Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 438 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

stranger,” he said, coldly, as he replaced his rifle in the wagon, then gazed fully into the face of the scout. ‘‘I’d as soon grip your paw as any other, ef we met under different circum- stances. But you cain’t expect me to fall in love with the man who stops me from takin’ up my honest rights.” The smile taded from the gaunt face of the scout as he listened, and even before he uttered a word, Evander Wright reaiized his folly in showing his sentiments so plainly. For himself he cared little or nothing, but he should have been more thoughtful of those who depended upon him alone, just then. ‘** All right, mister man,” grunted the scout, showing his yellow, wolfish teeth as he spoke, and a vicious glitter coming into his black eyes. ‘“‘Ef you want it rough-shod, you kin hev it! Whar’s your critters staked out at? Git ’em up an’ hitched-to in a hurry! We hain’t got no time to waste over men like you. Lively, now!” ‘*Mebbe you know best whar the stock is gone,” sullenly retorted the boomer, his hot tem- per again getting the best of his judgment. **They was run off last night by a dirty cur that called himself Jerry Viggles. Mebbe you know him?” Tom O’Donnell—to give him the name he laid claim to—showed his teeth again, a hot flush showing how hard the sneer had hit him, ‘* Look here, my fine fellow,” and the bony forefinger shook before the white face of the boomer. ‘‘ Don’t you git too durn smart. It’s a mighty thankless job we’ve got, at the best. It’s our orders to make things as easy on you boomers as we kin, handy; but we ain't bound to chaw everything you see fit to throw in our faces. An’ when a man like you run; in our road, blowin’ an’ snarlin’, it’s better’n a feast in famine time; fer we try to even up all we owe on him,” Evander Wright said nothing, feeling that he had already gone too far for the good of the helpless ones dependent upon him, But Tom O’Donnell was not so easily placated, and at a word from him his men scattered about the clump of timber, looking for sign, as it seemed. “T know you, Evander Wright,” the chief of scouts added, his tones hard and almost brutal. ““T’ve had one eye open for you this month st. I heard that you made your brags about A you was goin’ to git thar in spite of our teeth, an’—” ** Whoever said that lied!” growled the boomer. ‘Would I be sech a fool as to ax ou critters to hunt me out? Not any os ‘‘ All the same, 1 know you, an’ I’ve bin huntin’ fer you a good mon‘h; you an’ that slip- ry Oklahoma Nick, as he calls himself. Whar is he right now?” with sudden sharpness, bend- ing forward and staring keenly into the face of the boomer, as though expecting to catch him in an evasion, if not a flat lie, ‘¢Gone to hunt up our stolen stock,” ‘‘An’the young feller went with him, eh?” casting a sharp glance around the camp, his gaunt face lighting up a little as he saw the two women standing near the tent, pale and anxious, ‘*That’s more o’ your bard luck. We hain’t got time to waste waitin’ fer them, an—’ ‘* T eain’t move without hosses, kin 1?” growled Wright, angrily. “That ain't my lookout. My orders is to ar- rest an’ turn back ail trespassers on this land, ‘You ain’t no red-skin, nur them ain’t no squaws, ‘You come without law or reason, an’ you kin go back the same way.” ‘** 1 cain’t go without hosses. When they come, I'll go, not fer you or your men, but because the Gov’ment is back o’ you. Only fer that—” Evander Wright clicked his teeth sharply as he bit off the hot, reckless worés that leaped up in his throat. Bound as were his hands, he must not say all he felt. Tom O’Donnell lenghed harshly, sneeringly. ** You'll travel when I give the ota g old man, or—vrell, I’m better on the do then I be on the talk. As fer hosses—” You've g t to hitch on some oc’ yours, then, ef you won't wait fer the boys to git back with urn, ‘“‘ As fer bosses, you kin tote enough plunder on your back to last you fur’s you'll git with that akyfortis tongue 0’ yours, old man! I set out to treat you white, but you wouldn’t hev it. You stuck up your nose at my hand. It wasn’t good enough fer you totetch. Allright! Isay you've got to git up an’ git, hosses or no hosses! An’ what you cain’t tote on your back, we'll see that no other boomer don’t git, ef we hev to make a bonfire to save it! Now you want to—” His spee:h was cut short by a shrill scream, coming from near the little tent, where Otelia and her mother were meg Ring watchi the interview between Evander Wright and the chief of scouts. One of the men, a burly, ruffianly-looking ras- cal, whose inflamed countenance and reddened eyes proclaiméd him more than half-drunk, sud- denly came around the tent from the rear, and catching Otelia ahout the waist, bent he forci- bly backward, trying to press his foul mouth to hers. Evander Wright wheeled on his heel as that piercing shriek of mingled terror and anger | came to his ears, and as he saw his beloved child struggling in the grasp of a ruffian, he whipped forth a revolver and sent a bullet crashing _ through the rascal’s braiu! And so swiftly following that it seemed but an echo of his shot, Tom O’Donnell fired at the | boomer, who flung up his arms and fell head- long, almost at the feet of his wife and daugh- ter. O*Donnell strode forward, cocking his weapon as though to make his foul work sure, but Ote- lia, freed from her insulter, sprung across the body of her father, thrusting a revolver before her. And though the chief of scouts flinched, ' ducking his head, he reeled back at her shot, ut- tering a sharp curse of angry pain. | CHAPTER XI, A DETECTIVE OUTWITTED, THERE are very few of us without our weak- nesses, and fewer still who do not relish the idea of **taking down” those who have held them- | selves on a slightly higher plane. Henry Horn- | kohl was not one of the woudrous few whom nature made perfect at the start, and though Boomer Balt had been anything but severe in his reign, as guide, in comparison with the gen- erality of the guild, he had naturally treated his employer much as a schoolmaster regards a pupil. Therefore, when Boomer Balt seemed driven to his wits’ end and wholly at a loss what course to pursue, Henry Hornkohl would nave been a little more than mortal if he had not felt a certain grim pleasure in keeping the veteran on the tenter-hooks of doubt and incredulity for a time. It was amusing to watch the old fellow—as watch him the lawyer did through his nearly closed lids as he lay smoking lazily in the early morning while the guide prepared breakfast. It was amusing to note his enenogee doubting coun- tenance as he stole shy glances in that direction; as he would stop short in bis work at times, to sniff and snort and shake his head, now dubi- ously, now decidedly, hatever these doubts may have been, they were speedily dispersed after the morning meal was disposed of. Henry Hornkohl sought another interview with Lieutenant Ballingal, which resulted in a triangular consultation with Tom O'Donnell as the third member. Then, while the chief of scouts called some of his men together, Horn- kohl bustled about the wrecked camp, finally securing a fairly good saddle-horse, whose owner was lying flat on his back with a broken eg. ‘* It’s the best I can do, old fellow,” said Horn- kohlas he turned the animal over to Boomer Balt. ‘*Get ready for the road at once, will you? Wecan dono good here, and the sooner we start the quicker we'll be likely to find the Wright family.” ‘* Blowed onto’em! Told the sojer! Goin’ to hunt ’em up— long of a passel o’ scouts! Waal, I will be durned to durnation!” Boomer Balt seemed stunned, and wholly un- able to comprehend what object his employer had in acting after this fashion, A dozen times while enguged in preparing his horse for the road his mouth flew open as he stared at the lawyer, but as often it closed with an audible oe , the almost-spoken question remaining un- orn. Henry Hornkohl saw all this, and really en- joyed it, though his countenance never betrayed the fact. He saw that Boomer Balt was suffer- ing torments, and though he was not naturally of a malicious disposition, he carefully kept bim in suspense through the aa, 8 oe aos through the brisk ride that lasted until high noon. Lieutenant Ballingal told off half a dozen sol- diers, and added to them four of the scouts, leaving the choice of the latter to their own chief, and bidding the privates consider them- selves under command of the scout designated by Tom O’Donuell to fill that office, ‘*Good luck go with you, my dear sir,” he said, cordially, crossing palms with the lawyer as the little squad were in readiness for a start. ** Pd send O'Donnell with you, but I’ve got other work for him. ‘You can trust these honest lads: I’d back any one of them to charge through fire and brimstone if their duty lay on the other side! ‘*Tt’ll hardly come to that, I reckon,” laughed Hornkohl, lightly. ‘‘ From all accounts this Wright is a smart fellow, but I hardly think he'll fight when we corner him. You'll see us heading this way before many days, with a mighty meek-faced boomer begging for an army escort back across the border.” And all through that forenoon ride, Henry Hornkobl seemed to find a particular delight in flinging out some such scrap as this. If one was to believe his speech, there never lived a more rabid ‘‘ protectionist” as far as the Oklahoma country was concerned. \ Each and every boom- er was a criminal of deepest dye. Instead of | being simply escorted back aeross the border, LL LLLLRLRL LD LBB BPD DDD RAL LDL DX LLL LAD ACBL ALD AAA PAR DD A A LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLALLLLLLLLLLLRR LLL llllllllLClllllllllll LLLLLLLLL L Ll lt iltllllllltllllllLllattLttttt, —~ there to be set at liberty to make another at- tempt to successfully break the law. thev de- served close confinement at the hardest kind of hard labor! Naturally enough both the soldiers and the — 17 scouts were strongly prejudiced against the in- vaders, for this life was hardly as agreeable as lying idly ip garrison, but Henry Hornkohl far istanced each and ¢ very one of the Lttle squad in his denunciations of the trespassers, Boomer Balt rode along in the rear, the pic- ture of dejection and doubt. Now and then his face would lighten up as the lawyer bore down particularly heavy on the Loomers; this was in such strong contrast to the opinions which he had expressed during their earlier association, | that the guide tried to believe his employer was playing a part; was seeking to throw the enemy off their guard, the more surely to escape the trap into which they bad fallen, ‘* Durn it all!” he muttered, shaking his head helplessly. ‘*‘ I cain’t hev mistook sc fur as that! He’s white—he ain't sech a cur! He wouldn’t sell ’em out! But—double-durned ef it. don’t git me!” Henry Hornkohl turned in his saddle with a low, mocking laugh, as though his keen ears had caught this muttering, Boomer Balt stared at him almost appealingly, but that smiling face turned away without reply. The little band was not moving at random. The country to the east of the wrecked camp had been pretty thoroughly scouted over, and it was tolerably certain that, as Evander Wright bad attempted to slip through the lines alone, he would try to keep off the most frequented routes, On comparing notes, Tom O’Donnell decided that the party must have kept to the west, as all trails in the other direction had been investigat- ed and those who made them accounted for, And acting by his advice the soldiers kept with the two civilians, while the four scouts spread out to cover as much ground as possible, looking keenly for signs. W hen noon came the party stopped for dinner. It was not a forced march they were taking, and under such circumstances men of their caliber are not apt to ig or neglect their rations. Henry Hornkobl straw that Poomer Balt had taken on a dogged, resolute expression as though he was determined to reach some definite under- standing before going further; and as he felt that he had pretty well wiped off all scores, the lawyer even went a little out of his way to bring about this amicable settlement. ‘*Own up that I'm not nearly suck a slouch as ou put me down for at the jump-cff, Uncle alt,” he laughed as, their hasty meal disposed of, he dropped down beneath a tree which stocd some little distance from where the remeinder of the party were eating and resting. ‘* Tm free to own you ain’t jest the sort I tuck ye fer,” slowly uttered the guide, Hornkohl laughed softly, bis dark eyes snap- ping again at this cautious reply—one that could be read backward and forward. ‘You admitted that you couldn’t see a way out of the trap into which we run cur heads. You as good as threw up your hand when Tom O’Donnell came in an j recognized you. You admit that, pard?”’ ‘“ Waal, I ain’t sayin’ you’re so mighty fur off ‘tke track, but, why ir time did you sell out ’Vander Wright? Thai’s what’s puzzlin’ me heap the ww’st. stick up fer him an’ them the bardest! To sell ’em out Jike that! To not even wait fer a ques- tion, but to jump right in an’—goed Lord!” The veteran fairly choked witb utter disgust. But Henry Hornkohl only laughed more lightly than before. ‘Why not, since it is fer bis cwn good? Why not, since I want to Lring him back to enjoy something far better tban he can ever to gain in this country, even if he could he assured of being permitted to take his pick and remain undisturbed, But that, as yeu are old enough to know, is altogether cut cf the questicn, Some day the country will be opened for settlemen of course, but until then the Government wi surely see that the law, ss such, is respected.” ‘*Mebbe yes, mebke ro. I con't give a cop- per fer it citber way, jest now,” was the grum- bling retor. ‘* What gits me, is—” ‘** How I soft-sawdcred the gallant lieutenant?” smiled the lawyer. see enough, cear fel- low. I just showed lima Lit cf paper, signed and countersigned, whose euthor y nized and admitted. Scone cay Vil just as wise. For the present—listen. ‘While Evander Wright is secking his for- tune in this direction, he is :unning right away froin a 1wuch greater and n ore certain cne. what ere 4,0u grinning about?’ with a start and a frown, as he noticed the peculiar light that flashed across the face of the guide. * Was | grinnin’?’ with an innocent uplifting of his white brows, ‘**‘ Weal, mebbe I was thinkin’ of the old sayin’ ‘thar’s tricks in all trades but ours.’ But never mind me, lad, I’m onlv a ole fool. Go on.” Henry Hornkohl was serious enough now, and he cvazed keenly, almost susyiciously at the enide, who was placidly smiling at vacancy. This was not the first time astray word or twe had startled the lawyer, as he cleimed to be. More than once he had caught himself wonder ing if Boomer Balt was just what he represented himself. More than once he suspected that the old fellow was keeping something back, was ‘comicboo he recog- meke you es You, the very critter that ought to~ 4 Now | - S, Cor | _ a. ; ij . oh $ § =) + Li J