Beadle's Dime Library No. 305 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

SD ce eae Se eee eel CO — in the work of examination to see the three heads which arose cautiously above the rocks, Shea drew his revolver with a jerk. ** What now?” Lovering asked. - “T}l drop one of them if you two will atten ter ther other.” “Tt would be a mighty good shot to do it at that distance,” said Sol, coolly. ‘1f you'll take my advice we will do better than that. Those fellows haven’t a suspicion of smoke in the air; if we work well, we can make a surround and rope them bothin. A mail-robber is a mean galoot, I acknowledge, but I'd rather see him a risoner than to have his blood on my hands, ’m no red slayer.” ‘* Your way is the best,” said Lovering, quick- ly. ‘“‘We can make the surround and take both,” ‘So be it,” answered Shea, though not with good grace; he was anxious to take speedy re- venge. ‘ How shall we do it?” It was settled that he should go to the left and Loverirg to the right, while silver-plated Sol should keep his position and prepare to re- ceive and intimidate the robbers when the ‘“‘surround” had been made. If it was a suc- cess, Wild and Leach would have no chance ex- cept to move toward the rover. e saw bis allies go away and then settled down to wait for the result. Despite his asser- tion that he was not a‘‘red slayer,” he was a man who had seen a good deal of wild life and never failed to keep his end up; and he awaited as coolly as though it were a minor matter. He watched Shea and Lovering closely, how- ever, and he soon perceived that the latter was showing a singular want of prudence for a vet- eran trailer. He was treading near the wall of the gulch and keeping watch of the robbers, when it seemed that he should have kept well back where they could by no possibility discover him. ‘““What’s he thinking of?’ ‘muttered the rover. ‘Ifone of them happens to look up, the game is lost.” ( Even as he spoke a loose stone, disturbed by Lovering’s feet, went rattling down the bank, and both robbers leaped to their feet. After that the result did not admit of doubt. They saw Lovering and could not but know why he was there, and in a moment the break came, The scattered mail was forgotten in a desire to save their own heads, and the two went dash- ing down the gulch at fullspeed. Then Loverin seemed to arouse; he drew bis revolver an fired several shots after them; but bis aim could not have been first-class, for they kept on with- out trouble. Sol Colton was out of the game, and he arose and sauntered down the gulch toward the pre- maturely-distributed mail. But Wild and Leach were not out of danger. The sound of the revolver had given the alarm to Shea, and that gentleman was certainly not lukewarm, if the other trailers were. He rushed to the edge of the gulch with blood in his eye and a revolver in his hand, and as the robbers came abreast of bim he opened fire. At that distance it was alla matter of chance, and the probable failure of the plan to capture them had had an unfavorable effect on Saea’s nerves, and when he blazed away the bullets went wild, The robbers, however, were not disposed to act a wholly wae hy part, and they drew in turn and a lively fire ensued. They were dog- godly stubborn, and, bad it not been for the fact that Lovering was seen advancing, might have made it a fight to the death with Shea. As it was, discretion seemed better than valor, and they turned and dashed down the gulch at _ full speed. The bloodless fight was over, In the mean while, Silver-Plated Sol had halted by the new post-office, Wild and Leach had made good use of their time and scattered things promiscuously. The rover picked up two of three of the letters and looked at them with careless curiosity, The first was of a business nature, and re- ferred to mining matters, and he let it oy0p after a glance. Probably the second woul have shared the same fate had he not caught sight of a name which at once interested bim. Summit! The name of tbe village where Roger Hillard had lived and died—murdered by persons unknown. His friend, who was on a trail calculated to reveal their identity, did not pom the letter by as he had done the first, but 6 looked and read with interest. This was the letter: “A.B. C.:—There is great excitement here over the death of H——. It seems he was a favorite, or, at least, was a man who did not make enemies The sheriff is looking into the case, but he is an ignorant fellow more noted for muscle than brains. No danger from him. The man most to be feared is a sport named Colton, usualiy called Silver-Plated Sol. He has taken up the crysade and vows to find _out who did the mischief. Heis a man to be feared, for his natural keenness has been 2a ag by long life in a rough-and-ready way. He has left. Summit, and is off on the trail of a certain man woman, Look out for him. He is a young man, or, at least, under thirty, rather good-looking, with long black hair and a buge mustache, He also two silver-plated revolvers; by these / ssn signs you may know him. Look a little out, for, though Tam unacquainted with him,I can plainly see he is abad one. Do not venture to answer this, but k a little shady and I will report when there is anything new. a Xia CHAPTER IX. DOUBTS AND DANGERS. SILVER-PLATED SOL read this letter with un- abating interest. For two weeks he had been on the trail of the man and woman whom he supposed guilty of Roger Hillard’s murder. At any rate, they had left Red Summit immedi- ately after the tragedy, and had traveled north in an extremeiy secret way. Their caution be- oes ie the facet that they bad something to con- ceal, but it bad also prevented Sol from getting a personal description of either, and the last he learned about them had merely led him to believe they had gone to Bowlder Bar. When he learned this he had strong hopes that he had followed them to their lair, Bowl- der Bar was an out-of-the-way place, which had no connection with the outside world ex- cept By Tim Shea’s stage, Surely, they would not go there unless it was where they intended to remain, and he had taken the stage with the fixed belief that the battle was about to be open formally. It only remained to identify them. The letter was an importantevent in man respects, It proved that be was on the trai Sent to Bowlder Bar, it meant that the assas- sins were there, and the fact that the author said ‘‘do not venture to answer this, but keep a little shady and I will report when there is any- thing new,” proved that they intended to re- main there. Sol saw ror, and Shea returning, and he secretly thrust the lecter in his pocket. He had done well to intercept it, for “ X, Y. Z.” had conveyed such definite information that it would at once put the assassins on their guard, He was resolved that it should not reach them, but just how he was to proceed he did not know. No identity was revealed by the letter. Who wasA, B.C.? Who was X Y, Z.? He tried to think of some man at Red Summit who would be likely to write such a letter, but the attempt wos a failure. “Just now I see no way except to write a decoy letter, take the Bowlder Bar postmaster into my confidence to a certain degree, and see what can be done. Since this is written to A. B, C. some one must be watcbing for a letter thus addressed, Well, if the postmaster will tell me who calls for it, I shall then have Roger Hillard’s assassin on the hip.” The other two men now arrived, and Shea looked ruefully at the scattered letters. ‘‘ Begorra,” he said, breaking into a long- forgotten brogue in his excitement, ‘*‘ it’s mesilf has niver sane sech doin’s sence I tuk dhe rib- bons. Dhe sanctitude ave dhe United States mail has been voy'lated, an’ Oi’m dhe man that'll have satisfaction if I worruk.for it tin years afther Oi’m dead an’ burried.” ‘* You'll have to do better work than the last, or the robbers will win every heat,” Sol ob- served. Shea looked sulkily at Lovering. “Dhere was an almighty blunder,” he said. ** Don’t Pow any more,” said Lovering, curtly, ‘‘I helped you to recover the mail, and if an accident of wine frightened off the robbers, it ought to be forgiven,” The driver hastened to apologize, but Lover- ing did not beed him. He was looking closely at the scattered letters, and only ceased as Soea began replacing them in the mutilated bag. As he did so his gazo met that of Colton, and there was that in the rover’s face which made him start and turn abruptly away. ‘* A queer fish,” thought Sol, “and I am not so sure that he is on the square. I would be willing to swear he er pido A gave the alarm to Wild and Leach, were it not for the fact that he guided us here. I don’t know what to think, though I suspect he will bear watching —but what do I care? It’s none of my busi- ness, and I'll keep to myself.” hea replaced the mail, unconscious of the fact that one letter was resting in Sol’s pocket and then the trio returned to where they had left the stage. No harm had come to the outfit while they were away, and they were soon in their old places and rolling on toward Bowlder Bar, Sol and Lovering were once more companions inside the vehicle, but, though they talked of the late adventure, there was an awkwardness about it which neither could have expeeeees though the matter lay in the fact that the elder man was under suspicion and realized the fact, but all was vague. By that time they might be considered well acquainted, but neither explained the object of his visit to Bowlder Bar. The village was reached in due time and both put up at the Flowing Bow! Hotel, but, from the time they arrived, they went different ways and bad nothing in common, Colton went at once to his room and, witha cigar to help his thoughts, tried to map out bis course for the future. The on of the letter gave him a start toward success if he his p me j = * . : 4 ons aie 4 Silver-Plated Sol, the Montana Rover. SSS sss 6 could use it aright. He feltsure he had reached the lair of Roger Hillard’s murderers, and care pa time were al] that was necessary to find ew. Of course, the chief matter for consideration was whetber he should seek the aid of the post- master, and ask him to let him know who might call for a letter addressed to “‘ A. B. C.,” but he had a natural dislike to placing confidence in any one and decided not to be in haste. bile thus considering the matter he was not | aware that his arrival in town had produced a sensation in a certain quarter, but such was the fact, Among those who saw him alight from the stage was Luke Burbank, and the gambler’s face fell perceptibly. He watched the rover into the hotel, and then stood staring bard at vacancy. ‘* Silver-Plated Sol! Yes, he’s here, and it’s not hard to imagine his motive, Heisaregular sleuth-hound; I did not expect to see him strike the trail so soon, Now, what effect will this have on my case? Why, if be nabs Joe Dan- forth my hold on the latter becomes a broken reed, and I have no chance for winning Ettala. Curse the fellow! what evil wind sent him here?” Luke ground his heel viciously into the ground as though he had the rover’s head beneath it, and would bruise it past cure, “There's enly one way; the danger must be met and averted, Silver-Plated Sol must lose the game—and his life. Witbout him I have Danforth under my thumb, but the moment he gets in his work I am left. Result, Sol must be taken in out of the wet!” Burbank was a man of prompt action, and he at once made his way to the post-office, Joseph Danforth was there and alone, but as the usual hour for closing had arrived, he al- ready had the key in his hand, A troubled look crossed his face, for, ever since Burbank’s demand upon him, he had thoroughly feared him. The gambler, however, had never been more self- ; rH That's right; lock up; but take the precau- tion to lock ourselves in, I have a word for your private ear.” ‘““What is it now?’ Danforth desperately asked. ‘‘Nothing that need make you look like a hunted wolf. You have an idea in your bead that Iam persecuting you, and it sticks, Put itaway; I am going to prove that [’m your best friend, If you had no worse, you’d be lucky.” By that time they were locked in, free from * all prying eyes. 1 Well what is it?’ the postmaster curtly asked, ‘“What should it be but the Red Summit affair? Murder will out, and when a man dips in he usually finds himself in hot water, meta- phorically speaking, for the balance of his nat- ural lifetime. Now, as I sav, I am your frien but did it ever occur to you that others migh seek you out on the same affair?’ “I have not admitted that I was ever at Red Summit,” was the half-defiant reply. ‘**Of course not; you would be a fool if you did, as matters st before, But the pee BA changed. Before the stage a |e here to- night it dropped two passengers at the Flow! Bowl. One was a man named, or called, Silver- Plated Sol. Do you know who he is?” y ones heard the name?” ** No. ‘* Luckily, Lhave. I happen to know he was the friend of Roger Hillard, and the man who discovered that Hillard had been salivated. Furthermore, he swore that he would avenge the murder and bring the murderers to justice, and he bas got so far as to arrive at Bowlder r Danforth sat gazing at his companion with a look of terror on his face, ~ <i Are you his agent?” he asked. “ Yes.” ‘Nonsense! No,Iamnot, Iam your friend —his enemy; and it is to lay plans to foil bim that lam bere. You and | must form an all: ance, and then Ill help you all I.can, remem- bering that you are Ettala’s brotber. I don’t believe this Sol knows just who killed Hillard. He has traced them, and, probably, has discov- ered that they came to this town. Tf. be knew more, he would have pounced on you the first: thing. Now, we must give him no chance todo so. “ve must spike his guns before he knows upon whom to bring them to bear. See?’ Danforth nodded, but his air was hopeless. He had little of the strength of geass ho sessed by his companion, and, beset on all sides, felt like surrendering all at one stroke, Con- wt ee half that was said was unbeard by m You have never given me a definite answ as to whether I can have Ettala for my wife, Burbank slowly added. ‘‘ Perhaps you'll do so now. Joseph wished his sister well, but he was not by any means the man to consider encthes s welfare when his own was at stake. He de- * ~~: 7 Eomicbooks (E