Beadle's Dime Library No. 305 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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on the bed. ‘I Silver-Plated Sol, the Montana; Rover. 15 CHAPTER XX. DEVELOPMENTS THICKEN, Lois was satisfied to let the Magician speak first. She saw that she bad gained a point, and she was anxious to see what he would say next. ‘You bave no ground for such a suspicion,” he finally managed to answer. ‘‘T bave all the ground in the world—truth, Do you deny the charge?” ‘*T do, tL Bernard Wardner? Nonsense! I never saw you in my life until I came to Bowl- der Bar.” “ Denial is easy now, but you betrayed your- self during the first few moments of your sur- prise. Iam sorry to say, I have no doubt but you are my father. Abandon the mask of be- ing his agent, and let us deal directly with each other. As I before asserted, you deserted me and my mother basely, long years ago, and you made no effort to see me until you had reason to believe I had a large sum of money. Then you became anxious to effect a reconciliation, so you could share in the ill-gotten gains. Un- luckily for you, I bave not a cent of Abram Selden’s money, and so ends your dream; but I bave a word more to say. You need not trouble yourself further about me, for words cannot express the scorn and contempt in which I hold you. False husband and father, you are eetees my notice, and I hope you will not cross my path again.” By this time the Magician’s old coolness and audacity had returned, and he laughed mock- ‘You assume the airs of a tragedy queen, my dear, but they have no effect on me. I have lived long enough in this world to beimpervious to common emotions, More than this, lama man wh onever abandons an attempt once made, Whatever design I have on you will be carried out inexorably.” ‘What can you do?” “‘ Nothing, perhaps you think.” “1 did not say so.” ‘“‘ Your tone indicated it. Well, since I hoped for an alliance with you, I cannot tell just what I shall do, but you may depend upon it, I shall fail in nothing I undertake. I neverdo, It will be wiser for you to reconsider your decision and let me be your friend.” ‘T decline,” was the cold reply. ‘* Have it as you will, but you will live to re- gretit. Wait! I will give you two days in which to.meditate, If you change your mind, come to me and say so. Then, all will be well. If you do not come, beware!” e moved abruptly toward the door as he spoke, and, knowing a word from him would betray her to the Selden heirs, Lois dared not answer defiantly. At the door he paused for a moment and looked at her steadily. She did not apeek, and, with a faint smile curving his bearded lips, he turned again. 4 -da 17 And then Hamed was gone and she was alone; alone to meet her fears and troubles, and the dark shadows of the future which menaced her with bitter woe. A few hours before the interview last de- scribed a man dangnidly opened his eyes and looked around him in a small cabin near the western side of the village. He did not seem to recognize his surround- ings, and a puzzled look was wanting to his face when another man came forw to his side, “ How oe ne find yourself, Silver-Plated Sol?’ he asked. . - “ Ah! is that you, Lovering?’ asked the man yiad begun to think I was out of my longitude, but your face is familiar, Where pe 4 f “In a cabin I have ‘jumped,’ for this occa- sion only. You see, I made for the nearest shelter when I pulled you out of Mad river.” Sol Colton started. His mind had been con- fused, but it cleared at the Jast words. He made an effort to sit upright, and, though it pad that his old strength was lacking, did so espite Lovering’s advice to remain quiet. ‘*T remember,” he said, ‘‘I—I fell into the river.” ' “Yes, through the aid of three men,” said Lovering, dryly. The rover looked at him searchingly. “You saw it all, then?” sé Yes,” There was silence for a moment, and then Sol slowly asked: ** How did I get out?’ ‘“‘ITleapedin and pulled you out. It would have been a useless venture, I am thinking, only it seemed you had already freed your hands, and. you helped me a good deal, though in s way instinctive rather than reasoning I think. ‘“‘You are right. .1 remember nothing after I was thrown in, excepta Cesperaie effort to keep from being dashed against the ledge. I am a deal et sea; beso good as to give me light on the = re? Silver-Plated Sol had had an eventful experi- He went to Joseph Danforth’s room with- ence, out a suspicion that he was placing, himself in the power of the man he wished to find, but not in such a way. The postmaster had received the promised drug from Burbank, and he adminis- tered it in wine without trouble. They had talked about the decoy letter, by which Colton hoped tolearn the identity of *‘ A. B. C.,” until he grew sleepy and soon lost con- sciousness. Then Danforth bound and gagged him, and stowed him away under the floor of the store-room. It had been expected that the drug would keep him unconscious until night, but, from some reason, its effects partially passed away in a short time. Sol came back to the power of life and motion, but his head did not clear. He was in this con- dition, and restlessly moving about, when Ettala heard him and so much excitement en- sued. In his restless movements, too, he scratched one of his hands on a nail, so that it bled freely. As soon as Burbank was rid of the girls, he went to the prisoner, took him out, conveyed him to the post-office and concealed him behind a case where there was little danger of his be- ing found. He was tempted to kill him outright, but finally concluded not to do it. At midnight the prisoner was taken out by Danforth, Burbank and Devlin, and conveyed to theriver. By that time bis head was clear. He recognized his captors and realized his own danger, and as his motto was tonever give up,he managed to abstract a knife from Devlin’s. belt as he was being carried, despite the fact that his hands were bound. When he was thrown into the river he was wholly on the alert. He knew if he was dashed against Madrock Ledge his fate would be sealed, So he worked with the energy of desperation. His first move was to cut his bonds, and then he struggled bravely to. baffle the swift current which was carrying him on toward the fatal rocks of the ledge. Luckily for him, Lovering had been abroad and had seen the tragedy, and he at once plunged in to his rescue, unseen, in the dark- ness and tumult of the river, by the would-be murderers. It was a hard fight, and for a while he seemed likely to share the fate from which he wished to save Colton, but there was more strength in his arms than one would think, and he succeed- ed at last in reaching the bank again. Once there he was so exhausted that he lay for a nasa time almost motionless; lay until the doers of the dark deed, as well as the watcher from the cliff, Sam Leach, had gone away; and then he managed to get Sol to tne cabin, The latter soon recovered, but he was in a dazed state produced by the drug, his confine- ment in the house, and the river adventure; and he said nothing rational, but soon fell into a deep sleep ee this he had finally awakened in bis right mind. ; ; When Lovering had explained his share. in the rescue he was warmly thanked, and then, as he knew some account was necessary. and did not wish to tell the truth, he. began a fictitious explanation, but Lovering soon interrupted. ** Excuse me, but you have unconsciously re- vealed more of the facts of the case by your mutterings than your story seems likely to re- veal. You have said enough, too, to give me reason to believe we are mutually interested in 3 i aa case—one which concerns Roger Hil- r The rover started, ‘“ What do you know of Hillard?” he asked. _ “Enough so that [ wished to meet. him, but I judge from what you have said that he is dead. ou, it seems, wish to know his past. What.I want is to know his present, or, rather, of the later events of bis life,” ’ * Are you his friend or foe?” ** His friend, and yours, if you will have it so. Come, let us join forces and work together, I can tell a strange story, and one which may in- terest you, in return for your confidence.” Sol meditated for awhile, but he could see no good reason for suspec ing Lovering to be an enemy—had he not proved the contrary by say- ing his life?—and he decided to make a clean wien nf it, yaa , ' ceordingly, he told, briefly but clearly, the story of Roger Hillard’s deat, and his pep ati sequent efforts to discover the perpetrators of the deed. Lovering was silent for a moment after he finished, and then he abruptly said: _‘*T believe I have the key to the mystery!” ** Tell it, and you shall be well rewarded.” “T want no reward, but I'll speak all the same. Roger Hillard once lived in a-small Il- linois town, and this is the story that they tell there: Roger loved a young woman named Bertha Wardner. She was the adopted daugh- ter of a rich bachelor named Abram Selden, her parents being dead, AJ] went on amoothly, and the marriage seemed a sure thing, until Selden began to fail in health. Then, people say, Bertba saw she was not Fong ite get bis syoelte;» and mit formed ne ea of forging a will giving her Roger de- clined to hel cad aud she took up with another lover, ed Charles Winter, ween then i ll =z a will was forged, and Hillard saw it, but it served to kill out what love he had, and he’ ab- ruptly left Illinois. It was then he came to Montana.” ‘*T do not see your connection yet.” ‘“Wait! Somehow, the for will was not used, and Selden died without a word as to how his money should be disposed of, but when it was looked for, lo! something like twenty thou- sand dollars were missing. Bertha Wardner was accused of taking it, but proof was want- ing, and, before the matter was fully settled both she and Charles Winter disappeared—fied together, the good people of Tlinois say.” CHAPTER XXI, ETTALA SEEKS AN ALLY. “a begin to see where the connection ma come in,” observed Silver Plated Sol. ‘Tt is but a suspicion with me, but it is a per- tinacious one just 58 dee My idea is this; Joseph Danforth is Charles Winter, the former accomplice of Bertha Wardner. Of course she is near; where, we have yet to learn. The ef- forts of the Selden beirs to find the money, and Bertba, have not ceased. They want to find the girl, Winter and Roger Hillard. nines ‘Now, I argue like this: Winter, alias Dan- forth, knew of this search, and they knew that Hillard could tell something damaging about them. Possibly he knew all about the theft of the money, but kept quiet because of the love he once bore Bertha, They, however, had no such scruples, and, fearing he would betra them, they went to Red Summit and kill im. “You trailed them here, but, luckily or un- luckily, went straight to Winter, alias Dan- forth, for information.” _ Yes,” interrupted Sol, “and when IT asked him to help me find out who was expecting & letter addressed to ‘ A, B. C.,’ I was talking with that precise person then, I see; 1 put rh foot in it, and the postmaster did his level best to get me in all over; and it’s not due to any sagacity on my part that he didn’t succeed.” - ** You need not reproach yourself, for you did just what any one else would have done under similar circumstances; went to oue of the fore- most men of the town for aid.” * Yes, but I won’t.do it again,” said Sol, 2 ly. “With your help I am at last on the trail. er Hillard was put out of the way because be knew too much, and the deed was done by Danforth anda female accomplice, was this female?” “ That is what we must learn.” *“* He has a sister.” **Ob! it wasn’t ber!” TeNer oe exclaimed. “T agree with you. Miss Ettala is not that kind of a person.” . “We must interview some resident of the town who will be able to tell us with whom Dan- forth is intimate; then we'll have the matter down fine.” , ‘‘ To speak'in the Greek, we'll have the earth,” said Sol, who was fast recovering his old buoy- ancy of spirit. ‘‘ Well, [know justtheman. I have struck upa friendship with a man he named Dave Bond. He’s an bonest fellow, will be just the one we want.” “By the way, you haven’t asked me why I am in the case.” ya “I’m waiting for you to explain.” ‘‘ Well, 4 am working as an amateur a. ita boping to geta reward from the Selden eirs. Colter did not question the explanation, ur seem much interested in it, but as Lovering b on a previous occasion claimed to be a Seiden heir. himself, there was still room for some doubts in regard to him. . Some talk then ensued as to Sol’s proper course for the future. Lovering suggested that he assume a disguise and return to work that way, but Sol had little faith in his ability toa such a part, and it was finally decided that should keep out of sight altogether for a while, keeping close to the cabin. aa That evening they would baye Giant Dave there and question him regard to Joseph Pap forth’s associates, and if they could decide who : accompanied him on his murderous mission, ’ L lapicd they would then know, just how to go to work 0 envelop the guilty parties ina web of evi- ence. Both men congratulated themselves on the new union. Lovering bad found Hillard, or all that he ever could find of that unfortunate man, and he felt sure that Danforth was Charles Win- ter. His mission which had seemed hopeless « little before, had & beacon-light at last, a Silver-Plated Sol now had strong hopes of avenging Roger Hillard’s murder, and his zeal was not decreased by the fact that the same man had attempted his own life. He was, f ence tempted, to take the law into his oy ands end bring the matter to a decisive ¢ but his passion soon passed and he repeated old rule that the Jaw was the greatest of all : “Oo avengers. - Ettala was thrown into a miserable mood by the discoveries she had made, Silver-Plated Sol was missing, and appearances indicated, Now, who?! Eomicbooks eto}