Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 434 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

Sea St 60.! Sa Orr SITS es oR ee + ’ ~~ ~ -_ —= , = Se — - : ® OP +.~67 ew A OR 2 SSS eS ee es . ~ - 2 ~~ rs : a : A ee i &e }y aed ae. i) -¥ , uc we d ie -_r ‘ ‘ 5 “) sve Cee | > a ’ my allegiance ter Thunder City!” he cried. he said through his teeth. 4 *Divide.’ I don’t like ’em, I sa 14 eyes, but all at once she leaned toward him with | ‘* You don’t want to shield the guilty?” resolution uppermost in her own. ‘“*T did take that paper to your cabin!” she ex- claimed boldly. ‘‘I thought I had delivered it to the magician—not to you. I overheard Scar Chick talking to you in his cabin last night.” The brows of the bronzed sport grew dark. “*Eavesdroppin’ is death in Thunder City. That’s one o’ the iron-clad laws o’ the ‘ Divide!” he said. **T know it, but I could not help committing the crime, if crime itis,’ was the reply. ‘ You can report me if you wish.” “Me report you, Flavia?’ exclaimed Anacon- da. “If you wait for that event you'll hear Gabriel's trump along ther ‘ Red Divide.’ But you must tell me thetruth. I want ter know who thet man is.” “Let Scar Chick's test determine that, if ii | ing can,” ejaculated Flavia. ‘* He has not given it ‘up, has he?” “No, It is to be made within the coming hour.” * What is it to be?” * That is locked in Scar Chick’sbosom. That man is not what he pretends ter be—a prince 0’ tricks.” “Why not? You saw him at work last night?” ‘[ did, an’ he’s a dandy, too. ButI know that some big business brought him hyar. Scar Chick calls him aspy from Lightnin’ Lay-out. He is not that?” ** No!” and the girl answered without think- ing. @ Aha! I thought so!” cried Anaconda. “I am your friend, Flavia; have always been. You can’t afford to help a man who comes hyar for no good ter the camp. More men than Scar Chick have been watchin’ him all day. Major Sphinx’s friend Julian has \had an eye on him _ ever since he came, so has the major who got ‘white over a little trick last night. Don’t you see the man is ina web? He'll have ter declare himself. Scar Chick never fails when he under- takes a job. Now, Flavia, we come down ter business. Who is that man?’ Anaconda Alf was determined not to take anything unsatisfactory for a reply. His pierc- ing black eyes were fastened on Flavia, and she could not throw off their spell, A sudden thought came to the girl’s rescue. “You are my friend, you say, Anaconda Alf?” she suddenly exclaimed. **Pve always been that.” “Then I'm going to trust you.” The sport drew back. “Not with any secret that will make me aie that man is our enemy I won’t promise ter keep anything you tell me, girl.” He is not Thunder City’s foe,” was the quick response. ‘‘He has been misjudged ell along. He has a mission to perform, and the discharge of it brings him here.” * A detective, eh?’ cried Anaconda Alf, “cc Yes.” Flavia drew back a pace to see how the mountain tough took the answer. “By Jupiter! wedon’t like them trail dogs!” “Thar’s a clause ag’in’ them in the laws Major Sphinx drew up for Thunder City! We don’t allow ’em hyar, flavia!” “But that does not keep them back,” re- marked the girl with a smile. ‘* Something else will!” grated Anaconda. ‘‘A Whatis he after?” repetrators of a dastardly crime.” .* Ar’ they hyer?” Flavia seemed to hesitate a moment. *“* He thinks they are,” she said firmly. The next question was to have been ex- ‘* Who ar’ they?” This time the girl shook her head. ‘You will have to ask him, Anaconda, These detectives generally keep their own secrets.” “This one may have ter divulge his!” flashed thesport. ‘‘ A man stands a poor show for success hyer with ail Thunder City ag’in’ him! It will be that, for a thousand, if Bruce Bartlett is what ou call him. His blood-rod sweat last night for omen. Are they the ones he wants?’ ‘Who were they?” “ Major Sphinx an’ his friend Julian.” *T do not know.” “Jt looks that way!” exclaimed Anaconda reflectively. ‘‘I can see that the major an’ ulian war acquainted long before Julian came h er. IfI thought they war the ones he wants ‘Apaconda Alf broke his own sentence and - Flavia waited in breathless impatience for him “No, I don’t think it’d be fair!” he sud- denly went on. ‘‘ I don’t like old ‘ By Jove, ha hha,’ any too well; but he’s kinder identifie with Thunder City, an’ I don’t want one o’ these detective sharps ter play a bluff game on ther » Sir. “Give this one a chance, a cried Flavia, springing toward Anaconda Alf. ‘‘My word for it, he will take none but the right persons. _He doesn’t want you.” ** Of course not,” 4 : s —. “Se i j Lucifer Lynx, the Wo ea tse | —— a —-- ‘*Not much! One o’ the boys made a queer ~— ter-day about the s’ight-o’-hand sharp.” ‘* Well?” ‘‘He says the one eye that is natural looks like Doctor Lynx’s.” Flavia started and immediately wondered if the sport had seen her. ‘*1’m not much of a jedge of eyes,” continued Anaconda, *‘ but the man what made the re- mark claims ter be up in thet science. If the camp thought he war Lucifer Lynx who run Gold Grit off after Reckless Roy’s death, all creation couldn’t save him.” Flavia said nothing fora moment. The crisis had come, and the life of the cool detective trembled in the balances. ‘‘ What are you going to do?” she asked, look- anxiously into the tall sport’s face. ‘* About the detective now in camp?” ef tee | ‘*Ts he your friend, Flavia?’ , ‘* He is!” cried the girl, eagerly. ‘* How long has he been such?’ ‘*Not long, but he is my friend, all the same.” ‘Then, I'll let things take their course,” was the reply. ‘‘He doesn’t want me; 1l’m sure 0’ that. If he wants Julian, I don’t keer a snap; but I’m still a friend o’ ther major’s. Ozark isn’t hyer. He’s off on a mission—gone ter hunt Gold Grit, I expect!” ‘Is that true?” cried Flavia. \ ‘*T’'m tolerably sartain of it; but let that go. I won’t give your friend away, but Scar Chick is goin’ ter have his test. If he ain’t Lightnin’ Lay-out’s spy, he may come out o’ the ordeal with flyin’ colors; but 1t may take off his mask, allthe same. It’s’ most time now. I’ve an idea that Scar Chick ar’ goin’ ter apply the test in orgs Good-by, Flavia. You don’t want ter 2 around. Your presence might lessen his chances,” nder-Detective. <0 oe ee + ee oe | ing ‘ good-by’ to Flavia. I am a fugitive, with Anaconda Alf drew back and left before the | girl could hold him longer. ‘* Her friend an’ a detective!” he muttered be- yond the cabin. blood-stick told the truth last night. But he can’t take tker major off without a fight. ‘*T'll bet my head thet the | no crime on my hands, If Lucifer here now, I would take back my promise and. go to campand dare the toughs there to do their’ worst!” These words hightened the color in Gold Grit’s: face; they made him shut his hands in anger, and he threw a longing look up the mountain. That mountain was between him and Thunder City; he looked like he would brush it away, an 8° back to Sear Chick and his merciless ards. me I would like to know what is in the carvings on the logs that took Lucifer Lynx’s breath,” he suddenly resumed. ‘* I’ve seen them fifty times, but never attempted to solve the riddle. The letters ‘Z. W.’ are the initials of Zeke Wildfoot, the man who raised Flavia, but even in this light they signify nothing. It is true that he was never found after the storm that made her a denizen ot Thunder City; but if he lived, why didn’t he hunt Flavia up? Zeke Wildfoot was not her father, we all know that; but he was. coward enough to stay away after the storm, and leave the girl to her fate. Tl look at the carvings again. Since Lucifer Lynx saw scme- thing in them, why not I?” Gold Grit turned back into the cabin and lita lamp which he took from a shelf. * They’re all here yet!” he ejaculated, begin- ning the inspection, and for some minutes he was deeply immersed in a study of the strange knife-work on the logs. Before beginning the inspection the young: myth-hunter had closed the door of the moun- tain cabin, and the rays of his lamp were con- fined to the hut. ‘Pll leave them for Lucifer Lynx; they’re all Greek to me!” he exclaimed at last.. “I doubt whether they mean anything. They may have been formed for the purpose of mystifying. Yes, Lucifer Lynx, I leave this mystery to you. Make all out of it you can. The time may come—” Gola Grit. stopped abruptly, and then sprung: to the door. ‘‘ Have [ been found?” he mentaliy exclaimed, and then he caught a heavy oaken bar which he had prepared for an emergency, and fixed it in Sphinx is one o’ ther permanent fixtures of | place across the door. T under City.” | Beyon1 all doubt, Gold Grit had heard a sound Anaconda Alf walked rapidly away until a | which convinced him that some persons were man stepping from a cabin, caught him by tbe arm. ‘*T’ve been waiting for you, Anaconda. I’ve got everything ready ter trip ther spy!” he cried, The man was Scar Chick. ——_—- - —-— CHAPTER XVII. SEVEN DEVILS. ‘Tr everything in Thunder City was ready to outside, and as he stood in the light of his little lamp with a revolver in his hand, he locked as: magnificent as a young prince run down by hi: foes, For some minutes the euiet of the mountain was not broken by a single sound. Gold Grit had turned the light ep? out, but enough remained to show him the whole interior of his retreat. All at once a rap sounded on the heavy door. It was not the: stroke of a hand, but the hard trip the spy,” certain events that demand our _ blow, as the young gold-seeker knew, of the butt attention were transpiring in the mountains, Ozark Oll was loyal to Major Sphinx if he did refuse toserve with Julian the Spider, and when he left the mountain camp commissioned to find Gold Grit he intended to perform his work to the | letter. A keen trailer, perfectly fearless and cour- ' : ' consultation in muffled tones, of a revolver.. It took the youth forward, and lent his eyes a. firm defiant flash.. ‘* What is it?” he asked. ** Don’t yer know what a knock o’ that sort: means?” was the retort, in a harsh voice after a ‘“‘ It says in cold ageous, the buckskin sport was soon lost among | English that we want ther shanty door opened.” the trails beyond Thunder City. Meantime the youth somuch wanted by Major Sphinx and by the pards of the ** Divide” as well, had promised Lucifer Lynx that he would not | the answer. He knew that he venture back without the detective’s orders. We left the twain, as the reader will recollect, in the old cabin whose logs bore the strange ia Me, which had astounded the detective. Lucifer Lynx, as Bruce Bartlett, had come oer to the danger point, but where was Gold rit: If the reader could have approached the cabin about the time our last events were occurring in Thunder City, he would have seen the object of search standing in the door. The position of the cabin breathed seclusion. No broad trails led to it, and Gold Grit knew how to reach it by different ways. The young mine-hunter had found it by ac- cident, and as it seemed to serve his purpose, he had adopted it as a secret resting-place after long trails for the lost bonanza. Lucifer Lynx had gone back to Thunder City against Gold Grit’s wishes. - The man was still a mystery to the youth, and refused to tell why he would return to the place where his life would not be worth a straw if he were discovered. Gold Grit had told the detective all he knew about himself, which was not much, for the strange blank in his memory was to him an im- penetrable puzzle. ‘*T don’t know where this will end!” he ejacu- lated, while he stood in the doorway of the bid- den cabin with the shadows of rock and tree falling around him, ‘‘ One thing I do know, and that is that I have fled like a coward from a lot of men who accuse me of a crime of which I am innocent. Reckless Roy did not die by the wound I gave him in the duel he forced upon me. Lucifer Lynx tells me that there were finger-marks on Roy’s throat when he found him dead in his cabin, but yet he induces me to fly. I hate myself for that act. I fled without say- r *y mo é ‘ Py | P ey ° * ° wad s5 ° ? ‘ ’ "q ¥ ' | | ' ‘* We?” echoed the youth. **'Yes; Lightnim Lay-out!” The gold-hunter could not help recoiling at. had been pro-- scribed by the rival of Thunder City on the eastern side-of the ‘ Divide,” and not unknown to bim was the hatred in which he wes held by the six-and-sixty toughs who made that moun-. tain den their abode. He waited for a few morments to recover himself, but there was no sign of yielding in bis: look. ‘Between Lightning Lay-out and Thunder: City it is all one,” he exclaimed, with a smile. ‘Tam wanted at both places, and for what?! At Lightning Lay-out because I tramp the ‘TDivide” too much to suit the booted ruffians: there, and at Thunder City for a crime of which. I am innocent.” This to himself in mental sentences, then he- leaned toward the door again. ‘‘ Why are you here?” he asked, ‘We want you!” That was plain enough. “Well, gentlemen, there is @ door between: us, ‘¢ A door which you refuse ter open, eh?” **'Yes,” and Gold Grit stepped aside touching the logs with his shoulder and waited for the next move, He knew that his decision meant war. By some means the bronzed eagles of Light-. ning Lay-out had found the mountain retreat, and between them and the boy whom they wanted there was but a door! ‘“We want you because ye'’r’ in league with Satan,” suddenly said a voice on the outside, “Thar ar’ two ov you an’ one ain’t flesh an” blood either.” A sanfia tavadede’ on the face of the hunted! youth. ' Q ‘¢ What does the crank mean?” he ejaculated. “Twoof us? This is not true.” And then he said aloud (E ynx were comicbooks.