Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 345 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

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A high ole trick somewhar, but that p’izen critter jumped the wrong man fer the boss, anyway! hat’s one comfort.” ‘*Ef he didn’t do it to git him out o’ danger,” was the gloomy retort. ‘*Then you think that—” **T cain’t think—an’ that’s the matter!” snarl- ed Morton. ‘‘i want to find the kunnel an’ see what he thinks, fu’st!” ‘*Ef he ain’t wuss muxed up then any one 0’ us, then I miss my guess by a heap an’ a pritty good plenty! I never yit see a man that looked more ha’nted then he did when the ole man showed up Dike Roberts!” pursued Adkins, who seemed in a much more talkative mood than his superior—for it was plain enough that Dick Morton occupied that position in the gang. ‘*Can anybody tell what it all means, any- way?” asked another, prominent in the ranks of the Crooks of Rackabout Range. ‘* All I know is that the colonel summoned us to meet at Stokeley’s, on important business.” ‘**T reckon that’s all anybody in this gang kin say,” Dick Morton growled. ‘* Ef more trouble comes of it then they hes ¥ pea the kunnel’s the one who'd orter shoulder the heft o’ the load—an’ he’s got to tote his full sheer, too, or they’s goin’ to be a he-ole row kicked up—an’ you'll see my boots twinklin’ in the fu’st ranks, now you hear me whisper!” ‘* Kf he ain’t losin’ his grip, it gits me why he tuck so much lip from them two sassy cusses! They spit into his face, made a pritty clean record, too, they say, even afore he struck the Range.” ‘** He hed his reasons, ll say that,” admitted Dick Morton, ina more eventone. ‘* He’llmake his teeth meet in the flesh when the sign’s right, don’t you borry no trouble, lad. An’ ef I was you, an’ looked for’ard to w’arin’ gray ha’r, | wouldn’t talk quite so keerless when the kunnel is nigh enough fer to ketch onto your sayin’. He'll down ye, shore!” “Tf any of us are to wear gray hair, more than those we can already show, it’s action we want most, not talk,” gruffly interposed Thrail- kill. There was that in his tones that caused even the talkative Adkins to keep silence for some time as they rode rapidly over the plain toward the tavern or storehouse, They did not lack food for thought. Though not one of the party could fully understand the strange occurrences of thateventful night, there was not one among them all but felt that dan- ger great and deadly threatened them from some quarter. Masked Mark was at last getting in “7 work, as it appeared, and they feared the result. The party did not spare their horses, but it was some little time before they could cover the distance that lay between the scene of the tragedy and Stokeley’s, and as they at length came in sight of the building, their animals were _ quite ready to obey the tightening reins and come down to a walk. ‘*T kin jest make out a light, but I don’t see no hosses hitched,” muttered Morton, uneasily. ‘‘ Mebbe the kunnel hain’t got back yit. Hold up a bit, an’ I'll go take a squint. -Ef he hain’t got back, we'll have to strike out fer ther Jump- off He leaped to the ground and strode away without waiting for an answer. He little knew the consequence of that natural action of his. He gained the door, and peering inside, with- out touching the partial vom n barrier, he caught a glimpse of Clem Stokeley still sitting in his great chair, smoking placidly. He fan- cied he also heard Polly moving about, and without further hesitation he stepped inside the bar-room. Instantly the door swung to behind him, and before he could realize his peril or utter a sound, a heavy blanket was flung over his head, a pair of muscular arms tightened about his neck, while other hands cs his hands, fastening a sharp click and the sensa- tion of cold steel. He was handcuffed, his feet knocked from under him, and almost before he could realize that he had blundered into a trap his weapons were stripped from about his waist, and a stern voice muttered in his muffled ears: ‘One sound from your lips before we give : ~ leave, Dick Morton, and out goes your light orever! We mean business!” All the steel was taken out of him by the sud- den attack and complete surprise. He trembled like a leaf, and thought only of preserving his worthless life. The blanket was removed from his head, but before he regained the use of his eyes suffi- ciently to recognize either of his assailants, a handkerchief was passed over them and secure- ly knotted behind his head. Then a stern voice spoke: * The game’s all up with you, Dick Morton, and unless you want to die on the instant you'll act just as you are bidden. Adkins and hrailkill are out yonder? Nod, if I am right,” He nodded eh ‘*Good enough! We want them more than all the rest. ou will call out and bid them come here for a moment. Steady your voice, for if it betrays you or gives you away, down you go too dead to skin! You understand?” He did understand; and with a desperate ef- fort he cried: ‘*I say, Adkins an’ Thrailkill, let the boys hold your critters an’ wait while you come here fer a bit. Business, now!” | Ra It was an admirable performance, under the | circumstances; and, without a thought of dan- ger, the two men addressed dismounted and ad- vanced, stepping inside, only to be assailed by strong teen just as Dick tacked. But despite the surprise, Thrailkill managed to cry out in loud tones: y ae boys! The bloodhounds have got us oul!’ CHAPTER XIX, ‘‘ THREE OF A KIND!” THOUGH taken quite as much by surprise as either Colonel Vanderlyn or any of the men composing the party of investigation by the ot pl appearance of Masked Mark, the Mount- ed Detective, on the brink of the Jump-off, both Barry Carlsworth and Frank Dymock were cool and collected enough when they led the major portion of the party in a direction opposite to that taken by Vanderlyn and Demas Fee. It seemed a perfectly natural action if the main object was to capture the man with the hidden face, since now if he tried to double in either direction, he could hardly avoid encountering one party or the other. But before they reached the point, a mile. away from the scene of the tragedy, where the rock wall sloped down to meet the level, Barry Carlsworth called a halt in earnest tones. ‘*Men of Rackabout Range? Why should we waste our time and energies chasing an inno- cent man—a legalized instrument of the law— while there are plenty of actual criminals with- in our reach?” The men looked dumfounded at this totally unexpected address, and before they could re- cover, Dymock chimed in: ‘* It’s gospel truth he’s slinging at ye, friends! If you are the honest men we take you to be, we can clear the Range of those crooked rascals who have done so much to injure the good name of this entire section, before the sun rises again! The only question is, will you doit? Will you lend us a helping hand, and so make success certain at a single blow, or must we go on as we have begun, and alarm the gang by ar- resting one or two of their number alone?” ‘*Sling us an easy one, for a starter, Frank,” uttered one of the party, with a short, un- easy laugh that showed how completely he was puzzled by the sudden turn affairs had taken. Both Dymock and Carlsworth faced the party, scanning each face in rapid succession. hey believed that all there were perfectly square men, wholly ignorant of the oynneng schemes of Colonel Vanderlyn and his ban of Crooks; believed them men who could be trusted to aid in carrying out the bold plan they had formed; but if a single traitor was present, failure and death might follow instead. “Dll risk it, pard!” muttered Dymock. ‘* We've got to do the work to-night, or there'll be a scattering of the covey in good earnest, and then we'll have double trouble.” ‘All right, Kingsland,” said Carlsworth, an- swering the quaintly-put query of the ranchero. ‘* We don’t ask any of you to go into the game with your eyes shut. You shall know the whole thing, as well as few words can explain it, “Colonel Victor Vanderlyn is the head of the gang of Crooks who have been flooding this section with counterfeit money, and running off stock between spells, He has his coining works in or somewhere near the tavern, and the Stoke- — are only his agents in running the shebang. e gave the old cripple money to buy and stoc the place.” There was an outburst of surprise and even in- credulity at this rapid announcement. It did not seem ible that they could have been so thoroughly deceived in a neighbor and daily associate. ‘* What I tell you, friends, shall be proven to the very letter, if you will consent to be guided by us two, for a few hours,” hastily added Carls- worth, ‘‘ There is no time to lose if we hope to tear the masks from the faces of the real crimi- nals. If we give them too much rope, they’ll destroy the main proofs of their evil work, and then laugh both us and the law to scorn,” _ ‘*A laugh like that wouldn’t cut near so dee as the one we'd hear all the rest of our lives if it should turn out you were the guilty ones, and the colonel and his pards the innocent,” half- laughed Kingsland. ** We don’t ask you to compromise yourself in this case, until _ are fullv satisfied that we have right and the law altogether on our side,” was the cool, confident reply. ‘‘ All we ask now is for you to go back with us to Stokeley’s, where TT LL SSS orton had been at- | your doubts shall be removed, if there’s power enough in truth and justice to lift the scales. Will you do this much?” ‘*T will, for one,” frankly replied Kingsland. ‘‘ All I want is to be sure we are striking at the guilty ones instead of the innocent. Prove that olonel Vanderlyn is leader of the Crooks, and Ill go as far to arrest him as you dare!” A murmur of approval came from the remain- der of the party, and with greatly lightened hearts the two young ranchers renewed their assurances. All they asked at present was the moral support of the honest men of Rackabout nge. The victory: was much more easily won than it would have been but for the curious actions and manner of Colonel Vanderlyn that night. Ever since the moment when the corpse of Dike Roberts so strangely kept the appointment made by him while in the flesh, the big ex-soldier had been cutting his own throat, metaphorically speaking. nd now it was not so difficult for the honest men to regard him as the chief of the gang of evil-doers, bearing all this in mind. Riding at the head of their newly enlisted force, Barry Carlsworth and Frank Dymock led the way back to Stokeley’s, making a wide cir- cuit about the scene of the tragedy, for they were not yet ready to encounter Colonel Van- derlyn. ? it’s almost certain he’ll keep on after Mask- ed Mark,” muttered Carlsworth to his mate as they rode rapidly over the prairie. ‘‘He must be convinced that unless he can silence him, once for all, his cake’s dough! But itis just possible that he will double on us, and try to cover his tracks at Stokeley’s. We must keep our eyes all open, Frank! it’s business, now.” “War to the knife, and the knife to the hilt!” Dymock grated through his clinched teeth, his dark eyes glowing like unto balls of living fire. ‘* To-morrow, please Heaven! J can stand by the grave of our murdered friend, without blushing or hanging my head in shame at the thought that he still remains unavenged.” Barry made no reply to this passionate speech, and the party increased their speed, maintaining their rapid gait until drawing near to apes pees Then the two leaders drew rein, and when the men gathered about them, Carls- worth spoke: ‘* There’s nothing lost by going to work right end foremost. We'll light and leave our ani- mals here, for the time being. You men can wait with them, while Frank and I go ahead to see how the ground lies. If you should hear any unusual row, such as burning powder, close in and arrest everybody you can fa hooks on, including us. Then, if you are satistied that we are abusing your confidence, you know how to. reward us.” It is just such blunt talk as this that ‘‘hits a man right where he lives,” to use the vernacu- lar, and when the two trailers stole silentl away from the men toward the dimly visible building, there was not a man left behind who failed to trust them implicitly. From that mo- ment they would have stout and hearty backing. ‘*Tt looks as though none of the company had got back yet,” muttered Dymock, as they vainly looked for horses in the vicinity of the tavern. ‘‘So much the better for us, then,” was the guarded reply. ‘‘If we can catch the old man and woman unawares, and get them good frightened, we'll be sure of the men back yon- der, With them on our side to start with, we can easily win over the rest of the square boys, and sweep the board clean.” He ceased speaking, uttering a low hiss and sinking silently to the ground in company with his mate, as a tall, gaunt figure came out of the stables and carrying something in her arms, for they could see now that it was the gentle Polly —pass hurriedly away from the buildings to- ward a dense patch of stunted timber and un- dergrowth a few rods away. And as they moved cautiously forward, they caught the sound of a low, gratified nicker coming from the covert, The two scouts interchanged quick glances as they lay motionless on the grass, for they knew that something out of the ordinary line of events was on the docket. In a few moments Polly ong ey and’ en- tered the house. And scarcely had she vanished from their sight, than the two young ranchers stole cautiously forward to investigate the sounds they had overheard in the covert, This was not difficult to accomplish, and as they carefully scrutinized the two horses tether- ed in the cover, comfortably munching away at their nose-bags fnll of cats, they felt the hot blood tingling through every vein. ‘Good enough!” muttered Dymock, his eyes fairly ablaze. ‘‘They’re the animals Van- derlyn and young Fee rode. They must be inside the house—perhaps in the secret apart- ment!” ‘“ Wherever they are, we’ve got to take ’em!” as sternly uttered Carlsworth, though his brows momentarily clouded as he thought of Adola Fee—his sister ! Silently they stole back to the house, and through the partly open door they saw Clem Stckeley in his chair, saw the skeleton virago bus- 222 GOMpic — Tne