Beadle's Dime Library No. 562 — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

ne ei nae * —— ask what kind of a man was this who had been taking so much trouble, es v00 see, I had a suspicion that this stranger to some crooked business, and so I con- to shadow him for a while,” the man- hunter continued. ‘The fellow deceived you in regard to his name. He called himself Arm- strong in the town, and when I found out that he had made arrangements to stop at Comanche Charley’s place I knew that he was not all right, for that saloon, I am satisfied, is the headquar- ters in Greerville of this gang of outlaws who call themselves the Red Wolves of Wichita.” Despite the command that the cowboys had over their features they could not prevent an anxious expression from appearing on them at this announcement. ‘‘Ts that true?’ asked Sandy MacAlpine in surprise. ‘* Yes, I am on the track of the Red Wolves, and before long I expect to gather them all in. Both of these fellows belong to the band!” **'Tain’t so!” George Hardacre cried. **Tt is a durned lie!” Gallagher exclaimed. ** Oh, no, it is a fact, but neither one of you is the leader of the gang, but I bave shadowed him though, and unless he is a great deal smarter than I think he is, I will have the brace- lets on his wrists before he is many days older.” ‘“Brag is a good dog,” George Hardacre re- marked with a sneer, yet it was plainly to be seen that he was troubled by the confident de- claration of the sleuth-hound., ‘You will find that I am not bragging, and when you see me spring the trap upon your leader you will then wish that you had accep- ted my offer and turned State’s evidence.} ‘‘Oh, we reckon we kin stand the press, all right!” the cowboy replied, defiantly, but it was plainly to be seen from the anxious look in his eyes that he did not feel as comfortable about the matter as he pretended. “Go your own gait, of course, but if I secure other testimony and push the case against you, then you may wish that you had accepted a offer.” he pair shook their heads in dogged refusal. ** Now then, let me see how I will arrange this matter,” the Lone Hand remarked, reflectively. ‘* Your pard, and this secamp, Bishop, will go at once to Greerville and report you as being killed by the red-skins, and the chances are that a party will be formed to come here for the pur- pose of recovering your body, and seeing if the tracks cannot be struck, And in that party I have an idea the chief of this Red Wolf gang will ride. He will be anxious to see if the scheme worked all right. Now I want to bother him a littls, so, Mr. MacAlpine, I will have to ask you to allow the world to believe that you are dead for a little while longer, and we wili seek a hiding-place in the mountains until this searcbing-party gets out of the way.” Sandy MacAlpine replied that he had no ob- jections, and then the Lone Hand conducted the party out of the valley, keeping to the rocky west ridge so that the trail could not be fol- lowed, As the reader will remember this device was effectual in baffling even an experienced old scout like Comanche Charley. In a dense thicket, some five miles to the southwest of the valley of the rocking stone, the party lay concealed until sundown, and then they proceeded toward Greerville. Late at night they arrived at Sandy MacAl- ine’s house and roused the astonished Eddie ivingstone from his sleep. : It was the Lone Hand’s pur to conceal his prisoners and MacAlpine until he made another move in the difficult game which he was playing so skillfully. CHAPTER XXXVI, A SURPRISE, AFTER making his arrangement the Lone Hand set off for the town. When he arrived at Greerville, although it was near midnight, he found that the town was wide awake, The inhabitants were so busily engaged in dis- Cussing the stirring events of the day that they were pee bing later hours than usual. As the Lone Hand pretended to be ignorant of all that had occurred he was immediately pounced upon by a dozen who were anxious to tell him of the wonderful things that had hap- Beroin the hotel rom the hotel,in com with Bud Mc- Cracken, who had been entice} flattered by the close attention that the Lone Hand had paid to his recital of how he had bossed the search- ing-party, as well as by a careless remark or two that the man-bhunter had let fall to the ef- fect that if it had been possible for any one to catch the murdering red-skins he, the marshal, would have been certain to do it, the sleuth- hound proceeded to Comanche Charley’s saloon. When the pair came in, Alex Wallace was leaning upon the bar at the extreme end, con- versing in a low and earnest tone with Co- manche Charley, but the conversation stopped the moment the two entered, and the i Hand, who noticed everything without appar- ently paying particular attention, fancied that was u clude ee Lone Hand, the Shadow. the two looked uncomfortable when they saw him in company with the marshal. Comanche Charley hastened forward so as to wait upon the new-comers, ‘*Same as allers,” said McCracken, and the saloon-keeper knew that this meant whisky. The Lone Hand took a glass of ale, ‘* Anything new?” Comanche Charley asked, with a look at the man-bunter as though he ex- pected that he had something to tell. ‘‘Nary thing,” the marshal replied, And then, in an extremely innocent way, the Lone Hand proceeded to explain how surprised he was when he returned to the town and learn- ed what had occurred, He noticed that while he spoke, Alex Wallace was paying strict attention to his words, as was also Mr, Armstrong, who sat in a corner of the room, Then the marshal proceeded to explain what his ideas were about red-skins in general, and while he was talking the Lone Hand, by means of the glass which adorned the wall behind the bar, noticed Alex Wallace make a signal to Armstrong. Then the rancher sauntered out of the saloon, and in a few minutes the stranger got up and also left the place, ‘* Aha! itisas I ee legal the Lone Hand muttered to bimself, *‘ there is an understanding between the two. I must see if I can’t get the nippers on this stranger.” After the marshal finished his recital, the pair quitted the saloon, and when they were in the street, the Lone Hand astonished Bud McCracken with the story of Sandy MacAlpine’s miraculous escape, and how he bad captured the two cowboys; then he explained his suspi- cions in regard to the stranger, Armstrong, and suggested u plan of operations in which he need- ed the marshal’s aid. This he readily agreed to give, for he felt proud at being called upon to co-operate with one of the great men of the Government Secret Service. The marshal turned down the street, and the Lone Hand went to the corral at the back of the saloon; he had discovered that the rancher usually kept bis horse there while in town. The horse was gone, so the man-hunter rea- soned that Wallace had started for his ranch, and he jumped to the conclusion that the stranger bad walked out of the town with bim so as to get an opportunity to converse without danger of being overheard, or of attracting attention. When he arrived at the edge of the town, he discerned Armstrong, in the distance, evidently returning; the rancher was not to be seen. ‘‘ He has gone on, and so will not be able to interfere with my little game!” the Lone Hand muttered. There was a bright moon, but the man-hun- ter had skulked along in the shadow of the houses, so as to avoid being seen, and when he made the discovery that Armstrong was re- turning, be concealed himself behind a low shanty and waited until the other was close at hand; then he abruptly stepped out and inter- cepted him, his right hand on the butt of the re- volver peeping from its holster, “Stop amoment, you are wanted!” said the Lone Hand to Whispering Ben. The New Yorker halted as though he had been suddenly turned into stone, and alarm was written on every lineament of his fat face, As well as any man on earth, Whispering Ben understood the significance of the phrase ‘* vou are wanted!” t was the man-hunter’s salutation to his game when the prey was cornered. The Lone Hand had his revolver ready, and any motion on the part of the other looking toward resistance would have quickly brought the tool out. But Whispering Ben had no idea of showing fight. He was armed of course; few men in Greer county who are not, but he was not one of the kind to se a revolver on the slightest provocation, ides, his weapon was in the istol-pocket of his pantaloons, and long before e could have got it out the other would have laid him low. He knew this, but even if he had confronted the other on even terms, he was too chicken- hearted to make a fight with any such man as the Lone Hand. i ‘“* Excuse me, oy, friend, haven’t you made some mistake?” spering Ben exclaimed: his i trembling in spite of efforts to appear calm. ‘*Oh, no, you are wanted in the very worst kind of way, and I reckon that you are old crook enough to know what that means!” ‘‘Upon my word, sir, you have the advantage of me. Ido not understand what you are driv- ing at!” ‘Oh, yes, youdo! Iam one of the officers of the Government Secret Service, and I want you for tue murder of Sandy MacAlpine!” Whispering. Ben turned ghastly pale, and for a moment he could not speak, then he managed to stammer: ; ‘“Why do you charge me with the crime— what have I todo with it? It was the Indians who killed Mr. MacAlpine, and they would undoubtedly, have killed Mr. Livingstone and : und Pend cas te ei >’ ie : 26 Tinie oS < <2. 29 myself bad we not fortunately gained our horses and so escaped,” “Oh, no, I know better. The two make- believe Indians, George Hardacre and Reddy Gallagher have been fon Saget by me, and so I know all the particulars of the plot. You are in a tight place, Mr. Armstrong, alias Bishop, alias a dozen other names, I presume, and if you are wise you will turn State’s evidence.” By this time Whispering Ben had recovered from the surprise and, with the cunning which came from long experience, guessed that the ; man-hunter had not so good a case as he pre- tended, or else he would not urge him to confess. ** You have been deceived, my dear sir; I had no hand in this matter, and so have nothing to confes,” he replied, assuming a lofty tone. * All right, if you choose to stand the racket it is your lookout and not mine,” Then the Lone Hand snapped a pair of hand- cuffs upon the wrists of Whispering Ben and conveyed him to the calaboose, where the mar- shal was in waiting to receive bim, But McCracken had enlisted three trusty men to aid him, besides Black Jack, the Jailer, so there was no danger of any prisoners being taken out of the jail this time, Then the two cowboys were brought to town and Saige in the jail. When Greerville awoke in the morning and discovered what had happened the town fairly went wild, Then when Sandy MacAlpine appeared, and in company with Eddie Livingstone, told how he bad been treated and talked of Lynch law, the cry was soon taken eh For some unaccountable reason the marshal and his men were absent, and the Lone Hand did not attempt to interfere with the mob when they broke open the door of the calaboose and dragged the prisoners out, Ropes were speedily put around their necks aud the ends passed over the branches of some stunted trees in the center of the town. Then the Lone Hand took a partin the pro- ceedings. **Hold on a moment, fellow-citizens!” he ex- claimed, ‘' Give these men a chance to confess! All of them, I think, are members of the out- law gang, the Red Wolves of Wichita! If any man will reveal the secrets of the gang—tell who is their leader, and what man, or men, in the town are aiding them, he ought to go free!” ‘‘ Yes, yes,” yelled the crowd, ‘‘ confess, con- fess!” and the men at the ropes gave them im- patient tugs. This terrible ordeal was too much for Whis- pering Ben, and he broke down, ‘“ Don’t hang me, and I will tell all I know!” he cried. ‘* Alex Wallace, whose right name is Godfrey Lovelanee, the Triangle rancher, is the chief of the Red Wolves, and Comanche Charley is their agent here!” Alex Wallace and Comanche Charley rode into the town just as the disclosure was made, The roar that the people gave at the sight of them, and the spectacle which greeted their eyes of the three men with ropes around their necks told the story plainly enough. All was discovered! They drew their wea- pons and endeavored to seek safety in flight, but as «very man in the crowd was armed, and the majority of them with rifles, the movement brought after them a storm of bullets, Down went horses and riders, writhing in the agonies of death, and at the same instant the defiant ruffians, Hardacre ard Gallagher, whose hands were red with the blood of a dozen in- nocent men, were hanged. The miserable informer was placed on the back of his horse and told to ‘‘ git!” a command which he obeyed with wonderful alacrity, A few more words and our tale is told. The Triangle Ranch and Comanche Charley's saloon were searched and ample proof of the guilt of their owners found. Very little money was discovered, though; evidently the robbers had carefully secreted it. The man-hunter had found Lovelance, who was wanted in Lower Texas for murder, but his death settled the account. Soon after the “lynch party,” Sandy Mac- Alpine and Maggie Anderson were married, and no guest was there at the wedding whose pres- ence they prized more than that of the Lone Hand, who had shadowed the evil-doers to their doom, THE END. . [e@ , *COMIENDOOK no Reto ee ~*