Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 420 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

» . — me * — re >= _———a/ = —— wen CC > -— va - set look came into his face, like that. which his | wife’s features had worn in the room below. ‘‘T had thought better of her than that,’ he muttered, bitterly; ‘‘ but her head is too strong for her heart, and she lets tbe head do the talk and the work. She is too good to be generous, too righteous to be just. As a Christian and a mother she can’t sacrifice herself, and so she sacrifices me and the children. That strikes me as being a queer sort of Christianity, to say nothing of the other thing. Well, she means what she says. She always did—except when she said that she would stick to me through bet- terand worse. The first thing now is to find out who has done this.” He went down-stairs, pale and hard, but with- out a tremble in his step or voice, and interview- ed the servant. ‘‘ Who was here, Mary, the day Mrs. Holcomb went away?” ‘* Just one visitor, sir. It was a gentleman, a friend of yours. What's his name, now? ought to know it, as he’s been here often, Han- cutis sir—that’s it.” Josiah Holecomb’s brows contracted, and such a wicked look came into his face as made Mary shrink from him; but he spoke to her kindly and mildly. ‘‘ Tt may be some time, Mary, before Mrs. Hol. comb gets back, and | am going away, too. I will leave the house in your charge for a while, and will send you word what to do.” | He gave her some money and went away, leaving her to wonder what had happened to disturb that peaceful family. If she could have seen Josiah Holcomb’s face as he went down the street, she would have been -sure that it was something terrible. He had lost the look of the bright, cheerful and gentlemanly man who had so gayly steg ped up to the door of the prety suburban house, and in its place was a dark expression of murderous hate, such as would have caused a passer-by to shudder and give him a wide berth. “So it was Jim Hannafin,” he muttered, “who did me this favor, who exploded that dy- namite under my house. I expected some dirty trick from him, but nothing lke as bad as that, He has done his worst, but it is my turn now. The last line of her letter was like the last words of a judge’s sentence—‘ to be hanged by the neck until you are dead, and may (fod have mercy on your soul!’ This is as bad as a hanging forme, but [ll deserve the hanging before Iam swung off. The first ting is to find that sneaking scoundrel, and he ought to have known better than to get mestarted on his trail. I will find him where I want him, and that end of the business will be settled.” He did find him and there was no time lost in the search and the discovery. i The night of that very day two men met in a ove on the Kentucky side of the river below ovington, One of the men was Josiah Holcomb, and the other was the man who had exploded the dyna- mite that destroyed his home. To the latter the meeting was as unexpected as it was unwelcome, as he was on his way to the house of his wife, and Josiah Holcomb was the last man whom he would have supposed he might meet there. y the former the meeting had been premedi- tated and planned, happening exactly as he had intended it should, Jim Hannafin soon got over his shock of sur- rise and consternaticn, and made a strong ef- ak smile as he advanced and held out his nd. The offer of the hand was not noticed; but Hannafin was in no hurry to take offense. ‘You are the last man I would have thought of meeting over here,” saidhe. ‘‘ What brought you into this neck 0’ woods?” ‘‘T came to find you,” coldly answered Hol- comb). ‘“T am easy to find as a general thing, Did you want to see me about that games you are running at Cairo?” ‘‘No—I came to play out the game that you opened at my house two days ago.” Jim Hannafin had known as soon as he saw Holeomb’s hard and determined look why his former friend and partner had sought him, and this statement was not unexpected; but it dis- concerted him so that he could not meet the steady gaze of the other. ‘‘ Hope there’s no harm done,” he muttered. Le Did your wife tell you that I had split on you! “TL have no wife. You have driven her from me, and she is lost to me forever. It would have n more merciful in you to shoot me dead than to do that deed.” This was indeed a serious matter, and it may be put down to the credit of Jim Hannafin that he was shocked as wel] as startled when he be- gan to perceive the extent of the damage he had one, “Ts it so bad as that” he feebly inquired. The Old River Sport. time, you know, and it seemed to mo that I had better break it to her gently and save you trom trouble hereafter.” ** You lie, Jim Hannafin. You had no thought of pleasing her or helping me. You did that thing out of pure spite and malice, to be reveng- ed on me for leaving you outof that down- river snap.” There could be no doubt that it was a serious matter; but the controversy might not go be- ond words, and in that style of warfare Jim annafin considered himself a match for his an- onist. ‘If you take it in that way,” he observed in as careless a tone as he could assume, ‘‘and if you don’t care to listen to any of my explanations, there 1s nothing more to be said.” ‘*But there is something to be done,” sav- agely responded Holcomb, “Why do _ you suppose I have sought you on this side of the river, and have met you at this time and place? Jim Hannafin, I have come here to kill ou. Most decidedly it was a serious business, a scrape that there was no getting out of. In size and strength the adversaries were nearly equally matched, though Hannafin was a little the taller and heavier of the two; but of course the difficulty was not to be settled with bare knuckles. , “Tf that is your aim,” said Hannafin, “I suppose you can murder me if you want to. Of course you have come fixed, and I am un- armed,” ‘I mean to give you a chance for your life,” answered Holcomb, as he produced two revol- vers, ‘‘and I have here the tools for both. One of us wiil not leave this ground alive!” ‘You mean a duel, then. What sort of a fight do you propose?” ‘*Take this revolver. We will stand back to back here, and each will step off ten paces, and halt. I will give the word, and at the word each will cock his pistol, and we will turn and fire, advancing and firing as we please.” ‘* Very well,” said Hannafin, as he took the revolver. ‘‘I don’t want to fight you, and if anything happens to you here, it will be what you bring on yourself.” ‘*T don’t care for my life; but I mean to have yours.” It was a good night for such an encounter. Though the trees were thick, the moon was shining in an unclouded sky, giving plenty of light, that was rendered a little uncertain by the capricious shadows, The two men placed themselves back to baclk, and began to step off the distance in the direc- tion that Holeomb had pointed out. : He must have known that the plan he had proposed, taking the antagonists out of sight of each other and leaving each to act in a measure independently, would give a fine opportunity for breaking the terms of the combat and gaining un advantage by treachery. Of course Hannafin knew this, too, and he had an incentive to unfair dealing in his ad- a statement that he meant to have his ife. Holcomb, however, had stipulated that no re- volver should he cocked until the distance was measured and the word given, and he was very quick of hearing. Half the paces had not been VL a off when he caught the faint click of the lock of Hanna- fin’s pistol, and he knew what that meant. He turned instantly. There was his adversary facing him, and a loud report was followed by the whiz of a bul- let near his head. ' is own revclver spoke at once, and his aim was so deadly that Jim Hannafin fell backward, shot through the heart. Holeomb stood near the body of his false friend until he was sure that he was quite dead, and then turned away, leaving there the revol- ver that he had handed him, “They may call it a suicide or what they please,” said he. ‘‘ It is nothing to me what they call it, as that account is settled. He was a coward and a scoundrel to the last, and the world is well rid of him,” Before the week was ended the pretty sub- urban house and all it contained had passed into other hands, and the places that had known Josiah Holcomb knew him no more. CHAPTER ITI, ON BOARD THE ROWENA, THE fine passenger-steamer Rowena rounded to on signal at a little landing on the Indiana side of the Ohio, below Evansville, and the cap- tain was inclined to be wrathy when he per- ceived that the only outcome of the stoppage was one passenger. As the Rowena was one of the best boats that plied between Louisville and New Orleans, there was a good deal of style about her, and it was bad enough to have to stop at such a beg- $$ | and manner he was decidedly a “‘ gray.” being ‘an elderly man, or at least past middie age, his dark hair tinged with gray, and with giay streaks in his black mustache and bushy beard. His clothing was of gray homespun, cut in rural style, or lack of style, ann fitting him loosely ; bis high collar, almost innocent of stareh, lopped over at one side; his hat was a soft felt of no particular shape, and his boots were coarse and roomy. Yet he had a self-importent air, such as might indicate an independent posi.ion and the possession of property, and this was made more seep visible to all who saw him slap down a ig, fat-looking wallet on the clerk’s counter, directing that it be placed in the safe to await his order. ‘*T reckon I kin take keer 0’ mvsclf as well as anybody,” said he, ‘* but when it’s jest as easy Sp be on the safe side, I allus go thar and stay thar. Then he deposited his countrificd carpet-bag in the state-room that had been assigned to him, and sauntered out into the cabin to look about. The Social Hall—the name given to the for- ward part of the cabin adjacent to the clerk’s office and the bar—was pretty well filled with drinkers and smokers and loungers: but only two of the card tables were occupied, as it was too early in the evening for any extensive games. There were men enough to play them, men who might drop into or be drawn into them as the night advanced, though steambcot }as- sengers were not then as ready to stake houses and lands as they had been in former days, end among them were several whom an expericnecd observer might readily have recognized as pro- fessional gamblers who traveled on the boats for the pu of getting hold of other } eople’s money through the medium of so-called garues of chance. At one of the tables that have been menticned were seated four men who were playing ‘‘ seven up,” without any money stakes; the other was occupied by two of the profcssional gamblers and a victim. There could be no doubt thet the third persen was a victim, as his appearance and the 4 of the game plainly pcinted bim out to anybody who was acquainted with such matters as a pigeon in process of being plucked. He seemed to be hardly out of his teenr, and was a well-dressed, handsome, dark-haired young man, whose face showed signs of early dissipation, The game was poker, of course, and money was being freely staked by the young man and liberally absorbed by the others, who, while pre- tending to be opponents, were really playing into each other’s hands. No doubt they were cheating; but the eyes of bystanders were on the game, and their under- hand work was done so finely that it was a mat- ter of inference rather than of proof. This condition of affairs was evident to every- body who took any interest in the game, with the single exception of the victim, and he was destroying his chances, if he might be supposed to have any chances, by too irequent communi- cation with the bar. The pluckers of the pigeon were in no wise be- hind him in their willingness to drink—in fact, they assisted and encouraged him in putting the enemy into his mouth — hut their seasoned stomachs and cool heads were not worried by what they drank, while he beceme momentarily hotter and more excited, }!ay’ng wildly, and betting with a headstrong and utterly unreason- able recklessness. Of course they would have won in any event; but his excitement enabled them to pluck bim more speedily and more thorouchly. Benjamin Gray of Heopville was whtching this interesting and exasperating game, but was not watching it closely, his attention being fre- quently drawn off to other people and other happenings in and about tle cabin. fscecially was his keen end wary glance turned toward the after part of the cabin, which was sacred to the lady passenger's, and iu that direction there was something worth look- ing at. i A young lady in that part of the boat not only turned her face toward the Social Hall, but occasionally left her sent and sauntered down the cabin, walking and looking as if some trou- ble was oppressing her. It was evident to Benjamin Grey, as it must” have been to all who observed her, thet there was a strong family likeness between her and the young victim at the poker game. She had dark hair and eves as he had, and her brunette face was hiphly attractive in fea- tures and color and expression, and she was handsomely dressed and appeared to be a year or so older than he. . Brother and sister, one would have thought, and the inference would naturelly arise that the sister was distressed by her brother’s proceed- _————o— -Ot—t—SC ee e—S——CNBER” —™——"— «©>— +— ~*OnaOw—a— mo eee ee sss 0.050950. sss ‘he “Tt can’t be. You are only trying to give me | garly landing, and worse yet to receive there we at the card-table. oes a setting down for med with your affairs. | only one passenger, who was an undoubted learly this was the case, as afteragebileshe = | ; But I meant no harm, I thought I would | “ gray. e to one of the colored servants, who, after aay, . By ye rather too practical joke on yon, and e was a Gray by name as well as by nature, | a brief hesitation, carried ber message to the -_ (oe at the same time do you a service, She was | registering at the clerk’s office as “ Benjamin | young man in the Social Hall. eS pe sure to find out the style of your business some Gray, Hoopville, Indiana,” and in appearance ‘* Miss Talcott wants to speak to you, sah,” ie. = (E S a - ' e » . ~ j ¥ s ; ¥ ‘ : eee y! . 7 + _ b — . + | = © 3 ty » bd Pd JOO com - 3 Cig “set