Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 38 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

The shock extinguished the lights and the apartment was in a second plunged into utter darkness. ‘‘Carambo!” cried the Mexican in delight, “‘ that settles my gentleman; he no more win a t’ousand dollars at my table!” The saloon-keeper believed that the shot had been fired by the map whom he had piaced in ambush, and he nothing doubted that at the moment Velvet Hand lay weltering in his ;.ore, As for Redan he was completely astonished at vais sudden and unexpected turn of affairs. Mad with rage avd jealousy he had taken deliberate aim at the figure of the ma. he hated and was just about to pull trigger when Velvet Hand’ prompt ac- tion plunged the room in utter darkness A dance had just ended and the dancers were congregated about the bar when this sudden ‘‘dousing of the glim ” occurred. One and all believed it to be accidental and some imagined that the report they had heard was produced by the sudden snapping of the chandelier rope. ‘‘Keep your places! It will be all right in a moment!” one cool-headed fellow shouted. And so they did, but a dozen matches were ignited in a second, the little flames shining like so many huge fireflies. The Mexican had listened anxiously, expecting to hear the dying groans of the man he hated; but, not being gratified in this particular, he came to the conclusion that Velvet Hand had been killed outright by thesuperintendent’s well-aimed ball. Judge of the surprise of the bloodthirsty mongrel Spaniard then, when the lights were again lit, to find no trace of the sport. He rubbed his eyes, as if unwilling to believe that he had seen correctly; but there was no mistake about the matter— Velvet Hand was gone! There were open windows in the wall behind where he was standing; wounded, perhaps he had struggled to one of the win- dows and fallen out. ’ Vain surmise! for upon examination the baffled Mexican could find no trace of the Cinnabar sharp, and still greater was his astonishment when, consulting the bar-keeper, he found that his assistant had had nothing to do with the fall of the chandelier. Velvet Hand’s sudden disappearance is easily explained. The moment the room was plunged in darkness, he drew the vailed woman gently to the nearest window, leaped through it, and then assisted her to reach the ground outside. ‘Lady, you havedone me a great service to-night,” he said, as they walked away from the saloon; ‘I am deeply grateful aod wish in some way to return the service.” ‘Oh, no!” she exclaimed, quickly, “that is not necessary. It was a bold, unwomanly step to enter such a place, but I could not resist the impulse which told me that it was my duty to save a fellow-creature from mortal danger.” “Lady, while I live I will never forget the service,” he re- plied, with feeling. “ And now, good-night, sir,” she said, evidently embarrassed, and halting irresolutely. By this time they had got away from the immediate vicinity of the Mexican dance-house, and were in quite a lonely spot, secure from observation. ““ Good-night. ” Velvet Hand understood that she wished to retreat unobserved, and as he replied to her farewell salutation, he politely raised his hat. ‘You will not, I trust, seek to discover whoI am,” she ob- served, nervously, and evidently much agitated. ‘* Miss, I will not attempt to deceive you,” he replied, gently and kindly. ‘‘I know who you are, and I feel that it would be a sorry repayment for your kindness, if I permitted you to go away with the belief that you were a stranger to me. In Cinnabar City there are few women likely to be confounded with Bianche del Colma.” With a quick, impetuous motion the girl threw up her vail, thus revealing the glorious beauty of her facetothe dark eyes of the sport. ‘] am Blanche del Colma!” she cried, ‘‘ and I will not attempt to deny it. You served me by returning the diumond I prize so highly, and now I have repaid the service. All I ask is that you will not reveal the secret of this night’s adventure to any one.” ““ Most certainly not; you may rely upon my honor and my dis- eretion,”’ ““A foolish fancy, foolishly followed, has led me on to-night; Ido not regret it, for it is always sweet to serve a fellow-crea- ture.” | ‘‘ And I am right glad that it has happened as it has, although the events of this night interfere most materially with some cherished plans of mine.” ! The senorita looked astonished, and her great, dark eyes were turned inquiringly upon the speaker. “ A few. words will explain,” he continued. “All Cinnabar City knows me now as Dick Velvet, or as Velvet Hand, as I am more commonly termed, but there was a time when I bore another name—when I was something different from the mere ad- venturer that 1 now seem to be, floating carelessly upon the tidé of fortune, the sport of every idle wind. Years ago I owned the Cinnabar mine; it was my property by right of discovery; from the wild red chiefs I wrested it and held it until men of my own race wrested it from me. I came back here determined to repossess myself of my property. 1 found your brother in pos- session. He bad a mania for card-playing; I am an adept in handling the painted pasteboards, and I gratified his mad desire for play. 1 had an object in view; he was in possession of my property, and I was determined ,by the aid of the cards, to regain every ounce of gold that he got outof the Cinnabar mine. So far my plan has succeeded. I have won from your brother over six thousand dollars, double the profit that he bas en- Velvet Hand. 21 joyed from the mine; he is hopelessly involved; the property is mortgaged and will be sold under the hamuner in a very short time unless he manages to raise a ceitain sum of money. There is not one chance out of a hundred tbat be can raise it. 1 seé the way open to again enjoy my own, when, like a spirit from another world, your figure rises before me. You have risked that most precious jewel of womankind, a good name, to save my worthless life, and now must I repay the service by driving you forth into the world a beggar? What shail I do?’ “Wait; give me time for retlection and then I will answer you!” cried the girl, impetuously, convulsed by emotion, and then she hurried away, as it she teared to trust her tongue. — ——=- - CHAPTER XXVIL A LAST STAKZ. Outp Father Time in his eternal flight stays not, no matter how humbly wepray or how earnestly we curse; aud so, dating from the night when the strangeinterview between the haughty California girl, Blanche del Colma and the Velvet Hand had taken place, ten days had passed, ten days fraught with much consequence to some of the characters in our story. And to no one of them more than to Fernando Del Colma, had the flight of time furnished greater matter for anxiety. The mortgage on the Cinnabar property came due; Del Colma was unable to raise the amount necessary to meet it, al- though he had worked like a horse to procure the money. But, in mining parlance, the Cinnabar property was ‘“‘a bad egg.” Men shook their heads when asked to advance the sum and take the mine for security. The story of the lode was too well known in the town. That lead was presided over by a demon who promised great stores of wealth, but who invariably ended by devouring the unlucky mortals who controlled the property. ‘* Don’t you believe that there is gold in the ode?” “Oh, yes,” was the reply, unhesitatingly given by one and all; ‘“‘but what’s the use of the gold being there if it’s going to cost more than it’s worth to get it out?” ‘ihe story of Talbot’s bloody adventres in connection with the mine, was still current in the town, although not a man who listened to the legend-like tale even dreamed that bold and hardy Injun Dick still walked the earth, and still kept watch and ward over his old-time treasure-house. “Oh, no, sir,” the acute and canny men of means replied, when asked to put up a few thousand dollars on the strike. ‘‘No Cinnabar lode for me; no, sir, no sugar in mine. That place has either killed or broke every man who ever had anything to do with it. It is an unlucky bit of property; * bad medicine,’ sir, as one of the heathen bucks wouldsay. it would really bea benefit to the town if an earthquake should come along and — shake five or six thousand tons of earth and rock right down on top of it; yes, sir, bury the Cinnabar lode so deep that pick- ax and spade would never be able to dig it up again.” With such sentiments common to the solid men of the town, no wonder that Del Colma was unable to raise a cent on the secu- rity of the mine, Payment being refused, the summary aid of the law was in voked; so rigidly had the papers been drawn that there was no chance for a delay. The court put the sheriif in possession of the property, anda day was set for a sale almost immediately. After the legal process was executed and the strong arm of the law had wrested the property trom the Californian, sullen and downcast Del Colma came in to his supper. ** Well?’ Blanche questioned, inquiringly, although from the look upon his face she easily guessed that the worst had trans- pired. ‘Tt is all over,” he answered; “the mine is now in the hands of the sheriff, and will be sold at public auction the day after to-morrow.” : “Then you have lost all that you have invested?’ ‘Yes; there is only one chance to save anything from the wreck,” he observed, thoughtfully, ‘‘The mortgage amounts to ten thousand dollars; the interest and legal expenses will be a couple of thousand more—about twelve thousand all told, Already I have invested double that; in fact, the mine stands me in over thirty thousand dollars. It is good property—I don’t care what people say aboutit. It is as rich a mine as there is in all northern California, and will pay splendidly just as soon as it gets in good working order. Now, to pay off the mortgage would cost twelve thousand dollars, but at the auc- tion sale the chances are a hundred to one that the entire pro- perty will not fetch over five or six thousand dollars, so great is the feeling against the lode on the part of the money-men of the town—the fools believe that it always brings bad luck to whoever owns it. If I could raise five or six thousand dollars, I would buy the property in—buy it in your name, for the law Holds me answerable for the difference between the amount the place brings at the sale and the sum due from me. Of course as long as I have nothing, my creditors can get nothing, but with the mine running—and I am certain that the ore we are getting out now will pay handsomely—lI could soon pay off the ebt.” ‘“‘ But five or six thousand dollars is a large sum,” the girl ob- served. ‘‘Can you get the amount?” Fernando drummed with his fingers upon the edge of the table, by the side of which hehad seated himself. “I can’t borrow it,” he observed, after quite a long pause, *‘Nobody will loan op the unlucky bole.” COUMIGLIOORKS) (©) — = _——— ~ © 2 0 ee ——— - - <——- + ——— eee eee ee ee ee cl eg a EI te ee ee NS ee -——— —— ee a — —— > —_ on =a a - Sa Pe ee Se 8 8, eee oe - - = — 7 = a Po Oe ee oo eee ee ce ee => - =i ss se TS —_—*orrace - a SS eee SR 6 was Sc. - a ee = "23 Ee et .= ee