Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 338 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

— Jack Sand, the Boss of the Town. 25 and inthe general confusion the shot at- Then they returned to the site of the gal- tracted no attention. lows, where another surprise awaited them. ‘‘ Whar’s Injun Sid?’ Tony Baxter gave such information as he | ground together. they would have no motive for assailing | Grace, Then the men grappled and fell to the. But could not the camp be saved? Surely there must be honest men enough to with- stand Blue-ruin Bob and his ruffians. He saw men skulking about in the shadows, and knew that they could not be of the domi- had. ‘*Do not scream!” said the colonel, warn- ‘‘He has jest been packed off, pardner.” | ingly, to Mrs, Clymer, even as he went to the | ‘*Who by?” ground. ‘‘1 am all right!’ ‘That I don’t know, fur a fact.” His confident tone showed his perfect self- | ‘‘Bob,” said Sly Sam, earnestly, ‘‘can’t | possession, and inspired the woman with a you take a hint without waitin’ fur the kick?” ‘“ What do ye mean?” ‘“* Git!” | Blue-ruin Bob looked into his partner’s eyes, and then glanced about him into the surrounding darkness. ‘‘Sam,” he said, ‘‘ you've got head, an’ maybe you know best.” ‘*You’ve had some proof of it in the past, new respect for him. She stood with hands clasped over her bosom, watching the struggle as if fascin- ated. She had not the physical courage to try to aid her rescuer: but early associations and address; and she saw that the colonel was a master of men. He fought silently, while his opponent _ter-spirits rise to the top! had given her a keen admiration of strength | { reckon.” yelled lustily for help, until he got him by ‘‘That’s so; but—” the throat. Then he could have strangled ‘*Waal, but?” him to death but that the exigency of the | ‘‘T’'ve got heart; an’ blow me ef they haven't got to show their hands open before they scare me out o’ this!” ‘* Boss, hyar they come; an’ with a straight flush, ur I’m a liar!” It was one of the men who gave warning. Bob turned and saw a semicircle of flame, as two-score of revolvers flashed out in the night, Then there was a headlong rush; and a voice, which he thought that he recog- nized without being able exactly to place it, cried: ‘‘Down with the small fry: but leave Blue-ruin Bob and Sly Sam for hanging, if possible!” case urged more expeditious measures. This was his excuse for plunging a knife into his throat. Then he rose and caught the almost faint- ing widow in his arms. e was thrilled to the heart and all his labors and perils repaid, when she clasped him about the neck and murmured faintly: ‘*Oh, Walter!” ‘*My darling!” he responded, rapturously, kissing her. That was their courtship. It was not altogether cold calculation that de- cided the widow in thisstep. True, heravail- able opportunities had been narrowed down to the colonel and the chaplain, what with the death of Major Balfour and the defection of Jack Sand. But, aside from such considera- tions, the prowess of the colonel had carried her heart by storm. She for the time being loved him as much as it was in her nature to love any one but herself. ‘‘Take me away from here!” she whisper- ed. ‘‘I never want to see this dreadful place again, nor any of the people in it!” ‘* You never shall!” he assured her. .“‘ But I shall always remember it with delight. It has brought me my happiness!” ‘* Don’t! don’t!” she whispered. But her arms closed more closely about his c Boys,” he said, having pulled up his | neck, and her lips repaid him for his prett flying soldiers, ‘‘ we can’t give the thing up | speech, with a shyness which she knew well this way. Remember there is a lady exposed how to simulate. to the brutalities of those devils.”’ So, half in earnest and half with an insin- ‘Colonel, they're too many for us,” said | cerity which formed the woof of her nature, one of his men, privileged by reason of his | she gave herself to him—as good a wife, no | age. doubt, as he deserved! ‘‘How many have we lost?” asked the| He bore her rapidly to where his men | | CHAPTER XXX. RAWLINSON TO THE RESCUE. CoLoNEL RAWLINSON was not a man to fight for the fun of the thing, nor would he have turned over his hand to secure the triumph of either of the parties in Red Dump. But to rescue the fair widow was a quite different thing. He had seen her enter the shanty, there- fore he tried to force his way into it and bear her away to a place of safety. Beaten off by numbers, he next resorted to stratagem. seme A colonel. awaited him. A muster showed that a full third of the ‘* Boys,” he said, ‘‘ we've got all that we men were missing. want. There is no use for a mere handful ‘We must get her out of there, if it costs | such as we are to attempt anything further every man!” cried Rawlinson, impatiently. | until matters have quieted down a little. ‘If we can’t do it by force, we must do it | Where are the horses? We'll come back by wit.” here with a force that can sweep this place : Suppose we creep back an’ lay for a | from end to end!’ chance? But they were not to get awayso. While ‘That is my idea; and there is not a mo- ment to lose. ark! What is that?” ‘* They're at it ag’in, shovel an’ tongs!” Blue-ruin Bob had had his interview with Mrs. Clymer, and had made his rush into the shanty. A moment later came the shrieks of No- body’s Nell. ‘‘Curse those hounds!” eried the colonel, savagely. ‘Follow me, my men! But be cautious. Let me creep forward, and then be ready to support me, if necessary.” Approaching tbe scene of conflict under cover of the shanties, he saw the fair widow under the guard of two men and Nobody’s Nell being borne out of the shanty by Blue- ruin Bob, For the latter he cared nothing; but he at once conceived a plan to rescue the former in a way which would win her admiration and gratitude. He with complacency saw the shanty burn, little caring who, alive or dead, might burn with it. He was only impatient for the op- portunity he awaited. It came when Blue-ruin Bob went toward the other end of the camp, to the site of the | His first thought was of Grace Lothrop. recent trail But where could he take her? If the out- Then the colonel crept forward untii with | laws gained possession of the camp, would a spring and @ biow on the head hestunned | not their next step be to raid his shanty? one of Mrs Clymers guards On the other hand, Mrs. Shannon’s shanty The othe: attempted tc draw a weapon, | was at the end of the camp most distant and even succeeded in di charging it: but | from that toward which the fighting tended; ihe colonel was 1n tume tv kuock hisarm up; and unless they gave the rein to all license, making a circuit in the outskirts of the camp to where their horses were, they encountered a body of men moving in the darkness like themselves. ‘* Halt! lenge. Col. Rawlinson stood in painful suspense. Were they friends or foes? Who goes there!” was the chal- CHAPTER XXXI. IN THE SHADOWS. Sty Sam’s treacherous signal found the Fool completely off his guard, like the others of his party. At the first discharge a bloody mist seemed to float before his eyes, and he staggered, but recovered himself, — He was partly stunned, though not dan- gerously wounded, by a bullet grazing one of his temples. For the first few minutes he had only a confused idea of what he did; but as he gradually came to the full possession of his senses, he found himself alone in the out- skirts of the camp, protected by the dark- ness. ee a — arr ST TTT ET EE Sw TT there faw safety. nant party. So he hailed them, until he had quite a little company gathered about him. In time of panic and demoralization mas- And now the whole bearing of the Fool had changed. He spoke firmly, authoritatively, and the men recognized in him a born leader. Under his direction they went about gath- ering all the men they could find. The Fool himself went in the direction of the fight between the soldiers and Tony Bax- ter’s gang. Of every one he encountered he made in- quiry for the other prominent men of his arty, and from the answers he got and the ailure to meet any of those that he sought, it soon became apparent that the best men had been singled out to be disposed of at the first fire. Ihjun Sid had been seen to fall under the gallows-tree; and Jack Sand had been borne, apparently dead or dying, into the shanty about which the fight was still going on. Then came the rout of the soldiers, the fing of the dance-houses, and the as- sault on the shanty in which Jack Sand lay. The camp was a scene of the wildest con- fusion. Terrified women were rushing out of the shanties and fleeing with shrieks of terror, ‘Oh, for a dozen more men!” groaned the Fool. ‘‘It would only make matters worse to attack them prematurely and suf- fer a repulse. And yet Jack Sand must be saved!” He saw the men scrambling through the windows of the shanty, falling to the ground, picking themselves up, and running away. Then he resolved to make a desperate at- tempt to save Jack by himself. He ran upto the back of the shanty as Blue-ruin Bob bore Nobody’s Nell through the door, and was just in time to meet the chaplain issuing in his turn through the window. “ Friend,” he said, only guessing that it was a friend from the fact of his making his escape in that way. ‘‘Is Jack Sand in there, and alive?” ‘* Ned, is it you?” cried the chaplain. “What! Averil? This is good luck!” ‘‘T am delighted to see that you have es- caped, deah fellow. But this is no place for an exchange of compliments. Come, we may be overtaken at any moment.” ‘*Stop! Is Jack Sand in the shanty?” ‘Yes; but wounded so as to be helpless.” “Then he has the greater need of us. Wait, Averil, until 1 hand him out to you.” ‘Hold! You do not mean to venture in there? You will neveh come out alive!” ‘‘T’ll risk it. If you are too close pressed, look out for yourself.” ‘* Ned!” ‘* We'll talk about it afterward.” He was half-way through the window by this time. Even as he spoke he dropped out of sight. Averil thrust his head in at the window and said: ‘‘He’s undeh the bunk. We rolled him You make me ashamed for deserting him; but really, I was think- ing of some one else.”’ his was true. In his anxiety for Mrs. Clymer he had quite forgotten poor Jack. ‘‘Have you found him?” he asked, “Yes,” said the Fool, in a straining voice, which showed that he was drawing Jack from his close quarters. Then Jack's voice was heard. “Easy! I guess I can help myself some. By Jove! I don’t believe I am so nearly knocked out as I supposed. ’Sh! ah! that’s a sharp one, but I guess I can stand it. Gentlemen, | shall owe you something.” ‘Lift his foot over there, Averil—so! Now, then, there you are!” They got him through the window, and he stood on his feet, with the chaplain’s arm about him, while the Fool made his exit. ‘*T think I can walk,” he said. «We can carry you.” ‘‘No; we can make better time this way.” So they hastened away, with the shanty (ECO NMUCE ICO <S con