Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 380 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

= The Golden Serpent. : 23 At him they rushed with glaring eyeballs and brandished weapons, curdling his blood with their savage execrations, ‘Down the dude!” ‘Out his heart out!” ‘‘ Skewer the white-livered cuss!” ‘‘Shoot the lights out of ’im—the lady’s maid.” And white puffs of smoke and the crisp crack of revolvers showed that the will did mot far outstrip the deed. As the bullets whistled about his ears, sweet Lispinard stopped with eyes dilated and mouth agape, the picture of abject ter- ror. A moment so, while everything spun round, and the solid earth seemed to sink be- meath his feet; and with a wild shriek he threw his hands up and fell forward on his face. ‘‘He’s killed!” cried Abigail. Then her heart went out in a wild cry: ‘Hugh! Hugh! come back! oh, come back!” But, bent upon the accomplishment of the idea with which he had set out, Hugh did not heed her, Upon seeing Lispinard thrown down the escarpment, he forced his horse to leap to the lower level. It was a most hazardous thing to do. Nothing but a habit of implicit obedience, backed by the spur and an iron hand on the bit, compelled the animal to what its instincts told it would be destructive. As it struck the ground, its legs collapsed _ as if they were straws, and the breath was knocked out of its body with an explosive groan. Stung by what seemed to him the willing- ness Of his lady-love to sacrifice him for an- other, and determined to show the quality of his devotion by a display of magnanimity which smacked rather of the sock and bus- kin than of real life, Hugh was in that mood when a man stops at nothing. He fully realized the desperateness of the leap. It was neck or naught; with the chances decidedly in favor of a break in the neck and maybe in the way of accomplish- ment. He threw his feet out of the stirrups, and dropped the rein; and seizing the pommel of the saddle, swung one leg over the back of the horse, so that he alighted on his feet be- side him, Of course he plunged forward on hands and knees, plowing the ground almost as handsomely as ye daintie dude had but the moment before However, in the excitement of the mo- ment he was unconscious of the scratches and bruises he received; and he was on his feet again just in time to see Lispinard fall. He ee Abigail call tohim. He thought it was acry of remorse at having included him in the sacrifice with the man she pre- ferred. He believed that Lispinard had been shot, and that to instant death; yet he would not give up the struggle with life. ‘‘Dead or alive,” he muttered between his set teeth, ‘‘she shall never have it to sa that I left him there while there was a breat of life in my own body!” Rushing forward, he plucked up the inani- mate form and threw it over his shoulder, Under the spur of that whirlwind of excite- ment, he did it to all appearance as easily as if it were the body of a child. Then he rose with his burden and sprun toward the retreat where his friends hat found a present shelter, Seeing their prey thus slipping through their fingers, the outlaws redoubled their efforts, yelling execrations and firing as they ran, ‘‘Oh, gentlemen!” cried Abigail, fairly beside herself with excitement, ‘can we not go out and help him?” And she herself would have rushed forth, revolver in hand, but that Tiger Dick re- strained her. j “Stay, miss!” he said, forcing her back under shelter. ‘‘This is no work for such as you.” he sunk back, moaning: ‘‘Oh! I have sent him to his death! I shall never forgive myself—never—never |” Meanwhile Tiger Dick was not disposed to wait with folded hands. He was a man to appreciate the heroism of this other. He ee ee ee was ready to do what could be done that it might not be fruitless, even to the hazarding of his own life. ‘*Come, gentlemen!” he cried, make a sortie with advantage. while in motion. thing to-day!” And springing through the opening in the barrier of rocks, he led the way. Judge Littlejohn, whose real metal the emergency now called out, was at his heels, If Uncle Billy was third, it was only be- cause of his extra burden of flesh. ‘‘It’s money in a man’s pocket to be a slab-sided Yankee in such times as these!” he said, as, puffing and blowing, he waddled after. ‘‘ It’s an advantage in both the advance and the retreat, egad! And then one don’t spread such a broadside to the enemy. That's something!” By this time Tiger Dick was half-way to Hugh. ‘ Bravely, old fellow! he shouted. Then he came to a dead halt, erying: ‘“Now give ’em fire and brimstone!” And by way of example, the Tiger opened fire with both revolvers. Judge Littlejohn flanked him on one side and Uncle Billy on the other, with just enough open space to let Hugh pass between them with his burden. Then such a hail of bullets as they sent info the ranks of the enemy was certainly never surpassed by three resolute men, But Hugh was staggering. His face was ghastly pale, the features contorted by pain, It was plain that he had been hit, and that sorely. ‘Keep it up, my boy!” cried Uncle Billy encouragingly. ‘‘ We've staggered ’em! Ha! down they go! This is the game of tenpins that you read about!” It was true. The outlaws were brought to a stand. The Tiger, knowing the value of leaders, had made the lieutenant ‘“ his meat” once more, sending him ‘‘to grass,” this time probably for good. But the check was but momentary. Three men could not hold a score and more in an open field, ‘* Retreat!” he commanded, and was him- self the last to yield, keeping his face to the enemy and firing as he went, ‘“We may Don't fire Shots are worth some- Never say die!” CHAPTER XXVIII. YE CARPET KNIGHT AND YE CORSET. Dick and the Judge came off without a scratch, ‘'They’ve tapped my wine-sack!” was Uncle Billy’s laughing announcement of his less favorable fortune. Yet, light as he made of it, his wound was a painful one, though not dangerous. Meanwhile Hugh had staggered through the opening in the barricade. Abigail Heedless of personal danger, sprung forward to meet him. But no emergency could awaken in the breast of the Major-General sentiments gen- erous enough to make her forgetful of her worldly schemes. As long as there was a chance that sweet Lispinard might yet have the breath of life in his aristocratic body, and so was not be- yond the responsibility of being converted into a son-in-law, she clung to the hope of securing through her daughter those social connections without which money failed to satisfy her. So she seized Abigail as she passed, pour- ing into her ear the plea: ‘‘For heaven's sake, try to contain your- self, and display a becoming maidenly re- serve! Remember that these men—” But with a glance of supreme indignation into her mother’s face, the girl tore herself away. ‘That headstrong creature will be the death of me!” moaned the Major-General, relaps- ing into the ordinary weakness of her sex, as she always did when her will was per- emptorily thwarted. ut, acting out her own impulses, Abigail rushed up to Hugh, seized hold of him, and half dragged, half sunported him into the shelter of the rocks. _It was only chance that took her to his left side, over which shoulder the limp body of the unconscious dude hung. Still under the delusion into which his qeerouny had hurried him, he thought that 1er solicitude was all for his rival. ‘* It is him that she is helping me carry to safety!’ he reflected, bitterly, his mind so clouded with the dizziness that was over- powering him that he could scarcely formu- late the thoughts. ‘‘She cares nothing for me. I may win her gratitude by my death! She will remember me with pity, perhaps, on her wedding day!” And she?—she was choking with emotion, She tried to reproach him for his rashness, as we reproach those whom we love who have jeopardized our happiness by exposing them- selves to danger. But the thought that she had him back again, within the very clasp of . her trembling hands, when she had so feared to see him drop under the murderous bullets of those ruthless butchers, overcame her, She could only cling to him sobbing. The rush of tears so blinded her that she did not see that he was suffering. It did not occur to her that he might have been hit. She had him back again, safe, as she supposed, He laid down his burden at her feet. That was what he had set out to do, and it was ac- complished. He rose to look her in the face, and say that there was the gift of his love. But everything grew dark. He could not see her. The solid earth seemed rocking under his feet. Strange sounds rung in his ears. He brushed his hand across his face, and sunk forward, gasping: “Abi—” Then when she saw him reel like a drunken man, as she was about to cast herself upon his breast, clasping him about the neck and telling him how he had wrung her heart with fear—then she had her first warning that he had not come off scathless. » “Hugh!” she cried, with a great terror in her voice. And throwing wide her arms, she received | him on her breast as he fell. She could not sustain his weight, but she eased him to the ground, « Hugh!” she cried again, holding him in her arms—her fallen hero!—and bringing her face close to his, in an agonizing scrutiny of his bloodless countenance. He did not answer. He did not hear her, ‘He's dead!” she gasped, lifting her face piteously to those who gathered about, . ‘Dead! dead! J killed him!” she breathed, forgetful of her surroundings, and reverting only to him. a But his recumbent posture stayed the ebb of consciousness, as the blood which his en- feebled pulses failed to send to his brain when he stood erect, now found its way there by the aid of gravity. His eyelids fluttered open; and his waver- ing gaze steadied itself, as if drawn by the magnetism of her eyes. “Hugh; she cried once more, now with great delight. He heard her now. He knew the mean- ing of her wild ery. He realized that her arms were about his neck. He felt her panting bosom heave, as she drew his head upon it, helding bim close, as a°woman holds only her children, and one other, who is nearer to her than even they, if possible. ‘Why, oh! why did you do it?’ she cried. | With his face bathed by her tears, he | smiled as he made answer: ‘* Because—because —I thought—thought —that you—loved him. And—lI—I—” The wordg died on his lips. His gaze wavered. The Beaty eyeing rooped. The momentary flush which the delicious con- sciousness of her love had brought to his cheeks waned. ' ; He was BupEleg. away into unconscious- ness, when Tiger Dick interposed. ‘Lower his head again,” he said. «Oh, he is dying!” gasped Abigail. ‘‘ Save him! save him!” Sv “It is only that the heart’s action is too weak to supply the brain, with the head high,” explained Dick. : He did not know but that Hugh was mor- tally wounded; but he thought to spare the girl her poignant distress if the worst should prove to be not at hand. Seeing that Abigail would not yield her burden to him, he with gentle force pressed EComicbooks. cor