Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 512 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

- 20 Captain Velvet’s Big Stake. man. IfIonly had the legsI once had. But never mind that. Somebody is paying for it. What are you looking at, Norgan?” The assayer started and flushed at this ques- tion. ‘* Beg your pardon if I was rude!” he stam- mered. ‘‘I will look for Lolas.” And out he went before Colonel Bluff could detain him. ‘‘ Somebody is paying for it, eh? What does he mean?” muttered Norgan, ‘* He got as dark a3 a thundercloud when I mentioned Opal. It all appeared new tohim, Why, I thought he knew she was here,” Colonel Bluff settled back on the low bedstead and sbut his eyes for a few seconds. ‘*f am bere where a few hours agolI did not dream of being. Next to Boss Nevada who be- trayed his trust I must look to Lolas. If he lays me false— He dare not! They do not ook for their master here; they think he is wed- ded to the chair in Sacramento, and were I to confront them at Sbasta Sam’s the whole crowd would run as if froma ghost. But hereI am with a hand of iron anda heart of steel. The girl who has caught Norgan will feel that hand before she is much older. What gained hera footing here among the men who willingly made themselves my slaves? Opal, eh? I wonder if ‘she is ital but pretty or not, J rule on No Man’s Ground as absolutely asin tae house in . Sacramento.” He shut his hands and fastened his eyes on the door. By and by, it was not long after Norgan’s de- “parture, a step stopped just beyond the por- tal The quick ears of Colone] Bluff caught the -sound, and he held his breath. The cabin had a long shadow now, and in the mountain and about the little gravevard of No Man’s Ground it was nearly dark. Ina mioute orso the wooden latch gavea slight click, and then the door opened. Colonel Bluff drew back with a half-suppressed ‘exclamation as his gaze fell upon the figure he saw in the doorway. A young woman stood before him, Her searching eyes found him almost instantly, and with a stare of surprise, she glided forward and stood at the side of the cot looking down in- to his eyes, ‘** You are Colonel Bluff, the master?” said she. **T am Colonel Bluff and you—” **T am Opal.” His lips met in a spasm of madness. ‘*T thought so,” came through them for they moved not, **T have a parcel for you. If he came back I was to deliver it to him; if you came, to you.” ** Who is ‘ he,’ girl?” ** Captain Nevada,” If it had not boen for his useless legs Colonel Bluff, the California Croesus, would have leaped from the bed. ‘“‘Do you say Captain Nevada?” he shouted, and Opal frightened drew back a step, ‘* Then, I have been lured hither by a lie!” ‘Not an intentional lie,” put in Opal who seemed to be eager to come to Norgan’s defense, ** When the messenger left, Captain Nevada was believed to be dead.” ‘* But he was far from that, eh?” ‘* He was very near the end. Afterward he was mad for some hours,” * But now—” “* He is on the road to Sacramento.” ** To stop me?” iz Yes.” The paper which Boss Nevada bad intrusted to Opal was in the girl’s hands and Colonel Bluff reached out to take it as he finished. “‘Ttis yours,” the gin) remarked dropping the sealed message into the extended palm. She saw his fingers close eagerly over it, but making no effort to open it, he looked up at her again, ** Who are you girl?” **T am Opal.” ‘Yes, yes, you have told me that before. It answers nothing. Where did you come from?” **To Satan C.ty do you mean?” To,” **] came from Camp Coyote within the shadow of the cone of Mount Shasta.” ‘* When was that?” ‘Twelve years ago,” A frown settled over Colonel Bluff’s brow, and the hands shut again. ‘*They kept me in ignorance of all this,” she , beard him say in tones not addressed to her. “* All this time Boss Nevada has been an oath- breaker; the man I trusted too,” The beauty of No Man’s Ground waited for him to resume with her. “Twelve years ago,” he suddenly went on, eseeting her reply. “ se yon po read the code my men are supposed eep here?’ **T have read it.” ‘ . ** Every section, eh?” ** All of them, I think.” ** What does section 99 say?” Opal looked down into the dark eyes riveted on ber and changed color. “It forbids women from living on No Man’s Ground,” she answered at length, ** Yet, you are here,” . She did not know how to reply to this, but in a moment, with a smile, she responded: **T had no other home.” ‘“*The waif plea. I see!” grinned Colonel Bluff his stony countenance relaxing for a mo- ment. *‘I don’t know that yon are to be greatly blamed. They tolerated, they encouraged you. I wanted all my men to be faithful. [ know that where woman isa secret is of no account, and that love makes the best of men traitors.” He spoke with a bitterness that seemed to sting. ‘* Are you the only woman here?” he asked. he caught bis eye, but did not speak. “Why don’t you go on?” hecried. ‘*Come closer, girl. You have been here long enough to know tbat I am useless from my waist down; that I am a cripple who, despite his wealth, is an object of pity among bis fellow-men.” ‘She went forward. **'You do not answer me when [ ask if vou are the only woman in Satan City, The code says there shall be none here. hen I heard that you lived in my domain against the stat- utes, I nearly fell from my saddle—as near as a Mazeppa could fall. There is another woman here, You know it.” Opal caught her breath, and some courage at the same time. ‘There is another woman here, Colonel Bluff,” she replied. ** You have seen her?” ** Once,” * When was that?” ‘*A few nights ago—or, when Nichol Mac- beth, the Gold Goth, was killed.” ‘* What do you mean?” The girl’s answer had opened up a new field to the California nabob, ‘*T see that Norgan kept something back,” he exclaimed. ‘*I know nothing of this crime. Tell me, girl, but first, one thing about your- self. Do you love the chemist of No Man’s Ground?” The hand which Colcnel Bluff was about to take while be hstened to Opal’s narrative, was hastily withdrawn, and the little figure at the cot fell back. .“*Norgan is my friend, Colonel Bluff. Nor- gan has always been kind to me,” she rejoined. “Therefore,” with a smile, ‘‘ therefore, you have thought it your duty to love my chemist?” ‘** Did he mention it to you? Did Norgan con- fess—” ‘* Yes, and by his confession he lost the best position I had to give away,” was the quick in- terruption. ‘* He loves you; now, what do you say? Speak!” She came forward again, and with a quick- ness that startled tbe man on the cot. ‘*Tlove Norgan,” she said, calmly, bending over him till their eyes seemed to touch. ‘I could not do otherwise. I bave never told him this much—” ‘*T left him in doubt,” broke in Colonel Bluff. ‘*T offered to make him Czar of No Man’s Ground—to put him into Captain Nevada’s shoes, for, though the traitor lives, I consider his place vacant; but he astonished me by say- ing that he loved you and could not take the master’s oath. Girl, you must throw this love to the winds of Shasta Land. You must tell Norgan that you hate him, that he loves in vain—” **No, no; not that!” cried Opal, shrinking away. ‘Anything but this awful sacrifice, Colonel Bluff!” ‘Tt must be! I will have it so, for IT ama man of iron with a heart of steel!” And darting toward the beauty of Satan City as if he had forgotten his legs, he clutched her sleeve. But with a wild cry she tore away, and fell heavily against the cabin logs. CHAPTER XXVIL. COMPACTS IN THE DARK. COLONEL BLUFF looked with a grim smile at the results of bis passion, ‘*There’s love between them, and, by Jove! it must not be,” be growled. “ I want Norgan for my own uses. He is the shrewdest man I have in camp now, and he’s got a cool head on his shoulders. Besides, the girl has no business here under the code, and I'll see what my hand can do toward tearing them asunder. I bate wo- men as I have cause to hate her, and one must not step between me and victory at this stage of the game.” Opal, in a dead swoon at the foot of the wall, was not a pretty spectacle for Lolas and Norgan when they came. Colonel Bluff’s command, cruel in the ex- treme, bad struck deeper than he thought, but = i a sign of pity for his victim crossed his ace, By superhuman efforts he dragged himself across the room to where the girl lay, and be- gan to use all means in his power to restore her to consciousness, In this he succeeded after a spell, and saw the ahgerts eyes, still full of fear, fixed on his ace, Opal looked at him a while without speaking, and then went to the door. **One word, girl,” said the Crippled Creesus, —_—_— stents i She stopped, and with ber band on the latch awaited his further words, *“*T want you to rernember that I am master here,” said he, lifting a finger. ‘‘ You break with my assayer at once, understand, or the power of Colonel Bluff will come between you and your dreams of bliss,” ** Just as if I could forget,” answered the girl, and with not another word she shut the door, leaving the man of iron to himself, Opal went direct to ber own abode. The shadows of night bad fallen over Satan City. The had crept into the cabin ahead of her, and when she opened the door she felt that she was not alone, There was a statue in the shanty darker than the shadows resting there, and it came forward as the girl opened the door and said witha laugh. ** Back at last, girl. you.” Opal fell back a pace at sound of the voice. « Who is the man up in Lolas’s cabin?” it ‘* You have just come from there.” I have been waiting for continued. ** Tt is Colonel Bluff.” **Not the cripple of Sacramento!—not the master of No Man’s Ground.” ** He is here.” For a moment the speaker kent silence, but his stature seemed to increase as Opal looked. ** What brought bim up?” ‘* What took Boss Nevada down?” ‘*By heavens! this is getting interesting,” and the sentence was supplemented by a light laugh. ‘‘Now we bave the gold tramps, and now the so-called Lord of No Man’s Ground comes to see us. How does be look, girl?” **l am not a judge if I am expected to com- are bim to his appearance when he was here ast before 1 came, for I have never seen him be- fore.” **So you told me yesterday. But is he badly crippled?” ‘* In the legs? Yes, they seem to be useless,” The man who was Dun Duff appeared to take great secret delight in the girl’s answer. ‘* They are useless, but he makes up for this deficiency in bis head and arms,” he respoad- ed, ‘* Who came with bim?’ ** Norgan,” ‘* Ah! the messenger who went down. His presence here shows that Captain Nevada did not meet him,” ** Tt does.” Dun Duff looked out the window and watched the darkness a spell. ‘* Are you going back to Colonel Bluff?” he asked turning suddenly to the girl, ** No,” said Opal with a shudder, ‘** Did you leave him quite alone?” aid.” The man of mystery, tracked by Gideon Gold- bar, Mona’s detective, was pleased at this infor- mation. He stepped tothe door and touched the brim of his hat to the girl, In another moment he was gone. ‘* So he came up to take the helm!” he ejacu- lated, seeming to speak through bis teeth as be walked toward the cabin where Colonel Bluff was impatiently waiting for Norgan’s return and cursing hisabsence, ‘‘ | wonderif be knows I am here. Why not? Hehad Norgan for a companion back, and of course be bad all the news retailed to bim as be rode along. He hasn’t forgotten me. No, no! I don’t see how he could.” Dun Duff kept on to the little cabin whose owner, as the reader will readily recall, we saw last shut up in the underground crypt of the secret bonanza. He halted a few feet from tbe door and sur- veyed the shanty for a few moments witha secret pleasure lighting up the dark depths of his eyes. He seemed to be debating whether to go on or not, but all at once, as if be bad decided in favor of advancing, he started forward, The inside of the cabin held the silence of the ave, ont was dark withal, but this did not deter the man of nerve at the door. He went boldly in, losing himself in the dark- ness as it were, and standing still for a second just beyond the threshold. ** Can it be that he isn’t bere now?” Dun Duff asked himself in inaudible tones. ‘*‘ A man in his condition cannot walk, and we know he did not bring his wheeled chair along.” - At that juncture the stillness within the four walls was broken. ** Ts that you, Norgan?” Dun Duff started forward with an unstruck match in his band. In a second he bad drawn it across the table which he had encountered, and as the flame sprung into existence be leaned forward, hold ing his breath from curiosity. In a little while he was throwing the light of his match upon a face tbat rested ina band above the hard pillow of a gold-camp cot. Two men were looking, almost glaring. into each other’s eyes, and the silence between them resembled that which falls between two gladi- ators who meet in the arena for a duel to the death. . 4 €omicbooks. a ee a " sa ..