Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 375 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

——— ————$_—_—__ _— and all ther worse fur some one else; but say it short, an’ say it solid. I ain’t much time fur foolin’. You, Byles, jest give me what's bin goin’ on hyar, an’ how .Bess kim ter be mixed up in this hangin’ scrape, an’ jest who war bossin’ that job. Mebbe I kin see ther way clearer then ter whar this gentleman an’ his friend gits it,” Without much hesitation, and in a great many fewer words than one would have thought possible, Andy gave an account of the late doings at the Bar, even bringing all down to the present time, when Mrs. Orms- by had just been discovered to be missing. Then Sam wheeled half-way around and looked Mr, Cathcart keenly in the eyes. ‘*You seem tobe a ’spectable sort ov fel- ler; I’d jest like to hear how you know this | woman’s name is Missus Caton Ormsby. That's mebbe ther hub ov ther hull perceed- ings,” ‘ Professionally I seldom take much inter- est in a case until I have satistied myself of the truth of my would-be client's story. Be- yond that I have the advantage of having | known the lady from—well, for more years, perhaps, than she would care to own to. I felt certain of my ground before I ever took | a step in this direction; and though there have been some developments that I own are somewhat puzzling, | have faith in Mrs. Ormsby and her cause; and I am a man that is not often deceived. Let that side of the question rest, and let us consider what is to be done. Do you think she has been mur- dered?” “Of all cool ones you ought to take the cake; but I like your style. Maybe it’s a ‘ood thing all ’round that this has happened. o, | don’t think she’s been murdered, but I do think she’s skipped ther ranch, It'll take time ter tell whether it’s fur good; an’ I'd give somethin’ nice ef I could tell whether she hed a finger on Bess. They say ther Creeper throw’d up on Bess’s trail last night; U'll bring him hyar, an’ see what he can do by daylight. It’d bea high ole note ef this trail could run inter that, eh?” **Your efforts can do no harm, and they may do some good. Use your own judg- ment. If you succeed, you can rest assured that you will be suitably rewarded.” ‘* An’ meantime, ef I kin advise, I wouldn’t say a word ’bout what hez happened. Ef she hez bin took away, an’ yer want ter hev ther p’int settled, ther less racket thar are *bout it ther better chance them ez are in ther iob'll hev ter post yer up. You'd better kim in ter grub an’ git braced up fur work, An’, Sam, you'd better kim along. Thar'll be lots oy ther boys ‘round when they know you've got back, an’ you won't jest hev so much time at yer leisure.” “Right you be. We'll lay in fur ther campaign. Mr. Cathcart, Afore we're through we may git whar grub ain’t so plenty—an’ it | don’t take long fur a man ter lose heart when his stomach’s empty. Show up them per- visions ef yer want ter see ’em slaughtered. | I kin eat fur three myself.” And so the two men followed Byles to the dining-room, and without further considera- tion of the mysterious case, sct them solidly to work on the viands set before them, to which both did ample justice. They had just fairly finished their meal when Andy came bustling into the room. *“Ye’r’ done jest in time. JT knowed how it would be. Hyar’s ther major, chock full ov news; ef ye are ready ter hear it, say ther word, an’ I'll bring him in, It’s Mr. Cath- cart he’s askin’ fur; but I don’t s'pose he'll kick ag’in’ openin’ his budget, even if thar be another pair ov ears around,” ‘“Not ef ther other pair are mine,” said Sam, confidently; and while he spoke, the major himself appeared. “Mrs. Ormsby is not here?” was his abrupt salutation, ‘‘T thought as much, and could not rest until 1 came over to see. TLast night I had a very remarkable experience; and thinking it over this morning, I do not know what to make of it.” CHAPTER XIV. . THE MYSTERY AT THE MAJOR’S. ‘“T xweveR was more wide awake,” contin- ued the major; ‘‘and yet, somehow, in thinking it over, it appears to me that it must have been «a dream. “T weat home rather disgusted with the ' / result of the evening, and threw myself down to try to sleep. | jt was not a bit of use. I could not even hold my eyes shut, though I could not say that I was thinking about anything in par- ticular, or that time hung heavy on my | hands. I can’t even guess what time it. was, ' though somewhere long after midnight. ‘* All of a sudden I fancied | heard foot- steps without, and I got up and leoked out the window. ‘* As sure as you live, I saw Mrs. Ormsby standing there, looking anxiously up. She seemed to be waiting for some one or some- thing, and somehow I began to feel nervous | the very moment | clapped eyes on her. I | don’t generally borrow trouble, and I was as much frightened at feeling that way as at ‘anything else, though I didn’t have the ' ghost of an idea of what was going to hap- | pen. | *€ What did happen seemed to be as much ' of a surprise to her as to me. While she | was waiting there, a man appeared right at her back. Where he came from is more than | I can say, but at any rate he was there, and | before she had time to ery out, or even make la struggle, he had twisted something that looked like a scarf around her head and flung her over his shoulder. ‘‘T hadn't expected any occasion to use them and so my shooting irons were just where | had laid them, at the head of my bed, and I wasn’t dressed for a moonlight ramble. I madeadive for my pants, grabbed | up my revolver, and in half a minute was out-doors, ‘‘T would have done better to have been a little slower. When I got out there was nothing to be seen of either of them, and what was stranger yet I couldn’t find the sign of a footmark. I went back into the house and went to sleep without rocking, | and this morning was inclined to think it all |a dream, only, when I had walked a few rods away I came across this. It belongs to the lady we met here last night, and after finding it 1 could no longer doubt. What did it all mean, and what is to be done about which he held out toward Mr. Cathcart as he spoke, was a small, ruby breastpin, of no great value, and one that would not be apt to attract attention, yet both Cathcart and Andy Byles recognized it at once. If the start that Singular Sam gave meant anything it was not altogether unfamiliar to him. He held out his hand, and the major _ dropped the pin into it without hesitation. | ‘Its a curious kinder yarn thet yer bin tellin’, but them’s ther kind ez yer find ther | hee Mebbe you'know suthin’ ’bout ther ady?” o Naver saw her in my life before last evening. I can imagine no reason for her being interested in me so much as to come prowling around that time of night on my account. Take it altogether it is about as mysterious a thing as ever happened to me, | The next thing is, what is to be done about | it?” | **Keep cool and wait. The less you show your hand in this the better. I begin to | think that the thing is going to be to our ad- vantage. They dare not harm the woman, and if they don’t they will wish they had let her alone before they get through with her, | If you have an eye for character you must have seen at a glance that she is no ordinary person,” **So war Bess; but they’ve gobbled her— an’ me ’spons’ble fur her keepin’. It war a ! bad night fur people thet wa’n't ord’pary; _ wonder how it turned out fur common folks?” | Sam threw in his remarks with a shrewd smile and an inquisitive look, but the others did not seem to take any special meaning | from his manner, and made no answer. | ‘Al right, though,” he continued, after a slight pause. “ You fellers lay low a leetle E yer hear what I hev ter say. When TI A dad ; The article that the major had found, and | put my nose ter one end ov a trail it ain't gin’rally very long till I turn up at the other; an’ when ther time kims I'll take yer, all both along. It may be all right, fur weemin are durned curious things; but it does ’pear ter me thet I smell blood in ther future. it hez ter bo soI kin put on high top-boots an’ wade right through it.” ‘*See here, Sam, I’m afraid you're fooling Ef. Royal George, the Three in One. — ee + = 11 yourself in this business,” the major inter- rupted, ‘ You are a very good man; but don't you try to carry too much. All I’ve got to dois to pass the word, and all my boys will turn out.” “Then, I wouldn’t pass it—not fur ther present. It might—I don’t say it would— but it might only put a bad spoke in Bess’s biggest wheel. I'll tell you what I will do, though, I'll see ther Creeper. Mebbe by daylight he kin see furder than in the dark, an’ ef he makes a pint lll let youknow. Ef not—hold on.” So far as Singular Sam went Mr, Cathcart did hold on, for he saw him no more that day. As he went out, accompanied by the major, Andy remarked: ‘*Sam’s a sing’ler sort er feller. Now yer see him, an’ now. yer don’t see him. Ef I war you, an’ hed any other biz, l’'d go on attendin’ to it, an’ never mind him. He'll come ’round when he’s finished up ther work. More ner that I can’t say. But I would remark ez that bummer they call Ragged Rufe hez bin gyratin’ ’round hyar lately, an’ acts ez though he wanted ter see yer. Shell I show him in?” Mr, Cathcart had considerable unegatisfied curiosity about that very individual, and re- ceived the proposition with enthusiasm. In about five minutes the rough-looking vaga- bond came stumbling in. ‘‘Glad ter see yer this A. M. Hed a heap ter say ter ther bloomin’ widder; but I on- derstand she’s skipped. Ef that be so youll do ez well. Know no end ov things—an’ I’m in the market. Ef yer want me now’s ther time. I’m ez blunt ez I’m squar’. Ef yer don’t mean sportin’, say so an’ I'll go on ter whar a man what kin peddle meet wid a fair show.” ‘‘And what have you got to peddle?” ‘‘1’m wu’th a heap, boss. I know lots *bout ther ins an’ outs ov this hyar Caton Ormsby biz. Ther only question with me isef you've got soap ernuf ter buy me. I tell yer, itll take a heap ov stuff ter do it,” “That is indefinite. You may know a heap of stuff, as you say, but it may not be of uny use tome. If it is, I can assure you that | have the means and disposition to pay you allit is worth, Lf Mrs. Ormsby had not in a sort of way vouched for you | would be inclined to think that you are working on the other side,” ‘* Which side be those? to this hyar racket, ef not more, yours, an’ the other feller’s.” ‘“™hen there is another fellow in it, is there?” ‘* You bet there is; bigger ner a wolf, an’ ther fu’st letter ov his name ware Caton Ormsby, Oh, I ain't no fraud, an‘ ter prove it I'll let yer in behind ther scenes, mebbe 4 lee‘le furder than ther Jady war willin’ yer should go. I know her ov old, an’ a heh sly piece ov calico be she to deal with. Mebbe, though, you've hearn ther hull story?” Thar’s three sides ‘‘Aftera way, sir, after a way, but I have no objection to hearing it again. it any differently I shali be happy to rewara you in proportion to the proven truth of what you say. There is a retainer to begin with, After you have closed your case we can decide better on the size of your fee. That it may be a large one you ought to be able to guess.” The ‘‘retainer” was a twenty-dollar gold piece which Cathcart dropped into the hastily outstretched hand. ‘«Thanks; ye’r’ a gentleman, an’ white. Now see ef yer don’t find me after ther same stripe.” ‘* Fu’st an’ foremost you probably are fly to ther circumstances ov ther lady’s marriage, an’ ther fact thet briefly tharafter ther war two people ez both found out they d made ther biggest kinder ov mistake. Eh?” Cathcart bowed silently. ‘Wel, Linda hedn’t a thrippenny bit to her name, an’ Ormsby, he wa’n’t much better off. Ez a consekwence afore they'd tried double harness fur six months they agreed ter disagree, an’ Caton waltzed o ear, leavin’ a wife behind him, an’ ef he'd come back in bout three er four months more he’d ’a’ found a family ov two ter meet him.” ‘‘He didn’t come back, though, an’ he ain’t come back ter this day, an’ thar’s whar ther trouble comes in at, Linda she got ‘along all right after a feshion, an’ purty nigh Mine, | . te \ eB ty z 4) , If you tell x < i a ‘ on his y 4 > ' # (elo) JOOKS:. AAILCE > . 1 oa a ey