Beadle's Dime Library No. 299 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

7 or enw ene ee ae he ee, os > 18 pace 8 plod. The wish being father to the hope, e said: ‘* They can’t have left so badly-used-up a man as Iron Despard. The Tiger was their best card for this kind of work.” A dog-in-the-manger jealousy prompted Moran to Say: “It may be the Sportive Sport. no slouch.” *‘Had we not better advance upon him at once?” ‘“‘No, It will be light enough to make him out clean in ten minutes, Then we’ll be able to see if the others are any where around.” ‘* As long as he don’t move and we've got the was him, he’s perfectly safe.” ‘You jest bet he’s safe this time!” ‘** Now not another sound!” So they awaited, peeping from the covert at the motionless guard. How strange that he had remained there so long after the others had got ample start to keep ahead of their enemies. The daylight broadened until his face could be distinctly seen. Then the mystery was ex- plained. Joe Moran uttered an ejaculation of exultant wre 5 pick F t is Iron Despard!” he whispered. ‘** But, see!” exclaimed Adam Farley. man is stone dead!” - Let the reader pass through that narrow de- file which the unerring aim of the Sportive Sport had blocked up with the bodies of his enemies. With a woman’s quick sympathy, Mrs. Reilly ect fy: to Iron Despard’s side, crying : ‘Ob! you are burt!” ** It is nothing!” he said, waving her off. He struggled to his feet, but feeling faint, was eased back upon a rock by the Tiger. ‘* Where are you hit?” asked Dick. “It’s in the breast. But don’t mind me. Carry bim on to a place of safety, and I will stay and guard this pass. They couldn’t carry it i they were ten times their number. You can reach Mulligan’s Bend two hours before they can cross the mountain. Put him in care of Six-foot Si; and tell him what he has to look out for.” This was said while the speaker was gasping with pain. ‘* Hold on,” said the Tiger. ‘‘ This man’s all rigbt. What we want to learn first is your own He wa'n’t ‘“‘ The ‘*T shall do very well.” ‘ That’s just what we want to find out.”’ And the Tiger coolly proceeded to open Iron Despard’s coat and shirt, to inspect his wound. e found that a bullet had struck a rib just above the heart, glanced and made a flesb- wound in the arm. “Tt was a close call, ner,” he said, ‘‘ but Ireckon you are good for a great many more rounds yet. Sensitive, of course, but—” He pressed the rib. Iron Despard winced with pain. ‘* But solid,” concluded the Tiger. can tell that it isn’t broken.” ‘Yes! yes! I shall be all right in a few minutes. Don’t waste time over me. [ will pw * emy way to Mulligan’s Bend before day- ght.’ ‘You mustn’t stay too long. to take you in the rear.” “They won’t find me, Good-night!” Satisfied that be could fake care of bimself, as well as guard the pass, his friends in lifted their burden, Mrs. Reilly soothing the Sanaa to whose distempered brain all of this rmoil was imperfectly intelligible. Alone, Iron Despard set his dark-lantern so that, out of e of the bullets of his enemies, it cast a bar of light across the defile. While this was so placed it was impossible for them to creep oe him in the darkness, even if his sense of ring failed to warn him. For awhile the indistinguishable sound of ae came from beyond the rocks through the defile. But that gradually subsided; and ere long the unbroken silence of night reigned around. Jron Despard did not propose to let this lull him into a false sense of security. None knew better than he that it might be preparnnery to a sudden charge down the defile. So he kept his ears on the alert and his eyes on the point where the pass was illuminated by his dark lantern. But in this there was nothing to prevent him from thinking thoughts quite foreign to his vigil;and they came like a flock of ill-omened birds, darkening the air. He thought of his life, the happiness of which had been wrecked by the falsehood of the wo- man he had loved—perbaps with an ill-regulated ssion; for bis was an intense nature in which ove wasa sortof frenzy. He gave his whole soul, and demanded in return every corner of the soul before which he bowed down, Was there no truth in woman?! He bad sworn it almost bourly since the night be bad fled from San Francisco, leaving the wreck of his home behind him. And yet those letters from Bob Cady’s sweetheart had fallen like a ‘* You They may try | | f | | Three of a Kind. Every syllable of those heart-cries of a humble vet faithful love, bad burned into bis soul as if written in Jetters of fire, carrying conviction against all the furious skepticism born of bis bitter experience. He believed in her; and though he did not acknowledge it to himself, from the time when heconstructed alitter on which to carry Bob to Coyote, he had been acting on that faitb. He was risking his life to reunite these lovers, and to secure for them that wealth which would clothe all their future life with peace and beauty. Let their love, which had begun in such bitterness, end in the fullest fruition of we re that this life can give. nd yet against all this generous purpose rose the bitterness of his resentment. Why should he, who had suffered so at the hands of women, concern himself with the sufferings of one of the hateful sex, be she never so faithful? So raged the battle in his heart, until he ceased to note the flight of time, and forgot his surroundings, His eyes remained fixed upon the illuminated rock; yet saw nothing; his ears = on the alert, no longer remembered for what. Then came the reaction after bis long wake- fulness and the bodily and mental strain of the past few hours, following upon the days of anguish and soul-conflict: and as he gradual] yielded his will to the generous pups which had conquered the worse part of his nature, a languor, both physical and spiritual, crept over im, so insidiously that he sunk into deep sleep without warning. Thus his enemies found him. His pistols rested across his knees in readiness for instant use: but his consciousness was locked in slumber so profound that even the airy sprites of dream- land were shut out. For comfort, be bad propped himself in an angle of the rock, so that when his muscles re- laxed in sleep, be still remained erect. Even bis head, resting against the rock, had not fal. len forward upon his breast. But his jaw had dropped; and this, with his extreme pallor, resulting from the loss of blood, and noticeable wherever his face was free from ppp and dirt, gave him the cadaverous look of a corpse. **Dead!” repeated Joe Moran after Adam Farley. ‘‘And they left him there like a ‘quaker soldier’ in an abandoned fort! Well, we’ve wasted a good deal of time on his ac- cou ‘‘ Gents,” whispered a sharp-sighted fellow in their following, ‘‘ tbat man ain’t dead.” “ Not dead phe Ef he is, you may use my head fur a foot- ‘What do you call it, my Christian friend, when a man stops breathing ” ‘‘ That’s jest it. He hain’t stopped.” “The dense he hasn’t! Well, it looks a good deal like it,’” “To you, maybe; but not to me. I tell ye, that galoot’s breatbin’ bellus is a-workin’ jest as free as yours or mine,” ‘*Then what is he settin’ thar for?’ ** He’s asleep. That’s what’s the matter with bim!” ** Asleep!” Joe was about to scoff at the idea; but as the daylight broadened he fancied that he could make out the regular rise and fall of Iron Des- pard’s deep chest. The man at his elbow went on: ‘* l’ve seen men asleep in line o’ battle, while he was waitin’ fur orders to advance on the enemy’s position.” Just then a bird trilled a long melodious note, the herald of the new day. It was answered by a few which swelled into a chorus of twittering that swept through the “oe like a tidal wave of melody. Iron ’s breast rose with a Jong, deep inhalation; and his head moved slightly. ‘‘ By thunder! be is snoozin’!” muttered Mo- ran. ‘‘Then creep forward, and take him beforc be is fairly awake,” said Adam Farley. ‘“T kin give him a through ticket without dis- turbin’ his slumbers, from here!” And Moran drew bis revolver. But Adam Farley bad an eye to appearances. As a man of means, be bad a certain position to maintain. He could not afford to bave it whis- pered on the streets of Frisco that he had coun- tenanced the shooting down in cold blood of even the most desperate character; though to bave acted as Judge Lynch would give him a certain eclat in the society of the Western metropolis. — So he now put a restraining hand on Moran’s arm. “Hold on! We're not murdering men yet awhile, when it’s just as easy to hang them in due form.” Joe tarned round and stared at him. ‘‘And much good he'll git out o’ the dif- ference!” he exclaimed. ““Much or little, he has the benefit of a trial, you understand,” There was a quiet determination about Adam thunderbolt from heaven in his path, proclaim- | Farley which few men would care to oppose ing woman’s devotion and constancy, when not angry. Joe Moran yielded with a sullen frown. Adam cAcalags 4 with a covert assertion of au- thority, gave the next order to the men. ‘‘ Advance upon him as keeping the drop on him, makes a desperate resistance,” They rose and crept forward, Another burst of minstrelsy swept through the gulch, followed by the fitful whirring of wings. With a start Iron Despard sprung into com- plete wakefulness, ; He was confronted by a semi-cirele of ene- mies, each regarding him with a grim smile of triumph over the barrel of u revolver leveled at his heart! “Hyar we are ag’in!” was Joe Moran’s salu- tation, uietly as possible, o firing unless he CHAPTER XVI. SIX-FOOT SL. HAVING left their colleague on guard, Tiger Dick and the Sportive Sport made what pro- gress they could in the darkness toward Mulli- gan’s Bend. It was necessarily slow, since, as far as footing was concerned, hey had to take whatever came, without any warning from the sense of sight. The constant stumbling over unseen obstacles made their task exceedingly toilsome, so that they had to rest frequently. Yet the Sportive Sport urged their progress into a forced march, ‘‘T have a presentiment that we are not out of this thing yet,” hesaid. “If it occurs them to construct a wooden shield to be borne before them, they can force that defile in half an hour. Then we might as well throw up the “ponge! Or with good horses they might make the north pass and intercept us, if we don’t pull foot pretty lively.” “Pitch your own trump,” said the Tiger. ‘1 reckon I cau stand it as long as you can,” ‘I find that I haven’t the muscle nor wind I once had,” replied the Sportive Sport. ‘City life softens one up all round,” Rut he proved that his pow of endurance were far from contemptible; and it was not yet morning when they found themselves at Mulli- gan’s Bend, The mining-camp was wrapped in sleep as they passed down its one street to the shanty occupied by Six-foot Si, to which they were directed by Mrs. Reilly. A rousing summons on the door brought the proprietor of the place out of bis bunk with the promptness of a Jack-in-the-box. They could hear his bare feet strike the floor as he demand- P ** Who’s hyar?” ‘“‘Friends,” replied the Sportive Sport. ‘‘ We come from Coyote by the direction of Colonel Dangerfield.” ‘Trou Despard? That’s enough,” was the re- sponse. And the hospitable master of the house threw wide the door, “ Come right in, gents,” hesaid. ‘This hyar shebang, sich as it is, is entirely at yer sarvice, Excuse me, ma’am!” | For at thismoment he made out the lady who was in their company. “Ef so be you'll wait until I get into my” trowsers—” And he modestly drew back from the doorl” way. hs the deficiency of the toilet was no bar to them, Tiger Dick and Sportive Sport did not wait for its completion, but entered at once with their burden. ‘We have brought youa wounded man,” said the Sportive Sport. ““Exactly!” in Six-foot Si, to show how heartily he welcomed them, “and a n to take care of him. The more the merri gentlemen! Anything I kin do fur Iron gO pard or his friends does me proud.” But he was too polite to keep the lady waitihis an | a moment longer than was unavoidable; having got into his trowsers, which, according to the western code of etiquette, made him pre- sentable, though his feet were yet bare and his ‘‘gallnses ” slapped bis heels, he struck a light, ) and going to the door, said “Now, ma’am, ef you'll kindly exc ged BOT keepin’ ye waitin’, an’ll do me t 6 git ya, fur the honor to enter my humble abode . tA a compliment to have ye consid@” long as ye favor me with yer cc ok ad papers of And with a bow and a wave, »),00int, and per- ceremonious as if he were at aside for her to enter, *) effect on men “ You're very civil-spoken, T'nirw much obleeged to ye!” said Mre> albeit with what overcome by his gallantry, y es when they ‘Don’t mention it, ma’am! {, . sig s lay yer mans On. va only too ha to git anythin pleased to es A . ay ' He closed the door after ber, and turned with a really pleased smile to see that his male guests had not stood on eeremony, but were already busy transferring the wounded man from the litter to his bunk, ‘We bave no time to lose,” said the Sportive Sport, with a feeling that some sort of apology Pie ; Gomicbooks 7 4 - one or two ard in their an that,” US taalg ‘ai (E(@) . —