Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 322 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

5 The Crimson Coyotes. Ques = -——t The Crimson Coyotes; NITA, THE NEMESIS. BY “BUCKSKIN SAM,” (MAJOR SAMS. HALL.) AUTHOR OF ‘* WILD WILL,” ** DIAMOND DICK,” eee eee but a few days, when he saw Nora Norrington, and became infatuated with her loveliness— came, in short, to love ber as fondly as such a nature as his would admit, His mind was now made up. He was a good scribe and accountant, and after he had determined—ay, sworn—that he would become acquainted with, and marry the beautiful girl, he set to work to obtain a posi- tion in the employment of her father, by bring- it was a wonder te many that the naturally as- tute old banker should place any confidence in the honesty of the former, whose appearance certainly was not in his favor. Young Reed was swarthy, black-eyed and treacherous-looking He had a habit of avoid- ing the eyes of whoever addressed him, and of starting suddenly at the slightest noise, as if 4 meant the approach of some danger to bim- self. ‘BLACK BRAVO,” “BIG FOOT WALLACE,” ETC., ETC, CHAPTER I. THE SCAPE-GOAT OF HIS RACE. Tae historical Alamo City, old San Antonio de Bexar where the life-blood of Bowie, Travis, and Crockett, flowed out and mingled with the ore of scores of their dastardly murderers! be vellow-skinned soldiery of Santa Anna, on the floor of that ancient Mission, the Alamo. It was within the walls of this, that the entire American population of San Antonio were, with the three celebrated men mentioned, butchered, after a gallant and almost superhuman defense —a brutal, cowardly, and wholesale murder fol- lowed by a desecration of the dead, that would have made even Apaches blush for shame! At the time of which we write, which was soon after the close of the Civil War, there was not in all Bexar county, a man supposed to be wealthier than Norman Norrington, a banker and broker, whose place of business was on Commerce street, the principal thoroughfare of San Antonio. There was no doubt, indeed, that the banker was very wealthy, judging from tbe amount of business he transacted with the leading capitalists of Western Texas, and the style in which he lived. His home was but a short dis- tance from the Main Plaza, and upon the banks of the beautiful river of the same name as the city, and which boils from the ground, in deep crystal springs, but five miles above the town. e shall content ourselves with saying, that the home of Norrington, the banker, was not only beautiful in itself, but beautifully situated ; it having, upon three sides, high walls formed by vine-clad pecan trees, cool shades, arbors, and finely kept gardens. But a short distance from the front of the dwelling, and in plain view from the veranda, was the road by which the ci'iz-ns reached the old Missions down the river; a fine drive, or ride, of an evening, and awhich was enjoyed by hundreds, Norman Norrington was, at this tirne, some five and fifty yearsof age, originally from Virginia, and very proud of his ancestry. He was tall, and somewhat spare in figure, with sharp hazel eyes, and dark brown hair which was sprinkled witb gray. He was a widower, with but one child—a daughter, Nora by name, and as beautiful as one could well imagine. Nora Norrington was seventeen years of age at the time we introduce her to the reader; she baving left school but a year previous, and since then learned something of the world from having taken a tour to the East in com- any with her father. This visit had included ew Orleans and Galveston, Nora was quite a belle, even among the many belles of the Alamo City; no select assemblage being considered complete without her presence. As a matter of course, she had many ad- “mirers; but two of whom, however, we shall have occasion to mention. These two were in the employ of her father, as trusted clerks, The banker’s daughter was of medium hight, with dark-brown, wavy, and abundant hair. Her form was well developed, and she was as graceful as a prairie fawn. One would sppese that the young girl inheri- ted the form and beauty of her dead mother, for, ex* pt in the color of her hair, she bore no resem! ivce whatever to her father. Her fuce was Grecian in type her complexion fair, ber eyes light-brown and limpid, as well as oetic in expression. She had long, dark lashes, ve beautifully penciled, and small, shell- like ears. ' Perfectly feminine in every way was Nora Norrington, and noone could gaze upon her or into her lovely and expressive eyes, without loving her. In dress, Nora wasa model of exquisite taste, and she was a perfect lady in manuers and con- versation. She was also, as one would decide upon short acquaintance, capable of lovin with great faithfulness and intensity, di * she but meet her ideal of perfection in the oppo- site sex, But thus far the maiden’s life had been un- eventful, and gliding along like a summer’s dream, with the exception of the time when her mother died, but that was now some years ast. ? Nora had been provided with a governess—a distant relative, who had, when her fair charge was sent to school, been retained by the banker as housekeeper; but as she was of a morose dis- sition, there was little in common hetween Fae and her former pupil after the maiden’s re- turn to her home: Roiney Reed and Clarence Coleman were the two mo:t trusted clerks of Mr. Norrington, and He was of an exceedingly nervous tempera- ment, quick in his movements, strongly built, muscular, and nearly six feet in hight. Both he and Coleman were athletes, and excellent horsemen—their exercise in riding, swimming, walking and gymoastics being regular, For all this, they were not associates outside of the ON ing letters of recommendation from well known men of standing and wealth in the Crescent City, Upon presenting these testimonials, young Reed was at once engaged by the banker,as clerk; and, from the moment of this most gratifying success—a success which be had hardly dared business connected with their duties to their | bope for—the miscreant commenced to plot and employer. Secretly, Rodney Reed was a gambler. He frequented a private club-room, where most of his time at night, not indispensabie for sleep, was spent. Indeed, he was quite expert with cards, when not indulging too deep in liquor, which, however, was frequently the case with him, although he never missed being on band to attend to business. Among his sporting friends he was known as ‘‘ Red” Reed, having thus been dubbed from the fact that he was never known when “ buck- ing” at monte or faro, to bet on black-spotted cards—he always laying his money on either hearts or diamonds. Even Clarence Coleman bad no suspicion that his fellow-clerk was a gambler, although he knew that Reed drank at times immoderately. There was no friendship between the two young men, as Coleman doubted the bonesty and fidelity of Reed; believing, indeed, that the latter was au unscrupulous villain, and that he would prove himself thus when an opportunit to enrich himself should occur, even though it should be by crime, Clarence Coleman has already been partially described. In addition, let us say, he was de- cidedly prepossessing in appearance. His hair was light, almost flaxen, and he wore it long over bis shoulders. His eyes were brighbt-blue and joyous, and bis gaze was free and open, as was his speech. He was a favorite with all who came in contact with him. Outside of business matters, Mr. Norrington had little intercourse with his clerks, although both of them were frequently at his house with papers, and for money and stocks left with him after office hours by rancheroes who arrived late or early in the city—these the clerks taking to deposit in the safe at the office on Commerce etreet. At the time of which we write, there was much excitement in Texas in regard to the dis- covery of rich mines in New Mexico and Ari- zona, and those people who were not engaged in the cattle business, or in horse, sheep or swine breeding, invested much capital in mining stock. This was deposited, to some extent, with Norman Norrington and others in the banking and brokerage line. Necessity compelled the old banker to intrust the keys of his safe, at times, to one and then to the other of the two clerks who have been in- troduced to us, a necessity that he was, in con- nection with one of the two, fated to more than regret—in fact, to curse himself for having been such a foul as to give any one the power of even attempting to ruin him. Rodney Reed's mother had been a Creole, a woman of most passionate temper and question- able character. Indeed, she ended by taking her own life, after stabbing to death a lover who had upbraided her for deceiving him into the belief that she was a single woman; he hav- ing ascertained accidentally that she had a legal husband and a son. This tragic affair had occurred some years ywrevious to Rodney’s obtaining employment of orman Norrington, and no one in Texas knew anything in regard to the double tragedy which had been for a time, in the long ago, the town talk in New Orleans. The father of the young man was but little better in character than the mother; but of the two, Rodney most resembled his maternal parent, having her disposition and passions, as well as general appearance, He was about twenty-two years of are at the time our narrative opens, having been but twelve when he had been deprived of his mo- ther in the shocking manner related. The publicity of the crime, and the exposure of the wretched woman’s character in the public press, together with the comments of the vulgar herd on the tragic affair, served to imbitter young Reed against all mankind, In fact, be was, through the crimes and immorality of bis miserable mother, forced, through shame and bumiliation, to hold bimself aloof from all; and, as his father never manifested any great affec- tion or care for him, except to send him to the North to be educated, Rodney soon left New Orleans. After wandering about for a time, he reached San Antonio, with sufficient means furnished by bis father to keep him from want for some months, He, however, bad not feen in the Alamo City plan the ruin of him who bad so kindly em- ployed, and placed entire confidence in him. In his early shame and bumiliation, Rodney Reed bad sworn enmity to all mankind, and vowed that he would devote his life to the ruin of every one over whom he could, by any cunning scheme, gain power, However, in his narrow, selfish, and base mind, he now made one exception: this was Nora Norrington; the villain losing sight of the fact that the maiden would be ruined, body and soul, should she be bent to his will. Reed’s hatred toward Clarence Coleman, upon becoming associated with the latter, and bein forced to acknowledge to himself that his fel- low-clerk was bis superior, far above him in all things, was most intense; and he exulted in the thought that he was in a position where he could work his disgrace and downfall. Thus was a veritable fiend introduced into the family of the old banker, one who was fated to bring ruin upon him and bis; and, with him, one who was his antipodes in every thing, CHAPTER IL. CRUEL AS THE GRAVE. But, although Rodney Reed hated Clarence Coleman from the very hour that he becane associated with him, it was his policy to pretend friendship. This, however, he found a most difficult matter, and one that taxed all bis powers of b 1 peceeye When, in bis turn, he discovered that Clarence detested bhim—though he knew it only by intui- pene if | gloated over the power that he ascertained he held, through his being trusted equally with bim; the banker making no dis- crimination between the two young men in business matters, It was imprudent for Reed to have formed gambling and drinking asscciations, under the circumstances; but, although he knew he was jeopardizing his success in his plots and plans to ruin others and enrich himself, be could not break off the habits he had formed early in life. Not for a moment, however, did he allow him- self to think of defeat. He swore that he would cause Clarence Cole- man to be considered, and hunted, as a criminal —disgraced beyond all redemption, beyond all power of proving bis innocence! He believed, although he was by no means of the opinion that it was reciprocated, that Clar- ence was in love with Nora Norrington. It did not seem reasonable that a maiden of such beauty, wealth, and social position would stoop to marry a man in the employ of her father; yet Reed, by careful study, decided that Nora was one who would go to any ex- treme where her heart was interested, she be- ing just the opposite of her father in that re- spect. It was a beautiful evening in autumn, the southern sun just giving its farewell kiss to the western sky, as Clarence Coleman, habited in a nobby business suit, but wearing upon bis head a black, wide-brimmed planter’s hat, walked down along the west bank of the San Antonio river, toward the Norrington Mansion, The young man was well worth pees at. Diogenes, had he met him, would have put down his lantern, extended his hand, and ex- claimed: ‘* Shake! seeking.” Or words to that effect. As we proceed, it will be understood that ir is unnecessary for us to enter into a detail of the particulars connected with the previous friend- ship, which had ripened rapidly into love, be- tween Clarence and Nora, It was while our young friend was thus pro- ceeding toward the, home of the maiden, that the fair piel was herself strolling down the gar- den paths toward the river. She presented a picture of perfect loveliness, being attired in a costume of some light India fabric, and taste- fully trimmed with delicate vines and tiny pink flowerets, There was an unusual flush upon Nora Nor- rington’s face, and she betrayed some nervous- ness; casting occasional glances toward the shades up the river, and then turning to look bebind, as though apprehensive of her move- ments beirg watched. These suspicions were, however, ubsurd, a3 fare: ony member of her You’re the very man I have been EGOmicbooks .