you make a hostile move, or cry for help, lll pull trigger!” **What the blazes do you mean?” the colonel demanded. **T mean that I want vour company for a ramble, and I’m going to have it. I don’t intend you any harm, though, as I said, if you kick you’re a gone coon. I havea story to tell you, colonel, before you see Ralston, and I am going to have an uninterrupted interview.” “Talk away; I will listen.” Nelson did not uct alarmed; but it was clear to him that he was in a close corner, and must make the best of what he could not avoid. **Not here. Weare liable to be interrupted at any moment, and a good deal depends on my getting in my story without your mind being rejudiced by others. Ralston and I are not riends, and asl know youand he are, I want to ask justice from you. Do you see the peak at the right? That’s Bull’s Head, and you’ll ac- commodate me by going that way.” “It’s a fine tramp for such a night as this, but I’m one of the most accommodating men in the world and [ll go. Lead the way!” ‘** Not so, my dear colonel. Go you first, and Til follow. I know you are no slouch, so I'll repeat, once more, if you play any trick I'll shoot to kill. I follow you, and my revolver will always be ra i head. Don’t tempt it!” Nelson shrugged his shoulders. “You have a terrific cheek, Broderick; you want everything your own way, with the earth thrown in. owever, here goes!” He started off, and Broderick followed in the way he said be would. Few words were spoken by the way. Two or three times the leader looked around, but the revolver was always at his head. He had the will to resent this treat- ment, but he read his cé«ptor’s mood and was wise enough to make no offensive movement. As they went on the character of the countr radually grew rougher, and they neared Bull’s : a but Broderick did not give permission to alt. The last act in the drama was approaching, but it was not of the kind the plotter had said. He had no story to teil Nelson; he desired no private conversation with bim; but he intended to shoot him in the back as soon as opportunity offered. A suspicion of the truth was in Nelson’s mind, and he was looking for a way of escape. Once he began to slowly lower his raised hands, preparatory to a dive into the inside pocket which held his revolver, but Broderick was on the watch and he was progeny notified to keep them weilup. Clearly, Nelson’s only hope was a dash for life, and he resolved to attempt it, trusting to the darkness to save him from a death-shot. He made the attempt with celerity surprising in one of bis vears and bounded away like a deer. Broderick with all his watchfulness, was not prepared for it, and when he fired his first shot it went wild. A curse fell from his lips, and then he fired again with all possible care. The report sounded, and Nelson threw up his arms and fell. **Aha!” cried Broderick, “I’ve done for him!” He hastened forward, but he did not see the colonel’s prostrate form. Instead, a chasm cut the ground at that point, and he realized that the man had fallen down, Whether he had been touched by the bullet he had no means of knowing. He found a small stone and dropped it down the chasm, There was a sullen splash far be- ow. For half an hour he hovered around the place, but he was unable to descend, or learn more about it, and in the end he returned to Hotspur City without knowing whether he had really succeeded in forever removing a man who, if living, could ruin all his carefully-laid plans, CHAPTER XVIII. THE BUZZARD BROTHEPS’ RAID. THE following morning Bill, Jack and Tom Buzzard were seated at the table in their house, eating breakfast. Dave was absent. Neither of the three had spoken for some time. day was the last of the three given Hotspur City asa period in whicb to drea aml though vag A strike at once, let the situation be what'it might, they intended to let no time go to waste, LL | were not hot-beaded enough to | The silence was broken as the door was flung open and Dave entered. He bad been away all night, but this fact surprised them less than his present appearance. He bore signs of hard usage. His clothes were wet and mud-covered, his face bore a white, haggard look new to him, and just above one temple was a large, ugly bruise. It was an injury which must have bled freely at first, and evidences of the fact were on bis coat, but his face had been freshly washed. On the whole, he was a most dilapidated looking man, and his brothers stared at him in silent wonder. Without a word he put his rifle away, slouched to the table and began eating raven- ously, but their quick eyes had detected the fact that he was not only bruised but weak. His face, however, bore an expression of dogged resolution, * W hat ther blazes is ther matter, Dave?’ de- manded Bill, finally finding his voice. ‘* Nothin’,” was the surly reply. ‘Nothin’! It looks like it. You look ez though you’d been run over by a railroad train. Hev ye fit a j.guar, or met-some o’ ther men 0’ Hotspur?” ‘‘That’s my business, an’ I reckon I kin at- tend ter it without any o’ your help,” growled the youngest brother. ‘*Don’t git yer back up, Dave. I meant no harm, an’ yer know ther Shetaré brothers back each other fur all they’re wu’th. Ef ye hev met inemies, they’re ourn, too. Ef you’ve fell off'm a precipice, that’s a cat o’ diffrent color. Which is it?” ‘*T say it’s none o’ your business. What’s ther matter with you? Ef I don’t look ter suit ye, look t’other way. Ireckonit bhain’t a fashion- block you're gazin’ on. Look t’other way, Thar ain’t nothin’ ther matter with me, an’ I kin lick ther man that says thar is, Ef you don’t understand me now, take a pair o’ revol- vers, an’ we’ll go outside an’ settle it!” Dave glared at bis questioner like a wounded tiger, and Bill knew that further words were useless. ‘* Hey yer own way,” he answered, tersely. Not another word was spoken during the meal. Dave ate ravenously, but bis brothers, who watched him closely, saw that the color did not return to his face, and they knew he was a good deal worse injured than he would admit. At the same time, they bad no more to say. When one of the Buzzards announced that he wished to be Jet alone bis wishes were usually respected, for be stood ready to enforce them with a knife and revolver. When Dave had finished eating he arose, still showing his mysterious weakness. ‘*[’'m goin’ ter bed,” he observed, ‘‘ an’ I want ye ter keep away from me.” ** All right,” said Bill. He knew that, if the truth was ever known, they must wait their younger brother’s pleasure, and all tried to seem unconscious of the cloud; but when he bad closed the door of the inner room behind bim, they went outside and spent considerable time in wondering what had oc- curred, It was generally agreed that he had met some of the men of Hotspur—they set the number at about five—and had been terribly whipped, but they could not understand why be should refuse to tell them about it and ask for their aid to gain revenge. At the same time Dave wasin his room. He had not retired, but he had removed his shirt and was dressing a wound in his side. It was not a serious one; the bruise on bis head was more painful and dangerous; but he ground his teeth as he washed and bandaged it. ‘*T’}l have his life for it, ther sneaking calf! He took me unawares, an’ he’s a coward at heart. Death and destruction! I’m burnin’ up with fever. An’ I was bumbled before her. Why doI think o’ her? She’s a woman, an’ it’s weakness ter think o’ sech, but her baby face dances afore me all ther while. Zetta! It’sa purty name, an’ ef I had her I wouldn’t keer so much ’cause Mona shook us, Ef I had her? Bah! I’m gettin’ ter be a fool, I wouldn’t bev Bill, an’ Tom, an’ Jack know how [ got this burt fur a fortune. All fur a woman! Ob! Dave Buzzard, you’re a blamed, drivelin’ fool!” Again he ground his strong teeth, and could Neal Bishop bave seen him then, he might well have sbrunk back appalled at the storm he raised when he became Zetta’s champion. When the wound was dressed the young giant threw himself on the bed. Hedid not leave it that day. He fell asleep after awhile, but when his brothers cautiously opened the door a little they saw him tossing feverishly and muttering indistinct words which told that his thougbts still ran in the same channel. Despite the indications of severe illness, the fever abated during the afternoon and, at about three o’clock, as the other brothers were clean- ing their weapons in the main room, the inner The | door opened and he came out. He was pale and weak, and at once walked to their vengeance, ; a chair and sat down. ‘Be you goin’ ter Hotspur?” he asked. ‘Yss.” replied Bill, slowly. ‘‘Sech war our intention,” | Hen rrr rrr Nl shes | me ‘“‘T ain't fit ter go with ye; I'v> got ter git back some o’ my strength afore I take ther war- patb. I wanter say a word about Mona. Be you goin’ ter steal her?” ‘* Kf we kin.” ‘“‘'That’s all right, an’ I approve on’t, ez I said afore, but I want ye all ter solemnly sw’ar not ter harm so much ez a ha’r o’ her head.” ‘*Tt would sp’ile our revenge on Rube ef we did. No, we won’t harm her: we sw’ar it.” ‘*That’s enough,” Dave answered, after a long louk at each of the others in succession. ‘*T wish I war able ter go with ye, but l’ain’t an’ that’s the eend on’t. I wish ye good- luck.” He fell into thought so deep that when the otbers addressed him he did not hear. He was thinking of Zetta. Her face still ‘‘ danced be- fore bim,” in imagination, and though she was an indirect, and innocent, cause of an affair which came near costing him bis life, he had taken a deep fancy to her. He even went so far as to wonder how life would go, with him if he was to take her, zo far away and desert the Buzzards forever, but as the day-dream dis- sipated a little he started up angrily. Zetta was a woman: it was ‘*‘ weakness” to think of her! Bill, Jack and Tom left the Roost two hours before dark. They were impatient to make their stroke for revenge, and as that was the third of the days of grace granted Hotspur City, they felt sure Colorado Rube would be so on the alert during the night that Mrs, Ralston could not be abducted. But, they argued, no one would suspect that they would attack during the day; consequent- ly, that was the time to act. They left the Roost and descended Sugar- Loaf, thence moving on toward the village. Hotspur wus living its usual quiet existence. Men and women were occupied with their daily duties, and the place was much like am Eastern village. Yet, there were anxious people there, as there were everywhere. Broderick bad paid a second visit to the chasm down which Nelson had gone. He found it too deep and precipitous to be de- scended, and otherwise inaccessible, and there did not seem any danger that the colonel bad escaped death, but he would have felt much safer could he have seen his lifeless bodv. Zetta, too, was in trouble. After she fied from the scene of the fight between Dave Bua zard and Neal Bisbop, she had seen neither of them. What had become of the latter she did not know; she had expected him to return to Hotspur, but he did not come. That Dave was dead she did not doubt, and as she knew he had been Mrs. Ralston’s favorite brother, she was filled with consternation, True, there was an open rupture in their rela- tions, and Dave was bitter toward his sister, but he was still her brother. Zetta felt that she ought to tell what bad happened, but she feared Mona would blame ber and shrunk from the confession. The Buzzards approached the village secretly. Unless some of the people were wandering out of their usual) limit, there was really little fear of discovery, for the gulches furnished abund- ant shelter, and all seemed in their favor. Thev ~ere soon at a point directly back of Col- orado Rube’s house, and by some careful work they gained the shelter of the trees where Mil- dred Fenton once met Neal; a place only a few yards from the building. Here they paused to reconnoiter, and at the end of ten minutes they decided that there was no one in the house besides Mona and Miss Fenton. This decision arrived at, a few words sufficed to settle their course. once. Just as they had fivished laying their plans, — the last obstacle to their success was removed — as Mildred donned her outer garments and left: — the house. Then they waited no longer and were soon inside. Mrs. Ralston sat sewing in the front room, unconscious of the storm which was rising around her. Her first warning came when a voice sounded behind her, ‘“* Woman !” It was Bill Buzzard’s peculiar mode of greet- ing, but it was enough to cause her to spring to her feet and wheel like a flash. She recognized the voice. Three of ber brothers stood before her, and | she needed no explanation to understand that — The one who they were there as her enemies. had always been the kindest to ber was absent, but it mattered little then. Each one of the three faces bore a scowl, and they were so dis- posed that escape was impossible. The little woman was frightened, but her heroic spirit stood her in good use, and she did not faint or scream, Instead, she resolved to try diplomacy upon them. ‘*Is it you, eS she began, steadily, ever smilingly, but Bill interrup’ ed: ‘* Yas, it’s us; but ye needn’t put on no arti- ficial grins: we’re hyar as your enemies, Ther day o’ reck’nin’ hez come!” m ool e) (E cS (Ee) / ry “ST Gk ee 2s. o° aw 7 ° 9 They decided to move at: © os -o sr fee few? bee et es i le -- 2 etal | “ye C fight | defy 1 they k Bil RB, g0ing merci]. will le: betwee com ee y! , - Ut