Beadle's Dime Library No. 417: Tucson Tom — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

‘‘In the place of Jose Gonzales. He | the balcony was situated, and the crash of knows me, but we have never been friends.” ‘‘Do you think the old snake-charmer would recognize the girl if he saw her?” she | asked. ‘‘It is more than likely. He is a wonder- | ful man, and his eyes are like those of a rat. It would be a serious matter for you if the snake-charmer should see her.” “Then you must lose no time, Ribaldo. Haste to your work. Is your knife keen? Have you men you can rely on? Would that the chance were given me to make one sweep at the heart of this girl who had re- fused to die in the past when her time had | roof in the hope of getting a shot at the | and over until he finally fell. come. I would glory in my stroke! What | hunted ranger inadvertently stepped upon business has she in living when every one has long since believed her dead?” ‘* Vaya! possibly it is more her misfor- tune than her fault. Hark! my men are be- coming impatient to move. I hear them at the door below. Sorry am I not to be able to present a better report, but you will hear from me by morning. ‘This is not the end.” ‘*] trust you to redeem your failure. Do not forget, Ribaldo, that you swore to ac- complish this thing, and whatever else Gen- eral Cortina may do he never breaks his word.” The Border Tiger bowed and smiled, ‘‘ Look for me by morning, senorita. Are these vines on the balcony strong?” ‘‘They will bear your weight, senor.” hap a lover might. Buenas noches, senorita.” He stepped upon the balcony. Tom could only hope for the best. That this hope was not to be realized the event that speedily followed proved. Cortina swept aside the vines as he was about to swing himself over the balcony, and in doing so found himself face to face with his inveterate enemy, Tucson Tom, CHAPTER XXYVI. A LEAP FROM THE AZOTRA. Ir would be difficult to express greater as- tonishment than that experienced by the great border desperado, Cortina, when he thus found himself confronting Tom upon the upper balcony of the mysterious seno- rita’s house. He was for the time being paralyzed. Not so the ranger. He realized that his position was far from being so pleasant as it might be, and that im- mediate action was necessary in order to take him out of the predicament. His right arm shot out straight from the shoulder, and the clinched fist struck the doughty Mexican contrabandista square in the face. He staggered back. At the same time a cry pealed from his lips that was echoed by his men below. Tom had seized hold of the vines to swing himself down, when that ery warned him of the danger to be met. Changing his mind instantly he began to ull himself upward, and in five hc, his nds had caught the edge of the azotea, Five seconds more and he had pulled him- self over the line of the roof. Even as he disappeared from view there sounded the report of a pistol, coming from the upper balcony. Cortina had fired too late, however, and none knew this better than himself, as his yells to his men announced. Several of them came up to his side and mounted to the roof like tigers. Others stood below or ran around the wall of the garden, hoping to get a shot at the daring intruder with their escopetas, while he was still upon the rovf, and outlined in silhouette against the star-decked sky. When Tom crawled upon the roof, his first act was to run to the other side. Here he could not be seen by any one from the street. ‘There was a means of reaching the roof from the interior of the house, and he could already hear one or more of the general’s followers rattling up the stairs in their en- deavor to reach this opening so common to every house in the Southwest, where the roof is in daily common use, and often made a garden of. Tom knew that to avoid an encounter he must leave the roof in a hurry. He had just decided upon his course when a head appeared in view at the point where i ' ' } EE —_—_—_—_—_—- ee ooo ee ee LLL LLL LLL LLL CC tt. tet ttt a tn, | casion present itself. ‘ 18 Tucson Tom, the Bowie Bravo. ——— DN feet on the upper stair told that another of | from his purpose. his foes was close at hand. at hand, but one enemy was not to deter him This was to reach the side of Mabel as In that rapid calculation he had made up | soon as possible, for he had heard that which his mind that the azotea was some fifteen feet | told him her life was in danger, and that or more from the ground. That was not a great distance to fall, pro- | it before the rising of the sun. viding he had daylight to see where he was As he sprung away from the wall, excited oing. voices were heard. some dastardly attempt would be made upon As there was no alternative, he bent down, He saw before him a figure, and caught the placed one hand on the coping of the roof, | gleam of a knife-blade. and then sprung outward. | Tucson Tom darted to one side as the A great crash of glass followed. fellow struck, and then gave him a blow The man who was running across the | under the ear that sent him whirling over The way was now clear. what was apparently a skylight, and van- ished. ' Tom landed upon the soft earth in the midst of a flower-bed. use of strategy. Luckily be was not injured a particle, and gate in the endeavor to get out. ready to continue his flight. Tucson Tom had defeated his foes by the Those in the garden were howling like Turkish dervishes as they rushed toward the Dogs in the neighborhood were barking, Around him were orange and lemon trees, women screaming, and taken all in all it and the air was fragrant with the odor of seemed as though pandemonium had broken innumerable tropical flowers, _ loose. But these things had no beauty for him | Leaving them to discover the truth as best now. they might, the ranger ran down the street He was being hunted for his life, and until he had gone some little distance from while not fearing Cortina and his men any the scene when he slackened his pace. more in the town of Tucson than when he He had reason to congratulate himself on so boldly faced the whole crew in the timber the successful issue of his campaign, for the a few days pom oe for reasons of his enemy had been thoroughly demoralized 1 own he did not wis . to become engaged | without himaself receiving a scratch. “Then I shall swing myself down as may- | in a melee with the fellows at this time and More than this—he had heard something place, of their plans regarding the girl he loved , He had a duty to perform, and he had and even aclew had fallen to him which he promised Mabel that henceforth, for her sake, . intended following. he would run no unnecessary risks. Francisco the snake charmer must be seen Not that the ranger could ever be any without delay, and be influenced to tell what thing but the brave man he had always he knew of the mystery. proved himself in the past, but there were Those devils might take it into their power times when he had been wont to expose him- , to put him out of the way, in order to silence self to needless risks. This promise was one of the things that him at least of his danger. kept him from facing the motley gang of his tongue, and Tucson Tom wished to warn When the Texan reached the tavern of Cortina, and braving them to their teeth. _Captain Sams, he took the old *49er into his Gaining his feet he started across the confidence and had him mount guard. garden, intending to climb the wall and es- The old. veteran swore he would puncture cape. any one he saw prowling about the place, The vegetation grew so rank, and the | and feeling satisfied that he would make use darkness was so intense, that his progress ; of his heavy seven-shooter if there was occa- was not as satisfactory as he might have de- | sion for it, Tucson Tom left the tavern. sired. | He believed he had left an efficient guard Indeed, before he came in contact with pvehind him. the wall, he heard some of his foes in the Had he known that danger from another garden and heard the wicked thrusts they source menaced his loved one possibly he were making with sabers and machetes in would have left the snake-charmer to run the bushes, hoping to prod the object of their his chances and have remained to guard search. Dancing Feather. Then, too, a light appeared upon the scene, He knew where the gaming den mentioned being a lantern held by the senorita herself, by Cortina was situated, and in ten minutes who had a cocked pistol in her other hand, he was moving among its Aabditues looking and evidently meant to use it should the oc- for his man It was at this moment that Tom saw the outline of the wall loom up before him. He had reached the end of the garden. The wall was higher than he could reach, and, as the only means of gaining the top, he made use of a small tree ‘that grew close by. Lying extended along the coping of the adobe wall, he surveyed both sides. Those in the garden were pushing the search vigorously, having formed a line that gradually advanced across it in the direction the hunted man would be likely to take. The Texan could well afford to laugh at their efforts in the position he now occupied for at the rate they were advancing it would was them five to ten minutes to reach the wall, At any moment he was ready to let go his hold and drop to the ground outside. | all other nations combined. of her husband. be taken by the winner. ET CHAPTER XXVII. THE SNAKE-CHAKMER. SucH a scene as Tom now looked upon may be witnessed any night in a Mexican town of to-day, and at this period in the life of Tucson there were mapy more Mexi- cans numbered among its inhabitants than The dark-browed Greaser has a tremendous love for the excitement of gambling. Men will stake everything they possess on the turn of fortune’s wheel, even to their weapons, their horse, and even at times their wives, for in Mexico a wife is the property More than once a game has been carried out where the life of the defeated one was to This novel method of dueling by chance has never become very popular, however, Would he meet with any trouble here? and it is only practiced among the most des- He turned his head as he asked this mental | perate classes, when two mortal foes meet at ; question. the gambling table. It was instantly answered. | From out of the darkness there came a_ one to him. sudden flash that, he knew full weil. This was followed by the roar of an | border life, and there was little wit The scene Tom gazed upon was no new He was acquainted with all the phases of respect epee to Tucson and its habits that he did not ucson Tom knew the bullet had struck | know. the adobe wall only a few inches below his It was astirring sight, / body for he felt the pieces fly upward. | Some three or four dozen men were in the He had no desire to be made a target for | room, which was lighted by rude lamps. other marksmen who might also be in the | The majority of those present were Mexi- vicinity to practice upon,,and hence without delay he slipped over the edge of the wall, scattered among them. hung suspended for a few seconds and then Games of various kinds were in progress, cans, though there were some Gringos dropped down. though the one in most favor seemed to be He knew the man who had fired was close monte, the national game of Mexico. ‘ IOO EOMIG cS (E (0) - a “ow a