Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 369 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

-\ At the shore was a boat, the sail up, and 26 The Coast Corsair. i See en ! Hardly ha} her eyes closed when a face | peered in at the window. It was the face of a man, and his cautious movements proved that he meant mischief. CHAPTER XXXVII. | THE DEATH-STRUGGLE. | Ir was a beautiful picture, Madcap Madge ‘‘T don’t know; I'll try and go to the lying there, the lamp dimly burning, one | house.” hand thrown over her head, and her attitude | He half arose, and with the aid of the that of grace and utter abandon to repose. negress and Madge, he tottered toward the Stealthily in the door came the man from | cottage, sinking upon the sofa where the without, and in his hands he carried a small ; maiden had been sleeping. vial. ‘‘Sam, tell me what 1 can do for Phillis, bearing lanterns, came in sight. she knelt by the side of the prostrate form. ‘*Sam, oh Sam!” ‘* Madge.” ** Are you wounded badly?” ou?” Softly as a cat might have done, he drew | and she tore the shirt away from the broad | 'Sam had wrenched his knife from him and near the sofa, and placed the vial, the stop- | breast. per taken out, close under her nose. | There was one wound in the neck, an- There he crouched and waited an instant, | other above the heart, and a cruel gash, his cloak avout his form, dripping wet, his | made by the knife upon the right side. tarpaulin drawn down over his eyes, his pos- “Madge, [ am dying.”’ ture that of a tiger about to spring upon his ‘‘No, no, Sam, for I have sent tothe vil. prey. lage for the doctor; Philip has already But Madge moved, and the man started, | gone.” and with a sudden gesture of the handshe| ‘‘He will do me no good, so call him knocked the bottle from his grasp. | back.”’ A curse, a loud cry, and she was seizedin| ‘‘ No, you may be saved,” but in her heart his strong arms, the potent drug already hav- | Madge knew she did not mean her words. ing her partially under its influence. “Who was he, Madge?” ut in answer to that wiid cry, that came ‘*T do not know, Sam.” from the maiden’s lips, a deep echo was| ‘‘He meant to kidnap you; I heard your heard. | cry and came.” It did not echo her cry, but it said in deep | ‘‘And lost your life in my defense. tones: | “Ah, Sam! Sam!’ ‘* Madge, 1 am here!” ‘Madge, if I could not have your love, I Then the door was thrown back, and a did not want life. form bounded into the room just as the man| ‘‘lam but a silly man, a mere idiot, and bearing his burden, was passing out of the | such could not win your love; but I havea front portal, his cloak folded closely around | heart, and all of it went out to you. the fair girl he carried, and who was hardly ‘‘T have done what I could, and yet I felt I capable of a struggle. would lose you, and the feeling drove me Vith a cry, more like issuing from a wild | mad. beast than human lips, the pursuer sprung ‘* Phillis, 1 feel happy now.” after the kidnapper. ‘*Sam do not talk so.” It was Silly Sam, but half-dressed, yet with a face that showed he meant to save | idiot has a heart, and can love, for | have Madge or die. given my lifefor you, and it makes me oh so He had been awake, unable to sleep, and | her cry had brought him from his bed, and donning what clothes he could, he rushed to the rescue. With a bound he was after the kidnapper, who saw that he had one who could not be readily shaken off upon his track, Turning, the man still clung to his bur- nappy vé Madge sobbed like a little child. Fear could never dim her eyes, or cause her form to tremble, but that poor dyin man, he whom men called an idiot, move her to her innermost depths of feeling. ‘‘Let me take your hand, Madge.” She clasped his rough hand in both her den, raised his pistol and fired. own, A shriek broke from Silly Sam, and he “Madge, you will tell your father that I swayed, as though about to fall; but he | did my duty.” ** Indeed I will, Sam,” “Tell Saunders the cartman, and all up at the village, that Silly Sam was no coward and died like a man.” ** All shall know, Sam.” “And, Madge, one day you will become the wife of the man you love; tell him | left you for him, for, Madge, I could have killed you, rather than see another claim you. ‘“Oh, God! Madge, the world seems slip- ping away from me, ‘“All is dark—no, I hold your hand, yet do not feel you—take my hand, Madge, for the love of God!” ‘‘T have your hand in mine now, Sam.” ‘Good God! I do not feel it—this surely is death not to feel your touch.” She went forward and in her impulsive way kissed him. A smile swept over his face, and he said softly: ‘T felt that touch of your lips, Madge; it was as an angel’s kiss—thank you, Madge, and thank God!’ A convulsive shudder followed his last word, and then the hand that was held b hers, closed with a vise-like grasp—then it loosened its hold, and the life had fled from the body of Silly Sam forever. He had died for his love’s sake, and he had preferred death to life. CHAPTER XXXVIIL. THE CONFESSION. | For a long time did Madge Vernon bend over the body of the dead man, who had lost his life to save her. Phillis had crept away, when she saw that they could be of no use, and Philip had started off through the rain, on the long ride for the doctor, for Philip was not fond of the water on such a night, though in the half gale then blowing, he could have gone to the village and returned in half the usual time. plunged on, and sprung at the back of the man, who once more fired upon him. Again Sam staggered, halted, but once more rushed on. Then the fugitive saw that he must stand at bay, and he once more turned, this time a knife gleaming in his hand. But Sam rushed upon him, tore his half- unconscious burden from his grasp, and the two men clinched in a death-struggle. Down the hill they rolled together, and then came a groan, and the fugitive arose, his hand pressed upon his breast. ‘“‘He wrenched my own knife from me and drove it into my breast; but he is done ee ae eee for. “Oh, God! I must away for help, or I shall die!” With these words he bounded down the hill, his hand pressed close upon his heart, springing into it he sped away from the land and disappeared in the gloom, Through all Madge had been. conscious, yet held powerless by the drug to help her- self. She knew all that had occurred. She saw Sam come to the rescue. She heard the muttered oath of her kid- napper, and saw him turn and fire. he felt that Sam was wounded, and yet he came on. Another shot, and still the brave fellow rushed on to her rescue. Then came the death-struggle, and power- less to aid, she scemed like one in a trance, seeing, hearing, feeling, yet unable to stir. At last eame the groan of anguish, and the words of the kidnapper reached her ears. With a mighty effort she moved, then sat up, and then arose to her feet. She staggered, but yet rushed on to the side of the prostrate hero. He lay where he had fallen, the rain pelt- ing down pitilessly upon him. } Then lights flashed above and Philip and | the sofa, and folding the hands across the ‘“Oh do come to me!” eried Madge, and | broad breast, called to Phillis: a re ‘Yes, I feel that I have proven that an | At length Madge arose from the side of ‘*He is dead, Phillis.” “Yes, miss; but what were it all about?’ asked the negress in wonder. “A man attempted to get me unconscious with some drug, and then to carry me off; but 1 awoke with a cry, Sam heard it, and came to my rescue. ‘‘He was fired upon, but it did not check him, again he was shot, and yet he came on, and a death-struggle followed.” ‘‘ And the man, missy?” ‘He escaped, but I heard him say that driven it into his side.” ‘‘Praise de Lord, honey, for dat much | marcy. . “But your pais away, and what is we to 0?” ‘““We can do nothing but await the doc- tor’s return. ‘‘T told Philip to bring others, for I knew Sam could not live.” ‘No, chile; well, de Lord is marciful to us all.” And thus the two sat together while the hours went by. Midnight came and passed, and the small hours were going by, when suddenly a step was heard without. ‘*It is the doctor.” ‘Yas, missy.” ‘* Alas! too late.” ‘Yas, missy.” In answer to the knock, Madge threw the door open. Instantly she started back. ‘« Captain Kyd /” she cried, ‘* Yes, | have come for you.” ‘‘ For me?” ‘‘Yes, come with me to my hut, and lose no time.”’ “But why?” “ Ask no questions now, but come.” Madge saw that the old man was dripping wet, and she wondered at his coming; but she hastily threw on her storm-suit, and bid-. ding Phillis remain near the corpse, walked out into the night with the old Hermit Sailor, ‘‘ How have you been able to come here?” she asked, as he led the way to the shore. ‘*Man can do much when driven to it.” At the shore was the old hermit’s boat, and the sail was up, while it was tugging hard at the little pier. Into it they got and Madge took the tiller, while the old man crouched near her, Away darted the boat, and the fierce wind sent it along at terrific speed. The wiad was fairly on the beam, once they had gotten out of the harbor, and Madge laid her course directly for the her- mit’s cot. The pace at which the little boat went was a terrific one, The waves dashed over it, it bounded like a cork upon the waters, but still was held steadily on its way. At last the point was reached, and the two sprung ashore. Hastily they went to the hut, the door was thrown open, and there, lying upon the hermit’s bed was & man. Madge started, for it was he who had at- tempted to kidnap her, and who had killed Silly Sam. ‘*He lives! thank God we are not too late.” ‘‘T live, yes, but death is not far away. ‘‘T am glad to see you, girl, for now that I know death’s grip is upon me I wish to case my conscience of its sin,” said the man in a faint voice. ‘Waste not your strength, and I will ex- plain,” interposed the hermit. ‘‘He came here for gold, and I would give him none. ‘He came once before and attempted my life, but did not kill me, and searching my cabin got nothing. ‘*T knew him then, and saw all. ‘You savea my life, my child, and I told him so. ‘‘He was foiled in getting gold, so left with a threat. ; ‘‘He went to you, intending to bring you heres and threaten to kill you unless I yield ed. “ Acain was he foiled, and, with his death- wound, he came here to die. EGOmMice JOOKS (E(o) ._— me