Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 484 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

another moment gave utterance to a yell of con sternation. ‘* As you see!” hecried. ‘‘ The place has been wrecked completely—our iron doors all broken down—our chests all demolished—our treasure all stolen.” It was only too true, as a brief exploration of the rocky chamber told them, with the aid of their torches. ‘But what’s this, cap’n?” asked one of the robhers as he came to a halt, flashing the rays of his torch ahead of him. ‘‘ See here!” He indicated a stick which had been stuck into the ground, and which supported in a cleft at its upper end, a slip of paper, on which a few words had been written with a pencil. ‘‘ Bvidently a message of some kind,” added the robber, as Ready seized the slip of paper. ** Possibly 16 may throw some light upon the situation,” The suggestion was only too well founded. The message thus conveyed to Captain Ready contained merely these words: ‘* With the complimenis of Gordon Vorce.” CHAPTER XL. THE NEW DEAL. THE time was getting on toward noon when Sword Bearer made ‘his appearance at the Rolling Tavern, as arranged with Mabel at the moment of their separation. He was not only more nervous and excited than the girl had ever before seen him, but he seemed unusually tired. ‘‘ Where have you been, great chief, since I saw you last?’ was the first question she asked him, after the usual conventional greetings, ‘‘and what have you been doing?” ‘“What makes you ask such a question?” de- manded the chief. ‘‘Do you see anything un- usual about me?” ““T certainly do! You look as if you had been digging in the dirt. Your face is begrimed and streaked, asif you had been toiling at some very disagreeable work.” ‘Such is not the case, I assure you.” ** But you have been at work?” ** Yes, and very pleasant and agreeable work it has been,” “Tell meall about it,” great chief!” **Ina word then, Star Eyes, we have been building you a house at the Dead Man’s Ranch.” “You have?” The query was not apparently one of unmixed pleasure. ‘* Well, I wish you had spoken tou me on the subject,” she added. ““ Why so?” ‘* Because the Dead Man’s Ranch belongs to Nick Peddie.” ‘Oh, he has left it. He’s going back to the East.” ‘*But he may sell it to some one,” ** Tt is not likely, Star Eyes, Ido not believe there is a fool in the world who is so entirely a fool as to buy it. Is the question of Berittahin all you have to urge against it?” * Not at all, great chief. I object to the neighborhood—to the desolation and wildness of the whole scene around us—to the very idea of passing my days in the midst of such surround- n The chief looked both hurt and disappointed at these remarks. ‘* What would you like to do?” he asked. ‘Live in a palace, in the midst of one of the greatest cities in the world?” ‘* Yes; that would suit me exactly. Have you any Sek org to it?” ** Only this, that I am never at home with the white man,” avowed Sword Bearer, as a look of deep gloom mantled his face, ‘‘I can never dress like one of your people, or evea eat the food which I find in your lLotels, A fish out of water is the besti hint of indicating what [ am whenever I leave the great hills and valleys in which I was born, and in which all my life has been spent.” Mabel saw that he was quite in earnest. His face was a picture of misery. ‘** Well, well,” she hastened to say, “if that is the way you feel about it,I am afraid you ought not to leave your ‘ Roost,’ I[t is well, therefore, that you have built a house for us. I will go and look at it in the morning,” “Why not now?’ suggested Sword Bearer, with a childlike eagerness. “Because I am too tired.” Her real reason was that she was too anxious to carry out her plot to be willing to delay a moment, ‘** Well, do as you wish, Star Eyes,” assented the chief. ‘‘ If we remain here, we are sure to have plenty of neighbors. I see Captain Has- kell, instead of going away to the railway, has come to a halt at the edge of the Black Rock woods.” “He has? On what intent?” ‘*Tt’s hard to say.” “Do you think the rescue of Mr, Hamlin was the one Soe object of Haskell’s presence in this vicinity s ‘‘ There can be no doubt of that,” \ ‘‘Then why don’t he go away as soon as that result has been obtained?” “Any answer I could give you, Star Eyes, would be worthless, inasmuch as it would be mere guess-work.” “Ts it not odd that Haskell and the robbers have never had a battle, that there does not seem to be the least ill-will between them?” ‘Yes, it’s odd,” admitted Sword Bearer,” and all the more so because it’s as plain as day that Haskell would like to get rid of the Red Ransomers. That he even intencs to get rid of them sooner or later is morally certain. But hell hardly venture to attack the robbers until Mr. Hamlin has been escorted to some place of safety.” Mabel assented to these views; they certainly were reasonable. ‘‘But what are your views concerning the Red Ransomers, greatchief?” demanded the girl after a pause, ‘' Are you pleased to have these robbers in your reservation?” The look with which Sword Bearer received this question was highly significant. It was such a look asa culprit might assume on being asked if he were not in a hurry to be hanged. .“*T hate them more than words can tell you, Star Eyes,” he declared, ‘‘and I would have cleaned them out long ago—if I hadn’t possessed two excellent reasons for leaving them alone!” ‘* Name them!” ‘One is that these men are a sort of bulwark between me and the soldiers, or between me and the Government.” ‘** And the second?” ‘¢ The second is that they’re pulling my chest- nuts out of the fire!” Mabel looked at her ardent wooer searchingly, and even pressed nearer to his side, with an air of pretended confidence, but she didn’t quite comprehend his meaning. oy [ mean,” he said, in answer to her mute ap- peal, ‘‘ that Captain Ready and his men have accumulated a great deal of treasure in one of their hiding-places, and 1 am watching them as a cat watches a mouse. At the right time, I propose to maks a clean sweep of all they pos- sess, and wipe them out, or at least all of them who do not save themselves by a timely re- treat.” As if in response to his menace, Captain Ready was seen approaching rapidly at that moment, He was mounted upon one of his best horses. His face was flushed, and his whole mien ex- cited and annoyed. The chief and Mabel saw that something had gone wrong with hin. Naturally enough, the girl’s first thought was that Ready was jealous of Sword Bearer, but this view was seen at a glance to have no foundation. ‘* Were you looking for me?” she asked, after an exchange of salutations, ‘* Not at all,” answered the leader of the Red Ransomers with almost brutal frankness, ‘* but for a couple of persons who have slipped through my fingers.” ‘* You refer to Mr. Hamlin, of course—” ‘* And also to his daughter!” ‘‘ Ah! he has a daughter?” queried Mabel, with a new and intense interest. ‘‘ Yes, the most charming girl I have ever seen !” This declaration caused Mabel to bestow a very especial glance upon him; bnt she saw that he had not spoken with any invidious in- tentions; he had simply made a careless slip. In other terms, he was under the spell of a new infatuation. The flush which swept over the face of Mabel at this recognition was very much like a flush of jealousy. ‘‘ And where is this paragon of loveliness?” she asked, ‘¢ She has gone to Haskell’s camp.” He proceeded to set forth briefly the circum- stances under which he had made the acquain- tance of Alice Hamlin, as also those under which she and her friends had turned their backs on him, and taken refuge in the military gt ‘A bad situation for you,” was Sword Bear- er’s comment on these confidences. ‘* You'll have to give it all upasa bad job—both your attempt to extract a ransom from the father and to woo the daughter!” ‘‘ Never!” declared Captain Ready. ‘* They’ve merely tricked me—not escaped me!” ‘‘ How can you get hold of them again?” de- manded Mabel. ‘‘T thought Sword Bearer would be willing to join me in an attack on these intruders. They are certainly as much in his way as in mine!” The chief smiled a little sarcastically, as he put his arm protectingly around Mabe! Barter, at the same time shaking his head slowly to Captain Ready’s proposition. ‘“‘I’ve other use for my braves,” he declared, ‘¢ Besides, I have no quarrel whatever with Cap- tain Haskell. I may even sav that he is a good fellow and that he has promised to look after our subsidies and supplies!” ‘Well, if such is the case, Sword Bearer,” returned the chief of the Red Ransomers, con- Captain Ready, the Red Ransomer. . 27 cealing his chagrin as much as possible, '‘I shall have to fight my own battles. Fortunate- ly, lL see my way tocarrying the desired point, aud will lose no time in doing so!” He saluted the couple in a style which could have hardly been called polished, and then put spurs to his horse, riding away at a gallop. CHAPTER XLI. CAPTAIN READY IN THE DARK, OncE out of the sight of Sword Bearer and Mabel, Captain Ready drew his horse toa walk with watchful glances in every direction around | him. SS eee eee 2. em ses ‘“‘That was as good a way of explaining my exciterhent as if I had given them all my rea- sons,” he muttered. ‘*‘ What would they say if they knew the truth?” e had not gone far before he encountered his favorite henchman—the robber known as Dan, and who had announced himself to Nick as a Prairie Kitten, The fellow was at Ayr but kitten-like in his aspect and manners at the present moment, ‘*Seen anything?” was the query of Captain Ready, as he came to a halt. ‘‘ Nothing whatever,” was the answer. ‘‘ And yet I can swear that I am not mis- taken,” declared the Red Ransomer, nervously. ‘‘The man we have known and had dealings with as Dave Wilder is none other than Gordon Vorce.” ‘‘ But what if he is?’ asked Dan. ‘‘ What does this masquerading signify?” Ready stared at his follower a moment in si- lence, and with a hbalf-angry air, and then re- sponded: ‘‘T see that I shall have to be frank with you Dan. During that early morning visit [ pai to Miss Hamlin and the old cat who is with her, they were both so sure of soon getting out of my clutches that I could do no less than feel un- easy. I brooded all day over what they had said to me during that interview, and then it occurred to me to visit the cave which has so long Leen the storehouse of our treasures.” The mien of Captain Ready was so excited that his hearer could not have failed to become ony, serious as to the cause of that excitement, an ence he refrained from asking a single goats leaving the captain at liberty to con- inue, ‘*You will remember that one of the latest measures we took for the safe-keeping of our money and valuables was to sprinkle the floor of the cave with ashes, thereby rendering our-. selves morally certain of detecting the footprints of any one who should intrude?” “Yes, I remember this scheme,” declared Dan, ‘‘ and you may remember the little faith I had tn it?” ‘*T do indeed, and it seems that you were: oo right in your estimate of the character of that proceeding.” ‘* How so?” ‘Why, the ashes on the floor of the cavern: did not seem to have been at all disturbed, and yet the cave had been as completely divested of’ everything valuable as if a cyclone had turned) it inside out!” It was now Dan’s turn to look troubled. He stood speechless a moment, scanning his: surroundings as carefully as if he expected every bush to turn into an enemy. ‘‘Do you mean to say,” he at length asked,,. ‘that the Mortimer treasure was gone?” Captain Reddy. assented. ** Also the Quigley?” Another nod. ‘* And those valuables we took from the fugi-- tive jeweler?” “Everything we have taken for two years’ past, and which had not been otherwise dis-. posed of—absolutely everything,” assured Cap-- tain Ready. ‘‘ You could have knocked me down with a feather when I realized what had happened. ‘‘But how do you explain that there were no tracks in the ashes?” ** By the fact that the thief had been enlight- ened beforeband on the ash question, and had taken the trouble, as well as the precaution, to ut down a new sprinkling of the same after he ad literally emptied the cavern!” These declarations of the robber chief require little explanation. It is enough to say that the robbers had been robbed—not of a few solitary articles, such as a man could carry off on one occasion, but on scores of occasions, extending over many months —and that Dave and Dan were the robbers! ‘*And you think Dave Wilder is the author of these robberies?” asked Dan. phe Wf FF ** And why so?” ‘* For two reasons,” ‘* Let's hear them.” ‘‘ The first is that Dave has been abgant almost constantly for a number of weeks past,” ** And the second?” “The second is that I have caught a glimpse of Gordon Vorce on several occasions, when he was hanging around the camp, and on two occasions I have barely missed his capture.” “But who and what is this Gordon Vorcé,. and what are his relations to you, if I may be (E(0) 0\(0\(6) m S G (E(0)