Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 345 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

Masked may express myself, it is the simple truth I am placing before you.” ‘‘The truth is just what we want most, but we want it with the least possible delay, that the cause of justice may not be wholly baffled,” sharply added Jehudi Fee. : ‘‘The less frequent your interruptions, then, the sooner you will get at the bottom facts,” in- terposed Frank Dymock, almost rudely, for he, unlike Barry Carlsworth, had no motive for shunning the ill will of the sour old cynic. ‘We reasoned with the man,” and Barry cast | a side glance toward the corpse on the table, ‘* but he would not listen to anything we might say. We told him that he was mortally shot; that his sands of life were rapidly running out, even as he lay thus quiet and in comparative comfort; that it would surely hasten the end were he to insist on ag Pak ever so little, much less all the way to Stokeley’s; but it was all of no use. ‘*He said that he had pledged his word to at- tend the meeting called for that night at Stoke- ley’s. He swore that he would keep his appoint- ment, dead or alive, and that if his vow was frustrated by our means, he would haunt us | both until the end of time, though the foul fiend | should sink him to the lowest depths of hades!” There was a shiver through the room as these fearful words were repeated in a cold, calm tone, and eyes though half-expecting to hear it rise up and bear witness to the vow. But simple truth,” was the quiet reply. ‘I | count!” am not here to create a silly sensation, but to tell the unadorned facts, in the bottom of this mystery.” ‘*And the person, big or little, officer or pri- vate, who hints that Barry Carlsworth has ut- tered aught more than the plain, unvarnished truth, is a liar in his throat!” sternly cried Frank Dymock, his dark eyes fixed upon the face of the colonel. ‘“‘Tf that is meant for me,” coldly retorted Vanderlyn, ‘‘ | never stop at a hint. I am list- ening to this strange story with growing in- terest, and when it is brought to a climax, I will deliver my opinion, if asked for, in plain terms.” **Friends and men of Rackabout Range!” cried Jehudi Fee, his voice harshly excited as he stood with hands uplifted, quivering as with the palsy, his thin face turning almost purple. ‘‘I call on you to aid me in keeping these hot-bloods | in proper subjection. If fight they must, make | them wait until we know just what has happen- ed—just how Dike Roberts came by his death!” | Unpopular though the speaker undeniably was little longer ‘Very dramatic!” sneered Colonel Vander- | peculiar tone of voice. with the majority of those present, his senti- | ments struck them favorably, and a cry follow- | ed that warned all of danger to come should too | much time be needlessly consumed. ‘Tt was all in vain that we reasoned with the man whose lifeless body lies here,” resumed Barry Carlsworth, his voice cold and steady. ‘‘He said that he would not die until he had kept his appointment. He said that there was a at and terrible secret which he wanted to ublish to the men of Rackabout Range, where e would have plenty of good and trusty wit- nesses to hisoath. And so, seeing that he would be content with no less, we caught his horse and made preparations to bring him here. “He refused a litter, as to make one would consume too much precious time. could ride, if we would ! lead the horse over the smoothest trail. We felt that it would be certain death, under the circumstances, but how could we refuse? He swore he would curse us with his dying breath if we failed him then! ‘We iat goo up his wound as best we could, and placed him in his saddle. We tied him there with his own lasso, and then, one walking on each side of him to steady his swaying form, we started for Stokeley’s, on the most trying journey it was ever my fortune to make!” Barry Carlsworth, his voice growing husky, brushed a hand across his face to remove the sweat that seemed to start out from every pore in large beads. His auditors thrilled as they noted his emotion. They glanced shyly toward the corpse on the table, who had kept its ap- pointment after such a strange fashion. The young ranchero steadied his voice, and resumed: “Tt was well that we took these precautions, man gave out, as we then believ by the motion of his horse, careful as we had deen in picking out the smoothest route. He said he | tie him in the saddle and | ; | for before we covered half a —_ > e wounded | ying, killed | ** We hastily released him and lowered him to | the ground. “He was still alive, though insen- sible, his wound bleeding freely, the pellet of cloth having worked out by the motion of his animal. e wo ked over | time, giving him brandy, stopping the bleeding, and then he revived sufficiently to curse us for lingering on the road! Cursed us if we stopped again before reaching Stokeley’s! to the verge of the grave—that we were plot- ting to save the guilty and doom the innocent! | Swearing out mercy the that we were in league with the black-hearted a hand to strike a blow! wretches whose evil schemes had brought him men. Take warning, would last until he reached Stokeley’s. Mark, ‘‘Coming even from a dying man, these were hard words and difficult to swallow; but we did the best we could for him. We again asked him to confide in us—to tell us what dark secret it was that urged him on to certain death— swearing to use his confession to the benefit of the innocent and the discomfiture of the guilty; but it was only breath wasted in vain. oe e would live long enough to expose the criminals and lay bare their atrocious plots. He would tell his story before the assembled men of Rack- about Range, unless we failed him. ‘*This was all he would say, save to urge us on, and ea that no less would content him, we replaced him in the saddle and made what haste we durst, though we were forced to halt twice more before reaching the end. The last time was not over a quarter of a mile from here, and that time we thought for certain the end had come; but once more he rallied, and on we came, beginning to believe that some more than mortal power was aiding him to keep his ap- pointment! ‘* Not two hundred yards from this spot, he spoke, and his voice was steadier and stronger than it had been at any time since receiving his hurt. We believed him living when we opened the door. If not, he certainly could not have been dead more than a few seconds, at the out- rae glanced toward the corpse as | side.” ‘What a pity ne ge fellow did not live a !” uttered Colonel Vanderlyn, in a “If only long enough to r witness to the truth of this wonderful ac- ‘** How long ago was it that he was shot?’ in- opes of getting to terposed Jehudi Fee, his voice cold and hard. ‘* About two hours, I should say.” “Yet, less than half an hour ago, Masked Mark was standing here before us all, alive, hearty, unhurt! How do you explain that fact, Mr. Carlsworth?” ‘*T do not explain it, if it be the fact you say. Ican only guess that the man who met you here was the same whom we saw waylaid by Dike Roberts—who shot him down after being fired upon, and then outran my horse.” ‘‘A very ingenious explanation, too, but I think there is still another and far more reason- able one,” broke in Colonel Vanderlyn, his voice hard and almost insultingly suspicious. ‘‘ Masked Mark was here, alive and in flesh. He proved himself a detective with full authority to arrest all or any law-breaker whom he might come across. He did arrest one—Alva Bohee.” ** And lied in his throat when he called him a criminal!” cried Carlsworth, hotly. ‘‘ Alva Bohee is my friend—our dear fricnd—and if he has been arrested as a criminal, there has been foul play going on here! If aught of harm has come to him, let those who hatched the cunning plot take care of their heads! We'll have re- venge, though we have to wade through blood to our knees.” Frank Dymock touched his excited partner on the arm, and facing Colonel Vanderlyn he spoke - at kind of looking man was this Masked Mark of yours? His size, dress and general de- scription?’ Colonel Vanderlyn pointed at the body lying on the table and deliberately replied: ‘Replace the mask that Jehudi Fee removed from that face. Blot out the red stain over his heart. Restore life to the body, speech to the tongue, motion to the limbs. Set him on his feet beside the table, and you see a perfect counter- part of the person you are so curious about. And such a marvelously similar representation, that one could almost take oath they were one and the same person!” “i Colonel Victor Vanderlyn ready to take oath that the two men are one and the same?” coldly uttered Dymock, his dark eyes glittering, his face pale and hard-set. ‘Colonel Vanderlyn said almost, I believe,” was the cool retort of the ex-soldier. ‘* And Colonel Vanderlyn shows his usual pru- dence when he hesitates to swear to a lie!” point- edly exclaimed Carlsworth. ‘‘ Iam willing to take oath that this man—in the disguise which has made its wearer known all over Rackabout Range as Masked Mark, the Mounted Detective —has not been out of our sight for more than two hours. If Colonel Vanderlyn, or any other person now present, doubts my oath, he has only to say as much, and I will try my level best to teach him better manners—besides sending him where he can put the question to Dike Roberts, in spirit, if not in the flesh.” It was a pointed challenge, tipped with poison for the express benefit of the colonel, but once more Jehudi Fee interposed and prevented what bade fair to become a fatal collision. He whi ped out a heavy revolver, cocking it with the air of one who meant stern business as he im for some little | cried: ‘“*Peace! There shall be peace here until this horrible mystery is settled satisfactorily, or I'll do part of the fighting! I swear to shoot with- first man among you all who lifts You know me, gentle- while there is yet time.” Colonel Vanderlyn laughed softly, but made no effort to draw a weapon. Barry Carlsworth the Mounted Detective. maintained his defiant attitude, but his hands, also, were empty of weapons. “‘Tam not hunting for a quarrel, neighbor,” the colonel said, more quietly than ever, his huge mustaches curling asif withasmile. ‘‘ But at the same time, | can’t help thinking of what will be said when this remarkable story gets wind and outsiders catch hold of it. It will be very difficult for them toswallow two Masked Marks. If one of these two is accounted for,” with a slight wave of his hand toward the table cn | which lay the corpse of Dike Roberts, ‘‘ there is still one-half of the masquerade missing. And if this second edition of the Mounted Detective never comes to light—if Masked Mark in the flesh should never be heard of again—what will they say? ‘That Masked Mark arrested the particular friend of two well-known gentlemen; that those same gentlemen bring in the corpse of a masked man, the very image of the one whom all of the rest of us saw arrest their friend; that they set their beloved friend and ally free, at the cost of blood !” A low buzz ran around the room as the colone} ceased speaking. His words had produced the precise effect he most desired. It was a cunning picture he drew, and without positively commit- ting himself, he induced a belief that the two men had really committed murder in setting their friend free from arrest, then seeking to clear their skirts by a cunningly arranged story of a double Masked Mark. The two partners saw this, but even then they did not flinch from before the stern, almost threatening frowns which turned upon them from all sides of the room. And when Barry Carlsworth spoke, his voice was cold and steady as at first: ‘“*Do you reason after this fashion, Colonel Vanderlyn? Do you say that we murdered Masked Mark?” : ‘* With that revolver covering me? After the stern threat which our good neighbor has ut- tered?” laughed the colonel, sag toward Jehudi Fee. ‘‘No, I thank you, Mr. Cark- worth. I can only take oath that I saw Masked Mark alive and in sound bodily health in this room; that I heard him accuse Alva Bohee of counterfeiting and stock-stealing; that I saw him make the arrest, and leave wit his prisoner. I can onlyswear that he was alive when he left here. That you two gentlemen brought a perfect coun- terpart of theman we all saw and heard speak— save that your Masked Mark was dead, a bul- let through his heart, his body still warm, but his lips motionless, unable to either confirm or contradict your account of the curious affair. Only this, and nothing more, gentlemen!” he concluded, with a low and mocking bow. ‘* Don’t be too sure of that, Colonel Vander- lyn,” inte Frank Dymock, his voice stern and significant, his demeanor giving no signs that he either noticed or was affec 4 the sullen mutterings and darkening looks of the ex- cited men of Rackabout Range. ‘‘ Possibly the oT may be brought to bear witness, after hb Colonel Vanderlyn gave a barely perceptible start, but instantly covered it with a short, con- temptuous laugh. ** You both swore that Dike Roberts died with- aoe revealing his secret—if any such ever ex- isted. Once more Jehudi Fee interposed. ‘*Enough—and far too much—of this, gentle- men!” he sternly cried, one bony hand gently touching the cold forehead of the dead man. ‘* You are wasting time in idle bickering that should be better employed. A man has been slain—murdered, I fear—and that man is my old and tried friend, Dike Roberts. I have known him too long, loved him too dearly, tobe content to stand idle while his slayer is still at liberty. ‘‘Tf these gentlemen have spoken the truth— and it is not for me to say they have done the contrary, strange and almost incredible as their report appears—that slayer must have been the man who appeared before us as Masked Mark and placed one of our number under arrest, He must have committed the murder before com- ing here.” 4 a he committed it at all,” interjected Van- erlyn. “There is only one way to solve all doubts, and that is by following his trail and ne ere | him, by bringing him back here and confrontin him with these two gentlemen. The death of my old friend lies between the two parties, and by all my hopes of a hereafter, I'll never know | rest or quiet until the mystery is solved and the murder fully avenged!” The gaunt, h old man looked almost in- spired as he held one hand toward heaven, the eS payor. lightly on the cold face of his dead riend. For a few seconds thus, then he ke again his voice sharp and business-like: tee , ‘*Friends and neighbors—men of Rackabout pe I appeal to you as men and brothers! I you to join with me in this search—to take the trail of Masked Mark and never leave it until the manner in which our old_friend ving his death is fully discovered! Will you 01 cS EComicboo 7 ~ co fc. i. Pa ———— ee me ee ee | . ql | 4 . 7 * gn Ne 0S eh oe, ee eee Se ae + oh _ és oe ‘ — A = 7. ts a —== 7} > | ee