Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 483 — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

—— eee ee es - a *.” - 1% . - le Sg - * cs _ ger if we remain. 24: tobunt you. But it was hard to get on your trail, andit was only by chance that I at last got a notion of where you were.” ‘* Who told you that [ was missing?” she in- quired, ‘‘ Was it your father?” “Ever hear knew it, and everybody was talking a out it; but nobody knew what had be- come of you.’ * Could se your father tell you?” : it My father? What should he know about ; I — ee ‘* He was there when I was taken away, and I thought he was acquainted with the men, Ma- jor Stacey told me that Uncle Bramwell knew all about it.” Aca interruptions discouraged Tom, as well s put him out; but he had not finished his spdeelt. and he hastened to get back to it. “Major Stacey be blowed! Don’t you know that he is out of his head? They ought not to have let him speak to you.” ‘“That’s so, Tom. Urcle Bramwell should have managed matters better.” ** Will you listen to me, Eva? As soon as I found out where you were, [ came on here to rescue you from the villains, Wehad a hard fight with them, and I am afraid it must have frightened you: but we whipped them out, though I was wounded, as you see,’ “Whata pity! Shall I not attend to your | wound, Cousin Tom? Iam not a bit afraid of | the sight of blood. It seems to have been peg bandaged—over your coat-sleeve, too.” ‘Never mind that, Evadesr. ‘I would platy | lose my arm for your sake. The wound don't bother me a bit.” This was one truthful statement, for which | Tom should have due credit. ‘* Let me look at it,” she implored. ‘There is no time to spare. Those villains | may have friends about bere, and there is dan- Come, Eva!” ‘*T suppose I must go with you,” she simply answered, CHAPTER XXXYV. A WOMAN IN THE WAY. Ir must have seemed to Tom Stacey, and it doubtless did, that his attempt to pass himself off as a hero was not making as favorable an impression on Eva Bramwell as he had hoped it would, That young lady had treated the affair very | coolly, interrupting his earefully-prepared speech with remarks which showed that she suspected the fraud of the entire performance, She had even binted that his alleged wound wasa sham, and it was, indeed, a careless piece of business to tie the handkerchief over his coat- sleeve. Thus his eloquence had failed to be effective, and he felt sheepish, like a man who has been | caught in an obvious and unnecessary lie. However, he had Eva in his possession, and she would be kept out of the reach of Ben Stan- niford and his friend, and Tom’s father could be depended on to bring her to terms. hat young lady looked about her quite coolly and calmly when she eme oe from the house, and she saw no evidence of a bloody and des- perate combat. One of the men who had brought her there she saw standing near the corner of the house, ap- | parently uneoncerned, and surely not injured. This naturally increased her suspicions, and | brought out another of her sarcastic innuendoes. “Where do you bury your dead, Cousin Tom?” | she inquired. Bury my dead? What do you mean by that?” ““The men you killed in that terrible fight | awhile ago—what has become of them?” ‘Oh, we didn’t kill any of them, I am glad tosay. It was a hard struggle, but we whipped | them, and made them give in. ” i They are very good, I am sure, to take their defeat so casily, and not try to get away.” * Tom Stacey was then in a greater hurry than ever to start, as his cousin must be got out of the way of those suspicious surroundings. The ‘horse which she had ridden from her | uncle’s place, with the side-saddle she had then used, was brought forward, and Tom assisted | her to mount, “Take care of your arm,” she thoughtfully remarked. “I am afraid that your wound is worse than you are willing to admit.” **Oh, I don’t care about that. It was for your sake that I got hurt,” ‘“What a brave fellow you must be! ButI do not wonder at it, as [ have heard that you have often been shot in the neck.” This was too bad; it amounted to downright impertinence; and Tom inwardly vowed that he | need not trouble herself to ask oe get even with that saucy and independent girl He hurried his party away, and rode off with | Eva, followed by his comrades who had come with him from the road. As soon as he was out of sight, the men who had been guarding the horses, and who were. supposed to have been so badly defeated, came | forward and made hasty preparations for their | own departure. After Major Stacey’s outbreak, which had excited the surprise and consternation of his medical relative, he was tied down to a husk mattress, which compelled him to keep quiet and submit to treatment. He was brought down-stairs on the mattress, which was fastened upon the back of a horse, and he was informed that be was to be taken to his Cousin Bramwell’s, where he could be prop- erly cared for. Mrs, Allstrup locked up the house, leaving it deserted, and carried away the key. Then she and the three men mounted and rode away with the major, in a different direction from that taken by Tom’s party, so that if pur- suit should be attempted, there wouid be at least two trails to perplex the pursuers. Tom Stacey and his party went off toward the north, taking a course which led them directly away ‘from the road where their enemies were located, It was a rough and hilly route, too, as well as an untraveled one, where it would be difficult to follow a trail, and when they reached a brook, they walked their horses in the water for a con- siderable distance. Eva noticed these p»ints, and her suspicions in- creased, while she at the same time rightly Judged that pursuit was apprehended. Jo you think any of those villains will try to follow us, Cousin Tom?” she inquired, ‘* They might—or their fr iends—but you needn’t be afraid of them while I am here.” **T am not afraid. They did me no harm. But it isso strange. I had supposed that those men were Uncle Bramwell’s friends.” ‘* How could you get such a notion into your | head?” ‘¢ Tt seemed queer to me at the time that two of them were needed to manage poor little me, while one was enough to manage such a big man as Uncle Bramwell. Then Major Stace told me that they were Uncle Bramwell’s friends, and so did somebody else.” “* Who else?” ‘“*T do not know who it was—somebody who came to the house. Is your arm easier Cousin Tom?” ** It is easy enough now.” ** | thought so, as you manage your horse well with your left hand. I see that the bandage is out of place.” Soitwas. Thehandkerchief hadslipped down, and there was no sign of a bullet wound where it had been. «Tf you will take off your coat, I will try to ban- dage the wound for you,” Eva suggested, Oh, never mind it. It don’t bother me.” ““ Where are we going to, Cousin Tom?” ‘* Weare going where you will be safe and out of the reach of all sorts of villains, and you don’t need to talk about it or ask any more ques- tions. “So I must hold my tongue. Those villains, as youcall them, who carried me off never asked me to hold my tongue. Iam afraid that your arm is worrying you, Tom, and that is what makes you so peevish,” After a little while the party got nearly out of the Staghead Hills, and halted on a treeless slope, from which there was a good view in all directions except that by which they had ome “What are we stopping here for?’ demanded Eva, in spite of the fact that she had been ordered to ask no more questions. ‘‘We are waiting for somebody,” gruffly answered Tom, who had expected to find the ** somebody ” waiting there for him. ‘¢ { hope we shall not have to wait long, as the vee will ,s00n come to an end, and [am getting ungry.” Pretty soon some more horsemen came in sight, and Tom and his party rode forward to join them. They proved to be J udge Stacey, Colonel Jeff, and a few of their friends, “So you are all right, Tom,” remarked the judge. ‘*Hverything straight as a shingle, sir. Iwas afraid that I would be a heap behind time, but was ahead of you at that.” ‘* We had to goa long way around. How did you get hurt?” i Tom took his father aside, and whispered to im, ‘‘T reckon it ain’t worth while to work that racket any more, pap. She | don’t take toita bif, and she suspects a heap.” ‘*Let her suspect, and be blowed! I’m not going to hear any more foolishness about this usiness, Come on, Tom—you and Jeff. The rest may go home.” ‘‘ Where are we going to?’ Eva inquired again, and was pretty ose el old that sbe any more ques- | tions. She rode on as she was ordered, with her uncle on one side, and her cousin on the other, and they soon came into a road with which’ they | were familiar. Eva had begun to grow despondent in view of ' the more than suspicious events of the afternoon, when she saw two women on horseback approach- ing their party, and she ras a that she recog-. ized their figures, poy this sbe was not night as they were FS A en co ee ee en eS Ee een (ee —— neue ali EEE EEE Flush Fred, the River cain Ali aan aalead SPs ke soon encountered, and proved to be Ns cic eee eee eee ate Marks and Martha Gibbs. Miss Marks greeted Eva joyfully, Pk es to a displeasure of Judge Stacey and his son om, ‘‘ Why, Eva Bramwell, I am so glad to see you! What bas happened to you? 1 heard that you had been carried off by some scoundrels, and then I was told that you were at the Staghead Hills. You must tell me all about it, now.” ‘“‘There is the woman I met in Stacey ville, pap,” whispered Tom—‘‘ the one who looks so much like our cousin from Kentucky.” Judge Stacey opened his eyes wide as he stared at Martha Gibbs. He persisted in riding on with Eva; but Betty Marks and Martha Gibbs turned their horses and accompanied them. “Itis a long story,” answer ed Eva, “‘and I cannot tell it to you now, ‘‘We will meet again, I hope, when we can talk freely. You must be safe now, as you are with your uncle and your cousin. Are you taking her home, Judge Stacey?” ‘‘T may be, and I may not,” grunted that gentleman, ‘Really, that sounds very mysterious, and I see that you are not headed toward your house. If you are not taking her home, may I ask where you are taking her to?” “You may ask, but I do not intend to an- swer. That is my business, Miss Marks, and no business of yours at al). i have good reason to believe that you are not a friend to my igen and you have with you a—a person who, as I believe, lately played a shameful trick on me at my house.” “What! Martha Gibbs? She never plays tricks, lf you do not object, 1 will ride on with you and talk to Eva,” ‘‘But I do object. I won’t have it, I give you fair warning that if you don’t keep away from me you will get into trouble.” ‘‘That is plain enough speaking. As you are able to enforce your orders, I had better obey. But I will see you again, Eva, dear.’ The two women dr opped back, Ieavi ing Judge Stacey” s party to ride on by themselves, hat do you suppose that means, Betty?” inquired Miss Gibbs, “T don’t know, but am going to find out, Some mischief, of course.” ‘* I believe they mean to take her away. This road leads direct to the landing. ‘“That is true. I shall follow them.” ** Alone, and at night?” ‘Ves, There is nothing for me to be afraid of. Give me all the money you have about you, Martha. There is enough for you to do, too. You must go at once and find Mr. Henning and Mr. Stanniford, and tell them about this, Then you tp go home and take care of the house for me.” oe Where will you f° to, Betty?” ‘* T will go where Eva Bramwell goes,” CHAPTER XXXVI. QUICK AND SHARP WORK, Fiusu Frepand his friends quickly came to the conclusion that there was no use in erying over spilt milk, and that they must do the best they could with the situation into which they had been thrust. Not doubting that Eva Bramwell bad been earried away from that house, forcibly or other- wise, while they were being swindled by the pre- tense of playing a game of poker for her possés- sion, they sought to ascertain in what direction she had been taken, and therefore looked for a trail. There were some good woodsmen in the party, and their sharp eyes speedily found two fresh trails. Half the force was sent to follow one of these under the command of Jim Maybie, while Fred Henning and Ben Stanniford, with the rest of the men, took the other. It happened that the trail taken by the latter detachment was that which had been made by Tom Stacey and his comrades. They followed it as rapidly as possible, con- sidering its difficulty, but not near rapidly enough to satisfy their impatient souls. Before long they missed it entirely, and were not able to recover it again. The growing darkness, too, admonished them that any further efforts in that line would be mean and they were glad to get out of the ngle of hills without losing themselves, hen they finally reached a road, a brief con- sultation was held, and Henning and Stanniford decided that, as they had not the faintest idea in what direction to look for Eva Bramwell, they could do nothing more then, but had better go on to Staceyville, get some rest, and renew the search in the morning. It was believed to be probable that the young lady bad been taken back to her uncle’s house, If so, nothing was to be gained by seeking her there, and she must be supposed to ‘be compara- tively safe. So the friends who had accompanied the two oung men thus far were dismissed to their omes, and Ben and Fred rode sadly on toward Staceyville. They had little to say as they went, Ben ogc | micbooks. (E(o) ————— go A}, | 6h” a= — — | hat at AM A —* oe — mf eS sar = me we be ww