Beadle's Dime Library No. 305 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

Silver-Plated Sol, the Montana Rover. — ————— i ee ee ee ee ee ee we tag Be —> 2 = - hh ; ata | 21 senses, and of saving you from your enémies; the former, because you would not listen to the voice of reason where you were; the latter, be- cause your enemies are closing in and you must soon have been captured.” ‘“ What of that? I have done no wrong.” we Sie you could convince them.” ‘*T could, at least, bear the result.” “You are still obstinate and foolish. Lois, let it cease. Iam your father, and I am older than you. I have the practical wisdom of ears Which have made me gray. Is this noth- ing? I do not claim to have a deep love for you, for we have been long apart, but the voice of nature is speaking; you remind me of your mother, and I would be your earnest defender. Think seriously before you reject my aid, for a strong hand is never to be despised,’ Hamed spoke with an earnestness which told that he was, at least, anxious to carry his point, and Lois did hesitate. Was it wise to reject the proffered aid? She was a woman, and, practically, alone in the world. Tt is not easy for one thus situated to fight her battles alone, That she needed a strong hand was clear; that she knew not where else to look for one was true. But what of Hamed? From the first she had disliked him. Her instincts told her he was not a man to be trusted or given honor. Added to this was the recollection of a father who had deserted his infant daughter, and his wife, with- out known cause, Was such a man to be trusted now? Her wholereason said No; but it also occurred to her that it might not be wise to be too pre- cipitate. She was at present in the Magician’s powes and there was no knowing what might 6 the result of angering him. ** What do you advise?” she asked, slowly. ‘‘That you leave Bowlder Bar and danger bebind you, at once.” **And go where?” ‘That is immaterial. Montana is broad, and, beyond it, stretches the whole West and the British Possessions, I advise you to take the money Abram Selden left you and find a new home,” ‘* Abram Selden left me no money.” ‘*But you secured it,” he answered, with a crafty smile. q ou persist in making the same accusa- tion— ‘‘I make none whatever. You did right in taking the money. Selden intended to leave it to you, and the fact that no will was produced does not alter the facts of the case.” ‘*We need not argue that,” said Lois, whose face was flushed with indignation, “ for I again repeat that I never had one dollar of the missing money. I donot know what became of it,” ‘* Why do poe ersist in this denial?’ he de- manded, with a harshness of which he was, erhaps, unconscious. ‘The whole world uows you took it,and I say you did right. More than that, I advise you to putitin my hands, and I will safely guard that and you.” Lois’s queenly figure was drawn to its full hight; and she looked at bim with eyes which blazed: with scorn, “Your anxiety concerning the miserable money betrays you completely,” she said. *“ Your sudden interest in me arises from the fact that you are anxious to secure the money for yourself. I thank you for thus exposing yourself, for my way is now clear, I decline all alliance with you; I decline your aid; and as my resolution is irrevocable, it 's just as well that conversation should end here!” The Magician stood mute and dumfounded before this arraignment, There was thatin the irl’s voice which told that ber purpose was, in- Seed, irrevocable, and a sullen flush’ of anger arose to his usually placid face. ‘* Girl, you shall repent this!” he hissed. ‘*That may be, but I shall not yield.” ** You shall yield, and that, too, completely, You are in my power, and I will hold you fast until you change your mind. This place shal! be your prison, Those who notice your disap- arance will not think of looking to Madrock edge, and you shall be immured like a nun un- til your will is broken. I have prepared for this, and all is ready.” ‘“ Beware how you restrict my liberty!” said Lois, in an unsteady voice, ‘I may not prove so friendless as you think, and I know the miners well enough to be sure that, if the mat- ter comes to their attention, they will hang you to the nearest tree,” A slight shade crossed the Magician's face, for he knew there was truth in what she said. ‘*T will venture it, at any rate,” be said, after a slight hesitation, though with no wavering of his — . | “*Sing-So, lead the way!” The Chinaman took up the lamp and opened a door which seemed to lead to the upper part of the house, and then Lois was conducted to her prison. CHAPTER XXIX, By eight o’cloc ® following morning, it was generally known that Lois Orne was Bins: ing. Some efforts had been made to find her the previous evening, but there bad been no good result, and when morning’ found her still absent, people decided that she was not likely to reappear, The fact affected the ht in different ways. Silver-Plated Sol and Lovering, hearing the news, decided that she bad taken the alarm and fled to prevent arrest. Those who did not know she had been in danger of arrest feared harm had come to her, The attack of Mose Devlin had not been forgot- ten, and it was just as well for that person that he was not then in Bowlder Bar. Some search was made for her, but it was not rigid enough to turn the attention of the searchers to Hamed’s house; it was the general opinion that she was not near the town, No one was more perplexed than Joseph Danforth, and he was glad when Burbank called at the office. The latter’s expression showed that he had heard of the disappearance, and he opened conversation abruptly. ‘*An awkward turn of affairs, ain’t it?” “*I should say so,” gloomily answered Joseph, ‘‘ What is your theory?” **T can’t say that I have one, tery.” ‘* Yet there are ways to account for it,” ** Certainly.” *“She may have become afraid of discovery by oe Selden heirs, and left on that account.” es.” ‘* Tt is hard, after all I’ve risked and done, to be robbed of the reward I deserve for my ef- forts.” “Do you eo the battle as lost?” ‘*How can I tell?” was the irritable reply. “In this wild country a person stands a good chance of being able to hide forever, if he, or she, sees fit. Search may reveal her where- abouts, but I am doubtful.” ** Well, I came over to help you out of your dilemma. I have learned the identity of the strange man who figured at the fire the other night.” ‘Who was it?” * Silver-Plated Sol.” “ Who?” Joseph asked, with a start. “The man whom we consigned to Mad river.” ‘Do you mean that he escaped?” one 80, for he is “*T suppose he must have alive, Our little game was a complete failure. and I hap- It is all a mys- Colton seems to bear a charmed life, pen to know he is now hiding in a cabin at the other side of the village.” * Great heavens!” ‘* Don’t put it so strongly.” ** But, ruin stares me in the face. You have yourself said this Colton was a shrewd, bold and dangerous man, and as he knows who put him in the river, he will strike back, of course. Evou the fact that he is keeping out of sight aC ore that he has some cunning move in mind, ** Not PA age It may indicate that he is at a loss just how to strike back. He knows ag well as you do that you are one of Bowlder Bar's foremost men, and it is not easy for an unknown sport to come into a town and get at such a man. Position and wealth weigh a good deal, all the way from New York city to. wild Montana,” ‘*T hope you are right. But, hold on! You said you had a theory in Hh Sp to Lois. I eatch your meaning; you think Sol Colton has got her away.” **Not so; I see the work of another hand, Mose Devlin’s!” : ** Mose Devlin’s!” “Yes. I have always noticed that your 8 Maa ally had a predilection for feathering is own nest, and now bis work is clear. His attempt on the night of the fire proved in which way his mind ran, though we then sup- posed it was only one of his drunken games, Now, I see evidence of treachery. He knows the importance you attach to’ her, and, on second attempt, has succeeded in abducting her. Mose means to finger the Selden shekels, himself. He may have her concealed in a CAY®, now, or he may have taken her to Dismal Dig- gins, Quartz Rock or Lone Claim—or to any of the other adjoining towns, But, let us drop that for now; if we are not sharp enough to outwit the pugilist, we ought to lose. Let us speak of Silver-Plated Sol. We have acknow- ledged that he is a dangerous man, and should be forever silenced as soon as le,” ‘We don’t seem able to do it,” “Trust me for that. [have anew plan, Be- ing a skillful penman, I am going to write a de- coy letter and lure him away from the village, This done, we will be on hand to settle his case in the twinkling of aneye. Give me pen and paper, and I'll show you my skill,” Silver-Plated Sol was alone in. the cabin where he was temporarily making bis quarters, Lovering was out seeking for information, The afternoon was warm and Sol had fallen into a doze. When he awoke, a soiled and oe sheet of note-paper was lying at his el- Ww. He picked it up lazily, for he did not at once suspect that it was of importance, but at first | ter bed-rock. State glance his gaze rested on his name, written in a straggling band. He unfolded it with sudden interest. ‘The in- terior showed more writing in the same bend, which, when combined with bad spelling, was not easy to read, but he made it out after awhile. It was as follows: “ SILVER-PLATTED SavuL:— You may know by these pressents thatiam in posesion ov. news ov import- ance, iff you are a-mind ter useit. Beleevin') ou ter bee a man 0’ cense, i give you ther furst chanse. Ezihappen ter no whare Lowis Orrum is, i may ez wal say i am on ther make, an'i shall sell my cecret ter ther hiest bider. She can't git out until i see fitt, an’ i sha’n't see fitt till i git sum money ont ovit. This will tell you i am playin’ a loan hand, an’ goin’ fur ther earth, an’ money maiks ther mayor go. Ef you want ter treet with me, an’ no all about Lowis, cum ter ther Seven pinz at hey hl thiss p. m., afternoon. But iff you don’t cair, i’ carrie my piggs to anuther markit. i meen biznis. ** Jopas Is CARRAT,”’ It required a second reading before, decipher- ing the wretched scrawl as slowly as hé had, Sol fully comprehended what was meant, but the. fact then became evident thaf some one claimed to know where Lois was; in fact, to have her confined somewhere; and he intended to make all the money out of it that he could. Two ideas were in Sol’s mind. One was that the letter was a decoy, intended to lure him into some new danger. He did not believe this to be a fact, but, like a wise man, he realized that things were not always what they seemed, and it was well to look out for such dangers, His real theory was that Mose Devlin was the author of the letter! The signature—'' Judas Is Carrot”—told nothing, though it bad a sus- picious sound; but the letter was one which an lliterate person like the pugilist might have framed, Plainly, it was written by some one who knew the inside history of his visit to Bowlder Bar, and that one must be either Devlin or Joseph Danforth—or, possibly, Burbank, * Well, ’'m going to make a test case of it wich Lh I'l goto the Seven Pines, and that will settle the whole affair. I wish Lovering was bere, but, as he isn’t, Vll leave a note for him and then journey north. If there’s a trap for me, I may possibly learn the trapper to keep to himself in the future.” So saying, he wrote a note to Lovering, looked to his silver-plated revolvers and left the cabin. The Seven Pines was a locality no one could miss who had been long in Bowlder Bar. The tall, green-topped treesstood in a group on the side of Rattlesnake Ridge, making one cf the most prominent landmarks in the vicinity, Sol walked briskly toward them, but he was soon in a wild and rocky region, where rapid id Hig was impossible, and it was not until ‘he end of an hour that he approached the im- mediate vicinity. It was the wildest of all the Bowlder Bar region; a place no one cared to visit without a motive more than usually strong; for even an experienced mountain-man would grow weaty climbing the difficult way. The Seven Pines grew on a ridge, but as it was a bard task to get to them, Sol did not suppose his correspondent would be found at their base, and he directed his steps toward the gulch which lay at.the west side. 19 No one was visible, and he paused and looked around for whoever had invited him there, He bad not long to wait, A rough, ra fellow emerged from behind arcck and advanced with what seemed a friendly grin. ‘““Hyar we be, ez ther cockroach said ter ther bed-bug,” he cheerfully observed. ‘‘ I’m pleased - ter see you did not undervalue ther importance -o’ ther communication I had ther honor ter send ter you.” ‘ 3y whieh T suppose you are ‘ Judas Is Car- rot.’ ‘““That’s my name, pard, an’ I hope yon’ve come with business in yer eye.” ‘* Well, ’m always ready to listen in a good cause, and I shouldn’t have taken all this climb if I badn’t had a motive. People say only fools and villains journey to Rattlesnake Ridge, and I begin to ‘believe it. It’s a hard road to travel,” While Sol spoke he kept a close watch for danger, If it was a trap, no better place could be wished for, The rocks furnished hiding- laces for any number of men, and he had no intention of being taken unawares. ‘Ha! ha! you’re a funny dog!” said Judas. “When I was at college, I graduated num- ber two among the wits, but as horse-sense is more needed here, suppose we come right down your business, and I'll listen.” rig heey Sol did not deem it proseae to get on too friendly footing with the regged man, who. seemed to be a vagabond in the fullest sense o1 the word, if nota vitfata. Judas was evidently willing to oblige, and he cleared his throat with a loud soun , but, just as he commenced to speak, Sol experienced a sensation as though one of the Seven Pines bad fallen over and hit him on the head, and then he dropped uuconscious to 5) groun (EOMAUCCLOOO CS a(G)