Beadle's Dime Library No. 801 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

j ¢ thought, yonder craft is a fleet one, for she fair- , ly flies over the waters.” . For some time did Lionel watch the flying sloop, as though imprinting it indelibly upon his $$$ $_—_— — : ¢ + mind, and then he turned and walked back to | " s the graveyard. i There he saw a lantern, twisted out of all ishape by the lightning’s stroke, and this he 1 gathered up with the shovel and pick, placing \ them, with the dead body, upon his father’s i grave. } Hastily retracing bis way to the mansion, he 4 called Thurber one side and asked ; ¥ ‘Have you said aught to your wife of your discovery?” ‘¢ Not a word, sir.” ** Well, itis my wish that you do not.” ‘Yes, sir, but when the coroner comes, . ' she—” , . **The coroner must not come, Thurber, for I a ; wish this discovery to remain a secret between = us alone.” NE ** Master Lionel, but—” Spay | ‘“‘Hear me, Thurber, [ left home under a cloud, as you know, and I return to find myself disinherited. Itold you of the Pointing Finger of the stroke of lightning, and now let me tel ps ou that I had the same sight before me again aa ast night, was awakened, if I was asleep, by the terrific peal of thunder, and found my ‘ani out. ‘*'You discovered that the lightning had ame shivered the tree at my father’s grave, and had 5 slaina man who you said had sought shelter a there from the storm. I tell you, Thurber, he a went there torob that grave, for his pick and = sbovel and a lamp prove this conclusively, Bes. while I have still further proof. ; ‘*Now I wish you to go there, dig down a a couple of feet and place that man in the grave.” NR ‘* With your father, sir?” | ‘* Yes, for to open one of the others, or to di st a new grave might attract the eye of some - s ous person,” on ‘*But, Master Lionel, I do—” ‘* You must do as I tell you, Thurber, for I am determined to solve this mystery in my own é wa of a © Place the man in the grave and make it ( over anew ; then clear upthingsabout it and you can tell your wife that the tree was struck by ‘ay lightning and you smoothed the grave over. Do a this for me, good Thurber, and keep the secret aS between us, and some day out of darkness light \ may come,” | **[T hope so, sir; but if it should be found out about the dead man?” ‘* Then I will tell the truth, so you will have no trouble about it.” , a ‘*'Yes, sir.” ae ss And, Thurber.” iirwith nettle’ yon ine Pol speak of wish neither you nor Polly to of m mie return home.” 7 ee af f won’t, sir, and I hope the old woman will no ‘** At least for the present,”’ ‘You ask her not to do so, sir, and maybe ter she won’t; but you know an old woman’s tongue Fae is hard to keep still, when there’s anything to be ee kept secret, unless it’s against herself.” mo ‘You seem to have studied woman nature ms, thoroughly, Thurber; but now go to the grave oe and do as I asked you, and I[ will tell Polly you have gone to put up the fence, for [ saw a part ee of it had blown down,’’and Lionel ente the ae - cottage, where good old Polly welcomed him with a | psa smile and set a tempting break- fast out before him. CHAPTER V, THE MYSTERIOUS SHOT AND VOICE. In the ea part of the city of New York there stands an old mansion, the grounds about it occupying an entire block. © 7S and commodious, and the city streets had en- | croached upon its once spacious grounds, until <i about it were going up brownstone.fronts, and pid far beyond it had now begun to stretch the city .- in its rapid growth. ae A wall surrounded the mansion upon three “bee sides, andin front was an iron fence, while the a grounds were tastefully laid out and shaded 7 ae with several ge pan trees that cast the house met of in the deepest gloom after nightfall. +e Seated in one of the spacious rooms of the old aa mansion, her hands resting upon a guitar upon ed her lap, but not touching the idle strings, was a —,s- young and beautiful woman. -_-—--: $0 young was she that few would have be- lieved her to be a wife, and so beautiful that qu § none could have gazed upon her without deepest al Her hair was a rich auburn, and was most or tastefully arranged about her haughty head, eh while her eyes, 6, black, and with extremely BL long lashes, were of a slumberous passion >. . thatit would seem dangerous to arouse. Sars Her form was the perfection of grace,and she ot was dressed with a degree of refinement of A bd bert ‘taste that one with her face could not but pos- a : BeSB. Not a jewel was in her ears, or mpou her i. hind, though a band of gold encircled the wed- cing finger, the only ornament sh wore. 4 a | , - , ¥, eS | 4 rs ; 7 * a ” ‘ , - ee EE ou It was at that time an old homestead, elegant | ero, you wrote you <a, 1\ 5 ** @ ‘i * <a. = < ye nd Wf : . The Pointing Her eyes seemed to be looking back into the | bygone, as she is introduced to the reader, and | her thoughts are evidently not of the happiest, - for her lips are compressed and a look almost stern rests upon her lovely face. taste, and the appointments of her home are ele- gant in the extreme, Suddenly she starts, an impatiently-uttered expression escapes her lips, and running her taper fingers across the strings of her guitar, | she seems to wish to drown thought in song, for _at first low and plaintive, and then swelling into richness and power, as though her soul was in her singing, she sings a ballad of rare pathos and beauty. As though not wishing to give herself time for thought, she at once raised her voice again | in song, ending with the words: | ** Oh, if you could but come back to me, Douglas, | Douglas, Douglas, tender and true!” Hardly had the last words left her lips, when a form darkened the open window, reaching to the floor, and in from the piazza stepped a man, who said earnestly : ‘*f am here, Ruth, as tender, as true, as the Douglas of the olden time.” A cry escaped her lips and she was upon her feet in an instant, startled by the one her song had seemed to summon as though with magic wand. He was a man of perhaps thirty, possessing a tall, slender form, though indicative of strength, and an air of easy grace, He was well-dressed, carried in one hand a soft hat, and his face was one to command re- spect and win admiration among men as well as among women, ‘* Douglas Drew!” The young woman gasped the name rather sewe| spoke it, and her beautiful face became vi **- Yes, Ruth, I am Douglas Drew, your old lover, who lived a few months of happy romance near you, for [ loved you, and hoped that you loved me; but I was called away unexpectedly, ere I could say farewell and ask you to promise to be my wife. and now, after two years, I re- turn to find you false.” He spoke with a voice full of emotion, and his fine eyes were bent upon hers with a power that seemed to fascinate her. A sensation of choking came over her, as deep feeling welled up from her heart; but checking all emotion shy said coldly: ‘*Lieutenant Drew, [ was not false to any vow,for you never asked me to make a vow. You left me without a word, and so I took from my heart all memory of you.”’ ‘ Left you without a word, Ruth, why—” “Tam now, sir, Mrs, Grayson Glyndon,” she said haughtilv. He bowed at the reproof and said: ‘*] was ordered off, at a moment’s notice, to rejoin my regiment in the West; but 1 wrote you a long letter, telling you all, and that you ad won my heart and begging for a s weet word of hope from you.” ‘* You wrate me such a letter?’ she asked hoarsely. as l ad Hall, for I few days.” : ‘* No such letter ever reached me.” ‘¢On my honor I wrote it, Ruth.” ‘‘ Would to God I had received it!’’she cried bitterly, and then, as though recalling that she had shown her real feelings, for she saw his face light up, as hestepped toward her, she continued nddressing it to your home of Cedar knew you were to leave school in a rapidly : ‘ No, no, I should not say that, for lam a wife now, and I have been, fora year; but I confess that when we were together in that olden time, became my beau ideal of manhood, my and had ber told then the love you say eld for me, all would have been well; but now, alas! it is too late, for I am the wife of another. But, good God! what am I confessing to you, Douglas Drew? ‘* Leave me, sir, and at once, and I beg you never to cross my path in, for between your life and mine a great is fixed which neither can ever cross, Go, Lieutenant Drew; 1 com- mand it!” . She looked oT a as she stood i b fore him, her form eft wn up to its hi her right hand pointing to the door, her resting upon her guitar. , ‘*] obey your command, Mrs, Glyndon, and go from you forever, thereby proving how dee is the love [ yet feel for you, another's thoug you be-—farewell— Nay, do not shrink from me, for this is our last farewell, and I beg you do not draw your hand away.” He had seized her outstretched hand as he spoke, and bending over it imprinted thereon a kiss, just as a man strode into the room and cried in a voice that rung Out threateningly, as it quivered with passion: ; eet ut you shall die for that insult, villain ‘* My husband!” broke in startled tones from the young wife, as she beheld him stride for- ward, a pistotin his hand and leveled at Douglas Drew, who did not move or quail. * 2 4 '- } ‘ «" aa - ' 7 J i Mh, ! . v, & 4 f see Fare 7. * . Ak . o~ gts \ rm é ? a ee , ¢ , ’- , i - oN | ——_—_—_—— n-ne ..:.:.:.—C2. .. aa aSaSaSa_G_aOaO_o_OoO eee sss sk shXhX— hk _<cG0$QQVNVQe rr ‘*T shall kill you!” hoarsely cried the madden. ed husband, and his face showed that he meant just what he said, and Douglas Drew’s voice held no quiver as hecalmly uttered the words: ‘Tam unarmed, sir, and I have done you no About heris an air of wealth and cultured | wrong.” ‘* You came here to rob me of my wife, and I will kill you as I would any robber who sought to steal from me.” A wicked gleam crossed his face as he raised his pistol to fire, when suddenly, from some un- known source came a sbot; the lamp was shivered to atoms, darkness intense fell upon the room, and a deep voice cried: ‘¢ Move from where you stand, Grayson Glyn- don, and you die!” CHAPTER VI, A WOUNDED SOLDIER’S PLUCK, FROM a train that drew up at one of the sta- tions at that most famous of Jersey resorts, Long Branch, a perfect stream of beautiful hu- manity poured out upon the platform, until two-score fair girls, ranging from thirteen to eighteen years of age, had drawn up in line under the leadership of a refined-looking lady whose hair was tinged with silver, and two younger ones almost as merry as were the school-girls, for it was a bevy of x from Madame Rosini’s fashionable New York school, bent on a picnic. They had come for a long day of enjoyment at the seaside, before their school closed for the summer vacation, to scatter them to their homes, and launch many of them upon the world, as they crossed the tohresho.d from girl- hood to maidenhood. One glance at the bevy of girls was sufficient. to show that Madame Rosini’s boast was a true one, that she had no homely scholars, for from the little miss of twelve with black eyes and red-gold hair, to the more dignified graduate of eighteen, all were pretty, some beautiful. he ** belle of the school,” in the eyes of her mates, as well as others, was a young gir] of seventeen, with a form that was perfection and a natural grace that was very bewitching, Her face was more womanly than her years inaicated, and there was a perfection of feature about it thut made it irresistibly lovely. With a certain dignity trat was marked, she yet was full of life, and her large, passionate, dark eyes often lighted up with a sparkle of girlish mischief. Her hair was a rich, golden auburn, and ap- ared to be very long, as it was coiled about er haughty head, and contrasted well with hei” dark eyes. | Her dress was rich and in perfect taste, and that she was a petted child of fortnne there could be no rt Each fair gir had a neat bundle to carry, her bathing suit in fact, and there were two maid- servants along who were loaded down with hampers for a picnic on the seaside. Two little boxes and baskets were carried by many that had the look of containing bon-bons and fruit, and all set off for the little bit of woodland near the beach with joyous hearts and bright anticipations of a day of delight that would long be remembered. One of the travelers referred to had been down on a prospecting tour several days before and had selected the camping-place, engaged bath-houses not far away, and madeallarrange- ments, so that she led the way as lovely girl just spoken of walkingyby her side. It was a pretty spot, and the balmy ocean breeze, the bright sunshine and the prospect of a bath in the surf flushed the faces of all, and it was not long before the whole bevy of beauties were wandering along the sands, glancing out upon the waters at the vessels in sight, and running back asthe heavy surf sent. waves far upon the beach. | Bath-houses came in requisition, and the two- score maidens were darting about with joyous: laughter in their pretty bathing-suits, and ut- tering wild shrieks if the waves caught themin an unguarded moment, for unlike mankind, few of the fair sex ever venture at once into the sea. At last one maiden, in a stylish blue suit: trimmed with white braid, and wearing a scar- let cap and sash, made a plunge into the eurf. She was a bold swimmer, and her companions: upon her with admiring awe, as she dived —— the incoming breakers. And there was one other who was gazing upon her with admiration, and that one was a man, who had been riding along the bank and had paused as he came upon the pretty scene, ell mounted, he sat his horse with the ease of — reared Sg bees st ‘ ossessing a fine physique, bis form was ren- dered still more attractive by being clad in the undress uniform of a cavalry officer of the United States Army, His face was frank, fearless and handsome, and altogether he was just the man to catch the eye of a maiden. * It’s hardly fair, for they don’t see me; but I can’t help it,” he said, half-aloud. Then, as though to excuse himself the more: for gazing upon the pretty scene, he added: iNT: orse-. uide, the — teers A org a? +5 | , . ati 9 = al C —_ if | * aT a! '*ea om £? ; a” y %