Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 476 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

' should die?” Bob Brent, Buccaneer. al gundy and afterward lighted {a fragrant cigar, which he sat down to enjoy. ‘‘ Breakfast at nine, Phillis,” he said, quietly. ‘‘ Yas, massa.” ‘¢ And here is market money, ‘* Keep the change.” She thanked him earnestly as she saw that ** the change” would be about five times what the marketing came to, ‘‘T guesses [ll git rich wid two such gem- mans as dem is to wait on,” she said, as she went back to ber quarters, determined that the visitor should live like a king while he was there. After she was gone, Rafael Rodriguez leaned back in his easy-chair, and smoked with the air of a man who enjoyed every puff that he sent in curls from his mouth, The night wore on, until midnight came, and then Rafael Rodriguez arose, and began to look about him. There was a large desk in the room, but it was securely locked, and he had not the ay An iron-bound chest was in the wardrobe, but this also was locked, and he had no key to open it. **' To-morrow I will get keys. ‘*Now to rest, for Tam tired,” he said, and soon after he had retired, and was sleeping soundly in the comfortable bed in the inner Phillis awoke him half an hour before break- fast was ready, and he ate with a relish, greatly to her delight. Then he dressed himself and went out. After several hours he returned, and from his pocket he took a lot of skeleton keys, which he at once began to fit in the locks of the desk and chest, until he found two that would open them. “Good!” he said, and taking the two keys from the bunch, he again went out, but re- turned for dinner, and Phillis was again de- lighted to see that he enjoyed all that she had set before him. That night, soon after supper, Rafael Rodri- guez began upon what seemed to have been the real object of his coming to the rooms of the buccaneer, for he first opened the desk with the skeleton key which he had fitted to the lock, and began to examine its contents. There were a number of papers which he looked over, and selecting some of these, he put them carefully away. Then he turned to the iron chest. In this he found quite a treasure. There were jewels, bracelets, necklaces and other articles of value. Though with so much wealth at his command, he simply selected a necklace, of less value than others there, and to which was attached a locket containing a miniature, Upon the likeness he gazed for some moments a silence, while a strange look rested upon ‘his ace, Placing this aside with the papers he had taken, he took up a ring in which was a single stone, a ruby of rare size and beauty. This he laid aside and closed the iron chest, while he began to pace the floor, as though in a thoughtful mood, a mood that was by no means a pleasant one; yet he smiled at times, but a grim, sardonic smile it was. Again he sought rest, and the next morning at breakfast told Phillis that he would have to leave that day, and she heard the announcement with regret. “Did your master have no word, Phillis, what was to be done with his things i case he ‘‘He gave me a letter, massa, ter take ter Massa Allen, the big lawyer in town, sah, and said it would tell what he wanted, but that he guessed he’d git back all right.” ‘¢-You have the letter, Phillis?” *¢ Yas, gah, it’s yonder behind the clock.” Rafael Rodriguez did not even look in the di- rection indicated, but said, indifferently: **T merely asked, for life is uncertain with the best of us,” “Yas, sah, so it be; but Massa Conrad said as how I was to leave all to Jetif he comed back without him; but if neither of them came, after the year wasup, I was to take the letter to Massa Allen.” “ All right, Phillis, here is a little present for you, as you have taken such good care of me,” and Phillis was delighted with the very rich olden harvest she had reaped in so short a e. That morning a trunk came to the rooms for Senor Rodriguez, and also a number of pack- ‘ages, evidently late purchases. Soon after these were packed in the trunks, a carriage called, and attired in a stylish suit which he had purchased, the Cuban entered the vehicle and drove to the stage-office. There he bought a ticket for the little seaport of G—, and one who had known him with full-bearded face, and long hair, in sailor garb, would not have tie sige in the ‘handsome, stylishly-dressed gentleman with clean-shaven face and short curls, the pilot who had led the disastrous expedition upon the Red Sea-Raider, and who, in sending a bullet into the body of Brazos the Buccaneer, seemed to have satiated the revenge he felt against —— ee eee ee ETE TEEEEE a CHAPTER XTX, THE PLEDGE. THE whole village of G—— was in deep grief, for not only hada number of its brave sailor lads been slain, but others were wounded, and a gloom fell upon all. The hope of success and fame for the young sailors had been foiled by defeat, and Basil Brent, admired by all, was mourned by all who had known him, Yet no one thought of blaming Bob Brent for the disaster, He had obtained news of the presence of the Red Sea-Raider in hiding at a certain point, and he had hoped to win fame and gold for all by the capture of the famous buccaneer. He had failed to meet the success he had hoped for, and had to mourn for a brother and many brave comrades who had been his boyhood com- panions. No one in G—— seemed to look upon Bob Brent as having been the half-brother of Basil, for it had been forgotten almost that such was the case. So they felt for him in the affliction, and never ones dreamed how deep had been his plot, As for Bob Brent he had gone at once to his home, after landing from the Sea Wing and making bis report of the affair to Commodore Sprague and others. Arriving at home he had again told the story to old Berry and Jule, and their wailing for Basil’s untimely end sunk deep into his heart. Anxious to get the matter off hismind as much as possible, he sat down and wrote out to the Secretary of the Navy a report of the affair, stating that his brother, Lieutenant Basil Brent, while home on leave, had been urged to take command of a vessel, with a volunteer crew, to capture the Red Sea-Raider, as ther3 was no ship-of-war at that time in those waters. e spoke of his brother’s desperate courage and dying upon the deck of the pirate craft, and having dispatched this communication was in hopes that there would be nothing more said about it, in the way of an investigation. The next day, to his sorrow, he learned that Norma was lying at the point of death, and he hastened over to Beacon Hill to hear the truth. The commodore met him and told him that he had feared for the life of his daughter at first, but that she had at last come out of her swoon and had rallied, so that there was every mae that she would soon be herself again, though the blow had seemed to be a severe one. ‘*T do not understand, Bob, how it all came about, this love between my child and Lieuten- ant Basil; but certain it is that they did love each other, and all the time I looked upon you as the intended husband of Norma, for somehow it seemed that she belonged to you.” **T have always felt the same, commodore and it was perhaps for this reason I never ha asked her to be my wife until too late.” ‘Too late, Bob?” asked the commodore, with surprise. ** Well, sir, I never spoke to her upon the sub- ject until the day we sailed on that disastrous expedition, and then I found I was too late, for she already loved my poor brother.” ** Well, boy, she will mourn for him her spell, and then the field is open to you, for you cer- tainly have my good-will in courting her, ‘‘ But now I must return to her, so you will excuse me and come over to-morrow, for I know she will see you, as she said she wished to hear all from your lips.” Bob Brent winced at this, but, promising to call upon the morrow, took his departure, and wended his way back to Overlook. The next day was the Sabbath, and a servant came over in the afternoon to ask Captain Bob Brent to please call at Beacon Hill, as Miss Norma wished to see him. The man’s heart throbbed violently at the request. @ felt that he had to pass through the sever- est ordeal yet. He had loved, fairly.idolized, Norma since she was a mere child, and when he had saved her from dying amid the flames he felt that she be- er to him. e had always been slighted by his father, after his mother’s death, for his brother Basil, and this had caused a certain bitterness to grow up in his heart against him. Toa young and handsome lad, mate of a fine ship, who had asked Commodore Sprague for his daughter, the old seaman had responded that he was rich and would not let his daughter marry a poor man unless he wore the uniform of a naval officer. ; If any other got her, he must be able to match her fortune with one of his own. This had reached the ear of Bob Brent, and was, perhaps, with his love of gold, which led him to gamble to secure it, what caused him to be tempted into running in smuggled goods. He was determined to match Norma’s fortune when he asked her to become bis wife, With this in view he had plotted and sinned, and when Basil came between him and his love he was led very readily to commit a greater crime to get rid of his brother. | . With the Sea-Raider dead, and ESV °C RY Pa 1 — iy » . ia - ><. ~ eth i ea APS OPPS Basil out of the way, nothing stood between him and Norma that he could see. So it was that he felt keenly when he had to face Norma, to see her sorrow which bis act had caused, and he entered the library at Beacon Hill with the feeling that he would give all that he possessed to undo what he had done, o his surprise Norma came forward and greeted him with a face that was very pale, very sorrowful but calm. ie had expected to see her bowed down with grief, ‘**Bob, I sent for you, because I wished to have a talk with you and heard that you were to sail soon,” ** Yes, I leave in a couple of days, Norma, to join my vessel at Boston and start upon a voy- age to the West Indies,” he said. ‘*T will be sorry to have you go, Bob, for, al- though I told you [ ¢ould not give you the love you sougDt yet I feel the deepest regard for your noble nature, and appreciate all that you have been to me, ‘* Now tell me, Bob, all about this sad, this fatal expedition.” He was more and more surprised at her calm- ness, and felt confused in her presence. At last he said: “Norma. I acted, as I believed, for the best, and gave up my chance to Basil, hoping he would add to his fame by the capture of the Sea- somecaegt while he was away from his vessel on eave. ‘Through some means the pirate was ready for us and the surprise was so great that our lads were beaten off, my poor brother falling dead upon the deck of the schooner. ‘*This is all I can tell you, Norma; but as the Sea-Raider was also killed I hope that his vessel will soon be taken.” ‘*T hope so,” and she was silent for a moment. and then said: ** Bob, did your brother leave me no letter, and you no writing, as to what he wished done, should he fall?” ‘*-Yes, Norma, he left for you this letter, which, as I know its contents, through a few lines , ‘ ‘to myself, I did not intend to hand to you until She took the letter, broke the seal and read aloud, without a quiver of her voice: ‘““On BoARD SRIG SEA wine. f “My owN DEAR NoRMA:— be no more, forI have left orders that it be given you only in case of my death, to be my wife, and talking together after an en- agement we felt sure tha IT be taken from you? ‘Now, Norma, it is my last wish that you shall that Bob loves you with all his soul and that I stole you from hi I had gone to sea,” “AT SEA ‘* When this letter is placed in your hands, I will ‘*“You remember, Norma, that when you promised oved you, you pledged yourself to be bis wife should keep that pledge, for Iam more and more convinced Bob [leave all that I possess, and thus to “ To you also, for, Norma, fail not to keep you pledge made to me that night on the beach, and this plead- ing from the dead. ** Until death, * Your devoted The man shuddered as she read the words, try as he might to conceal all emotion. ora moment the lips of the girl quivered; but she had nerved herself to meet the ordeal bravely, and so said when she had finished read- ing the letter: months from to-day if so you wish it. ‘*Do you, for if not and I break my word to — poor dead Basil, then I am not to blame for it,” Had he been a better reader of human nature than he was, he would have seen that she wasin hopes that he would refuse to hold her to the pledge. But he was not, and in his vanity he believed that she really loved him the beet, for her calm manner deceived him, as did the fact that she was wae to keep her pledge. He did not see the inner grief, beyond the sight of mortal man, and so he said: ‘*T love you, Norma, as you well know, and now that Basil stands not between us, I will ask you to keep your pledge six months from to- day. fe did not observe the look that passed over her beautiful face, as she responded: ‘“T will keep my pledge, Bob; but now say — good-by, for I am not well. Thus they parted, for two days after Bob Brent left home, and a week after sailed from Boston in the Golden Hope, bound upon his voy- age to the West Indies. CHAPTER XX. byt A STRANGER IN G——. THE very stage that carried Bob Brent away from G——, on the way to Boston, had brought in a few hours before a passenger whose a ance in the little town had created some best tavern in the town, and whose of the name he had given his pla The stranger been welcomed by omicbooks. ~ ‘ wmiltit 4 * * (é (oXo) ot, ‘S| 4 ¥ + my noble brother Bob Bob, I am ready to keep my pledge six c a stir, “ ; oe He had put up at the Pot Luck Inn, the very : was known to set a most tempting table, inspite — ts a * ae“. 7 4 hs