Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 303 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

re i meal 1 J *- "he ‘<r oa ana 1 Pg, — 4s ein, gees nt ee — & ’ * =< - a - (ree Ao t& 7 om . * ae » Yay - a4 - - al ~ ie ae ¥ . Ss & . - 4. FE ER ae ee OP gg Bae A en ee ie “Os ih » & — —~ * -- bow! = _ — . -_— ~~ * : a. ~ ~ ; ap o™ er aaa le | = ihe 2 ~ —_ — aa at A oe ee * ~~ * * . . ,é. LI} - that they were disposed home with her - the door. yard, -. easy manner of bis race, Top Notch Tom, the Cowboy Outlaw. cast round the room in search of one of her own sex, nO matter how humble, caught the eye of the kind old judge, who had daughters of his | own. ** How! How !” Then they went into the house, and Diana, who had been dozing away the heat of the day, as usual with her of late, looked up from the With a prompt consideration that made her | bammock to ask lazily: flush with gratitude, he rose from the bench and added: **But you are tired and nearly sick. Come into my room at the back of the court. You will find my wife there, and your father and ‘brother-in-law can come, too.” And the gallant old gentleman gave ber his arw and took her off in triumph. CHAPTER XXYV. THROUGH THE GLASS, Wren Helen Collingsworth, after her evi- dence had been given ip the trial, went back to the private room of the Judge, she found, as he had said, a lady there, seated, whom she knew as the wife of the judge himself, and to whom she instinctively went, as a haven of refuge from the eyes of the men who, up to that time, had surrounded her. Then, like most girls would have done under the same circumstances, she had a good cry in the matronly bosom of the judge’s wife, and was comforted by the presence of ber father and Tom, whom she seemed, for the first time, to recognize. Then followed a great deal of talk between the three, while the judge’s wife, who had ful- filled her mission of kindness discreetly, went to the window to talk with her husband, and the latter excused himself and went out to the oT to attend to the next trial, the lady going ome. And when they had talked themselves out, Helen said to Tom: ‘*Well, and are you going home now? Di will be getting anxious. We have hidden from her the reason of your going to-day, but she will think it very strange that you do not come home earlier. I must go, for one; and I want some one to take me home.” von Collingsworth here put in: *“*Pil go with you, my dear.” “But why can’t Tom come, too?” she per- sisted. Tom seemed a little embarrassed, He knew that the boys would be crazy to see him; and he.and the judge bad arranged that, in case of his acquittal, he should resume his candidacy for the Assembly at once, The fight with the cattle company was by no means over yet, and they both knew it. Berkeley and Levy might be out of the question; but there were others ready to take their places, and the ranchers had suffered so severely from over-confidence to err in the other extreme now, and allow nothing to be taken for granted. Bat Helen could not understand this, and she was looking injured already, at the idea that she was going home without Tom, whom she had made up ber mind to take with her, to tell Di all that had happened, after showing her that Tom was safe. Tom mana to explain his pene and asked her to keep Di in the dark till he came home, which he promised to do as soon as possi- ble, and the young lady was finally prevailed on to let him go, while she took her own way ther, As Tom left her he said, in a voice that reached her alone: ‘‘Have you any message for any one ?” She colored and cast down her eyes, as she hoes back: ‘‘Tell him be was right, and that / knew it all the time.” Then she passed out with her father, and Tom saw her, from the court-house window, ride off down the street with the old judge; her trim | figure set off by the neatly-fitting habit; the ad- m g cowboys hardly restrained from cheer- ing her as she went, by the respect that they al- oe showed a lady. ut he saw them running out of the saloons, all down the street, as the news spread that she was coming; and the singular spectacle was resented of a number of men, standing, bare- eaded, in the sun, not saying a word, till the young lady and her father bad passed, when they set up a cheer that could be heard a mile away, and which called a flush of gratification to the cheek of Helen herself, as she rode out of _ the town. But she took her way to the ranch, and ar- rived there with her father, to find Wild Cat in rowling round, after the un- But Wild Cat asked no questions, for the double reason that he disdained to show cu- _piosity openly, and that he would not speak his broken English, if be could a it. The judge, however, read his face correctly, and said to him: “Tt is all right, Wild Cat. We have won the day, and he’ will be home to-night, safe and sound.” The Indian allowed a smile to cross his stolid features, as he extended his hand and said, em- phatically : . ‘*‘ Where is Tom?” Helen told her that Tom was detained in had promised to come home early. Diana began to sulk at the news that he was | not already on his way, and they bad to invent all sorts of excuses before she would be satis- fied to wait till he came. They had systematically deceived her ever ; town by some election business, and that he | | pose they are getting tipsy, as usual.” since he had been bome, and had kept her in ig- | norance of the fact that he bad been indicted for murder. She fancied that he had been driven out, for | fear of being lynched by the men of the cattle company, and they bad gladly acquiesced in the belief, to save her from the still more alarming idea that her husband would be called on to answer for his life, before a court, where the chances were all against him. The election thought was a py one, for she was very proud of ber husband, and readily gave way to the belief that he had gone to town on election business, though she could not conceive why Helen should have gone too. To save her from thinking too much about it, her sister proposed a walk through the stock- ards, and afterward asked her how she would ike to go up to the belvidere, and watch for Tom’s coming, through the grass. Diana was delighted at the idea; for she knew that they could see the town, distinctly enough, through the long and powerful tele- Ratatatsern was about five or six miles from the house, by the trail, but, in a straight line, it was scant five, and they could distinguish figures, and recognize who the parties were, with a good deal of certainty. After some trouble, Diana was taken up to the top of the houses, and the telescope was ad- justed, Helen took the first look, being best acquaint- ed with the glass, and having no mean skill in its adjustment. She me the horizon, and saw that the ranch of the cattle company was quiet, aud looked about as usual, with the men at their posts, around the cattle, while the ranches in the neighborhood seemed to be almost entirely deserted, The cattle, which had been penned up for three or four weeks, in the narrow quarters left them by the wire-fences, were roaming hungrily about, within their limits, seeking for fresh herbage, and lowing discontentedly, but tamer than of yore, for the very repression that had been practiced on them. Only one or two men were left at any of the ranches, save that of the company, which was ——s with men, comparatively speaking, as if the fences had not been there, It was growing late in the afternoon, and as the girl looked, she saw a man, riding full speed among the men of the company,dash- ing from group to group, and off again. he would have watched longer, but at that moment Diana said impatiently: ‘Well, Helen, if I had thought you invited me up here to look at you, I migbt bave stayed down-stairs, as well as not.” So Helen had to turn the glass over to her sister, concealing her anxiety as well as she could, by saying: “There is something going on in the com- any’s ranch, and I can’t make out what it is. Man watch, and tell me what you see. I have left it trained on the place.” Nothing could have suited Diana better; for she was in that state of indolent irritability, which comes of unusual ill-health suffered by a — of naturally active and out-of-door bab- ts, compelled to stay in one place and lie down frequently. She needed distraction for her mind, and the telescope afforded her the opportunity, The presence of an object of interest was still more lucky for her, and she at once glued her eye to the instrument, and stared through it at the very same place where Helen had been looking. Presently she said: ‘* There seems to be something the matter at the big log-house, for they are all taking their way there, from all over the place. There are about our} already, and they are waiting outside, as if they had been sent for.” Then, after a long pause, she added: ‘There is certainly something the matter, for there are a great many more now, and the rest are gathering still. There is a man coming out to the door of the house now, and he is beckoning in some of them! They have left their horses outside.” ; Helen listened to what she said, and felt no little anxiety. Knowing, what Diana did not, that the men of the neighboring ranches were almost all away at town, getting drunk, and that they had to come home; furthermore, that Tom Field was with them, and that he, too, would have to come with them, she had a vague sense | | reer sss eeOEeEeeeeeeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEe_eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeEeEeEeeeeeeee eee ———— _ thing it is to be sick! of danger, that she could not define clearly, which made her quite anxious to get at the in- strument herself. The opportunity came presently, when Diana, with a slight yawn, said: “There, that’s enough for one day. They don’t seem to be doing anything but going into the house and out, wiping their mouths, t sup- Then she added: up here, Helen, and I shall own-stairs. What a miserable I must go and lie down again. Ob, dear—oh, dear! when shall I ever be well again?” And Helen had to leave the telescope and take her sister down-stairs again, burning with anx- iety all the time to know what was transpiring at the company’s log-house, But before she could get Diana down-stairs, and had seen her dozing again in the fitful and uneasy style that had become her second nature of late, half an bour had passed; and when she got up-stairs again to the glass, the sun was setting. The first glance she directed to the log-house showed her that there was a large crowd of horsemen there, and as she watched them, she saw Berkeley come out, mount his horse, and ride away with them in the direction of Satans- town. Then she pondered in vain. as to what could be his intention. That it was bad, she had no doubt; but what could be mean? That an open attack would be mado on the drunken cowboys as they came home, was her first thought, but she dismissed that as absurd, ‘‘Surely they would not dare to do such a thing as that now,” she murmured to herself. But, as she watched them through the glass and saw that every man was heavily armed, she grew more and more uneasy, and at last went down-stairs and told her father what she had seen. The news disturbed the old judge visibly, and he ejaculated, in tones of great indigna- tion: ‘‘Tbhe unscrupulous villains! They are going to make another fight, and they will find the poor boys all defenseless. What shall we do?” He seemed to be thunderstruck, and for some minutes could not control his thoughts to act coolly. Then he suddenly said: ‘‘Té must be done, hit or miss! Helen, you have the brains and pluck of the family. Poor Di has not turned out what I thought, since her marriage. Of course it will wear off, but in the mean time these boys have got to be saved, and there is no one but me to save them. I must ride to town and get ahead of these vil- lains. They will not dare to fire on an old man like me!” Helen touched his arm softly. ‘*‘ They have done it once, and they will do it again if necessary. There is only one person they will respect.’ ‘* And who is that, Helen?” ‘‘A woman,” was the firm amswer. ‘‘They would shoot at you, but let me see them shoot at me, if they dare py The judge stared at his daughter, with a face of horror, as he ejaculated: ‘* You! My God, child! it can not be done. It can not! It would be murder! You can not stir a step from this house. I mean it. What do you think Lam, to let you think of such a thing?” ‘‘ Father,” she answered firmly, “I tell you Iam the only person who can get through, if the men mean mischief, They are Texans, at least, and would not do a woman barm, what- ever they might wish. I can ride round by the other way, knowing which road they have gone, and get there in time to warn them.” ‘‘T tell you, Helen, it can not and shall not be done,” said the old man firmly. ‘‘ You have a hard enough part here, to take care of Di, and keep the thing from her, till all issafe. I must go and take the back way. I may get there in time. Stay: who is that over there?” The figure of a man was seen at the corner of the house, and Helen recognized the Indian, Wild Cat, coming forward in the stealthy fash- ion of his race; but what surprised her was, that he was leading by the bridle, his pony, that he bad not mounted since he came to the house, where be had passed his time between eatin drinking and sleeping, so that nobody wou have thought he took notice of anything, so sleepy was his manner, The judge called to him, and he came up to them stolidly, saying nothing but a grim: “* How !” ‘“Where are you going, Wild Cat?’ asked “TI get dizz have to go elen. The Indian looked round, to make sure that no one else was near, before he ventured on his imperfect ig Then he said: ‘*Go—big house—heap house. See Looking Glass. Want friend.” ‘He does, indeed, want friends,” said Helen, in her most earnest way, and trying to use sim- ple words that the Indian might understand her, ‘I bave been looking through the big glass, up on the roof, and I have seen his enemies-—~Sad men—want to killbim. Have you seen them?” ECO MIKE S JOO ~~ [ +i" me : > ney