Beadle's Dime Library No. 392 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

ooo ee =e see * ~- é- oe 4. ,’ 4 e& & - a ' he ap » ‘ JON ~~ ‘We believed that Kate Lossing was still alive, * ~ him in the arrests he intended to make, - « teh * Fi ww A ’ / the same promise. 12 Carlos in Pious Phil’s care, and that the thin al- calde of Trigger Bar had announced his de- termination of bringing the wounded man through if he possibly could. The wound made by Topaz Tom’s bullet was an ugly one, and at first gave the amateur sur- geon and nurse but little hope, but as the hours wore away and Colorado Carlos seemed to be fighting the battle with increasing strength, the whole camp took hope. It was the night after the shot when the moun- } — Ishmaelite said to Pious Phil with a curious ook. ‘** Ive caught you wondering why Topaz Tom shot me. He only obeyed orders,” Colorado Carlos smiled, but the next seccnd his eyes took on a wild gleam, and his hands shut suddenly as if they clutched the hilt of a wie. ‘*Ruby Rob said it was an old feud—that you eee killed Topaz Tom’s brother,” said Pious hil. ‘‘The galoot never had a brother,” was the uick response. ‘‘IJ will tell you. Men call me olorado Carlos and I have almost come to be- lieve that that is my name; they also call me the mountain Ishmaelite because they think I I am every man’s enemy. I have wandered through almost every gold-camp in Colorado, but always for a certain pupose. Men have laughed at the drafts I have drawn on Git-Thar Bank; some have thrown them aside, a few have kept them. The day is coming when every one of them will be honored; they will be worth a premium wherever they are found, whether among the gold hills or on the streets of Frisco. You haven’t got any, Pious Phil?” ‘““Nary a draft.” ‘*Tll draw you up several good ones for this sterling service. The game that Ruby Rob and his pards ar’ playing is this: There is a fortune in Frisco that belongs to a certain heir who is a @ young woman now. She has been lost more than eight years. Her father was a retired major of the United States Army when he left Frisco over land for St. Louis with his daughter Kate and three men who turned out to be the worst devils that ever concocted a plot. That is the last Major Lossing’s friends ever heard of him, and there is the ‘best of evidence that he was murdered by the guides, and that the child was carried off. Iam hunting that girl, known ‘everywhere as the heiress of the Golden Gate. Men have thought that I had nothing in view _ beyond a desire to frequent the mountain camps. Major Lossing was my friend. He wanted to make me executor of the will he left behind, but I would not consent. I told him, though, that if pay thing happened, if danger befell him, I would not fail to show my hand. ‘* There was another man who made the major This person is dead now. I arrived in Satanscrown the morning after he was killed. He was Major Lossing’s brother-in- law, and was called Donald Dashwood; but from an event that happened after Lossing’s murder, he became the Silent Hound of Cali- fornia. He was a keen hunter, and a man who seemed to know exactly where to pick up the lost threads of mystery. It was not long after the major’s death that Dashwood thought he _ had found the three men who had accompanied the travelers from San Francisco. He came to me with the information, and I promised eo a night I waited for Dashwood at an appointed place, but he did not come. The next day he was found in an uninhabited house in the worst quarter of the city, almost dead, and mutilated in the most horrible manner. ‘“‘He found the men he wanted when he was - not prepared to effect their arrest. For weeks and months Dashwood hovered between life and death, and when he at last came out of the shadow, he became the Silent Hound of Cali- a. The villains had deprived him of his tongue!” Pious fi I have heard of this man,” he said. ** After his recovery he went to work again,” contimued Carlos, ‘and so did I. He hunted the Shasta camps and then scoured Idaho. Phil uttered a ery as Colorado Carlos although nobody had brought her forward to claim the enormous estate left by her father. When I came to Satanscrown a few days ago I had not seen Donald Dashwood for many months. I did notknowIwasnearhim. What was my horror when I found his dead body lying on the floor of Cuban Con’s saloon an ob- ject of mystery for the crowd which had just discovered that he was tongueless? There was a mystery about his death which nobody in Satansecrown could solve. He was shot dead by some unknown person shortly after sg, Be and there were evidences that the body ad por searched by the person who had fired the shot. **T do not know whether Ruby Rob and his pards thought then that I knew more about the Silent Hound than I would tell, but the boss of Satanscrown found out that I knew some- thing when I forced him to surrender certain documents which he had taken from under the soles of Dashwood’s boots. For that, and be- c The Lost Bonanza. ne ee ei; _—_—- cause I said by my actions that I knew about Kate Lossing, I was shot on sight by Topaz aetr Now let me show you something, Pious hil. Colorado Carlos put his hand under the pillow of his couch and drew forth a boot, ** Knock the heel off,” he said, to Pious Phil. The lean Alcalde of Trigger Bar obeyed with wonder in his eyes, and a small packet dropped upon the table. ** Before I disclose this I want to ask you if you ever saw anybody who had the deuce of diamonds tattooed into their skin,” asked Carlos, holding the packet before the eager miner. Pious Phil started at the question. ‘* | should say I hev,” he exclaimed. ‘That tattoo was on the breast of Donald Dashwood,” the mountain Ishmaelite went on. ‘The bullet that took his life struck between the spots. It was a favorite tattoo in his father’s family, and he persuaded Major Lossing to have it traced on his daughter’s shoulder when she was several years old,” Pious Phil was agitated; he could not sit still on the stool he occupied; he seemed on the eve of speaking several times, but with an effort forced back his words. Meanwhile, Colorado Carlos was slowly open- ing the package found in the boot-heel which had been hollowed to receive it, and the eyes of the lean sport were eagerly watching him, ‘‘ This is the picture of Kate Lossing as she appeared at the beginning of the fatal trip,” he said, placing a small daguerreotype on the table before Pious Phil. The Trigger Bar sport looked a moment, and then sprung to his feet with a wild exclamation. ‘* That is Mountain Moss!” he cried,staring first at the portrait and then at Colorado Carlos, who was looking at him with a quiet smile. ‘Who is Mountain Moss?” he asked. ‘*Tdaho Ivan’s pard.” ‘* And Idaho Ivan—who is he?” Pious Phil came back to the table before he spoke again, "wae they hadn’t left camp I'd answer by pro- ducin’ ’em,” he said. ‘*They aregone then? Ah! Iknowit. I met them going out asI came in. The person who called himself Idaho Ivan said they were going to Lode Star Mine.” ‘*Tt was Idaho’s trick,” laughed Pious Phil. ** His pard was Mountain Moss,” ‘* He told me that, and I accused the pard of being a girl, but it was in the moonlight and I could not see any resemblance between her and this picture taken years ago.” ‘*'You would hev seen itif it had been day- light,” said Phil, “‘I sent ’em away on my hosses, an’ all because Ruby Rob and pards bad come. When Ivan saw them heseemed to think that they war after Moss.” * Whither have they gone?” “Tvan would not tell me, but the hint he dropped just afore he said good-by. leads me to believe that they will see Tartarus Gulch ” The name almost drove the mountain Ishmae- lite bolt upright. ‘Heavens! not there!” he exclaimed. “I warned them to shun that camp!” Why not?” ‘That camp was one of the three to be search- ed by the Silent Hound for Kate!” cried Colora- do Carlos, **Ruby Rob, Topaz Tom, and Agate Alf came here; Jasper John and Onyx Oll went to Tar- tarus Gulch.” ** Jerusalem !” The exclamation seemed to take the dark color from Pious Phil’s face, ‘*Mountain Moss must not fall into their hands,” continued the Ishmaelite, ‘* The boy is brave.” ‘“‘But not too cunning for the men who are working for a bonanza worth millions,” was the reply. ‘‘He may be a young lion, but Jas- r John and Onyx Oll are tigers in their prime. would give my life almost, if Topaz Tom’s bullet had not found me. How far is it to Tar- tarus Gulch?” “ Fifty miles.” “You know the way?” ‘* Every foot of it.” ‘*Then you know what must be done.” ‘* Pious Phil is the man to do it.” Colorado Carlos threw his hand toward the lean alcalde, and it was instantly grasped. ‘I must rely on you,” he said, eying Pious Phil sharply. ‘‘I am compelled to, you see, be- cause I am here.” “Tl make things hum, I used to be a hum- mer from Hummer’s Hive, an’ I’ve lost none 0’ my vim. Mountain Moss the heiress of the Golden Gate, eh? I always told Idaho Ivan thar war suthin’ in thet girl. We picked ’er up in a curious way.” ‘*T don’t want the story now,” said Colorado Carlos. ‘‘I can wait till you come back to re- port. That girl must not fall into the hands of the two men sent to search Tartarus Gulch for her. Her capture by them means the success of Ruby Rob’s big gold game.” ‘“*T am off!” ; Pious Phil was at the doar of his cabin and outside in a moment. ‘*T believe I can trust that man,” murmured | ? at ’ be ‘aa fe mi ‘e “ FAL me: Fy . s _ ey a » : Colorado Carlos. ‘*By my life, I had to! I have found the Golden Gate heiress. If Pious Phil serves me a trick, or if she falls into the hands of the Satanscrown ruffians, I will show somebody the mountain Ishmaelite’s teeth. I have to lie here and wait. When we come to- gether, Topaz Tom, there will be a settlement that will not have to be made twice.” The sport fell back and lay perfectly still with closed eyes, and while he did this a man saddled a horse, sprung into the saddle, and went out of Trigger Bar like an arrow. CHAPTER XIV. THE CIPHER MESSAGE. Ir there was in Colorado a more astonished man than Ruby Rob, he would be hard to find. He felt confident that he bad despoiled Col- onel Tarantula of a highly important document, but instead of the ‘‘ cipher” which he expected Nugget Nell to read in a little while, there was but one line, which read: ‘** The fools are not all dead yet!”’ Captain Rob sprung toward the camp Cleo- patra, and snatched the paper from her hand. ‘* Did the galoot play me a trick of this kind?” he exclaimed. ‘‘Is this sentence in his own handwriting? Let me see!” He leaned toward the light and looked at the brief document. The woman’s eyes watched him glitteringly. “Hang me if I haven’t been completely kood- winked by that cool blade!” he grated. ‘‘ It cannot be that the Silent Hand wrote tkis and sewed it up in his coat to foo] séme cone.” ‘No, that is Colonel Tarantula’s handwrit- ing,” said Nell. ‘You ought to know,” replied Ruby Rob, whirling suddenly upon ker. ‘ You've seen a good deal of his writing in your time.” ‘*To my sorrow,” was the answer. ‘ There is no bottom to that man’s shrewdness. He evi- dently expected to be robbed, and wrote that message for that purpose. The paper taken from the Silent Hound, if he really took ene, he still keeps.” Ruby Rob tore the paper across and threw the pieces away with a mad oath. “You don’t care, I suppose, if I follow this man and get the true document?” he said, lean-- ing toward Nugget Nell. “*T! Why should I care?” ** Pardon me! I knew you weuldn’t.” he laugh- ed. ‘* He threatened to send you to Frisco, ha, ha! He’ll never do that, my mountain finch. He isn’t two miles from Satanscrown, ard he knows that he cannot retake possessicn of his saloon, Colonel Tarantula is hunting the Gold- en Gate heiress. I would like to kuow how he came to know that there was scmething im- yortant sewed up in the corner of the Silent ound’s coat. One of these days, and before long, I will find out!” ‘Tt is a mystery that puzzles me. RBefore we parted he never said a word about the heiress, although he used to remark that there was a certain big bonanza somewhere if the proper person could strike the trail. At that time I did not think about the Golden Gate heiress.” ‘I did,” said Ruby Rob, with a smile. When the boys come in we'll hear a goed re- port.” ‘*T hope so. colonel?” Before the boss of Satanscrown could reply the door opened and a voice said ** Captain” in tones that took him forward, The person cutside was Gold-dust James, ‘‘T have found a paper in the colonel’s shanty,” said the Satanscrown tough, producing a little packet which he held up before Ruby Rob’s eyes. “It is covered over with strange marks, an’— Jerusalem!” interrupted the camp boss, as he snatched it from the man’s grip. ‘The paper we took from Colonel Tarantula was an in- famous cheat. This is the right one. He lost it in the cabin, Gold-dust.” There was triumph in the eyes that came back to Nugget Nell. and the new find was thrown upon the paper before her. / ‘‘ This is the document I want read,” he said. “Thar is nothing about living fools on it. Ah! see the cipher, Nell! I heard you boast once that the most secret writing could not baffle you. But are you going to follow the long.” a am willing to prove that boast,” said the - woman. ‘I see that this is a secret paper of some kind. Leave m# alone for a while.” ‘Cant you work it out with somebody by?” ‘‘T prefer to be alone,” was the reply. = When shall I come back?” ‘* Say, at the end of two hours.” Ruby Rob bit his lip and looked displeased, but did not offer any audible objection. Two hours! The period, although brief, would seem an age to him; but when he reflected that cipher writing was a puzzle to the shrewdest, he went away without a murmur and left Nug- get Nell to herself. A strange pallor came over the face of tke woman thus left alone. She picked up the paper, looked at it a moment and then went GOMmicGbooks f. ; Yeo Mg, Se, ; : ' ¥ i ; - : + 7 “is Scie 6 Se ~ lige Me Ty. titty =