Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 389 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

ee a ager es ~ . os, Double-edge, | Colonel oughs to do, and hastened to take the only chance for their lives that was left them, They sunk down behind the bodies of two horses and such other cover as they could find, and prepared to open fire upon the villains who had led them inte the trap. The difficulty was that their adversaries were unseen and they could only fire at spots on each side of the pass from which the deadly volley had been delivered, For awhile there was no response to this ran- dom firing, and they began to believe that the marauders had decamped, In this they were greatly mistaken, as the few men who drove off the sheep had been joined at the pass by others who were awaiting them there, and the combined force had no reason to fear the ranchmen, They were, in fact, merely waiting to “‘ get a good ready on,” in order to exterminate the hated ‘‘ squatters,” Silently and stealthily they had moved back to ‘secure their horses, which had been left further up the pass ; Then they mounted, and came down in a body to charge their foes and make an end of them. Jeptha Jones, who was lying behind a dead horse with Chinquapin, perceived their advance, cand knew that it meant extermination. He was more than sure of this when he saw at the head of the gang the tall and dark man, mounted on a heavy black horse, whom he knew so well as Devil Dick and Jim Sartine. ‘* Lie low, my boy,” he whispered to Chinqua- in, ‘and don’t stir until they fire. Then pour it into that scoundrel who murdered your sis- ter. Let us kill him, and I will be ready to die.” Yes, they were going to fire. They halted an instant at the mouth of the pass, raised their rifles, and delivered a well- directed volley at the crouching ranchmen. Bullets plumped into the carcass behind which Jep Jones and his companion lay, and whistled over their heads; but they were not hurt, and were too busy just then to notice whether any of their friends had been hit. As the mounted men came on, Jep fired with a careful aim at the tall man on the dark horse: but there was nothing to show for the effect of the shot. Chinquapin’s rifle cracked, and Devil Dick’s left arm dropped; but he grabbed the bridle-rein with his right, and came on, looking darker than ever, The circus man well knew that the advance meant death to him, as the desperado headed directly for his position, and he determined to sell his life as dearly as he could. Providence intervened in behalf of himself and his friends, and the signal of the interven- tion was a bugle note. It was evidently a cavalry bugle that was blown, and Jep Jones had never heard sweeter music from a high-priced soloist or a full band. The scene changed suddenly as a squad of cavalrymen came galloping over the foot of the hills, headed by Licut. Cripps. This settled the question for Devil Dick and his cowboy allies. They were outnumbered then, and it was no part of their scheme, in any event, to come in collision with the United States. Consequently they turned quickly, and made good time as they got back into the pass. Lieut. Cripps rode up to his friends, and a few words from Jep Jones put him in possession of the main facts of the dastardly outrage. He at once sent off a portion of his men, guided by Chinquapin, to pursue the marauders and bring back the sheep. George Throop, as soon as he was free to move from his shelter, had hastened to the assistance. of Walter Brandis, and the circus man also lost no time in reaching his friend. The young engineer was badly wounded, and had lost so much blood that he was speechless when the got to him, Lieut. Cripps, who justly considered himself no slouch of a surgeon, stopped the further flow of blood, and did for the wounded man all that could be done then and there, He rendered a similar service to one of the circus hands who was less severely wounded. The other who had been hit was past all help, having fallen dead from his horse when the bullet struck him, It appeared that the shots fired by the maraud- ers on emerging from the pass ‘had done no damage; but_the answering fire had not been without its effect. — ; One of Devil Dick’s cowboy followers had been shot dead when they began their charge, and George Throop_ was sure that he had fired the shot that knocked him over. When the loose horses were secured it was found that there were enough for the returning party, and the body of the slaincircus band was placed upon one of them. A litter of poles and blankets was prepared for Walter Brandis while his friends awaited the return of the men who had been sent in search of the sheep. They not to wait very long. The lost herd were found huddled together in a hollow up in the bills, and the men who found * — i a rr ESsSsSSSSSSFSFSFSSFSseF nen renin Se 0st Tl ee them had been instructed not to pursue the raigers beyond the point of that discovery. 1eep were driven forward, and the sad and disconsolate party set out to return to the ranch in the Gonzalez valley with one dead man and one who was severely wounded. As their progress was necessarily slow, it was evident that they would not reach the ranch un- til an hour or so after night had set in. Jeptha Jones, fearing that Etta Throop would be worried by their long absence, and wishing to break to her the news of the disastrous issue of the expedition, rode on in advance of the party with one of his men, When he arrived at the ranch a terrible sur- prise awaited him, the full nature and extent of which came to him gradually. Etta Throop was not there to meet him. She was not to be found in the house, and was not visible anywhere, and there was not the slightest sign or trace of her. After looking everywhere carefully, to make sure that he nad not missed her, and that she had not left a message or any sign to indicate the cause of her absence, his suspicion con- cerning her disappearance became a most mourn- ful certainty. He mounted his horse, and sadly turned back to meet his slow moving friends, He had left them to be the bearer of bad news; but he had yet worse news to break to them. The plot of Devil Dick and his allies, as it then appeared to the circus man, had two ends, One end was doubtless the destruction of himself and his comrades. The other end—but he could not bear to think of what that might have been. CHAPTER XXXIV. THE OTHER END, Ir must be confessed that George Throop and his companions acted hastily, if not reck- lessly, in going in oniaiese of the raiders who had driven off the sheep, and leaving his sister alone at the ranch, Yet they were quite excusable under the circumstances, and she did not complain, but, on the contrary, urged them to go. The people of the ranch had not been sub- jected to the least annoyance since the burning of the house, and it was to be supposed that their .nemies, if they still ha] enemies, were all concerned in the raid which her friends had gone to furnish. Besides, she had in the house a rifle and re- volver which she was both able and willing to use. In short, she considered herself able to take care of herself, and had no fear of being mo- lested. So she locked the doors and went about her usual avocations, with nothing on her mind but the hope that her friends would have good luck and none of them would get hurt. They had been gone nearly an hour when an alarm came, or what at first struck her as an alarm, It was, however, only a friendly hail, in a cheery and pleasant voice, which even a very timid person could not have construed as any- thing alarming. She was cautious enough tc cast a glance out of the window before responding, and what she saw there would have been sufficient to dissipate her fears if she had any. In front of the house was a man who had halted there, but had not yet dismounted from his horse, Hoe was a young man of good appearance, who surely could not be suspected of being a rough, or even a cowboy, or dangerous character of apy kind, as he was neatly dressed, with some pretensions to style, and had the Jook of a stranger from *‘ the States,” The belief that was suggested by his general “vet up” was strengthened by the fact that he cid not carry a rifle as was the custom of those who were better acquainted with that region. ‘‘ Hello!” he hailed again in his cheery and pleasant tones, and just then Ella Throop, ae with her reconnoissance, opened the aoor. ‘* Beg pardon, miss,” said the stranger: ‘ but in Tennessee we always holler when we come to a strange place, to let the folks know we're abcut, and to get them to keep the dogs off of us.” ‘“Are you from Tennessee?” inquired the young lady, immediately interested by this state- men*. ** Yes’m, and I’m looking for an old friend of mine named George Throop, I was told that he lived somewhere about here.” “* This is George Throop’s house,” said Etta. ‘Glad to hear that. Wonder, now, if you’re sister,” **'Yes, I am his sister.” ‘“‘Pve beard of you often enough, but never Saw you up in Tennessee. Reckon you've heard George speak of me often, I am Jack Hanson, and we were great chums when we were Class- mates at the institute,” 25 **T don’t remember the name,” answered Etta! “but [am very glad to see one of fry brother's friends,” As she stood in the doorway she was consid- ering the propriety of inviting the young man to alight and come in, and her hesitation must have | seemed to him rather inhospitable. ‘‘{ suppose George is not at home,” he sug- gested. “Tam sorry to say that he is not, Mr. Hanson. He went away with the rest about an hour ago to hunt some sheep that had been turned loose or driven away. I suppose you could overtake him if you are in a hurry to see him, as the trail of the peep must be a plain one.” Well, I hardly think it would do to try that, as I would be sure to get lost in this country. am pretty well tired out, and so is my horse, as I lost my way several times as I came out here from Gonzalez, I am sorry that he is not about, as he was the only chance I had to get a sight of im, The hint was a plain one, and Etta Throo was ashamed of herself for her lack of hospitals ity. The stranger was from Tennessee, wasa friend of her brother’s, and was a young man of re- spectable appearance and manners, Why should she not invite him in? There could be no danger in that. ‘** Won't you light down and rest awhile, Mr. Hanson?” she asked a little timidly. ‘Perhaps George may come home soon,” It did not occur to her that the young man, who was entirely unacquainted with the coun must have left Gonzalez in the night, to get the ranch at that hour in the morning. He accepted the invitation with alacrity, slid off his horse, hitched him, and came forward smiling. It was not an illustration of the Spider and the Fly, but a revised version of the fate of Little Red Ridinghood and the Wolf. The stranger, who was no other than Devil Dick’s pcheras, Ben Hillman, was well aware of the fact that all the men were away, as he had watched the house from a concealed position un- at the time came for him to play his part in the plot. ; If Little Red Ridinghood had known that fact, she would have shut her door and aimed her rifle at the Wolf; but unfortunately she could not even suspect it, She invited the young man in, gave him a seat, and set before him the liquid refreshments that were usually considered the first part of hospitality in that region, ‘* We had an early breakfast, Mr. Hanson,” said she; “but I can soon make you a cup of coffee if you will have it.” ‘** No, thank you, Miss Throop I am not hun- gry. The fact is, ’'ve had my breakfast.” ‘Had your breakfast? hy, when did you leave Gonzalez?” ‘Quite a while ago. Yesterday afternoon. Got lost, you see, and had a bed and a breakfast at a ranch down the valley.” ’ And yet he had said that he and his horse were so tired. : Etta Throop remembered that remark, and she cast a suspicious glance at the nice young man. She also moved toward the corner of the room in which her rifle stood, as she felt safer over there, Ben Hillman was quick to recognize the fact that his explanation was not entirely satisfac- tory, but was not disposed to make matters worse by trying to amend it. , “If you will excuse me a moment, Miss | Throop,” he said, ** I will step out and give my _ horse a chance to feed, The young lady made no objection, but was glad to see him leave the house, She was al- most tempted, indeed, to close and lock the door behind him, He did not go at once to his horse, but stopped just outside the door, looking north- ward as if something interesting had caught his eyes, ; , ‘* Here’s somebody coming, Miss Throop!” he | exclaimed, “Can it be your brother George? It lonks like him,” | Etta was overjoyed by this announcement. Nothing could please her better just then than the arrival of her brother, and the stranger was looking in the direction from which George might come, and there could be no reason why he should seek to deceive her on that — point. Her hope ran away with her reason, and she hurried outside, She Jooked in the direction in which he seemed to be looking, and it was the direction that had been taken by her brother and his friends, ' ‘Where is he?’ she inquired. “I see no- body.” , ‘**Can’t you see him?” he demanded, “Just | ’ at the foot of the hills yonder. Don’t you see a Ba. man riding this way?” **T see nothing o a sudden suspicion seized her, : Something more than a suspicion seized her at — the same time. the kind,” she answered as ‘3 of and pointing northward as he spoke, grab 2 7 ‘. . — "Z. Ben Hillman, who was standing behind ps ‘3 4 7 ,OO ANCE ES Ln t Sank Mh ahd G @) ef —: f os &