Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 322 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

From having believed that it would be impos- Reaching beneath the lounge, where he had The sceve was one calculated to chill the blood sible for any living soul to show that he had | a short time before been hidden, Reed produced | of an observer. ; ' been, in the slightest manner, connected with | a dark-lantern. The bitter cry of Nora Norrington sounding the Norrington tragedy, Red Reed was now ‘‘ All right, Pedro!” he whispered; ‘‘ now for | through the still nigbt air alarmed the servants vn = forced to the terrifying conclusion that he was | the boodle. You see, Coleman carries the keys | and two rancheroes who were riding past on the far from being safe from suspicion. Yet, as he | to-day, and I’m not supposed to know the com- | down-river trail from the city. rhought of the accumulated evidence against | bination. But I heard the fool mutter it while | Screams of alarm were heard, and the ran- Clarence Coleman, be began to comfort himself | 1 was concealed here. cheroes galloped up to the veranda. But the with the thought that even the presence of his ‘‘This bas been a night of work for me, I tell | sounds and movements were unnoticed by Clar- flask in the library might not have much weight | you, old boy! I am proud of my success. | ence, after all. Now, for the safe. Ye gods! What's that?’ He staggered forward and fell on his knees But be mu-t avoid observation, and the first Reed bad flashed the lantern upon Clarence | beside the corpse. Impatiently he tore the band- thing necessary was a change of apparel. Coleman’s desk. ur e from bis wounded head and threw it, with This, however, he had prepared for, There lay a sheet of foolscap, upon which | his hat, through the window, and across the He now bathed the tell-tale stains from his | was written, in large letters: veranda. , hands and face, arranged his hair, and then, ‘“REWARE! Then he arose, his mind suddenly reverting pulling his hat low over his forebead, he stole i to Nora, and put out his bends to raise the out from the timber, keeping in the suburbs to 9 gr Reed, Sigg eons og long Myers “the drooping head of the poor girl upward: but he — the south of the town, and within the low mes- Soy bn tity nape maite Re. A eowiielly manner | drew them back quickly in horror, for they uite trees. Thus he made his way to the San fated me to the earth, in the presence of one, whose | Were spotted with her father’s blood. Surely edro, or the Mexican portion of the Alamo | path you are not worthy tosweep! You have in | he could not touch the daughter with that upon City. acted the spy upon me, in this very office to-night. bis hands; and, as far as proof went, upon his Passing in the rear of the line of jacals, Reed ‘‘T know you are plotting toruinme. You area | soul as well! came toa small and much more miserable one | thief, as well = al COMERS, anG. aah capein oe wy | , At that moment into the parlor rushed the than those fronting on the street. | panes omen, Sg cg ara ate clef sate: two rancheroes. Giving a series of peculiar little tapson the | * Emmis a end to-morrow. Thank eaven, you ‘* Hallo, the house!” door of the hotel, the villain gazed impatiently | qo not know the combination; for I believe you ‘* W hat’s up here?” around him. would rob the safe, and shift the guilt upon your in- These exclamations from the new arrivals ‘Who is there?’ came in a gruff voice, in | veterate foe, CLARENCE COLEMAN.” brought the servants rusbing in also; but the Spanish, from within. The face of Red Reed becnme ashen, and the | rancheroes paid no attention to them, for they A bird-like whistle was the reply. paper nearly dropped from bis hand. bad caught sight of Clarence and of Nora. ‘¢ Bueno!” returned the man, and the door e gazed wildly into the face of his yellow- They sprung forward, revolvers in hand, was quickly opened. skinned pard; then he hissed: Upon perceiving the appearance of the man “The job is done, Pedro! I must change my ‘‘By b—Ill! I believe he has changed the | before them, they naturally judged that he bad clothes, and then you will go with me for the | combination. If he has, we are lost, and all | committed the deed of violence connected with doubloons.” that I have thus far accomplished goes for | the shriek that had so alarmed them, and the Thus spoke Red Reed, in the ear of the | nothing. Besides, I see that my jig is up in | at once brought their pistols to bear upon Greaser who admitted him. this city. He'll shoot me, dead sure, if he gets ; breast. ‘Bueno !” said the latter again, in evident | the drop on me!” ‘* No nonsense now!” leasure; ‘we have waited long, Senor Reed. The miscreant ran to the safe, but bis hand ‘* Hands up, or down you go!” am glad it is over. Did you have reason to | trembled violently, as be fitted the key, and Thus cried out the rancheroes. wish | was with you?’ whispered off the combination. ‘‘ Then, as they caught a sight of the corpse, “IT got along all right, Pedro. But, shut A cry of joy and relief came from him, as | with a knife-handle projecting from the breast, the door, and give us a light! Were you | the door of the safe flew open. one yelled: asleep?” ‘*Pedro, we are O, K.—we are rich! We'll ‘“ Brackett, he’s killed old man Norrington! ‘‘ No, senor; I never sleep at night. Iam like | roll in gold—do you hear me?—roll in gold! | Send one of the niggers to town for help. It’s the owl. I have a siesta when the sun shines | But we have no time to spare. Where is the | Coleman, the clerk—that’s who it is! the hottest.” bag?” “ He’s Seagerate, and we may have to shoot A candle was soon lighted, and Red Reed be- “ Here, senor!” excitedly returned the Mexi- | him; which ’d bate to do, for his neck needs a gan his toilet. ean; “ but keep still, or we shall lose all, You | Jariat, if any one ever did!” “You see [ got badly spattered,” he re-| are mad to waste time in this way!” ‘‘By the Eternal! be’s a tough one, Brown! marked. ‘You're right, Pedro; but you must haste at | Keep your eye peeled, Look at that youn ‘** Then Senor Norrington is dead?” once with the boodle, to the jacal, and bury it. | lady. He has tied her fast in the chair. Don’t ee “Dead as a door-nail! And the best of it is, | Then go to sleep over the spot, until I join you. | I want to pull a rope on him! I just banker to Clarence Coleman’s name is on the knife that I | Weshall then levant for a more healthy locality, | do it!” thrust in the old man’s breast, and left in the | Here we are!” As Brackett ended, he ran off among the ter- . wound, I have another strong proof against With great dexterity, the miscreant opened | rified and howling servants, and seizing two him. I knocked the fellow down with a rock, | drawers, and jerked buckskin bags of heavy | negro men by the collars, he pushed them off early in the evening, and bruised his head. weight from the same; besides bundles of | the veranda before bim, shouting: ‘‘T have put a bloody stone just like it, in the | stoc s, and other valuable papers. Al)! of these, ‘Run! Run as if the very devil was after hand of the dead man. Coleman is to go to the | he cast into the sack which Pedro held open. you, and tell every cne that your master has house atene. with papers. He will be the Everything of value was soon within if. been murdered. first, beyond a doubt, to discover the murder: **Now Pedro,” said Red Reed, ‘get up, and ‘* Run to the Bull’s Head and the Pleza House and he will raise the alarm before he sees the | dust with the dust! Knife any man who halts | and raise the boys—quick, or the murderer may evidence there is against himself. Do you un-| you, or who manifests too nto § curiosity. You | escape us!” derstand, Pedro?” have a fortune in that bag. With faves like ashes, the two negroes rushed ‘* By St. Iago, Senor Reed, you are as cun- ‘Come, I’ll give you exit by the rear door. | wildly and without replying toward the city, ning as an Apache! But you should have got | Passthrough the dark alley, and bead for the | glad enough to get away from the horrors be- no blood on your clothes. You will get used to | mesquites. You are not likely to meet any ; hind them.” it after awhile, however. You are new to the | one, unless the alarm has been already sounded,” Brackett then returned bastily to the library business,” So saying, Reed pushed the Greaser, bending | where be found Brown covering the supposed “Yes; but I think I did pretty well, as a | under the beavy sack, out into the darkness, wurderer with his revolver. starter. There, now I’m fixed; but what shall The villain then extinguished the light, and Clarence Coleman stood upright, pale as we do with the clothes? We must leave a clean | passed out, securing the door; leaving every- | death, and with bis arms folded, trail. you know.” thing as he bad found it, except the valuables ** Then he don’t show fight?” said Brackett, as ‘Pedro will attend to the clothes to-morrow, | in the safe, and the door of the same. he entered. ‘“ By thunder, Clarence Coleman, I senor. Noone will comein. They dare not.” This last, being nearly closed, he thought he | didn’t think you capable of such a deed!” ‘All right! I shall probably return with | had locked, according to the same combination. ‘‘Gentlemen,” said the young man, speaking you. Who knows what may occur? But we assceli hoarsely, ‘‘ I swear to you that | bad nothing to roust hasten. Are you ready?’ CHAPTER VIIL. do with this horribie crime! I see that the proofs ‘‘ Pedro is ready,” was the reply. LYNCH LAW FOR THE ASSASSIN. are strong against me, but for all tbat, I tell Extinguishing the candle, the two men stole Wo can imagine, or even appiosch in im- | you I never lifted my band against Norman from the jacal, locking the door bebind them. a, the agony of soul which Clarence | Norrington!” It was now midnight, and but a few solitary | Coleman suffered, when his geze fell upon the ‘* All that kind of talk is useless,” said Brown _ pedestrians were to be seen on the streets of the | murdered Norman Norrington, within whose | in a decided manner, and with evident contempt western portion of the city. mangled breast was his own bowie? and detestation. ‘‘ Your name is engraved on But Red Reed and Pedro, the latter being a It seemed to the horrified young man that his | that knife in the dead man’s breast. He holds confessed cut-throat, kept on until clear of the | brain must burst, and he bimself fall dead at in his death-grip a stone, with which he struck jacals, when they struck into the mesquites | the feet of his recent employer—the father of | you on the head in defending bimself. Besides, until a favorable point was reached; then enter- | her who sat there, bound to her cbair, and un- | don’t we find you here with blood upon your ing a deserted street, which led to the Main | conscious of the fearful spectacle before her! bands, the only man awake upon the prem- Plaza. It was all too awful—almost beyond the con- | ises# They walked rapidly, and soon stood on the | ception of human brain! ‘To make your crime more infernal] stil], you Plaza’s northeast corner. rom the face and breast of the corpse, the | bave bound the senseless daugbter of your vic- Thus far, they had not met any one, and, to | eyes of the young man were instinctively | tim—-who was probably a witness to your cow- their relief, no one was now to be seen any- | drawn once more to the bent form of Nora; | ardly deed—beside the corpse! where near them. and, as if his gaze instilled life into her frame, “T warn you, Coleman, that you have but a “Conte on!” said Reed. “If the light is not | the form of the maiden suddenly straightened. | few minutes to live. Such crimes as yours must burning in the office, we are all right.” And, as instantaneously appeared the recovery | be attended to by Judge Lynch!” ath To their further relief, they soon saw that | of her senses of sight, ‘ee + , and comprehen- When the ranchero alluded to the stone in the there was no light in the bank, sion. hand of the murdered man, Clarence fixed bis Clarence Coleman, then. bad left. Placed as she was, the first sight that caught | eyes upon the same, which he bad not noticed He had gone to the Norrington Mansion. her view, was the blood-stained corpse! previously, and not until then was all doubt re- He would find bis employer a corpse! For a moment, her starting eyes were filled | moved from his mind in regard to the author of The city would soon be alarmed. with horror unspeakable. She was hardly able, | the tragedy. : The guilty pair bad no time for delay. as yet, to determine whether it was reality, or ‘*Gentlemen,” he said, ‘I here accuse Rod- Thus reasoned Red Reed the waking recollection of a fearful dream, | ney Reed as the murderer of his and my em- well-known brand, besides havinga label pasted upon it, uickly they glided to the door of the offices orman Norrington. The Greaser drew his knife, in anticipation of possible trouble; but Reed bade bim put u the weapon, for, even sbould Clarence be sti there, he could make an excuse for his visit, baving a perfect right in the office, of The Crimson Coyotes. ce The door was unlocked, and both entered. All was still and dark, as they had expected. Soon, however, the dread truth was realized; and, at the same instant, she ized the knife that still protruded from her dead father’s breast! Then, from her colorless lips, came a long- drawn, piercing shriek; ber very soul seeming to have vanished with the sound! | 7 — — —-— Clarence Coleman appeared more like a corpse himself than a living being. ployer. He concealed himself in the bushes on the river-bank last evening, and felled me sense- less with a stone. ‘*] see now that he stole my knife; and after murdering Mr, Norrington with the weapon, he bas plaved the stone ip the dying man’s band to increase the evidence against me, I bave been JOOKS —— coim G com --—— oe