Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 389 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

os owe os -—~ ~ not shrink from it on that account. me eget ly A ire eg 7 —— oy we eee . 26 her by the arms, and in a twinkling tied them behind her back with a handkerchief. She screamed and protested in vain as he ushed her to where his horse was standing, eld her as he mounted, lifted her when he had mounted, and rode away toward the other side of the valley. The poor girl was so frightened and agitated by this rough treatment that for a while she was unable to speak. When she gained control of her nerves and her voice she perceived that it was useless to struggle or cry out. She only knew that she was being helplessly borne away from her home, and that she was in the power of a villain whose intentions must be of the very worst. “* What do you mean?” she at last ventured to demand. ‘‘Who are you, and where are you taking me to?’ ‘‘ All in good time, my lady,” he replied. “There is no hurry for you to know that. Don’t fret any more than you can help. It won’t do you a bit of good.” ‘This is a cruel and cowardly plot,” she pro- ‘* Well, you may be right about that; but we | have to do cruel and cowardly things some- times to get wiat we want in the world. You are in for it, though, and you may as well take it easy.” She was silent after that, devoting her thoughts to an effort to understand her position and to | consider all possible and impossible means of escape. It was not until they had crossed the valley and were approaching the hiils on the other side that he gave his explanation of the abduction, and then she could not complain that it failed to be clear and sufficient, ‘You may as well understand this thing,” he said. ‘‘[ don’t have to teil you; but I am a plain and straightforward cuss, and we will get along better, m recken, if you know just what this little game means. You asked me whol was. My name is Ben Hillman, and I am the poe of Dick March, who is known here as evil Dick. I am the man who got out of the Gonzalez jail a while ago, and [reckon you have heard of me.” She had heard of him, and this information did not reassure her a bit. ** You said it was a cruel and cowardly plot,” continued her captor, ‘‘and it does seem to be something in that line. The fact is that your friends have been persecuting Dick March, They have given hima hard time, and have tried to get his neck stretched. Me, too, fer that matter. So he determined to get even with them, or a little more so. The plot, as you call it, has two ends. Devil Dick and his pards have pulled your friends off after a lot of sheep, and will be likely to worry them some before they get through with them. That left you alone at e ranch, and gave me a chance to work the other end of the racket. Well, I worked it to suis myself, and here you are, and now you know where you stand. CHAPTER XXXV. THE CAPTOR CAPTURED. Prra THROooP listened to the desperado’s ex- planation with no visible sign of emotion, she was still greatly troubled and agi- ce A epreleey of the worst kind is preferable to suspense, and from his declarations s'¢ was at least able to decide, as he said, where she stood, or was seated at that moment. ; But there must be something beyond her pre- sent position, and she was anxious to know more. She was then quite cool and composed, and meade her inquiry pleasantly and almost care- $4 ad here I am,” she said; ‘‘ but what is to eome? Where are you taking me to, and what do you expect to do with me?” “Up into the hills,” answered Hillman. ‘‘ My er will meet me there when he has attended his part of the contract, and Iam taking you tohim. ‘You needn’t worry about that, as you ean’t help yourself.” - Jt was possible that she might help herself if she could get her hands loose, as she had a re- volver of which her captor knew nothing; but it was impossible to use it. She saw that she had a part to play, and it was a difficult and dangerous part; ut she did It was the only scheme she could think of that effered her a chance of escape, and any chance must be seized with a death erip. Her brother and friends would never had sup- posed that Etta Throop was such a wild and reckless person as the girl who proceeded to _dis- close herself to the wild and reckless Ben Hill- She was a pioneer ‘‘ girl of the period” with a bar. Tg ‘Well, it’s all in a lifetime,” she said lightly. “If my brother comes out safe, I don’t care whether school keeps or not,” 2 ‘¢ Don’t you care for the rest, then?’ inquired _ her captor. Senne ene e eee ne nn = Colonel Double-edge. ‘‘Not a continental. They are too slow and whisky and her former words a good chance to steady-going a set to suit me, and I am tired to death of being housed up on- that wretched ! work upon him, ry 2 | They were working, and were continually ranch. What’s the use of living if a girl can’t! bringing up the thought that he might take her have her fling and see a little fun?” ‘*‘ Your head is level,” observed the young des- perado, chuckling to himself as he thought of the prize he had captured. “You may just bet your sweet life it is, and that’s why I say that I didn’t care whether school keeps or not, if my brother comes out safe. A short life and a merry one is my motto; but on that measly ranch there was no chance for a girl but to dry a and blow away.” ‘* You are better off now,” suggested Ben, ‘*T don’t know about that. I have seen your partner—the man they call Devil Dick—and I don’t like his looks for a cent. I am afraid of him, and don’t a bit relish the idea of going to meet him or having anything to do with him, The poky old ranch might be better than that. If it was you, now—” Her words and tone suggested to Ben Hillman a possibility of which he had been oblivious, ere was a jolly girl, with nothing starchy or stuck up about her—a girl who was tired of be- ing cooped and confined, and who was glad of a chance at a free and adventurous life—not at all the sort of a girl he had expected to be bothered with when he was sent on his nefarious errand. He was not going to be pestered by anv tears or reproaches or agony of any sort, and the ab- duction began to take on the appearance of nothing worse than an unusual form of elope- ment. He might not have chuckled if he had known that in reality she was inwardly consumed not only by anxiety for the fate of her friends, but by a desire to be the death of the rascal to whom she had spoken so pleasantly. ‘Tf it had been me—” he whispered, eagerly eatching hold of the thought she had half ex- pressed. ‘Ah! if it had been a young and sprightly fellow like you, perhaps I might not grumble. Do you know, young chap, that this is an un- easy seat I have here? Suppose we ‘light down and take a rest.” They were then in the hills, many miles from the Gonzalez valley, and her proposition seemed to be a safe one, and Ben Hillman saw no reason why he should not accede to it. ** All right,” he answered, and he halted the horse in a pleasant and shady spot. He al ghted, and lifted her down from the horse, but did not loose her arms, though she hinted by her actions that she would be glad to have him do so, He seated himself on the ground, invited her to take some whisky out of his flask, and helped wer liberally when she declined his hospi- tality. She was willing that he should muddle him- self, but meant to keep her own head clear. **And so you think,” he observed, ‘‘ that if you must be gobbled up by anybody, you’d rather it would be me than my partner.” ‘* Well, I should smile,” she slangily replied. H: sampled the contents of his flask again, and the whisky mounted to his head and gave him a clearer view of the possibilities of the situation. Why should he not take this handsome and willing girl to himself, leave his partner in the lurch, and depart with her to “ fresh fields and pastures new?” There seemed to be nothing in the way of such a schems except the lack of money or prop- erty that could be turned into money, all the funds of the p»r‘mership being uncer the control of Devil Dick. She must have read his thoughts as he sat there, as she responded to them readily. ‘*1t is a pity,” she said, ‘‘ that I had notknown you better, and that you had not told me what you meant to do before we started.” “Why so?” he inquired. ‘* Because I have a few hundred dollars there at the house, and we might have brought it along. Can’t we go back and get it?” This was a great temptation to the desperado: but she had hardly spoken when she perceived that she bad gone a bit too far and aroused his suspicions, ‘‘ Ain’t you playing it a little too fine?” he remarked, ‘‘ Do you want to get me back there so that your friends can catch me if they should menper along?” ‘* What do you take me for?’ she peevishly replied. ‘I had not thought of that. I was only thinking how handy tne money would be. Well, it don’t matter, I suppose; but there are chances that don’t come along every day.” ‘“We won’t go back to the ranch, anyhow,” said Hillman. ‘‘ We will get right on that horse and ride along.” He mounted his horse and lifted her up before him, and they went on further up into the hills, Silently they rode then, or nearly so, the former conversation not being renewed except by brief hints that Etta Throop occasionally threw out. These hints gave him to understand that she was displeased at his suspicions and his conduct generally. She doubtless thought that she would give the ~*~ away and keep her for himself. It would be a shameful deed to desert his part- ner, the man who kad twice saved his life; but,. as the girl had said, there were chances that did not come along every day. It was he who proposed, when they had got a considerable distance into the hills, that they should stop to rest and eat a bite. He had no tempting viands to offer his com- panion; but a little ara bread and whisky might be acceptable to people who had traveled far and eaten nothing. When they alighted she did not make any direct allusion to her state of bondage, but inti- mated a desire to taste the contents of the whisky-flask. ‘* All right,” responded Hillman, as he handed it to her. : ** But how can I drink it,” she wanted to know, ‘* when my hands are tied?” ““That’s so. I reckon Id better untio them. It don’t seem as if I ought to be afraid of such a girl as you. You wouldu’t hurt me, would you?” ‘* I couldn’t if I wanted to,” she answercd, Yet it was possible that she might. She saw a revolver in his belt, and there was at least a chance to snatci it. Besides, she had a smaller weapon of her own, with which she might shoot him if an opportu- nity should offer, and it was one of the cases im which killing would be no murder. As there was no immediate chance for deci- sive action of any kind, she raised the flask to her mouth and appeared to drink, though not a drop of the liquor passed her lips. “That's right,” said the young desperado. “Tm glad to see you drink hearty. It'll do you good, and it proves that you're the right sort,’ He seated himself on a rock, and proceeded to help himself freely to the whisky. She cou!d have shot bim then; but there might be a better chance. “I can’t help thinking,” she said, in a tone of real regret, ‘‘ that it would have been a good scheme to go back to the ranch and get my money.” “Oh, we can get along well enough without: it,” answered her companion. She bad first used the word ** we,” and it had got into his head with the whisky, and it seemed to him to be quite the easy and proper thing to throw his partner over and clear out with the fair captive. ‘““What cen we do with one horse?” she de- manded. ‘‘And where is the money to come from?” ‘*There’s more ways than one to get hold of a horse, and more ways than one to get hold of money, too. If luck should be too hard, J could sell this gun of mine for quitea pile. It’s as fine a shooter as I ever set eyes on.’ . A, rt me see it,” said Etta, as she held out her and. Her tone and action were so natural that they made her request seem a mere matter of course, and Ben Hillman handed her the pistol at once. No sooner had he done so than he repented the incautious act. She stepped back quickly, cocking the pistol as she did so, and the baffled desperado faced his own leveled revolver. CHAPTER XXXVI. THEY DREW THE LINE, Ben Hiritman beheld with amayvement the ‘sudden transformaticn in the young woman who stood before him. She was no longer the careless and slangy girl who had lately cajoled him—the willing captive who had been giad to escape from a " measly ranch,” and whose only regret had been that he was taking her to his partner. She was then the Etta Throop who had rush- ed out to seize her brother’s rifle and take a man’s part in the fight against Jack Koopman’s raiders. As she backed away from him toward the horse, there could be no doubt of her purycse. With his amazement was mingled anger at lis folly and shortsightedness, and to this was added a fg oe desire to retrieve his position. ‘* What do you mean?’ he demanded, as he started up from his seat on the rock. ‘“‘ Business!” was her stern reply. ‘ You had better stay where you are.” But he was not going to stay where he was. Whisky and the knowledge of what he was los- ing made him reckless. Besides his antagonist was nothing but a gir], —. why should he not frighten and overpower er Etta Throop, with that revolver in her hand, was not to be scared by an unarmed man. ‘‘ Halt there!” she commanded, as he started to follow her. “I don’t want to hurt you; but I will shoot you down if you stir another step.” She meant it—there could be no question of that—but he thought be saw a chance to defeat her purpose, - Gomilecboo! (¢ S ; it i ri