Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 340 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

— —— —_—— — = Cool Conrad, the Dakota Det they surrounded Leo the Trailer; she was look- ing down into the jaws of death! Hol Hank’s attention was riveted upon the dial of his gold chronometer. He was counting the seconds that bounded the last minute of the allotted time. ‘Thet’s a long minute,” growled the men. ‘Yer’ crowdin’ two inter one, ain’t yer, Hank?” ‘‘ Five !” said the barkeeper solemnly. Not a change came over the well-cut face of the lovely avenger. ‘Did yer hear it, girl? Hank says ‘ Five,’ an’ Captain Noll hezn’t got back!” said one of the men. ‘* You b’long ter us now!” ‘‘T will see about that! That woman shall have a chance for her life!” These words, full of determination, fell from Floss’s lips. She stepped to the door as the last one was spoken, fire in her eye, a silver-mounted revol- ver in her hand. The next second she had crossed the threshold of Holy Hank’s place, and stood between the roughs and the door. The instant she appeared Leo saw her, and the eyes of the two girls met. ‘‘ By Jupiter! thar’s Floss!” exclaimed a dozen men. ‘Yes, I am here!” was the retort. ‘Dll help ou, Leo. Here! Catch this friend!” The following moment the silver-mounted re- volver flew from Floss’s hands and spun through the air toward Leo Twenty hands went up to check its flight, but it avoided them all, and the female avenger caught it, with an ejaculation of mingled rage and joy. “Choke ther helper! Throttle Floss, ther traitress!” rung through the room. ‘‘Look at me, cowards of Pistol City!” said Leo, coolly, as she leaned forward, the lock of the new revolver clicking in her hand. ‘** Turn on that girl at the door, and I'll drop six of you dead in your boots! I came here to kill!” The men shrunk back. ‘* Open a way for me!” continued Leo. vide! or I'll shoot my way to the door.” Sullenly the pards of Pistol City made a lane for the avenger, and leaping from the counter, she darted toward the opening. ‘‘T guess you won’t hang me before Captain Noll comes back!” she cried, and the next mo- ment she was gone! CHAPTER XX. RED ROY’S WORK, Tur maddest men ever seen among the gold- mountains of California filled Holy Hank’s sa- loon when Leo backed out with her flashing eyes fixed upon them and her revolver pointed at their heads. They dared not spring after her, though they were eager to clutch her throat, for they saw that her finger was at the trigger, and that she was eager to open her battery of death. Just beyond the threshold of the den she join- ed Floss, into whose eyes she threw a look of thanks. sane ee ‘¢ You helped me just in time, girl,” Leo said. ‘‘T will never forget your assistance, We are friends from this time.” ‘‘T am glad that I was able to help you, but ou are not out of danger. The men-tigers of Pistol City are only drawing breath for a gigan- ’ “Di- tic leap.’ ; j ‘‘T know it. I can see that in their eyes,” an- swered Leo. ‘‘If Captain Noll had remained with his pards, there would be a dead man in that den now. Where does the scoundrel stay?” ‘*He went toward his cabin.” Leo’s eyes blazed anew. ‘‘ Show me the way to it,” she said, in tones of command. “If it is in my power, I will end before daylight the trail of vengeance.” Floss did not stir, but looked up into the aven- ger’s face. : ‘‘ Very well,” said Leo, with a smile, ‘If you will not show me Captain Noll I will find him, myself.” ; iT will show you; this way.” And Pure-Gold Floss started off, closely followed by the woman who had just escaped from themad crowd hard- ly twenty yards away. For several minutes the two females traversed the camp, or until Floss halted before a cabin and turned to Leo with a look of discovery. ‘Is this his home?” asked the avenger. “Yes: but you must interview him in a short ace of time. Don’t you hear the men of Pistol ity behind us?” “The tigers are growling yet,” was the an- swer as Leo stepped toward the door, ‘‘T will transact my business with Captain Noll in ten seconds.” The next moment she raised the wooden latch before her and pushed the door open. _ ‘‘Here Iam, Captain Noll,” she said, spring- ing into the cabin, whose interior was lighted by a tin lamp on a rough deal table. ‘I could not wait mba return, I—” ; Leo paused abruptly and then an exclamation of ‘‘ My God!” rung from her throat. The cabin was tenanted but by a man who swung in the middle of the place with his feet two feet from the floor, and with the weird EEC i A As light falling on the ghostly face of the boss of Pistol City. ‘This is an interference which I will not | I hear the pards of brook—I care not who did it!” cried Leo. Floss looked once at the terrible sight, and be- came rooted as it were to the spot, “Your knife, girl!” said Leo as she mounted the table and leaned toward the hanged man. In an instant she held a knife in her hand, and the next second the body of Captain Noll, of Pistol City, dropped with a thud to the floor. ‘*That is Cool Conrad’s work,” said Floss to herself. ‘‘He came back from the graveyard to find Noll and to hang him. It makes war between him and Leo from this time!” The woman avenger sprung from the table and bent over the man she had cut down. Her eyes flashed then as they had never flashed before. ‘** He is warm,” she said looking up into Floss’s face. ‘‘We came in the nick of time. I will yet strike this man for his crime in the canyon!” Before she could further examine Oregon Noll, Leo felt her hand grasped by the girl who had leaped to her side. “The pards of -Pistol City are not twenty yards from the hut. They are hunting this very man. What if they should find you here? You must get away from here,” ** And Jeave this man?” ac Yes. ” **) cannot until—”’ Leo paused and looked at the knife that glit- tered in her hand. Then, all at once she stooped over Captain Noll again. ‘““Why wreak your revenge on one already dead?” said Floss, still holding Leo’s wrist. ‘* Let them find him hanged only. Come! there is a retreat from this cabin which I believe those fellows out there know nothing of. I have been Captain Noll’s protegee for years. I share some of his secrets. They will leap into this shanty within a minute. Come!” Floss’s fingers tightened on Leo’s wrist as she almost dragged her toward a darkened corner of the cabin, where she stooped and lifted one of the boards that formed the floor. The girl’s action disclosed a dark opening like the mouth of a pit, and she pointed into it as she looked into astonished Leo’s face. ‘** It leads to safety and, to you, to future ven- nee.” said Floss. ‘‘ Down into it. I will ollow—quick!” Leo threw a glance at the human body lyin on the floor in the lamplight, and then lower herself into the opening. Floss was not long in following her, and she replaced the board, working from below. ‘They do not know of this place, you say?” peakin said Leo, her lips at the girl’s ear and s g in a whisper. ** 1 think not.” ‘* Then let us remain here and hear the pards when they find Captain Noll.” ‘*'No,” was the quick response. ‘‘ We must take no risks. We are in an underground pass- age which leads to safety if we pursue it at once. Let the men of Pistol City discover their choked captain. We must not stay here.” It was true, as Floss had just said, that the two girls found themselves in a narrow and ae ter corridor, which was as dark as pitch itself. The protegee of the gold camp took Leo’s hand and started down the passageway, and not a word was spoken until a halt was made apparently some distance from Captain Noll’s cabin, Amid darkness and profound silence, the two friends stood side by side, Leo wondering why her beautiful guide did not resume the journey. ‘*'We stop here,” whispered Floss. ‘‘ The coast seems clear.” And she began to work mysteriously, with her hands above her head. n a short time the two friends clambered from the subterranean corridor into an apart ment that possessed a board floor like Captain Noll’s cabin, but darkness still enveloped them. **'You are in Silver Chick’s cabin,” whispered Floss at Leo’s ear. The avenger started and almost let a cry es- cape her. ‘In the home of that other desperado?” she exclaimed. ‘Silver Chick is Captain Noll’s right bower. Where is he?” ‘He has apparently left camp for some pur- pose,” was the reply. ‘**Do you think he has deserted?” ‘*Tmpossible! He would not desert his pard.” ** And I am in his cabin!” said Leo. ‘* Would to Heaven I could find him.” The twain had reached the end of the under- ound passage which lay between the cabins of he mountain pards, and now they stood in Sil- ver Chick’s cabin ready for the next thrilling ad- venture in store for them. Floss hunted around until she found a lamp which she lit with a lucifer, but shaded the flame with her hand. Silver Chick was not at home, and the ap- pointments of the place were not unlike those peculiar to the cabins of the gold camps. ‘What next?” asked Leo turning suddenly upon her companion. The camp waif smiled. ective. 19 **T consider this cabin only a stopping-place on the way to ring 3 was theanswer. ‘* Hark} istol City.” She stepped to the door which she pulled ajar and listented intently. ‘‘They have found Captain Noll,” she sent over her shoulder in low tones to Leo whe had stepped to her side, ‘‘ Hear them! They are swearing revenge on all mankind except them- selves. They’ve turned Pistol City into pande- momium. Listen!” A smile passed over Leo’s face as she listened to the voice which in clarion tones was penetrat- ing every quarter of the camp. ‘We sw’ar by our lives ter wage war ter ther hilt ag’in’ ther band thet choked Captain Noll! Ag’in’ ther Dakota Tiger, ther girl from ther north—ag’in’ Red Roy—an’ all! Mercy shall hev no claim in this region! We shall spare not, Woe to ther enemies ov Pistol City, an’ its tiger pards! Hurrah for blood!” The two girls listening at the door of Silver Chick’s cabin, heard these words as distinctly as if the speaker were not ten feet away. They heard also the quick reply: ‘‘We stand together in this, pard! We've turned from gold ter blood and vengeance; up with yer hats, boys! toss ’°em toward ther stars an’ cl’ar yer throats with a cry fer blood!” ‘‘That suits me. I know where to find the men of Pistol City,” said Leo. ‘I am willing for the fight to goon. The time will come—” ‘Wait till ther captain gits on his feet ag’in!” came the interruption. ‘It war a close shave because ther hangman didn’t understand his bizness.” ‘‘ Heavens! Captain Noll is alive!” ejaculated loss. ‘* Good!” was Leo’s quick reply. ‘*You may like it, but I do not,” said the camp waif. ‘‘ It adds the most ferocious tiger of this region to those who have whetted their teeth for vengeance. I am sorry that the per- son who hanged Captain Noll did not succeed, But let us get away from here. Pistol City can- not harbor us now.” ‘*Do you mean that it will be searched?” ‘*T do. Silver Chick is liable to reappear at any moment. Weare on dangerous ground.” ‘* Where is safer soil?” “Ww here I will lead you if you will follow ‘‘T will do that—for the present,” said Leo. “Do not think that the threat and the oath of vengeance just heard have frightened me. I have nothing to turn me back—everything to urge me forward! I shot to-night a man whom I had sworn to torture—Doctor Pablo.” ‘Did you kill him?” ‘“‘T fear so, though I hope not. I would give my life almost, if the Mexican snake were still able to crawl. I am ready to follow you again, irl. When I came to Pistol City l asked for no riends, but Ishall not reject the one Heaven has sent me.” The cabin door now 0 further, and the two girls glided out into the starlight. At that particular moment the camp seemed quiet and they made their way toward the mountain which rose above it, dark, wooded and threatening. ‘* Halt!” suddenly whispered Floss at Leo’s side. ‘‘ Look! yonder stands a man.” The girl avenger wheeled half-way around and in an instant saw the object singled out by her companion’s keen eyes. ‘*Wal, ye’ve both got tergether, hev ye?” asked the man as he stepped forward, **Red Roy!” ejaculated Floss. “‘Thet’s who I am, girl. I reckon I’ve got the camp riled “3 this time. Captain Noll never dreamed thet he’d be hung by ther man he low- ered inter Satan’s Hotel.” Leo started toward him with a cry. “ Did you do it, Red Roy ?” she flashed. ‘*‘ Bet yer eyes!” was the answer. CHAPTER XXI1. THE BLOOD TRAIL, Nicut again among the gold hills of the Merced country, and a group of men between two rough-looking cabins of a certain mining “city ’ with which the reader is familiar were wondering what had become of a man whom they called Silver Chick. ** Mebbe,” said one, *‘ he’s gone back ter ’Fris- co. ‘* Hades, no! what ’d take ther Chick back thar now?” exclaimed a big, dark-faced man who wore a cloth of some kind around his neck. _ Isn't Monte Merle dead, cap’n?” ‘« An’ isn’t ther Chick his brother?” **Ov course,” “Then, what Monte owned would fall ter : ” The man called captain started and a singular light beamed in his eyes, It was Oregon Noll. ‘*Thar’s suthin’ in yer remarks, Dan,” he said to the man who had just spoken. ‘‘ But ther monte-bank would run on, even if Monte Merle warn’t thar. Silver Chick wouldn’t go ter ’Fris- co without consultin’ me,” ; ‘‘Then why doesn’t he show up in Pistol City?” ; JOO EO ‘S (E (E()