Beadle's Dime Library No. 305 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

os hi ae ee ie rs eR be eye ————— ara De SS ae - = _ 18 Selden who they was, an’ wher they was. That’s what I'll tell, an’ when I does it, I reckon ther walls o’ Babylon will rock!” The pugilist poured forth this spose remy» his voice and face expressive of all the evil that was in his nature. He was like an awkward and ugly demon, exulting in his power, and no stage ruffian ever approached him. Lois heard, and her consternation was appar- ent, She leaned against the table, resting one hand there as though for support, and her face was white. The watchers at the window heard with mixed emotion, All their suspicions were receiving confirmation, and they could no longer doubt, but, despite all, they pitied the girl. ‘The battle was unequal, and Devlin was not a man to in- spire sympathy in any case, Sol felt a strong desire to walk in, take him by the neck, and fling him out of the house. Lois made an effort to recover her self- possession. ‘*You are a coward!” she exclaimed. “Thank you, my dear!” “Tf I wasa man, 1 would punish you as you deserve.” “Ef you was a man, you would do jest what you'll do now; treat with me ter presarve ther eace, Nobody wants sech dang’rous secrets ez hold ter be noised abroad. Now, see hyar; let us talk sense. I hev been Joe Danforth’s man, but he ain’t jest ter my liking, an’ ez you be, I want ter make a change o’ base. Gal, I’m in love with you. You bevinspired in my manly breast a parfect gale o’ tender passion, Ef I could knit my fortunes ter yours, I’d be a happy man. Tharfore, I have a proposition ter make.” “T do not care to hear it.” * Why not?’ ‘No matter; enough that I do not.” “Tt ain’t enough,” said Mose, with an ugly look. ‘*I come hyar to make a proposition o’ marriage, an’ I’m goin’ ter make it. Ez I be- fore said, Ilove ye. Now, will you desart Joe Danforth, gather up ther twenty thousand dol- Jars ye hev, an’ flee with me?” Lois recoiled. “*T will not!” she exclaimed. “« Think ag’iu.” **Tt’s unnecessary; I positively refuse.” “Then, do ye know what I'll do?” “ No » “Tl go out on ther street an’ shout ter all that you are Bertha Wardner, an’ that Dan- forth is Charles Winter, an’ that Hillard was murdered ter keep your secret safe!” “The coward!” muttered Silver-Plated Sol, clinching his hands. ‘‘Danforth is not Charles Winter,” Lois de- clared. “T say he is.” “Tt is false!” “See byar, I ain’t nochild!” Devlin declared. ““T know what I’m talkin’ about, an’ you know I kin ruin you by tellin’ people ther facts o’ ther case. But 1 don’t want ter do that; ezI before said, I am yer lovyer, good an’ true, an’ I’ve come ter elope with yer ter-night. So, jest put on yer outside gear, an’ we'll take a skip, money an’ all, an’ be see’d no more ’round ’ hyar. wey shall do nothing of the kind,” said Lois, “Then I'll take you.” ‘*T refuse to go, Continued opposition had aroused the pugi- list’s ugly temper to its highest pitch, and he could no longer control it. Had he been sober the would never have ventured there, atte but as it was he had no sense of prudence. He had drank liquor and planned, and as a result he had resolved to have Lois as his wife. That the money she was supposed to possess had had a lange part in influencing him was clear, but she pleased him, anyway, He believed he had wooed her, this night, as a woman should be wooed, and when he saw the utter failure of his attempt, he resolved to push matters to a crisis. He had no arrange- ments made for abducting her, yet he decided to do it at once. He sprung forward to seize her, but she ran around the table and avoided him. Her gaze was on the door leading to the outside, but he ‘was shrewd enough to suspect her design, and he blocked her retreat in that direction, so she took the only course open to her. One other door was near her—that one which led to the stairway—and she opened it and darted through. Devlin followed, shouting a profane threat. * By George! I can’t stand this!” exclaimed Colton. “Tl take a hand in the game and break every bone in that ruffian’s body.” The threat was worse than bis intention, but his indignation was great, and the ees was not likely to receive tender usage at ris hands. As he spoke the rover sprung through the open window. Ose moment bis steps rung on the floor, and then he disappeared in the same course the others had taken before bim. ; Lovering was about to follow when he dis- covered something which would have been seen before by all had they been less interested, The smell of smoke caused him to look upward, and then he perceived little tongues of flame lapping the roof all along the edge of the eaves. The upper part of the house was on fire. ‘* Zounds! I reckon they'll find a hot region up there!” he exclaimed; and then he crawled through the window and prepared to help his friend as much as possible. He had hardly touched the floor, however, before there was a tremendous crash overhead, the whole house shook, and the ceiling of the room changed shape, while plastering rattled down freely. No wer pea of the cause was needed; the roof had fallen in, Shabbily built at first, the fire had eaten steadily there before making itself felt elsewhere, and it had not needed a great deal to undermine the frail top. Lovering ran tothe door, which had closed with a slam when the shock came, and tried to push it open. It was a vain attempt; it was immovable. He flung his whole weight against it. Another failure was scored. He realized that some of the timbers must have fallen in such a way that it was barred, and as there was no sound to indicate that those who had gone up-stairs were moving, he was seized with a sudden fear. Perhaps they had been beaten down by the falling roof and were perishing there. With an exclamation of horror he ran to the window and leaped ont. As he did so, some pee bh object descended, and he looked by the now bright light to see what it was. He pe Mose Devlin. The pugilist stag- gered to his feet, and Lovering saw that bis face was blackened and bleeding. ‘* Where are the others?” the elder man asked, quickly. “* Dead, I reckon; Idon’t know!” gasped Mose, - he reeled away, his face toward Mac’s sa- oon. Lovering did not stop him. He knew the fel- low bad bad a narrow escape from death, and that he was then nearly fainting, and he let him go. Shouts were beginning to be heard, which showed that others bad discovered the fire, but Lovering looked up at the blazing roof witha hopeless face. ‘Great Heavens! they will be too late!” Once more he crawled through the window and attacked the door, but without success. He assailed it with a chair, but bis weapon broke and the door remained firm. Then he dashed out again, shouting for help. He had practically lost bis head. But what of Lois and Sol? When the former ran up the stairs she found the air thick with smoke, but she underrated the importance of the affair in her fear of Dev- lin and kept on. Sol, too, followed, for he was not to be turned back by the flames, but just as he reached the floor the roof fell, and then he was beaten down by timbers which pinned him tightly to the heated boards. CHAPTER XXV. A WOMAN’S HAND, Son did not fail to realizo bis danger, and he made an effort to throw cff the timbers. Fail- ure rewarded the effort. The roof had come down in such a way that he was tightly bound, and the timbers formed a network. One, which was the key to the whole situation, and which if removed, would have saved him, was beyond a reach; he saw that, after an effort to get at t. Once more he ods forth all bis strength to raise the mass as a whole, but it was in vain, Heat and smoke were beginning to overcome him. His flesh seemed blisteriug, and his breath was drawn with difficulty. He realized his danger, and a man less brave would have despaired, but be was not of that character. He turned his gaze toward the stairs, hoping to see Lovering appear, but he did not come. ‘“‘By George! I reckon it’s my last case!” thought the rover. ‘I’ve pulled through many a close corner, but—” Suddenly a light form darted to bis side. {t was Lois. He had lost sight of both her and Devlin, but she appeared through the smoke and paused at his side. More than that, she caught at the tim- bers and essa'yed to move them. ‘“Not there!” said Sol, bastily. ‘Take the smaller one; it is what bolds all the rest. There! —that’s OS ih it goes!” She had removed the key to the situation, which had blocked all the others, and then he put forth his strength and flung off the whole. Freed, he sprung to his feet, but heat and flames were thick about him, and he gasped for breath likea dying man. He saw Lois rbd and realized that she was giving way entirely. But he was again the cool, brave man who had gone through many dangers, and he was never more self-possessed than then. He caught Lois in bis arms and made for the stairway, Smoke and fire seemed to follow them, but he ran the gantlet bravely and burried down.: A heavy timber blocked the door, but he | And | Silver-Plated Sol, the Montana Rover. | ting-room. From there it was but a short journey to the oper air. He rushed out just as Lovering was calling for help, and the latter caught Lois in his arms. Silver-Plated Sol breatbed the fresh air in great gasps, but each breath gave him new strength and he knew he was not injured. _ “Thank God! Thank God!” uttered Lover- ing. Lois aroused, She, too, was recovering rapid- ly, and she made a successful effort to keep her feet. The miners were hurrying to the spot to fight the flames, and Sol, Lois and Lovering re- tired somewhat, ‘*] trust you’re not badly injured, miss,” said the rover, who still gave Lois his support. ‘**Not in the least, except that the smoke and heat nearly overcame me. I shall be all right in a moment, but I owe my lifeto you. But for you I should have perished there, and I thank you with my whole heart!” “Ah! but you owe me no more than I owe ou. I was a fast prisoner under the timbers, and I should have died there if you hadn’t come to the rescue. You showed a nerve few women possess, and you shall find Sol Colton is not an ungrateful man.” He was temporarily forgetting that she was the woman he had but so lately declared he would bunt down, and he did feel that he would risk his life at any and all times for ber. Grati- tude was one of bis chief characteristics, and she had saved him from burning in the bouse. ‘“We will try to decide who is the debtor at another time,” said Lois. managing to smile. ** It’s ten to one we can't agree on that point, but 1 hope we shall quarrel in no otber way.” “IT don’t think we shall. At any rate, I ho to see you again. Here are my friends, the owners of the house, and as they are in doubt as to my fate, I will gotothem. Let me hope you will not fail to see me again.” ‘*That I will not; l’li call on you very soon.” And then Lois hurried away to join the Shaws, who had returned just in time to see their house going to ruin. ‘‘She’s a queen of women!” said Colton, look- ing after ber admiringly. **She is indeed,” said Lovering. ‘* And as brave as sheis bewitching, Zounds! you should have seen how gallantly she came to my rescue. No cowardly beart there, pard, but true steel from the core. I’ve been saved by & woman’s band, but it was as heroicas that of any man. She might have fled and left me, but she remained like the heroine she is!” ‘Do vou forget who she is?” ‘Who she is?’ ‘‘Sbe is Bertba Wardner, and—and— Well, you remember Roger Hillard!” Sol did remember, and his enthusiasm re- ceived a check as from a dash of ice-water. In the excitement of the occasion he bad forgotten everything but the events of the hour, But he remembered now, and the brightness of his face faded out. “She is the woman we must hunt down,” said Lovering, looking at bim steadily. The rover did not answer. “The murderess of Roger Hillard!” the elder man added. “Did I deny it?” irritably asked Colton. “‘T thought you were forgetting it.” “*T never forget—and that’s why I remember that I ought not to stand here where every one will see me. I’m off for our cabin, Good- night!” vering would have said he was ready to accompany him, but no chance was given him. The rover hurried away, and he made no sto until he was in the cabin. Then he removed all traces of smoke, lit his pipe, sat down and began to smoke furiously. ‘“‘ Hunt ber down?’ be thought. ‘*Hunt down the woman who saved my life at danger of her ownt Never! I am not such a base wretch, yet—yet—I have sworn to avenge Hil- lard’s death. What in thunder shall I do? [I am on the horns of a dilemma!” Day again. Only ruins remained of the Shaw hotse. The fire, which had caught from a stove-pipe, had ined too much headway when discovered to checked, and efforts had chiefly been direct- ed to saving those which surrounded it. In this respect the people bad been wholly successful. he family thus made homeless had easily found quarters elsewhere, but Mr. Shaw was already talking of rebuilding. Lovering bad looked for Mose Devlin, but that person was nowhere to be found. The forenoon passed without events of im- portance, but a storm was gathering, as Ettala soon found to her cost. A coldness had wh up between her and her brother, whieh ‘Wak something more than that on her part. Until she knew that he had not done harm to Silver-Plated Sol, she could not see him without a shiver of terror; sbe could not forget the man under the floor and subsequent developments, After the office was loved, however, be in- formed her that he wished to s to her, She heard him with a presentiment of comin evil, for she remembered the scene at Gi flung it aside and staggered out into the sit- Dave’s cabin, in which Luke Burbank figured, —*.. Ebooks com