Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 523 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

‘over a canyon cliff an ee — — GE Reynard of Red Jack. time, major; but this is the deepest and coolest of them all,” he murmured, ‘* You knew that I was coming to Red Jack on the trail I found when looking for Don Lopez and his gold secret, and 1t was really your band that stopped me in the mountain, and sent me over the canyon cliff with a thousand chances against me, cost a good deal to keep your secret—the lives of fifty soldiers, and some dark work in other | quarters. Your right bower is off now on a mission of destruction. He is not to come back till he has effectually silenced the United States detective! A pretty plan it is, major, are determined to remain King of Red Jack at all hazard. Ah! Jet me see if I can’t bring some rose color back to your cheeks!” Tne house was invested with a strange quiet, asif every living person under its roof was in deep slumber. Reynard went down the steps to the last one. Turning quickly there, he stepped to Don Dia- mond’s docr and opened it slowly. {n another mement he stood beyond the threshold with a full blaze ef light on his figure, and with the stareful look of the Dakota nabob fastened upon him! Major Diamond’s hand moved suddenly to- ward the edge of the table in his front, buta quick stride carried Reynard forward, and he was atthe gold-bug’s side as the hand pulled open a drawer in which lay a brace of silver- mounted six-shooters, “ We'll talk first—fight afterward if you in- sist,” said the unmasked detective, and Don Diamonda’s hand fell away from the drawer, and he settled back into his chair, his look abat- ing nothing in malignance. “T know you, and yet you come here!” said he. ‘You are the man who has played a double hand under our very noses for the last four months,” : ‘‘ You don’t mention any name, major.” ‘‘ Why sbould 1? A man ought to know him- self.” A. smile seemed to come involuntarily to the detective’s lips, and while Don Diamond looked, it vanished and left the countenance unruffled as before. “Tt was a wiping ont with a vengeance,” sud- denly continued Reynard. ‘* What was?” ‘‘The episode in Vulture Gulch. through it all by a miracle,” “Through it all? You?’ “Yes, I] rode into the melee and crawled out. Captain Raymond would not listen, and went like a fool to his death with fifty brave men at his back, The secret of Nicholas Nor- way’s ride had to be kept, eh, Major Diamond?” There wasno answer beyond the cold mad look of the man in the chair. ‘Do you expect the reds tosuffer for the massacre in the Gulch?” the detective went on, ‘Are you going to keep on at this rate?” growled Diamond. ; ‘‘Not if the subject is displeasing,” retorted Reynard, the smile coming back, “ I am here in the flesh—a living poe that a man can fall d escape to hunt down the person who issued the order for his destruction in order to keep a certain secret connected with a headless corpse in the sage brush of Southern Arizona. Do you want to seemy hand, ma- jor?” ut )’ve seen it before.” ‘Not in Red Jack; possibly while I was watching Don Lopez for Uncle Sam, The Mexican’s gold mines are not a myth, after all. You have put the secret to practical uses, for I’ve had the honor of inspecting the chain of mines from which you have extracted your millions, The Government no longer wants Don Lopez's cipher maps, nor the plan he was supposed to carry next his heart, i amon my own hook now, though it seems that Uncle Sam hasn’t quite given up his missing detective. Major, is this very distasteful?” “(to on,” answered Diamond, through his set teeth, though he assumed a nonchalance he did not feel, ‘‘ You are giving me some infor- mation which I could obtain from no other source.” The Red Jack Croesus arnt at the chair behind Reynard, but the detective did not fol- low the silent invitation, . “You wonll not pay Zeo ber price for the Yellow Witch,” continued the shadow. Don Diamond’s lips twitcbed. ‘* Are Wa in league with that woman?” he exclaimed, ; ‘Tama league unto myself,” was the quick reply. ‘‘ Major, does Coral know—” The man of Red Jack bent forward as the name was spoken, and threw up a hand, ‘* My daughter occupies the room overhead,” said he, ‘‘ and I would not have her hear any part of this couversation.” ‘© T don’t wonder.” Reynard lowered his voice, however, as he proceeded : - ‘+7 must talk of the girl, The time has come for that, She can be nothing to me as a detec- tive more than a clew to the strange trail I ran across while prosecuting my search for Don Lopez and his secret. She has grown up beau- tiful. You saw in her, years ago, the grace I went It has | } \ You | and loveliness which she bas developed under your roof. Coral would shine anywhere, and it is a wonder that her motber never discov- ered— Reynard looked at the face which had sud- denly become pale, with two intensely black eyes burning under the lofty brows. “Go to the end!” kissed Major Diamond, ‘* Say all you wish to say, hunter of men, and then listen to me,” ‘*T am nearly done, Major Diamond,” was the continuance. ‘‘I was about to say that it is strange that Coral’s mother, seeing her almost _everv day for years, did not discover her iden- | tity.” “Then you insinuate that I am not Coral’s father.” ‘¢ You her father?” smiled the detective. ‘6 You doubt it?” ‘* Her father was found headless one day, and nobody knows this better than you!” ‘* This is infamous!” The gold king of Dakota pushed back his chair,and springing up stood before Reynard before he could interpose a hand. *¢ Don't unnecessarily heat your blood, major,” said the detective, coolly. ‘‘ Let me remind you that you are absolute master here, that the men of Red Jack, with insignificant exceptions, are your slaves. Iam bere alone to tell you to your face that Uncle Sam's Lost Detective bas found himself, that the man wro followed Don Lopez and his secret to the bitter end stands before me now, and tbat the beautiful waman he has roclaimed his child and heir, hasn’t a drop of his blood in her veins.” Major Diamond’s eyes seemed to light up with a quick, triumpbant gleam at Reynard’s first declaration. Why fear this man, who was single-handed, before bim? His power over the bronze toughs of the Yellow Hills had not been lessened by the detective’s bold, almost foolhardy throw. He was still the Czar of Red Jack, with Fa- verell at his right hand and ‘‘ Judge” Powers and his court at his back. Indeed, why should he not laugh at the detective’s words, and take things with a triumphant coolness, as he could afford to do? ‘‘You did not have to play a fool’s hand,” cried he, as thoughts of this kind seemed to give him nerves of iron. ‘* You are right, Reynard, as I call you still. Iam absolute master here. Go off and throw the cards you think you hold, { have, while standing here, sent an electric message to my minions, and even now you are in a death-trap. You have not seen everything connected with Don Diamond and his mines. You never discovered the underground tele- graph which I can operate with my foot on the carpet, So vou came to tell me that you are not Reynard, but Uncle Sam’s Lost Detective? The news preceded you a few minutes, The death hand, the winning cards, belong to me! You had better have perished with the soldiers in the canyon!” Himself once more, Don Diamond dropped into his chair again, and laughed like a man who thinks the game all his own, CHAPTER XXXIV. THE ARMY DETECTIVES ONCE MORE, ‘*So [’m not to return till Ive fixed him, That is the command. The Lost Detective has come to life, and unless we beat the cards of vengeance he holds, somebody who has expected to win all along may come out loser, [ll do my part, quick and sure, Then Ill go back for the wife I’m to have.” These words from the lips of Big Faverell cf Red Jack were heard by no one though they were spoken aloud, He had left Don Diamond’s intent’on carry- ing out the last command of his master and partner. There was to be a bold death-stroke, and then all would be over. ‘¢The boys will head Darrell off. I have no fears of that,” thought he. ‘‘ They have the better horses and have taken the short moun- tain cut. When Coral is Mrs. Faverell, she will rescue no one from underground dungeons.” Half an hour later the renowned ‘ Judge” Powers and Faverell went down into the depths of Zeo’s mine. They unlocked the door of the luxurious ** office” and entered. Their eager hands ransacked the place, but in a gentlemanly way, and when they finished, the Red Jack Titan held a few papers in his band, ‘* These don’t tell much more than we already know,” remarked Faverell to the ‘ Judge,” holding up the papers while he spoke. ‘ They confirm the woman’s identity, and_may prove interesting reading for the major. Here, pasted to one of the leaves, is an extract from an old Southwest paper telling how a headless corpse was found in the sage brush, with the bands crossed on the breast and a little wooden cross in the cold grip. I wonder why Zeo kept this slip of paper thus?” ** Judge” Powers made no reply. “Tn ’s name, what was that?” suddenly cried Faverell, rushing to the door and listen- ing there a moment. : ‘It sounded like a human voice, but—” —————————————— _—— — 25 ‘*Tt isa voice! There it goes again! Listen. Some wretch has fallen into one of the lower chambers.” ‘‘God help him then!” “ Judge.” The two men stood at the entrance to the sub- ater room and kept silence a few seconds onger, ‘*Tt is San Pablo Paul,” suddenly observed Powers. ‘The yoice has that fellow’s whine. Let him go. He got the better of me the other night at the tables. We don’t have to rescue the scamp.” ‘No, but we might look after him.” * With Don Diamond’s last commands in our ears?” ‘* Judge” Powers looked at Faverell. ‘““Go to San Pablo’s assistance if you like, for by the Eternal One! J don’t lift a hand in bis behalf,” Powers went back into the chamber and took Zeo’s favorite chair, He took a cigar from his pocket and lit it complacently. ‘* Affairs seem to be approaching a crisis,” murmured he, a smile stealing over bis face as the siry smoke soared gracefully to the dark- brown ceiling far overhead, **‘ Whatam I to reap out of the game? In the first place a good deal of trouble if Uncle Sam gets at the truth and proceeds to take wholesale vengeance, I’m under a cloud now because my court failed to convict Reynard, Don Diamond says that he overlooks the failure, tut I know better, I’m eatey well acquainted with the master of Red ack. Faverell pretended to wonder why Zeo kept the newspaper slip so long, Once a year ago when I stole down here to see what progress Zeo was making with ber bonanza, I found a paper clipping which, strange to say, referred to the same tragedy. The man killed was said to be Don Lopez, an eccentric Mexican, sup- posed to possess a secret concerning some hidden mines, Then I put another thing to this, When I went up to the major’s one night I found a biti of paper fluttering over the top of one of his private drawers, Curiosity led me to draw it out, and to my astonishment I secured an old Santa Fe newspaper printed in Spanish. The first thing that met my eye was a paragraph marked in a peculiar manner, It, too, was an ejaculated the account of the discovery of the headless body iu | thecbaparral. Queer! [ bave said nothing about this matter, but I bave thought a good deal. I have been judge and jury for Don Diamond ever since he opened his mines here, and for what? I get ten thousand u year—money paid in gold at the end of every month—yet at the end of the year I owe him. He wants a new artner, and he takes Faverell in. He wantsa usband tor Coral and he goes to—Faverell. Always the man who has just left me!—always the Hercules of Red Jack! I think I know enough to demand something better than I re- ceive now. Haven't I played puppet forthe gold-bug of Dakota long enough to assert my rights? I don’t want to be here when the army cones to avenge the massacre of Vulture Gulch, True, my hand was not there, but I know who did the work.” ike, judge’s cigar bad gone out during his soliloquy and be had quite forgotten the man who had gone to the rescue of the person crying out in the depths of darkness, As he leaned toward the wall to strike another match he heard a sound which brought him to his feet, . ‘* A cavalry trumpet, by my life!” cried the judge, and in asecond he was listening at the door with the unstruck match in bis hand, The corridor stretching from Zeo’s office led directly to the main sbaft, and a noise like the clear and far-reaching notes of a cavalry bugle were pretty sure to penetrate to the place, The Jeffreys of Red Jack soon learned that he had not misinterpreted the sound, for all at once it came down to him from the clear atmos- phere outside in the ringing call of a bugle, “Did you hear that?” cried a voice at his elbow, and the light coming out from the cham- ber showed him the face and figure of Big Faverell. ‘*T heard it,” answered Powers. “ What does it mean?” ‘‘ Some more accursed soldiers have come!” grated the Dakota Hercules, ‘* Where is San Pablo Paul?” ** Tied in a chair at the bottom of an old_ pit.” ** Who put him there?” ‘The man 2 aia court was afraid to hang!” * Reynard?” ‘* Reynard and his lawyer.” ‘* Don’t you intend to rescue San Pablo?” “With soldiers—our worst enemies—in Red Jack?” exclaimed Faverell. ‘* Let the man who won your dust help himself. Come! I think we'll be needed where the blue-coats are,” ** Judge” Powers was not loth to quit the Yellow Witch. He could not imagine what adverse fats had peopled Red Jack once more with soldiers, and while he followed Faverell he cursed the army with all the bitterness ever indulged in by Tough Talbot. The two men reached the Square to find it occupied. The men who had lately departed under the command of the young captain who Gomileboo pibg! WS Poe a "y Be Pat fl y my ie - a - 7 a Pa s