Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 367 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

m/f { 2 7 » ve ro 7” 4 6 A Royal Flush. ‘That afore this, Aces-and hes got Dan Brown’s wife an’ young-’uns in his grip fer keeps!” spluttered Dough-ball Jimmy. CHAPTER IV. THREE OF A KIND. PERFECTLY understanding the part he was to play, Johnny’s Infant, the instant his superiors assailed Mrs, Rachel brown, made a dive and caught both Willie and Cherry, clapping a broad palm over each little pair of lips, to stifle the cries of terror which would naturally rise at the sight of their mother’s peril. His effort was successful, and pressing the children close against his knees, he watched the progress of the terribly unequal struggle going on in the center of the room. Tor one moment Rachel Brown seemed para- lyzed by the sudden assault, and already Aces- and was beginning to laugh over his perfect £uccess, so much more easy than he had dared expect, when the woman made a desperate ef- fort to escape their rude grasp, or at least to free her lips paisclenty fe utter a cry for help that might reach the hired men without. One cry she knew would be sufficient, for Dan Brown had picked his men with an eye to their fighting qualities, quite as much as for their sill with horse or cloven hoof. Take it easy, my darling!” laughed Johnny- ump-up, shifting his fingers just enough to -eep them from the white teeth that sought to close upon them. “Better a gag of this sort than a gripe on that pretty white throat of Tours!’ ‘* Shell I help, boss?” eagerly muttered John- ny’s Infant. That very eagerness bade fair to ruin their lans, for, little dreaming what a manly lad Villie was, despite his few years, the giant paid attention only to stifling the cries of the children. And then, with a bit of the spirit in- herited from Dan Brown of Denver, Willie snatched a revolver from the waist above his head, and pointing it toward the villains who were abusing his mother, discharged the wea- on! ‘*Hell’s delight!” snarled Johnny-jump-up, whirling round, his fair face transformed into that of a veritable fiend, for the moment for- getting the duty assigned him, And before Aces-and could counteract the slip, Rachel Brown gave vent to a shriek as shrill and piercing as lay within the compass of her sound lungs. ‘Let my mamma go!” shouted Willie, slip- ping from the grasp of the stupefied giant, and cocking the revolver again. ‘‘Tll shoot you dead, you ugly, naughty man!” The last words were blended with an explo- sion, and Aces-and staggered back with a howl- ing curse of mingled pain and fury, sig tae one hand to his face, down which the red blood was streaming freely. Johnny’s Infant, recovering his wits at that sight, uttered a savage oath and swans out one huge hand, striking the gallant lad on the side of the head, knocking him endlong across the room. ith a wailing cry, Rachel Brown darted for- ward and caught the poor little fellow from the floor, one arm clasping him tightly to her bosom while she waved the villains back with her free hand. ** Back, you heartless demons! My poor little boy! Would you murder him before his mo- ther’s eyes?” Johnny-jump-up was the first to recover from the surprise, and with a snarling oath he leaped to the window, casting a searching look around the space thus revealed, then turning with: ‘The infernal kid’s done it now! The cow- boys are afoot, sure, and we’ll have our hands full if the boys don’t close in lively!” He leaped to the side of Aces-and, who seemed bewildered by the shock of the bullet, and snatching a whistle from where it hung bya golden chain about his neck. leaped back to the window and blew a long and sbrill blast upon the instrument. Even as he did so, he caught the sound of hasty steps, the hurried opening of a door, and then a sharp, angry cry asa stout, bare-armed servant woman paused upon the threshold. He wheeled with a savage snarl, and before the wo- man could advance, flee or utter a word, his armed right hand rose to send forth a spout of flame-tinged smoke. Without a cry or groan, the r woman bana! “Ae in her tracks, a bullet through her brain! ‘*Wake up, you fools!” he cried, angrily, as he leaped across the room and kicked the still uivering corpse out of the doorway. ‘‘ Baby, reeze onto the womanand the kids. Knock her over if she cuts up rusty. You must hold them all three! Asa, rouse up and come with me! We've got to stand off those whelps until the lads can get here, or our game is bu’sted wide open! read ghee and decisive action of his brother seemed to bring back the chief’s scattered senses, and before Johnny-jump-up could leave the room, his voice rung out sharply: ‘We'll play a surer game than that. Darius, fetch the woman tothe door with you. Johnny, look after the kids. Ten to one the cowboys won't face the deal we can give them then!” More from instinct than from his words, the two rascals understood the meaning of Aces- and, and lost no time in putting it into play. Only for the intensity of her maternal love— only for poor little Willie lying in her arms so pale, so silent, so deathlike—only for her belief that he was dead, slain outright by that das- tardly blow—Rachel Brown would not have been so easily overcome, for the revolver that had marked both Johnny-jump-up and Aces-and lay close beside her on the floor, and right well she knew how to use the tool. But now, bending over her gallant little son, pressin * her pale lips to his paler cheeks, sobbing and pl a as only a mother can grieve over her first-born, for the moment unconscious of all else, even unheeding the pitiful wailing of terrified Cherry, the poor woman was. grasped by the hands of the giant before she soul Héaline all that it meant. She made little or no resistance until Johnny- jump-up caught hold of the boy and tore him from her arms, Then, a wild cry escaped her. ‘*My boy—my murdered child!” ‘*Shut clam and don’t go off your nut, fool!” snarled the little ruffian, avoiding her frenzied grasp. ‘* The kid’s all right. Snatch her along after Aces, Baby. Lively, now! There’sno time to lose through silly squeamishness. Lend her a rap if she won’t go in quiet!” ohnny’s Infant appeared to have but one ob- ject in life: to blindly follow the instructions and wishes of the the little fire-eater. He lifted his clenched fist menacingly above the white face of the woman, but fortunately for her, the blow was not needed. Her overtasked brain reeled, and she lay a lifeless weight across his ona seeming more like a corpse than a living y. The Infant turned an inquiring glance toward his master, but Johnny-jump-up had already left the room, carrying Willie on one arm and dragging the wailing Cherry after him, Lack- ing fresh orders, the Infant concluded to carry out those already received, and strode after his master to the front door, in which Aces-and already stood, swiftly taking” in the scene be- fore them. The alarm was given, bevond a doubt. The mT in whose charge Jobnny-jump-up so coolly left their horses, was rushing from the corral, a revolver in his hand, while his voice was lifted in a long, far-reaching yell, plainly a signal to his fellows. Over the plain, just rising the bit of elevated ground on which we first sighted these three precious rascals, were visible a number of horse- men, riding at full speed toward the ranch. There were at least a score in the party, anda short, mocking laugh parted the lips of Aces- and as he cast a brief glance over his shoulder toward his brother and the Infant. ** There comes the rest of the deck, and—” ‘**Ware hawks!” hissed Johnny-jump-up, as his keen glance detected danger. The cowboy first seen came to an abrupt halt as he caught a glimpse of the persons in the doorway, and his revolver was leaping to a level just as that warning sound caused Aces-and to turn again. His own weapon rose, but before he could touch the trigger, Johnny-jump-up slipped past him, holding the two children be- fore him as a shield, his voice ringing out sharp- ly: y cares a dainty double target, if you must shoot, Tommy! Or, if that isn’t enough—Baby, fetch forth the fair dame, will you?” Aces-and laughed maliciously as he made wa for the giant who carried Rachel Brown in his arms, but then a grating oath came out as he caught sight of half a dozen men hurrying on foot from behind the nearest corral, each and every one of whom bore cocked weapons which bed seemed only too eager to use. ohnny-jump-up made the discovery at the same instant, but instead of an oath, a laugh of mockery parted his red lips. Willie still lay senseless across his left arm but he shifted his grasp on Cherry until his left hand gras her by the waist, lifting her to- ward his er Hh Maho + bared knife clasped in his ri and, its gleamin int hovering over their helpless forms, he erled in a taunting tone of voice to the startled cowboys: “Dip lightly, my donghty tail-twisters! Save your ammunition and keep your distance, unless you want to see a first-class specimen of fancy carving on these two sweet kids! Halt! you fools!” and his tone changed from mockery to deadly earnest, to savage threatening as the men only slackened their pace without entirely ausing. ‘One rod closer, end Dan Brown will have to start afresh in the family line—I swear it by all that’s good and bad!” Eager to make amends for his error of a few minutes before, the Infant duplicated the move- ments of his master without stopping for instruc- tions. His long, wicked knife rose above the painfully panting bosom of Rachel Brown, and he red light that glowed in his dull eyes told how wholly he was in earnest, let the threats of Johnny-jump-up be truth or empty bluff. Aces-and saw this, and reagan the loss of his most important card in the bold game he was playing, he sprung forward and caught the hand of the giant, bientis ing angrily in his ear; er - ‘ ** Kill herand Ill kill you, fool! Don’t you see Johnny’s only giving them a bluff?” Unfortunately the cowboys did not know this, and thus they lost their one chance of turnin the tables on the bold eae They believed these desperadoes would kill their captives if pressed close, and they huddled tcgether like sa many frightened sheep, for the moment wholly at a loss what to do. They lacked a leader. And while they hesitated, the horsemen from ee the rise galloped up to the ranch. he man in advance leaned from his saddle toward Aces-and, his dark eyes glowing with the fire of battle, as he hurriedly cried: ‘Shell we take ’em in, boss? Say the word, an’ we'll make the count so much the nearer even. Shell we take ’em in?’ Aces-and hesitated for a moment, but it was. not through mercy for the cowboys or any other motive of humanity. He knew that in the game, the first move in which he was now making, there would be plenty of hard and deadly fight- ing, and to come out on top he might need every man of those with him. True, they doubled the cowboys in number, but a quick dash would carry the enemy under cover of the nearest cor- ral, where their weapons would work bavoe for a few moments. No, there was too much dan- ger of weakening his force, ** Notin that way, Bristow,” be hurriedly mut- tered. ‘‘ We'll have to take ’em in, of course, but I reckon we hold better cards than powder and lead. We'll try them first, anyway.” With a disappointed air the big outlaw fell back, moodily sitting his horse as he awaited further orders. ‘“* The critter’s comin’ to,” muttered the Infant to his master, as Rachel Brown lifted her head and stared about her with a dazed air. ‘Shel? I rock her to sleep ag’in, boss?” ‘*No. Let her feel her own feet, if she will. Keep fast hold of her, though, and look out that. she don’t lay the same trick on you that this. little cub did.” ‘*My SOT ne children!” gasped the poor wo- man; then, with a wild cry, as she caught sight of the silent figure lying on the arm of the smaller desperado, she strove to reach it, only to be jerked back by the brutal might of the giant. ** Keep her quiet, curse you!” growled Aces- and, as his keen eye noted an uneasy movement eri, She cowboys beyond at the cry. “And you,” he cried, raising his voice until it could not be mistaken by the enemy whom he ad- dressed, ‘‘ want to keep your linen on, unless you hold .a_ bitter, black grudge against your mistress and her kids! The first crooked play any of you try to make will rub them out of the me ‘* Who and what are you anyway?” cried one: of the cowboys, taking a few steps in advance of his fellows, as though assuming the command in lack of an authorized leader. ‘“‘ Chiefs, each and every one of us,” laughed Aces-and, pressing a handkerchief to his bleed- ing cheek. ‘ The second shot fired by gallant little Willie had narrowly escaped laying the head rascal low forever. As it was, it made an ugly wound, the scar of which Aces-and would carry to the ave with him, providing fate should give him ys sufficient for the wound to heal over. ‘What is it you want?” again called out the cowboy. ‘‘ What we've got, mainly,” mocked the des- rado. ae You outnumber us two to one, but you darsn’t put the 7 and the children to one side and meet us like white men!” During this brief interchange of words, Rachel Brown was rapidly recovering both her strength and her natural bravery. That she was not lacking in this, those who have read the preceding volumes of this series do not require telling. ‘Naturally brave and self-reliant, her union with Dan Brown of Denver had only deepened and strengthened this quality, and now, feeling how much depended on her, in the absence of her husband, she strove to crush down her maternal fears and act as he would have her act in this dire emergency. She recognized the cowboy who had taken on himself the position of spokesman, and knew him for a bold, true-hearted servant, who would at any time risk his life for Dan Brown or any of his family. She saw that there was naught to hope for from a pitched battle with the great odds in favor of the outlaws, There was only a hope for the future, and this she eagerly grasped at, crying out clear and distinct: Mark Hopkins! flee—carry word to Dan Brown!” She dared not be more explicit, lest her speech should be cut short before she could con- vey to him the essential part; but he was cool and quick-witted, and would readily comprehend all she would have said. , An angry snarl broke from the lips of the outlaw chief, and Johnny-jumpup grated sharply to the Infant: nse ‘* Choke her short off, you idiot!” Baby obeyed, but the harm was done. With a cheering shout, Mark Hopkins waved one hand in token of understanding, then turned and leaped toward the sheltering corral. But swift as was his action, the hand, eye, Gonnie! iS JOO = oe (E(@) |