Beadle's Dime Library No. 395 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

;/— Par. Sai x ah ny » a. Pe a . ee “ . - “> ¥ ~ ue ae ’ Ca F Oa er “o> Je > * _— ~ - te “ | , 1 J ee ss =E 7; * - ‘ = ~ - ° = ae - an ~ a . - a A “ee ~ “<—o * ' a / a —a:.. 7, > i OA ~~ PO IGE GP ele YH ee % 7h 4 ~ tat é ‘<< the. i 5M x + Rs ote st. “~s * i 7 ‘e et. a « we % > — * ~<a ‘ue. Be yee * oe » = 2 . f »- 4<, SG ~ ™ a % ~ <2 « ¥ a oJ a eel a Pet Sk. - & . a YS ul hoy * ~ - a ' n™ te ' ~ ¥ _ -~ + : = o ~ ~~ ae jJads, and let your barkers bite deep if an ordi- nary hint won’t take!” ‘** Help! he’s dying!” gasped the woman, lifting her ghastly white face toward them. Captain Iles leaped to her side, dropping on } his knees and trying to relieve her of her bleeding burden. But his eyes were fastened upon the face of the young woman, and there was an echo of ‘wonder in his voice as he ejaculated: ** You, Miss Wellspring! How unfortunate! How did it happen? hat does it all mean, any- how?” ‘*T do not know—it was so sudden—so hor- rible!” was the broken reply, accompanied by a half-sob, half-laugh that plainly threatened hys- terics. “Rufus Cramp!” exclaimed the captain, look- into the face of the man whom he was support- ing—a face that was masked in blood and horri- blv distorted. ‘**Butchered by an infernal hound!” came a hoarse voice from his elbow, and the startled captain turned his head to recognize the pale, blood-marked face of Kvte Darley. ‘““To save me!” sobbed Portia Wellspring, hysterically. ‘‘And only a moment before I ~was—lI can never forgive myself!” ‘* Portia—behind me!” feebly muttered Rufus Cramp, glaring about him with eyes that seem- ed sight ess, his tones husky and uncertain. “*You demon! Strike me if—ah !” A convulsive shiver ran over his frame, and as his weight so suddenly increased, Captain Iles felt that he was holding a corpse in his arms. And Miss Wellspring also seemed smit- ten with this same fear, for again she bent over the blood-stained face, sobbing bitterly, forgetful how many eyes were fixed upon her, remember- ing only that this man had fallen in her defense against some unknown assassin. n bewilderment Captain les turned to Kyte Darley, spluttering: ex You can talk—you can tell—yov can explain what all this infernal row means. Who did it? What for? Where are they now? Satan vane your tongue, man! will you never spit it out?” ** Man overboard!” repeated the pilot on duty, half-distracted betweén his curiosity and his responsibility. ‘‘Man overboard! want me to telegraph to Orleans to keep an eye open for him? Can't do it, unless you hurry up, for the current’s carried him half-way there now!” ‘Go relieve him, Mason,” hastily uttered the captain, catching at this hope of clearing up the mystery. ‘‘Send him here. Maybe he can throw a little light on this infernally dark sub- ject!” . ‘“He is alive!” gasped Miss Wellspring, sud- denly lifting her face from over that of Rufus Cramp, with a glad sob. ‘‘Sce! his eyes open again! Do not let him perish, I beg of you, nd people! His blood will rest on my soul—it was for me that he suffered! Look to him, I—” “He shall have every attention, my dear child,” soothingly uttered the captain, his own rough voice choking a little as he looked into her ghastly pale face, as he saw those great brown eyes so full of mingled grief, self-blame . and horror. ‘If you could only tell us how it all happened!” : ‘‘Tt is so confused! Like a dream—like a hor- rible nightmare!” shuddered the girl, covering her face with trembling hands for an instant, as though striving to collect her scattered senses. . We were talking together, when a tall man—I could not make out his face, or did not have ‘time—came up and—and rudely insulted me. ‘He said something—I can’t recall his words, but they were nasty!” with a shiver of disgust. ? ‘ I t wasn’t—of course it could not have been him!” muttered Captain Tes, nodding toward Kyte Darley, who was standing near, slowl stanching the blood that trickled down over his forehead. ‘*T do not know—I am sure of nothing—I was so terribly frightened and confused,” murmured the girl-woman, one hand pressing her temple as she gazed up into that darkly handsome face. ‘““T must plead not guilty, captain,” a little sharply interjected the gambler, as he felt dan- gerous looks turning toward him at this uncer- tain response. ‘‘ If necessary, Rufe Cramp can clear me.” , *‘Lucky for you, too!” snapped the captain, now thoroughly aroused and determined to sift the matter to the utmost. ‘‘ My lady passengers are sacred to me as my own daughters, and if I -can lay hands on the dastardly cur who dared insult Miss Wellspring, I'll run him up between the smokestacks as a warning to all of his kid- ney!” ‘ “ That's right! Lynch the scoundrel” echoed a score of voices as the interested spectators be- gan to press nearer. ‘* He’s half-way to Orleans by this time, I tell you!” harshly cried the pilot, breaking a pas- sage through their ranks. ‘ Captain, order out the yawl! or I’ve wasted time and steam in re- -versing the boat!” ‘Overboard? Who? What do you mean?” ‘* Some one—devil bless me if I know just avho I” spluttered the pilot excitedly. ‘ One of this outiit, anyway!’ with a nod toward the three principal figures in the confused little drama, — ‘The rascal who insulted Miss Wellspring,” coldly uttered Kyte Darley. ‘‘I knocked him down, and he fell over the guards. But not be- fore he dropped Cramp, and marked me, as you see for yourselves.” Uncertain though the starlight was, it re- vealed the fresh blood on his face as he lowered the saturated handkerchief. Few words, but they were enough, taken with what had fallen from the blanched lips of the girl-woman, and what their own eyes had seen. A sullen, ugly muttering rose among the pas- sengers that quickly broke into audible words: “Out with the boat! Pick the rascal up, alive! Drowning’s too good for him! Better hemp than water!” ‘* Look to the lady, Hoover!” cried Captain Iles, leaping to his feet and hastening away to direct the manning and lowering of the heavy yaw!l that swung from chains at the stern of the vessel, ‘‘This poor man first,” insisted the girl- woman, shrinking from the kindly clerk, her eyes resting on the blood-masked face of Rufus ramp. ‘‘ lam strong—he is dying, I fear!” ‘Tm all right—it’s nothing!” muttered the wounded man, suddenly sitting up. ‘ You, Portia—and here? I thought—” ‘Don’t try to think, old fellow,” hastily in- terposed Kyte Darley, an uneasy look upon his blood-marked face. ‘It’s all right, you know! You've got a Jittle hurt, but—” ‘““My cheek is all shot away!” mumbled Cramp, lifting one hand to his face in a dazed manner. ‘*Wor me—and I was so cruel!” murmured the girl-woman, impulsively bending forward and tenderly touching her lips to the bullet- searred cheek. ‘ Forgive me, dear friend—say that you will forgive!’ “*Stand back, gentlemen, if you please,” sharply uttered Kyte Darley, as he interposed his graceful figure as a sort of shield. ‘* Give us room, if you have any sense of politeness or decency left. Look to the poor fellow, Hoover, while I care for the lady. Come,” he whis- pered, in his softest, smoothest tones as he stooped and gently, yet firmly, lifted her to her feet. ‘‘Come with me, Miss Wellspring, I beg of you!” here was no actual resistance on her part, though she turned her face over her shoulder toward the wounded man as Kyte led her to the ladder and toward her own room. Although all this consumed time, as a matter of fact but very few minutes elapsed since the first alarm was given. In such situations men think, speak and act rapidly. As Kyte Darley led the girl-woman away; as Hoover and the mate assisted Rufus Cramp to his feet, half carrying, half supporting his foot- steps from the hurricane deck, the excited pas- sengers pressed closer to the stern, some striving to catch a pene of the vile assassin whom they believed was being tossed about in the wake of the steamer, others watching the hasty move- ments of the crew, who were lowering and man- ning the heavy yawl, under direction of the captain, who was already seated in the stern. nder the skillful management of Pilot Ma- son, the Superb was slowly dropping down the river, stern first. Inobedience to his signals, the wheels now turned forward. then backward keeping the vessel straight with the current, and at all times under his complete control. It would be too risky to permit the current to have full sway, yet he did not like to lose too much ground, supposing the man all were desirous of recovering, dead or alive, was either floating or swimming down-stream. Just as the boat was successfully lowered and oars shipped by the lights of the now blazing fire-crates which had been hastily prepared Kyte Darley returned to the upper deck, and leaning far over the railing, called out, in clear, hard tones: ‘‘Bring him back alive, if possible, captain. He owes me a shot!” Not many words, but they were quite enough to set loose the evil passions that such a scene naturally generated. ‘*Save him for the rope!” *Drowning’s too merciful a death!” “Tf we can’t show the broom, we'll spread- eagle an assassin!” ‘**Or shove his carcass into the furnace, to get up steam again!” More savage, more vicious, grew their voices, and something of the same deadly temper rung out in the voice of Captain Iles as he urged his men to bend their backs with vigor. ‘** Drop far enough down to get his head be- tween us and the crates, and he’s our meat!” he cried, bending forward and sweeping the wave- broken surface of the river with his eyes. ‘* Two to one they don’t catch him!” cried one inveterate devotee of chance. **T’ll take you, in hundreds!” sharply cried Kyte Darley, the rvling passicn stronger even than his terrible inward anxiety. And then, while watching the progress of the yawl, many others proposed and accepted bets for or against the success of the search. It was a curious scene, but one that has many parallels in history. Here and there the yawl was rowed, directed Deadly Aim, the Duke of Derringers. comrade, viciously, angered by that sly eee ee eee LD — by Captain Iles, whose trained eyes sought in vain for a glimpse of the assassin, head or body, as he might be consciously swimming or lifeless- ly floating. Back and forth, scanning every foot of the surface as it was gradually lighted up by the blazing fire-crates, but ever in vain. And then, reluctantly, though knowing that he had done all that was possible to do under the circumstances, Captain Les gave the word to re- turn to the steamer, In silence he was obeyed. In silence his re- turn was noted, for all now knew that his quest had been without the fruits they expected and hoped for, In silence Kyte Darley turned to the man with whom he had made that bet, hand- ing him the easily won money. ‘I hate to take it, old fellow,” was the remark. “‘T’d a thousand times rather lost than won. Indeed,” with a short laugh, ‘‘I bet as I did be- cause I’m so infernally unlucky that I thought sure it would bring that scoundrel back toa bempen festival!” ‘* And your ill-fortune still clings to you,” re- torted Darley, with a short, metallic laugh, ‘* Do you know, I never once thought of that!” ejaculated the winner ruefully, as he pocketed his gains, ‘** Have you any idee. who the fellow was, Dar- ley?” ventured another, as the party turned to leave the hurricane deck. a hs cast a swift glance into the face of the speaker, but as quickly drooped his lids again. or a brief space he was silent, then: ‘*T prefer not to speak on a mere suspicion. Doubtless the captain will try to get at the bot- tom facts.” ‘** But how can he? If you can’t swear—” ‘“ The register will tell, when the roll is called, I imagine,” significantly responded the gamb- er. It was a bright idea, yet one that, so simple, after all, had not occurred to one of their num- ber until Kyte Darley gave them the hint. ‘*Good enough! If we can’t have the sport of stringing the dirty whelp up between the smoke- stacks, at least we can take it out in cursing his name and memory!” laughed the other, quicken- gy, Taser footsteps under this impulse, aving sowed the seed, Kyte Darley was quite content to let the others attend to it, at once making his way to the state-room which was oc- cupied jointly by Rufus Cramp and bimeself. Here he found the wounded schemer, and a doc- tor who was skillfully attending to his injury, professional training having conquered the curi- osity which so wholly kept possession of his fel- low passengers, ‘“How goes it, Mordaunt?’ hurriedly asked nat as he entered the narrow quarters. ‘* Nothing really serious, is it?” ‘*Not a bit of it, my dear fellow!” cheerily re- plied the doctor, with a glance over his shoulder. ‘* Nothing more than a scratch.” ‘*‘My whole cheek is blown to the devil!” mumbled Cramp, groaning. Kyte Darley laughed softly, with a faint malice. ‘* Better there than in any other direction, eh, Rufe?” ‘May Satan send for you to keep guard over it until I come to claim my own!” —sente his int. ‘I beg your pardon, old fellow,” soberly re- plied Darley, knowing that now, if ever, they must pull together. ‘It is better to laugh than to moan, and I thought—never mind: let it pass. The captain has returned from his search for the rascal, but without finding him.” ‘“‘Ten thousand curses cover him a million fathoms deep in the lowest, hottest pit of To- phet!” snarled the wounded man, savagely. ‘* Ditto to ditto, whoever he may turn out to be,” laughed Darley, as he possessed himself of one Seo and significantly pressed it in a man- ner that conveyed a warning to the hot-head owner. ‘I think I could give a tolerably close guess at his name, but suspicions are not proof, and “eid aha hold my tongue until the oracle aks. ‘What do you mean by that?’ demanded Rufus, suspiciously, ‘Captain [les will hardly rest easy until he gets at the bottom facts, end unless the fellow has left his ghost behind to answer to his name when the roll is called, I fancy his memory will be painted blacker than the sootiest blackamoor now on board the Superb!” ‘You mean?” hesitated Cramp, an uneasy light in his eyes, ‘“That you will have to attend the muster. That you will feel all the aot raha in the morn- ing if you try to think of nothing more exciting than how quickly you can get tosleep. How’s that, doctor?” ‘‘Most admirable advice, and to insure its being taken as directed—get out with you, rat- tle-tongue!” the physician exclaimed, flingin up his arms and uttering that peculiar soun with which women attempt to terrify agricul- tural hens and trespassing porkers, **T vanish, doctor—or I will in another mo- ment,” laughed Darley, as he again glanced to- ward his comrade, saying hurriedly: “I am going to ask how Miss Wellspring fares, Cramp; shall [ take any message from you?” | ‘** No!” snapped Rufus, suddenly averting his comicbooks: . ay a ee