Beadle's Dime Library No. 518 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 zard, and I’d answer; but generally it’s plain, common, everyday Dick Brazzleton. ‘* Yours, I believe, is Dale Keith—Big Dale?” The borderman nodded shortly, saying: ‘‘Ye hev it right, pardner, an’ I putts up my we’pins. ‘** Now, let me advise ye ter git under kiver ov sum sort. Thar’s a hull passel ov red-rinds in easy reach ov ye.” Brazzleton uttered a laugh. ‘‘ You are wrong there, my friend,” he ex- claimed, lightly. ‘‘ There isn’t an Apache within a mile of us!” ‘¢ Oh, thar ain’t, eh?” ‘* No, there isn’t,” reiterated Brazzleton. ‘‘ In fact, I may say there isn’t one within three times the distanse I mentioned!” _A grunt expressed the borderman’s incredu- lity. *“*Wal, I hope ye aire right,” he averred, ‘‘but it pears ter me thet I hev purty good proof thet ye don’t know jest w’ot ye’re talkin’ about!” ** You were fired upon?” ‘Ye hev called ther turn, pardner.” “An arrow?” ‘* 'Ye-as, an arrow.” **T fired it!” “ You ” “‘So I said. See—here is something in proof,” and Brazzleton held up a bow, Big Dale stared hard through the moonlight at the mysterious stranger, ‘‘ Pardner!” he ejaculated, ‘I’m *bout ready ter cave on ther Injun question; but may I be painted fer a Piute, ef 1 w’u’dn’t like ter heur ye cl’ar yer record a bit! I jest w’u’d, now !” Brazzleton advanced, followed by his horse, which, at a word from him, arose from the rank ass. ene An’ fu’st ov all, ’d like ter heur why ye fired at us,” pursued Big Dale. ‘‘In course, ye hed a reason—most likely a powerful good one!” ‘* T did, indeed,” readily affirmed Brazzleton. “ And I attained my end, too, for it was my desire to separate you from your compauion,” “Ter git me away from Royale, say ye?” ‘No; for your companion was not Richard Royale, but one Oscar Monshall—a gambler, an - unscrupulous adventurer!” Big Dale was fairly staggered by this declara- tion. ‘* Not Dick Royale, eh?’ he muttered, half- audibly, as he passed his hand over his brow in a perplexed sort of way. A moment he stood thus; then his face settled into an expression of conviction, not unmixed ~ith exuberance. With outstretched hands he _ sprung forward cry ing: Shake, pardner! [drather meet ye than _a long-lost brother! Ef yeain’tjestther— Sa it ag’in, pardner! Ther dirty cuss wa’n’t Dic Royale? _ No more than you are!” avowed Brazzle- ton, submitting his slender white hands to the broad palms almost appealingly extended, * And tbe fellow is a ‘dirty cuss’ —as mean a - galoot as ever walked! __ * Let me tell you right here, too, that Royale is dead—murdered by Monshall and his pal, one - Dave Danton!” | _ The borderman drew back, as if hard hit | dropping the hands he had so eagerly grasped and staring straight into the cold, impassive - face of Brazzleton. ‘‘ Dead!” he ejaculated, hoarsely. ‘‘ Dead! aa Sich news U kill my pardner’s dar- ter F ‘It is bitter, black work, from beginning to end,” vouchsafed Brazzleton, after a moment of profound silence. *‘ And I assure you that I would willingly give up life itself to raise up my _friend—to restore to the unfortunate lady her . lighted lover. ‘That being altogether out of question, I have 5 aken the trail, and will run the murderous hounds to their doom at a rope’s end, or die fac- ing them!” _ © Ye war Royale’s pard?” _ Yes, for the past three years.” * Pard, lm with ye! An’ yekin count on Big | Dale Keith till ther crack ov doom!” cried the -borderman, impulsively, again catching the strong white hands and looking straight into Brazzleton’s darkly-glowing eyes. ‘“‘ You ; “md A aa pardner—Z/ strike fer Pauline Mor- | daunt __ “Good! We're pards to the end of the trail,” £ razzleton exclaimed, in return. ‘ But listen, }for I don’t want to hold you here a minute erie, ais 3 Docs. ee - “To a complete understanding, it is necessary to go back to the origin of Monshall’s-unscrupu- lc us scheme. _ * As you probably know, Dick Royale was a detective. For months prior to his death we had been engaged in trailing down a band of ‘dangerous counterfeiters, the trail finally lead- ing us down into Elephant Lode, a gold-camp in Sonthwestern Colorado, _ “There we located our men, and were ready to insnare the entire outfit, when Royale, to his intense horror, discovered that the arch-spirit of ‘the band was his nearest living relative—a first sat | BigDale nodded quickly, saying: a & ‘* Ah, that cousin war this hyar same Mon- shall?” ‘‘Exactly! All that followed need not be de- tailed at present. Suffice it that I dropped into the background for the time being, we having determined to see if the fellow was possessed of a single redeeming trait, with a view to giving him a chance to clear his record.” ee An’ givin’ him thet chaince cost Royale his ife? ‘*Tn a nutshell, yes. ‘‘ But the villainy of the wretch did not find a surfeit there. In some manner he obtaimed an inkling of the intended movements of the Mor- daunts, and of the fact that Royale was to join them hereabouts, and, as I have learned since I have been on the trail, he at once determined to step into Royale’s shoes, ‘** Associated with Monshallin the murder of Royale, and in the evil scheme subsequently put afoot, was a secon rascal, fully as dangerous, known as Desperate Dave. ‘‘ Shortly after leaving Colorado, the two separated, not only to facilitate the working of their wicked plot, but to retard or baffle pur- suit. ** Little good did it dothem. Through thick and thin 1 have followed Danton, to baffle bim in the very moment of his triumph, as I shall baffle Monshall. ** From the tirst, my unalterable purpose has been to give them full sway until the final mo- ment—the moment when a complete and daz- zling realization of their hopes is just before them—thken to strike, asa thunderbolt from a clear sky! ‘* A score of times could I have captured or slain them both; but such a course would have robbed my vengeance of half its sting!” In low intense strains had Dick Brazzleton spoken, and his words stirred Big Dale Keith to his very soul. “Good enough, pardner!” he cried, with glistening eyes, as the handsome Nemesis paused for a moment. ‘“‘ I see yer drift—sink yer shaft home!” Brazzleton merely nodded, then resumed: ‘*T had ealculated to play a lone hand, too, to the very end; but to-day I made a discovery that has caused me to amend my programme— to seek a trusty ally.” ‘““Ye left two dead Greasers on ther plain, back thar?’ interjected Big Dale, significantly. ‘* Yes; Danton, faithless to his pal, attempted to take the game into his own hands, bribing the two Mexicans to drug the negroes and assist him in capturing Mordaunt and the girls. ‘*The scheme worked like a charm, up toa certain point, for when I arrived at the train, Danton had full possession; but fortune favored me in the struggle that followed, and, as a result, Mordaunt and his ty moved forward, leaving the Greasers dead in the field and Dan- ton in full flight. ‘*T pursued the scoundrel, determined to cap- ture him, in order that some of the mystery shrouding the fate of Dick. Royale might be cleared up. ‘** Fate was age me, however, for the fel- low rode straight into an Indian ambush on the top of a knob some miles to the northwest, was en captive, and varried to the camp of the red-skins back in the foot-hills, where he at once was released, being, apparently, on a friendly fvoting with the head chief of the party. ‘‘ That put a new phase to the affair; for, with Canton on one hand, ready and willing to utilize the presence cf the Apaches, and Mon- shall approaching on the other, I saw that I must seek help. ‘¢ And as I was not yet ready to make a plain statement of the case to Mordaunt, it occurred to me to intercept you.” ‘‘T am with you, pardner!” promptly avowed ne Dale, clinching his bands savagely. ‘* Map out yer trail, an’ I'll stick by it ter ther end—ef I kin keep my fingers off ther varlet’s throat! “From ther fu’st glim I got ov him, I s’pected crooked work whar! But w’ot cwd Ido? Nothin’! Keepin’ mum an’ watchiu’ war es fur es I c’u’d go!” A peculiar smile wreathed Brazzleton’s red lips—a lurid sparkle kindled in his dark eyes. ‘* You'll do, pardner!” he cried, clasping Big Dale’s hands. ‘Continue to keep mum and to watch—breathe not a word of suspicion, but shadow Monshall’s every move, and — we'll win! “Tam going back to the Apache camp, to keep an eye on Danton’s movements. In his present company, he needs watching more than ever. “As soon as it is possible, I will again see you. Don’t make a decisive move, unless Mon- shall attempts to crowd his game!” ‘+ Trust me fer thet /” gritted Big Dale. ‘‘ Ef he crowds too close, his purty white neck’ll crack!” ‘*So-long, then, and may luck go with you!” Brazzleton exclaimed, springing into the saddle. A chirrup to his horse, a jangle of his long in and he dashed away, heading almost no * Big Dale after him long and earnestly, with visible admiration. ** Durn me; ef he ain’t a good one—ther clean, en LADLE LT ~ = Re ou my es a ; . Royal Richard, the Thoroughbred. white stuff, an’ no mistake!” he ejaculated, as he turned to his waiting steed. ** Now, I'll jest ride up an’ putt my peepers on this hyar bogus Dick Royale—an’ keep ’em thar! A skuxk’s a skunk, an’ it’s hard fer ther critter ter pass fer anything else. I knew thar war one about. but he war under kiver so deep I c’u’dn’t jest place him.” And thus communing with himself, the bor- derman mounted and rode rapidly across the plain, in the bright moonlight following tbe Mordaunt trail as easily as by day. One, two, three miles were quickly covered. Then a revolver cracked sbarply in the tall grass a few paces south of the trail, and with a ringing cry of agony Big Dale flung up his hands and fell from his horse, stricken down by the band of an assassin! CHAPTER XV. A SERIOUS SITUATION, ‘‘Now that we have been riddei of McBuff and his allies, I presume, Uncle Roger, that our first step will be to bring the darkies to their senses,” suggested Pauline Mordaunt, as_ the trio, having watched their deliverer, the Red- Hand Sport, out of sight, turned toward the wagons. ‘* Assuredly, my dear; and we shall begin operations in that direction at once, if you and ellie feel that you are sufficiently recovered from the effects of the late campaign,” Roger Mordaunt returned, assuming a cheeriness he was far from feeling. ‘“*T am ready for any measure necessary to our safety,” avowed Nellie. “As am I,” declared Pauline, ‘“‘In fact, Uncle Roger, I um only fairly aroused.” Mordaunt bestowed upon his fair kinswoman a fond, lingering look, A suspicious moisture dimmed the brightness of his gray eyes, as he turned his gaze upon the surrounding plain. ‘* You're a brave girl, Paullie,” sald, softly. ‘¢-You are a true Mordaunt. ‘But I am hopeful that the worst is over— that neither of you will be put to a further test. Jenkins should be back within an hour, and then we shall know exactly what to ex- pect.” ‘‘ But, papa, suppose Mr. Jenkins should be delayed, or should fall into the hands of the Apackes—what then?” asked Nellie, her face suddenly clouding. “That is a disquieting thought,” Mordaunt replied. ‘‘But Mr. Jenkins was thoughtful enough to provide for just such an emergency. In such an evert, we are to halt and go into camp for the night at a motte, or timber island, some five miles this side of Dead-Tree Knob. When morning comes, if he has not returned,. we are to send a scout ahead to the Knob, to ascertain the exact state of affairs at that int. ae Should the place have been invested by the Indians, we are to fortify our position at the motte as strongly as pag and at once dis- patch a runner to the Hidden Hope Mine for re- enforcements.” Pauline’s heart sunk, She could not accept her uncie’s seemingly hopeful view of the situ- ation. Without most cogent reasons, Long Pete: could not have given such instructions. Then, tuo, she felt that Roger Mordaunt knew more than he cared to disclose just then. A gloomy silence came over the little party. Arrived at the wagon in which the three negroes lay unconscious, the work of resuscita- tion was at once Legun. A tedious task it proved, for the blacks had been heavily dosed with a powerful soporific, producing deep, deathlike sleep. Snowflake was the first to show signs of re- turning animation, suddenly rising to a sitting posture and staring around after the nanner of one thoroughly bewildered. ** Mars’ Morda’nt!” “Well, Flake?” ‘* Whar dat Pedro?” “* Why do you ask?” The negro clinched his broad hands savagely. ‘‘] jess gwine ter kill de yaller rascal, dat why!” he gritted. ‘* Le’ me out ob de wagon!” ‘Easy, ‘Flake. Why should you kill the man?’ “Fore de Lawd! he desarve it, I reckon!” Then, sinking his voice to a mysterious whisper, he continued: ‘* Look heah, Mars’ Morda’nt, dem Greaser debbils drug us niggers dat dey might kerry off de young misses, Dat a fack, now. Dey gib us de drug in whisky, den laugh an’ talk how dey leab de sign fo’ de boss to kem an’ git de gals. I heer’d ’em, but I c’u’dn’t move. ‘* Jess let me git out, fo’ I gwine ter kill dat. Pedro, den Jose.” ‘‘ They are dead,” said Mordaunt, quietly, and he then narrated what had happened, to the unbounded amazement of his faithful servitor. ‘*Etsarve’em jess right, an‘ sabe me a heap ob trubble, I ’spect,” was Snowflake’s only com- ment. When the two others had been revived and the situation made known to all, each was as-. signed a wagon and team, ’Flake having charge of the rearmost. Mordaunt and the two girls then remounted_ and rode forward at the head of the little train. ~ why