Beadle's Dime Library No. 341 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

; MALS EO Oe: cs 8 ‘Had it not been for you I would to-day The Sea Desperado. ‘‘T do, and that man holds his pistol, as be first-honor man; and more, you have | you can see, for it has his name upon it.” stolen from me the affections of the woman | | cried Frank Shields. ”) love. Frank Shields laughed lightly, and his rival asked in angry tones: ‘“ Why do you laugh, sir?” “T laugh at the thought that Louis Vale loves other than himself, and more, I am amazed that he accuses me of stealing from him that which I am confident he never pos- sessed.” ‘‘TIa! you mean that’ Helen Hayward never loved me?” ST a * By what right do you say so?’ **]T have her own words for it.” ‘*She would have done so but for you.” ‘Tt is false! I did not fire upon him,” ‘‘T believe that you did, sir, and we will take you prisoner; but who are you, sir?” ' and the huntsman who had spoken turned to the old sailor. But before he could answer Louis Vale said in a low tone: ‘‘ He is an old sailor, that I met, as he was on his way to my quarters to find me, for he was sent by Frank Shields there to ask me to come here.”’ ‘‘T came, and as Mr. Shields and myself ' are rivals, he shot me.” i ' j ‘ She is fortunate in having escaped a fate | | Louis Vale, to demand that he die not with a so cruel.” ‘*Sneer on, sir, for I care not; but should you be out of the way she would marry me.” ‘Heaven protect her from such a doom.” | ‘Ay, and I now demand of you, Frank Shields, that you give her up.”’ ‘7 shall do nothing of the kind.” *« Woe be unto you if you refuse.” ‘*T care nothing for your threats.” ‘Say, Shields, you are a poor man, and I have money, so I will buy your claim if you | plate pt Ue yy ye" scenes narrated in the foregoing chapters, will sell, for I do not wish to have to do worse.” 3 ‘‘My claim is not for sale, sir, poor as I am,” /*© Then savagely said Louis Vale. ‘‘Pray do not force me to extremes, Mr. Vale, as Iam a man who thoroughly believes you will force me to extremes?” | in the right of self-preservation,” and the | flashing eyes of the young student showed that he meant what he said. “ You refuse then to relinquish all claims to the hand of Miss Hayward?” ** Assuredly, and I am surprised that you deem me so weak as to think I can be fright- ened into so doing.” ‘‘Then, sir, you must take the conse- 1 quences. “ Old man, do your red work |” The last words were said in a low tone, and behind Frank Shields arose a form of the old sailor, and a pistol was in his hand. The weapon was leveled, the finger touch- ed the trigger, and the bullet went flying on its deadly errand. At the last moment Louis Vale had seen that the weapon was not aimed at Frank Shields, but at him. He had started back in horror, and there broke from his lips the cry: ‘ “Great God! man, do you mean to kill Just then the pistol-shot came, and, with a bullet in his breast, Louis Vale sunk upon the ground. Utterly astounded, Frank Shields sprung to his side without glancing around him to see where was the one who had fired the fatal shot. ‘‘Great Heaven, Vale, you are dying.” ‘Yes, shipmate, he has his death-wound, and you shot him down without any reason that | can see.” The speaker stepped forward as he spoke, and it was the old sailor. ‘* Villain, what do you mean? You know that I did not fire that shot,” cried Frank, excitedly. ‘‘T seen yer do it, mate, and here is the weapon you did it with,” and he picked up the pistol from where he had thrown it upon the ground. Frank Shields was utterly unnerved by the accusation against him, and it was with an effort that he said appealingly to the dy- ing man: - “You, Vale, know that I did not fire upon ou?” " ‘‘Yes, murderer, you fired the shot that killed me,” sternly said Louis Vale, his eyes flashing with hate. _ “Yes, mate, he killed you, and I'll see that he hangs for the deed,” said the old sailor, just as two men appeared upon the scene, guns in hand, for they had been upon a hunt through the woods. They knew the two students by sight, and had heard the last words spoken, and one of them said quickly: ‘This is a sad affair, gentlemen; but do ou accuse Mr. Shields of having shot you, Mr. Vale?” a Frank Shields stood like a statue, for this bold charge absolutely dazed him. Recovering himself he stepped toward base falsehood upon his lips; but with a gasp and a groan the life fluttered out of the body of Louis Vale, and he lay dead before them, his last utterance a lie that he felt would bring punishment upon his hated rival. CHAPTER XIII. AFTER THE MURDER. THE seaport town, wherein occurred the was still discussing the story of the mys- terious flight of the brig, which had escaped the pirate so cleverly, when, like a bomb- shell bursting in the midst of the community, there came the startling tidings of the death of Louis Vale at the hands of Frank Shields, his fellow-student. The two huntsmen, aided by the old sailor, had brought the body of Louis Vale and the risoner to town, and the latter had quickly ound lodgment in the ving, 5 jail, while the rich young aristocrat was taken to his quar- ters to be prepared for burial. Students and townspeople were horrified at the tragedy, when the stories of the hunts- men and the old sailor were told. Of course no one believed the story of Frank Shields that he was innocent, Yes, there was one who believed in his in- nocence, and that one was tlelen Hayward. On his way to prison the poor student had asked one of the hunters if he would deliver a note for him, and, being answered in tke affirmative, he had written Helen Hayward as follows, as soon as he arrived in the jail: ‘*My Dear HELEN:— “The bearer of this will explain to you my po- sition as he knows it. ‘*But he is wrong, and I am the victim of a plot, ta am innocent of the charge of murdering poor aie. ‘*He sent for me by an old sailor to meet him at the Crag. *[ went and while conversing with him he was shot, but by whom God only knows. ‘* He accused me of firing upon him, and such was his dying ststement, while the old sailor picked up my pistol, which I had left days before with a gun- smith for repairs, and this appears as another link in the chain against me, as will also, I suppose, the remark I made to your father that Vale would never make you his wife, but in which remark I believe yon know there was implied no threat of harm to m., ** Somehow I cannot but believe that the old sailor I referred to knows more of the affair than he is willing to tell. ‘But certain it is that I am innocent, in spite of the circumstantial evidence against me, though I feel now that I will be proven guilty, and that my hopes of future happiness must set in the gloom of the gallows. ‘* Whether you believe me or not, Helen, you must feel that I am the same now as before, and will re- member you with my last thought. ‘“T deem it my duty to write you this, that, no matter what is said against me, you may have it from me that I am guiltless. Yours, * FRANK.” This note was handed personally to Helen by the young hunter, with whom she had a slight acquaintance, and he gave to her his version of the affair, and to his surprise she said very coldly: ‘‘T thank you, sir, for your kindness, but Mr. Shields tells me in his note that he is innocent, and I cannot but believe him.” ‘*But the facts, Miss Hayward,” urged the young bearer. . ‘The facts, sir, Mr. Shields has given me, and from you I have heard the suspicions.” The young man felt that his wisest course was to withdraw, and he did so just as Mr. Hayward came home in hot haste to tell the story, as he had heard it with its numerous variations. ‘* Well, Helen, I have news for you that will make you change your opinion of that scapegrace Shields now,” he said, excitedly. —_——_—_ ‘‘ You refer, sir, to the death of Mr. Vale at the hand of an assassin, l suppose?” was the cold response. ‘‘ Ah! you have heard it, then?” ‘“« Yes, sir, I just learned the news.” ‘*But who could have told you?” and Mr. Hayward was disappointed at not being the first to break the tidings. ‘‘T have here a letter from Mr. Shields.” ‘‘Hal!l he has dared to write you after his cold-blooded act?” ‘‘He has committed no cold-blooded act, father.” ‘He has just killed poor Vale.” Be Mr. Shields says that he did not kill 1im. ‘‘ Bosh! nonsense! are you stupid enough to take his word against all facts?” ‘*] am, father.” ‘“ Why, he made a threat to me this morn- ing that he would kill Vale; but I did not know how soon he would carry it out,” ‘‘ Father, Mr. Shields made nosuch threat, as you know; he merely said that I would never marry Louis Vale, and he told the truth,” ‘‘ Well, he has killed him, and thus pre- vented your becoming the wife of poor Vale, who was one of the noblest fellows that ever lived.” ‘‘It is wrong, father, to speak unkindly of the dead; but Louis Vale was a profligate, a gambler, and one whose private life was kept hidden from those whose respect he sought.” ‘*[ intended him for your husband, Helen, and he is dead; dead by the hand of a man whom I will see does not escape the gallows for his dastard crime,” and with this Mr. Hayward returned down-town to take steps to have Frank Shields prosecuted to the full extent of the law, while Helen mur- mured: ‘‘No, he shall not die, for in my heart I believe him to be innocent.” CHAPTER XIV. THE MYSTERIOUS SAILOR. A VESSEL coming into port reported hav- ing been overhauled upon the high seas and robbed by a lateen-rigged craft, flying the black flag, and having in company with her a brig which answered the description of the vessel that had so mysteriously disap- peared from the harbor under cover of the darkness. The barque, which had been sent in search of the pirate, also ran into the harbor and dropped anchor, to report a want of suc- cess, for nowhere could she und the daring outlaw vessel, thuugh she had spoken sev- eral who had seen her and with a brig in her company. Hardly had the barque returned when sev- eral bodies of seamen, bearing wounds to mark how they had died, were washed ashore, and these were recognized as the mate, bo’sen and seamen who had been left on board the ill-fated brig. Of course this told the story that the West Ind‘an pirate had boldly entered the harbor and cut out the brig which had eluded him the day before. Who that pirate was Mr. Hayward made known by telling of the kidnapping of his daughter, which circumstance he had kept from the public up to that time, having re- lated it only to a few intimates, and at the same time keeping back the truth as to who had been her rescuer. Known to all in town, as it were, the secret came out in earnest that Rupert Mortimer had turned pirate, and was, in fact, none other than a famous sea-rover, who had not hesitated to strike a blow at his own people and boyhood’s home. | A preliminary examination having been held of the murder of Louis Vale, his al- leged slayer was remanded to jail to await trial in court, and not one atom of sympathy followed him into his dismal retreat, while the dead student was followed to his grave by a vast concourse of people who bewailed his untimely end. At the examination the old seaman had been closely questioned in regard to the af- fair, and had told his story of how he had met Frank Shields and had been paid by him to go and ask Louis Vale to come to the Point of Rocks. He had led him to the spot and then Eomicbook