Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 383 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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mre a 2 < 7 ons Silver Sam, Detective. ‘Then there’s only one other guess to | alive, and he was determined to leave no ef- make. back to Butte.” He must have lost it on his way |! forts untried to find her, This was the matter which he pressed upon ‘‘That’s where you’re out, Josh Catter- ; the attention of Silver Sam whose assistance mole. dropped here, and he didn’t lose it on his way back to Butte. If he hain’t got it now, he knows where it is.”’ ‘“Oh, come off! Why do you want to be so cussed suspicious? What do you take him for?” ‘‘T take him for just what he is, and no- body knows what he is better than Ido. He is as hard as a mill-stone; but I can see through any mill-stone that’s got a hole in it. The game that he’s playin’ on me is just the sort o’ thing I looked for. He put up that job on you, and told you that yarn, because he thought that you would be fool enough to believe it, and that you would come out here and make me believe it. But it won’t work —not foracent. Iain’t sayin’ Josh Catter- mole, that you are in the game with him; but he is usin’ you as a tool, and that’s the im- mortal truth,”’ ‘‘Whatdo you mean, Miss Bet? This is too much for me.” “Tf you can’t guess what I mean, you are duller than I take you to be. When Andy Birkett got that paper fixed up, it was agreed that he should settle the business right off, and then come back here and take me Kast with him. I told him that he had better not fail, and 1 meant business. His game now is to pretend that he has lost the paper and can’t settle the business. Then he means to sneak off, give me the dirty shake, fix up things to suit himself, and steal my share of the plunder. That is exactly the size of it.” ‘You must be wrong, Miss Bet. I can’t believe that he means to do such a trick.” ‘‘He must be tol’able smart, old man, if he has fooled you. But he can't fool Bet Rawson. I can see through bis game as easy as if he was playin’ it with his hand open before my eyes. That's all. I’ve said my say, and you needn’t give me another word. Rest here to-night, Josh Cattermole, and when you get back to Butte, | want you to tell the gov’nor, as you call him, just what I’ve said.” At an early hour next morning, Josh Cattermole mounted and started at ‘“Tell Andy Birkett,” said Bet Rawson, ‘*that if he don’t come out here as he prom- ised, and take me away from this place, there'll be trouble in his camp.” But when Josh Cattermole reached Butte, Andrew Birkett was absent, deep in the de- velopments that followed the arrival of Abner Boggs and the discovery of the body of Jim Boggs. CHAPTER XXXYVII. THE FAMILY BIBLE, Muaas of Mugegsville of course told his story at Whitewood as soon as the excite- ment subsided sufficiently to allow him to do sv, and Silver Sam was put in possession of the facts above detailed, up to the departure of his spy from Bet Rawsoun’s cabin. The paper that had been signed there also passed into his possession, and its impor- tance was fully appreciated by him. He praised Muggs so highly for his shrewd and successful work, that the knobs on the ugly fellow’s face glistened more brightly than ever, and his eyes bulged out fearfully. He would then gladly have gone to his death for the chief who bestowed upon him such thorough recognition and commenda- tion. Slevin at once perceived that he had a further duty to perform, and ove which called for immediate attention and speedy action. He had discovered, by the aid of Muggs, the whereabouts of Margaret Tellson, as well as the full design of Andrew Birkett, and it was necessary that he should rescue the wo- man and thwart the man. Clearly there was no time to be lost, as Birkett had doubtless discovered the loss of the paper, and would proceed to take other steps to carry out his scheme. | But Dick Herries had a claim upon the young man’s time, and his mind was intent just then upon a matter of the deepest inter- est to himself personally. : Since he had become convinced that his wife had not voluntarily left him, the belief had grown within him that she might be yet The paper wasn't stole, and it wasn’t | he naturally cesired and expected. The young man was somewhat embarrassed by the claim just at that time. Dick Herries was the father of Kate, and for her sake and her father’s he was anxious to do all he could to aid in the discovery and recovery of her mother. But he was strongly inclined to believe that the poor woman had been effectually put out of the way by whoever had been instrumental in her disappearance. There was a mystery in that affair which it might take a long and patient search to unravel, while the business of rescuing Mar- garet Tellson was something that was plain and direct. Besides, the one would probably lose noth- ing by a little delay, while the other demand- ed prompt and energetic action. He endeavored to put the matter before Dick Herries in this shape, as gently but at the same time as forcibly as he could. But the mine-owner clearly showed his dis- appointment at this effort to put him off. ‘IT wish,” said he, ‘‘that I had tackled Andrew Birkett when he washere. I ought to have squeezed the truth out of the scoun- drel then.” ‘‘T am afraid it would have done more harm than good to play the game that way,” rejoined Slevin. ‘‘We must get him in our clutches before we can squeeze him. I have told you, Mr, Herries, that the business L have spoken of, though it is in no way connected with your affairs, may give me such a hold on that man as will enable me to force the truth out of him. Iam now pretty sure that it will if it is attended to at once, and when he is forced to tell the truth I more than suspect that we will know what has become of your wife and Kate’s mo- ther.’” ‘‘How long will it take you to carry it through?” inquired Herries, “Only a little while, I believe. I will start to-morrow morning, if you will agree to that, taking with me a few good men, including Matt Grace and Muggs. Before I leave I will tell you just what the business is that takes me away, and I am sure that you ba say that I am right in what | propose to 0.” ‘Very well, Sam. I must submit to your judgment in this matter; but I shall rely upon you to help me as soon as you can and as far as you can.” “You can rely upon me, sir, to any ex- tent.” That afternoon Silver Sam had an inter- view with Kate Herries. Not that he did not have many interviews with her while he was at Whitewood, but this was a special and a particular one. It concerned, among other things, the highly interesting question of marriage. Tn the course of the interview a point was raised as to the age of the lady who expected to enter into the matrimonial relation. ‘‘It is something of a compliment to me, Sam,” said she, ‘‘when you doubt if I am as old as I say I am, but at the same time you are not at all complimentary when you ques- tion my assertion.” a don’t question it, my dear,” earnestly responded Sam. ‘I only say—” “Yes, you put it in a very nice shape; but you doubted my word, and I am going to prove to you that | am truthful, even in the matter of my own age.” She went to the cupboard and brought out a large and well-worn book, the nature of which Sam easily recognized. ‘‘This,” said Kate, ‘‘ is our family Bible— my mother’s Bible—and you will understand that it is something sacred. You don’t often see anything like it out here, I guess, but we have clung to this wherever we have gone and whatever we have done.” She opened the book, and turned over the leaves until she came to some pages that were partly blank and partly written on. ‘‘Here is our Family Record,” said she. ‘Tt contains the date of the marriage of my father and mother, with the date of my birth and the date of my dead mother’s birth. Look and see for yourself.” Silver Sam looked at the first page, that which was headed ‘* Marriages.”' i " Y re ieee ooo 27 As he read an entry there, he started back with an exclamation that astonished the girl. ‘* What is the matter, Sam?” she earnestly” demanded. ‘‘ Have you gone crazy?” ‘‘Something like it,” he replied. ‘If I haven’t gone crazy, | have just come to my senses.” He put his finger on the page. ‘Was that your mother’s name before was married?” he demanded. * Of course it was,” answered ‘What on earth is the matter?” Sam rushed to the open window, and yell- ed at the top of his voice: “‘Muges! Muggs!” The gentleman from mythical Muggsville: happened to be sunning himself at the corner of the house, and he answered immediately. ‘*‘Muges, [ want you to run up to the mine as fast as you can go, and tell Mr, Herries: that he is wanted here right away. Nothing: to scare him, mind, but important business,’” Muges was off like a flash. ‘‘What is the matter, Sam?” eagerly de- manded Kate. ‘‘ What on earth has struck you to make you act so strangely? What. has father got to do with it?” ‘Wait a little, dear. Wait till your father comes, It is nothing bad, I assure you. It. is a great blessing—the greatest of blessings,, provided we take hold of it at once. Yes, we must jump at it—fly at it—must start at once.” “But what is it? May I not know?” ‘You shail know it all directly. Please wait a little.” ‘‘T am afraid that you have really gone crazy.” ‘* Please wait a little.” This was all she could get out of him until Dick Herries arrived, breathless with the» haste that had brought him to the house, ‘*What’s the matter?” he gasped, Silver Sam ran to him as he came in, and seized and wrun® both his hands, ‘‘Matter?” exclaimed the young man. ‘«The best matter you ever heard or dreamc(. of. Kate is the cause of it.” He dragged Dick Herries to the table, and pointed to the page that was open in the: Bible. ‘Do you see that name written there? Margaret Tellson? The maiden name of your wife? Kate showed it to me. Who could ever have thought that things would work out like this?” ‘‘What is the matter, Slevin?” demanded Dick Herries. ‘‘ What do you mean?” ‘* Father,” whispered Kate, ‘‘1l am afraid that Sam has gone crazy,” **Crazy?” exclaimed Sam. “ Indeed L am crazy—crazy with joy. That isthe name of the woman | have been looking for—the woman I am after, That is the case I spoke to you about—the case that is taking me away from here. You are on that case, the same that I am, but a great deal more so, thank God! Your wife is alive! Do yow hear that, man? Your wife is alive, and L know where she is!” “God in heaven!” exclaimed Dick Herries: as he sunk into a chair. ‘‘ What is this you. are telling me?” “If you are not crazy, Sam,” implored. Kate, ‘‘ I beg you to explain your meaning.” ‘I will, my dear, as soon as I can calm down a bit.” che Kate,. Then he began to tell his story with cool- ness and deliberation. Hints of this he had already given to Dick Herries, who was thus able to guess at- a part of what was coming. But the mine-owner was quite unprepared for the full disclosures of the villainy of An- drew Birkett that were made to him, and. especially for the culmination of that scoun- drel’s scheme in the paper which was signed at Bet Rawson’s cabin, and which was ex- hibited to him by Silver Sam, The signature was clearly that of his wife, and the strong man wept as he perceived how’ feebly the characters had been traced, Muggs was again the hero of the hour, and’ more so than ever. When Slevin told how his faithful and. efficient spy had watched and waited until he gained possession of that important docu~_ ment, Muggs was overwhelmed with praise: and even with caresses, until the knobs on his face seemed about to burst into bloom, and his eyes threatencd to leave his head = comicbooks.com