Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 38 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

20 Beadle’s Dime Library. ——— The, window looked down into the dance-hall. ‘See, there is your man now,” cried Velarde, pointing through the window. Sure enough Velvet Hand had just entered the dance hall, CHAPTER XXV. THE TRAP, “You cannot miss him, eh?’ ‘‘ Well, I don’t know,” Redan replied, slowly. ‘It’s rather a long shot and the flickering lights will tend to confuse my aim, I sha’n’t get two shots, you know. If I miss him the first time he won’t be apt to wait to let me have a second chance, and, suppose I do hit him, what is there to prevent the miners from discovering me up in this cubby-hole? the smoke of my pistol will -be sure to betray me and they won’t show me much mercy.” “You see how the room is lighted?” and the Mexican pointed 2d the rude chandelier suspended by a cord in the center of the oon. “* Yes, by the chandelier.” “You see where the cord runs to the wall so that it can be lowered and raised?” 4 Yes. ” “Good! I will be by the cord—a sharp knife in my hand; the moment you fire I will cut the cord, down come the lights— all is dark—the crowd will swear, they will yell, rush out! aa knows who fired the shot or where it came from, ? “An excellent plan, but unless he changes his position I am afraid that I will not be able to hit him.” “TI can fix that, too!” the Mexican said, shrewdly. ‘ There is a girl—she is fond of this Velvet Hand. I will send her to dance with him, and tell her to take a position on this side of the room.” ‘Ah. that will answer.” ‘Oh, I am as cunning as a fox!” the greaser cried, chuckling. “Do not fire until you see me or my bar-keeper with the hand on the rope of the chandelier. You see where it is fast- ened behind the bar?’ “ Yes. ” ‘Watch well and we will go to his funeral to-morrow!” and then, with another hideous chuckle, he strode away. The Mexican proceeded straight to the ball-room, and as he passed through the groups of dancers he looked carefully around for the pert Mexican girl, Zimena. It was the fashion for the females to come to these fandangoes muffled up to the eyes, masked or disguised in some way, thus carrying out the idea of a masked ball; but the figure of the girl he was in search of was so well known to the rascally saloon- keeper that he was generally able to detect her at a glance. Zimena had evidently not arrived, for the Mexican was un- able to discover her. . Proceeding behind the bar he accosted his second in com- mand, a stout Mexican with about as ugly a face as could be found within the limit of the town. The bar-keeper was sitting on the edge of an open window right behind the bar, regarding the dancers with a scowl. ‘‘No Zimena to-night, eh, Pedro?’ said the Mexican. The bar-keeper was vainly trying to pay court to the will. ful waiting-maid. ‘‘Oh, yes, she’s here,” he replied. ‘‘ She’s not gracious to-night, eh?’ The landlord guessed the reason of the Mexican’s ill-temper. ‘‘That gringo is here!” Pedro replied, with a scowl. ‘* And when he is here she has no eyes for any one else!” ** And he cares not two straws for her.” ‘‘'You can’t make a vain fool of a girl believe that there is any man in the world whom she can’t get,” the saloon-keeper observed, sagely. “He takes no notice of her at all, and yet she is always throwing herself in his way.” ‘‘ Ah, women always like men whom they have to run after.” The Mexican was a philosopher. “Tf this fellow was out of the way I think the jade would listen to me.” ‘You think so, eh?” Se” The Mexican glanced around; not a soul was within nearer than eight or ten feet, and all were very busily engaged watch- ing the dancers. “We will not be troubled with him much longer.” “Eh?” The bar-keeper looked astonished. ‘* He has enemies, and they will strike him soon,” ‘When—to-night?”’ ‘* Maybe.” The two rascals exchanged glances; both hated Velvet Hand, put neither one dared to openly quarrel with him. ‘“Where is Zimena?” ‘Yonder, at the end of the room, with the black mask and the black gown trimmed with red; but what do you want with her?’ “As a decoy to engage the attentions of a certain party antil the trap is ready to be sprung.” ‘‘Oho! they are not going to give him a chance, eh?’ ‘“No chance at all. You get by the rope of the chandelier, um fasten it so that you can let it go ata moment’s warning.” ** How will I know?” ‘“‘The moment you hear the crack of a pistol.” “ Ah, they will fire at him!” and the blood-thirsty Mexican fairly grinned at the idea. “Yes, we will go to his funeral to-morrow.” And with this cheerful observation the saloon-keeper moved away in search of the sprightly Mexican girl. Velvet Hand, who had simply strolled into the place to pass the time away, was standing idly by the entrance gazing upon the dancers, when he felt a light touch upon his arm, and turn. ing in some little astonishment, he beheld a female form, heavily cloaked and densely vailed. *‘ A word with you, sir,” she said. The sound of the sweet clear voice sent an electric thril) through every pulse of the cool sport, and yet Velvet Hand was not a man who cared to talk much with the masked wo men who attended these Mexican fandangoes. ‘* This way,” he said, replying instantly, although his astonish- ment was great; and as he spoke he slipped the lady’s arm with- in his own, and drew her off toward the side of the room where the benches for the accommodation of the tired dancers were placed. Owing to the crowd this movement excited no attention. One man only noticed it, and that man was the superinten- dent of the Cinnabar mine, Bertrand Redan. From his of concealment, with eyes alone for Velvet Hand, not a motion of the Cinnabar sharp escaped him, and great was his astonishment when he saw the woman accost him. Despite the cloaked figure, despite the vailed face, Redan be- lieved that he recognized the woman, and he set his teeth to- gether in anger, while heavy curses, not loud, but deep, es- caped from his lips. ‘‘TIt cannot be possible, and yet it is!” he muttered, hot with rage. ‘‘I would not havebelieved that she could play so bold a part as to seek the fellow here in this den! What madness has taken possession of her? By heaven! it will be a glorious revenge to shoot him down right before her very eyes.” And then the keen and calculating assassin noticed that the bar- keeper, in obedience to his orders, had undone the fastenings of the rope which adjusted the chandelier, and stood ready to bring total darkness upon the dance-hall the moment that the signal was given. Eagerly then the concealed man waited, with murder in his heart, for a favorable opportunity to speed the deadly leaden ball home to the breast of the sport, who, all unconscious of danger, could not possibly suspect that death threatened him so nearly. “Your life is in danger,” the vailed woman said in low, ear- nest tones, as they paced along the floor, ‘‘Seek not to know who or what I am, but believe the warning I give.” Poor girl! She fancied that her disguise was so perfect that Velvet Hand’s shrewd wits would be baffled in guessing who it was, and yet the evil eyes of the superintendent had pene- trated her seeret just from her figure and her walk, : ‘‘T am very much obliged for the warning, lady,” Velvet Hand remarked, slowly, “and I trust that you will believe me when I say that I have no wish to pry into your identity; but can you not explain the manner of the danger, the quarter from whence it will come, and how soon I may expect it?’ “At avy moment!” replied the girl, hurriedly. ‘Even at this present moment the pistol of the assassin may be leveled at your heart.” ‘* Oh, I am to be assassinated?” “Yes, here, in this room, at any moment, I suppose; and the Ls sound of the pistol shot is to be the signal for the putting out of the lights, so that the assassins may escape after doing their deadly work, I presume.” CHAPTER XXVL. DEFINING THE SITUATION. “Tie sound of the pistol shot is to be the signal to extin- guish the light, eh?” Velvet Hand repeated, slowly. sc Yes.” = ‘And then, I presume, they intend to settle me?” “ Yes.” ‘‘ Well, I shall have to alter the programme a little, for I am not quite ready to shuffle off my mortal coil yet, but I can’t imagine from what quarter the danger comes, for, so far, to night I hav’n’t seen the face of a foe.” But just as he finished the sentence, his quick eyes, ever on the alert, caught sight of a frowsy head projected cautiously through the door-way which led from the dance-hall to the gaming saloon, On the instant the cool gamester recognized the man to whom the head belonged. It was Buck of Angels! Little doubt now in the mind of Velvet Hand as to the quarter from whence the danger threatened. Captain Death and his road-agent band were near! With Velvet Hand to think was to act. “Do not be alarmed at anything that may happen!” he said quickly in the ear of his companion, and then with a careless movement his right hand was in the pocket of the loose sack- coat he wore; he elevated the skirt of the coat a little. The hand in the pocket grasped a cocked Derringer pistol, small in size, but like all of that peculiar make, carrying an extremely heavy ball. Then through the room rung the quick, sharp report of a pistol. No need for the Mexican bar-keeper to obey the instructions which he had received and lower the chandelier at the sound of the pistol-shot, for the well-aimed ball of the velvet sharp cut the cord of the lighting apparatus and down with a thump came the rude contrivance. | eae S41 ee ORE A CORNICE OOO KS (E(0)