Beadle's Dime Library No. 395 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

? ; . A < ee ee ———— —~» f 44 view, lying in weit until he saw the two bogus i robbers pass by, with bundles attached to their saddles, which he felt convinced contained their hy Briefly but clearly he told how he managed to ® dog them to their selected ambush without 4 awakening their suspicions; how he watched and 4 waited until the cOach came along to be halted; } how, when their object was placed beyond a ¥ reasonable doubt, he had taken an active hand . in the game, sending both the lesser ruffians out of it with crippled arms, only himself to be foiled F by Rufus Cramp while striving to control the | frightened horses. vi e went on to tell how he had taken the two " wounded wretches captive, and gave a substan- tial account of what followed. They had con- _ fessed the whole truth, and when they were _ captured by the police, as they surely would be, how certain he felt that they would confirm his _ story in every particular. Yh * i would have brought them to town, myself,” he added, earnestly, ‘‘if time had not been so | pressing. My first duty, asa man and a gentie- ‘man, belonged to Miss Weilspring. I felt that somehow that scoundrel would make another ~ attempt to separate her from her guardian, for some vile purpose. I might foil him, or at least | hold him in check; and so I will, if you will give ‘me leave to run to the landing where—” He paused abruptly. A dogged expression __-was settling over the face of the chief, bidding __ poorly for his success. As aman, Martin Tullar sympathized with aim, As an official, he knew but one course to pursue. An arrest had been made on a regularly entered charge. He was _ responsible for the prisoner, and would remain go until the arrest was regularly reported and | that sacred obligation discharged. Then, if all -was favorable, he might— _ __ “Tt will be too late, then!” cried the Duke of __ Derringers, hotly, as though he could read the thoughts of his captor in hisface. ‘It is now i Pittheatl time for the boat to pull out, and if it - onee leaves with that demon in charge of Miss — Wells ring, she will—” te “The old lady is with her, and she’s more than a match for Cramp and a dozen like him,” + coldly uttered the chief. ‘‘ Ill do all that I can for her and for you, but there’s a limit—one ve already overstepped, I’m thinking!” “ff _“ Atleast, go with me to the boat and detain ae p as witness,” urged Barringer earnestly. he chief shook his head, doggedly. TY ecan’t afford to run the chances. You're | too awful earnest, Mr. Barringer. The tempta- _ tion might overmaster ye,and—” ‘Tf Ttake asolemn oath not to attempt an - *Duty is duty, and I’ve no right to ask or re- _ eeive a pledge.” 4 Ste But if the life—the honor—of a lady depends on— She isn’t in my charge, but you are. But PH do all Ican. Tl detain Cramp, as a wit- x ness, after I’ve run you in according to rule.” _ ‘All right, chief,” said the Duke of Derrin- .. coldly, as he rose from the bed. ‘‘ Have your own way. But first—let me say one thing, re inso saying, [ am taking an oath a thou- - gand-fold more sacred than the duty you prate a ' — “Tf aught of harm or trouble comes to Miss _ Wellspring through Rufus Cramp, which I might have prevented but for this arrest, I’ll mg p é ; - hunt you to your deathif I swing forit! Don’t "Le 1e an Martin Tullar!” _ *There’s many another threat older than So ours, Mr. Barringer,” the chief said, grimly, Ak ing and putting on his hat, ‘‘ ’m livin yet, and [ll keep on living long after _ asked pardon for them crooked words. he you eaae, sir, we’ ll—” - He never finished the sentence audibly. ae With a swift, dexterous movement, the Duke _ of Derringers caught up the coverlet and cast it over the mone we x me vata h the page twisting it tightly and pinning arms to his gide ifting tue, thoroughly surprised official elear of the floor and doubling him over the foot of the bed, adding his own weight, exerting his ou’ve ow, if - great strength to the utmost, both to prevent -_ any outery or any discharge of pistol. paieven on equal footing, with but Nature’s arms, Martin Ttllar would hve been over- _ matched by the athlete, but taken at such a frightful disadvantage, he was almost as help- Tessas a child. Bent backward over the foot- board, bis mires muffled planers Ps ap gpa his body rapidly growing paralyzed by the aw- : ened on his back that threatened to dis- locate his spine, with one sinewy arm clasping ' his arms, one strong hand clutching at his throat, with the Duke of Derringers’s legs twined about _ his lower members, keeping him from sounding ~ any alarm with his heavily-shod feet; what ay ‘onder that his subjection was speedily ef- ie ? ; You would have it this way, chief!” grated _ Barringer, his black eyes filled with a red glow _ that was little short of ferocious. “I gave you every chance, but you threw them over your - shoulder. You even gave me back my parole, though that would hardly have held me quiet, knowing as I do the peril that threatens her !” _ Unre ntingly the Duke of Derringers main- ae ~ #*, } pet ad dip er | ’ .* , quent teagan ae _ ———- —— am ' —_ — Deadly Aim, the Duke of Derringers. —_——— et tained his terrible advantage, yet closely watch- ing for the time when it would be safe for him to let up for a moment. This soon came. The dull quiver that ran through the chest of the helpless man told him as much. He could feel the strained muscles quivering, fiuttering, owing weaker until they yielded all at once. nd just in time to keep from breaking the bare of the luckless chief, Barringer lifted his weight though still holding the man’s legs clasped tightly between his, still his fingers ready to close again upon the throat if a cry should well up from his lungs, But nothing of the sort was attempted, and as he swiftly umwouad tke coverlet, laying bare the face of his adversary, Duke felt his heart gize arapid dutter and a cold thrill flash over aes artin Tuilar 'ooked like a corpse, and that of one who had died in horrible poet ‘*So be it, if 15 must!” the gambler muttered tc himseif as ae lifted the body in his arms and placed it in a natural position on the bed. “I cidn’t think to kill the poor devil, but if it came to a choice between that and her safety, I would do it all over again!” Precious as the moments now were, believing as he did that the Superb was to leave for up- river on schedule time, Duke wasted several minutes in striving to restore the consciousness of his victim. And it was with a genuine sigh of relief that he felt the stilled heart slowly resume its workings, that he saw by the twitch- ing of the distorted features, the clinched fin- gers, that life was surely if slowly returning. And satisfied of this, he lost no time in making the fruits of his victory certain. He stripped the chief of his weapons, carefully stowing away those belonging to himself, drop- ping the rest into the water ewer after removing the caps from the revolvers, so that the water would quickly destroy their usefulness for some hours, at least. This done, Duke tore the strong coverlet into strips, with which he bound the chief hand and foot, the folds many, the knots numerous. With other folds he tied the man to the bed in such a manner that he could neither roll himself off nor kick the partition with his feet. Hemade astout ag, and watching his chance when Tullar began gasp, he slipped it between his teeth, holdin it firmly there, despite the feeble struggles o the defeated official, while he bound a heavy towel firmly over the gag and mouth as well, ‘* You wouldn’t take anything less disagree- able, chief,” placidly uttered the Duke of Der- ringers, bending over the now fully conscious risoner. ‘‘I offered you chance after chance, ut you threw them all over your shoulder. Well, I hope you'll have time enough to fully realize | your folly before this room is visi ain! f looks could kill, the Duke of Derringers would have fallen dead before the last word left his lips. Instead, he laughea softly, yet with a certain tinge of gravity even in that. ‘Tf only men like a and myself were engag- ed in the game, chief, 1 wouldn’t have stooped so low as this,” he added, still gazing down into the reddening, rage-inflamed face. ‘‘ After trying plain arguments, as I did, without softening your stubborn ideas of duty, I would have yielded to you as winner, with what grace I might sum- mon, since there must be one winner for every loser. But there was more at stake. You should be acute enough to see that Rufus Cramp plainly means evil to a young lady whose only defender by rights, is far away—perhaps even out of this world! ‘* You wouldn’t help me to protect her, and so I had to do my best without regard to your feel- ings. I’m sorry, but—it had to be so!” As he spoke, the Duke of Derringers turned his captive over so that he lay with his face to the wall, replacing the bonds which he had to loosen a trifle to effectthe change. And then, as though to render it still more impossible for the prisoner to see what transpired in the room, or else, it might be, to effectually shield his form or dress from any one who might choose to investi- ate matters through the open transom over the oor, he covered the chief over head and foot with the sheets, even making a sort of triangular ambush for the head, by laying a blanket over the headboard and bringing one end down to the side of the bed, tucking it firmly beneath the mattress. It would be a lurid page that recorded all the thoughts that raged ieee the seething brain of the chief, as he lay thus hampered at the sweet_ mercy of his one-time captive. How he cursed his folly in temporizing even for a mo- ment with a man like the Duke of Derringers! How he reviled himself for losing sight of his sacred duty even for an instant! If he had acted on his usual rule, and rushed his prisoner at once to the station-house? And how he cursed the man who had so thor- oughly conquered and made him a laughing- stock for the entire force. “Kill me! Cut my throat before you leave, Duke Barringer!” he tried to cry out in his suf- focating rage. ‘‘ Kill me, or I'll play even with you yet! The whole world isn’t half big enough to hold us apart! Truer, surer than a_blood- hound, J'll track you down! And then—” i od > ‘ a - * . 4 + ‘ * oP * SO ah dng thine > His anger and hatred were far too intense for him to readily decide on the precise punishment he would mete out to this audacious rascal! For some moments all had been silent in the room, save for the rapid, heavy thumping of his own heart. Haa the Duke of Derringers already escaped? If he had, and some of his men should— A shuffling, peculiar sound checked his thoughts, and a moment later he heard the Duke of Derringers utter: **T’ll not ask your pardon for this harsh treat- ment, chief, for I know it would be breath thrown away in vain. Still, I don’t want you to judge me too harshly. For myself alone, I would never take such a course with a gentle- man like you—for when you are out of harness, or permit yourself to forget the shop for a bit, you are a gentleman, Martin! I tell you this now, when I’m on the point of running away from you, and if I live long enough to make the round trip, Pll tell you the same thing over again when I get take. ‘Of course you won’t credit me when I say” that [m not running away from that absurd. charge, Martin. You’re far too hot for that, and I’m not blaming you; I’d be boiling over myself if I filled your suit, But, all the same, it’s gospel truth. I’vealready 1 es a charge a vile lie on his part, an absurd mistake on the art of the old lady. I might even prove this by the rascals that devil paid to commit the out- rage if I could spare a couple of hours. If you capture them, as no doubt you will, say that you saw me, and I'll warrant they’ll weaken sufficiently to let you see how wide you are of the mark just now,” All the time the Duke of Derringers was utter- ing these sentences, broken by brief intervals, now and then, the chief could dimly catch cer- tain peculiar sounds which he vainly strove to interpret. He tried to turn over, to twist his head sufficiently to catch a glim of the speaker, butin vain. Barringer had looked too carefully to his fastenings for anything like that. ‘*One word more, Martin,” came that voice, now grave and earnest. ‘I pledge you my word of honor that I will come back at the earliest possible moment to meet this charge, or if that falls to the ground, to offer you whatever satisfaction you care to exact of me for this harsh treatment. I swear Ill do this! And now I’m going. You'll not have so many hours to wait. Ill give up the room when I go down, and a maid will soon come up to see if all is in order. So, once more, good-by !” The door opened, the key turned in the lock as it shut again. Martin Tullar could hear quick footfalls receding, and then— “Take him, lads!” he mentally howled, struggling fiercely, vainly. ; CHAPTER IX. A SICKLY PASSENGER. THE good steamer Superb, Iles, captain, was steadily plowing her way up the coffee-colored Mississippi, ‘ing fair time just at present, but having long lost all chance of breaking the record, even for second-class boats, at the head of which rank she was confessed to stand, even by her detractors. Now, as on so many previous occasions—so many that it, had become something of a by- word among the river men who had leisure to chat over such affairs—the fates appeared to work against her, although, with his customary truthfulness, Captain George Iles had openly declared his intention of “going for that broom” with his pet boat. One thing and an- other had delayed her. The water proved to be lower than it had any right to be, at that season of the year, and one totally unexpected sandbar had, this early, put in aclaim of several hours duration before it could be persuaded with steam and spars to release the symmetrical water nymph from its close embrace. On the whole, as Clerk Hoover had gently in- timated, Rufus Cramp had little cause for com- ache taking one thing with another. Portia Vellspring was aboard, while Aunt Honor Magill was ashore. The police had not put in an appearance, neither had aught been seen or heard of the Duke of Derringers. Rufus Cramp was slowly, irregularly pacing the hurricane deck, his face pele and lined, his blue eyes gleaming with poorly concealed anx- iety. Perhaps it was as well that he was alone on deck, with that tell-tale face: and yet, what was there to suspect? Who was there to sus- pect, least ofall him? | By this time, his position on board was pretty generally comprehended by the majority of the ngers. It was known that he was acting as escort to Miss Wellspring, who was summoned to the bedside of her father, the five-fold mil- lionaire. It was known that no word had been received as to the sick man’s condition since his envoy left him at St. Louis, more than a week ago. ~And all on board knew how weary the beautiful daughter was finding the delayed voyage, although only the small minority bad even caught a glimpse of her pale, sad face, while not more than ene or two of the lady pas- sengers had interchanged speech with her. With the exception of that one brief shock— Yet F | , 4 id a4 |