Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 346 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

—S—esexQxxcaaS Se. ° * « _ groaned the pveets ws 14 I would not wish my friends to think, with my vast experience, I was taking advantage of one so young.” The colonel spoke patronizingly, and with a certain pomposity of manner that might have given offense to one with a less genial nature than the young sailor seemed to pos- sess. But he said in reply: ‘As you please, sir; shall we take yonder table?” and he pointed to one half-hidden in an alcove. “Yes, that will do. I will get the cards.” The young sailor walked toward the table, and the planter gambler soon joined him there with a fresh pack of cards. ‘Name your sum, sir,” said the sailor. “ Any amount you are pleased to state will suit me,” answered the colonel. ‘One thousand to begin with, then, sir,” was the cool remark of the young man, and the colonel felt sure that he had met one who had money, and the next thing to find out was if he had luck. To his utmost consternation Colonel Brandt found that the young sailor was born under a lucky star, for he won from the first, and so led the planter on that, after a few hours’ lay, he wrote his due-bill for fifty thousand dol ars, and with a groan handed it over to his youthful adversary. ‘“ When will this be paid, Colonel Brandt?” asked the sailor. “Tt is a due-bill, sir, with no special time.”’ “So I see that you have written it; but it is payable, thus written, on demand.” “You surely do not ask it to-night?” gasp- ed the unhappy man. “No, not to-night; but to-morrow.” ‘To-morrow! that is a short time to raise such a sum in, young sir.” ‘Colonel Brandt, let me tell you how you can pay that note.” “ Well, sir?” — ‘‘T afm aware that you have nc money of your own, though the world thinks you very Ss ‘‘This note I shall use against you to- morrow, unless you pay it in the way that I demand.”’ | ‘‘And what do colonel, in a quivering voice. ‘“You have influence with the prison officials?” “Tf you asked to see a prisoner, to have him sent to your house, under an escort, that you might ascertain certain facts from him, of an important nature, connected with certain matters that concerned you and your family alone, would not the officials send that prisoner to you?” ‘*My dear sir, I am at a loss to understand your drift.” ‘‘T simply ask the question, if you made a particular request, to interview a prisoner at your own house, before your lawyer, and your family, would not the jailer let him go there?” “Yes, under a strong escort, I suppose he would.” ‘‘Tf he should refuse, could you not get an order from the navy cémmandant, ordering him to do as you wished?” “T could; but, young man, what does all this mean?” ‘‘In plain words, sir, it means that you are in my power, and I intend to use you.” ‘‘Great God! what is your intention?” ‘‘You have put your name here to paper, when you cannot pay it, and you also gave our note to a money-lender for twelve thou- sand dollars, when you have not as many hundreds to pay it with. “That note I bought from him, and—” ‘‘Great God! do you seek my ruin?” lanter, now livid with dread. ‘“Yes, unless you do as I demand,” was the stern reply, and all the brightness had gone out of the young sailor’s face, leav- ing it pale and stern. CHAPTER XXI. DRIVEN TO CRIME. ‘‘Wnat have you against me?” almost gasped the panes, as he raised his head nog bent his bloodshot eyes upon the young sailor The young man smiled, a strange, threat- ening, sinister smile, and the colonel trem- bled. rou demand?” asked the Ocean Guerrillas. He felt that he was in the power of one who was merciless, though it seemed as if hardly eighteen years had passed over the sailor ; gambler’s head. | Before the poor man then arose his pledges to the dead and to the living. He remembered how his insatiable love of gambling had made him drink to the dregs again and again the bitter cup of despair. Now he had again fallen, and must again suffer. ~ The money he had borrowed from Rudolpho had been a thorn in his side, but this youth before him had the evidence of it / “Do so, if you wish, and | will betray ou.” ‘‘What have you to betray, other than I lost money in gambling, and gave my notes for them.’ ‘‘ Which you have not a dollar to pay with.” ‘* How know you this?” ‘*T know all your secret affairs, colonel.” ‘* Well, my daughter would make a sacri- fice and pay the money, rather than have that sea fiend go free, and the world would not know that it was not my money.” ‘Your daughter also should know more in his possession, and his due-bill, on de- | than that you had broken your pledge to her, mand, for fifty thousand more. To save his life. personally, he could not raise as many hundreds out of everything he | was worth. i and gambled away her inheritance,” was the sinister reply of the young sailor. ‘““What imnuendo are you casting out now?” asked the colonel, and he tried hard He had sinned in the past to save himself, | to be calm. and his sins had escaped detection from the eyes of those he loved. Must he again sin to save himself? Then before his eyes flashed an idea of how it might be done. If the youth was killed he might get back his notes. His teeth set hard together at this thought, and, unused to hiding his feelings, his face must have shown his desperation, for the voung sailor said: ‘*No threats against me, Colonel Brandt, can save you, for you must do as I de- mand!” ‘Well, come with me to my house, and we will talk it over,” said the planter, ‘| hoarsely. ‘Oh, no! your way home leads along a dark road, where accidents are liable to hap- pen to the unsuspecting.” “What do you mean, sir?” and the colo- nel’s face flushed. ‘‘T mean that I will not trust you.” ** Will not trust me?” " No; you might knife me to save your- self.” ‘** Villain! do you dare—” ‘Hold on, Colonel Brandt, and do not get violent, but listen to me. ‘You are wholly in my power, and I will ruin you, if you do not do as I tell you,” ‘* What is it you wish of me?” ‘‘T desire to have you get an order from the navy commandant, to allow a prisoner in the jail to visit you at your home.” “Well?” ‘‘ Tell the officials you will send your car- riage for him, say at eight o’clock to-morrow night, and they can take him there in irons, and three guards can go inside the vehicle with him, and one on the box with your ne- gro coachman, if they wish to send four.” ‘Well, sir?” ‘“ You order your carriage to go at the ap- pointed hour, while you remain at home, walking up and down your piazza. ‘*There you will be joined by one who will hand you your two notes—this one of the money-lender, which you see I have here, and the one that you a ave me.” ‘‘And this is all that lam to do to get back my notes?” ete. ‘But who is this prisoner?” ‘‘ He is called the Sea Ghoul,” was the cool reply of the young sailor. Colonel Brandt half sprung from his chair; but the young man said quickly: ‘Beware! don’t show excitement, or you may attract attention, and it is best that we be not seen together.” ‘Who are you?” “That is nothing to you, sir.” ‘It is everything, now that you _ask me to aid you in rescuing that inhuman devil, Bar- ton Keys.” ‘‘He may be such to you, sir; but to me he is not, and I do seek his release through ou.” ‘You will never get my aid to so nefari- ous an act.” ‘You know best, Colonel Brandt, for if you can stand it, I can.” “What do you mean?” 4 Simply that you aid me, or ruin your- self.’ “Those notes would not ruin me, if I made a confession to my ain a! of all.” ‘1 think you dare not confess all to her.” “What! by Heaven, I have a mind to in- stantly betray you as the ally of that ac- cursed pirate.” | ‘‘Simply, if you find it necessary to pro- tect yourself from releasing the Sea Ghoul, by ren a confession of your broken pledge, and thereby robbing your daughter to pay your gambling debts, she shall also know, as shall the world, that her jewel-case, lost some time ago, was stolen by a member of the household, and money raised on it to save her father from ruin.” Every word uttered fell like a pistol-shot. upon the ears of the planter gambler, and told him how thoroughly he was in the power of the young sailor. For a moment he was silent, not knowing what to do or say; but, as his brow grew clouded, the sailor added: ** All this can be proven, Colonel Brandt.’” ‘‘ What do you want?” gasped the hunted man. ‘‘ Merely what I asked you.”’ ps os aid in the rescue of that pirate?” cé Tes.” ‘That he may again become the scourge of the sea, drive me and mine from our home on the Gulf shores, and live in con- stant dread of a fate worse than death?” ‘No, for he will not again resort to piracy, for he has ample money two live without again sailing under the black flag.” ‘‘Money earned by blood,” sneered the colonel, and then he winced under the re- sponse: ‘Yes, blood-money, gold won at the gaming-table, gotten on stolen jewel cases and bogus paper; it is all the same, Colonel Brandt.” “You say that you will return me my notes if I aid you?” re, ‘*] will not be known in the matter?” ‘*Not at all, for you can tell your family pak wish to see the pirate, and have asked to ave him sent out to your home. ‘¢ Make what excuse you please for that. ‘‘Then if he is rescued on the road it is not. your fault.” “And he will not again seek revenge on me and mine?” eNO” ‘Who are you that answers for him?” ‘‘ His wife,” was the calm response, and in utter amazement the gambler planter gazed upon the one who uttered the words. CHAPTER XXII. THE WEIRD RESCUER. Tr is time that we now return to the strange sight, witnessed by the Smuggler Queen and those with her upon the deck of her lugger, when it put about and sailed rapidly away from the Witches’ Island. When Irving Brandt, the Planter Midship- man, sprung overboard that night as the smugglers moved toward him to throw him into the sea, it was with the firm determination of swimming to the Haunted Isle, and there see what awaited him, be it ever so terrible. To remain on the lugger he knew meant certain death, for he had now become con- vinced that, no matter what he might do for the Smuggler Queen, she would not over- look the fact that he had slain her father, and he would throw his life away to hope for from her. mercy her debt of gratitude due him, but she not known that the land she saw near, and felt that he could reach by swimming, was. the Witches’ Island. Had she so known, she would never have wished him to go there, for her fear of the Gomichboo The old negress had set him free to ms 98% a S.C SE — i a ee oe <a let ne ge 7