Beadle's Dime Library No. 341 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

4. ‘‘No, Master Rupert, I do not consider that debt paid, for I will never forget you for saving me that night from death, when those sailors attacked me to get my gold. ‘‘You were a wild boy, and you ran through your fortune and got into trouble, from being too ready with a weapon; but | would not see you die, so bought you out of ry and thought I would see you no more; ut what a beard you have grown.” ‘It is false, Tom, false as my friends were to me in my adversity—see!” He took off the beard, and Captain Tom said thoughtfully, as though speaking aloud: ‘‘The same handsome, dare-devil face, though older than when he went away.” ‘‘Yes, J am older and wiser, Tom; but here are the five hundred dollars you spent on me,” and he threw.a purse filled with gold upon the table. ‘‘Bless you, Master Rupert, not one dollar of it will 1 take.” ‘‘Oh, yes, you will, for I am not a poor man now, Tom, for I have made my for- tune.” ‘‘T am glad of that; but how did you make it?” ‘With my sword.” ‘Tia! and under what flag?” cried the inn- keeper, quickly. ‘A sable one, Tom,” was the reply, with a reckless laugh. “You have then turned pirate, Master Rupert?” 3 ‘‘Yes, Tom, I was driven to it, for I be- came a wanderer, fell in with outlaws, and worked my way up to the quarter-deck of a ‘West Indian buccaneer craft.”’ ‘By Heaven! but a West Indian pirate chased « brig into port to-day, and a barque has gone out to capture her.”’ ‘© Yes, it was my lugger that ran her in, and I spoke the barque going out,” was the cool reply. ‘But did they not recognize you?” ‘‘No indeed, for I disguised my craft as I did myself, and came into port.” ‘‘ Reckless as ever, Master Rupert.” ‘‘It is my nature, Captain Tom; but take your gold, for I have plenty, and now tell me of my mother.” ‘You broke her heart, Master Rupert, for piazza. The Sea Desperado. A full-length window led into a cosey sit- ting-room that was brightly lighted, and pac- ing to and fro, her head drooped, her hands clasped before her and hanging listlessly down was a maiden of rare beauty. The pirate chief paused a moment and gaz- ed upon her as though spell-bound; but with a haughty toss of his head he sprung lightly upon the piazza, drew off his beard and hat, replacing the latter with a tarpaulin, and said softly: ‘* Helen!” She started at the sound of the voice, bent her head toward the window, and stood in the attitude of listening. ‘*No, no; it was but the echo of a voice long since vanished, that seemed to come to me because I was thinking of him and the past.”’ ‘No, Helen, its no echo of a voice that has vanished, but Rupert Mortimer himself who speaks to you.”’ He threw aside the cloak he wore, and stepped boldly into the room, clad in his pi- rate uniform. Helen Hayward started back with a cry of surprise and sorrow commingled; but, as he approached as though to take her hand, she shrunk away a step, and drawing herself up to her full hight, cried in haughty tones: ‘* Stand back, Sir Pirate, for your own red hands broke the chain of love that once bound me to you, and now I regard you only with horror and contempt!” ‘Ha! these are my words of greeting from you, proud beauty? ‘But I will lower your haughty head!” cried the pirate chief, and with a bound he was by her side, his arm grasping her waist, and one hand held firmly upon her mouth to prevent an outcry. But poor Helen was so taken by surprise, and filled with dread, by his sudden act, that she lost her presence of mind, and sunk unconscious into the arms of the bold in- truder. ** Ah! she has swooned, and fortune favors me. ‘‘Now to take the nearest way to the shore,” and the pirate captain raised the maiden in his powerful arms, threw his cloak over her and left the mansion, wend- the stroke of oars, and his eyes fallen upon a boat containing several men rowing hastily to the scene. Captain Morte was brave to recklessness, but he knew that the odds were terribly against him, and that his capture meant cer- tain death at the gallows when he was re- cognized, so he at once determined to save himself and trust to fortune to aid him in kidnapping Helen Hayward at another time. To the amazement of the daring student, and the joy of Helen, neither of whom saw the coming boat, and expected desperate re- sistance after his bold words, he suddenly held the maiden before him as a shield from the attack of Frank Shields and sprung back- ward into the sea. The act nearly dragged Helen overboard after him, but she was seized by her lover’s strong grasp just in time to save her, and the next instant the coming boat dashed up to the scene and a cheery voice cried: ‘*What’s the trouble, messmate?’ ‘““A man attempted to kidnap this lady, and I was fortunate enough to thwart him,” was the modest reply of the student. ‘Who was he, and where is he? for we will make short work of him,” said the speaker in the boat. ‘* He stood his ground until he saw your approach, and then sprung overboard.” ‘‘T hope he has not been drowned, for that would cheat the gallows. ‘But we will look him up while you take charge of the lady,” said the one who seemed so be the leader among the boat’s crew. “Thank you, sir,” answered Frank Shields, and seizing the oars he sent the boat quickly to the shore. All this time Helen Hayward had uttered no word, but sat in the stern of the boat clinging to the hand of her preserver. She was very pale, for it had been a great shock to her to recognize in her kidnapper one who had won her heart just as she had crossed the threshold of her teens, but whose. life had been one of reckless dissipation and crime, After his mysterious escape from prison he had fled for parts unknown; but there were seamen who knew him well who had re- ported that they had seen him on the deck of a pirate vessel that had boarded them, and seamen began to mutter prayers at sight of ta Fe 4 folks said you had turned pirate, andit killed | ing his way out of the grounds by a gate that | this had reached the ears of his poor mother, . ,! her—yes, sir, your mother is dead.”’ led toward the harbor shore. and the shock had hastened the end of her . Ls , ' The young pirate’s head drooped forward Swiftly he walked down the sloping path, | life. b and rested in his hands for a moment, as} and at last reached the shore where several Helen, too, had heard these stories, but se though the words of Captain Tom Bowline | small row-boats were moored. hoped that he had not become as bad as that; Bi a had cut deep; but after a while he raised his Into one of these he placed Helen, and | but bad as he was, she could not wholly ob- | et head and asked calmly: seizing the oars had just started off from | literate his image from her heart, and her ‘4 i ‘‘And there is one other, Tom, I would | the shore when the maiden returned to con- | thoughts were of the desperate wanderer 8 OW ask about.” sciousness and gave one long, piercing cry. | when le so suddenly appeared before her, st a ‘* Your old ladylove?” ‘Great God! I will have a score of boats | and with a result which the reader has seen, | ‘aa ‘* Yes,” after me if she repeats that cry. It had not been the expectation of Captain | | ‘She is living, sir.” ‘‘] must be rude with you, Helen,” and he | Morte, as he called himself after raising the | F A “‘Ts she married?” turned toward her. black flag, to kidnap Helen that night. : bes <“No, sir.” But the cry had already been heard, for He had wished to see her, and believin 4 by ‘‘Thank God for that,” was the fervent | out from the shadow of the hill bounded a | that she still loved him, or would return to € oh response, tall form, and, springing into a light skiff he | her allegiance at sight of him, he hoped to , “But they do say she is to marry a poor | sent it flying over the waters in chase of the lay a plan to have her fly with him at a time “ University student, when she could have got- | pirate, who, endeavoring to quiet Helen by | which he would set. om ten any one of the rich young bloods that are | threats, did not see the stranger until the two Her horror at seeing him, her scorn, caused ® ee in love with her.” : boats came together with a crash, and a | him to act with the impulse of his nature, ea ‘‘ She shall never marry mortal man other ; strong arm grasped him, while in hoarse | and which impulsiveness had gotten him into | ine than myself, Tom Bowline,” was the fierce | tones came the words: trouble from boyhood, and he had boldly a rejoinder of the young pirate chief, and ‘‘Hold, sir! I will take that lady into my | carried her off. ie dashing off the last glass of wine, he arose | charge!” Seeing that the game was against him, Pug quickly and edu ved : The speaker stood with one foot upon the | knowin that his men were not near to aid Bey. “Well, Tom, I will see you again, and if | gunwale of each boat, and grasped the pirate | him, and not wishing to ruin all by a combat Nr not to-night you will hear from me to-mor-| by the shoulder with one hand, while in the | in which he had to face such great odds, he a row. other he held a short knife. at once relinquished his prize and sprung a | ‘* Good-night.” Captain Morte was wholly at a disadvan- | backward into the sea. Rt He grasped the hand of the innkeeper, and | tage, for he was forced to hold Helen in one Sinking from sight, and a skillful swim- a pa unheeding his words of warning, replaced | arm, while he endeavored to grasp a weapon | mer, he remained long under the water, ris- a a his false beard and walked rapidly out of | with the other. ing only for breath at a considerable distance q ey the tavern. But he would not so easily surrender his | from the boat. a k. As though the town was perfectly familiar | prize, and hissed back: He heard the words of the student and y to him he walked along the streets at a quick ‘* Never, sir, and I warn you off.”’ those in the boat, and muttered: yi . pace, turning here and there until he came to “Then it is your life or mine,” was the “The fellow is modest not to preach him- ' ; where were the residences of the wealthiest | ringing response of the man who had attack- | self up; but the tide is against me in win- , citizens. ed the pirate chief. ning that prize to-night, so I must strive for. ae One of these, the most elegant house in the another.” iG - z town, was slightly more isolated than the CHAPTER VI So saying, he again dove, swimming under ry others, and was situated upon a hill overlook- a oa water in the direction he wished to go, and ing the harbor and the sea. IN THE SPIDERS WEB. thus continuing until he reached asafe dis- ° be Around it were ornamental grounds, with Wirn Helen Hayward the object of con- | tance from the boats, when he swam on de- | beds of flowers, and here and there a rustic | tention between her outlaw lover, Rupert | liberately with a strong stroke along the > sm arbor as a retreat for idlers to while away the | Mortimer, on the one hand, and her student | deserted piers, and nearly frightened his two ae, time in the sultry noonday. lover, Frank Shields, upon the other, a} men to eath by suddenly appearing along- . a Passing through a gate he boldly approach- | struggle to the death would certainly have | side of them. ok. f i em ed the mansion, and wending his steps to- | followed the attempted rescue of the maiden, ‘‘ Silence, you idiots, and help meintothe == see ward one wing, paused as he reached asmall | had not the quick ear of the pirate detected | boat,” he cried, sternly, as the two Mexican q | com ‘SCO a st » Ts J ~- Eboo