Beadle's Dime Library No. 51: Red Rob, The Boy Road-Agent — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

‘ulace; Red) Rob, The Boy Road+Agent. eee ‘This.seemed to renew, the fear and excitement of the pop- All even feared to question each other as to the old man, and friend, referred to, They knew how fruitless had been the efforts of. the military to:capture this band of dar- ing robbers, and.so the very name of Kid Rob was sufficient to impel obedience to the wishes of the young road-agent. Tt soon leaked out, however, that the ‘old man” referred to was. the redoubtable Dakota Dan, the ranger; and ‘‘his friend,” Major St, Kenelm.., This discovery threw some sus- picions around the emigrant train—in fact, led to the belief that-it,,or some of its members at least, were in some manner connected with the outlaws. ‘But this was all:set aside in the minds of the law-abiding people, what few there were in Conejos, by Dakota Dan, who went boldly, into the village and made known the truth of the whole affair. This course proved a master-stroke of policy, for it at once drew either the respect.or fear of the citizens over to the em- igrants. - Dakota Dan was lionized. by those who had been his enemies, but the old ranger shook his head dubiously. He would not be caught. im a trap by the flattery of such men as he had seen in the Conejos saloon, The boy for whom he and, St. Kenelm had fought could not be found, and the ranger now became satisfied that he was Red Rob. The days wore as, quietly away as could be expected, and the time for our friends to resume their journey drew near. » Before their departure, however, an entertainment was to be + _ Journ, given by the citizens of Conejos in honor of their brief. so- This. was to be a daile (a ball) or platform dance. in ‘the open air, the; chief amusement of the Mexican belles and beaux, It was not to be a fandango, a name which many © _ Writers, through ignorance, associate with all Mexican dancer, but # ball, of different dances—the American cotillion, the | Mexican cotillion and round dances. Through, maidenly curiosity, Octavia St. Kenelm and Mag- © igie Boswell were both anxious to attend the ball, but their friends held the propriety of their going under careful con- sideration. They grew very uneasy as the time for the ball approached through fear the decision would be in the nega- tive; and, Octavia finally resolved to appeal to Aunt Shady and have her exert her influence upon her brother Al. She found the old negress seated alone, some little distance from camp, weeping. » “Why, Aunt Shady, what in the world is the matter with you?” asked, the maiden, seeing the tears chasing each other down her sable cheeks. “Oh, honey, dear!” sobbed the old woman, “I’s most awful sorry in my ole heart,” ‘What has given you trouble and sorrow, Aunt Shady?” ‘Oh, Lor’ bless, you,,honey. I war jist thinking ’bout ae Kaintucky shore, and my little pickaninny—my little boy at—"? spot OUr little boy? Why, Aunty, I never knew you were married.” ‘In, coprse I. was, chile; but my ole man he died, and my little Henry Clay, he war put up on de auction-block one day \ and sold, and den I nebber sees him no more. He. war only five years ole when he war sole, Octaby; and "bout de same time your ole father bought me. Dat Henry Clay chile war de sweetest, darlin’est little feller dat you ebber see. His ole ., Mudder’s, heart. war,proud ob de little toad, He war jis’ as smart asa cricket. But oh, Octaby, when ole massa told me dat, he sell my little, Henry Clay, ebberything turn black, _ den green, and I tried to hide my little chile in my heart; | but,I couldn't, and when he war taken away, it seemed I would die dead. De little feller looked back, held up his hands.and cried, and called for his ole mudder; but no une but me and God, honey, heard dem baby cries. And so he war taken away and I war left alone. But den when your fadder bought me, 1 wer’n’t so lonesome, for den I,hab my little Octaby to love. But now comes anudder sorry—an uwful secret, honey,” “An. awful, secret, aunty ty Goodness! were always the happiest old woman on earth—without troubles or cares, and now Jere you are with one of those mysterious. things called secrets.” ‘ Yes, honey; and it all concerns yoahself,” and Aunt Shady burst into a flood of tears that almost melted Octavia’s heart, with, pity. .; , Dropping on, hah knees at the old woman’s feet with tears , de ne te eyes,,the maiden asked: the , secret of which you speak concerning me, Te ols IT thought you | oko * Yes, chile, al, concernin, you, But I can’t tell { it to you yit, Octaby. I'll tell all "bout it some day, I promised your ole father and |)'loved ole Massa.St. Kenelm—not dat one what sole my little Henry Clay—when he went, away dat—”’ ‘“* Went away?” exclaimed | Octavia; “is my father nov dead?” , ‘Don’t people go away when. dey die, honey. My ole man is way, up.in heaben. wid de Lor’, and dar’s whar dis ole soul ’spects to go some day, But when ole massa went away, as I war gwine to say, he. said:, ‘Shady, if I—~it sumthin’ don’t happen to Octaby inside of twelve years, you can tell her the secret of her life—that is, if you are living —<iwelve years from dis very day and not before, | I prom- ised him aJl dat,” “ And. does brother Al ‘not know the secret of which you speak?” asked Octavia, : ‘No, chile, he known uffin’ ’bout it. When he know de whole thing, I know it "Il make his heart sad, Oh, deah!” “You'll tell me what it is, won’t you, Aunty)” Octavia asked, looking up;into the old woman’s face. ‘Not yit, chile; de twelve years will not be.out yit fur four long weeks; den I tell it, all, though it break my ole heart, and I ’spects it, will break my poor, darling Octaby’s heart and Massa Al’s too. But I promised do old massa I’d do it, and de good angel ob my soul recorded my words on de big book in heaben.” For a moment both the old woman and her young mis- tress were silent—plunged deep in the labyrinths of thought, Finally the negress continued: ‘And den dar am anudder trouble in my heart, Octaby.” “Another troyhle?”, repeated O¢ ey in painful sur. prise; ‘‘ you are the embodiment of “secrets and troubles, Aunty. I wish I could réliéve you'df some of them.” ‘} Letw-sakes-alivel,; .Bress your soul, honey, you've jis’ speakin’ right outen, your heart. now, Octaby. Now tell me, chile, ar’n’t you in love?” “Why, what .a question, Aunty Shady,. Is. that what troubles you?” ‘* Hain’t, dat, enuff to?, _Ebber since dat day dat you met » dat young ranger boy, on, de, road to Cornjos, you’ve been kind athoughtful and, dreamy-like,.. I know you love dat fellah you talk bout, now don’t you?” Octavia, laughed. a,,¢lear, musical, laugh, ane Shady, too, in that hearty, good-natured way of. hers, adding, with a knowing shake of’, the, head: “You can’t fool your ole Aunty, ghile., She young once too—” ‘* And loved some .one,, I dare say,” put in, the maiden. ‘No, not, ebbery, young squirt. dat come along, for, chile, your ole Aunty used to be as gay a colahed gal as dar war in' all Kaintucky,,, And,darwar a, dozen—oh, law-sakes, yes; a hundted.,young, colahed, chaps. tryin’. to shine round your Aunty, but, I, jist, up and sack dem ebbery last. one. * But dar ‘war one, Sam Johnsing, a, gay ; young, nigger, dat kept a-coming and acoming, still, and at las’ yer Aunt, Shady got her dander up and she jis’ took dat nigger by de collah and sent him a-bouncing;;,,Den, [married one ob masgsa’s niggers dat war,agood man,jand loved de Lor’. And dat’s jist de way I'd do wid dat young ranger, boy, chile, if I war you.” -' “7 may. never’, ipod im, again,. Aunty,” replied Octavia, with a roguish smile. ‘‘ Moreover, I don’t know whether, he wants 'to marty, or loves the—” , * Oli; pshaw! -you. don’t, understand what I_say,”., inter- Jrupted the negress.. (jive) ss ‘Well, it don’t make any difference The young man ee - 2a will not know where to find: me when we get over. the moun- tains.” “*\Law- sakedalive!s oi oby.can’t, hide from, a fellah dat’s lovin’ you. Love in a man has an instinct dat’s like de hose ob a | bloodhound)’; Why, didn’t, I) hide; in de. ole dry | ‘well, one’t when Sam. Johnsing war ,a-coming?, and didn’t “he walk right’ slap:dab.upito de well and look, down, and see me and laff? Den I fired up and says I: ‘Sam,,John- ‘sing; what! fur:lyowseome)-here?’,,and,he), said, he,war dry, - and went dar to) git:a/dtink, but,,tutl it, wa'n’t so, honey,” ‘and Aunt Shady gavesher head a disdainful, toss-—" for “d wa’n’t no well at all—nebber had Sviie a deep. hole boys had dug playin’, Shunt, g "Yo ign you, speak, ag, though i ranger, Tore me. ‘ Who knows ,, that,; he, has, ever. given, me a “second 1 thoiight /uipince. ‘We, parted?” ; cuirsy | oloatiia “I does, dat’s who. No. youngester wid a spark ob ‘tree "GOMIGIOOKS Elo)