Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 394 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

Toten h Se - Se ee ey Ths é . Sh. ee \ oy pe Feu® ‘White Beaver, the Exile of the Platte. But the scenes through which she had not down, and she would face the worst rather 3 | her attentions said doggedly, as he dropped his | gone, and I feel that all is over with me,” was bad aroused a spirit in her nature that would | bands to his side: ‘* No gal shall tie me like a dog, ef I die fer than meet death at the hands of her father, so | it.” she answered firml ‘“* Father, to the fast I will defend you and my- | self.” Then turning to the three horsemen she con- tinued distinctly: ‘* Now, inhuman wretches that you are, come on and do your worst!” The prairie ruffians were nonplused at this bold front. . They bad stood in some fear of the man, wounded as they knew him to be; but now they found him helpless and the girl, hardly on the verge of womanhood, boldly daring them to meet | her, and defying them. ** Die, then, as it is your choice, my man!” and _ with the words from the stranger’s lips came the _ erack of his revolver. | Without a groan, the man drop ed back with a ery of horror. action, for he said calmly: | But the words of the stranger recalled her to | ‘* Bind the next one, lady, as I have saved the | trouble of looking after that one.” Janette was amazed at the coolness of the | stranger; and impressed by his manner, while imbued with perfect confidence, she stepped for- | ward to the next one of the three and laid her They could, with a shot end her life; but that | hand upon his lariat. was not their purpose, for they were actin for | As she did so, he seemed almost tempted to re- a master, and to kill her would be to cost them | sist, even taking the chances of a shot from the their lives, they well knew. / man who had proven himself a most dangerous To rush upon her and disarm her would cost | foe to trifle with. the Ifves of one of them at her hands they did not doubt; but as each one feared that he might be the one to fall, the trio had no desire to make the charge upon the desperate girl at bay. Casting a glance down at her father, and see- ing that he was failing fast, Janette seemed to have born in her the courage of a Roman, and she stood her ground, seemingly half-inclined to begin hostilities by firing upon the wretches, ad they dared her much longer, there is little ‘* Have a care, sir!” came in low, threatening | tones from the strange horseman; and it had the | desired effect, for the villain said quickly: doubt but that she would have settled the mat-— ter in one way or the other by commencing the fight; but just then the ears of all were greeted with the sound of hoof-strokes upon the prairie. ‘** Some one comes, father, and ata rapid pace. ing at a ray of hope. ‘My child, the sound indicates but one horse, ** Keerful it is, Doctor, fer I hain’t no durned fool ter try your aim ag’in. I hes heerd o’ it afore, an’ I hes jist seen it, so here I ar’ fer a lee- tle gal ter tie as tight as yer kin do it.” Janette had already seized the lariat, and with a skill and strength one would not have suspect- ed her of possessing, she quickly bound the man, and then stepped to the side of the third, who still sat upon his horse with his hands raised above his head. ‘*Sam, you is in fer it, too, onless yer wishes ' ter cut up Buck’s leetle dido,” said his compan- It may bea friend,” cried Janette eagerly, grasp- | ' and you will not find one man who will dare | face that trio of devils,” slowly said the wounded man, and with evident pain at the utterance of each word. ** Alas, true!” murmured the young girl, while one of the trio of villains said bluntly: ** Don’t let thet comin’ horse an’ rider distarb | | er an’ ther old man, leetle gal, for weleftapard | _ bag us as yer hes done; but we thought yer was ack on ther trail ter look up a bit o’ biziness, an’ he it are.” Janette groaned, for she had hoped that the coming man might take great risks to protect a dying fellow-being and a young girl from such scoundrels as these she faced. ‘‘Tt are our pard, Buster Ben,” said one of the men as the horseman drew nearer, ‘* Yas, I sees his white horse;” remarked an- other, while the third put in with: “Now this leetle diffikilty will be settled quick for Buster Ben hain’t no man ter stand nonsense not even from a purty gal, an’ what he does ther cap’n will set down as all right.” anette made no reply, but knelt beside her fa- ther, still grasping her revolvers for instant use. The coming of the fourth member of the party of villains added no new terrors to her heart, that she had to face still greater evil. It only gave her hope that the agony of sus- ‘pense must soon end one way or the other. ‘Waal, yer makes ap - te thar in ~ si moonlight, protectin’ yer dying y,” remark- of the mn himself, at ed one of the trio, struck, in spite of the really touching and Seer thrilling scene. “Tt will prove dangerous i Ob press me,” ‘was Janette’s calm answer, and just then the coming horseman dashed up. As he reined his horse suddenly up and con- fronted the trio of horsemen, he thrust his hands forward, and each held a revolver, while, in a voice with a strange softness of tone, he said: “Hands up, you brutes, for I cover your hearts !” “Ther Doctor Scout!” broke in a chorus from ‘the lips of the three villains, and in response came in tones, almost gentile in their utterance: ‘Yes, [am White Beaver, the Doctor Scout, and you are a trio of Red Angels of the Over- land, and my game, just now.” CHAPTER IV. THE DOCTOR Scout. “THANK God, we are not forsaken, for see, father, that brave man masters those three wretches.” The words broke from the lips of Janette, and ‘dropping her pistols, she turned her eyes upon the stranger holding at bay the ruffian trio, while her hands grasped those of her father once more, ‘Lady, I will serve you in any way in my power, if you will only now assist me to secure ‘these three men of the road,” said the Doctor Scout, without taking his eyes off the men he ‘covered with his revolvers. _ At his words Janette sprung to her feet, cry- ing: “Gladly, sir, for I feel wicked enough to kill | ‘them. at shall I do, sir?” “Take the lariat from that man’s saddle-horn whether the one bein ‘throw the noose over his shoulders, and pinion ‘his arms to his side, if you will.” The request was made in the same pleasant ‘tones as those in which he had before spoken, ‘and Janette was stepEng quickly forward to ‘obey, when the man who was to be the object of ‘ our pard, ' ' 4 ion. ** Not fer me, pard, fer ’d ruther be a live ga- loot tied up than a dead one tarned loose. Jist ut ther rope around me too, miss, only don’t git it about my neck.” ** You'll die with a rope about your neck yet, my gentle cut-throat,” coolly said the Doctor Scout, as he sprung from his horse, and ap- proaching the man bound him securely to his saddle, and then did likewise with his comrade. ‘** Pard Doctor, we was durned fools ter let yer uster Ben, who stopped ahind us ter look arter a leetle trail we come across,” ** Lordy! did he find you, too?” ** Yes, and if you have respect enough for his ‘* Yes, it was my trail he followed.” | | re and his daughter whom your chief a memory to wish to bury him, you will find him a few miles back on the prairie,” was the quiet remark, ‘** Cusses 0’ Kingdom Come! did yer kill Buster Ben, Doctor?” cried one of the men, “] did, and rendered the country a good ser- vice in doing so. We met; he attacked me, and I shot him, while he brought down my horse; but I recaptured this aniaeal which the villain stole from me some months ago, and which is as fine a piece of horseflesh as there is on these lains.” ‘*Waal, waal! and Buster Ben hev in his ~ !” muttered one, while the other re- marked: ‘*He died game with his boots on, I’m a- knowin’ !” ‘* He died like the coward he was, and you all are, who belong to the Red Angel band, for he whined like a-+schoolboy, and told me that his gang had attacked and murdered a small emi- grant train, and that you three were following a d sent you in ——— of, **Bah! I could hardly wait for the villain to die, so anxious was I to follow you and thwart your little game.” ** And, thank God, sir, that you have thwarted them, for most sadly do we need your aid. ** But these men called moe the Doctor Scout, I remember—are you a physician, sir?’ and Ja- nette grasped his hand, earnestly. “My name is Frank Powell; lama surgeon in the United States Army, miss, and am stationed at the fort some thirty miles from here.” f ‘Oh, sir! for the love of Heaven! see if you can save my father’s life, for those men shot him, and, wounded and faint, he fell here, [ fear to die.” **T didn’t shoot him.” ‘“‘No, it were Buster Ben,” whined the two villains. “*Silence!” sternly cried the Doctor, as he rode toward the wounded man, and dropping on his knees bent over him, while Janette, in eager hope, threw herself by his side and said ina low, quivering voice: ‘Tell me that my father will live, sir!” CHAPTER V. THE DEATH IN THE MOONLIGHT. BRFATHLESSLY did Janette gaze upon the face of the Doctor Scout, as he bent over her fa- | ther, for she knew that his words must tell her in the world whom she had to love, would live, or die there on that one prairie, : ‘*'You are wholly conscious, sir, I hope,” said | the surgeon, in a voice soft and gentle as though | he were ad ing a child. ‘* Yes, sir, I am conscious, but my strength is from his | saddle, a bullet in his brain, while Janette start- | the unhappy the low response, ** Never say die, sir, as long as life lasts, but let me see just how you are wounded, and if it is as bad as you think,” said the Doctor Scout cheerily. Then he took from his saddle-pocket a small case of surgical instruments, and, in a rapid, skillful way went about his work. The wounded man did not flinch under the probe, and the surgeon asked: ** When did you receive this wound?” ‘* This afternoon—tell him, my child,” said the man with an effort. ‘* We were coming West, sir, to settle, my fa- ther and I, and intended to start a stock ranch with what little money we have. We joined a train of other emigrants, and at dawn this morning we were attacked by the band of rob- bers to which those men belong. ‘*My father and I, seeing that all was lost, made our escape; but we got bewildered on the prairie, rode back upon our trail, and ran upon tour of our foes. We were fired upon, and my father was wounded: but our horses were fine animals, and we distanced our pursuers, until we could go no further, and but for you those men would have had us in their power, for they have no more mercy than wolves.” ‘* You have indeed, suffered: but, feeling that it would be wrong to hide from you the truth, I must tell you, sir, that your wound is fatal,” Poor Janette gave a groan of anguish, but the dying emigrant said firmly: ‘*T have felt it all along; but I clung to life to protect my poor child. Oh, sir!” and he broke forth in a tone that was piteous in its pathos, “what will become of my poor little girl? ‘* Be calm, sir, and tell me all that you would have done; for your daughter, though her fa- ther dies upon a Nebraska prairie, shall not be left friendless.” ‘‘Oh, thank you for those kind words, sir!” and the emigrant grasped the hand of the sur- geon, while he continued in a broken voice: ‘‘I.am from the East, sir. Once I was wealthy, but I ruined myself to save one other, and a stain rests upon my good name; but, as Heaven is my judge, [ am not guilty. ‘*T came here with my little Janette, to hide myself from those who knew me, and here I die, and my child is here alone in the world.” * No, not alone,” said the Doctor Scout, s L. am happy to hear you say so, sir; but Ido not leave her utterly penniless, for in my belt are several thousand dollars which are for her and to you, my noble friend, I leave Janette and her little fortune.” ‘‘T accept the trust, sir, and may Heaven bring curses upon me if I fail in my duty! ‘*Come, Janette, you shall be my sister now,” and Doctor Powell held out his hand and a that of the maiden, who was weeping bit- terly. Then the dying man drew the hands of the surgeon and Janette together, and said in a solemn voice: , ‘* May Heaven bless you both, and some day, if no barrier rests between you, may you be- come all in all to each other!’ ‘‘ Father!” cried Janette, dropping her head down upon his breast. Thus she lay for a few moments, sobbing as __ now,” said though her heart would break. “Come, Janette, we must go Frank Powell after a few moments of silence, broken only by the sobs of the poor girl. ‘*Go! and leave poor father?” she said almost *rENC J h has ‘* No, Janette; his spirit one; his body we will take with us.” shape ‘ ‘** Dead! dead! dead!” and with this oF oy girl fell in a swoon across the body of her father, and the moonlight rested softly upon the scene of woe. CHAPTER VI. THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE. So deep was the swoon into which Janette had fallen, when the words of Doctor Powell told her that her father was dead, that she seemed almost as if stricken with death too, as she lay there in the moonlight. But, fortunately, the one who had promised to be her friend—yes, as a brother to her—was skilled in the science of medicine and knew just how to bring her out of her deathhke faint and after some time she opened her eyes and asked ers ‘* Where am I? Who are you, sir?” ‘““Have you forgotten that I am to be your brother, and you are now under my care?” She shuddered and covered her face with her hands, while, after an instant, she answered: ‘Yes, | remember all now. Poor papa is dead, and Janette is alone.” ~ She spoke so plaintively that the Doctor would not trust himself to speak for an instant. Then he said: “You are not alone, my child, and you will find that you can trust me in all thin Come, rally from your grief, for we must bestir our- selves, as this is a dangerous locality.” **T almost wish that I could die and be buried comircbooks (E() — . ad Lp oe ‘ . . ou