Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 416 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

* ? 7 ens ¥ ‘ ‘i - - . a. stn ~— we “ — ed 4 _ — a , ‘ ‘ * bad _— . - . . : . . - a 3 a? “<> » by oa Aa - ®) . ‘ \ . ° 4 } A ? Ray ASE « s . tha s "sve ‘ . ; rs ‘s - ‘ ~s! ix ao 4 F : Monte Jim, the Black Sheep of Bismarck. a Pennington, and a he did not understand , and to marry him, if he would accept your how Curly Kaine could be that person, he has- | hand. tened up to the chamber of Medea Pennington, ‘*That was sufficient to enlist me in the plot and delivered his startling message. heart and soul, for 1 knew that the real oyd Medea had retired for the night, but she | Pennington, if discovered by you, would cast begged Honest Giles to wait while she dressed, | me to one side without a single regret, when trembling with a fear which she could — such a double temptation presented itself. define, for that name conjured up the hand- ‘‘It was Frank Lisle’s idea, putting Monte some face of Monte Jim, and she saw him lying | Jim in the shoes of theman you sought. He be- cold in death. So terribly distinct was the lieved you would shrink in horror from such a vision that a wailing cry escaped her lips, and | character. Butif you did not, Monte Jim was she covered her eyes to shut out the heart-sick- | to be put out of the way before he could do any ening sight. | harm, Leaning on the arm of Honest Giles, for she ‘*More than that, Frank Lisle also doomed sadly required some such support, she entered | your cousin, Alva Pennington, whom he knew the room just as Monte Jim returned from | to be madly in love with you, and whom he | temporarily taring for the corpse of Alva Pen- | feared you would learn to love, even if you did nington, and entered the door opposite. not do so already. With those two out of the She started back as though suddenly con- | way, he felt contident he could win your hand fronted by a ghost, with a little, gasping cry of | and fortune. mingled wonder and delight that the card- ‘*'You know now why I sent for you and told sharp wholly misinterpreted. Believing it was | you that jumble of lies, putting you on the an expression of horror and aversion, be removed | wrong scent. I had determined to improve on his hat and stood with bowed head before her, | the plan of Frank Lisle’s, and it was through the picture of humility. my doing that Fatty Smith attempted to kill Helen 3rinston saw this little by-play, and a | Monte Jim, before vou could find him and tell hard, vicious laugh parted her lips, as she con- | him what you believed was the truth. He fronted Medea Pennington. failed, as you know. ‘* Ay! well you may start from that demon in ‘* Poor devil!” with a hard, metallic laugh. horror, girl, for 7" hands are red with the life- | ‘‘ He fondly fancied he was winning a wife by or blood of the man whom you have soucht so | performing my bidding. For years, he had long and diligently. I warned you against him | prosecuted his loathsome suit, but until this when we met last, but you refused to listen. I | emergency, I only laughed him toscorn, Now told you he was a demon incarnate; that sooner | I promised him whatever reward he chose to or later you wouid feel the weight of his evil | ask, when he could come back to me and give powers, That much was the truth, even though | me undoubted proof that Monte Jim was cead. all the rest was a lie. ‘* Had he succeeded—had he killed Monte Jim ‘‘What do you mean? I don’t understand!” | and returned to claim his reward—my knife faltered Medea, glancing bewilderingly from | was sharpened and my arm nerved to pierce Lis one face to another, shrinking back as, ske | heart with pangs far keener than those of the noticed the pain and terror-distorted counte- | love he protested! nance of the man who lay on the floor, like one ‘““Tt was a cunningly laid plot, and study it dead. . closely as I might, I could not see how I could Again that hard, blood-chilling laugh, as ssible fail of complete success. With you be- | Helen Brinsten noted this shrinking, and her | lieving Monte Jim the real Lloyd Pennington; | eyes blazed anew as she cried: with him put out of the way forever; with Faity | ‘‘-You shrink from him as though he had the | Smith forever silenced as to the connection be- | plague! And yet that is the man whom you tween us; I believed you would go your way, swore to never cease hunting until he was found; | and never cross my path again. The man who whom you swore to clear from an undeserved | was dearer than all the world besides to me, | stigma—Lloyd Penn ngton, your cousin!” would soon forget that he even indulged ina | “Tt’sa durn shame!” muttered Honest Giles, | wild fancy concerning you, and we would once | catching the maiden in his sturdy arms as she more be perfectly happy. | staggered back, confused, stunned by this start- ‘*For all this I was working, and success | ling announcement, ‘Ef she wasn’t a woman seemed sure; but now—he lies there, dying— | in shape I’d bun’le her out_o’ this so quick it’d and 1—” make her p’izen head swim!” Her voice grew unsteady, and as though ‘‘Hold your peace, you grizzly, overgrown | ashamed of betraying such emotion before those | baby!” sharply cautioned the virago, darting a | whom she ha so bitterly, Helen Brinston | spiteful glance into the hot face of the landlord. turned from them to Curly Kaine. ‘“ Dare to interfere before I have completed the Until now he had lain without motion, with- story I set out to tell, and I'll send a bullet in out sign of life other than an occasional faint, search of your brains. And you, Monte Jim, sping moan; but now, as though electrified, have got to stand up to the rack and take your | he uttered a wild, horrible cry, and suddenly fodder like a little man!” raised himself to a sitting posture, his face With a cold bow the card-sharp seated him- | frightfully distorted, a stream of clotted blood gushing out of his mouth. | With a cry that sounded like an echo of his | own, the woman who loved him so madl sprung to his side, only in time to catch his head as he fell back, dead! Wildly she called to him, hegeing for one | word, a single look to tell her that he recog- nized her—but then she realized the truth, and gently lowered hs head to the floor, bending and pressing her lips to his, She turned, her lips stained with his life- self. ‘* Child, listen to me,” added the woman, her voice growing lower and more earnest as she turned to Medea, whom Honest Giles was sup- porting to a seat on the lounge. ‘“‘I loved the man who lies there, dying—how entirely, how passionately, your milk-and-water nature can never begin to realize. He was my god in life and now that he is dying, I place my han upon his bosom and solemnly swear to you that all [am about tosay is true as was my love for him!” ! blood, her left hand pointing toward Medea Kneeling beside the moribund, Helen Brin- | Pennington, her voice hoarse and strained as | ston ested her hand lightly upon his bosom, | she uttered the rapid words: | then lifted it above ber head, dripping with blood, as she uttered these words: as ‘T lied to you the time you came to visit me, lured there by the cunning acting of Fatty Smith; shall I tell you why? “‘ Ho—my love—saw you on the train which ou to Bismarck. He was powerfully attra by your baby face, and that night, while lying by my side, he repeatedly muttered your name in his dreams. ‘‘T knew how weak was his nature, where pretty women were concerned, and I began to dread his deserting me entirely; for, I confess it, the ties which connected us were never sanc- tioned by law or gospel. ; “T did not question or reproach him, for I knew that would only harden him against me, I set to work, all the same, and in Fatty Smith, who worshiped the ground my fect trod, I found the tool I needed, ‘‘He was only too eager to serve me, and through him, I learned the prime object of your visit here. And just then I found another still more unscrupulous tool, in an old acquaintance of the long ago—Frank Lisle! “He recornized me, and followed me home. He little suspected the truth, when he sought my assistance, and I kept my secret closel from him, pretending to be won over to his plans solely *y his gold which he promised me in case his plot should succeed. ‘He was madly in love with you, and wished you for his wife, apart from the fortune which ou could bring him, if all went as he wished. i ou were hunting for one Lloyd fh order to restore a vast fortune, ‘* He is dead, and all through you! Only for your coming, he would be alive and loving me as he had for long years! His blood rests on your head, and thus [ avenge him!” As the last fierce cry left her lips, her right hand came out from its concealment, clasping | a revolver, and her final words were blended with the report as she fired straight at the heart of the bewiidered girl. Monte Jim gave a wild cry of warning, and | ri between them, but the crazed woman | did not appear to notice this—did not give her | intended victim a second look—but turned to | the corpse of Curly Kaine, leaning across it | and once more pressing the bloody lips with her own. Then, before a hand could be lifted to hinder | her desperate act, she pressed the still-smoking muzzle of the revolver to her temple, pulling the trigger and sending a bullet crashing th her own brain. | Without a sound or ery, she fell across the brought nington—stone dead! | CHAPTER XXTX. MONTE JIM CLEARS HIS RECORD. fell back on the couch, fainting, the horrible nerves. It was ascene of the most intense confusion. At the double report, the men who were crowd- ing the bar-room rushed through tbe doorway to the room of death, standing in mute horror. | Honest Giles was completely bewildered, and e told me Pennington, smile, motioning her back. rough | corpse of Curly Kaine—of the real Lloyd Pen- | WITH a faint, gasping cry, Medea Pennington scene being too much for her already overtasked could do nothing. Monte Jim caught the faint- ing maiden in his arms, sharply calling for water, but no one seemed to hear or understand his words, and he lowered the graceful figure on the couch and sought the restorative him- self, As he came back, he sternly ordered the gap- ing crowd to hasten and remove the dead couple, fearing the effects on the weakening nerves of the maiden, should ber gaze fall upon them when her senses returned. In silence be was obeyed, and then, as Medea gave signs of recovering Ir senses, he drew back aud motivned Honest Giles Dickson to take his place. It was upon his face that the maiden’s eyes first rested when they opened again to conscious- ness, and a sad smile came into bis blue eyes as she shrunk back and averted her gaze--but only for an instant. Then she arcse and ap; roached him with outstretched hand, ber voice faint and quavering as she spoke: ‘* You saved my life, and I thank you. Only for you, that terrible creature would kave killed me, and—” She paused in her speech with a low, gasping cry, as she noticed how terribly white was bis countenance—as she saw how tightly be pressed one hand to his left side—as she noticed the red blood flowing through his fingers! ‘“‘God of mercy! you are wounded!” she gasped. ‘* That shot—it struck you instead of me! You gave your life to save mine! And I never thought—’ ‘“It is nothing,” he interposed, with a faint ‘* Your life was valuable, mine worse than nothing. Besides, 1 owed you something for having consented to deceive you into thinking me the original Lloyd Pennington.” His voice grew fainter, but still that smile | filled his great blue cyes—still he stood proudly erect, pressing back the hot blood that flowed with such terrible steadiness from his breast. Will Rice hastily entered the rcom. and with a sobbing cry, Medea flung herself into his arms, tearfully begging him to aid the wounded man, to summon medical assistance. ‘* My dear lady, there’s ro use in making such a fuss over a trifle like this,” laughed Monte Jim, — deprecatingly. ‘‘ I’m used to it, and a bullet or two more or less—” Despite his iron will, he could not conclude the light speech, but staggered back against the wall, still smiling, and affecting to make light of his injury. A doctor bustled in, summoned by one of Monte Jim’s pet gang, but the card-sharp mo- tioned him back, as he suffered himself to sink down upon the lounge. ‘** It’s nouse, D.c,” he muttered. ‘I’ve got it right where I live, and all your tinkering can’t make me a sound man again, Don’t bother— only give me some stuff to keep up my strength until I can make a first-class apology to the lady yonder. It’s all you can do for me, now!” Despite this, he was too faint to resist the firm but gentle examivation which the doctor insist- ed on rege a but a very brief scrutiny con- vinced the physician that Monte Jim wes indeed beyond his powers of saving, and simply plug- ng up the wound, bandaging it tightly to chec e terrible flow of blood, he gave the wounded man a stimulant, then stood aside. “Thank you, Doc,” smiled the card-sbharp, with a slight nod. ‘‘I don’t want to run you out, but as I’ve got a few words which I want to say on — business to this lady, if you will just step cut and let the boys know I’m thinking of them it would be a favor to yours truly.” In a few moments the room was cleared of all save Monte Jim, Medea Pennington, and Will Rice. These two drew close to the lounge on which the wounded man lay, in obedience to a sign which he made. distinct, he spoke: ‘Though men call me the Black Sheep of Bismarck, child, I don’t want you to think of me when I’m gone, as a man without one single er of tip in his Naa ne ‘“*Tt wasn’t altogether my doings, this playin off Lloyd Pennington on you; but | 4 at the beginning. ‘*T am just what I told you; James Ince, a gambler, a man on whose hands rest many red stains which water can’t wash off— No, no!” he cried, with sudden energy, jerking bis hand away as the maiden caught it up and impul- sively pressed it to her lips. ‘*‘ Not that! It’s too ral: to touch lips es pure as yours! Don’t— don’t unman me before I tell all! It’s hard enouch to find werds—my head is all of a whirl Si believe I am beginning to lose my nerve at. st!” A faint, hollow laugh escaped his li motioned Rice to give hima as he room of death. ‘*That does me good, and ]’ll make a fresh deal,” he said, as his head again fell back. ‘* As I told you on the train, I once had a pard called Poker Pennington. I never knew his first name, for he was a stern, secretive man, who seldom spoke about himself or his past life. With one exception, He never tired, when he ECV AIC KS Then, in tones low but _ et me begin | rink of the stimu- | lant prepared by the doctor before leaving the — JOOKS:( 5 ar ~“<"* == '