Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 367 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

” “So far from it, madam, I have done clumsy best to break the sad tidings to you. { have failed, then—” my A Royal Flush. ‘He was not dead,” was the slow-response, | **He was living when we reached his side, though he bore wounds deep and numerous The doomed wretch cast a blurred glance ahead of the party, and as he caught a dim glimpse of the little clump of timber showing nearly a mile With a desperate effort Rachel Brown regain- | enough to let out the life of an elephant, one | in advance, a choking cry escaped his parched ed her self-control, outwardly, at least, and sunk | would think.” back in her chair, a faint smile touching her nale lips. The first shock over, she was enabled to look at the matter more calmly, and hope was renewed in her bosom, ‘*T thank you for your generous consideration sir,” she said, as Aces-and stared at her in doubt, his dark cyes beginning to glow again. ‘‘ You mean well, and I am grateful, even while I be- gin to believe I have been alarmed without suf- ficient cause.” ‘*T hope so, [’'m sure!” muttered the traitor, cubiously watching the still rarely beautiful ‘~voman before him. ‘I wish I could believe it, but I’m sadly afraid you are grasping at a’ at ctraw, just now.” “I can tell better when I hear your reasons for so thinking, sir,” “* May I tell the story, then?” Rachel Brown bowed, half-proudly, Some- how she began to suspect this man, here was a glow in his eyes that reminded her of a ser- pent, coiled and ready for striking. His face seemed more and more evil the closer she scann- edit. His very tones seemed to echo insincere- ly. Ah, if she had only acted promptly on the in- stinct that warned her! “Tf you will. That will be the shortest way to the truth,” she contented herself with ut- tering. Aces-and moistened his lips before speaking, and J SPDay Pup noiselessly rose to his feet, passing over to the open window under pretense of relieving a tobacco-laden mouth. He cast a swift, covert glance around, then returned to his seat, coughing softly. That sound assured Aces-and that there were no breakers in view, and he began his carefully arran recital: “‘It happened after a rather curious fashion, which I will be glad to explain to you more at a presently, if you choose to hear the de- tails, madam, that we hecame mixed up in a horse-thief scrape, three days ago, near the up- per line. Among others, our stock was run off, and of course we joined in the chase which fol- lowed. ‘‘ At first the pursuers consisted only of citi- zens and ranchers, but we had hardly struck the trail before we were joined by a little squad of men, led by the one whose face so closely re- sembled that of your little son.” ‘Did you learn his name?” *‘Not then, nor ever from his own lips,” was the grave reply. Rachel Brown turned pale as death once more, but now she had her nerves too thoroughly un- der control for them to betray the real depth of her anxiety. And then—she felt that her hus- band was living! ‘Tt was a long and a hard chase, but at last we came upon the marauders, though which party was the most thoroughly surprised, it would be difficult to say. Of course there was a fight, and men with a halter about their necks fight hard end savagely. Tve been in more than or» t'*ht place in my time, but never be- fore did I Lnow what fighting to the bitter death meant!” ‘‘Rather warm, while it lasted, and it lasted almost too long for genuine comfort,” softly muttered Johnny-jump-up. ‘‘ Yet neither of you three gentlemen seem to have been seriously injured,” quietly interposed Rachel Brown, smiling just a trifle as she noted the red flush that came into the face of Asa Sand. ** As kind Providence would have it, madam,” bowed Aces-and. “It is not boasting to say that we fought the best we knew how, for it was either that or death, and a coward couldn’t have a out of the game while it lasted. But of the dare-devil fighting, the man on whose ac- count we have journeyed so far out of our way did it! Wherever he rode, there men tumbled over like tenpins. Busy as I was kept, I couldn’t help watching his movements, for they were the very perfection of daring and nerve, Oh, it was glorious—glorious!” It seemed as though he was trying to break down he enforced composure of the wife sitting epee him, but she gave no sign, other than that her fingers closed more tightly as her hands lay folded in her lap. Her eyes glowed steadil as they watched his, trying to read the trut there, rather than in his words. But Aces-and was thoroughly on his guard now, and whatever disappointment he may have felt, none was suffered to show itself. ‘“ At last we got the best of the game, and the few survivors of the gang fled for dear life. After them this man led the way, and though he was marking the trail with his blood at every jump of his horse, he stuck to business until he brought down the last one of the outfit. | nnn EEE enn :. ‘* And then you heard his name?” ** Not then, though, as I knelt on the blood- stained sward beside him, I asked forit. I ask- ed him if he had any friends or relatives to whom he wished a message to be sent.” ‘* And he said—” ‘‘More than I could distinctly make out, Only the words wife, children, love; then some- thing about kissing, and not to grieve. That was all, in words, but he tried to take something from his bosom, which I afterward found: at least, vhere was a picture hidden over his heart and I fancied that must be the token he hinted ‘This picture—you have brought it?’ panted Rachel Brown, rising to her feet, with agony so intense in her voice that even the two children were frightened into scrambling to their feet. ‘‘Give it—show it to me, man! Would you crive me crazy?” ‘* Be calm, madam, for their sakes, if not for your own,” gravely uttered Aces-and as he also arose, in which he was imitated by his two com- rades in evil. ‘‘ Remember that there may be some mistake. Your husband may still be liv- ing, though the name was the same: Dan Brown,” ‘** You said he never uttered it!” ‘Nor did he, but another of the party told me, after all was over.” ; Sol Scott? Why did he not bring the mes- sage? ‘Because he was dead, also, I knew him by sight, but he was shot down at the first fire. And one of the others told me the two were partners, Sol Scott and your—the man I am speaking about.” ‘*The picture! Give me—” She could say no more. She felt now that all was lost. It must beso. Her wild hopes were Lorgonres they could have no foundation in th. The picture—that would solve all doubts! In her intense agitation the poor woman did not notice the peculiar movements of the other two men. Johnny-jump-up moved around un- til he stood behind her, and at a motion from his hand the giant stepped across the room un- til he could grasp both of the children before ! could escape or even utter a warning cry. hen Aces-and grasped both of those trem- bling hands and pinied them to her side, while Jobin Sand clasped his hand over her lips, bend- ing her painfully back and holding her helpless, speechless, But even in that bitter extremity her true bravery revealed itself in the clear, dauntless glow in her eyes, Aces-and laughed with devilish triumph, as he epee to that unspoken question: ‘What does it all mean? That Dan Brown of Denver has lost the first deal in a mighty big game of freeze-out, my dainty beauty!” CHAPTER II, A. KNAVE IN THE NOOSE, ‘** HUSTLE along, Jimmy, fer that bull-neck o’ ourn won’t stan’ much stretchin’ afoot, an’ it’d a monstrous pity fer to sp’ile your big tight- rope act on nothin’ fer a platform—’deed it jes’ would, now!” Leaning forward in his saddle, the burly speaker handled his lithe-lashed rawhide, a muf- fled howl of mingled pain and hatred telling how effectually. ‘* Twist the critter’s tail ef he goes to balkin’,” grinned the leading horseman with a glance over his shoulder. ‘‘It’s all a mean waste o’ time, when two ropes’d ’a’ done the job up jes’ as well; but thank the Lord! yender comes the timmer, whar we kin yank the dirty glue-fingers into etarnity in heap tony style!” ‘** You got no right! I ain’t done nothin’! It’s bloody murder ef you do!” gasped the prisoner, his face by. mg and distorted, quite as much from deadly fear as from the presene of the cruel rope which fitted so tightly about his throat. It was aspectacle only too frequently witnessed in the more lawless portions of the West, where might makes right and every man is a law unto himself, A half-score horsemen riding briskly along over the dry, brown prairie. One of their num- ber with a lengthened lasso at his saddle-bow, leading back to the neck of a ragged, ar bloodstained wretch whose hands were tightly bound behind his back, whose eyes were filled with a sullen, brutish glow of mingled hatred and terror, whose parched and swollen lips were beginning to tinge with froth. For mile after mile the leader had pressed on, his horse sometimes breaking into a trot that caused the miserable wretch at its heels to run ntingly in order to escape being dragged from is footing. And surrounding the captured And then, as though his strength had been | horse-thief, the remainder of the party pelted given him only to make his work thorough, he | him with taunts and anion ccepeaeed with oc- reeled and fell headlong to the ground!” , ‘*‘ Not dead?’ gasped the poor woman, unable to keep up that semblance of composure longer, “* Say he was not dead!” casional blows to quicken his flagging footsteps. Not a pleasant scene to linger over, but one with an important bearing on the story which we have set out to narrate. i Ol i LL NN TN ve SS cu ° cee a" | | lips. ] | ‘tll be bloody murder, ef you do, gents— | blood | murder !” urder nothin’, you p’izen hoss-thief!” angri- ly growled the leader of the little band. “’Tain’t murder to kill a hoss-thief, an’ you’ve desarved hangin’ a thousan’ times over this ten year’ an’ more!” ‘It’s alla lie! I never done it! prove nothin’ on—” ‘* Nur we don’t mean to make the try, which is lucky fer you, Doughball Jimmy. Lucky, fer we could prove enough stealin’s fer to hang you a million times over, ef so be your p’izen neck’d stan’ the w’aran’t’ar. Asit is, when we come to yender handy bunch o’ timmer, we'll jes’ pass this eend 0’ my trail-rope over a limb an’ mosey on, leavin’ you to foller after or not, jes’ as it may happen.” ‘** An’ the fu’st gospel-sharp we jump, Jimmy, we'll make him ax fergiveness fer us a]l fer let- tin’ sech a dirty thief as you be-curse the airth so long, when you’d orter bin hung ten year afore your dad an’ mam was born. Ef I was that sort o’ kitten, durned ef I wouldn’t kiver my head with a black cloth an’ hunt out a nun- nery—I would so !” +) You cain’t ‘Which it wouldn’t be no wuss than we all . desarve, that’s so,” chimed in another worthy, with a lugubrious up-rolling of his dark eyes. ‘But mebbe we'll git fergiveness, now we're doin’ the best we know to make things go even off.” ‘‘ It’s a mighty shame he hain’t got a neck to fill each rope!” ‘* Mebbe we kin tickle the critter back to life a few times, so’s to give the lot a kinder show.” “°oTwon’t do no harm to make the try, any- how!” and the last speaker nodded grim ary- proval. The party had come to a temporary halt while indulging in this grimly ferocious pleasantry, and the doomed wretch glared with his blocc- shot eyes at one after another as the clumsy wit ran around the circle. He saw that if all was not meant, at least one point was settled beyord dispute; he must expiate his many sins by suf- _ fering death. There was one faint hope to which he had clung through all, and in his utter desperation he made use of it just as the cruel rope began to tighten around his throat once more, ‘“Tt'll be wuss than death to him, ef you do! Butcher me, an’ he'll never know in time—never © know ontel they’re lost forever! An’ then he’ll come down onto you all wuss then a painter, Dan Brown will!” __. ‘Dan who?” growled the chief of the cow- boys, abruptly checking. his horse and turning in his saddle once more, his eyes all aglow. ‘‘Dan Brown o’ Denver—him as runs the Single Pot Ranch—take me t> him, or wuss’il come of it fer you all!” hastily spluttered tho doomed wretch, bis face lighting up with a cu- rious mingling of hope, terror and defiance, ‘‘Dan Brown be durned!” growled the cow- boy, witha frown, ‘‘ What’s he got to do with us or you?” ‘*] know somethin’ that he’d give his right arm to hear in time!” was the eagerreply. “It ll be wuss than death to more than him ef you. don’t give me a chaince to tell it to him!” “That’s too slazy fer a ’skeeter-bar, even!” laughed another of the party, as his whip crack-_ ed viciously close to the ear of the captive. ‘* We hain’t got no use fer a bluff o’ that caliber, Jimmy!” ‘“Tt’s God’s own truth, gents!” tremblingly cried the poor devil, as he saw how deeply this” skeptical speech had sunk into the minds of the. i te got that to tell as would make. “Then spit it out, durn ye fer a troublesome critter!” ‘*Take me to him, an’ [ll do it quick enough, gents,” ‘Take you to glory, why don’t you ax?” an- grily cried the chief of his captors, ‘‘ Who kin sdy whar Dan Brown is? Who’s to ride all over creation fer Dan Brown, jes’ beca’se you’ve got a cock-an’bull yarn to buzz? Not me, for one, any how.” 1 Pee fools ef we did, too!” echoed an- other. ‘* Tt’s w’uth more then life to him, I tell ye!” fairly howled the terrified but sullen wretch, the fires of madness deepening in his bloodshot eyes, his swollen tongue sain Pe set his cracked and bleeding lips. ‘‘ He’d give his wealth fer what I can tell him!” ‘¢ Tell us, an’ we'll pass it on to him, then.” ‘‘T won’t! Not a worc—not a grunt!” hoarse- ly muttered the captive. ‘*‘ Only to him—only to Dan Brown o’ Denver!” He flung himself upon the ground, quiverin and gasping with bodily fear, but with a dogg glow in his eyes that told how much he was re- _ solved to endure before parting with his last frail hope. ‘‘'They’s more then one way to skin a cat, _ Bill,” cried one of the cowboys, addressing the one who held the lasso, IOO <€om (E cS ‘Say the word, an’ I'll oor L com