Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 41 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

Gold Dan. 23 ‘¢ He is not here.” ‘* But he has been here!” ‘¢ Perhaps.” ‘‘ And where is he now?” The Danite shook his head. : ‘‘Tf he was one of my gang, as you evidently believe, do ‘you suppose, for a single instant, that I would give you any infor- mation in regard to him? Isay to you that he is not here— there is no one here beside myself and two lifeless bodies. If you doubt me, search the house; you are welcome to do so, as farasIlam concerned. For the present, I do not wish to quarrel with you—I do not wish to quarrel with any mortal soul until I have hunted down the slayer of this poor child, and given him to as cruel a death as the mind of man can invent, and then, after that is accomplished, ’m your meat, or anybody else’s.” The plainsman was a little puzzled by the speech; yet it bore truth on the face of it. It was of no use, then, to waste time here, and of little avail to push onward, dismounted as he was, and so he determined to return to Corinne for the present, and there deliberate over a course of action. ‘All right! I seek no quarrel except with this fellow who has twice attempted to murder me unawares. The next time we meet, perhaps the chances will be more even, and then if he es- capes me I won’t complain,” and with this speech, Gold Dan turned and strode away, leaving the Danite chief alone with the dead. Motionless as a statue Clark stood until the sound of the plainsman’s step died away in the distance. The Danite seemed like a man stunned by a heavy blow. In truth, it was a terrible shock. For years Clark had led the life of an outcast and a wanderer. Few of womankind had ever attracted his eyes, and they, such as they were, were but toys to amuse a passing hour. But this girl—this child, so young, so innocent, so different from the bold, coarse women, the painted ‘‘angels” of the frontier towns, that she seemed like a creature cast in a different mold, had entwined herself around his heart, and now that she was torn suddenly from him, it seemed as if a great piece of his life was gone. He walked slowly over to her side, and gazed wistfully at the pretty face now cold in death. ‘“‘Tf she had only lived, I might have become a different man,” he muttered. ‘John Clark, the Danite leader—Long John Clark, the Duke of Corinne, would never more have struck ter- ror into the souls of the Gentiles; a simple ranchman, I might have forgotten the old life, and amid my stock have led a new existence. But it was fated not to be. It is my doom, then, that I must still remain the Mormon sword—the destroying angel, the leader of the white savages, until some well-aimed bullet cuts short my thread of life and sends me to join my victims in the other world.” And then, as he stood and gazed with longing eyes upon the girlish face now stiffening in death, thoughts of the man who fired the fatal shot filled his mind; his dark face grew darker still, and a terrible oath came from his lips. ‘‘T’}l hunt him down, though all Corinne oppose me!” he cried, fiercely. ‘‘But am I sure of my game? I heard the name dis- tinctly from the girl’s lips; I think she saw him fire at me, and periled her own life to save mine. He is the secret assassin, then, who has been laying the Mormons low. It is more than possible; he, too, is the miner who has been working the lodes near Bear river, and whom we have driven off. . It is plain, now, how he has managed to live all this time, but who would have believed that there was any harm in him? I knew that he hated the Mormons, but I never thought that he would ever do them any mischief. I can understand, now, why he killed Googer. It was Googer who drove him away from his hidden lode, but he’s struck his last blow, now; before this time, to- morrow, I will have settled him for this world.” One long, lingering look the stern, dark-browed man took at the cold and silent face, and then, stooping, he kissed the icy lips; the touch sent a chill even to his iron heart. “T am growing womanish,” he muttered, “but Pll have a ‘bloody vengeance for this night’s work!” He closed the house up carefully, so that no strollers could enter, and then hurried away. Straight to the lair of the Danites, on Antelope island, he went, called together his rough followers and bade them prepare the war-path. enh Look well to your weapons,” the chief of the ‘angels’ cautioned, “for wemay have a hot time before we get through.” ‘¢ Where-away, Cap?” asked one of the outlaws. “Corinne, I reckon,” Clark replied. ‘The sharps there car- ried things with a pretty high hand, the other night, but we mean business this time, and we’ll take force enough to wipe out the whole town, if Corinne even s0 much as crooks a finger at ”? we That’s the talk!” cried one of the gang, merrily, and the rest chimed in in assent. ; A free fight was meat to these bull-dogs. CHAPTER XXX. THE WARNING ANGEL, Arthe very same instant that—as related in a previous chapter —drunken Mr. Butman knocked at the door of the shanty oc- cupied by Gold Dan, a slender figure stole away from the back of the building, as though frightened off by the vuice. Perched upon the roof had been the party, taking advantage of the chimney to deliver the ghost-like warning which had so astonished the plainsman. he ‘Bot uut the slizbtest idea bad the warner, frightened away by tus cpproacu of tie druaken fellow, that the momeni of danger was so near at hand and that the miner was but a tool in the hands of the plainsman’s inveterate foe. Hurrying away at a rapid pace, the slight figure soon got out of ear-shot of the shanty, and therefore had no knowledge of the tragic scene which transpired there soon after. Straight to the shop occupied by the Texan brothers the figure went, entered it, and then removing the dark cloak wrapped so closely around, revealed the person of the lad, Miguel. A candle burned upon the table. The lad cast himself into a chair, and leaning his arms wpon the table, supporting his head thereon, fell into deep reflection. ‘He is brave to rashness, and yet as cool in the hour of danger as though water ran in his veins instead of blood. Forewarned is forearmed; I have put him upon his guard, and now it will be impossible to surprise him.” A reasonable supposition this, but the foe of the plainsman possessed the cunning and the craft of Satan himself, and even at the very time the words came from the lips of the speaker, Gold Dan was going down under the deadly fire of the ambushed assassin, But the lad knew nothing of this, and with the pleasing thonght that the timely warning would save the borderer from all harm, dropped gradually off to sleep. And sound and sweet was the slumber, interrupted at last, just as the first gray light of dawn began to line the eastern skies, by a hurried knocking at the door, ‘*Open, open! it is I!” the voice of the Texan exclaimed, The lad made haste to undo the door. The Texan, pale, haggard, and with eyes that seemed fairly starting from their sockets, staggered into the room. “Close the door quickly!” he cried, his voice hoarse, his manner full of a strange terror, ‘Why, what is the matter?” ‘* He is after me!” cc Who ?? ‘¢ Velvet Hand!” The heart of the listener gave a great leap as the words fell upon his ears. ‘Bub not alive! no, no!” the speaker continued, wildly. “No, he is dead—dead with a dozen bullets in his brain, and A he follows constantly on my track!’ Miguel looked at the Texan with steadfast eyes; thi seemed but the ravings of a madman. oie: ells 2 The man detected the look, and understood its meaning at once. ‘Oh, Pm not mad!” he exclaimed, with a forced laugh, “I haven’t lost my senses yet! I mean that the man ought to be dead, for I’ve put a dozen balls in his carcass to-night, at the least count, but he seems to have as many lives as a cat!” ‘ An angry flush came over the face of the other as he listened to these words, and a lurid light shot from the dark eyes. . “‘And this is the way you keep your word to me!” the lad cried, indignantly. ‘‘My word to you?” the man said, sullenly, it Yes. ” ‘* What word?’ ‘Did you not swear on the cross that you would not attempt to harm him?” ‘Did I?” the Texan muttered, absently. “Yes, you took the most solemn oath that a man could take.” ‘“‘ Ah, yes, but I swore that 1 would not attack him if he did not attack me!” the brother cried, a cunning expression appear- ing on his dark face. ‘Do you not remember that? I expressly said that if he attacked me, I should consider myself at liberty to defend myself.” : a did es attack you?” the lad cried, in scorn. es—a thousand times yes!” the man replied é “Has he not followed constantly on our teack? pene) attacking me? Would he not kill me on sight, if I allow him to have the chance?” mi lip of the other curled in contempt. “T have kept my oath, but not as you keep yours!” cried, in heat. ‘‘ By the bedside of La Gotten ie pean: that I would follow your fortunes, no matter how desperate they became. She foresaw that a time would come when you would need all the aid and care that fraternal love could give, and so with a solemn oath, bound me to you. When joy laid fair before me, and all the future seemed bright, you reminded me of my oath, and, in obedience to it, I turned my back upon peace and happiness and followed you, a wanderer through the world. I knew that this man would follow us if he could: he would have been less than man if he had not attempted to do so, and so 1 sought to bind you with an oath so that there might not be blood bert thee you pk came together.” nd must I not strike when my life is ” Texan, fiercely. : sineatenedlt?: crieditihe “But your life has not been threatened!” ** How do you know that?’ “Or at least not by him!” “‘It has—a hundred times; he has e footsteps, and murder me unawares!” Pict freipeteh pe C oven are mad to say so!” h, yes, ’m mad, but not so mad as not myself!” he retorted. ‘‘ But come, pack up Tome aunt get out ofthis by daybreak!” a a You are going away?” * iti ) at ae a oni t sate tor me to stay here any longer.” The Texan looked around him, cautiously, for a moment, as though he were afraid that the very walls hed caps ; everlear uis Words, Paibineper ah cub 9 ak, Eomicbooks-co