Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 420 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

as he la _ and so did the others. -manded Colonel Bastrop as -son Lawrence. I think you aimed a trifle too high. I desarved 28 The Old River Sport. lieve that he was somehow astray, and he also wanted to know what it all meant. ‘Ts there a real mystery here, Mr. Gordon?” he demanded, ‘‘or are you manufacturing a mystery for my benefit?” ‘*T will tell you the plain truth,” answered Gordon, ‘‘ and will leave you to draw your own conclusions. This man’s real name is Hannafin, and years ago he was a gambler on the river. So was I, When I was living at Cincinnati he did me a great wrong, and I met him in the turned as if to face and defy his pursuers, when Gordon stepped out from behind his tree, ai.d Jerry Mabry arose from behind his rock. ‘‘- You had better surrender, colonel,” entreat- ed Gordon, ‘‘and I give you my word as a gen- | tleman that I will pull you out of this trouble.” Again the fugitive turned, and his eyes blazed as they lighted on this new installment of his | foes. ‘*Who gave you the right to call yourself a gentleman?” he fiercely demanded. ** You are @ thief, and I know ae to be a thief. What is | night near Covington and compelled him to four word worth? Not the shaving of a straw. | fight a duel with me. As he says, he attempted will make an end of you, anyhow, you dirty | to take an unfair advantage of me; but I shot rascal!” | him and left him for dead. ‘“Don’t shoot me!” shouted Gordon, as the| ‘I have since learned that he was struck as other raised his rifle. ‘‘ Don’t shoot me, Jim | he has been to-day, and that he recovered, but Hannafin! Iam your friend, and want to help | has never since been the same man that he was ou.” before. His past life was forgotten, and he no “There it goes again! Here is another of | longer knew his wife and child. He left them, them! Iam no Hannafin. Do you wanttodrive | and began a new life as Colonel Rapp, believing me crazy? Oh, but Pll settle you!” that to be his name. He raised his rifle and fired; but Gordon had ‘** At last, in some manner which I leave the quickly dodged behind his tree. physicians to explain, though presume that the Colonel Crampton and his men, not so much | circumstance is not an unusual one, his con- surprised by what had happened beyond them | sciousness has been restored, and he takes up as interested in the event, were moving up the | his former life where he left it. Whatever he pass silently and swiftly, expecting to make the | may have done in the moonshining way was chief moonshiner a captive before he could do | done by Colonel Rapp, who no longer exists, and — damage. I submit to you Colonel Crampton, that James ardly had he fired at Gordon when a shot | Hannafin is not responsible for it.” came from that quarter, and he fell without a The marshal pondered this problem a little ry, face upward on the ground. while, and then assented to the position assumed tis to be hoped that no recording angel took | by Gordon. note of the oath that burst from Colonel Cramp- | Doubtless he was glad to find a way of avoid- ton’s lips when he perceived that unnecessary ing the performance of an unpleasant duty. act of brutality. ‘Il believe you are right about that,” said ** Who fired that shot?” he demanded. he, ‘‘and under the circumstances [ weuld not Nobody answered; but the smoking rifle of | be justified in holding the man. Bat if I let Joe Stemmler and the looks of hiscomrades told | him go, I ought not to keep these other men, the story. and so [ shali turn them all loose, Of course I ‘*T will settle with you for firing without or- | must destroy the still, and I shall give them all ders. [f you have killed that man, you shall | fair warning not to do so any more.” suffer for it.” ‘*T think you will be doing a just as well as a It seemed that Colonel Rapp was surely dead, | merciful deed,” interposed Colonel Bastrop. there motionless, and blood on his ‘*More equity than law about it, though, I forehead showed where the bullet had struck. am afraid, and I don’t know how I shall explain Gordon and Jerry Mabry hastened to him, | the affair in my report. Perhaps the easiest way will be to say nothing about it.” ‘*Do you want to haul me over the coals for firin’ that shot?” inquired Joe Stemmler. ‘* You deserve it, and that’s a fact; but all’s well that ends well, and you ee Ag to send a bullet just where it was needed, and so wo will call it square.” The marshal and his men set at work to de- molish and utterly destroy the illicit still and its product on hand and all the materials and utensils connected with it. James Hannafin, late Colonel Rapp, who seemed to have taken a special fancy to Cramp- ton, watched this operation as if it was a mat- ter in which he could never have had any possi- ble interest. Though he was, to all appearance, fully con- scious and wide-awake to everything about him, it was equally apparent that he was some- what mystified by the position in which he found himself, and that every now and then something gg up to daze and stagger him. ile the marshal was attending to his duties Gray Gordon was on his way, with Colonel Bas- trop and Lawrence, to seek Eva Talcott. They found her at the appointed place, whith- er she had been brought by Gerald with the as- sistance of Mark Hannafin, who seemed disposed. to do all in his power to atone for his past mis- deeds, She was overjoyed at meeting Colonel Bastrop and greeted Lawrence with a blush that was to him a good augury of more intimate relations in the future. ‘* Tt was very kind of you to come and search for me, my friends,” said she, ‘‘and I do not know how I can sufficiently thank you.” ‘‘We are more than repaid by finding you alive and well,” answered the old gentleman. ‘*Of course you understand that your mother sent us, though we were glad to come, and I be- lieve that when you reach Memphis you will find your mother there.” ‘* Indeed! That seems almost too good to be rue.” ‘*T had a oe from her, just before we left Memphis, telling me that she bad heard from Gerald, and that she was coming on.” ‘*T have some good news for you, Mr, Hanna- fin,” said Gordon. : ‘* What can that be, sir?’ inquired Mark. ‘* When you go back down yonder with us, you will find somebody that you have missed for along time. Your father is restored to you.” ‘* Are you speaking of Colonel Rapp?” ‘* Of the man who has been known as Colonel Rapp, but is so no longer, as he is now James H . He has met with an accident—per- haps I should say with another accident—and has come back to his old self. All's well that ends well, you see.” It is easier to tell good news than bad news, and Gordon found it a difficult matter to inform Linda Shropshire of the destruction of her fam- ily; but it had to be done, and he endeavored to do it with as little shock as possible. He addressed pone 0 to Eva, knowing well that Linda’s ears would take in all he said. —— ae ‘* The shot was fired in revenge,” said Colonel Crampton. ‘* That wretch had a grudge against the man, and has shot him down, though he knew that I wanted to take him alive. He shall pay for this.” CHAPTER XXXIV, RESTORED TO LIFE. COLONEL CRAMPTON and Gray Gordon was quick to give their attention to the prostrate man, examining his wound and doing allin their power to restore him to life. ‘*T hope he is not dead, colonel,” said Gordon. ‘*T would not have that happen for anything you could gain by this raid.’ | **T hope so, too,” answered the marshal. **Perhaps the bullet has my creased his skull. eave him to me, and I will soon tell ou. me How did you get here, Mr. Gordon?” de- he came up with his ‘* Where is Gerald?” ‘* He is up yonder in the woods with Miss Tal- cott. She is safe and well, and you will soon see her,” This was great news for the Louisianians, and red were content to wait. ~ olonel Rapp, greatly to the amazement of the man who was manipulating his wound, sud- denly rose to a sitting posture, and the first ob- ject his eyes rested on was Gray Gordon, who a an ing before him with his rifle in his n At first he seemed to be dazed, but directl he spoke as if he had full control of his facul- ties. ‘* Well, Holcomb, you shot me,” said he; ‘‘ but it, as I tried to take an unfair advantage of you, and I know that 1 had done you a great wrong. Are * 2) ee now?” **7 am more than satisfied now, Jim,” an- swered Gordon. “What do you mean?” demanded Colonel Crampton, ‘‘ That man did not shoot you, Col- onel w+ ‘** Don’t give me any nonsense, whoever you are. Who are these people, Holcomb, and how did they get here. I thought I saw my wife out there a minute ago. Hello! this place seems strange tome. What does it all mean?” ‘* Tt means,” said the marshal, ‘‘ that I arrest you, Colonel Rapp, on the charge of manufac- + tr whisky contrary to the laws of the United ‘**Oh, don’t give me any such nonsense as that. Whois your Colonel Rapp? I am Jim Hanna- fin, a gay gambolier, and never have anything to do with whisky, outside of the samples I get in the towns and on the boats. What doves it mean, anyhow?” ‘*Tt means, Jim Hannafin,” solemnly replied Gordon, “ that you have been dead these many years, and have just come to life.” Colonel Crampton, perceiving the earnest tone and dignified manner of his ally, began to bo- | - - . 7 . « é , at * i a vd , ? “ é ; ee < e ( J y P os af “ “ " 7 : ) Z +A : Pe > \ ‘ ‘ 4 a? ; 4 . « 7 , “ ‘ : - ak oe PM 2? 4 oD 3 . . - v j ; Nal y : —_—_— eo __.. ————$—$—$— TT EE LL - —_— Kl wr | | | ** There has been much trouble, Miss Talcott, down there at the place you left. A party of men who were hunting moonshiners came there with a party wko were hunting horse-thieves, and they were bound to get in. They did getin after a hard fight, and of course some people were killed in the fight.” _. ‘* Was my folks killed?” inquired Linda. ‘Your mother took a gun and rushed into the fight like a man, and she and ycur father were killed where the fighting was hardest. Your brothers escaped there, but were killed further up by some of the men who were hunting horse- thieves,’ Ho was careful not to say that they had been taken and hanged. Linda hung; her head for a moment; but, if she shed auy tears, they were ‘‘ dry” tears. She had so long lived under the shadow of her family, that it must have been scmething like a relief to her to emerge from it. ‘*That’s jest what I’ve been lookin’ fur this long time,” said she, ‘‘and I’m cnly glad it wasn’t hangin’. We’ve been a set 0’ hoss-thieves, and we all deserved hangin’ long ago. It’s my turn now. We was 21! hoss-thieves together, As you didn’t git a chance to shoot me, you'll have to hang me.” ‘‘ Nobody wants to shoot you or hang ycu, Linda dear,” said Eva Talcott, ‘‘and you shall not be harmed in any way.” ‘‘I don’t know what'll become of me, then, now that the rest of ’em’s gone.” ‘** You shall go to my mother’s house with me Linda, and there you will find a better home an better friends than you have yet known,” The party proceeded—Eva gig ty in the litter that had been prepared for her by her brotherand Mark Hannafin—down to the recent camp of the moonshiners, where Colonel Cramp- ton had completed the destruction of the dis- tillers’ apparatus, and prepared for immediate departure. The captured moonshiners had already been sent off, to go whither they pleased, and for the rest there were plenty of horses. So they set cut, the Arkansas people going di- rectly home, and the others aiming to strike the river at the nearest pcint where they would be likely to get a boat to take them to Memphis. On the way the late Colonel Rapp was gradu- ally initiated into his new existence, much of the information he needed being furnished by his son, though Gray Gordon assisted materially, thus gaining the friendship of the resurrected man. CHAPTER XXXYV. A VENGEFUL WOMAN, Mrs. Tatcotr followed her dispatch to Colonel Bastrop as soon as she could get away, and in due course of time reached Memphis. There she began as scon as possible to rake nn og concerning the friends who hed pre- ceded her, as well as concerning her missing children, but without any signal success. as neither Gerald and his party nor Colonel Bas- trop and his party had made any public declara- tion of their intentions or departure. A woman, and especially a woman who bad spent much of her life in the conntry, could not readily transform herself intoa detective bur au, even though possessing the advantages which Mrs. Taleott’s undeniable position would give her, and considerable time was required to put herself in communication with people who might be useful to her, She discovered the hotel at which Gordon and Gerald had stopped, and that which had har- bored Colonel Bastrop and bis son, and at the former she decided to put up, though she was careful to leave her address at the latter. While she was pursuing her inquiries and awaiting developments, she happened to run across one of the survivors of the Rowena dis- aster, who was no other than. Hank Byers, who had given Gordon and Gerald the information that sent them across the river. Since that time Byers had met Silas Birch, who had safely emerged from the Shropshire complication, and made his way to Memphis, and Birch had imparted to him some intelligence which he did not hesitate to communicate to Mrs. Talcott, perceiving that she was a lady and in distress. ‘‘ The truth is. Mrs. Talcott,” said be, ‘ that I am afraid that Mark Hannafin, though he may be credited with saving your daughter’s life, does not mean well by her, unless an intention to make her his wife .may be considered as meaning well. It is for that purpose, I judge, that he has taken her out cf the way, instead of bringing her here.” ‘‘That is very sad news for me, Mr, Byers,” intimated the lady. ‘* Well, ma’am, I think that your daughter may have been saved from any such difficulty as that by your :on and his friend, to say nothing of those who must have gone over there after them. There is anther point that I can give you, and perhaps it may be useful to you, though IT must admit that I don’t Jike to meddle with such matters as these.” **]T will be more than grateful, Mr. Byers, for any information you may give me.” “The fact is, Mrs. Talcott, that Mark Han- nafin’s mother is hcre in Memphis, She has been Gomicbooks. —_ . ; . |