diff options
| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-01-21 06:49:14 -0800 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-01-21 06:49:14 -0800 |
| commit | 7c912b7e666e152bd168434b54f6b14d63948611 (patch) | |
| tree | 8e8f63813beb68c8a134e711abf860db5fa5a673 | |
| parent | 32bd91752772b3caf8fec141c2e22a4ee4ad9ad3 (diff) | |
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/68507-0.txt | 4531 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/68507-0.zip | bin | 82742 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/68507-h.zip | bin | 475672 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/68507-h/68507-h.htm | 4689 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/68507-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 309774 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/68507-h/images/illusc.jpg | bin | 80997 -> 0 bytes |
9 files changed, 17 insertions, 9220 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..125cea2 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68507 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68507) diff --git a/old/68507-0.txt b/old/68507-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b5d243b..0000000 --- a/old/68507-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4531 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Redlaw, The Half-Breed; or, The -Tangled Trail, by Jos. E. Badger, Jr. - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Redlaw, The Half-Breed; or, The Tangled Trail - Beadle’s Pocket Series No. 101 - -Author: Jos. E. Badger, Jr. - -Release Date: July 12, 2022 [eBook #68507] - -Language: English - -Produced by: David Edwards, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern - Illinois University Digital Library). - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK REDLAW, THE HALF-BREED; OR, -THE TANGLED TRAIL *** - - - - - - REDLAW, THE HALF-BREED; - - OR, - - THE TANGLED TRAIL. - - A TALE OF THE SETTLEMENTS. - - - BY JOS. E. BADGER, JR., - AUTHOR OF THE FOLLOWING POCKET NOVELS. - - 59. THE TEXAS HAWKS. - 63. THE FLORIDA SCOUT. - 98. DUSKY DICK. - - - NEW YORK: - BEADLE AND ADAMS, PUBLISHERS, - 98 WILLIAM STREET. - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by - BEADLE AND COMPANY, - In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - THE HIDDEN VOICE. - - -"Well, gentlemen, I propose we get to business. I for one have no time -to waste, and there are plenty of us present for a beginning," and the -speaker glanced approvingly around the room. - -He was a tall, powerfully-built man, aged probably forty-five years, of -a rugged, yet intelligent and almost handsome cast of features; while -the rough "home-made" garments that he wore disguised without hiding -the splendid contour of his form. There was the slightest possible -tinge of the "brogue" to his speech, that would have told a close -observer the land of his nativity. - -"I second the motion," piped out a shrill, quavering voice, as a -tall, skeleton-like body abruptly shot up to its full hight, and then -sunk down with a jar upon his stool, as all eyes were turned upon the -speaker, while he vehemently scrubbed at his face with an enormous -yellow cotton handkerchief, to hide the confusion he felt at thus -"speaking out in meeting." - -"Thank you, friend Hannibal Hooker," bowed the first speaker. "But -first we will have something to--Landlord! Jim Henderson, I say!" -roared out he who appeared to take the lead in the meeting, bringing -down his huge sun-embrowned, toil-hardened fist upon the table before -him, with such force, that it seemed as if the deal would split, while -Hannibal Hooker convulsively leaped from his stool with a faint squeak. - -"Thunder 'n' lightnin', Cap'n Neil," uttered a deep, rumbling voice, -as the door opened and a man thrust his head through the aperture, "am -I deaf, thet you need to t'ar the house down? What d'ye want?" and he -entered the room. - -It was like a mouse with a lion's voice. Scarcely five feet and built -in proportion, the new-comer spoke with a voice such as we imagine the -giant Magog to have used, it was so full deep and sonorous. But, if -not consistent with his body, it was with his heart, for "Honest Jim -Henderson" was a by-word, for use to typify truth and fidelity, among -his neighbors. - -"Bring us something hot and hearty, _avic_, for our throats will need -wetting before we get through," responded he whom the landlord called -Captain Neil. - -"I protest, gentlemen! I protest most emphatically against this -proceeding!" exclaimed a short, rotund personage, bouncing upon his -chair the better to be observed. "Must we depend upon intoxicating -liquors to enable us to form our plans? I say no, a thousand times no! -With such supports, our downfall--" - -What the conclusion of this worthy personage's speech was, is lost to -posterity, for by some mischance--it _was_ said, by the adroit trip -of a neighbor's _foot_--the stool upon which he stood was overturned, -and the little fat fellow plunged headlong beneath the table, giving -utterance to a series of grunts and snorts that in no wise tended to -quell the shouts of merriment at his mishap. - -"There, brother Bacon," laughed the leader, "is a flat contradiction to -your argument. You fall by opposing it; we will stand with its aid. So, -Henderson, look lively man, for it's getting well along, and I am in -haste." - -The worthy brother made no further objection, and when the punch -was brought in, by mere legerdemain, a cup filled with the steaming -beverage found itself tightly clasped in his chubby hand, and ten -minutes later was empty. Then Captain Neil stood up and spoke. - -"My friends and neighbors: Most of you know what is our purpose in -gathering here to-night, but as a few may not, I will briefly state the -facts. You all know that for nearly a year past we have been troubled -with floods of counterfeit money, and with losing our stock. How this -is done so secretly, and who by, is yet for us to learn. But one thing -is certain: unless we _do_ find out, and that soon, we may as well sell -out for what we can get, and leave the country. - -"Not one, so far as I can tell, among us all, but have suffered in -both ways; for my part, I am five thousand dollars poorer to-night than -I was five months since. Now, must this state of affairs continue? -I, for one, say _no!_--a thousand times no; and if need be, will -spend every moment of my time for the purpose of ferreting out these -scoundrels. - -"But to come to the point: what I have to propose is this: We must -organize a band--a _vigilance committee_. Do you know what that means? -They had one in Kentucky--they had one in Arkansas; we must have one in -Kansas! Judge Lynch has jurisdiction _here_ as well as elsewhere, and -it is to him we must turn, since the law of the land is powerless to -protect us! - -"All who are now present we can trust, I believe, and there are others -who can be admitted. But you must act cautiously, and know every man -well before he becomes a member. One traitor among us would counteract -all the good that others might do. But all this you know as well as I; -and those who wish to speak, or who have any plan to propose, will now -be heard," concluded Neil McGuire, as he resumed his seat, and filled -the well-blackened corn-cob pipe that lay before him. - -Several of the members delivered their opinions upon the subject, all -agreeing with their leader that something must be done; the only thing -in doubt, appeared to be in deciding what that thing should be. It was -while the debate was at its height, that loud, excited voices were -heard in the bar-room without, followed by the sounds of a scuffle, -with a rattle of overturned chairs and tables. - -Then the connecting door was violently thrust open, without the trouble -being taken of lifting the latch, and a man stood upon the threshold, -keenly scrutinizing the scene before him. A man we said, but it might -well have been, a remarkable man. - -So tall that the hair of his uncovered head touched the top of the -doorway, and yet so perfectly proportioned that had it not been for the -standard to compare by, he would not have seemed over six feet, if so -much. The hands that grasped the sides of the doorway were large and -muscular, but as fine and white as a lady's; and from the position, -great masses of swelling muscle could be seen distending the light -material of his sack coat, upon the arms. - -His face was of a massive style of beauty, and yet not without delicate -lines and touches. The keen blue eyes were large and frank-looking, -usually having a genial, good-humored tone about them that -instinctively attracted the beholder; but which had now given place to -a cold, steel-like glitter that warned how dangerous it might be to -cross his mood. - -In age he appeared about thirty, and but for the long, flowing mustache -and beard of a soft flaxen color, one would have taken him for half -a decade less. After a few moments' silence the intruder spoke, in a -full, clear tone that would have been musical had it not been for the -metallic ring, occasioned by his anger or excitement. - -"Gentlemen, I must beg your indulgence for interrupting your council so -abruptly, but "Honest Jim" Blockhead yonder denied me admittance; and -as I was in no mood for arguing the case, I fear I gave the fellow a -broken head, and took the liberty of introducing myself." - -"You say right," responded Neil McGuire, in a stern tone, as he -confronted the stranger, "it _is_ a liberty. We were engaged upon -private business, that does not concern you in the least, and--" - -"Pardon, my dear sir," interrupted the stranger, "and allow me to -correct you. The business you were upon _does_ concern me, and I doubt -if one man present is more deeply interested in its success than -myself," he added, in a conciliatory tone, that was flatly contradicted -by the glitter of his eyes at the manner of McGuire. - -"Perhaps you will tell me where you got your knowledge of what we were -consulting upon, and your reasons for this intrusion," coldly returned -the latter. - -"It is easily done," quoth the stranger, as he advanced to the table -and coolly filling a pint cup with the punch, drained it at a draught, -not heeding the scowls of those around him, "and shall be as you -say. In the first place, you are organizing a league to put down the -horse-thieves and counterfeiters that infest us." - -"Go on," was the cold reply. - -"You are prudent, and I don't blame you. Who knows but what I am a -spy, or person in the interest of those same scoundrels?" laughed the -intruder. - -"Just so; who _does_ know?" chimed in a voice from among the crowd. - -The man sprung to his feet and glared in the direction of the voice, -but every face wore an expression of astonishment, while each man -glanced around him as if to discover the speaker. - -"If the fellow who spoke thus will be honest enough to show his face, -perhaps he will learn who and what Clay Poynter is. I would give--" - -"How much--in _counterfeit money_?" squeaked a shrill treble from -another part of the room, toward which Poynter turned in a frenzy of -rage and fury. - -"Peace, gentlemen!" ordered McGuire, thumping upon the table to give -emphasis to his words. "We are not here for squabbling, but upon -serious business. Mr. Poynter is a gentleman. Let him proceed." - -"Gentlemen, it is true I am a comparative stranger among you, but, for -all that, you have no occasion to insult me. I will give a hundred -dollars to the man that will point me out the scoundrel who spoke those -words!" - -"Which will only cost you sixteen dollars!" added another -voice--alluding to the general price paid for counterfeit money since -the days of Sturdevant--sounding from close behind him who had called -himself Clay Poynter. - -The latter swiftly turned, hissing out a bitter oath, with right arm -drawn back to deal a fearful blow upon his insulter, _but no person was -there_! The space behind him had been unoccupied since his entrance. -Poynter staggered back against the table with a half-startled, -half-puzzled look upon his features; but this he soon banished, and -with a somewhat constrained voice, said: - -"Really, the devil seems to be at work here to-night, and has selected -me for his mark!" - -"Never fear; he will not claim you yet. The mortgage has several weeks -yet to run," again added the strange voice. - -"Come--come!" impatiently cried McGuire, "this is all nonsense. Please -go on with your explanation, Mr. Poynter." - -"Well, I learned that you were about to organize a vigilance committee, -and thought I would present my name for a membership. So I rode over -from my house, and as I passed the ford at the creek, I was knocked -from the saddle, and when I recovered, I was robbed of my horse as well -as watch and a large sum of money." - -"Ho, ho! the robber robbed!" croaked the mysterious voice, and the cry -appeared to float around the room above the company's heads, most of -whom were deathly pale, while anxious, apprehensive glances ran from -one to another. "Ho, ho! the robber robbed!" - -"Our worthy friend is quite a ventriloquist," slowly uttered Poynter, -as his fiery eyes roved around the room, dwelling slightly upon each -face; but upon one in particular he cast a glance of mingled hatred -and triumph, then passed to another. "I would willingly give half I am -worth, just to take one lesson from him," dwelling with bitter emphasis -upon each word. - -"Well, friends, we may as well break off now before harm is done," said -Neil McGuire, in a vexed tone. "There's something wrong here, and the -less we say, perhaps the better it will be, for who can have any object -in breaking up this meeting, unless he or they are connected with this -accursed gang of scoundrels?" - -"But what! must we give up the plan after all this to-do?" exclaimed -Demetrius Bacon, again leaping upon his stool in order to gain the -desired auditory, forgetful of his late downfall. - -"Give up the devil!" retorted McGuire, who was not always precise -in his language. "When I put my hand to a thing in dead up-and-down -earnest, it's bound to go through. And now listen, all of you. Until -you hear from me, attend to your business as usual, and do not make -what has happened to-night the subject of conversation. We must use a -little more circumspection, for if a spy can enter among us here we -will need all our wits." - -"I show you the spy--why don't you take him?" again squeaked the -strange voice, and then as each man glanced at his neighbor, it added: -"His name, _now_, is Clay Poynter!" - -"My dear sir, whoever you may chance to be," cried the man thus -strangely denounced, in an assumed tone of _nonchalant_ politeness, as -he glanced around the room, "I made an error a few moments since. I -said that I would give half I am worth; so I will add the other moiety, -if you grant me an interview." - -There was no reply to this speech, and the party filed through the -doorway into the bar-room of the "Twin Sycamores," the majority of -them pausing to take a parting drink before leaving for home. Beside -Neil McGuire stood a medium-sized man, of a sandy complexion, and who -appeared to belong to a different class from the rough, homespun-clad -farmers that surrounded him, if one might judge from his apparel and -general demeanor. - -A heavy gold watch-guard, from which depended a bunch of seals, -crossed his waistcoat, and while with one hand holding a riding-whip -he daintily flecked a speck of dust from the tip of his well-polished -boot, the other raised a glass of liquor from the bar. As he did so, a -solitaire diamond ring flashed back the candle-light with a thousand -scintillations. Among the frills of his linen shirt-front a magnificent -cluster pin of the same jewels gleamed forth, exciting the wonder and -admiration of a number of the men present. - -At present his features were calm and expressionless, while his small -gray eyes shone with a half-vacant air; but beneath all this a close -observer would have seen something more. He would have pronounced the -stolidity a mere mask, and would have seen that not a man present but -was keenly scrutinized. He would have said that it was as if a panther -had donned a sheep's skin, for some particular purpose. And he would -have been right. - -"Come, Dement," said Neil McGuire, turning toward this man. "Come, -let's go," and the two men elbowed their way from the room. - -The remainder, such as had not departed, continued to converse in low -tones upon the subject of the strange voice. Poynter was carelessly -leaning back against the counter, holding a glass in one hand, while he -listened intently to the remarks, although not appearing to do so. - -"It may be all right, Touter, but it is mighty queer, anyhow. And then -who _is_ this fellow? Do _you_ know--does anybody know, except that -he appears to have plenty of money, and calls himself Clay Poynter?" -distinctly uttered a bold, free tone, and the speaker turned his head -toward the person alluded to. - -He was a somewhat remarkable-looking man apparently five or six and -twenty years of age. In form he was tall, and straight as an arrow, -with a lithe suppleness in every movement, that, joined to his swarthy -complexion, and long, straight black hair, in part confirmed the rumor -that he had Indian blood in his veins. - -"Ah, my dear Indian Polk," blandly interrupted Poynter, as he drew -himself erect upon hearing these words. "You do not drink. Allow me to -offer you a glass of brandy!" and with a lightning-like movement he -hurled the heavy glassful at the head of the young man. - -But, quick as was the action, the missile was eluded by an adroit duck -of the head, and Polk sprung forward with a fierce curse, lunging out -with his clenched fist a fearful blow as he did so. The blow fell upon -Poynter's half-averted cheek, tearing the skin as if cut with a knife; -but not a quiver or a motion was the result of the blow. - -Before the assailant could recover his balance, Poynter's left hand -clutched his throat, and then the massive fist shot out, taking Polk -full between the eyes, with such crushing force that he was hurled -clear across the room, where he fell head-first in a senseless heap -beneath a table. - -Coolly wiping the blood-spots from his shirt-front with a handkerchief, -Poynter turned to the bar without another glance at the fallen man, and -called for a glass of brandy. Henderson promptly served it, at the same -time whispering: - -"You'd better look out, Mr. Poynter, fer 'Injun' hain't no baby, an' -'ll hev y'ur blood fer this, ef so be he kin. He's a devil, shore!" - -"Bah!" laughed Poynter, snapping his fingers. "I don't care _that_ for -him. If he crosses my path again, or lets me hear any more of his dirty -hints, I'll hit him a square blow next, one that he'll not get over so -easily as this one. But when he gets up, just give him my compliments, -and tell him that if he relishes the specimen, there's plenty more of -the same brand at his service," and so saying, Clay Poynter left the -room and vanished in the darkness, leaving those behind him still more -puzzled at him than before, which is saying a good deal. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - THE DOUBLE SHOT. - - -"What can be keeping Nora, I wonder?" half muttered a man, as he -anxiously peered through the leafy screen before him, with a gesture of -impatience. - -A man, we said, and as he turns his head so that the sun's rays fall -beneath the broad-brimmed slouched hat, we can see that it is Clay -Poynter, who is there awaiting the arrival of some person. Even had not -his muttered exclamation revealed this fact, there was an eager, ardent -tinge to his restlessness that would have betrayed his secret--would -have told of an appointment with some one a little more than a mere -friend. - -A woman would have guessed that he was expecting a sweetheart, whom, -for some reason, he could not visit openly, and she would have been -right. He was awaiting a sweetheart, and her name was Nora McGuire. - -Again Poynter peered through the bushes. He saw a small but neat -vine-covered log-house, of only one story. Behind this and upon either -hand spread the fields of young grain, now a level, waving sea of -verdure, with strange forms and figures chasing each other, as the -blades were bent by the fitful gusts of wind. - -Behind this, again, rose the rugged mounds forming the "Wildcat Range," -among whose more difficult recesses the "big game" still could be -found, and it was rumored that yet more dangerous customers might -there be met with--that many a wild scene of blood and crime those -rock-crowned hills had witnessed. - -But of this our friend took no heed, for he saw the object of his -thoughts step from the cabin door, and after a hasty glance around, -trip lightly toward the spot where he was standing. Poynter pushed -aside the screen of bushes, and half emerged, but as if by a second -thought he drew back, with a muttered curse. - -He had caught a glimpse of Neil McGuire's stalwart form passing from -the field to the cabin, and for some reason, best known to himself, did -not wish those keen gray eyes to note his presence. The young girl now -reached the screen of bushes, and with one glance behind her, passed -them, and then was tightly clasped in the strong arms of Poynter. - -"For shame, Mr. Poynter, to surprise me in that way!" pouted the dainty -lips, as Nora glided from the embrace. - -"But, Nora, 'tis all your own fault, if I am obliged to surprise you, -as you say," laughed the young man. - -"And why so?" innocently queried the maiden, with the slightest -possible toss of her pretty head. - -"Well, pet, the fact is, I have a serious monomania, that troubles a--" - -"A _what_? Is it any thing very dangerous?" asked Nora, with a startled -air. - -"That depends," he laughed again. "But, as I was saying, the disease -is beyond my power to cure. It is, that whenever I see a dainty little -rosebud mouth, like one that shall be nameless, I feel an irresistible -desire to just stoop my head and see if it is as sweet as it looks!" - -"Oh, you horrid creature! I thought you were sick, or something," -pouted Nora, half turning away. - -"Now you're mad, and I've got something of importance to tell you." - -"No, I am not mad; but you talk so queer at times, that I can't -understand you. You seem to delight in making sport of me." - -"I make sport of _you_. No, no, little one. I love you far too well -for that. It is only my way. But come, take my arm and let's walk. I -have something to say that can not be postponed, and some one might -interrupt us here," added Poynter. - -"But can't you come to the house, Clay? It don't seem right for me to -meet you in this manner," hesitated Nora. - -"Your father is at home, and you know what he said the last time I -called. If any one else had spoken to me in that way, Nora, he would--" -And then pausing abruptly for a moment, he added: "But what has he told -you about me, pet?" - -"About you? Why--" faltered the maiden. - -"Come, Nora, it is better that I should hear it from you than him. No -matter how harsh or unjust it may be, I shall not forget that he is -_your_ father." - -"Oh, Clay, it was dreadful!" - -"So bad as that? Well, my shoulders are broad and I can bear it. And it -was--?" - -"Must I tell?" she pleaded. - -"Nora!" - -"Well, then," with a sigh, "he said that he had heard you were -connected with a gang of horse-thieves and counterfeiters; and although -he had no positive proof against you, as yet, he forbade my speaking to -you until he gave me leave." - -"So-so!" bitterly exclaimed Poynter, half to himself. "My kind friend -has not abandoned me yet." Then turning abruptly to Nora, he added: -"And you believed this?" - -"Clay!" - -"Pardon, darling; I did not mean it," repentantly said Poynter. "No, I -can trust _you_, if no one else." - -And he clasped the little brown hand that had been laid upon his arm at -her exclamation. - -"I wish you _would_ trust me; then, perhaps, I could tell better how to -act," she said, looking up into his face, wistfully. - -"And have I not? Well--did he tell you from where these hints came?" - -"No, but I think--and yet again, I am puzzled," hesitated Nora. - -"You think--?" - -"That our strange visitor--this John Dement, he calls himself--is in -some way mixed up with it. More than once I have accidentally overheard -him and father speaking about you, but whenever they saw me, it would -be dropped." - -"The yellow-haired man that was with your father on Tuesday night?" - -"Yes. But I may be wrong. At any rate, he has left us now." - -"Left you, you say; and when?" - -"Late yesterday afternoon. But it is only for a short time. I heard him -tell father that he would return next week." - -"Do you know where he went?" - -"To Fort Leavenworth." - -"Good! I will manage to have an interview with the gentleman; I must -stop there myself." - -"You stop there? Why Clay--!" exclaimed the maiden, in a startled tone. - -"Yes; that is what I came to tell you. I must go to St. Louis upon -business for a week or so. Indeed, I should have been upon the road -before now, but I wished to see you first so that you would not be -alarmed at my disappearance," returned Poynter, kindly. - -The reply she was about to make was abruptly checked by the sound of -approaching footsteps, and then the loud, clear call of: - -"Nora, Nora child, where are you?" - -"Oh, Clay, it is my father! He will kill me if he finds I am with you!" - -"Never fear, darling, he will not hurt you," murmured Poynter, as he -drew the trembling form closer to his side. - -"No, no, Clay; but you--oh, leave me!" - -"What, _I_ run, and from one man?" - -"Nora--I say, Nora; why don't you answer me?" impatiently called the -voice, and the footsteps ceased, as if her father was listening. - -"For my sake!" pleaded the maiden. - -"For _your_ sake--well," and with one fervent kiss, Clay Poynter -vanished among the undergrowth. - -"_Nora_--NORA!" - -"Yes, father," she tremblingly answered. - -"Oh, so here you are!" said Neil McGuire, as he entered the little -glade. "Why didn't you speak before? Ha! who has been here with you?" -he added, at the same time bending over the moist ground. - -Nora could not reply, and then her father rose with an angry flush upon -his face, and exclaimed, in a voice hoarse with passion: - -"So, this is the way you obey me! Stop!" as he saw Nora about to speak, -"do not add falsehood to disobedience--" - -"Father, did I ever tell you a lie?" reproachfully asked Nora. - -"Pardon, Nora, I did not mean that. But I was so angry at finding that -you had been with that villain, Poynter, I forgot myself. See, those -are his tracks. No other man wears such boots, around here." - -"Well, I was with him, but he only came to bid me good-by." - -"Good-by! Then he thinks it best to leave the country before Judge -Lynch interviews him, the--" - -"Hold, Mr. McGuire," slowly said Poynter, as he stepped forward and -confronted the father. "Why should _I_ fear Judge Lynch more than any -other man?" - -"Ah, why, indeed?" sneered McGuire. "Why was it that you left Kentucky -so suddenly, and made such a short stop in Arkansas, if I may ask?" - -"So, _that_ is your game, is it? Well, of this be assured, that after -my return from St. Louis, I will show you such proofs of my innocence -that you will beg pardon for your unjust suspicions." - -"_After_ your return!" echoed Neil, derisively. - -"Father--father!" pleaded Nora, in terror, "come, let us go home; I am -afraid." - -"Your daughter is right, Mr. McGuire," added Poynter, a little more -coolly. "It will do no good for us to talk further. My explanations can -wait." - -"So I presume," curtly responded the other, then adding, "Come, child, -let us go," and leading Nora by the hand, he left the glade. - -For a few moments Poynter stood gazing abstractedly in the direction -they had taken, and then arousing himself, with a little laugh, turned -upon his heel and walked briskly along a faintly-defined trail. The -woods were open and free from undergrowth at this point, but after -crossing a narrow tract of bare ground, and once more entering the -timber, the path was thickly fringed on either side with bushes of -hazel and oak. - -After crossing a slight rise and down the valley once more, Poynter -came in view of his own house--for that time and section, a perfect -palace, a two-story frame, weather-boarded, and painted a neat -cream-color. Why he had built this, when he was not at home one-tenth -of his time, was a great puzzle to his neighbors, and many a siege of -cross-questioning had old aunty Eunice to undergo. - -Questions as to who her young master really was, if wealthy, and his -reasons for making such frequent journeys; why he had not got married, -and countless others, of equal importance. But the old negress knew how -to keep a close tongue in her head, or to talk a great deal without -saying any thing; so that when her visitors left, they were forced to -acknowledge that they knew as much as they did before--and not much -more. - -Clay Poynter strode rapidly along, but his thoughts were not upon -what he was doing; he was thinking of Nora McGuire. His head was bent -forward, but he did not heed where he stepped, and with a sharp cry of -surprise, he fell headlong, his foot having caught against a root or -stub. - -It is wonderful upon what slight points a man's life hinges; and -Poynter had an instance of this fact furnished him at the same moment. -Simultaneous with his cry, a double report echoed upon the air, and his -hat fluttered from his head, and a sharp, tingling sensation in his -shoulder told him that he was shot. - -"Hurray, Bart, he's a goner!" shouted a voice, that the fallen man had -no difficulty in recognizing. - -"Bet ye! But it's halfers, mind ye now, Polk!" and at the same time -two men broke out from the bushes, and hastened toward their intended -victim. - -Poynter could see them plainly, and immediately recognized them to -be Barton Clowry and Polk Redlaw, the former a drunken, worthless -scoundrel, that would lie, steal, fight and drink, day in and day -out, disliked by everybody and pitied by none. He had a fit-looking -person for a partner, owing to the blow dealt Polk Redlaw by Poynter, -at the "Twin Sycamores," that had inflamed his entire face dreadfully. - -All this he saw at a glance, and when the two would-be murderers had -crossed half the intervening space, Poynter leaped to his feet with -a hoarse cry, and as his right arm straightened out, the sun's rays -flashed upon the polished tube of a revolver. At the report, Clowry -gave a convulsive spring, and then fell upon his face, dead. - -"Now, you dirty mongrel cur, it is your turn!" yelled Poynter, as he -again cocked his weapon. - -It was discharged, but Polk had caught the motion, and throwing -himself flat upon the ground, the missile hissed harmlessly above his -head. But ere he could arise, Poynter leaped forward and dealt him a -fearful kick upon the side of his head, that hurled him forward twice -his length, sprawling among the bushes, where he lay perfectly limp and -motionless. - -His enemy stooped over him and felt of his body, then arising, he -muttered: - -"Dead as the other! Well, it's so much ammunition saved, at any rate. -It is a bad job, though, but it was either I or them, and they _would_ -have it!" he muttered, as he returned to where his hat lay, brushing -the dust from his garments. - -"New hat spoiled--item first; bullet-hole in shoulder, another. Well, -I don't know but what they are both paid for, now, as it turned out. -Confound the thing, how it does smart. Aunt Eunice must bind it up, -and then I suppose I must go and tell the neighbors," he mused, as he -proceeded toward the house. - -"Curse the luck! More delay just when I should be at work; and if I was -not very popular before, will this mend matters any? It's lucky they -were such dirty hounds, or it might go hard with me. And then these -_vigilantes_--" - -"Lord 'a' massy! Marse Clay," cried a husky, wheezing voice, as a negro -woman came waddling from around the house. "Is you done kilt, honey?" - -"Not quite, aunty," laughed Poynter. "But I might have been. Come," he -added, entering the building, "get some rags and bind up my shoulder." - -"'Clar' to goodness, honey, chile, I was e'ena'most skeered to deaf, -I jest was, now," chattered aunt Eunice, as she bustled around her -patient. "I jest done went to de do' to look ef you was a-comin', w'en -I see'd dem 'ar funnelly fellers a-shootin', an' den you falled down, -an' I t'ought you's done dead fo' suah!" - -"Well, why didn't you come and help me?" - -"'Deed I was jest a-gwine, honey, so I was. I runned to de kitchen, -an' got dis yere," holding up a huge basting-fork, "'nd w'en I got -out ag'in, dar you was, big's life. 'Pears like, I'd a-drapped, I's -so 'mazin' glad. Bress ye, honey, dear, ef dem 'a Pharoasters 'd 'a' -killed you, I'd a--jest would, so dar!" spluttered the old woman, -throwing her arms around Clay, and jumping up and down as she hugged -him. - -"Easy--easy, aunty; you hurt my arm," laughed Poynter, as he released -himself, and then sunk into a chair, feeling faint from excitement and -loss of blood. - -"Jest looky! w'at a funnelly ole goose I is! But I's so glad, Marse -Clay, dat it 'pears like I'll go clean crazy." - -"I think that if you'd get me some brandy, or a cup of coffee, it would -be a more sensible idea, aunt Eunice." - -"Dar 'tis ag'in! Might 'a' knowed dat. But you jest sot still, honey, -'nd I'll git you it," and she trotted out of the room with an alacrity -that made the entire house jar beneath her weight, while Poynter bowed -his head upon the table. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - "JUDGE LYNCH." - - -After drinking the coffee prepared by aunt Eunice, Poynter started -toward the door with the intention of mounting his horse and giving -information to his neighbors concerning the tragedy, but his limbs -trembled and his head reeled, forcing him to catch at the door-post in -order to keep from falling. A strange spell of weakness seized him, and -but for the strong arm of his servant, who supported him to a chair, he -would have sunk to the floor. - -"Fix my bed, aunty; I guess I'll lie down for a moment. I must have -bled far more than I thought. And just at the time when I should -be most active, too!" he muttered, half uneasily, as the old woman -departed upon her errand. - -In a few moments he was lying down upon the bed, and dismissed aunt -Eunice about her work. He sunk into a heavy slumber, that lasted until -four in the afternoon, when he was hastily aroused by his servant, who -appeared to be terribly alarmed at something. - -"Well, what is up, Eunice? You look as though you'd seen the ghost of -your grandmother, or something as bad," he drawled, with a yawn, as he -started up in bed. - -"Lord, ef _'twas_ on'y jest a ghos', 'pears like I'd be glad!" cried -the old woman, anxiously. "Bress you, honey, dar's a right smart chance -o' dem ar' critter-back fellers out yander, all a-holdin' guns an' sich -like, w'at tole me was you hyar? Den I tole _dem_, I dunno; 'spect -you done gwine away; 'cause I didn't know w'at dey wanted, an' didn't -know mebbe you'd want to hide. Den a gre't big feller, no 'count w'ite -trash, he said, 'G'long, dar, you 'sense o' midnight you, an' tell -him to show hissef, or I brow de whull top o' y'ur head offen you!' -Den I say, 'Git out, you dirty w'ite nigger'--" spluttered the woman, -when Poynter, who had pulled on his boots and coat, interrupted her by -asking: - -"Armed horsemen, you say; did you know any of them?" - -"'Deed I did so, honey. Dar's ol' Marse Reeves, 'n' Brooks 'nd dat ar' -Injun feller--" began Eunice. - -"What! not Polk Redlaw?" - -"'Deed, fo' suah, Marse Clay, honey," persisted Eunice. "I knowed de -dirty nigger, dough his face is all bloody, an' red like a b'iled beet." - -Poynter did not reply, but proceeded hastily through the house and out -upon the front stoop, where his appearance was hailed with an exultant -shout from the crowd of armed men that filled the dooryard. - -"There he is--arrest him! I charge him with murder!" cried out a loud -voice, a little upon one side. - -"Ah! you there, mongrel cur?" scornfully cried the accused, with a look -of contempt. "I thought I had finished you for good." - -"See, he acknowledges it!" foamed Polk Redlaw; "I call you all to -witness--" - -"Dry up y'ur yaup," muttered one of his neighbors, giving Redlaw a -shove that nearly sent him to the ground head-foremost. - -"Curse you, Jack Fyffe!" snarled Polk, leaping at the man with a -gleaming knife in his hand, "I'll cut your heart out!" - -"So?" coolly exclaimed the burly fellow, dodging aside and dealing the -battered head of his assailant a deftly-planted blow that brought him -to grass. "'Pears like 's if y'ur ockyputt was a football, sorter." - -"Stop your squabbling there," called out Neil McGuire, sternly. "The -first one that creates a disturbance while I lead them, will be put -under arrest. Young man," he added, turning to Poynter, who stood -calmly scrutinizing the assembly before him, as if he would read his -probable fate in their faces, "I regret it for your sake, but I must -arrest you," at the same time ascending the steps and placing his hand -upon Poynter's shoulder. - -"Arrest me!" said the young man, shaking off the grasp and retreating a -step. "And for what?" - -A yell went up from the crowd; among the cries were fearful -words--those of _robbery_ and _murder_! - -"You hear?" significantly returned McGuire. - -"I do; but even supposing those terms applied to me, what right have -_you_ to take the office of justice upon yourself?" - -"What right? That of the people--of honest men! The right that -justifies a man in killing a snake, or ridding the community of a -scourge. We are _vigilantes_--did you ever hear of them before--in -Kentucky, for instance?" sternly replied Neil, with a biting sneer upon -the last question. - -"Ah!" - -It was only one word, but it comprised a world of bitterness--one might -almost say of anguish and despair. It seemed as if a dreadful blow had -been stricken him, and for a moment he bowed his head beneath it; but -only for a moment. Then he was as cool and as proud as before. - -"Very well. I suppose I am your prisoner?" - -"You are." - -"Aunt Eunice, don't be alarmed, I will return soon." Then turning to -McGuire, he added, "I presume I will have a fair trial?" - -"We are not murderers--only the ministers of justice," was the stern -reply. - -"Then, aunty, when I send for you, come. I may need your evidence." - -"'Deed, Marse Clay, honey," sobbed the old woman, pressing forward, -"I's gwine along too." - -"No, you can not; at least just now. Remain here until I send." Then -to the leader of the _vigilantes_: "Well, sir, I am ready." - -"Your horse?" - -"Is in the stable--my bay, I mean. The other was stolen." - -"Stolen?" - -"I told you as much, at the meeting." - -"Well; Crane, bring him out," and then McGuire drew aside with two men, -to whom he appeared giving some instructions, in a low, guarded voice. - -The horse of the prisoner was brought forth, and when he had mounted, -they filed from the dooryard, and closing up around their captive rode -away, with the exception of the two men spoken to by McGuire, who soon -after entered the building. - -The little cavalcade proceeded at a rapid trot toward the "Twin -Sycamores," while the curious, half-affrighted gazes that followed them -from each house as they passed, told that a rumor of their mission had -spread like wildfire. All this was not unnoticed by the prisoner, and -he drew himself erect with a prouder more haughty air, as if he would -thus repel the ignominy that rested upon him. - -Poynter's mind was not idle, and he realized that his liberty, if -not life, was in jeopardy; and that, too, when freedom was most -inestimable. He did not know what charges would be brought against him; -but it was evident that the hint given by Neil McGuire regarding the -Kentucky _vigilantes_ troubled his mind not a little. - -In a few minutes the party drew rein in front of the "Twin -Sycamores"--so named from the two gigantic trees of that species -growing upon either side of the door--where stood "Honest Jim." The -captain whispered a few words in his ear. - -"Wal, ef you wish it; thar's nobody thar." Then, as he drew nearer -to Poynter, he added in a kind tone: "Lord love you, squar', I'm -sorry--dog-goned sorry to see you hyar. It's rough lines fer a fine -young feller like you to be 'rested on sech a charge!" - -"Thank you, Henderson," cordially replied Poynter, as he clasped -the little man's hand warmly. "It is rough, especially when you are -innocent." - -"Be--now don't git mad, Mr. Poynter, 'cause I mean well--_be_ you -innercent?" anxiously asked Henderson. - -"Of any thing unlawful or mean, I am. But as I don't know what charges -are laid against me, I can say no more." - -"They say you be one of these horse-thieves an' counterfeiters!" -whispered the landlord. - -"Then they lie!" angrily replied Poynter. - -"An' wuss, a heap wusser'n that. They say you _murdered_--" - -"No conversing with the prisoner there, Jim Henderson," interrupted the -leader, as he emerged from the house. - -"I was jest a--" - -"No matter. Come. The long-room is ready, and to spare time we will try -the prisoner at once," added McGuire, as he motioned his men to enter. - -The "long-room" was that in which we saw the first meeting of the -_vigilantes_, and as all entered, the door was closed and securely -bolted, thus guarding against any intrusion. The long table was pushed -along until it touched the further end of the wall, and upon this a -single chair was placed. Then a similar one was stood near the other -extremity for the prisoner's use. - -"Now, gentlemen," said Neil McGuire, "we will vote for a judge to try -the case." - -By universal acclamation he was elected, and at once took his seat, -when Poynter was directed to assume his position. After some few -objections by the prisoner, a jury was chosen and ranged alongside the -judge, who then spoke: - -"You know the task that is before you, and the sooner it is over the -better. We will--" - -"One moment, Mr. McGuire--or I presume I should say _your honor_," -interrupted Poynter, with an ironical bow. "You call this a trial, but -is it not altogether one-sided? Here I am arrested, for what I know -not; already treated like a felon. Is _this_ your idea of justice?" - -"You speak warmly, Mr. Poynter--" - -"And why not? You are all leagued against me, and so far as I can -see, do not intend giving me a chance to clear myself from any charge -you may bring against me. If I am to be tried, I demand it shall be -according to law, and that I have counsel; that I am informed what -crime I am accused of, and allowed time to procure witnesses!" hotly -exclaimed the prisoner. - -"You shall have full justice, but we have no need for lawyers here. -The truth alone shall acquit or condemn you. You can defend yourself, -and if any witnesses are necessary, they shall be sent for. If you are -shown to be innocent, then any reparation you demand shall be given, -but if guilty, by the God that made me, you shall swing for it, if I -have to drag the rope myself!" - -"One would think I was already condemned, by the way you speak; but go -on. What are your charges?" - -"Polk Redlaw!" - -"Here!" - -"Your turn first. Tell us your story. But briefly and to the point," -ordered the "judge." - -"Well, I heard the prisoner was suspected--" - -"Never mind that now, but come to your charge first." - -"Then I charge him with murdering Barton Clowry, and nearly killing -me!" snarled the witness. - -"You hear, prisoner; guilty or not guilty?" - -"That I killed Clowry, and tried to serve that mongrel the same, I -admit; but it was in self-defense, not _murder_," promptly replied -Poynter. - -"He lies--" - -"Silence! Mr. Redlaw, no abuse if you please. State your case," ordered -McGuire. - -"Well, as I was saying, I, together with Barton Clowry, was ordered -to scout around the house of the prisoner, and as soon as he returned -to inform the band so that they could arrest him without his having -a chance to escape, as he would had they hunted him with the whole -league. We concealed ourselves by the side of the road, and were -talking together to pass away the time, when I heard a pistol-shot, and -Bart fell dead over into my lap. - -"Before I could get up I saw the prisoner come running toward us, -and aiming at me he fired again, but missed. Then he struck me with -his revolver, knocking me back as I tried to get up; then kicked and -pounded me upon the head until he thought I was dead. - -"I was only stunned, however, and when I came to, I managed to crawl -away, and finding the _vigilantes_ I told them my story. You were -notified, and going with us, you know the rest," concluded Polk; his -speech being followed by a deep, fierce murmur that told how fully his -apparently frank and truthful story had been believed. - -"Mr. McGuire, and you, gentlemen," exclaimed Poynter, springing to his -feet, but as the position in which he was placed would not allow him -to stand erect, he sunk back into the chair. "Gentlemen! Every word -that mongrel has said is a base, foul lie! And if you will send for my -housekeeper, you will see that it is so. - -"I was walking peaceably along the lane toward my house, when two shots -were fired at me from an ambush. See; here is the mark of one in my -hat, and if you examine my left shoulder you can see the trace left by -the other. - -"Did he say any thing about shooting at me? You, Mr. McGuire, know -that I was not wounded this forenoon when I saw you. I admit shooting -Clowry, but it was in self-defense. Does it look reasonable, or even -possible, that _had_ I done as this scoundrel states, I would have -returned to the house to lie down and sleep for hours? Would I not have -mounted and fled?" - -"There is reason in what you say," uttered the judge. "But you said you -had proof; did she witness the affair?" - -"Yes; my negro housekeeper saw it all." - -"Fox, you and Bowers go and bring her here immediately," ordered the -leader. Then turning toward Polk Redlaw, he added, slowly: "Well, you -hear what _he_ says? Mind how you reply, for it is no light thing to -wrongfully accuse a man of such a crime." - -"I have told you the truth and nothing else," sullenly replied the -accuser. "He has had plenty of time to trump up a yarn and teach his -wench what to say. A white man's word ought to be good against a -nigger's, any day." - -"If true, it will be." - -At this point the proceedings were interrupted by the entrance of -the two messengers and aunt Eunice, whom they had met almost at the -door--she having followed her master with the best speed her unwieldy -body was capable of. - -We need not follow her evidence as it is already known, and confirmed -Poynter's story. But as the prisoner glanced around the room, he -was surprised to note the still dark and vindictive faces of the -_vigilantes_, who appeared any thing but convinced. Then he spoke, -addressing the judge: - -"Well, sir, what is your decision?" - -"On this score you are fully acquitted; but--" - -"'On _this_ charge!' Are there any more, then?" - -"Two others. Passing counterfeit money, and _murder_." - -"Murder!" - -"_Yes; the murder of John Dement!_" - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - THE CRY FOR BLOOD! - - -Clay Poynter sat as if perfectly astounded at these words; then, as he -recovered from the shock and glanced around him, he could read in the -faces of all that he was deemed guilty of this black deed. Only one -face but wore this look; one face, and that belonged to aunt Eunice. - -She stood with her hands thrown up, her eyes rolling wildly, while -her capacious mouth opened and shut by jerks, as if she was trying to -speak. Then with an explosive snort, she spluttered: - -"Well, ef you hain't jest de biggest liar on top o' dis yere airth, den -I don't know nuffin! Mars'r Clay--_my_ chile--do dat ar'? _He_--w'y, -you cussed funnelly fools--Lord 'a' massy, 'pears like I's gwine to -bu'st, 'deed it does!" - -"Take her out, some of you," angrily ordered the judge. - -"Yes, aunty, you'd better go now," interposed Poynter. "It's all a -mistake like the other one, and will be over soon." - -He had not time to say more, for the old negress was unceremoniously -hustled out of the "court-room," and the door again barred. Then the -proceedings were resumed. Upon the charge of passing counterfeit -money, Jim Henderson testified that the prisoner had given him a base -five-dollar coin in payment of his score upon the night of the first -meeting, receiving change in good silver. - -Was positive of the fact, because it was the only coin of that -denomination he had received that day. Upon this, Poynton admitted -that he might have done so, unknowing that the coin was spurious, and -instanced several cases of his being served the same way, owing to the -vast amount of counterfeit money then in circulation. - -"Jonathan Green!" called out the judge, acting as crier. - -"Hyar I be!" grunted a coarse voice, as a man elbowed his way through -the crowd toward the open space reserved for witnesses. - -He was a short, squat-built, villainous-looking fellow of perhaps forty -years, although strong drink and excesses may have contributed several -of them. He cast a sidelong, sneaking glance at Poynter, and then -suddenly averted his head. - -The prisoner made a sudden motion as if about to speak, but then sunk -back once more, his eyes steadily fixed upon Green's face. - -This action was not unnoted by the jurors, and more than one thought -they could discern a shudder pass over his form, as he darted a -peculiar look at the witness. But then, in imitation of a legal court, -Green was sworn, and proceeded to give in his testimony. - -"Yas, 'ir, I'll tell ye the hull truth, jist es straight es a dogwood, -ef on'y you'll promus 'at no harm 'll come arter it. He's mighty -rambunctious, he is, when his mad's up." - -"Never you mind about that, sir," impatiently said McGuire, "but give -in your testimony." - -"Wal, ef I must, why, so be it. I've knowed the pris'ner thar a -consid'able spell, ef not longer. Me 'n' him usen to be gre't fri'nds -an' pardners like, back to ol' Kaintuck--" - -"Gentlemen, is this scoundrelly liar brought here to swear away my -life? As I live, I have never seen the fellow half a dozen times; I -didn't even know his name, beyond that of 'Lying Jack,' and never spoke -a word to him in my life!" exclaimed the prisoner, hotly. - -"Silence!" ordered the judge. - -"Hyar's my hat," put in Green, extending the rag that answered that -purpose, with a comical leer. "I never told a bigger lie 'n thet in my -life!" - -"Witness, you will go on with your evidence, or, by all that's good, -I'll give you a taste of hickory oil!" thundered the judge. - -"Jes' so! But, es I war sayin', I knowed 'im in ol' Kaintuck jist afore -he war driv' away by the _vigilantes_--" - -"For what reason?" asked one of the jurors. - -"I don't know. Mebbe 'twas 'cause he scattered too much o' the _queer_, -mebbe 'twasn't," returned the witness, significantly. "Anyhow, he -left, an' then I nixt see'd him hyar. One day--mebbe two weeks gone -by--he come to me an' says, says he, 'Green, my fri'nd, what you doin', -anyhow?' 'Oh, jist sorter sloshin' round, like,' says I. - -"Then arter a w'ile he said he could put me in a leetle way to make -money, ef I'd no 'bjection. He said he's in the ol' business, an' -wanted me to take holt and try to sell the 'queer,' offerin' to let me -hev it fer fifteen dollars a hunderd, till I sorter got started, an' -found rig'lar customers. I pertended to be all-fired glad, an' he guv -me one hunderd dollars on tick." - -"But why didn't you tell of this before?" demanded the judge. - -"An' git sarved like Bart Clowry? Who was I to go to, ontel I hearn -thet you un's was on the trail? Es soon 's I knowed thet, I come an' -told you, didn't I?" - -"Have you any of the money with you?" - -"Yas," replied the witness, drawing a small package from his bootleg. -"Hyar it is. I kep' it hid till to-day, 'cause ef it 'd 'a' bin found -on me afore, the fellers mought 'a' thunk I's one o' them 'ar fellers." - -The money, all in five-dollar coins, was passed to the jurors who, -after a careful examination, pronounced it to be counterfeit. Surely, -the case began to look black for the prisoner but he still maintained -a haughty look upon his pale, handsome features, while his eye flashed -back the angry glances that were cast at him from all sides. - -"That is all the evidence upon the first charge, I believe," spoke -McGuire, but he was interrupted by a voice from the crowd: - -"Begging pardon, judge, but there's more yet," and the speaker, one -of the two men who had remained behind at the prisoner's house, came -forward, and held up a pair of dies made for coining half-eagles. -"These toys were found at the house, concealed in the chimney-jamb." - -Amidst the greatest excitement, Frank Dalton was sworn, and deposed to -this effect. He and Sam Gibson had made a search of the premises after -Poynter's capture. After a time they had found the dies, concealed as -stated; and a small package of newly-coined money, tied up in an old -rag at the bottom of the prisoner's trunk, and thinking they would be -needed as evidence, had brought them away. - -Samuel Gibson, who was a well-known and respected farmer, fully -corroborated Dalton's statement as to the discovery, and when he -concluded, any slight doubt that might have been entertained as to the -prisoner's guilt, was entirely dispelled. - -The hoarse murmur that filled the room began to increase in volume, -and dark, deadly hints could be distinguished. Hints that soon grew -into open threats, calling for a conviction--a conviction that would be -equivalent to _death_. - -Flogging was the least terrible of their threats; others spoke of -hanging, several of _burning_! - -Still the prisoner did not quail or tremble. He even drew himself up -with a bolder defiance, and not one man of them all but turned their -eyes away from his when their gaze met. - -"Peace, gentlemen," spoke McGuire, half arising--the ceiling would -allow no more--and waving his hand to command silence. "All in good -time. There is yet another charge upon which he must be tried. If -justice pauses, it will none the less be carried out. - -"Wesley Sprowl!" he called out, once order was restored. - -A little weasel-faced man approached the stand for witnesses. His form -was bowed and emaciated, as if from some recent severe illness, and a -hectic cough appeared to trouble him exceedingly, as he gave in his -evidence, frequently causing him to pause and lean heavily against the -table for support. - -As soon as he had partially regained his breath, the judge ordered him -to proceed with his testimony, after being duly sworn. But his first -words were lost to the majority of the assembly, owing to his low tone; -but he soon gathered strength, and every word was uttered with a clear -distinctness, that from its deliberation, every sentence appeared to be -carefully weighed before being spoken. - -"I know the prisoner well, partly because he is not a common-looking -man, but more so from feeling a friendly interest in him. He has often -been at my house, and when I was nearly dead with the chills, and had -no money, he brought me some quinine that cured me. I tell you this so -that you may see how impossible it would be for me to mistake another -for him. - -"I was feeling quite unwell all day yesterday, and could not sleep -any last night from that cause. Many of you know that I have lines -constantly set in the river, by night as well as by day. Somehow my -mind got to dwelling upon them, and I could not banish a fancy that -occurred to me, of there being a great big catfish upon one of the -lines. - -"I thought it was trying to break the line, and at length I became so -convinced that it was so, I dressed, and went out toward the river. -Somehow I didn't think of taking any weapon with me; my mind was so -full of the big fish. - -"Well, I struck into the road at the cornfield, and then, as the -easiest way, I followed the road, intending to strike the branch where -a plain trail leads to the river. But, just as I got to the old 'Ivy -Elm,' I heard loud voices coming directly toward me. - -"So I slipped behind the tree to let them pass, for in these rough -times you don't know who you might meet, and although I hadn't any -thing worth stealing, it wouldn't be the first man who'd been rubbed -out just for fun. But they were long in coming by and appeared to stop -twice, talking in loud and, as I thought, angry tones, before they -paused exactly in front of me. - -"By reaching out my arm, I could have touched the largest man, they -were that close; and by the voice, I thought I could recognize the -prisoner. I was so frightened that I could only distinguish one -sentence spoken by the latter: '_And you won't let that Kentucky scrape -drop?_' - -"Those were his exact words, and the other man answered no, that he -would tell all. - -"Then I saw the larger one draw back his right hand, and could -distinguish the gleam of a knife. The same moment, the other man -stumbled and fell, muttering with a groan that he was killed. Twice -more he was stabbed, and then the murderer appeared to be searching his -body. - -"I could see him take something white from an inner pocket and put it -into his breast, but the shadow was so dense that I could not tell what -it was, nor yet see their features plain enough to be sure of their -identity. But then, with a curse, the murderer struck a match, and -holding it close to the body, bent down his own head. - -"He was unfastening something from his victim's shirt-bosom, that -gleamed and sparkled in the light like lightning-bugs. The match lasted -only a moment, but that was long enough for me to distinguish plainly -the features of both men. - -"The murdered one was the sandy-complexioned man that has been staying -with Mr. McGuire, and the other was--" - -Here the witness faltered for a moment, and glancing around over the -eager, anxious faces that were turned upon him, cast a deprecating look -at the prisoner, who was bending far forward, as if drinking in every -word. - -"And the other?" demanded the judge. - -"_The murderer was the prisoner, Clay Poynter!_" - -A deep, hoarse cry of rage and fury ran around the crowd of spectators, -but far above it roared the clear, metallic tones of the accused. - -"It is false, every word--false as h--l!" - -In vain the judge shouted for order; his call was unheeded. The crowd -swayed to and fro for a moment, and then rushed forward, as one man, to -seize upon the prisoner. - -But Neil McGuire ran along the table and stood beside Poynter, with a -cocked revolver in his hand. The next instant, obedient to his call, -the jurors gathered around, similarly armed. Then McGuire spoke in a -tone that overpowered the tumult. - -"Stand back--back with you! By the God that made me, if one of you -dare to lay a hand on the prisoner, I will spatter the walls with your -brains!" - -"Hang the murderer--burn him!" roared the crowd. - -"Once more, I say, stand back!" yelled the judge, threatening the -foremost with his pistol. "Is he not in our power? He can't escape us. -Wait until his trial is over, and if pronounced guilty, then you may -work your will." - -"And ain't he found guilty?" called out a voice from the crowd. - -"You'd best keep a still tongue, Polk Redlaw," returned McGuire, -significantly. "To-night's work don't speak very highly in your favor. -But, all of you, be patient for a time. When all the evidence is heard, -then we will decide. Until then, he is in my charge, and you know me -well enough to be sure I will keep my word." - -In a few moments order was restored, the judge and jurors resuming -their seats, while Wesley Sprowl continued his story: - -"I nearly fell, from horror and astonishment, when I saw who the -murderer was, but managed to keep still. If you ask why I didn't -confront him, or attempt to avenge John Dement, I say, look at us both. -He with ten times my strength, and fully armed, while I was barely able -to walk, and without a single weapon. - -"After a bit, the murderer took up the body in his arms and carried it -to the river, where I heard a splash as if it had been cast into the -water. I dared not stay longer, and stepping into the road, where I -knew he could not hear my footsteps in the soft dirt, was about to run -when something bright caught my eye. I snatched it up and then ran as -fast as I could to the house, where I hid the article in the bed. - -"In the morning I was down with a hard shake, and it was nearly noon -before I could get up. But then I came over here, and knowing the head -men of the league, I told what I knew about the affair. What happened -since, you all know." - -"But the thing that you found--what was it?" - -"I have it here--see!" and after unwrapping a small parcel, he elevated -his hand. - -In it was a piece of jewelry. _It was the diamond cluster-pin lately -worn by John Dement!_ - -There was no uproar now. A deadly calm had settled upon the assembly. A -calm that spoke plainer than words on oaths. - -It spoke of death. - -"Gentlemen," slowly said the judge, "I need not ask if this pin is -recognized; we all know it. And it shows that a bloody, dastardly deed -has been committed. The verbal evidence is all given in; but still -we must not be rash. Let us first search the river for the body, so -that there may be no doubt. It is too late now to conclude to-night. -Besides, the daylight is better. It will show that we are not ashamed -of our actions." - -"And what shall we do with the murderer?" interrupted one of the jurors. - -"We can guard him until to-morrow. This room is safe especially as he -will be bound." - -"Well, he is guilty of counterfeiting, anyhow, and for that we condemn -him to receive one hundred lashes upon the bare back. It would be more -but for the other charge." - -"Yes, and to-night! We won't go home without some fun," interrupted one -of the spectators. - -"I protest!" cried McGuire. "Let him suffer but one punishment. Don't -let's act like savages." - -"No, no," yelled the crowd, "do it now, or else we'll finish up the job -off-hand." - -The excitement now grew intense; weapons were freely drawn and -brandished, and although the judge stood over the prisoner with ready -revolver, he was unsupported. The jurors had gone with the majority. - -"Better give in, judge," called out the juror who had pronounced the -sentence. "You see you can do no good, and will only get hurt. You have -done all one man can do, but the boys are determined, even if it costs -a dozen lives." - -"Don't get yourself into trouble upon my account, Mr. McGuire," -exclaimed the prisoner. "These devils want blood, and it may as -well come now as to-morrow. Besides," and here he lowered his tone, -"remember your--family." - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - BORDER LAW. - - -"Gentlemen," said the judge, after a moment's pause, "if you persist in -this outrage, I wash my hands of both it and you, from this moment. You -can choose another judge, and another leader, for I shall act no longer -as either. I thought you were _men_, not savages." - -"What matter?" called out several voices, "he is not the only man that -lives. Let him slide, and out with the prisoner." - -The crowd surged forward and surrounded the table, yelling and growling -like wild beasts. For a moment it seemed as if Poynter meditated -resistance, as he drew himself up and grasped the back of his chair, -but if such was his intention, it was changed. - -A dozen hands lifted him to the floor, where he was securely bound, -hand and foot--as he had been until now entirely free, so far as bonds -were concerned. Then he was lifted bodily upon their shoulders, each -man appearing eager to be one of his bearers. In this manner he was -conveyed from the room followed by the hooting, yelling crowd; leaving -but one man behind--Neil McGuire. - -To say that the prisoner was not alarmed, would perhaps be wrong, but -he showed no outward sign of being so. He well knew that he was in -danger--that his life was in peril; for although, just at present, -nothing was spoken of but whipping, yet when blood was once seen, would -it not act upon their worser passions until the job would be finished -out of hand, to save further trouble? - -Suddenly Poynter gave a convulsive start. It seemed to him he had -heard, above the din, some words spoken in a friendly tone--words of -hope. - -"Keep a stiff upper lip, square. _We'll git you cl'ar afore day!_" - -These were the words he had, or thought he had, heard, close to -his ear, and turned his eyes wonderingly to that point. He could -distinguish the rough features of Jack Fyffe, the man who had knocked -Polk Redlaw down at the time of arrest. - -But he had no time for a question, or any thing beyond seeing that -Fyffe supported his right shoulder; for the next moment he was rudely -cast down at the foot of one of the gigantic sycamores, beside the -outer door. The tumult was horrible, and for a time nothing was done, -each man issuing orders, but no one appearing to care about executing -them. - -"Jim Henderson," yelled Polk Redlaw, who now took a decided lead with -the brutalized crowd, "fetch out some cords; rope or something, quick!" - -"Quick y'urself, Injun Polk," growled the little host. "I hain't y'ur -nigger. Y'u're black enough to wait on y'urself!" - -"Curses on you, you little hop-toad!" foamed Polk. "Call me that again, -and I'll blow a hole through you big enough to kick a dog through!" - -"Ef so be you know when y'ur well off, Mr. White Man, _es_-quire," -coolly returned Jim, drawing his revolver, "you'll not buck ag'in' me. -Others may be as quick on the trigger as you be, if not more so." - -"Don't get to fighting among yourselves," interrupted Reeves, with a -series of oaths. "We've enough to do now. Here's a couple of halters -that'll answer, bully." - -But during this by-play, Clay Poynter had received considerable -encouragement from Jack Fyffe, who still crouched over him, apparently -to prevent his arising. - -"Don't gi'n up, straunger," he had whispered. "We'll hev you free afore -long." - -"Who are you, and what do you mean?" asked Poynter. - -"You'll see. I've sent arter the boys, an' ef nothin' happins they'll -be hyar in three hours. But you'll hev to take the hidin', though. We -hain't strong enough to prevent _that_." - -Nothing more was said, for Redlaw and Reeves pressed forward, and with -several brutal kicks from the mongrel, Poynter was lifted up and his -arms unbound, two men clinging to each as though they anticipated an -attempt at escape. But if so, they were disappointed. - -The prisoner knew that it would be followed by certain death, in the -face of the threatening revolvers, and the words of Jack Fyffe had -revived his hopes of a speedy rescue, for which he was content to -wait, even though he had to endure the fearful torture that had been -threatened him. - -He was drawn up to the tree, his arms outstretched to their utmost -extent, and then his wrists were connected by the halters, another -securing his body. By this time the men who had been dispatched after -the instruments of torture returned bearing their hands full of long, -lithe hickory rods. - -And then the torture began. The supple rods whistled through the air, -and paused with a hissing crack; the gore started out as the tender -skin was torn and lacerated. But although the pain and agony must have -been fearful, as the punishment proceeded, not a groan or an uneven -breath proclaimed the fact. - -The crimson spray fell upon those who stood closest; some of them -giving quivers as it touched their skin, as though it had been molten -lead; but the majority yelled and cheered at the sight. Their fiercest, -basest passions were fully aroused; they were wolves, not men. - -Polk Redlaw, Jonathan Green and Alfred Wigan plied the rods, and as -may be supposed, they did not spare their strength. But severe as were -their blows, they failed in drawing a single manifestation of pain from -the prisoner, however slight. And then the one hundred lashes were -counted, fairly. - -The prisoner was let down from his position, and Jack Fyffe helped him -to adjust his garments, managing to whisper a cheering word without -being overheard by the mob. Then Poynter spoke, not a tremor or quaver -betraying what he had suffered from the fearful ordeal, in his voice: - -"You three devils, mark my words. If you are alive one week from -to-day, I give you leave to play this game over again." - -"We will live to see you dance on nothing, anyhow," sneered the mongrel. - -"That's enough for to-night," interrupted Henry Reeves, the juror who -had so suddenly taken a leading part in the proceedings, pressing -forward and laying his hand upon Poynter's shoulder. "Come, you will -stay in the 'long-room' to-night, and to prevent you from sleeping -uneasily, I will add that you will be hung to-morrow, for murder." - -"Thank you for nothing!" curtly replied the prisoner. "I have you to -thank for this favor, and look you, it's a debt that will be paid; yes, -paid, and with compound interest added," said Poynter. - -"Oh, I'll credit you," laughed Reeves. "I always was accommodating. But -in with you," he added, giving him a rude shove as they entered the -room. - -Poynter would have fallen had not he been caught by Jack Fyffe, who -whispered: - -"Ef you hyar a rumpus outside, don't be 'larmed, 'cause it'll on'y be -fri'nds. Mind an' keep awake." - -A pressure of the hand told that Poynter understood his meaning, and -then, after being bound, the prisoner was left alone in the room. Some -half a dozen guards were posted around the building, with instructions -to shoot him if he attempted an escape; and then the _vigilantes_ -separated, each man wending his way homeward, pondering upon what they -had already done, and the duty that awaited them on the morrow. - -The guards were in high glee, and having each one managed to procure -a flask of liquor from the obliging host, determined to enjoy their -watch to the best of their ability. Polk Redlaw, however, owing to the -mishaps his devoted head had met with, was not in such a jolly mood, -and kept apart from the other sentinels. - -They were gathered in couples upon either side of the building, thus -surrounding the place and preventing either egress or ingress without -their knowledge. They little dreamed of the fate that awaited them. - -Perhaps an hour after the dispersal, a band of horsemen drew rein at a -half-mile from the little hamlet, on the outer edge of which stood the -"Twin Sycamores," and dismounting, threw themselves upon the ground, -while one of their number stole away on foot. He soon drew near the -tavern, and sinking flat upon his stomach, began cautiously circling -the building. - -He could approach near enough, thanks to the darkness, to distinguish -the mutterings of the guards--thus learning their exact number and -position. He counted six, and thought that was all, but he overlooked -Polk Redlaw, who had fallen into a doze, lying close to the wall, so -that he seemed to form a portion of it. - -Had he been awake he could not have helped observing the spy, who, -thinking that end of the house unguarded, passed close by him. -Muttering his surprise, the man crept away from the tavern, and once -beyond ear-shot, rose to his feet and sped rapidly to where he had left -his companions. - -When near them he uttered the howl of the yellow wolf and upon the -signal being answered, boldly advanced and stood before the band. One, -a tall, Herculean man, stepped forward and whispered: - -"Well, Fyffe, what luck?" - -"It's all hunky," replied Jack, for it was indeed he, "an' a easy job. -On'y six fellers, an' they half drunk, ef not more so," and then he -clearly described the position each man occupied. - -"Now, comrades," added he who appeared to be the leader, "you know what -we are after. A friend, and one of us, is in danger. Our law says that -we must assist each other, and now is the time. You have heard what -Fyffe says. These men must be secured without being harmed if possible, -but if they cut up rough, why a knife is the best remedy. The less -blood shed, the better, for this section is getting uncomfortably hot -already. You understand me?" - -A murmur of general assent; then he added: - -"We will ride to the edge of the timber, and then leave the horses. We -must take them by surprise; and mind you, when once we have got our -friend, quick's the word, for we will have the _vigilantes_ after us, -hot-footed." - -In a few moments the designated point of woods was reached, and -dismounting, the horses were secured; after which the band stealthily -proceeded toward the tavern, using every precaution to avoid discovery. -Then four men crept toward each of the sides where the double guard -were posted. - -The remainder held themselves in readiness to rush forward, in case -their comrades should need any help. Four of the men were secured -without any noise, other than a slight scuffle, but the other party -were not so fortunate. - -One of the guards caught a glimpse of the rescuers, and hailed them. -The answer was an instant rush, at which the guard fired a shot, that -brought one of his assailants to the ground. - -But, he never fired another, for a long knife was plunged downward, -the steel gritting as it severed his breast-bone, and with one faint -gurgle, Alfred Wigan was a dead man! - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - THE HUMAN BLOODHOUND. - - -At the first report, Polk Redlaw sprung to his feet, with all the -Indian instincts of his nature fully aroused. He caught a glimpse -of the main body rushing forward, and not knowing who they were, he -dropped to the ground and glided to a safe distance, but from whence he -could still see those out in the open ground. - -At first he thought it was the vigilance committee returned to finish -up their work, but he was not certain, and deeming discretion the -better course, determined to keep shady until he knew what card to -play. If a rescue, he resolved to dog them wherever they might go, for -his hatred of Poynter could only be assuaged by the latter's death. - -When the double tragedy was over, and the other guards secured, the -band rushed forward and forcibly burst in the door of the tavern; and -were proceeding toward the "long-room," when Henderson called out from -the loft: - -"Who the devil air you, an' what ye want?" - -"Better shet y'ur eyes an' years, 'Honest Jim,' so't you won't hev to -lie when you tell the _vigilantes_ thet you don' know who tuck the -pris'ner," returned Jack Fyffe, significantly. - -"Ef you don't do nothin' else, why, _I_ won't know any on ye at all. -An' ef ye like, jist take a good swig apiece, an' I'll charge it to -profut an' loss," laughed the host, who apparently was not averse to -having Poynter escape the doom that threatened him. - -"Bully for you, ol' hoss; you won't lose any thin' by it!" was the -cry, and his invitation was complied with, two or three times over. - -Only pausing for one huge gulp of the liquor, Jack Fyffe unbarred the -door, and soon severed the cords that hampered Poynter, who, after -chafing his benumbed limbs, thanks to the skill Polk Redlaw had shown -in drawing the knots, emerged from the long-room, a free man once more. - -He glanced around him with not a little curiosity, scanning the forms -and features of his rescuers as thoroughly as was practicable by the -dim, flickering light cast by the one rude lamp. But if he recognized -any of them, excepting Fyffe, he did not show it by word or sign. - -"Come, boys," spoke up the tall man we have noted before, "we must make -tracks, or those _vigilantes_ will be down upon us. They must have -heard the rumpus, I reckon." - -"But what shall we do with the prisoners--let them go?" - -"No; take them along. We'll keep 'em as hostages, so that if any of our -fellows are strung up, we can retaliate. Five of them, isn't there?" - -"Yes; but about Sant?" - -"Maltby?" - -"Yes. He's dead." - -"Take him along. If we leave him here, they'll toss him into the first -hollow, and he was too good a man for that." - -"You seem to be leader here, sir," said Poynter, placing a hand upon -the man's shoulder. "What do you intend doing with me?" - -"Well, that depends mainly upon yourself. If you have had enough of -these vigilance fellows, why, come with us. We never go back upon a -fellow-craftsman," returned the man, cordially. - -"And you are--" - -"The same as yourself; free livers is our name for it. Those whom -we favor with our custom call us horse-thieves and counterfeiters," -laughed the leader. - -"Ah!" muttered Poynter, and bending his head as if in deep thought. - -"All ready, Tamelt?" - -"All ready, sir," was the prompt reply, and the little band left the -house. - -Jack Fyffe directed Poynter to a horse, which, with great delight and -surprise, he found was his own noble bay, that had been taken when he -was arrested. The five prisoners were also mounted, their horses having -been found in the tavern stable; but they rode not by their own aid. -Strong cords bound them to the saddle so securely that even had they -tried to cast themselves to the ground, the effort would have been -unsuccessful. - -Poynter and Fyffe rode together, as they struck into a rapid lope along -the soft, loamy road, but not until quite clear of the neighborhood, -did either of them speak. - -"Wal, we've sp'ilt the fun o' them hounds ter-morrer, 'tany rate," -chuckled Fyffe. - -"Yes, but how did it all come about?" queried Poynter, who did not -appear very much at ease, when we consider what he had escaped. - -"Wal, in co'se we wasn't a-goin' to see a fri'nd jerked up thet a-way, -'thout helpin' 'im. So's soon as I see'd how it war gwine to work, -I sent Sant Maltby to let the cap'n know, an' whar I'd meet 'em to -'xplain, like. Then we crawled up, an' tuck the guard, but poor Sant -got throwed clean in his tracks. The rest you know." - -"Who were the men you took prisoners?" - -"Thar's one on 'em you'll be glad to see--Jon'than Green." - -"Ha!" exclaimed Poynter; "the lying scoundrel! But, Jack, my friend, do -you know you've made a mistake?" - -"How so?" - -"I am no counterfeiter--never was." - -"Thunder, you say!" ejaculated Fyffe. - -"It's the truth," soberly affirmed Poynter. "I have never committed a -deed against the law, to my knowledge, in my life." - -"But the evidence?" - -"Was one tissue of falsehood from first to last! Why it was started, or -who was the one who planned it, I know no more than you do; but I will -find out if it takes a lifetime," hotly exclaimed Poynter. - -"Hello, my friends, what's up here?" asked the leader, falling back -beside the two men, at the sound of Poynter's excited tones. "Not -quarreling, I hope?" - -"No, sir, I owe him too much for that," warmly responded Poynter. "But, -are you the captain?" - -"For the time being, I am. Why?" said the man, somewhat surprised at -the other's tone. - -"Then I must speak with you, for a moment." - -"Go on; I have no secrets from Jack." - -"Well," slowly uttered Poynter, "from what I have heard, I believe you -labor under a serious mistake, regarding who and what I am." - -"How so?" interrupted the leader. "Are not you the man that the -vigilance committee arrested and condemned?" - -"I am; as my back can testify!" bitterly gritted the young man. - -"Well, then, where's the mistake?" - -"In this: I was wrongfully accused. I have never, knowingly, passed a -coin, and as for murder, there is no blood upon my hands, save that -shed in self-defense." - -"Whe-ew!" whistled the outlaw. "But Jack told me the evidence was -complete!" - -"It was not his fault for thinking so. I would have believed the same -in his place. But I am speaking the truth, and thought it best to tell -you how the case stands, lest you should think me a traitor or a spy, -in case the truth ever comes out." - -"You were right. But what do you intend doing? The hunt will be hot for -you, as, if a man would take all that trouble and expense to put you -out of the way, _legally_, he will not let you off so easily." - -"I know that; and in perfect freedom, is the only chance of my ever -clearing myself. I frankly own that I am puzzled," slowly replied -Poynter. - -"Well, sir, I am not often mistaken in a man, if I do say it myself," -added the outlaw leader, after a pause. "And now I make you a -proposition. Will you accept my hospitality for a few days, or weeks, -until this excitement cools down?" - -"Are you in earnest, and would you trust a stranger so far?" ejaculated -Poynter, in astonishment. - -"Not every one, I admit," laughed the other. "But you I can, and will; -and if necessary, will answer to the band, for your honor, with my own -life. But understand me: upon no account are you to divulge what you -hear or see; nor the places we will take you to, even if your life -depended upon it, unless we give you permission. And in return, you -will be left free to come and go, as you will. You will not be asked, -or expected, to do any thing against your conscience; and if you should -need any assistance that we can give, you have but to say as much." - -"That is far more than I could expect, and I sincerely thank you for -it," rejoined Poynter, warmly clasping the outlaw's hand. "But I am at -a loss to imagine the cause of such generosity." - -"It is easy told. You are an innocent man, unjustly accused and -condemned; and I was once the same. False friends and misfortunes have -made me what I now am, and I still have some of the bitter feeling in -my heart, if I am an outcast, a branded felon. - -"Besides, I feel a strange liking for you; why, or from what cause I -know not, unless from the resemblance upon this one point." - -"Well, sir," exclaimed the escaped prisoner, "I will gladly accept your -offer, and if there is any return that I can make, without--" - -"I understand you," interrupted the outlaw, with a tinge of melancholy -in his tones, "and would be the last man in the world to ask you to -forfeit your feeling of self-respect. But come," he added, again -assuming his old air of reckless gayety. "We have fallen behind, and -they'll think we are deserters. Spur up!" - -"But one moment. Have we far to go?" - -"Less than two miles, now," was the reply. "But why?" - -"Nothing much; only I would rather be in the neighborhood, for--" - -"For certain reasons, I presume," laughed the outlaw leader. "But never -mind, I was young once myself, although I don't look much like it now," -and he ended with a half-sigh. - -Poynter's curiosity was keenly aroused, by the language and manner of -his strangely-acquired friend, so different from what might have been -expected; and found himself wishing for a better chance to observe his -features, than was afforded by the dim, uncertain light. - -As he peered toward him, Clay could see that it was a robust, powerful -form, nearly if not quite as much so as his own. Of the features he -could distinguish naught save the glitter of a pair of sparkling eyes, -and the long, flowing hair of almost snowy whiteness, as was also the -luxuriant beard and mustache. - -As we said, Polk Redlaw resolved to dog the rescuing party wherever -they might go, spurred on by his bitter hatred of Clay Poynter. And he -was just the person to accomplish this if it lay in human power to do -so. - -Tall and gaunt, he was like the grayhound, swift and tireless; while in -other respects his instincts were those of the bloodhound. The traits -inherited from the Indian cross in his blood were aroused and in full -play on the night in question. - -When he saw Poynter emerge from the tavern under the bright glare of -the torch carried by Jack Fyffe, unbound and in freedom, the heavy -rifle rose as if by instinct to his cheek, and, for a moment, the -wings of death again appeared to overshadow the young man. A single -pressure of the finger, a touch sufficient to bend a feather, upon the -hair-trigger, would have sufficed, and in the darkness it appeared easy -enough for Polk to have made his escape. - -But the gun was lowered. The mongrel was not satisfied with such a -revenge. His hatred was too intense; he required a death of shame--of -degradation; a death that would destroy both the life and honor of his -foe, and leave a record at which the finger of scorn and contempt would -be pointed. - -When the cavalcade plunged into the darkness of the tree-shadowed road, -the human bloodhound followed hard upon the scent. His rifle trailed in -one hand, his head and neck craned forward, Polk Redlaw sped along with -noiseless strides that appeared to be made without an effort. - -So steady, silent and uniform was his progress, that it seemed like a -magnificent piece of machinery, rather than a man. His Indian blood -shone forth now, in his free and untrammeled motion, as he kept at a -certain distance in the rear of the rescuers, the same whether they -rode faster or more slow. - -From his crouching position he could not be seen upon the shadowed -road, while those whom he was trailing, being mounted, could quite -plainly be distinguished. But for a time we must turn elsewhere. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - A SAD HISTORY. - - -When Neil McGuire returned home from the "Twin Sycamores," disgusted -at the brutality displayed by his neighbors and comrades, he found his -daughter Nora sitting up awaiting him, late as it was, the fearful -suspense and terror she had endured plainly imprinted upon her pale and -worn countenance. - -Shocked at the change, and strongly excited by the events of the last -few hours, McGuire told her all, winding up by saying that he feared -the prisoner would not live to see another day dawn. Nora gave one low -cry and swooned, and when she recovered from it a strong fever set in. - -There was no doctor nearer than the fort, even if he could be induced -to journey so far, and as old aunt Eunice had gained quite a reputation -as a nurse, she was called in, while the almost distracted father set -out for medical aid. The doctor came, but his aid was not needed, the -fever had been broken, and, strange to say, Nora was up and about the -house in as apparent good health as ever. - -But if the worthy farmer was surprised, we, who are in the secret, need -not be. It was, perhaps, owing to a certain message brought by aunt -Eunice, who kindly turned her back while it was being perused, and when -she did look it had disappeared; but from the frequent journeys made by -the invalid's hand to the region of the heart, it is not difficult to -guess where. - -The note was from Clay Poynter, briefly detailing the facts of his -escape, stating that he was in a place of safety, and imploring an -interview, leaving the time and place to her, of which he could be -informed by aunt Eunice. Nora did not hesitate about granting the -request, but the return of her father necessitated a postponement, -greatly to the disappointment of the lover, who was disgusted at only -meeting his old housekeeper when he expected a sweetheart. - -Neil McGuire was sorely puzzled and disturbed about something, and soon -opened his mind to Nora the day of his return. It was after supper, and -she had brought him his filled pipe, when he bade her sit down--that he -had something to tell her. - -"Do you know, pet, that I half-way fear we have been doing Clay Poynter -a great injustice?" - -"Oh, father, I knew it all along!" - -"Did you, indeed? Well, as I said, I am afraid we have been mistaken, -although I am not quite certain. And the reason I think so is this: - -"It was late in the evening when I got to the fort, and as the doctor -would not start out that same night, I went over to the city; as I -could not bear to sit still while thinking of the danger you might -be in. It was raining, and feeling cold and chilly, I stepped into a -saloon to get a drink, when I met a man who was just a-coming out. - -"I was so astonished that you could have knocked me down with a -wheat-straw, for I would have sworn he was none other than _John -Dement_! But while I stood there, he slipped out, and when I started -after him, he was gone. I hunted for an hour, but without success; I -could not find him again." - -"And there was no mistake?" anxiously asked Nora. - -"There _may_ have been. I might have been deceived, and took some other -person for him. If it _was_ Dement, he had his whiskers colored black, -and his hair trimmed, and of the same color. But I caught his full eye, -and you know it is not a common one." - -"Yes, it makes me think of a rattlesnake's," shuddered the maiden. - -"Well, even if he is innocent about the murder, there is the other -charge," added McGuire. - -"But that may be false, too." - -"I don't think so. And yet," he added, after a slight pause, "he didn't -act like a guilty man. I thought it was bravado, then, but now it seems -more like the fearlessness of an honest man." - -Nora did not answer, although strongly tempted to do so, for fear she -would reveal more than was prudent, and in a short time both retired. - -A little after noon, on the next day, had Neil McGuire glanced up from -his work back of the house and looked almost due west, he would have -seen the trim, dainty form of his daughter, as she disappeared in the -woods, accompanied by aunt Eunice. And perhaps his mind would have been -still more perturbed had he witnessed the fervor with which a certain -stalwart, handsome man embraced Nora, while her antiquated duenna -placidly stared at the bushy top of a neighboring tree. - -Whatever it was aunt Eunice saw, it must have been very interesting, -for there she stared, and never once looked around until her name -was called. Then she seated herself at a little distance from the -lovers, pulling out from her pocket a huge stocking, that could only -be intended for one person in the settlement, unless worn upon both -feet at once, industriously knitting, as deaf now as she had been blind -before. - -Who says she never had been young? - -We need record but one passage in the conversation, as the remainder -was foreign to our purpose. - -"Well, pet, I will explain what your father meant when alluding to my -leaving Kentucky. It is true, I did leave there to save my life, much -as I fled from here, although matters had not gone quite so far then. - -"When I was but a child, my father was accused--falsely, as I ever -will maintain, although I have no proof--of belonging to Sturdevant's -gang of counterfeiters and horse-thieves. He was arrested and thrown -into prison, but he never had a trial. A band of disguised men forced -the jail, and taking him from his cell, proceeded to a grove some four -miles distant, and hung him like a dog! - -"It was nearly a month before the remains were found, by a man hunting -cattle, and then, after his burial, my mother sickened, dying within -the same year. I was but eleven years old then, and although so young, -these fearful events made me desperate. - -"The neighbors all looked upon me as a sort of outcast, and taught -their children to shun me as though I were a moral pest. This did not -help me much, and as I grew older, I was taunted and hooted at, for my -father's _crime_! - -"But, as my muscles grew, they found this fast becoming a dangerous -sport, for I bitterly resented every insult, even from those twice and -thrice my own age. I had no relations, not even a friend to lean upon, -or to whom I could turn for aid or counsel. And thus I grew up. - -"I admit being wild and reckless; but I can honestly say that I never -once committed a mean or criminal deed. And yet I was often accused -in whispers, of being both a counterfeiter and a horse-thief! Almost -any one would have left the place in disgust; but I did not. The only -beings that I had ever loved were lying in the little yard back of our -house. - -"I often, when my trials had been unusually bitter, have spent the -livelong night beside the graves of my parents, sobbing as if my -heart would break; and it is to those sacred influences alone that I -attribute my remaining clear of a life of crime--that I did not yield -to the temptations presented to me of living a wild, free life. - -"Well, I was at length openly arrested, but as I managed to escape -before trial, I never learned who was my accuser. It would have been -almost certain death to remain there then, as I had no friends who -could assist me to clear myself, and so I fled. - -"I went to Arkansas, near Merton, and for a time all went well. I -entered a homestead, and for several years I worked diligently on it; -and then sold it for a fair price, intending to open a store. But my -enemies followed me even there, and the same suspicions were noised -about. I was avoided by all respectable persons as though I had the -plague. - -"In disgust I left the place, and from that time until I came here, -I wandered far and near, living an aimless life until I thought I -had once more eluded my pursuers. But you have seen how sadly I was -mistaken; and here, just as life was brightest, the same rumors were -whispered abroad, the old charges were brought up against me. I was -seized and flogged like a dog!" - -"Poor Clay!" murmured Nora, through the tears called forth by the sad -history of her lover's life, as she clasped his hand in hers, as if to -still further testify her boundless faith in his truth and honesty. - -"Yes, but I go no further. I have found _you_, and now I have an -additional incentive to clear myself, and baffle my secret enemy, -whoever he may be. But how?--that is the question." - -After some further conversation, and an appointment being made for -another meeting, the lovers separated, Nora and Eunice returning to the -house, while Poynter walked rapidly away toward his own building. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - A DELECTABLE CONFAB. - - -After leaving Nora, Poynter walked swiftly in the direction of his own -house, that had been closed ever since aunt Eunice had been called in -to attend Nora during her sickness. But he kept a good look-out as he -proceeded, lest he should be discovered by some of those kind friends -whose hospitality he had abandoned so hastily, a few days before. For -he well knew that if seen and recognized, a hue and cry would be raised -that might end disastrously, as several hours yet remained of daylight. - -He had found a secure refuge with the outlaw band who had rescued -him from the power of the vigilance committee, where he resolved to -remain until his plans for the future were fully matured, at the urgent -request of the leader. This man had evinced a strong interest in -Poynter, and pledged his own as well as the assistance of the band, if -it should prove necessary, in any way. - -Just as Poynter was about to cross the crest of a hill, he heard the -quick thud of a horse's hoofs coming at full speed upon the opposite -side of the rise, and darted at once into the thicket of bushes upon -the left side of the road. Cautiously parting the leafy screen, so that -he could observe the extreme summit of the rise, Poynter awaited the -horseman's approach. - -Scarcely had he done so when the rider rose the crest, and drawing -rein, paused and glanced around him. With a half-surprised curse, -Poynter raised his heavy rifle, while the sharp click sounded clear -and distinct, as the hammer was sprung back; but then he lowered it. - -"The lying dog! For a cent I'd plug him, if only to save 'Judge Lynch' -a job." - -The horse and rider were standing out in bold relief against the clear -sky, but still the ambushed fugitive could tell that Polk Redlaw, the -half-breed, stood before him. Although strongly tempted to punish his -treacherous foe, Poynter withheld his hand, lest he should get still -further entangled in the wiles of his secret enemy. - -Redlaw appeared to be expecting some one, as Clay judged from his -manner, and after a few minutes' waiting, he placed his fingers to his -mouth, and blew a shrill, piercing blast, that echoed from point to -point before dying down to nothing. Scarcely had the sounds ceased, -when a second peal came whistling along the ridge, as if in answer; -to which Polk replied, and then dismounted as if satisfied, standing -beside his noble-looking horse, idly smoothing the long, flowing mane. - -In a few moments a second man appeared upon foot, with his long rifle -carried at a trail, and the two men greeted each other as if greatly -pleased at the meeting. Again the steely glitter shone in Poynter's -eyes, while he bit his lips fiercely as if to repress his emotions, -when he recognized the new-comer. - -"Ah!" he gritted, as he crouched forward. "Wesley Sprowl! There's -deviltry on foot when such men meet together, and by all that's good, -I'll scent it out!" - -The two men now plunged into a little side-trail, Redlaw leading his -horse, and no sooner had they disappeared than Poynter retreated until -around the bend, where he glided across the road, and in a few moments -struck their trail; keeping just without the path, where, if by any -chance the men he was dogging should glance back, he would be out of -sight. - -They proceeded leisurely enough, and he had no difficulty in keeping -within ear-shot of the horse's tread, while his own footsteps were -deadened upon the moist soil. After proceeding thus for nearly half a -mile, the two men paused, and slipping the bit from his horse's mouth, -Polk Redlaw allowed it to feed at will while he and Sprowl seated -themselves upon the greensward beneath a huge oak tree. - -Poynter, by dint of cautious creeping, managed to gain a dense clump -of bushes at only a few yards in the rear of their position, where -he crouched down with his weapons ready for instant use, in case he -should be discovered. But they gave no sign of suspecting an intruder, -and conversed in an easy, careless style, very much to Poynter's -edification. The first of this he missed, owing to the task he had to -perform, but then he listened intently. - -"Well," Polk Redlaw was saying, "they did not suspect any person was -following them, although I kept them in sight the entire distance. And -that was no slouch of a job either, for they were in a lope most of the -way, and I began to be pretty well blown before they gave any signs of -halting. - -"But then they paused and a signal was sounded; and from the reply I -knew that I had dogged them home. And I was right, for in another ten -minutes the whole crowd was gathered in a huddle, unsaddling their -horses, while a dozen or so more were building fires as if the entire -country belonged to them. - -"I lay low, taking notes, and I saw enough in the next hour to satisfy -me that I had really tracked them to the den of the horse-thieves; for -there were several tents and regular fireplaces fixed up, while the -ground was tramped hard and dry." - -"And where was that?" inquired Sprowl, curiously. - -"Well, you'll let it go no further, of course," added Redlaw, after -a slight pause. "You know where Han Hooker killed the big bear, last -fall? near the 'Turkey branch'? Just due west along the creek about a -quarter, is the spot. - -"But as I was spying around, a cursed dog somehow got scent of me, -and as I saw him circling around, I lit out, for if they had found me -there, the d--l himself couldn't 'a' saved my hide. I cut sticks in a -hurry, as I got out of their hearing, but the brute took my trail, and -in a few moments I could hear him coming, hot foot, growling like a -painter. - -"I was afraid to burn powder, so I just hunkered down behind a big -rock, and drew my butcher. As the imp turned the corner, I grabbed his -nose and twisted him down; then a cut or two and _he_ was quiet enough. - -"But I'd seen enough, so I started for home, with the dog on my -shoulder--for I was afraid to leave him where the knife-cuts might -'a' told tales--and carried him until at a safe distance, when I -dropped him over the bank into the creek. And there my infernal luck -still followed me, for his claw caught in my shirt and over I went, -head-first, plump onto the rocks. - -"Luckily my head took the dog for a pillow, and only got a little -bruised and stunned like; but when I came to I found that my right -ankle was either broken or badly sprained. I managed to climb up to the -level, although every motion nearly made me yell out, but there I was -stuck! - -"I knew that if my life depended upon it, I could not have got to the -town, as I was, and so I lay there, thinking what to do next. At last I -slid down the bank, cut off a hind quarter of the dog, and then managed -to drag myself to the "Hole-in-the-wall"--you remember?--where I lay -until this morning. - -"The dog-meat kept me, and although toward the last it wasn't overly -sweet eating, raw at that, I managed to worry it down; for hunger is -just a little the best sauce I know of. The last bite I just shut my -eyes and thought it was a roasted wild turkey, and it tasted so natural -that I actually began to gobble!" declared Polk with an oath. - -"Bah!" - -"Fact. But this morning, two hours by sun, I saw a horse--that one -yonder, it was--straying along the branch, and as he was tame I managed -to catch him; rigged a halter from a piece of lime-bark, and lit out -for town, where I got, safe and sound, after giving you the hint to -meet me here." - -"Well, what'd you want, anyhow?" asked Sprowl. - -"In a moment. You see I told old Reeves about the hole I'd found, -and offered to guide him to it, after dark, to-night. So he sent out -messengers, and by this time the _vigilantes_ are all up to snuff. - -"You may be called on to help, but if so, I want you to play sick; have -a thundering shake, or something of the sort." - -"Just what I'd 'a' done anyhow," dryly responded Sprowl. "I have no -notion of running my head into the hands of that cursed Poynter. -Meagreson didn't pay me for _that_." - -"Well then, you'd just as lieve make a 'double sawbuck' as not, if by -doing so you spite Poynter and run no risks?" - -"Twenty dollars?" - -"Yes. And for half an hour's work." - -"Wouldn't I? Why the old man only gave me a hundred for swearing -against Poynter--Hello! what's that?" he added, starting to his feet, -and looking toward the bushes where Poynter was concealed. - -The latter had given a sudden start, as he caught the hint dropped by -Sprowl, that could only refer to the charge of murder that had been -brought against him. But who was this Meagreson, or the "old man?" - -"Bah!" grunted Polk, lazily turning his head, "don't get scart at your -own shadow. I heard it too, but it's only my horse." - -"Sure?" - -"Thunder! yes. Come. I'm in a hurry. Will you earn the money?" - -"That depends," replied the other, as he reseated himself, "upon what -it is." - -"Well, I know you'll never peach--" - -"Of course not!" - -"I know it," dryly added Redlaw; "it wouldn't be healthy. But I want -you to be sick when the crowd starts to-night, and then after about two -hours--say about midnight--you must get up and set the house yonder, on -fire." - -"What!" - -"Set the house of Clay Poynter on fire--isn't that plain enough? Never -you mind what for--that's my own affair. It's enough that I've good -reasons, and when I come back, I'll tell you. Will you do it?" - -"Its a risky job--" hesitated Sprowl. - -"No it isn't, either. But, yes or no, because if you won't, there's -others--" - -"Enough! I'll do it. But cash down, you know," leered Sprowl. - -"Do you doubt my honor?" exclaimed the villainous mongrel. - -"Not in the least," coolly responded his colleague, "but it's my way of -doing business." - -"Well, there's half of it. The rest I'll hand you in the morning." - -"But supposing you should get rubbed out to-night?" suggested Sprowl. - -"Curse your croaking!" hotly exclaimed Redlaw, thrusting out another -bill. "There; will that do?" - -"Yes; but say, isn't it a good joke upon old Meagreson that he has been -paying us all to prove this Poynter a counterfeiter and murderer, while -all the time he really belonged to the gang?" chuckled Sprowl. - -"Bet ye! But come now, old fellow," added Redlaw, insinuatingly, "who -is the old coon, anyhow? I know you can tell a fellow, if you will." - -"Maybe I will, when you tell me what for you want the house fired," -significantly answered Sprowl. - -"Well, give me an idee, anyhow," urged Polk. "I'll tell you to-morrow, -sure." - -"Honest?" - -"I said so, didn't I?" sharply. - -"Well, don't get your back up about it and I will give you a hint, -anyhow. You see, I knew him in Kentucky, and again in Illinois, where -he helped run the business, after Sturdevant--" - -"What!" - -"Fact. I done a little in that line myself, on the sly, and we were -thrown together consid'able, as he furnished the "queer." But I got the -pull on him in a little scrape in which a certain man named Duaber, was -concerned. - -"There was a love-affair mixed up with it, I believe, and while -Meagreson got the sack, Duaber got the girl. So a lot of charges were -trumped up, much as we've served this Poynter, you know, only it ended -in the poor devil's being lynched in earnest. - -"He was taken from jail and hung by a gang spurred on by the old man, -although he was not present at the deed. I gained a cool thousand in -square money for it, and all went off smoothly. But I thought he was -dead until he came here, found me out, gave me some money, and got me -to play the same trick over again." - -"I wonder what his reasons were, anyhow," mused Polk. "I'd give a -five-spot to know," he added, covertly glancing at Sprowl. - -"You will?" - -"If it's honest, I wouldn't mind." - -"I know what you're up to," nodded the other, "but if you'll promise me -not to breathe a word or hint of who told you, to _anybody_, I'll tell -you!" - -"You know--or should know by this time, that I never split on a friend." - -"That's so, Polk, and if you'll shell out, I'll tell you in a cat's -whisper." - -"Here you are; but no shenanigan, now," replied Polk, handing the bill -to his comrade. - -"Honor bright! Well, then, this Clay Poynter, as he calls himself, is -in reality none other than Henry Duaber the son of James Duaber, who -was hung on a false charge by the vigilance committee!" - -"Whew!" echoed Polk Redlaw, with a long-drawn breath of astonishment. -"I begin to see into it now. And the old man hates the son for the -father's sake!" - -"Yes, that's just it. And as you've acted on the square, so far, I -don't mind telling that he is the same one who has hunted this young -fellow from pillar to post, ever since he was a little shaver," said -Sprowl, confidentially. - -"I'd rather have his friendship than his hatred, then," laughed Polk. -"When's he coming back, do you know?" - -"Not yet awhile. It'd spoil the whole thing, you see, if 'John Dement' -should come to life again before Poynter was nailed." - -"But it seems to me that you'll be in a bad box, my friend, if it is -found out that you swore to a lie." - -"Oh, that's easy patched up. Besides, the men will be so cut up and -ashamed at being greened so, that they'll be glad enough to let the -matter drop, and as for the _law_, I'd die of old age before that could -or would do anything here," sneered Sprowl. - -"Well, that's your look-out, not mine. But we'd better be moving. Catch -my horse for me, won't you?--this cursed ankle is sore yet." - -In a few moments the mongrel was mounted, and paused to add: - -"Now mind you play your part. And not before eleven, anyhow, as if the -glow should be seen too soon, the men will turn back, thinking it some -of theirs." - -"All right. But you send around for me; it'll look better. I'll go -home now and begin shaking," and with a loud laugh the two precious -scoundrels separated, each man going his own way. - -Scarcely had they disappeared when Clay Poynter emerged from his -ambush, and stood for a moment, trembling with anger. His face pale and -stern-set, his eyes glittering with bluish sheen of polished steel; his -breath came hot and heavy from betwixt his tightly-clenched teeth. - -Truly, he had good cause for being wrathy, and for feeling thoughtful, -too, in the revelations so complacently made by Wesley Sprowl. - -But he did not pause long; then throwing his rifle across his shoulder, -he struck through the woods at a rapid pace, heading his course toward -the rendezvous of "White Crees," the leader of the band who had rescued -him from the "Twin Sycamores." - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - THE INCENDIARY. - - -It was some time after dark before Clay Poynter neared the rendezvous -of the border outlaws, despite the speed at which he traveled. But he -was in time, and after satisfying the sentinel of his identity, he -hastened at once to the presence of "White Crees," as his aged friend -was universally termed by his men and comrades. - -He was lying at full length upon the ground, one elbow propping his -head as he gazed thoughtfully into the fire, crackling merrily before -him. There was a kind of half-frown upon his face and a fiery gleam in -his full black eyes, that told Poynter he was unusually excited about -something. - -"Well, sir, what is it?" quickly asked Crees, as he raised his head at -the young man's approach. - -"Bad news, I fear. This retreat is known--" - -"The devil!" - -"Yes; and you will be attacked to-night by the vigilance committee, in -full force," coolly rejoined Poynter. - -"Bad enough, I must say. But are you certain?" - -"If hearing the entire plan, detailed by the man that found you out, is -enough, I am." - -"So--so!" muttered the outlaw chief. - -"Well, your decision," impatiently said Clay, "what is it?" - -"We must run for it. Not but that we are strong enough to stand our -ground, if such a course would be prudent, but we must tread lightly. -The country is hot enough now, and a collision, where blood would be -shed, must be avoided." - -"Very well, then; I want one man for duty concerning myself, as a sort -of witness. Can I have him?" - -"A dozen, if you say so," was the cordial reply. "Who is he?" - -"Jack Fyffe." - -"Hyar I be, square, an' mighty glad ef I kin help ye any." - -"Then saddle our horses as quick as possible, please. If I had time," -again turning to the outlaw leader, "I would explain, as I have much to -tell; but some other time must do. Things are working around a little, -and I may come out right side up after all." - -"Good! and I, too, have done a good job to-day." - -"So? Where'll we find you?" - -"Tell Jack to lead you to the north side of "Bald Hill," where the -branch cuts through the "Wildcat Range." He knows it well." - -"Well, I must be off, and the sooner _you_ are, the better. It's nearly -ten o'clock now, and they'll be along by one, at the latest." - -"So they may," laughed the outlaw, "but thanks to your warning, they'll -find little to satisfy their appetite. Remember, 'Bald Hill.'" - -"All right!" and then the young man vaulted into the saddle as Fyffe -led up the horses, and the two men dashed rapidly along the road. - -"Now Jack, old fellow," cried Poynter, "we must ride as if the -'gentleman in black' was at our horses' tails, or we'll be too late." - -"Whar to?" - -"My house. Do you know a path that we can go, so as to avoid meeting -our friends who'll take the main road?" - -"Bet ye! It's rough ridin' though, but bein's it's shorter, 'twon't -take no longer. What's the biz?" - -Thereupon Poynter succinctly stated what he had heard while -eavesdropping the two precious scoundrels, adding: - -"It isn't that I care so much for the house, but we must take that -Sprowl a prisoner. He knows enough to clear me, and if he can prove -what he said, to bring this Dement or Meagreson to justice; and that's -just my hand, now." - -"We'll do it! Ef not in the act, we'll nab him at his own shanty. Then -a taste o' the med'cin' 'at they gi'n you'll bring 'im to tarms, I -reckon. Leastwise we kin try it. Meagreson, ye said?" - -"Yes; do you know him?" - -"Oh no, I guess not! Lord, won't the ol' man be glad!" - -"Crees, do you mean?" - -"Look out! Hyar's the cut-off. Foller me cluss an' look out for yur -head." - -They now diverged from the road, into a path just allowing one horse -to pass at a time, and the riders were forced to stoop low along their -horses' necks to keep from being struck by the low-hanging limbs. This -fact effectually put a stop to all conversation, for the time being. - -Presently the ground grew more open, although they still continued in -single file, and as they rose the crest of a hill, Fyffe exclaimed, in -a glad tone: - -"It's all hunky so fur, anyhow, square. Ef it stays so fer ten minutes -longer, we'll save 'em both." - -"Are we so near, then?" - -"Leetle better 'n a mile. See, thar's the branch." - -"Good! I know where we are now. Spur along; we've no time to lose." - -In less than the time named the horsemen drew rein at the western -fence of the yard, and speedily hitching the animals, they stealthily -advanced until the rear of the house was gained. After pausing for -a moment to listen, and hearing nothing suspicious, they made the -circuit of the building; thus satisfying themselves that the would-be -incendiary had not yet arrived. - -"We're in good time, Jack," whispered Poynter, joyfully, "and 'll get -him yet. Do you hide here in front, and I'll do the same behind. If you -need help, whistle and I'll come." - -"Help, ag'in' _thet_ little or'nary cuss? Bah! I'd take him 'ith one -finger." - -"So much the better, then. But look sharp." - -"Shall I nab 'im as soon as I see him?" - -"No; I guess we'd better let him start a blaze first. Then he can't -deny but what that was his intention. Yes, that's the best way." - -"All right then. Better lumber down, though, fer ef he shed cotch a -glimpse o' either on us, it's all played," cautioned Fyffe. - -This advice was too good not to be followed, and in a moment more, all -was still and silent about the premises. Poynter's mind was greatly -excited, as well it might be, at the facts he had learned on that -day; and as the gloomy prospect that had spread over his future began -to lighten, a thousand air-castles were built, over all of which the -pleasing form of Nora McGuire, his little rosy Irish lass, reigned as -queen--need we state who was the king? - -But he was suddenly aroused from his reverie, by the light tramp of -a man's feet, and glancing up, he saw a dim, shadow-like figure, -cautiously approaching the house, at a little to his left. From his -position, close beside the slightly elevated porch that stood in the -rear of the kitchen, the door of which led out upon it, Poynter was -perfectly hidden, while yet he could quite plainly note the intruder's -every movement. - -This person lightly stepped upon the porch, and cautiously tried the -door, but it was fastened. Then he went to one of the rear windows, and -after a slight effort, raised it; then propping it up with a stick, -drew himself through the aperture. - -Listening intently, Poynter heard him groping around the room, and then -after a few moments' silence, he saw a faint, flickering light spring -up. Gliding to the window, he peered through, and saw Wesley Sprowl -igniting a short piece of tallow-dip by the aid of a match. - -Poynter knew now that he had his game secure, and crept around the -building, where he was met by Jack Fyffe, who had been alarmed by the -slight noise, and was just coming around to investigate it. - -"Is it him?" - -"Yes," whispered Poynter, "but we must let him start the fire first, -before we interrupt him. Then as I jump through the window, do you -burst in the back door and put out the blaze. I'll 'tend to him." - -"Jest as you say, square; on'y I'd like to gi'n the varmint a squoze, -like, jest for beans," grunted Fyffe, as he followed Poynter around the -building. - -They could still see the light, and hear an increased rattling in the -room, and cautiously peering in at one corner of the window, the two -men saw the incendiary splitting fine kindlings with the knife he had -drawn from his belt. Poynter could scarcely restrain his passion, at -noting how coolly and deliberately the dastardly scoundrel set about -his work; but the pressure of Jack Fyffe's hand upon his arm, recalled -his presence of mind. - -When a little pile of the shavings were made Sprowl piled over them -some splinters of wood that lay beside the kitchen-stove, and then -applied the lighted candle to the heap. It instantly ignited, the tiny -blaze creeping along, thrusting out its forked tongue like a serpent; -at which the incendiary gave a chuckle of delight, and rising, dropped -a chair over the fire. - -He next grasped the table, with the same intention, but Poynter had -seen enough, and drawing himself up by the arms, he dropped lightly -through the window--the noise made by Sprowl in dragging the table -effectually drowning his footsteps. One stride, and the large, muscular -right hand of Clay Poynter tightly clasped the villain by the neck, -compressing it as if in a vice. - -Jack Fyffe was in no wise behindhand, but speedily followed his leader -through the open window, thinking that better than to demolish the -door, especially as there was no particularly urgent call for haste; -and with a few shoves of his huge foot, kicked the brands into the -capacious fireplace, it having done no damage, save slightly scorching -the chairs and floor. - -"It may be fun to you, square, da'say _'tis_, but ef you 'xpects to git -any 'fessions outen thet critter, you'd do well to let up a little," -admonished Jack, as he bent forward to peer into the face of the -prisoner. - -And there was ample foundation for his warning, for in his rage at -the cowardly miscreant's action, Poynter threw the whole power of his -arm into the grasp, and Sprowl was already senseless. His eyes were -widely protruding, and his open mouth and lolling tongue, together with -his rapidly-blackening, distorted features, rendered him a horrible, -repulsive sight. - -"You're right, Jack," said Poynter, as he relaxed his grip and suffered -Sprowl to drop upon the floor, then bending over him, he poured a -little brandy down his throat, although Jack grumbled at the sacrilege. - -In a few moments Sprowl had recovered sufficiently to sit up, -thoroughly bewildered at the sudden reverse he had experienced. But -his captors did not give him time to ponder over it, or ask questions, -as it was growing late, and for obvious reasons they did not care to -remain longer than was absolutely necessary in the neighborhood. - -So, after securely binding the incendiary's hands behind his back, the -two men, highly elated at their complete success, led the way to where -the horses were hitched. - -"You're the lightest, Jack," said Poynter; "better take him up behind -you on the horse." - -"Durn the thief!" growled Fyffe, "let 'im tramp it; 't'll do him good." - -"So he might; but there's no telling whom we may meet, and I won't lose -him now. But if you object, he can ride with me." - -"I didn't think o' that, square. Jest you hyste him up arter I mount." - -This was speedily done, and Sprowl secured to the body of his captor, -thus effectually preventing all hopes of an escape. Then leaving the -premises they entered the road, proceeding at a moderate pace, as they -were not desirous of arousing any of the neighbors who might chance to -be at home. - -For a couple of hours they rode on without halting, when they both drew -rein simultaneously, bending forward in the saddles, and listening -eagerly. It was a sharp, clear report, followed by what appeared an -irregular volley of small-arms, resounding all about them as if an -entire army was engaged in battle. - -But the two men were far too well versed in the peculiarities of that -portion of the country not to know that it was but the multiplied -reverberations of the one first shot. - -"Listen!" exclaimed Poynter, guardedly, "don't you hear the click of -shoes upon the stones?" - -"Y'ur right, by the 'tarnal! It's the _vigilantys_, I reckon. Better -kiver." - -"To the left," muttered Poynter, leading the way. "Hold the reins while -I keep the horses from neighing. And mark you, Sprowl, those are your -friends, but if you utter so much as a whisper, by the God above me, I -will shoot you like a dog! You know I keep my word. They may hunt us, -but it would be too late to do _you_ any good!" hissed the young man as -he passed by the prisoner. - -They were scarcely a dozen feet from the road, upon a little lower -ground, from whence they could have a clear view of anybody passing -by. There was no moon, and the dense growth of underbrush close behind -them, added to the dark color of their horses, rendered discovery very -improbable, if not impossible. - -Poynter stood by the animals' heads, one hand upon the muzzle of each, -to check any inclination they might feel for whickering during the -passage of the horsemen. They had not long to wait. - -Scarcely had these precautions been taken, when the foremost man came -in sight, and then the main body. Their oaths and curses, if nothing -else, would have identified them as the band of _vigilantes_, returning -from an unsuccessful search for the outlaws, thanks to Poynter's timely -warning. - -After waiting a few minutes, until satisfied that the entire band had -passed, the ambushed men again entered the road, proceeding for some -little distance in silence. Then Clay spoke: - -"Those fellows weren't in the best of humor, eh, Jack?" - -"Not overly much. Wal, it shows 'at the boys got cl'ar, anyhow. But -see, hyar's the cut-off." - -"Leading to Bald Hill?" - -"Yas," and Fyffe led the way along a narrow, irregular path. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - SPROWL TOES THE MARK. - - -In less than half an hour the tall, rocky crest of "Bald Hill" reared -its gray head before the men, and Poynter gave vent to a sigh of relief -as he saw that the tiresome ride was nearly at an end. Having traveled -the distance four times, twice upon foot, and once on a dead run, he -was greatly exhausted, and so sleepy that he could scarcely keep his -eyes open. - -The outlaws were upon the alert, as the quick, sharp challenge -testified when the outer lines were reached. Dismounting with a -half-groan, Poynter relieved Fyffe of his "backload," and after -securely binding the man, dropped him upon the ground, asking the -sentry to keep an eye upon him. Then Poynter threw himself beneath a -tree, and almost ere his limbs were still, a fast-increasing rumbling, -as of very distant thunder, told how sound was his slumber. - -The sun was an hour above the horizon when Poynter again opened his -eyes, although he declared he hadn't five winks of sleep. But after a -cool bath at the creek close at hand, he felt greatly refreshed, and -joined White Crees, who was sitting near one of the fires, smoking a -pipe. - -"Up for all day, Poynter?" - -"Well, I hardly know, to tell the truth," laughed Clay. "I can tell you -better after I have some grub." - -"There's part of a cold turkey, or here's venison; take your choice." - -"Hot meat for me, even if I do have to turn cook to get it," said -Poynter, cutting several generous slices from the prime saddle that -hung suspended from a tree near at hand. "But, hello, I forgot! What -has been done with my prisoner that I brought in last night, or, -rather, this morning?" - -"I put him in a safe place," returned the outlaw. "The poor devil was -nearly dead this morning. You put him with his head down hill, and I -really believe that another hour would have finished him." - -"'Twouldn't be a very great pity," muttered Poynter, his mouth full of -meat, "after I have got out of him what I want to know. And that makes -me think--where's Jack?" - -"Off on a hunt, I believe; a gang of turkeys passed down the creek this -morning, and he's after them. But why?" - -"Nothing; only from a hint that he dropped last night about one -Meagreson--" - -"What! _Meagreson_, did you say?" excitedly exclaimed the outlaw, -bending forward, clutching Poynter with his long, bony fingers by the -arm, until the young man winced with pain. - -"Thunder! yes, but I ain't made of wood, nor steel either. Do you want -to take off my arm?" - -"Pardon, Poynter; but that name made me forget myself. Where did _you_ -hear of _him_?" - -"From Sprowl; he told Polk Redlaw a long yarn yesterday that I -overheard, and enough in it to show me that my secret foe was this -Meagreson, or John Dement, as he called himself here." - -"Tell me all, just as he said it. I have good reasons for wanting to -hear it," added the outlaw, impressively. - -Poynter gave a hasty outline, and to his great surprise Crees bowed his -head to the earth, his strong form working and writhing as if in mortal -agony. But when he would have stopped, a hoarsely-whispered "_Go on_" -from the old man was his only answer. - -"And now you know as much as I do," added Clay, arising. "But come, -show me where you put Sprowl, and I will see if he can tell me any -thing more." - -Crees arose without a word, and passed a short distance up the -hillside, pressing through some bushes until he stood at the foot of -a good-sized tree, in a tiny glade. To the trunk of this, and in an -upright position, was bound the form of the wretched Sprowl. - -Poynter started back in half-alarm at the fearful change a few hours -had made in the man's appearance. Dreadfully haggard and sickly -looking, with his eyes protruding, his tongue lolling from his parched -jaws, the drops of cold sweat rolling over his face, Sprowl looked as -if about to give up the ghost in earnest. - -"My God! he's dying," cried Poynter, as he sprung forward and severed -the cords that bound the poor devil, laying him down upon the ground. - -"Give me your flask; mine's empty," as he turned to Crees, who silently -handed it to him, while his eyes were fixed intently upon the wretch's -face. - -A few swallows were poured down Sprowl's throat, and thus bathing his -face and neck with the pungent liquor, Poynter soon uttered a glad cry. -In truth, the patient appeared to be recovering, and in a few minutes -the light of reason once more shone in his eyes. - -"I know that man," slowly ejaculated Crees, not once removing his gaze, -that appeared to attract the other's attention much the same as the -fascination exercised by the rattlesnake. - -"My God! who are you?" almost yelled the wretch, as he suddenly sat up, -staring at Crees, wildly. - -"Who should know better than you, Wesley Sprowl?" sternly said the -outlaw. - -"I know you now. You are--" - -"Hold!" commanded Crees, "that name is dead now. If you as much as -whisper it before I tell you, by all that's holy I'll treat you as I -would a snake! Do you understand?" - -"Yes, sir," faltered Sprowl, once more sinking back. - -"Here," interrupted Poynter, checking this by-play, that not a little -excited his curiosity. "Here, Sprowl, take another sup of brandy. I -want you to answer me some questions, and you'll need your strength -before we're through." - -"Yes--yes--the brandy!" eagerly muttered the prisoner, clutching at the -bottle, and not drawing breath until it was emptied. "There! now I can -talk; only I am hungry," he added, wistfully. - -"Well, I will get you something, for I am going to treat you a deuced -sight better than you deserve, after your lies about me." - -"They _were_ lies, all of them; but I will confess--yes, I will -confess!" - -"Just stick to that, old fellow, and my word for it, you'll never have -cause to repent doing so," cheerily replied Poynter. "Now, Mr. Crees, -if you'll just stay here to keep our friend company, like, I'll go get -something for him to eat." - -"Gladly; for I, too, have something to ask Mr. Sprowl," returned the -outlaw. "And, if you will, please give a whistle when you come back; -won't you?" - -"Certainly, if you wish it." - -"I do. But don't be offended," he added, appealingly. "I will explain -it all to you soon. And any thing else that may appear strange, that -you wish to know. Will that do?" - -"Finely," cordially replied Poynter, pressing his strange friend's -hand, and then dashing down the hillside to the encampment-fires. - -He cut some venison steaks, and soon had them broiling merrily, after -which he prepared hot water for coffee, and stirred up a "hoe-cake," -standing it upon a strip of elm-bark to bake before the glowing embers. -Evidently he meant to keep his word to Sprowl, of treating that worthy -better than he deserved. - -When his cookery was completed, Poynter gave the desired signal, and -when he reached the tree found that the outlaw was sitting in the same -spot, while Sprowl had bowed his head between his hands, evidently -deeply moved by some emotion, either of fear or remorse. But the young -man quelled the curiosity he felt, for he knew that Crees' word might -be trusted, and that ere long all would be explained. - -"Well, old fellow, here you are," cheerily cried Poynter, as he placed -the food and drink before Sprowl, with not a trace of rancor in his -tones. "And do you see how fast you can demolish them, while I do a -little talking. But mind you, don't answer before you've weighed well -what you say, as you may have to swear to it. Do you hear?" - -"Yes, sir, I do hear, and so help me God, I'll tell the honest truth if -it hangs me!" solemnly exclaimed the prisoner. "You treat me and talk -to me like a gentleman, while I have treated you and yours worse than a -dog. I shall say nothing but the truth, and if it must be, will swear -to it before any court." - -"Now I begin to know you again," cried Clay, gladly; "and I tell you -that, guilty as you have been, unless you have helped commit one deed--" - -"Your father, you mean?" interrupted Sprowl. - -"Yes." - -"As God hears me, I never raised a hand or a finger against his life. -I falsely swore against his honor, I do not deny, but of any thing -further, I am innocent." - -"Well, go on and eat. I will tell you my terms, although I frankly -tell you that were it not for your wife and helpless family, I would -_demand_, not _request_. Now, however, we will let that pass. - -"First, I wish you to tell me the plot against my father; who concocted -it, and who were the prominent actors in it. Also their reasons for so -doing, so far as you are aware of them. - -"Then what you know of myself; who it was that has hunted me from -'pillar to post,' to use your own language? Also what you know about -one Meagreson, _alias_ John Dement, his character, crimes, and, in -short, every thing. - -"I warn you, however, that I am not to be deceived; that I know far -more than you have any idea of, so that any attempt of that kind will -only injure yourself. Do you fully comprehend me?" queried Poynter. - -Sprowl answered by a double nod; his mouth being crammed so full of the -juicy deer-steak, that speech was impossible. - -"Very well. Now, I will tell you further. If you make a clean breast of -it, however guilty you may have been, with that one exception, I will -let you go free, and in addition give you such a start that, if you -endeavor to do so, you can live an honest, comfortable life. - -"I will pay for your farm, will build you a house and stock them -both, so that you can have no further excuse for going to the bad. -But mark me--this is not on _your_ account; it is for your patient, -long-suffering wife, and the deeds will be given in her name. Now, what -do you say to the bargain?" - -"Well, sir, what _can_ I say," muttered Sprowl, brokenly, "but that -while I have acted like a dog, you treat me as a white man? Perhaps -'twould be a better job if you put me beyond the way of doing any more -harm; I _do_ think so. I have always been a cursed, cowardly fool, and -if at times I would try--and God knows that I _have_ tried for Mary's -sake and the children's--to break off, here would come a temptation, -and down I'd go, worse than ever," gloomily replied the prisoner. - -"Well," heartily responded Poynter, "better times are coming now, and -if you will only help yourself, others will lend a hand. Cheer up, old -fellow, and hold your head up like an honest man; there's a heap of -good left in you yet, or you'd never talk as you do now." - -"If I ever _do_ get on my feet again, it is to you and _him_ that I -must give thanks, after God," solemnly uttered Sprowl. "But where shall -I begin?" - -"Tell me first about my father; why and how it was that you acted -against him as you did." - -And then Wesley Sprowl repeated the tale he had briefly outlined to -Polk Redlaw, giving every detail in full; but enough has been said to -enlighten the reader. It was a terrible tale of revenge and injustice, -in which an innocent man was made the victim of a villain's plottings, -aided by such unscrupulous coadjutors as Sprowl and Jonathan Green. - -As the sad incidents of his parent's sorrow and ruin were detailed, -Clay Poynter (as we must still call him) bowed his head and wept bitter -tears of grief and anguish. Had he glanced toward his companion, he -would have seen that "White Crees," the outlaw leader, had bowed his -stalwart form, and it shook as if with mortal agony. - -"About your being driven from Arkansas," said Sprowl, "I know nothing -save that this same man followed you in his hatred for your father; -that he had sworn you, too, should die a felon's death. But you fled -from him, and it was years before he found you here. - -"He saw me, also, and knowing that I was poor, tempted me to aid him, -as I had done once before. For weeks before he made his appearance -openly, he was undermining your reputation, by covert hints and -innuendoes, that only too easily found holding-ground in the troubled -state of the country; and this was increased by your reticence -regarding your affairs and previous life. - -"I helped him in this, as did Green, Wigan, Redlaw, Dalton and Gibson. -Then you were arrested. Sam Gibson and Frank Dalton were bribed to -conceal the dies and counterfeit coin in your house, then to swear to -the finding it. - -"Jonathan Green was bought over, as I was, to swear as we did. For fear -one charge should fail, he arranged that of the murder of John Dement, -by which name he had made the acquaintance of Neil McGuire, as they -both were fellow Masons. - -"He made himself popular in the neighborhood by his friendly manner and -the freedom with which he spent his money. He wished the excitement to -be great and deadly when you were charged with his death. - -"He gave me the diamond cluster-pin that was so well known and told -me what to swear. I was poor; he threatened to denounce me as one of -the gang unless I performed his bidding, and I consented. It was hard, -though, although you may not believe me. - -"You had acted the generous friend to me and mine; had furnished food, -clothing and medicine, when I was sick and unable to work; all this you -did, and yet I would have sworn away your life!" and for a few moments -he remained silent. - -"Had it not been for the firmness of Neil McGuire our plans would have -been fully carried out, and that next morning's sun would have shone -upon your corpse, as we fully expected. But then you escaped; how, I -never learned. - -"Meagreson was in Leavenworth awaiting the message that I had promised -to send or bring him, of your death, but instead it was that you were -once more a free man. Still he thought and hoped that you would be -taken, and had set the police of the city on the alert for you in case -you should go there; but it was useless. - -"He was fully disguised, as he had been while here, for as he is now -over fifty years of age, his hair is naturally almost snow-white. But -he wore his years well, and he was not suspected for other than he -seemed. - -"You know how I attempted to fire your house--it was that mongrel cur, -Polk Redlaw, that tempted me; and that I was captured in the endeavor, -I now sincerely thank God! It is one crime the less upon my soul; and -He knows that there are enough there already," concluded Sprowl, in -a broken tone, as he bowed his head, while the hot, scalding tears -trickled freely adown his wrinkled cheeks. - -There was no affectation about this, as his hearers were fully -convinced. He was really moved at the kind and honorable manner in -which he had been treated by those whom he had wronged so deeply and -terribly. - -They knew that it was sincere repentance, and that from then, -henceforth, if his life was spared, he would be a different man. The -truer depths of his nature were touched; the crust of wickedness was -broken, never again to heal over. - -"And this Meagreson--do you know nothing of his future plans?" at -length asked Poynter, looking up. - -"Unless he should hear from me, he was to meet me at the 'Twin Points' -Friday night." - -"Then you think he will come?" - -"I have no doubt of it," was the assured reply. "He will be too anxious -to learn the latest news not to come." - -"Good! he will probably meet visitors he does not expect," cried Crees. - -"That he will! Unless he fails, we will have him at our own terms, and -then--" - -"And then!" echoed the outlaw. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - FYFFE SOUNDS HIS NOTE. - - -"Hark!" - -It was Poynter who made the exclamation, abruptly checking the outlaw's -words. The three men slightly bowed their heads, as if listening -intently, while their eyes sought each other's faces. The sound came -again. - -It was the loud exclamation of a man--such as one would make in driving -a refractory yoke of oxen. And yet it could scarcely be that, for the -ground surrounding, whence the alarm proceeded, was rough and broken, -difficult even for a man to traverse upon foot. - -"What is it?" whispered Crees. - -"'S-sh! Listen." - -"_Dod_-rot y'ur ongainly copperossyty, kain't you walk chalk? Gee, -that--gee, you 'tarnal critter! Dod burn ef I don't rouse you up wi' a -saplin'. G'long, now, you creepin' snake!" - -A tirade of such adjurations, followed by what sounded like the crack -of a whip, and then a strange sort of muffled howl. Such were the -noises that aroused the curiosity of the trio, in the little glade. - -"Scratch dirt, now, you'd better. 'Tain't much furder, or durned ef -I b'lieve we'd git thar to-day, the way you _does_ creep. Wuss'n any -jackass I _ever_ see'd! Git up an' git, now, less _I'll_ go ahead an' -snipe you 'long arter me. How'd thet suit, eh, ole stick-in-the-mud? -Shoot at an honest feller ag'in, w'u'd ye? Guess ye won't, no more. -Hoop-la!" and then came several more cracks, accompanied by groans and -half-choked howls. - -"It's Jack," whispered Crees. "Wonder what he's up to?" - -"Look!" - -As Poynter uttered this exclamation, the bushes parted, and a -miserable-looking object broke out into full view. It was a man, but so -tattered and begrimed that little else could be guessed. Whether white, -black or red, a stranger or an acquaintance, could only be surmised. - -His arms were tightly drawn back and secured at the elbows, while a -slack withe ran from ankle to ankle. His draggled and matted hair -overhung his face, but was not long enough to entirely conceal the -existence of a strange freak upon his captor's part. _He was bitted!_ - -A good-sized stick was secured between his jaws, about two feet in -length. To either end of this a supple vine of grape was attached, so -that a jerk, right or left, by the driver, would effectually turn the -prisoner, if not quite throw him down. - -Holding fast to the opposite ends was the grinning Jack Fyffe, who bore -a long, supple hickory rod, with which he occasionally "touched up" the -captive. Upon his back were two rifles. - -"Good Lord, Jack!" cried Poynter, in amazement, at this truly unique -"turnout," "what under the sun do you mean treating the poor devil that -way? Who is he, anyhow?" - -"Hellow, square, you thar?" returned the rough borderer, appearing -not a whit abashed, giving his captive the twitch necessary to turn -his head up the hill, and then adroitly applying the whip, that made -him spring nimbly forward. "How air you, anyhow, this mornin'? Kinder -fotched along a fri'nd to call on you, sorter permiscuous, like. Git -up, thar, _you_ critter; step lively, now, an' show the gen'lemen y'ur -paces. Hy--ah!" - -"For mercy's sake, Jack, let the poor devil loose!" - -"Not ef I knows it," retorted Fyffe, coolly; "I hed too much trouble -a-gearin' him up, fer thet. An' marcy--the skunk don't know what thet -means. _He_ didn't hev no marcy onto you nor the ole man, nor likewise -on me, when he tried to shoot me, a little back yon'." - -"Who is it?" queried Crees. - -"Why, don't you know? It's Jim Meagreson, John Dement, or Snakey, as -_I_ call him," declared Fyffe, exultantly. - -Poynter stared in amazement, but not so the outlaw leader. With a -half-stifled howl of rage and vindictive joy, he drew his knife and -leaped forward. Jack Fyffe thought he meant murder, and caught him by -the arm. - -"Dang it, boss, he's bad enough; but don't butcher him in thet way!" - -"Stand off!" yelled Crees, throwing the other violently from him. -"Stand off, I say. I am not mad. He is of more use to me living than -dead, you fool!" - -"All right, then," returned Fyffe, rubbing his shoulder dolefully. "I -know thet, but was kinder afeard thet you'd fergit when y'ur mad was -up. Thar he is; I turn him over to you fellers, an' dog-goned glad to -git shet on him, _I_ am, the onmannerly cuss!" - -"_'Tis_ him, Poynter; look!" and Crees held back the captive's head so -as to more fully expose the wretch's features. - -"It is, indeed," gladly exclaimed Clay, as he beheld the man whom he -had been falsely accused of murdering. "And an hour since I would have -given ten years of my life if this could have been assured me." - -"Wal, square, thar he is, 'thout any o' thet. You're welcome to my -shar'." - -"But how'd you chance upon him, Jack?" - -"Thet's a long yarn--too long fer a feller to spin what hain't had no -breakfast," added Fyffe. - -"True; I forgot. Go get something and then come up. We may need you;" -and then, as the borderer hastened down the hill, the young man turned -to the captive. - -He was in a truly pitiable condition; but those who beheld him had been -far too deeply injured by him to indulge in any such feeling. True, -they gave him brandy and bathed his head, but it was only to restore -him so that they could gain his confession. - -He soon revived and stared around at the two men, Sprowl having taken a -position out of sight behind the tree, where he had not yet been seen -by Meagreson. The men eyed him in silence, but he only vouchsafed them -a look of angry defiance. - -"Well, James Meagreson," at length said the outlaw leader, "we meet -once again!" - -"My name is _not_ Meagreson, and I don't know you--never set eyes on -you before," sullenly responded the captive. - -"Do you know _me_, then?" put in Poynter. - -"Know you? Yes; for a vile horse-thief and counterfeiter!" - -"Do you mean to say--" began Crees, when he was interrupted by the -other. - -"I mean to say that I am plain John Dement, an honest trader, and that -you shall dearly rue this outrage." - -"Bah! that's played out. You may as well own up now, for your -accomplice and tool has betrayed you; has exposed all your plots -and crimes. If you are obstinate, we will just hand you over to the -vigilance committee, whose aid you are so fond of invoking, and let -them deal with you." - -"Am I a fool?" sneered Meagreson. "Don't I know that you dare no more -show your face to one of them than to kiss a rattlesnake? The only -answer you'd get would be a hempen cord and swinging bough!" - -"Now that's nonsense, old man," put in Sprowl. "_You're_ the fool. -They've got you in a corner, and you may as well come down. Green and -the rest of the boys have owned up, and unless you make terms as we -did, it'll be all night with you." - -"Who's that?" faltered the prisoner, a gray shade settling upon his -florid features. - -"Sprowl," replied that worthy. "I've told all I know and am going to -swear to it, if you are obstinate; and, as you very well know, it's -enough to hang you a dozen times over." - -"The others--" - -"I tell you they've 'peached, and you're a spotted man, if these -gentlemen are only a mind to press the matter," glibly said Sprowl. - -A deep groan was his only answer, as Meagreson fell forward, his form -trembling like a leaf. - -"Let him be, Poynter," said Crees, "and when he thinks it all over, -he'll see that it's of no use holding out further. Here comes Fyffe." - -"Hellow, what you fellers bin a-doin' to my hoss?" cried that worthy, -as he leisurely strolled up the hill, wiping his greasy mouth upon his -shirt-sleeve, and smacking his lips. "Make a bully quarter-hoss, he -would, ef he was a leetle better trained. Stumbles an' kicks over the -traces now, kinder; but he'll do." - -"Never mind now, Jack," interrupted Poynter. "He's thinking." - -"Yas; needs it, I reckon. While y'ur hand's in, jest think a leetle -how all-fired nigh you come to killin' a feller-critter-man. Sp'ilt my -ha'r, anyhow," at the same time tugging at the shaggy lock that grew -beside his ear, trying to bring it before his eyes. "See thar." - -It did indeed look as though a bullet had cut a jagged passage through -it, as he had hinted. Then Poynter seated himself beneath the tree, -motioning Jack to do the same, saying: - -"There's nothing else just now, Fyffe; sit down and tell us how you -chanced upon this fellow, and all about it." - -"Don't care 'f I do, square," quoth Jack, gnawing off a huge mouthful -of "niggerhead," and then passing the plug to Sprowl. "Don't chaw, -b'lieve?" - -"No." - -"I do. Wal, I allus war fond o' tellin' stories. Mam, she used to dress -my trowsers with her ol' slipper purty nigh the hull time, 'cause of -this habit o' mine; but, Lord, thet didn't do no good. Only driv' it -back ag'in, like. But dad, he _was_ a yarner, now I tell you! I kain't -hold a kendle to him when he'd got a good streak on. Jest about -half-cocked, an' then stan' from under! He'd allus got a bigger one -back, too, ef anybody'd top his'n, fer a cap-sheaf. I tuck arter him, -I consait, though the ol' coon 'd offen say 'at he's 'shamed of me, -'cause I couldn't lie better; but thet's nyther hyar nor thar. - -"When I 'gun winkin' this daylight airly, I got up an' begun sorter -swoopin' 'round fer grub. But blamed the bit could I find, 'cept -some wenzun, an' I swore I'd hev none o' thet. Fact is, my appertite -is sorter delacut, like, an' won't b'ar plain grub, like you bigger -fellers. - -"So, as I went down to the crick fer a drink, I see'd lots o' gre't -big turkey-tracks in the mud, toes a-p'intin' downarts; an' so I jest -shoulders shooter an' shakes moccasin sorter lively, 'cause I'd made -up my mind to hev a gobbler fer breakfust, _an'_ nothin' shorter. Ef I -says a thing, even ef it be jest to myself, sorter, it's gwine to be -did, ef so be it kin. - -"But I trailed them dratted birds so fur thet I'd e'ena'most gi'n up -all hups o' drappin' one, an' hed 'bout made up my mind thet wenzun -was a heap better, enyhow, when I sot blinkers on as fine a strutter -as ever gobbled to a hen. Up goes my gun, slip goes my fut, an' down -I rolls inter the crick, while the dratted bird flops off through the -bushes, tail on eend, like a quarter-hoss wi' a jimson burr fer a -crupper. - -"_Didn't_ I cuss some, sorter, as I got out? Mebbe not; 'tany rate, off -I put ag'in arter thet turkey, fer I swore I'd hev it ef it tuck all -day. No 'tarnal two-legged bird sh'u'd fool me like thet, not by no -manner o' means, ef I knowed myself, an' I rayther thunk I did. So on I -splurges, lickety-split. - -"But I stopped ag'in, mighty sudden, though 'twa'n't a turkey I see'd. -It was a man kinder strollin' along, fer his health, I reckon, an' he -pulled up too. Thar we stud, a-gawpin' at each other like looneys, when -he spluttered out sunkthin' thet kinder smelled o' brimstone, and then -took to his heels like the devil was arter him. - -"An' ef _he_ wasn't, I was, 'cause I never yet see'd a feller thet run -'thout takin' arter 'im jest like blazes. It's a kinder 'farmity like, -I reckon; anyhow it's a fact. Wal, he put an I put, jest a-scratchin' -dirt an' a-kickin' up the leaves the beatinest kind you ever did hyar -tell on. - -"I'm purty hefty on the run, as ye know, but blamed ef he wasn't mighty -nigh my master. But I'd never say die tell the bellers clean bu'sted, -an' at last he jumped for kiver, a-swingin' his shooter mighty keerless -like. I did ditto, an' thar we war. I sorter grinned, 'cause it 'minded -me of ol' times when ha'r went wild. - -"But then I peeked out, mighty keerful like, 'cause I didn't want -another hole in my brush-patch overly much, when I hope I may never -see the back o' my neck, ef thar he wasn't a-streakin' it through the -woods, his coat tails a-streamin' out wuss'n the tag eend to a comet. -Lord, wasn't I gritty then? Mebbe not! - -"I jest set my grinders like a clamp, pulled the slouch furder on my -head an' then set ol' toad-smashers to work. The ground jest fa'rly -smoked about me, I run so fast, and I overhauled ol' smarty like fun. -He pecked 'round an' see'd it, then whirled 'round to'rds me, yellin' -out he'd shoot fer shore. - -"But my Ebenezer was up like a mice, an' I kept on, wild fer bitin' an' -gougin'. The dratted imp did shoot shore enough, but it jest clipped -my ha'r a leetle, an' then I downed him. I was mad at the feller's -impedence in burnin' powder when I was jest in fun, all the time, an' -drawed my knife to finish up the job. - -"I had her raised all ready, when I caught his eye, an' helt my han'. I -knowed him in a minute, though he'd changed a heap sence we met last. -I knowed how tickled the ol' man 'uld be, ef he see'd him, 'cause he -kinder 'lowed he kicked the bucket long ago. - -"But thar he was, an' I 'tarmined to fotch him inter camp. So I -started, but the bugger tried to run onc't or twic't, an' so I thought -I'd see how he'd work in a single gear. He cut up rusty a leetle, an' -n'arly nipped off my thumb, the onmannerly brute; but when I once -got him fa'rly bitted he done purty well, barrin' the kickin' an' -stumblin'," concluded Fyffe, with a long-drawn yawn. - -"It'll turn out the best day's work you ever done, Fyffe," said Crees, -extending his hand. - -"And I will not forget it very soon, either, old fellow," warmly added -Poynter. - -"Wal, ef so be you fellers is satisfied, I'm shore I be," grunted Jack, -lying back upon the grass. - -"But what do you think I'd best do next, Mr. Crees?" asked Poynter, -after a slight pause, a little anxiously. "I think, with Sprowl's -evidence, here, I need not hesitate about showing myself openly once -more." - -"You have a good deal to work against down there, yet, and I think -you'd best wait a little, and see what we can get out of our friend, -yonder," responded Crees, thoughtfully. - -"Well, I suppose I must, though it's hard to be lying idle when such -charges are hanging over me," sighed Poynter. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - POYNTER FINDS SOMETHING. - - -It was in the afternoon of the same day which Fyffe had so signalized -by his turkey-hunt. The prisoner, James Meagreson, was occupying the -same position in which Sprowl had done penance some hours before. He -had been left here by his captors to ponder upon his situation and -reflect as to which should be his future course, whether to persist in -his denials or acknowledge defeat and submit to his triumphant enemies -with such grace as he could muster. - -That his meditations were far from being the most pleasant imaginable, -one glance at his sullen, stern features would evidence, and there -was a fiery, vindictive glow in his small black eyes that boded ill -for Poynter's hopes--a look that had proclaimed a determination to -"die game," and to hold them in defiance while breath lasted. Only at -intervals a softening tinge would appear, as if his heart failed him, -or a desire to remedy the wrongs that he had committed, so far as lay -in his power, had assailed his mind. - -But these moments were few and far-between, and then, as if the -tightly-drawn cords began to pain him yet more intensely, the scowl -deepened, and he gritted his teeth in the excess of his fury. The -moment had passed, and the deadly hate now raged without alloy. - -In the mean time the three friends were gathered together, smoking or -conversing idly, or buried deep in thought. Presently Jack Fyffe lay -back, dropped his pipe, and then his stertorous breathing announced -that he was in a deep, sound slumber. - -The remainder of the band had either long since done the same, or went -off upon business of their own; the scouts sent out having reported -that all was quiet among the _vigilantes_, those worthies having -disbanded and returned to their daily occupations, no doubt highly -edified by their midnight wild-goose chase. - -Save the regular sentinels, none appeared to be upon the alert -excepting Poynter and Crees. The latter was covertly but intently -regarding his younger companion with a strange, far-away look in his -deep black eyes, while an unconscious sigh would now and then heave -up from his massive chest, as if engendered by some painful memory of -bygone days. - -Poynter suddenly aroused himself, and glancing hastily around, uttered: - -"Why, where's Sprowl?" - -"Yonder," returned Crees, pointing to the ragged form of the man -inquired after, lying under a bush, sleeping. "Poor devil, his last -night was a hard one." - -"True, but he had no one to thank for it save himself. However, I have -some hopes of him yet. He is not _all_ bad, and for the sake of his -family I am willing to lend him a helping hand. His wife, poor thing, -has seen hard times of late years. The entire support of the family, -and of this shiftless, lazy brute into the bargain, has fallen upon -her. And she is a perfect lady, too, for all she's uneducated. It's -strange what choices women will make sometimes!" exclaimed Poynter. - -The outlaw leader only grunted, "Just so." - -"But that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about just now. You have -several times promised to tell me your story, and why not fulfill it -now? 'Tis as well as to wait longer." - -"You are right, and I will do so; although I had intended to wait -until after Meagreson had acknowledged his guilt. But what Sprowl has -said is enough," slowly replied Crees, passing a hand across his brow, -as if to chase away some painful reflection. - -"But I have not heard him mention your name!" cried Poynter, in -surprise. - -"Yes, you have heard him tell my whole story, or nearly so. Henry -Duaber, _my son_, have you no greeting for _your father_?" - -"Son--father!" faltered the young man, gazing in bewilderment upon the -outlaw leader, at this strange appeal. - -"Your father, Henry," continued the elder man, in a choked tone; "can -you not believe me?" - -"But my father was--is dead!" - -"No, not dead--only in name; he escaped with life. I am your father. By -your dead mother--by my sainted wife, boy, I swear it!" solemnly said -Crees. - -"Is it--can it be true? I will believe it--father!" brokenly exclaimed -the young man, bending forward to meet the proffered embrace. - -It was a holy scene, this strange meeting of long-parted kindred; and -their tears were mingled together, tears such as strong men need not be -ashamed to shed. They were deeply affected, as well they might be, and -when the first gush of emotion had passed, they sat beside each other, -hand clasped in hand, gazing kindly and affectionately at each other. - -"It is strange--passing strange!" at length uttered Henry, (as we -must now call him, Clay Poynter no longer). "More like a romance than -any thing in real everyday life. I have mourned you as dead since my -childhood, and now find you my kindest friend, while I still thought -you a stranger. How long since you first recognized me?" - -"Not until to-day, although your story awoke strange fancies, it was so -like mine; but I, too, thought you were dead. I had heard so, and saw -what purported to be your grave." - -"My grave!" - -"Yes. They told me you had died at nearly the same time with your -mother. Why, I know not. It could not have been from malice, for they -knew me not. I was a stranger in my native home." - -"But you--how were we deceived, and why did you not tell us of your -escape, and our dear one might still have been alive?" - -"Listen, and I will tell you all," replied James Duaber, in broken -tones. "It is a sad, sad story of cruel wrong and sorrow; but I was -the victim--I and mine! You know the first, or sufficiently well as to -render a _résumé_ unnecessary. But it was James Meagreson--the wretch -yonder--who caused it all for revenge, because your mother chose me in -preference to him. - -"A man named Frank Soutar was confined in the same apartment with me, -upon a charge identical with the one for which I was to suffer; but as -he acknowledged to me, deeming me of the same gang, he was guilty. The -mob knew nothing of his having been changed to my cell, as it had only -been done that same day; and when they broke open the doors in the dead -of night, he was seized for me in the confusion and darkness, while I -hid beneath the pallet. - -"And the error was never discovered by the mob; they hung him, thinking -they were doing as they had been bribed by Meagreson, who took that -way to insure my death, fearing lest I should eventually escape -his revenge, if he left the law to decide. He was hung, but I took -advantage of the open door to flee, and during the excitement, managed -to effect my escape unmolested. - -"A staunch friend of mine, Jack Fyffe, yonder--who was also under the -ban, and in hiding, managed to secure his two horses, and upon them -we rapidly fled the country. He had joined the mob with the hope of -assisting me to escape, and he alone discovered the error, in time to -return and assist me. - -"We rode hard all that night, and lay hid at day, for we feared that -the error would be discovered in the morning, at least, and then the -hounds would be hot upon our trail. We traveled in this way until out -of the State, and far into the wilds of Arkansas. But even then we did -not feel secure, and thought it best to lie concealed until the storm -had blown over. - -"Still, I wrote, and managed to post two letters to my wife, telling of -my safety, and that I would soon return to remove her and you to our -new refuge. Besides this, I counted upon her knowing of my escape, else -I would have dared all to have seen her. - -"So, I waited for six months, and then was upon my way back, when I -met a man who had just come through there. He did not know us, and I -questioned him closely. Then it was that I learned of her death, and -that you, too, had died. I did not doubt its entire truth, and in my -wretchedness, I plunged into crimes and dissipation to drown reflection. - -"For years this went, on, until a time came when I felt driven to -return to the graves of my dead. No one knew me; I was a stranger in my -native home, I had changed so, and saw where my wife lay, and what they -said was your last resting-place. Then I went back again to the old -life and lived it until I met with you. - -"Although I knew you not--you had changed your name, and I did not -recognize the little boy in the stalwart, handsome man--I felt drawn -toward you. And now that you know how sinful I have been, will you -still take me by the hand, and say, father? It is blackened, but there -is no blood upon it." - -"Father!" cried Henry, once more embracing the outlaw leader. "What -matters it now? You leave this life, and we will be all in all to each -other, from now henceforth!" - -"Thunder 'n' lightnin'! jest look at Snakey!" yelled out Jack Fyffe, as -he sprung to his feet before them, and wildly pointed up the hill. - -And there was good cause for his excitement. - -During the respite afforded by his captors, Meagreson had not been -idle, after the first few minutes. His was not a mind to despair for -any length of time, and although greatly astounded at the unexpected -meeting, with a man whom he had thought long since numbered with the -dead, his mind speedily resumed its wonted activity, and he thought but -of escape. - -Minute after minute he toiled and twisted at the thongs that secured -him to the tree, until they rolled up into hours. The skin and flesh -were terribly abraded, yet he did not heed the pain. Every instant he -expected the return of his enemies, to receive the decision he might -have arrived at, when in all probability the progress he had already -made would be discovered. - -Little by little he worked the cords loose, until one of his hands -slipped from the noose. It was with the greatest difficulty that he -restrained the shout of exultation that arose to his lips; but he did -so, and then his other hand was free. - -Owing to the size of the tree, his arms had been secured only at the -wrist, after being extended at full length. Another cord was passed -around his waist, while his feet were likewise secured, forming toils -that his captors deemed it impossible to effect an escape from. - -With his hands once free, it was but the work of a minute for the -captive to release the rest of his body; and he stepped from the tree, -a free man once more. His keen eyes glanced hurriedly around, and in -the one look, took in every chance, both for and against his escape. - -If he started to flee upon foot, he would, to an almost dead certainty, -be discovered and overtaken, as his frame was stiff and weary. Besides, -under cover of the one little clump in which he now stood, the entire -hillside was fully exposed to the view of the three men below. - -But his eye glittered, and the old cold gray look settled upon his -face, as his gaze fell upon the form of a horse, all ready equipped for -the road, standing carelessly hitched to a pendent bough. If he could -once reach that, he felt that escape was assured. But could it be done? - -To do so, he must either make a considerable _detour_, most of the time -in full view of the trio of his enemies, or else, making a bold dash, -pass within a score yards of them, trusting to the surprise to succeed -in his hair brained project. And this latter course he decided upon. - -Gathering all his faculties and straining every nerve, Meagreson made a -wild bound from his covert and dashed swiftly down the hillside toward -the horse. And had it not been for the watchful eyes of Jack Fyffe, -no doubt he would have succeeded, perfectly. But the borderer's shout -brought both father and son to their feet, pistol in hand. - -"After him, Jack--Henry!" yelled the outlaw leader, "don't shoot--take -him alive," but as he spoke, the revolvers of his companions were -discharged. - -Discharged, but the only perceptible result was a quicker and longer -bound upon the fugitive's part. - -"Take him, boys; for God's sake don't let him get free! You men on -guard--stop that horse!" screamed the chief, as the trio bounded -forward with headlong speed. - -The fugitive gained the rearing horse in safety, tearing the -bridle-reins loose, leaped into the saddle, and with a wild yell, -darted away, waving his hand in defiance. And to the great chagrin of -his enemies, he disappeared in triumph among the trees. - -But their speed was suddenly checked, and for a moment they paused, -glancing at each other. Their ears had caught a clear challenge to -halt, closely followed by a single whip-like crack; then a wild shriek -as of a human being in mortal agony, the quick trampling of hoofs, and -then all was still. - -As they once more pressed forward in painful suspense, a hollow, -unearthly groan sounded from the spot whence the shot had come. -Bursting through the bushes, the quartette--for Sprowl had also joined -them--beheld a terrible sight. - -A man--one of the outlaw guards--was coolly recharging his rifle, with -his gaze bent upon a bleeding form before him. There, pale and ghastly, -lay the form of James Meagreson; not dead, but apparently dying. The -lower portion of his body lay still and motionless, but his head and -shoulders writhed to and fro, while his arms were tossed wildly about, -in the intensity of his agony. - -Wild cries and bitter blasphemy poured from his lips, and he bitterly -cursed those surrounding him. The fatal missile had entered his -stomach, and passing through, had broken his back. - -The men did not attempt to remove him or to bandage his wound; they -saw that such a course would only be inflicting useless torment upon -him, that his time had come; his life slowly ebbing away with the -fast-fleeting moments. Two of them knelt beside his head, and kept him -from hastening his end by the useless struggles. - -James Duaber spoke to him kindly, imploring him to confess before he -died, but his only answer was bitter revilings and curses; the fearful -words, coming as they did from lips fast chilling in the embrace of -death, caused even those strong men to turn aside with a shudder. - -And thus he died, still reckless and defiant; a fitting end for his -long and sinful life. There were grave faces that surrounded him, -as breath went out, but no tears, no grief at his tragic end. Their -injuries had been far too deep. - -By this time the majority of the troop had collected, alarmed by the -disturbance, and a number of them were detailed by their chief, to -prepare a grave for the dead man. It was soon completed, and the corpse -was quietly lowered into the bark-lined pit; then the damp mold covered -him forever from mortal ken. There was no whispered prayer, no murmured -blessing over the unhallowed grave; and nothing but the long narrow -mound remained to show where the unfortunate being had been laid, for -his last long sleeping-place. - -Unloved he had lived, and unloved he had died. Poor James Meagreson! - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - DEATH AMID JOY. - - -When we raise the curtain once more upon our characters, it is after -the lapse of three months. A quarter of a year, that has not been -uneventful to those in whom we are interested; but we can not linger -upon them. A brief glance at the leading episodes is all. - -The unfortunate death of James Meagreson changed the entire plans of -the outlawed couple--father and son. But first of all James Duaber -announced to his followers his intention of leaving them, and for the -future leading an honest life. - -Some of them murmured, but their chief was too highly esteemed and -respected, for them to raise any serious opposition. Some few of their -number joined him in his resolve, but the majority determined to -continue on; the wild free life having charms they could not resist. -But it was agreed to leave the neighborhood, and ply their calling -elsewhere. - -So their attention was only turned to the vindication of Henry Duaber's -honor, as the father was totally unknown to the settlers, and the -charges brought against him had long since passed into oblivion. -Their first move was to secretly abduct Frank Dalton, and when he was -confronted with Wesley Sprowl, and found that his perjury had been -discovered, he promised to make restitution as far as lay in his power, -at any time he was called upon. - -Thus prepared, Henry Duaber boldly returned to the settlement, where he -was once more arrested by the excited vigilance committee. His trial -came off in good time, and thanks to the candor of his witnesses, he -was triumphantly acquitted. - -None were more cordial and sincere in their congratulations, than Neil -McGuire and "Honest Jim" Henderson, who declared his bar was free to -everybody, upon the joyous occasion; and never before, in the memory of -"the oldest inhabitants," had there been so many "exhilarated" men to -be seen, at one time, as upon that afternoon. - -There was some talk about giving the perjured witnesses a taste of -"birch law," but thanks to the firm opposition of Henry and others, -it was not carried into effect. There was one familiar face missing -among the crowd, but none regretted this fact. Polk Redlaw was not in -the best of odor among his _quondam_ associates, and did not make his -appearance. - -The "big house" was reopened, and old aunt Eunice in her glory once -more, never tiring of dwelling upon the prominent part _she_ had played -in the late events. Henry met with no further opposition from the -father of Nora, and matters progressed finely between the young couple, -and at the same time no less rapidly. - -Henry was an ardent suitor, and pleaded his case so well that the -"fatal day" was set; and when we reopen our chronicle it had arrived. -Great preparations had been made, and although the weather was somewhat -cool, it was decided to have a grand barbecue and dance by moonlight in -the open air. - -Upon the summit of a little knoll was a sort of pavilion, erected -for the dancing. The floor was composed of puncheons, the flat side -uppermost, rudely dressed with an ax. Seats of the same were ranged -around the sides, each end resting upon a block of wood. At one -extremity, projecting beyond the platform, a stand was erected for the -musicians, of whom there were three, already present. - -Busy preparations were going on a little distance from the pavilion, -for the "barbecue"; in full view, but far enough away to avoid -inconvenience from the smoke, deer and hogs were being prepared for the -spit--cattle were by far too valuable for that purpose--while turkey, -ducks, prairie-chickens and smaller game were being roasted at the -house. These minor items were to be furnished by the guests, who were -each expected to "bring something." - -It was early yet, but "out West" that is the fashion, and several -parties had already arrived, although too few to begin dancing. Then -the guests began to drop in more frequently, singly, in couples, or -small parties of several; the ladies hastening to the cabin to make any -little arrangement of their finery, while their cavaliers unsaddled the -horses, securing them to the surrounding trees, placing fodder before -them, and then joining the company already gathered at the pavilion. - -It was really amusing to watch the actions of some gawky overgrown -youth as he fidgeted about uneasily in his oppressive "bestermost" -suit, now and then stealing a furtive glance at the opposite end of -the stand, to learn if the eyes of his "bright, particular star" were -upon him. If so, to note the studied attitude of would-be grace and -_nonchalant_ ease that he would assume, which was flatly contradicted -by his fiery blushes. - -To note the envious looks of the more backward, as they watched with -longing eyes the free and easy demeanor of some more courageous swain, -as he mingled with the blushing and whispering damsels, who appeared -little more at ease than the former. There were many beautiful forms -and faces to be seen among them, that would fill the breasts of many of -our city belles with envy, despite their _outré_ dress. - -Presently the scraping and tuning of violins broke the spell, and -seemed to dissipate the restraint that surrounded all parties. The -groups began to mingle and converse more freely; the tap of some dainty -foot to be heard as it kept unconscious time to the music; the confused -request and murmured consent to dance; then the order, "Choose your -pardners, boys!"; the sets were formed, and Henry, with Nora, led off. - -The fun waxed fast and furious, the din increased, and the sets -appeared mixed in inextricable confusion, the clatter of heavy-soled, -horse-hide boots, the lighter fall of a more dainty foot, the rustle -of dresses and shuffle of moccasins, with now and then a gay burst -of laughter at some unlucky wight who makes a ludicrous blunder; or -a stentorian shout from some half-wild borderer as he grows excited; -mixed and intermingled with the music, more loud than melodious, while -above all soars the clear voice of the "caller-off." - -The picture is homely, we grant you, but it is pleasant, nevertheless, -and it would be hard indeed to find a fashionable gathering that -contains so little alloy of envy, pain and hypocrisy as this little -congregation of rude, unpolished, but kind and open-hearted people. -Rough and unlettered they may be, but their hospitality shames that of -many a more pretentious class; while it would indeed be hard to find a -truer or a more generous heart than those that beat under a deer-skin -hunting-shirt, or homespun dress of linsey-woolsey. - -Occasionally during the figure "promenade all," the toe of some clumsy -swain, or perchance that of his rosy lassie, would catch fast in some -crevice or protuberance between the rudely-joined puncheons, that -cast them with violence to the floor. The next couple being too close -and under great headway, would follow suit, and a mass of writhing, -struggling humanity form a prostrate heap upon the floor. - -Oh, what a burst of laughter would then ascend from hearty lungs, -echoing through the woods from grove to grove, arousing the feathered -songsters from their nests, causing them to chirp and twitter, no doubt -wondering what possessed the people at that unseasonable hour. - -Then Jack Fyffe--who did not dance--caused a renewed burst of merriment -by seating himself upon one end of an unusually refractory slab, to -hold it in its proper place, as he said. And there he sat, as solemn as -a judge, smoking his pipe complacently, as though a crowd of the gay -dancers were not whirling all about him, until the gathering broke up -for supper. - -And such a supper! More fit to be likened to a bounteous dinner, -served up for a regiment of half-famished, war-worn soldiers. The long -tables, manufactured from slabs of rudely-hewn wood, and supported by -stakes probably furnished from the limbs of the same tree, were piled -almost to overflowing with game and pastry. - -Such saddles and haunches of venison; delicious buffalo-humps and -pickled tongues--the proceeds of an extended hunt, for this especial -occasion--the wild turkey, lusciously brown and tempting, almost -bursting with the rich dressing; the prairie-chicken and pheasant, -quail and snipe; even down to the huge "black-bird pot-pie." - -Then the appetizing pastry and preserves, the results of that same -season's "berry-hunting"; the honey, from that as clear and limpid as -amber, to the dark and strong-flavored "bee-bread"--the vari-colored -comb piled in great stacks. - -And the strong, fragrant coffee, sweetened with honey and tempered -with the thick, golden cream; the highly-prized tiny cups of "real -boughten tea," mingled with stronger draughts for those so inclined, of -"corn-whisky" and crab-apple cider. - -All this, to say nothing of the barbecued game, which is in great -demand from the very novelty of its cooking--I could not tell you -one tithe of the good things that were there; the very sight of such -abundance seeming enough to banish one's appetite for a fortnight to -come. - -Henry and Nora were the gayest of the gay, even among that happy -crowd, and kept those surrounding them in the highest glee with their -witticisms and repartee. But they left the table among the first, and -strolled back toward the pavilion. - -Jack Fyffe fidgeted around for a few moments, and then hastily followed -after, announcing his approach with a sonorous cough, that startled the -young couple into turning around. - -"Beg pardin, square," apologetically began the borderer, "but p'r'aps -you'd better be on y'ur guard, like." - -"Why so, Josh?--what do you mean?" asked Henry. - -"Jest take a squint over yander, an' mebbe you'll see." - -Duaber glanced in the direction indicated, and a hot flush passed over -his face as he noticed the tall, dark form of Polk Redlaw leaning -against a tree, apparently deeply absorbed in thought. But had they -been a little closer, a snakelike look would have been seen from -beneath the slouched hat, fixed vindictively upon them, while one of -the hands that rested across his bosom fiercely gripped the haft of a -long, keen knife, hidden within his shirt. "He here!" - -"Never mind, Henry, let him go," nervously whispered Nora, "he can't -hurt you now." - -"If he keeps his distance I will not molest him," answered Henry. -"Besides, I do not believe he is armed. Do you see any, Jack?" - -"No, but that don't signify," grunted that worthy. "A snake don't show -its teeth tell it goes to strike, an' _he's_ a copperhead, _he_ is." - -"Well, I'll watch him," and the young couple turned away, while Jack, -his mind relieved by delivering the warning, repaired to the table to -indulge in another meal. - -But in five minutes more Henry had totally forgotten the warning, and -had thoughts only for Nora. Fortunately, she was not so oblivious, -and hearing a slight noise behind them turned suddenly, just in time -to behold the crouching form of the mongrel, as he uplifted his heavy -knife. - -Her shriek startled Duaber, and he quickly turned, in the nick of time, -to nimbly avoid his enemy's rush, adroitly tripping him with one foot, -while he delivered a lightning-like blow with his right fist, full upon -the dastard's neck, that hurled him headlong to the ground as if he had -been shot. Before the affray could go any further, the combatants were -surrounded and Redlaw disarmed, being rather roughly handled by Jack -Fyffe, who finally ended by kicking him from the grounds. - -In a short time the incident was forgotten by the majority, and the -dancing once more resumed. But Jack did not occupy his old position, -and when he again appeared he was fully armed, a rifle in hand and -revolver at his waist. - -Neither did he enter the pavilion, but stationed himself at a little -distance, beside a tree, where his form was so blended with the shadows -that at a score yards distant it was not visible. So another hour -passed away, and he obstinately retained his post, heedless of fatigue. - -Suddenly he uttered a low grunt, and crouched forward, half-raising -his rifle, while the faint click told of its being cocked. A dim, -shadow-like form had caught his roving glance, and upon it his every -attention was now centered. Twice the long barrel rose to his cheek, -and as often was it lowered, while his head craned forward as if in -doubt. - -Just then the music ceased, at the words, "promenade all--to your -seats!" and the dancers separated. Jack Fyffe gave vent to a -startling yell, and quickly raising his rifle, discharged it with an -instantaneous aim. - -The wild cry that followed told how true had been his aim; but it was -duplicated. Quick as had been his motion, another flash had streamed -out upon the darkness, from the spot at which he had aimed, and _two_ -cries were mingled with the reverberating echoes, and then came a dull, -heavy fall upon the floor of the pavilion. - -Jack did not glance toward the latter, but with an angry howl, more -like that of a famished wild beast than a man, leaped forward toward -the spot from whence had come the secret shot. A dark form lay there, -motionless and silent, but he heeded not that. One by one the chambers -of his revolver were emptied, and then he spurned from him with his -foot the dead and mangled form of the mongrel assassin, Polk Redlaw. - -In the pavilion a pale and horrified group were gathered, some bending -over the bleeding, senseless form of Henry Duaber, while others -attended to the fainting girl who was so soon to have become his bride. -Heads were gravely shaken in answer to inquiring looks; their decision -was that the young man would never speak again. - -He breathed faintly, but each respiration seemed as if it would be his -last. The blood slowly oozed from a ghastly wound upon his head, and -they said that his brain had been pierced. - -But we are happy to be enabled to state that they were greatly -mistaken; had it been true, it would have made too sorrowful an ending -to our story--one that the reader might well grumble at; for there had -been no marriage as yet, and what is a novel without that? - -In fact, he recovered his senses long before Nora did, and when his -wound was washed, it was found that the bullet had only cut a deep -gash upon his head, merely stunning him for the time being. When he -had once convinced Nora that he was really unharmed, he declared he -only had a slight headache, and made the assertion good by carrying out -the original programme, and heroically passing the trying ordeal of -changing the young lady into Mrs. Nora Duaber, that same night. - -The dance was broken up by this catastrophe, and while no one expressed -pity for the dead man, he was reverently buried, before another -sun shone. Nora knew nothing of this at the time, and her joy was -unclouded, for more reasons than one. - -And now we must leave them, with only a few parting words. - -The young couple duly entered the "big house," where, with aunt Eunice -for a housekeeper, they led a peaceful, happy life. A few years since, -James Duaber died, loved and respected by all who knew him; the fact of -his old reckless life having never transpired, the secret being safe -between the three. - -Wesley Sprowl still lives, and is in moderately comfortable -circumstances, thanks to the generosity with which Henry Duaber -fulfilled his promise. He is not rich, and never will be; his -disposition prevents that. But his sad and long-suffering wife has -greatly changed for the better, we are glad to state. - -And worthy Jack Fyffe, although now well along in years, is still hale -and hearty; can handle his heavy rifle with sufficient precision to -keep the larder well supplied with small game, and takes great delight -in teaching the little Duabers how to shoot, swim and ride. He and -"Honest Jim" Henderson are great cronies, often sitting for hours -over their glasses and pipes, vying with each other in their stories -of "when I was young." To listen for a while, one would be strongly -tempted to believe that "Sinbad the Sailor," Robinson Crusoe, or the -worthy Baron Munchausen had returned to life, and inhabited the shapes -of "the venerable story-tellers." - - - THE END. - - - - - DIME POCKET NOVELS. - - PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY. - - - 1--Hawkeye Harry. By Oll Coomes. - 2--Dead Shot. By Albert W. Aiken. - 3--The Boy Miners. By Edward S. Ellis. - 4--Blue Dick. By Capt. Mayne Reid. - 5--Nat Wolfe. By Mrs. M. V. Victor. - 6--The White Tracker. By Edward S. Ellis. - 7--The Outlaw's Wife. By Mrs. Ann S. Stephens. - 8--The Tall Trapper. By Albert W. Aiken. - 9--Lightning Jo. By Capt. Adams. - 10--The Island Pirate. By Capt. Mayne Reid. - 11--The Boy Ranger. By Oll Coomes. - 12--Bess, the Trapper. By E. S. Ellis. - 13--The French Spy. By W. J. Hamilton. - 14--Long Shot. By Capt. Comstock. - 15--The Gunmaker. By James L. Bowen. - 16--Red Hand. By A. G. Piper. - 17--Ben, the Trapper. By Lewis W. Carson. - 18--Wild Raven. By Oll Coomes. - 19--The Specter Chief. By Seelin Robins. - 20--The B'ar-Killer. By Capt. Comstock. - 21--Wild Nat. By Wm. R. Eyster. - 22--Indian Jo. By Lewis W. Carson. - 23--Old Kent, the Ranger. By Edward S. Ellis. - 24--The One-Eyed Trapper. By Capt. Comstock. - 25--Godbold, the Spy. By N. C. Iron. - 26--The Black Ship. By John S. Warner. - 27--Single Eye. By Warren St. John. - 28--Indian Jim. By Edward S. Ellis. - 29--The Scout. By Warren St. John. - 30--Eagle Eye. By W. J. Hamilton. - 31--The Mystic Canoe. By Edward S. Ellis. - 32--The Golden Harpoon. By R. Starbuck. - 33--The Scalp King. By Lieut. Ned Hunter. - 34--Old Lute. By E. W. Archer. - 35--Rainbolt, Ranger. By Oll Coomes. - 36--The Boy Pioneer. By Edward S. Ellis. - 37--Carson, the Guide. By J. H. Randolph. - 38--The Heart Eater. By Harry Hazard. - 39--Wetzel, the Scout. By Boynton Belknap. - 40--The Huge Hunter. By Ed. S. Ellis. - 41--Wild Nat, the Trapper. By Paul Prescott. - 42--Lynx-cap. By Paul Bibbs. - 43--The White Outlaw. By Harry Hazard. - 44--The Dog Trailer. By Frederick Dewey. - 45--The Elk King. By Capt. Chas. Howard. - 46--Adrian, the Pilot. By Col. P. Ingraham. - 47--The Man-hunter. By Maro O. Rolfe. - 48--The Phantom Tracker. By F. Dewey. - 49--Moccasin Bill. By Paul Bibbs. - 50--The Wolf Queen. By Charles Howard. - 51--Tom Hawk, the Trailer. - 52--The Mad Chief. By Chas. Howard. - 53--The Black Wolf. By Edwin E. Ewing. - 54--Arkansas Jack. By Harry Hazard. - 55--Blackbeard. By Paul Bibbs. - 56--The River Rifles. By Billex Muller. - 57--Hunter Ham. By J. Edgar Hill. - 58--Cloudwood. By J. M. Merrill. - 59--The Texas Hawks. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. - 60--Merciless Mat. By Capt. Chas. Howard. - 61--Mad Anthony's Scouts. By E. Rodman. - 62--The Luckless Trapper. By Wm. R. Eyster. - 63--The Florida Scout. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. - 64--The Island Trapper. By Chas. Howard. - 65--Wolf-Cap. By Capt. Chas. Howard. - 66--Rattling Dick. By Harry Hazard. - 67--Sharp-Eye. By Major Max Martine. - 68--Iron-Hand. By Frederick Forest. - 69--The Yellow Hunter. By Chas. Howard. - 70--The Phantom Rider. By Maro O. Rolfe. - 71--Delaware Tom. By Harry Hazard. - 72--Silver Rifle. By Capt. Chas. Howard. - 73--The Skeleton Scout. By Maj. L. W. Carson. - 74--Little Rifle. By Capt. "Bruin" Adams. - 75--The Wood Witch. By Edwin Emerson. - 76--Old Ruff, the Trapper. By "Bruin" Adams. - 77--The Scarlet Shoulders. Harry Hazard. - 78--The Border Rifleman. By L. W. Carson. - 79--Outlaw Jack. By Harry Hazard. - 80--Tiger-Tail, the Seminole. By R. Ringwood. - 81--Death-Dealer. By Arthur L. Meserve. - 82--Kenton, the Ranger. By Chas. Howard. - 83--The Specter Horseman. By Frank Dewey. - 84--The Three Trappers. By Seelin Robins. - 85--Kaleolah. By T. Benton Shields, U. S. N. - 86--The Hunter Hercules. By Harry St. George. - 87--Phil Hunter. By Capt. Chas. Howard. - 88--The Indian Scout. By Harry Hazard. - 89--The Girl Avenger. By Chas. Howard. - 90--The Red Hermitess. By Paul Bibbs. - 91--Star-Face, the Slayer. - 92--The Antelope Boy. By Geo. L. Aiken. - 93--The Phantom Hunter. By E. Emerson. - 94--Tom Pintle, the Pilot. By M. Klapp. - 95--The Red Wizard. By Ned Hunter. - 96--The Rival Trappers. By L. W. Carson. - 97--The Squaw Spy. By Capt. Chas. Howard. - 98--Dusky Dick. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. - 99--Colonel Crockett. By Chas. E. Lasalle. - 100--Old Bear Paw. By Major Max Martine. - 101--Redlaw. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. - 102--Wild Rube. By W. J. Hamilton. - 103--The Indian Hunters. By J. L. Bowen. - 104--Scarred Eagle. By Andrew Dearborn. - 105--Nick Doyle. By P. Hamilton Myers. - 106--The Indian Spy. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. - 107--Job Dean. By Ingoldsby North. - 108--The Wood King. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. - 109--The Scalped Hunter. By Harry Hazard. - 110--Nick, the Scout. By W. J. Hamilton. - 111--The Texas Tiger. By Edward Willett. - 112--The Crossed Knives. By Hamilton. - 113--Tiger-Heart, the Tracker. By Howard. - 114--The Masked Avenger. By Ingraham. - 115--The Pearl Pirates. By Starbuck. - 116--Black Panther. By Jos. E. Badger. Jr. - 117--Abdiel, the Avenger. By Ed. Willett. - 118--Cato, the Creeper. By Fred. Dewey. - 119--Two-Handed Mat. By Jos E. Badger, Jr. - 120--Mad Trail Hunter. By Harry Hazard. - 121--Black Nick. By Frederick Whittaker. - 122--Kit Bird. By W. J. Hamilton. - 123--The Specter Riders. By Geo. Gleason. - 124--Giant Pete. By W. J. Hamilton. - 125--The Girl Captain. By Jos. E. Badger. - 126--Yankee Eph. By J. R. Worcester. - 127--Silverspur. By Edward Willett. - 128--Squatter Dick. By Jos. E. Badger. - 129--The Child Spy. By George Gleason. - 130--Mink Coat. By Jos. E. Badger. - 131--Red Plume. By J. Stanley Henderson. - 132--Clyde, the Trailer. By Maro O. Rolfe. - 133--The Lost Cache. By J. Stanley Henderson. - 134--The Cannibal Chief. By Paul J. Prescott. - 135--Karaibo. By J. Stanley Henderson. - 136--Scarlet Moccasin. By Paul Bibbs. - 137--Kidnapped. By J. Stanley Henderson. - 138--Maid of the Mountain. By Hamilton. - -The following will be issued in the order and on the dates indicated. - - 139--The Scioto Scouts. By Edward Willett. Ready - 140--The Border Renegade. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. - 141--The Mute Chief. By C. D. Clark. Ready - 142--Boone, the Hunter. By Frederick Whittaker. Ready December 2d. - 143--Mountain Kate. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. Ready December 16th. - 144--The Red Scalper. By W. J. Hamilton. Ready December 30th. - 145--The Lone Chief. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. Ready January 13th. - 146--The Silver Bugle. By Lieut. Col. Hazleton. Ready January 27th. - - -BEADLE'S DIME POCKET NOVELS are always in print and for sale -by all newsdealers; or will be sent post-paid, to any address; single -numbers, ten cents; six months (13 Nos.) $1.25; one year (26 Nos.) -$2.50. - - -Address, BEADLE AND ADAMS, Publishers, 98 William Street, New York. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK REDLAW, THE HALF-BREED; OR, THE -TANGLED TRAIL *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/68507-0.zip b/old/68507-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3b2f8e1..0000000 --- a/old/68507-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/68507-h.zip b/old/68507-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 10d5b7f..0000000 --- a/old/68507-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/68507-h/68507-h.htm b/old/68507-h/68507-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 6323e18..0000000 --- a/old/68507-h/68507-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4689 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Redlaw, the Half-breed;, by Jos. E. Badger, Jr. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2,h3 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.smcap { font-variant:small-caps; } - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -x-ebookmaker-drop {display: none;} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph1 { font-size: medium; margin: .67em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Redlaw, The Half-Breed; or, The Tangled Trail, by Jos. E. Badger, Jr.</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Redlaw, The Half-Breed; or, The Tangled Trail</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>Beadle’s Pocket Series No. 101</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Jos. E. Badger, Jr.</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: July 12, 2022 [eBook #68507]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: David Edwards, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern Illinois University Digital Library).</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK REDLAW, THE HALF-BREED; OR, THE TANGLED TRAIL ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter x-ebookmaker-drop"> - <img src="images/illusc.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>REDLAW, THE HALF-BREED;</h1> - -<h3>OR,</h3> - -<h2>THE TANGLED TRAIL.</h2> - -<h3>A TALE OF THE SETTLEMENTS.</h3> - - -<h2>BY JOS. E. BADGER, <span class="smcap">Jr.</span>,</h2> - -<p>AUTHOR OF THE FOLLOWING POCKET NOVELS.<br /> -59. <span class="smcap">The Texas Hawks.</span><br /> -63. <span class="smcap">The Florida Scout.</span><br /> -98. <span class="smcap">Dusky Dick.</span></p> - - -<p>NEW YORK:<br /> -BEADLE AND ADAMS, PUBLISHERS,<br /> -98 WILLIAM STREET.</p> - -<p>Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by<br /> -BEADLE AND COMPANY,<br /> -In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER I.</h2> - -<h3>THE HIDDEN VOICE.</h3> - - -<p>"Well, gentlemen, I propose we get to business. I for one have no time -to waste, and there are plenty of us present for a beginning," and the -speaker glanced approvingly around the room.</p> - -<p>He was a tall, powerfully-built man, aged probably forty-five years, of -a rugged, yet intelligent and almost handsome cast of features; while -the rough "home-made" garments that he wore disguised without hiding -the splendid contour of his form. There was the slightest possible -tinge of the "brogue" to his speech, that would have told a close -observer the land of his nativity.</p> - -<p>"I second the motion," piped out a shrill, quavering voice, as a -tall, skeleton-like body abruptly shot up to its full hight, and then -sunk down with a jar upon his stool, as all eyes were turned upon the -speaker, while he vehemently scrubbed at his face with an enormous -yellow cotton handkerchief, to hide the confusion he felt at thus -"speaking out in meeting."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, friend Hannibal Hooker," bowed the first speaker. "But -first we will have something to—Landlord! Jim Henderson, I say!" -roared out he who appeared to take the lead in the meeting, bringing -down his huge sun-embrowned, toil-hardened fist upon the table before -him, with such force, that it seemed as if the deal would split, while -Hannibal Hooker convulsively leaped from his stool with a faint squeak.</p> - -<p>"Thunder 'n' lightnin', Cap'n Neil," uttered a deep, rumbling voice, -as the door opened and a man thrust his head through the aperture, "am -I deaf, thet you need to t'ar the house down? What d'ye want?" and he -entered the room.</p> - -<p>It was like a mouse with a lion's voice. Scarcely five feet and built -in proportion, the new-comer spoke with a voice such as we imagine the -giant Magog to have used, it was so full deep and sonorous. But, if -not consistent with his body, it was with his heart, for "Honest Jim -Henderson" was a by-word, for use to typify truth and fidelity, among -his neighbors.</p> - -<p>"Bring us something hot and hearty, <i>avic</i>, for our throats will need -wetting before we get through," responded he whom the landlord called -Captain Neil.</p> - -<p>"I protest, gentlemen! I protest most emphatically against this -proceeding!" exclaimed a short, rotund personage, bouncing upon his -chair the better to be observed. "Must we depend upon intoxicating -liquors to enable us to form our plans? I say no, a thousand times no! -With such supports, our downfall—"</p> - -<p>What the conclusion of this worthy personage's speech was, is lost to -posterity, for by some mischance—it <i>was</i> said, by the adroit trip -of a neighbor's <i>foot</i>—the stool upon which he stood was overturned, -and the little fat fellow plunged headlong beneath the table, giving -utterance to a series of grunts and snorts that in no wise tended to -quell the shouts of merriment at his mishap.</p> - -<p>"There, brother Bacon," laughed the leader, "is a flat contradiction to -your argument. You fall by opposing it; we will stand with its aid. So, -Henderson, look lively man, for it's getting well along, and I am in -haste."</p> - -<p>The worthy brother made no further objection, and when the punch -was brought in, by mere legerdemain, a cup filled with the steaming -beverage found itself tightly clasped in his chubby hand, and ten -minutes later was empty. Then Captain Neil stood up and spoke.</p> - -<p>"My friends and neighbors: Most of you know what is our purpose in -gathering here to-night, but as a few may not, I will briefly state the -facts. You all know that for nearly a year past we have been troubled -with floods of counterfeit money, and with losing our stock. How this -is done so secretly, and who by, is yet for us to learn. But one thing -is certain: unless we <i>do</i> find out, and that soon, we may as well sell -out for what we can get, and leave the country.</p> - -<p>"Not one, so far as I can tell, among us all, but have suffered in -both ways; for my part, I am five thousand dollars poorer to-night than -I was five months since. Now, must this state of affairs continue? -I, for one, say <i>no!</i>—a thousand times no; and if need be, will -spend every moment of my time for the purpose of ferreting out these -scoundrels.</p> - -<p>"But to come to the point: what I have to propose is this: We must -organize a band—a <i>vigilance committee</i>. Do you know what that means? -They had one in Kentucky—they had one in Arkansas; we must have one in -Kansas! Judge Lynch has jurisdiction <i>here</i> as well as elsewhere, and -it is to him we must turn, since the law of the land is powerless to -protect us!</p> - -<p>"All who are now present we can trust, I believe, and there are others -who can be admitted. But you must act cautiously, and know every man -well before he becomes a member. One traitor among us would counteract -all the good that others might do. But all this you know as well as I; -and those who wish to speak, or who have any plan to propose, will now -be heard," concluded Neil McGuire, as he resumed his seat, and filled -the well-blackened corn-cob pipe that lay before him.</p> - -<p>Several of the members delivered their opinions upon the subject, all -agreeing with their leader that something must be done; the only thing -in doubt, appeared to be in deciding what that thing should be. It was -while the debate was at its height, that loud, excited voices were -heard in the bar-room without, followed by the sounds of a scuffle, -with a rattle of overturned chairs and tables.</p> - -<p>Then the connecting door was violently thrust open, without the trouble -being taken of lifting the latch, and a man stood upon the threshold, -keenly scrutinizing the scene before him. A man we said, but it might -well have been, a remarkable man.</p> - -<p>So tall that the hair of his uncovered head touched the top of the -doorway, and yet so perfectly proportioned that had it not been for the -standard to compare by, he would not have seemed over six feet, if so -much. The hands that grasped the sides of the doorway were large and -muscular, but as fine and white as a lady's; and from the position, -great masses of swelling muscle could be seen distending the light -material of his sack coat, upon the arms.</p> - -<p>His face was of a massive style of beauty, and yet not without delicate -lines and touches. The keen blue eyes were large and frank-looking, -usually having a genial, good-humored tone about them that -instinctively attracted the beholder; but which had now given place to -a cold, steel-like glitter that warned how dangerous it might be to -cross his mood.</p> - -<p>In age he appeared about thirty, and but for the long, flowing mustache -and beard of a soft flaxen color, one would have taken him for half -a decade less. After a few moments' silence the intruder spoke, in a -full, clear tone that would have been musical had it not been for the -metallic ring, occasioned by his anger or excitement.</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen, I must beg your indulgence for interrupting your council so -abruptly, but "Honest Jim" Blockhead yonder denied me admittance; and -as I was in no mood for arguing the case, I fear I gave the fellow a -broken head, and took the liberty of introducing myself."</p> - -<p>"You say right," responded Neil McGuire, in a stern tone, as he -confronted the stranger, "it <i>is</i> a liberty. We were engaged upon -private business, that does not concern you in the least, and—"</p> - -<p>"Pardon, my dear sir," interrupted the stranger, "and allow me to -correct you. The business you were upon <i>does</i> concern me, and I doubt -if one man present is more deeply interested in its success than -myself," he added, in a conciliatory tone, that was flatly contradicted -by the glitter of his eyes at the manner of McGuire.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you will tell me where you got your knowledge of what we were -consulting upon, and your reasons for this intrusion," coldly returned -the latter.</p> - -<p>"It is easily done," quoth the stranger, as he advanced to the table -and coolly filling a pint cup with the punch, drained it at a draught, -not heeding the scowls of those around him, "and shall be as you -say. In the first place, you are organizing a league to put down the -horse-thieves and counterfeiters that infest us."</p> - -<p>"Go on," was the cold reply.</p> - -<p>"You are prudent, and I don't blame you. Who knows but what I am a -spy, or person in the interest of those same scoundrels?" laughed the -intruder.</p> - -<p>"Just so; who <i>does</i> know?" chimed in a voice from among the crowd.</p> - -<p>The man sprung to his feet and glared in the direction of the voice, -but every face wore an expression of astonishment, while each man -glanced around him as if to discover the speaker.</p> - -<p>"If the fellow who spoke thus will be honest enough to show his face, -perhaps he will learn who and what Clay Poynter is. I would give—"</p> - -<p>"How much—in <i>counterfeit money</i>?" squeaked a shrill treble from -another part of the room, toward which Poynter turned in a frenzy of -rage and fury.</p> - -<p>"Peace, gentlemen!" ordered McGuire, thumping upon the table to give -emphasis to his words. "We are not here for squabbling, but upon -serious business. Mr. Poynter is a gentleman. Let him proceed."</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen, it is true I am a comparative stranger among you, but, for -all that, you have no occasion to insult me. I will give a hundred -dollars to the man that will point me out the scoundrel who spoke those -words!"</p> - -<p>"Which will only cost you sixteen dollars!" added another -voice—alluding to the general price paid for counterfeit money since -the days of Sturdevant—sounding from close behind him who had called -himself Clay Poynter.</p> - -<p>The latter swiftly turned, hissing out a bitter oath, with right arm -drawn back to deal a fearful blow upon his insulter, <i>but no person was -there</i>! The space behind him had been unoccupied since his entrance. -Poynter staggered back against the table with a half-startled, -half-puzzled look upon his features; but this he soon banished, and -with a somewhat constrained voice, said:</p> - -<p>"Really, the devil seems to be at work here to-night, and has selected -me for his mark!"</p> - -<p>"Never fear; he will not claim you yet. The mortgage has several weeks -yet to run," again added the strange voice.</p> - -<p>"Come—come!" impatiently cried McGuire, "this is all nonsense. Please -go on with your explanation, Mr. Poynter."</p> - -<p>"Well, I learned that you were about to organize a vigilance committee, -and thought I would present my name for a membership. So I rode over -from my house, and as I passed the ford at the creek, I was knocked -from the saddle, and when I recovered, I was robbed of my horse as well -as watch and a large sum of money."</p> - -<p>"Ho, ho! the robber robbed!" croaked the mysterious voice, and the cry -appeared to float around the room above the company's heads, most of -whom were deathly pale, while anxious, apprehensive glances ran from -one to another. "Ho, ho! the robber robbed!"</p> - -<p>"Our worthy friend is quite a ventriloquist," slowly uttered Poynter, -as his fiery eyes roved around the room, dwelling slightly upon each -face; but upon one in particular he cast a glance of mingled hatred -and triumph, then passed to another. "I would willingly give half I am -worth, just to take one lesson from him," dwelling with bitter emphasis -upon each word.</p> - -<p>"Well, friends, we may as well break off now before harm is done," said -Neil McGuire, in a vexed tone. "There's something wrong here, and the -less we say, perhaps the better it will be, for who can have any object -in breaking up this meeting, unless he or they are connected with this -accursed gang of scoundrels?"</p> - -<p>"But what! must we give up the plan after all this to-do?" exclaimed -Demetrius Bacon, again leaping upon his stool in order to gain the -desired auditory, forgetful of his late downfall.</p> - -<p>"Give up the devil!" retorted McGuire, who was not always precise -in his language. "When I put my hand to a thing in dead up-and-down -earnest, it's bound to go through. And now listen, all of you. Until -you hear from me, attend to your business as usual, and do not make -what has happened to-night the subject of conversation. We must use a -little more circumspection, for if a spy can enter among us here we -will need all our wits."</p> - -<p>"I show you the spy—why don't you take him?" again squeaked the -strange voice, and then as each man glanced at his neighbor, it added: -"His name, <i>now</i>, is Clay Poynter!"</p> - -<p>"My dear sir, whoever you may chance to be," cried the man thus -strangely denounced, in an assumed tone of <i>nonchalant</i> politeness, as -he glanced around the room, "I made an error a few moments since. I -said that I would give half I am worth; so I will add the other moiety, -if you grant me an interview."</p> - -<p>There was no reply to this speech, and the party filed through the -doorway into the bar-room of the "Twin Sycamores," the majority of -them pausing to take a parting drink before leaving for home. Beside -Neil McGuire stood a medium-sized man, of a sandy complexion, and who -appeared to belong to a different class from the rough, homespun-clad -farmers that surrounded him, if one might judge from his apparel and -general demeanor.</p> - -<p>A heavy gold watch-guard, from which depended a bunch of seals, -crossed his waistcoat, and while with one hand holding a riding-whip -he daintily flecked a speck of dust from the tip of his well-polished -boot, the other raised a glass of liquor from the bar. As he did so, a -solitaire diamond ring flashed back the candle-light with a thousand -scintillations. Among the frills of his linen shirt-front a magnificent -cluster pin of the same jewels gleamed forth, exciting the wonder and -admiration of a number of the men present.</p> - -<p>At present his features were calm and expressionless, while his small -gray eyes shone with a half-vacant air; but beneath all this a close -observer would have seen something more. He would have pronounced the -stolidity a mere mask, and would have seen that not a man present but -was keenly scrutinized. He would have said that it was as if a panther -had donned a sheep's skin, for some particular purpose. And he would -have been right.</p> - -<p>"Come, Dement," said Neil McGuire, turning toward this man. "Come, -let's go," and the two men elbowed their way from the room.</p> - -<p>The remainder, such as had not departed, continued to converse in low -tones upon the subject of the strange voice. Poynter was carelessly -leaning back against the counter, holding a glass in one hand, while he -listened intently to the remarks, although not appearing to do so.</p> - -<p>"It may be all right, Touter, but it is mighty queer, anyhow. And then -who <i>is</i> this fellow? Do <i>you</i> know—does anybody know, except that -he appears to have plenty of money, and calls himself Clay Poynter?" -distinctly uttered a bold, free tone, and the speaker turned his head -toward the person alluded to.</p> - -<p>He was a somewhat remarkable-looking man apparently five or six and -twenty years of age. In form he was tall, and straight as an arrow, -with a lithe suppleness in every movement, that, joined to his swarthy -complexion, and long, straight black hair, in part confirmed the rumor -that he had Indian blood in his veins.</p> - -<p>"Ah, my dear Indian Polk," blandly interrupted Poynter, as he drew -himself erect upon hearing these words. "You do not drink. Allow me to -offer you a glass of brandy!" and with a lightning-like movement he -hurled the heavy glassful at the head of the young man.</p> - -<p>But, quick as was the action, the missile was eluded by an adroit duck -of the head, and Polk sprung forward with a fierce curse, lunging out -with his clenched fist a fearful blow as he did so. The blow fell upon -Poynter's half-averted cheek, tearing the skin as if cut with a knife; -but not a quiver or a motion was the result of the blow.</p> - -<p>Before the assailant could recover his balance, Poynter's left hand -clutched his throat, and then the massive fist shot out, taking Polk -full between the eyes, with such crushing force that he was hurled -clear across the room, where he fell head-first in a senseless heap -beneath a table.</p> - -<p>Coolly wiping the blood-spots from his shirt-front with a handkerchief, -Poynter turned to the bar without another glance at the fallen man, and -called for a glass of brandy. Henderson promptly served it, at the same -time whispering:</p> - -<p>"You'd better look out, Mr. Poynter, fer 'Injun' hain't no baby, an' -'ll hev y'ur blood fer this, ef so be he kin. He's a devil, shore!"</p> - -<p>"Bah!" laughed Poynter, snapping his fingers. "I don't care <i>that</i> for -him. If he crosses my path again, or lets me hear any more of his dirty -hints, I'll hit him a square blow next, one that he'll not get over so -easily as this one. But when he gets up, just give him my compliments, -and tell him that if he relishes the specimen, there's plenty more of -the same brand at his service," and so saying, Clay Poynter left the -room and vanished in the darkness, leaving those behind him still more -puzzled at him than before, which is saying a good deal.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER II.</h2> - -<h3>THE DOUBLE SHOT.</h3> - - -<p>"What can be keeping Nora, I wonder?" half muttered a man, as he -anxiously peered through the leafy screen before him, with a gesture of -impatience.</p> - -<p>A man, we said, and as he turns his head so that the sun's rays fall -beneath the broad-brimmed slouched hat, we can see that it is Clay -Poynter, who is there awaiting the arrival of some person. Even had not -his muttered exclamation revealed this fact, there was an eager, ardent -tinge to his restlessness that would have betrayed his secret—would -have told of an appointment with some one a little more than a mere -friend.</p> - -<p>A woman would have guessed that he was expecting a sweetheart, whom, -for some reason, he could not visit openly, and she would have been -right. He was awaiting a sweetheart, and her name was Nora McGuire.</p> - -<p>Again Poynter peered through the bushes. He saw a small but neat -vine-covered log-house, of only one story. Behind this and upon either -hand spread the fields of young grain, now a level, waving sea of -verdure, with strange forms and figures chasing each other, as the -blades were bent by the fitful gusts of wind.</p> - -<p>Behind this, again, rose the rugged mounds forming the "Wildcat Range," -among whose more difficult recesses the "big game" still could be -found, and it was rumored that yet more dangerous customers might -there be met with—that many a wild scene of blood and crime those -rock-crowned hills had witnessed.</p> - -<p>But of this our friend took no heed, for he saw the object of his -thoughts step from the cabin door, and after a hasty glance around, -trip lightly toward the spot where he was standing. Poynter pushed -aside the screen of bushes, and half emerged, but as if by a second -thought he drew back, with a muttered curse.</p> - -<p>He had caught a glimpse of Neil McGuire's stalwart form passing from -the field to the cabin, and for some reason, best known to himself, did -not wish those keen gray eyes to note his presence. The young girl now -reached the screen of bushes, and with one glance behind her, passed -them, and then was tightly clasped in the strong arms of Poynter.</p> - -<p>"For shame, Mr. Poynter, to surprise me in that way!" pouted the dainty -lips, as Nora glided from the embrace.</p> - -<p>"But, Nora, 'tis all your own fault, if I am obliged to surprise you, -as you say," laughed the young man.</p> - -<p>"And why so?" innocently queried the maiden, with the slightest -possible toss of her pretty head.</p> - -<p>"Well, pet, the fact is, I have a serious monomania, that troubles a—"</p> - -<p>"A <i>what</i>? Is it any thing very dangerous?" asked Nora, with a startled -air.</p> - -<p>"That depends," he laughed again. "But, as I was saying, the disease -is beyond my power to cure. It is, that whenever I see a dainty little -rosebud mouth, like one that shall be nameless, I feel an irresistible -desire to just stoop my head and see if it is as sweet as it looks!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, you horrid creature! I thought you were sick, or something," -pouted Nora, half turning away.</p> - -<p>"Now you're mad, and I've got something of importance to tell you."</p> - -<p>"No, I am not mad; but you talk so queer at times, that I can't -understand you. You seem to delight in making sport of me."</p> - -<p>"I make sport of <i>you</i>. No, no, little one. I love you far too well -for that. It is only my way. But come, take my arm and let's walk. I -have something to say that can not be postponed, and some one might -interrupt us here," added Poynter.</p> - -<p>"But can't you come to the house, Clay? It don't seem right for me to -meet you in this manner," hesitated Nora.</p> - -<p>"Your father is at home, and you know what he said the last time I -called. If any one else had spoken to me in that way, Nora, he would—" -And then pausing abruptly for a moment, he added: "But what has he told -you about me, pet?"</p> - -<p>"About you? Why—" faltered the maiden.</p> - -<p>"Come, Nora, it is better that I should hear it from you than him. No -matter how harsh or unjust it may be, I shall not forget that he is -<i>your</i> father."</p> - -<p>"Oh, Clay, it was dreadful!"</p> - -<p>"So bad as that? Well, my shoulders are broad and I can bear it. And it -was—?"</p> - -<p>"Must I tell?" she pleaded.</p> - -<p>"Nora!"</p> - -<p>"Well, then," with a sigh, "he said that he had heard you were -connected with a gang of horse-thieves and counterfeiters; and although -he had no positive proof against you, as yet, he forbade my speaking to -you until he gave me leave."</p> - -<p>"So-so!" bitterly exclaimed Poynter, half to himself. "My kind friend -has not abandoned me yet." Then turning abruptly to Nora, he added: -"And you believed this?"</p> - -<p>"Clay!"</p> - -<p>"Pardon, darling; I did not mean it," repentantly said Poynter. "No, I -can trust <i>you</i>, if no one else."</p> - -<p>And he clasped the little brown hand that had been laid upon his arm at -her exclamation.</p> - -<p>"I wish you <i>would</i> trust me; then, perhaps, I could tell better how to -act," she said, looking up into his face, wistfully.</p> - -<p>"And have I not? Well—did he tell you from where these hints came?"</p> - -<p>"No, but I think—and yet again, I am puzzled," hesitated Nora.</p> - -<p>"You think—?"</p> - -<p>"That our strange visitor—this John Dement, he calls himself—is in -some way mixed up with it. More than once I have accidentally overheard -him and father speaking about you, but whenever they saw me, it would -be dropped."</p> - -<p>"The yellow-haired man that was with your father on Tuesday night?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. But I may be wrong. At any rate, he has left us now."</p> - -<p>"Left you, you say; and when?"</p> - -<p>"Late yesterday afternoon. But it is only for a short time. I heard him -tell father that he would return next week."</p> - -<p>"Do you know where he went?"</p> - -<p>"To Fort Leavenworth."</p> - -<p>"Good! I will manage to have an interview with the gentleman; I must -stop there myself."</p> - -<p>"You stop there? Why Clay—!" exclaimed the maiden, in a startled tone.</p> - -<p>"Yes; that is what I came to tell you. I must go to St. Louis upon -business for a week or so. Indeed, I should have been upon the road -before now, but I wished to see you first so that you would not be -alarmed at my disappearance," returned Poynter, kindly.</p> - -<p>The reply she was about to make was abruptly checked by the sound of -approaching footsteps, and then the loud, clear call of:</p> - -<p>"Nora, Nora child, where are you?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, Clay, it is my father! He will kill me if he finds I am with you!"</p> - -<p>"Never fear, darling, he will not hurt you," murmured Poynter, as he -drew the trembling form closer to his side.</p> - -<p>"No, no, Clay; but you—oh, leave me!"</p> - -<p>"What, <i>I</i> run, and from one man?"</p> - -<p>"Nora—I say, Nora; why don't you answer me?" impatiently called the -voice, and the footsteps ceased, as if her father was listening.</p> - -<p>"For my sake!" pleaded the maiden.</p> - -<p>"For <i>your</i> sake—well," and with one fervent kiss, Clay Poynter -vanished among the undergrowth.</p> - -<p>"<i>Nora</i>—<span class="smcap">Nora</span>!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, father," she tremblingly answered.</p> - -<p>"Oh, so here you are!" said Neil McGuire, as he entered the little -glade. "Why didn't you speak before? Ha! who has been here with you?" -he added, at the same time bending over the moist ground.</p> - -<p>Nora could not reply, and then her father rose with an angry flush upon -his face, and exclaimed, in a voice hoarse with passion:</p> - -<p>"So, this is the way you obey me! Stop!" as he saw Nora about to speak, -"do not add falsehood to disobedience—"</p> - -<p>"Father, did I ever tell you a lie?" reproachfully asked Nora.</p> - -<p>"Pardon, Nora, I did not mean that. But I was so angry at finding that -you had been with that villain, Poynter, I forgot myself. See, those -are his tracks. No other man wears such boots, around here."</p> - -<p>"Well, I was with him, but he only came to bid me good-by."</p> - -<p>"Good-by! Then he thinks it best to leave the country before Judge -Lynch interviews him, the—"</p> - -<p>"Hold, Mr. McGuire," slowly said Poynter, as he stepped forward and -confronted the father. "Why should <i>I</i> fear Judge Lynch more than any -other man?"</p> - -<p>"Ah, why, indeed?" sneered McGuire. "Why was it that you left Kentucky -so suddenly, and made such a short stop in Arkansas, if I may ask?"</p> - -<p>"So, <i>that</i> is your game, is it? Well, of this be assured, that after -my return from St. Louis, I will show you such proofs of my innocence -that you will beg pardon for your unjust suspicions."</p> - -<p>"<i>After</i> your return!" echoed Neil, derisively.</p> - -<p>"Father—father!" pleaded Nora, in terror, "come, let us go home; I am -afraid."</p> - -<p>"Your daughter is right, Mr. McGuire," added Poynter, a little more -coolly. "It will do no good for us to talk further. My explanations can -wait."</p> - -<p>"So I presume," curtly responded the other, then adding, "Come, child, -let us go," and leading Nora by the hand, he left the glade.</p> - -<p>For a few moments Poynter stood gazing abstractedly in the direction -they had taken, and then arousing himself, with a little laugh, turned -upon his heel and walked briskly along a faintly-defined trail. The -woods were open and free from undergrowth at this point, but after -crossing a narrow tract of bare ground, and once more entering the -timber, the path was thickly fringed on either side with bushes of -hazel and oak.</p> - -<p>After crossing a slight rise and down the valley once more, Poynter -came in view of his own house—for that time and section, a perfect -palace, a two-story frame, weather-boarded, and painted a neat -cream-color. Why he had built this, when he was not at home one-tenth -of his time, was a great puzzle to his neighbors, and many a siege of -cross-questioning had old aunty Eunice to undergo.</p> - -<p>Questions as to who her young master really was, if wealthy, and his -reasons for making such frequent journeys; why he had not got married, -and countless others, of equal importance. But the old negress knew how -to keep a close tongue in her head, or to talk a great deal without -saying any thing; so that when her visitors left, they were forced to -acknowledge that they knew as much as they did before—and not much -more.</p> - -<p>Clay Poynter strode rapidly along, but his thoughts were not upon -what he was doing; he was thinking of Nora McGuire. His head was bent -forward, but he did not heed where he stepped, and with a sharp cry of -surprise, he fell headlong, his foot having caught against a root or -stub.</p> - -<p>It is wonderful upon what slight points a man's life hinges; and -Poynter had an instance of this fact furnished him at the same moment. -Simultaneous with his cry, a double report echoed upon the air, and his -hat fluttered from his head, and a sharp, tingling sensation in his -shoulder told him that he was shot.</p> - -<p>"Hurray, Bart, he's a goner!" shouted a voice, that the fallen man had -no difficulty in recognizing.</p> - -<p>"Bet ye! But it's halfers, mind ye now, Polk!" and at the same time -two men broke out from the bushes, and hastened toward their intended -victim.</p> - -<p>Poynter could see them plainly, and immediately recognized them to -be Barton Clowry and Polk Redlaw, the former a drunken, worthless -scoundrel, that would lie, steal, fight and drink, day in and day -out, disliked by everybody and pitied by none. He had a fit-looking -person for a partner, owing to the blow dealt Polk Redlaw by Poynter, -at the "Twin Sycamores," that had inflamed his entire face dreadfully.</p> - -<p>All this he saw at a glance, and when the two would-be murderers had -crossed half the intervening space, Poynter leaped to his feet with -a hoarse cry, and as his right arm straightened out, the sun's rays -flashed upon the polished tube of a revolver. At the report, Clowry -gave a convulsive spring, and then fell upon his face, dead.</p> - -<p>"Now, you dirty mongrel cur, it is your turn!" yelled Poynter, as he -again cocked his weapon.</p> - -<p>It was discharged, but Polk had caught the motion, and throwing -himself flat upon the ground, the missile hissed harmlessly above his -head. But ere he could arise, Poynter leaped forward and dealt him a -fearful kick upon the side of his head, that hurled him forward twice -his length, sprawling among the bushes, where he lay perfectly limp and -motionless.</p> - -<p>His enemy stooped over him and felt of his body, then arising, he -muttered:</p> - -<p>"Dead as the other! Well, it's so much ammunition saved, at any rate. -It is a bad job, though, but it was either I or them, and they <i>would</i> -have it!" he muttered, as he returned to where his hat lay, brushing -the dust from his garments.</p> - -<p>"New hat spoiled—item first; bullet-hole in shoulder, another. Well, -I don't know but what they are both paid for, now, as it turned out. -Confound the thing, how it does smart. Aunt Eunice must bind it up, -and then I suppose I must go and tell the neighbors," he mused, as he -proceeded toward the house.</p> - -<p>"Curse the luck! More delay just when I should be at work; and if I was -not very popular before, will this mend matters any? It's lucky they -were such dirty hounds, or it might go hard with me. And then these -<i>vigilantes</i>—"</p> - -<p>"Lord 'a' massy! Marse Clay," cried a husky, wheezing voice, as a negro -woman came waddling from around the house. "Is you done kilt, honey?"</p> - -<p>"Not quite, aunty," laughed Poynter. "But I might have been. Come," he -added, entering the building, "get some rags and bind up my shoulder."</p> - -<p>"'Clar' to goodness, honey, chile, I was e'ena'most skeered to deaf, -I jest was, now," chattered aunt Eunice, as she bustled around her -patient. "I jest done went to de do' to look ef you was a-comin', w'en -I see'd dem 'ar funnelly fellers a-shootin', an' den you falled down, -an' I t'ought you's done dead fo' suah!"</p> - -<p>"Well, why didn't you come and help me?"</p> - -<p>"'Deed I was jest a-gwine, honey, so I was. I runned to de kitchen, -an' got dis yere," holding up a huge basting-fork, "'nd w'en I got -out ag'in, dar you was, big's life. 'Pears like, I'd a-drapped, I's -so 'mazin' glad. Bress ye, honey, dear, ef dem 'a Pharoasters 'd 'a' -killed you, I'd a—jest would, so dar!" spluttered the old woman, -throwing her arms around Clay, and jumping up and down as she hugged -him.</p> - -<p>"Easy—easy, aunty; you hurt my arm," laughed Poynter, as he released -himself, and then sunk into a chair, feeling faint from excitement and -loss of blood.</p> - -<p>"Jest looky! w'at a funnelly ole goose I is! But I's so glad, Marse -Clay, dat it 'pears like I'll go clean crazy."</p> - -<p>"I think that if you'd get me some brandy, or a cup of coffee, it would -be a more sensible idea, aunt Eunice."</p> - -<p>"Dar 'tis ag'in! Might 'a' knowed dat. But you jest sot still, honey, -'nd I'll git you it," and she trotted out of the room with an alacrity -that made the entire house jar beneath her weight, while Poynter bowed -his head upon the table.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER III.</h2> - -<h3>"JUDGE LYNCH."</h3> - - -<p>After drinking the coffee prepared by aunt Eunice, Poynter started -toward the door with the intention of mounting his horse and giving -information to his neighbors concerning the tragedy, but his limbs -trembled and his head reeled, forcing him to catch at the door-post in -order to keep from falling. A strange spell of weakness seized him, and -but for the strong arm of his servant, who supported him to a chair, he -would have sunk to the floor.</p> - -<p>"Fix my bed, aunty; I guess I'll lie down for a moment. I must have -bled far more than I thought. And just at the time when I should -be most active, too!" he muttered, half uneasily, as the old woman -departed upon her errand.</p> - -<p>In a few moments he was lying down upon the bed, and dismissed aunt -Eunice about her work. He sunk into a heavy slumber, that lasted until -four in the afternoon, when he was hastily aroused by his servant, who -appeared to be terribly alarmed at something.</p> - -<p>"Well, what is up, Eunice? You look as though you'd seen the ghost of -your grandmother, or something as bad," he drawled, with a yawn, as he -started up in bed.</p> - -<p>"Lord, ef <i>'twas</i> on'y jest a ghos', 'pears like I'd be glad!" cried -the old woman, anxiously. "Bress you, honey, dar's a right smart chance -o' dem ar' critter-back fellers out yander, all a-holdin' guns an' sich -like, w'at tole me was you hyar? Den I tole <i>dem</i>, I dunno; 'spect -you done gwine away; 'cause I didn't know w'at dey wanted, an' didn't -know mebbe you'd want to hide. Den a gre't big feller, no 'count w'ite -trash, he said, 'G'long, dar, you 'sense o' midnight you, an' tell -him to show hissef, or I brow de whull top o' y'ur head offen you!' -Den I say, 'Git out, you dirty w'ite nigger'—" spluttered the woman, -when Poynter, who had pulled on his boots and coat, interrupted her by -asking:</p> - -<p>"Armed horsemen, you say; did you know any of them?"</p> - -<p>"'Deed I did so, honey. Dar's ol' Marse Reeves, 'n' Brooks 'nd dat ar' -Injun feller—" began Eunice.</p> - -<p>"What! not Polk Redlaw?"</p> - -<p>"'Deed, fo' suah, Marse Clay, honey," persisted Eunice. "I knowed de -dirty nigger, dough his face is all bloody, an' red like a b'iled beet."</p> - -<p>Poynter did not reply, but proceeded hastily through the house and out -upon the front stoop, where his appearance was hailed with an exultant -shout from the crowd of armed men that filled the dooryard.</p> - -<p>"There he is—arrest him! I charge him with murder!" cried out a loud -voice, a little upon one side.</p> - -<p>"Ah! you there, mongrel cur?" scornfully cried the accused, with a look -of contempt. "I thought I had finished you for good."</p> - -<p>"See, he acknowledges it!" foamed Polk Redlaw; "I call you all to -witness—"</p> - -<p>"Dry up y'ur yaup," muttered one of his neighbors, giving Redlaw a -shove that nearly sent him to the ground head-foremost.</p> - -<p>"Curse you, Jack Fyffe!" snarled Polk, leaping at the man with a -gleaming knife in his hand, "I'll cut your heart out!"</p> - -<p>"So?" coolly exclaimed the burly fellow, dodging aside and dealing the -battered head of his assailant a deftly-planted blow that brought him -to grass. "'Pears like 's if y'ur ockyputt was a football, sorter."</p> - -<p>"Stop your squabbling there," called out Neil McGuire, sternly. "The -first one that creates a disturbance while I lead them, will be put -under arrest. Young man," he added, turning to Poynter, who stood -calmly scrutinizing the assembly before him, as if he would read his -probable fate in their faces, "I regret it for your sake, but I must -arrest you," at the same time ascending the steps and placing his hand -upon Poynter's shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Arrest me!" said the young man, shaking off the grasp and retreating a -step. "And for what?"</p> - -<p>A yell went up from the crowd; among the cries were fearful -words—those of <i>robbery</i> and <i>murder</i>!</p> - -<p>"You hear?" significantly returned McGuire.</p> - -<p>"I do; but even supposing those terms applied to me, what right have -<i>you</i> to take the office of justice upon yourself?"</p> - -<p>"What right? That of the people—of honest men! The right that -justifies a man in killing a snake, or ridding the community of a -scourge. We are <i>vigilantes</i>—did you ever hear of them before—in -Kentucky, for instance?" sternly replied Neil, with a biting sneer upon -the last question.</p> - -<p>"Ah!"</p> - -<p>It was only one word, but it comprised a world of bitterness—one might -almost say of anguish and despair. It seemed as if a dreadful blow had -been stricken him, and for a moment he bowed his head beneath it; but -only for a moment. Then he was as cool and as proud as before.</p> - -<p>"Very well. I suppose I am your prisoner?"</p> - -<p>"You are."</p> - -<p>"Aunt Eunice, don't be alarmed, I will return soon." Then turning to -McGuire, he added, "I presume I will have a fair trial?"</p> - -<p>"We are not murderers—only the ministers of justice," was the stern -reply.</p> - -<p>"Then, aunty, when I send for you, come. I may need your evidence."</p> - -<p>"'Deed, Marse Clay, honey," sobbed the old woman, pressing forward, -"I's gwine along too."</p> - -<p>"No, you can not; at least just now. Remain here until I send." Then -to the leader of the <i>vigilantes</i>: "Well, sir, I am ready."</p> - -<p>"Your horse?"</p> - -<p>"Is in the stable—my bay, I mean. The other was stolen."</p> - -<p>"Stolen?"</p> - -<p>"I told you as much, at the meeting."</p> - -<p>"Well; Crane, bring him out," and then McGuire drew aside with two men, -to whom he appeared giving some instructions, in a low, guarded voice.</p> - -<p>The horse of the prisoner was brought forth, and when he had mounted, -they filed from the dooryard, and closing up around their captive rode -away, with the exception of the two men spoken to by McGuire, who soon -after entered the building.</p> - -<p>The little cavalcade proceeded at a rapid trot toward the "Twin -Sycamores," while the curious, half-affrighted gazes that followed them -from each house as they passed, told that a rumor of their mission had -spread like wildfire. All this was not unnoticed by the prisoner, and -he drew himself erect with a prouder more haughty air, as if he would -thus repel the ignominy that rested upon him.</p> - -<p>Poynter's mind was not idle, and he realized that his liberty, if -not life, was in jeopardy; and that, too, when freedom was most -inestimable. He did not know what charges would be brought against him; -but it was evident that the hint given by Neil McGuire regarding the -Kentucky <i>vigilantes</i> troubled his mind not a little.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes the party drew rein in front of the "Twin -Sycamores"—so named from the two gigantic trees of that species -growing upon either side of the door—where stood "Honest Jim." The -captain whispered a few words in his ear.</p> - -<p>"Wal, ef you wish it; thar's nobody thar." Then, as he drew nearer -to Poynter, he added in a kind tone: "Lord love you, squar', I'm -sorry—dog-goned sorry to see you hyar. It's rough lines fer a fine -young feller like you to be 'rested on sech a charge!"</p> - -<p>"Thank you, Henderson," cordially replied Poynter, as he clasped -the little man's hand warmly. "It is rough, especially when you are -innocent."</p> - -<p>"Be—now don't git mad, Mr. Poynter, 'cause I mean well—<i>be</i> you -innercent?" anxiously asked Henderson.</p> - -<p>"Of any thing unlawful or mean, I am. But as I don't know what charges -are laid against me, I can say no more."</p> - -<p>"They say you be one of these horse-thieves an' counterfeiters!" -whispered the landlord.</p> - -<p>"Then they lie!" angrily replied Poynter.</p> - -<p>"An' wuss, a heap wusser'n that. They say you <i>murdered</i>—"</p> - -<p>"No conversing with the prisoner there, Jim Henderson," interrupted the -leader, as he emerged from the house.</p> - -<p>"I was jest a—"</p> - -<p>"No matter. Come. The long-room is ready, and to spare time we will try -the prisoner at once," added McGuire, as he motioned his men to enter.</p> - -<p>The "long-room" was that in which we saw the first meeting of the -<i>vigilantes</i>, and as all entered, the door was closed and securely -bolted, thus guarding against any intrusion. The long table was pushed -along until it touched the further end of the wall, and upon this a -single chair was placed. Then a similar one was stood near the other -extremity for the prisoner's use.</p> - -<p>"Now, gentlemen," said Neil McGuire, "we will vote for a judge to try -the case."</p> - -<p>By universal acclamation he was elected, and at once took his seat, -when Poynter was directed to assume his position. After some few -objections by the prisoner, a jury was chosen and ranged alongside the -judge, who then spoke:</p> - -<p>"You know the task that is before you, and the sooner it is over the -better. We will—"</p> - -<p>"One moment, Mr. McGuire—or I presume I should say <i>your honor</i>," -interrupted Poynter, with an ironical bow. "You call this a trial, but -is it not altogether one-sided? Here I am arrested, for what I know -not; already treated like a felon. Is <i>this</i> your idea of justice?"</p> - -<p>"You speak warmly, Mr. Poynter—"</p> - -<p>"And why not? You are all leagued against me, and so far as I can -see, do not intend giving me a chance to clear myself from any charge -you may bring against me. If I am to be tried, I demand it shall be -according to law, and that I have counsel; that I am informed what -crime I am accused of, and allowed time to procure witnesses!" hotly -exclaimed the prisoner.</p> - -<p>"You shall have full justice, but we have no need for lawyers here. -The truth alone shall acquit or condemn you. You can defend yourself, -and if any witnesses are necessary, they shall be sent for. If you are -shown to be innocent, then any reparation you demand shall be given, -but if guilty, by the God that made me, you shall swing for it, if I -have to drag the rope myself!"</p> - -<p>"One would think I was already condemned, by the way you speak; but go -on. What are your charges?"</p> - -<p>"Polk Redlaw!"</p> - -<p>"Here!"</p> - -<p>"Your turn first. Tell us your story. But briefly and to the point," -ordered the "judge."</p> - -<p>"Well, I heard the prisoner was suspected—"</p> - -<p>"Never mind that now, but come to your charge first."</p> - -<p>"Then I charge him with murdering Barton Clowry, and nearly killing -me!" snarled the witness.</p> - -<p>"You hear, prisoner; guilty or not guilty?"</p> - -<p>"That I killed Clowry, and tried to serve that mongrel the same, I -admit; but it was in self-defense, not <i>murder</i>," promptly replied -Poynter.</p> - -<p>"He lies—"</p> - -<p>"Silence! Mr. Redlaw, no abuse if you please. State your case," ordered -McGuire.</p> - -<p>"Well, as I was saying, I, together with Barton Clowry, was ordered -to scout around the house of the prisoner, and as soon as he returned -to inform the band so that they could arrest him without his having -a chance to escape, as he would had they hunted him with the whole -league. We concealed ourselves by the side of the road, and were -talking together to pass away the time, when I heard a pistol-shot, and -Bart fell dead over into my lap.</p> - -<p>"Before I could get up I saw the prisoner come running toward us, -and aiming at me he fired again, but missed. Then he struck me with -his revolver, knocking me back as I tried to get up; then kicked and -pounded me upon the head until he thought I was dead.</p> - -<p>"I was only stunned, however, and when I came to, I managed to crawl -away, and finding the <i>vigilantes</i> I told them my story. You were -notified, and going with us, you know the rest," concluded Polk; his -speech being followed by a deep, fierce murmur that told how fully his -apparently frank and truthful story had been believed.</p> - -<p>"Mr. McGuire, and you, gentlemen," exclaimed Poynter, springing to his -feet, but as the position in which he was placed would not allow him -to stand erect, he sunk back into the chair. "Gentlemen! Every word -that mongrel has said is a base, foul lie! And if you will send for my -housekeeper, you will see that it is so.</p> - -<p>"I was walking peaceably along the lane toward my house, when two shots -were fired at me from an ambush. See; here is the mark of one in my -hat, and if you examine my left shoulder you can see the trace left by -the other.</p> - -<p>"Did he say any thing about shooting at me? You, Mr. McGuire, know -that I was not wounded this forenoon when I saw you. I admit shooting -Clowry, but it was in self-defense. Does it look reasonable, or even -possible, that <i>had</i> I done as this scoundrel states, I would have -returned to the house to lie down and sleep for hours? Would I not have -mounted and fled?"</p> - -<p>"There is reason in what you say," uttered the judge. "But you said you -had proof; did she witness the affair?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; my negro housekeeper saw it all."</p> - -<p>"Fox, you and Bowers go and bring her here immediately," ordered the -leader. Then turning toward Polk Redlaw, he added, slowly: "Well, you -hear what <i>he</i> says? Mind how you reply, for it is no light thing to -wrongfully accuse a man of such a crime."</p> - -<p>"I have told you the truth and nothing else," sullenly replied the -accuser. "He has had plenty of time to trump up a yarn and teach his -wench what to say. A white man's word ought to be good against a -nigger's, any day."</p> - -<p>"If true, it will be."</p> - -<p>At this point the proceedings were interrupted by the entrance of -the two messengers and aunt Eunice, whom they had met almost at the -door—she having followed her master with the best speed her unwieldy -body was capable of.</p> - -<p>We need not follow her evidence as it is already known, and confirmed -Poynter's story. But as the prisoner glanced around the room, he -was surprised to note the still dark and vindictive faces of the -<i>vigilantes</i>, who appeared any thing but convinced. Then he spoke, -addressing the judge:</p> - -<p>"Well, sir, what is your decision?"</p> - -<p>"On this score you are fully acquitted; but—"</p> - -<p>"'On <i>this</i> charge!' Are there any more, then?"</p> - -<p>"Two others. Passing counterfeit money, and <i>murder</i>."</p> - -<p>"Murder!"</p> - -<p>"<i>Yes; the murder of John Dement!</i>"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2> - -<h3>THE CRY FOR BLOOD!</h3> - - -<p>Clay Poynter sat as if perfectly astounded at these words; then, as he -recovered from the shock and glanced around him, he could read in the -faces of all that he was deemed guilty of this black deed. Only one -face but wore this look; one face, and that belonged to aunt Eunice.</p> - -<p>She stood with her hands thrown up, her eyes rolling wildly, while -her capacious mouth opened and shut by jerks, as if she was trying to -speak. Then with an explosive snort, she spluttered:</p> - -<p>"Well, ef you hain't jest de biggest liar on top o' dis yere airth, den -I don't know nuffin! Mars'r Clay—<i>my</i> chile—do dat ar'? <i>He</i>—w'y, -you cussed funnelly fools—Lord 'a' massy, 'pears like I's gwine to -bu'st, 'deed it does!"</p> - -<p>"Take her out, some of you," angrily ordered the judge.</p> - -<p>"Yes, aunty, you'd better go now," interposed Poynter. "It's all a -mistake like the other one, and will be over soon."</p> - -<p>He had not time to say more, for the old negress was unceremoniously -hustled out of the "court-room," and the door again barred. Then the -proceedings were resumed. Upon the charge of passing counterfeit -money, Jim Henderson testified that the prisoner had given him a base -five-dollar coin in payment of his score upon the night of the first -meeting, receiving change in good silver.</p> - -<p>Was positive of the fact, because it was the only coin of that -denomination he had received that day. Upon this, Poynton admitted -that he might have done so, unknowing that the coin was spurious, and -instanced several cases of his being served the same way, owing to the -vast amount of counterfeit money then in circulation.</p> - -<p>"Jonathan Green!" called out the judge, acting as crier.</p> - -<p>"Hyar I be!" grunted a coarse voice, as a man elbowed his way through -the crowd toward the open space reserved for witnesses.</p> - -<p>He was a short, squat-built, villainous-looking fellow of perhaps forty -years, although strong drink and excesses may have contributed several -of them. He cast a sidelong, sneaking glance at Poynter, and then -suddenly averted his head.</p> - -<p>The prisoner made a sudden motion as if about to speak, but then sunk -back once more, his eyes steadily fixed upon Green's face.</p> - -<p>This action was not unnoted by the jurors, and more than one thought -they could discern a shudder pass over his form, as he darted a -peculiar look at the witness. But then, in imitation of a legal court, -Green was sworn, and proceeded to give in his testimony.</p> - -<p>"Yas, 'ir, I'll tell ye the hull truth, jist es straight es a dogwood, -ef on'y you'll promus 'at no harm 'll come arter it. He's mighty -rambunctious, he is, when his mad's up."</p> - -<p>"Never you mind about that, sir," impatiently said McGuire, "but give -in your testimony."</p> - -<p>"Wal, ef I must, why, so be it. I've knowed the pris'ner thar a -consid'able spell, ef not longer. Me 'n' him usen to be gre't fri'nds -an' pardners like, back to ol' Kaintuck—"</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen, is this scoundrelly liar brought here to swear away my -life? As I live, I have never seen the fellow half a dozen times; I -didn't even know his name, beyond that of 'Lying Jack,' and never spoke -a word to him in my life!" exclaimed the prisoner, hotly.</p> - -<p>"Silence!" ordered the judge.</p> - -<p>"Hyar's my hat," put in Green, extending the rag that answered that -purpose, with a comical leer. "I never told a bigger lie 'n thet in my -life!"</p> - -<p>"Witness, you will go on with your evidence, or, by all that's good, -I'll give you a taste of hickory oil!" thundered the judge.</p> - -<p>"Jes' so! But, es I war sayin', I knowed 'im in ol' Kaintuck jist afore -he war driv' away by the <i>vigilantes</i>—"</p> - -<p>"For what reason?" asked one of the jurors.</p> - -<p>"I don't know. Mebbe 'twas 'cause he scattered too much o' the <i>queer</i>, -mebbe 'twasn't," returned the witness, significantly. "Anyhow, he -left, an' then I nixt see'd him hyar. One day—mebbe two weeks gone -by—he come to me an' says, says he, 'Green, my fri'nd, what you doin', -anyhow?' 'Oh, jist sorter sloshin' round, like,' says I.</p> - -<p>"Then arter a w'ile he said he could put me in a leetle way to make -money, ef I'd no 'bjection. He said he's in the ol' business, an' -wanted me to take holt and try to sell the 'queer,' offerin' to let me -hev it fer fifteen dollars a hunderd, till I sorter got started, an' -found rig'lar customers. I pertended to be all-fired glad, an' he guv -me one hunderd dollars on tick."</p> - -<p>"But why didn't you tell of this before?" demanded the judge.</p> - -<p>"An' git sarved like Bart Clowry? Who was I to go to, ontel I hearn -thet you un's was on the trail? Es soon 's I knowed thet, I come an' -told you, didn't I?"</p> - -<p>"Have you any of the money with you?"</p> - -<p>"Yas," replied the witness, drawing a small package from his bootleg. -"Hyar it is. I kep' it hid till to-day, 'cause ef it 'd 'a' bin found -on me afore, the fellers mought 'a' thunk I's one o' them 'ar fellers."</p> - -<p>The money, all in five-dollar coins, was passed to the jurors who, -after a careful examination, pronounced it to be counterfeit. Surely, -the case began to look black for the prisoner but he still maintained -a haughty look upon his pale, handsome features, while his eye flashed -back the angry glances that were cast at him from all sides.</p> - -<p>"That is all the evidence upon the first charge, I believe," spoke -McGuire, but he was interrupted by a voice from the crowd:</p> - -<p>"Begging pardon, judge, but there's more yet," and the speaker, one -of the two men who had remained behind at the prisoner's house, came -forward, and held up a pair of dies made for coining half-eagles. -"These toys were found at the house, concealed in the chimney-jamb."</p> - -<p>Amidst the greatest excitement, Frank Dalton was sworn, and deposed to -this effect. He and Sam Gibson had made a search of the premises after -Poynter's capture. After a time they had found the dies, concealed as -stated; and a small package of newly-coined money, tied up in an old -rag at the bottom of the prisoner's trunk, and thinking they would be -needed as evidence, had brought them away.</p> - -<p>Samuel Gibson, who was a well-known and respected farmer, fully -corroborated Dalton's statement as to the discovery, and when he -concluded, any slight doubt that might have been entertained as to the -prisoner's guilt, was entirely dispelled.</p> - -<p>The hoarse murmur that filled the room began to increase in volume, -and dark, deadly hints could be distinguished. Hints that soon grew -into open threats, calling for a conviction—a conviction that would be -equivalent to <i>death</i>.</p> - -<p>Flogging was the least terrible of their threats; others spoke of -hanging, several of <i>burning</i>!</p> - -<p>Still the prisoner did not quail or tremble. He even drew himself up -with a bolder defiance, and not one man of them all but turned their -eyes away from his when their gaze met.</p> - -<p>"Peace, gentlemen," spoke McGuire, half arising—the ceiling would -allow no more—and waving his hand to command silence. "All in good -time. There is yet another charge upon which he must be tried. If -justice pauses, it will none the less be carried out.</p> - -<p>"Wesley Sprowl!" he called out, once order was restored.</p> - -<p>A little weasel-faced man approached the stand for witnesses. His form -was bowed and emaciated, as if from some recent severe illness, and a -hectic cough appeared to trouble him exceedingly, as he gave in his -evidence, frequently causing him to pause and lean heavily against the -table for support.</p> - -<p>As soon as he had partially regained his breath, the judge ordered him -to proceed with his testimony, after being duly sworn. But his first -words were lost to the majority of the assembly, owing to his low tone; -but he soon gathered strength, and every word was uttered with a clear -distinctness, that from its deliberation, every sentence appeared to be -carefully weighed before being spoken.</p> - -<p>"I know the prisoner well, partly because he is not a common-looking -man, but more so from feeling a friendly interest in him. He has often -been at my house, and when I was nearly dead with the chills, and had -no money, he brought me some quinine that cured me. I tell you this so -that you may see how impossible it would be for me to mistake another -for him.</p> - -<p>"I was feeling quite unwell all day yesterday, and could not sleep -any last night from that cause. Many of you know that I have lines -constantly set in the river, by night as well as by day. Somehow my -mind got to dwelling upon them, and I could not banish a fancy that -occurred to me, of there being a great big catfish upon one of the -lines.</p> - -<p>"I thought it was trying to break the line, and at length I became so -convinced that it was so, I dressed, and went out toward the river. -Somehow I didn't think of taking any weapon with me; my mind was so -full of the big fish.</p> - -<p>"Well, I struck into the road at the cornfield, and then, as the -easiest way, I followed the road, intending to strike the branch where -a plain trail leads to the river. But, just as I got to the old 'Ivy -Elm,' I heard loud voices coming directly toward me.</p> - -<p>"So I slipped behind the tree to let them pass, for in these rough -times you don't know who you might meet, and although I hadn't any -thing worth stealing, it wouldn't be the first man who'd been rubbed -out just for fun. But they were long in coming by and appeared to stop -twice, talking in loud and, as I thought, angry tones, before they -paused exactly in front of me.</p> - -<p>"By reaching out my arm, I could have touched the largest man, they -were that close; and by the voice, I thought I could recognize the -prisoner. I was so frightened that I could only distinguish one -sentence spoken by the latter: '<i>And you won't let that Kentucky scrape -drop?</i>'</p> - -<p>"Those were his exact words, and the other man answered no, that he -would tell all.</p> - -<p>"Then I saw the larger one draw back his right hand, and could -distinguish the gleam of a knife. The same moment, the other man -stumbled and fell, muttering with a groan that he was killed. Twice -more he was stabbed, and then the murderer appeared to be searching his -body.</p> - -<p>"I could see him take something white from an inner pocket and put it -into his breast, but the shadow was so dense that I could not tell what -it was, nor yet see their features plain enough to be sure of their -identity. But then, with a curse, the murderer struck a match, and -holding it close to the body, bent down his own head.</p> - -<p>"He was unfastening something from his victim's shirt-bosom, that -gleamed and sparkled in the light like lightning-bugs. The match lasted -only a moment, but that was long enough for me to distinguish plainly -the features of both men.</p> - -<p>"The murdered one was the sandy-complexioned man that has been staying -with Mr. McGuire, and the other was—"</p> - -<p>Here the witness faltered for a moment, and glancing around over the -eager, anxious faces that were turned upon him, cast a deprecating look -at the prisoner, who was bending far forward, as if drinking in every -word.</p> - -<p>"And the other?" demanded the judge.</p> - -<p>"<i>The murderer was the prisoner, Clay Poynter!</i>"</p> - -<p>A deep, hoarse cry of rage and fury ran around the crowd of spectators, -but far above it roared the clear, metallic tones of the accused.</p> - -<p>"It is false, every word—false as h—l!"</p> - -<p>In vain the judge shouted for order; his call was unheeded. The crowd -swayed to and fro for a moment, and then rushed forward, as one man, to -seize upon the prisoner.</p> - -<p>But Neil McGuire ran along the table and stood beside Poynter, with a -cocked revolver in his hand. The next instant, obedient to his call, -the jurors gathered around, similarly armed. Then McGuire spoke in a -tone that overpowered the tumult.</p> - -<p>"Stand back—back with you! By the God that made me, if one of you -dare to lay a hand on the prisoner, I will spatter the walls with your -brains!"</p> - -<p>"Hang the murderer—burn him!" roared the crowd.</p> - -<p>"Once more, I say, stand back!" yelled the judge, threatening the -foremost with his pistol. "Is he not in our power? He can't escape us. -Wait until his trial is over, and if pronounced guilty, then you may -work your will."</p> - -<p>"And ain't he found guilty?" called out a voice from the crowd.</p> - -<p>"You'd best keep a still tongue, Polk Redlaw," returned McGuire, -significantly. "To-night's work don't speak very highly in your favor. -But, all of you, be patient for a time. When all the evidence is heard, -then we will decide. Until then, he is in my charge, and you know me -well enough to be sure I will keep my word."</p> - -<p>In a few moments order was restored, the judge and jurors resuming -their seats, while Wesley Sprowl continued his story:</p> - -<p>"I nearly fell, from horror and astonishment, when I saw who the -murderer was, but managed to keep still. If you ask why I didn't -confront him, or attempt to avenge John Dement, I say, look at us both. -He with ten times my strength, and fully armed, while I was barely able -to walk, and without a single weapon.</p> - -<p>"After a bit, the murderer took up the body in his arms and carried it -to the river, where I heard a splash as if it had been cast into the -water. I dared not stay longer, and stepping into the road, where I -knew he could not hear my footsteps in the soft dirt, was about to run -when something bright caught my eye. I snatched it up and then ran as -fast as I could to the house, where I hid the article in the bed.</p> - -<p>"In the morning I was down with a hard shake, and it was nearly noon -before I could get up. But then I came over here, and knowing the head -men of the league, I told what I knew about the affair. What happened -since, you all know."</p> - -<p>"But the thing that you found—what was it?"</p> - -<p>"I have it here—see!" and after unwrapping a small parcel, he elevated -his hand.</p> - -<p>In it was a piece of jewelry. <i>It was the diamond cluster-pin lately -worn by John Dement!</i></p> - -<p>There was no uproar now. A deadly calm had settled upon the assembly. A -calm that spoke plainer than words on oaths.</p> - -<p>It spoke of death.</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen," slowly said the judge, "I need not ask if this pin is -recognized; we all know it. And it shows that a bloody, dastardly deed -has been committed. The verbal evidence is all given in; but still -we must not be rash. Let us first search the river for the body, so -that there may be no doubt. It is too late now to conclude to-night. -Besides, the daylight is better. It will show that we are not ashamed -of our actions."</p> - -<p>"And what shall we do with the murderer?" interrupted one of the jurors.</p> - -<p>"We can guard him until to-morrow. This room is safe especially as he -will be bound."</p> - -<p>"Well, he is guilty of counterfeiting, anyhow, and for that we condemn -him to receive one hundred lashes upon the bare back. It would be more -but for the other charge."</p> - -<p>"Yes, and to-night! We won't go home without some fun," interrupted one -of the spectators.</p> - -<p>"I protest!" cried McGuire. "Let him suffer but one punishment. Don't -let's act like savages."</p> - -<p>"No, no," yelled the crowd, "do it now, or else we'll finish up the job -off-hand."</p> - -<p>The excitement now grew intense; weapons were freely drawn and -brandished, and although the judge stood over the prisoner with ready -revolver, he was unsupported. The jurors had gone with the majority.</p> - -<p>"Better give in, judge," called out the juror who had pronounced the -sentence. "You see you can do no good, and will only get hurt. You have -done all one man can do, but the boys are determined, even if it costs -a dozen lives."</p> - -<p>"Don't get yourself into trouble upon my account, Mr. McGuire," -exclaimed the prisoner. "These devils want blood, and it may as -well come now as to-morrow. Besides," and here he lowered his tone, -"remember your—family."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER V.</h2> - -<h3>BORDER LAW.</h3> - - -<p>"Gentlemen," said the judge, after a moment's pause, "if you persist in -this outrage, I wash my hands of both it and you, from this moment. You -can choose another judge, and another leader, for I shall act no longer -as either. I thought you were <i>men</i>, not savages."</p> - -<p>"What matter?" called out several voices, "he is not the only man that -lives. Let him slide, and out with the prisoner."</p> - -<p>The crowd surged forward and surrounded the table, yelling and growling -like wild beasts. For a moment it seemed as if Poynter meditated -resistance, as he drew himself up and grasped the back of his chair, -but if such was his intention, it was changed.</p> - -<p>A dozen hands lifted him to the floor, where he was securely bound, -hand and foot—as he had been until now entirely free, so far as bonds -were concerned. Then he was lifted bodily upon their shoulders, each -man appearing eager to be one of his bearers. In this manner he was -conveyed from the room followed by the hooting, yelling crowd; leaving -but one man behind—Neil McGuire.</p> - -<p>To say that the prisoner was not alarmed, would perhaps be wrong, but -he showed no outward sign of being so. He well knew that he was in -danger—that his life was in peril; for although, just at present, -nothing was spoken of but whipping, yet when blood was once seen, would -it not act upon their worser passions until the job would be finished -out of hand, to save further trouble?</p> - -<p>Suddenly Poynter gave a convulsive start. It seemed to him he had -heard, above the din, some words spoken in a friendly tone—words of -hope.</p> - -<p>"Keep a stiff upper lip, square. <i>We'll git you cl'ar afore day!</i>"</p> - -<p>These were the words he had, or thought he had, heard, close to -his ear, and turned his eyes wonderingly to that point. He could -distinguish the rough features of Jack Fyffe, the man who had knocked -Polk Redlaw down at the time of arrest.</p> - -<p>But he had no time for a question, or any thing beyond seeing that -Fyffe supported his right shoulder; for the next moment he was rudely -cast down at the foot of one of the gigantic sycamores, beside the -outer door. The tumult was horrible, and for a time nothing was done, -each man issuing orders, but no one appearing to care about executing -them.</p> - -<p>"Jim Henderson," yelled Polk Redlaw, who now took a decided lead with -the brutalized crowd, "fetch out some cords; rope or something, quick!"</p> - -<p>"Quick y'urself, Injun Polk," growled the little host. "I hain't y'ur -nigger. Y'u're black enough to wait on y'urself!"</p> - -<p>"Curses on you, you little hop-toad!" foamed Polk. "Call me that again, -and I'll blow a hole through you big enough to kick a dog through!"</p> - -<p>"Ef so be you know when y'ur well off, Mr. White Man, <i>es</i>-quire," -coolly returned Jim, drawing his revolver, "you'll not buck ag'in' me. -Others may be as quick on the trigger as you be, if not more so."</p> - -<p>"Don't get to fighting among yourselves," interrupted Reeves, with a -series of oaths. "We've enough to do now. Here's a couple of halters -that'll answer, bully."</p> - -<p>But during this by-play, Clay Poynter had received considerable -encouragement from Jack Fyffe, who still crouched over him, apparently -to prevent his arising.</p> - -<p>"Don't gi'n up, straunger," he had whispered. "We'll hev you free afore -long."</p> - -<p>"Who are you, and what do you mean?" asked Poynter.</p> - -<p>"You'll see. I've sent arter the boys, an' ef nothin' happins they'll -be hyar in three hours. But you'll hev to take the hidin', though. We -hain't strong enough to prevent <i>that</i>."</p> - -<p>Nothing more was said, for Redlaw and Reeves pressed forward, and with -several brutal kicks from the mongrel, Poynter was lifted up and his -arms unbound, two men clinging to each as though they anticipated an -attempt at escape. But if so, they were disappointed.</p> - -<p>The prisoner knew that it would be followed by certain death, in the -face of the threatening revolvers, and the words of Jack Fyffe had -revived his hopes of a speedy rescue, for which he was content to -wait, even though he had to endure the fearful torture that had been -threatened him.</p> - -<p>He was drawn up to the tree, his arms outstretched to their utmost -extent, and then his wrists were connected by the halters, another -securing his body. By this time the men who had been dispatched after -the instruments of torture returned bearing their hands full of long, -lithe hickory rods.</p> - -<p>And then the torture began. The supple rods whistled through the air, -and paused with a hissing crack; the gore started out as the tender -skin was torn and lacerated. But although the pain and agony must have -been fearful, as the punishment proceeded, not a groan or an uneven -breath proclaimed the fact.</p> - -<p>The crimson spray fell upon those who stood closest; some of them -giving quivers as it touched their skin, as though it had been molten -lead; but the majority yelled and cheered at the sight. Their fiercest, -basest passions were fully aroused; they were wolves, not men.</p> - -<p>Polk Redlaw, Jonathan Green and Alfred Wigan plied the rods, and as -may be supposed, they did not spare their strength. But severe as were -their blows, they failed in drawing a single manifestation of pain from -the prisoner, however slight. And then the one hundred lashes were -counted, fairly.</p> - -<p>The prisoner was let down from his position, and Jack Fyffe helped him -to adjust his garments, managing to whisper a cheering word without -being overheard by the mob. Then Poynter spoke, not a tremor or quaver -betraying what he had suffered from the fearful ordeal, in his voice:</p> - -<p>"You three devils, mark my words. If you are alive one week from -to-day, I give you leave to play this game over again."</p> - -<p>"We will live to see you dance on nothing, anyhow," sneered the mongrel.</p> - -<p>"That's enough for to-night," interrupted Henry Reeves, the juror who -had so suddenly taken a leading part in the proceedings, pressing -forward and laying his hand upon Poynter's shoulder. "Come, you will -stay in the 'long-room' to-night, and to prevent you from sleeping -uneasily, I will add that you will be hung to-morrow, for murder."</p> - -<p>"Thank you for nothing!" curtly replied the prisoner. "I have you to -thank for this favor, and look you, it's a debt that will be paid; yes, -paid, and with compound interest added," said Poynter.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I'll credit you," laughed Reeves. "I always was accommodating. But -in with you," he added, giving him a rude shove as they entered the -room.</p> - -<p>Poynter would have fallen had not he been caught by Jack Fyffe, who -whispered:</p> - -<p>"Ef you hyar a rumpus outside, don't be 'larmed, 'cause it'll on'y be -fri'nds. Mind an' keep awake."</p> - -<p>A pressure of the hand told that Poynter understood his meaning, and -then, after being bound, the prisoner was left alone in the room. Some -half a dozen guards were posted around the building, with instructions -to shoot him if he attempted an escape; and then the <i>vigilantes</i> -separated, each man wending his way homeward, pondering upon what they -had already done, and the duty that awaited them on the morrow.</p> - -<p>The guards were in high glee, and having each one managed to procure -a flask of liquor from the obliging host, determined to enjoy their -watch to the best of their ability. Polk Redlaw, however, owing to the -mishaps his devoted head had met with, was not in such a jolly mood, -and kept apart from the other sentinels.</p> - -<p>They were gathered in couples upon either side of the building, thus -surrounding the place and preventing either egress or ingress without -their knowledge. They little dreamed of the fate that awaited them.</p> - -<p>Perhaps an hour after the dispersal, a band of horsemen drew rein at a -half-mile from the little hamlet, on the outer edge of which stood the -"Twin Sycamores," and dismounting, threw themselves upon the ground, -while one of their number stole away on foot. He soon drew near the -tavern, and sinking flat upon his stomach, began cautiously circling -the building.</p> - -<p>He could approach near enough, thanks to the darkness, to distinguish -the mutterings of the guards—thus learning their exact number and -position. He counted six, and thought that was all, but he overlooked -Polk Redlaw, who had fallen into a doze, lying close to the wall, so -that he seemed to form a portion of it.</p> - -<p>Had he been awake he could not have helped observing the spy, who, -thinking that end of the house unguarded, passed close by him. -Muttering his surprise, the man crept away from the tavern, and once -beyond ear-shot, rose to his feet and sped rapidly to where he had left -his companions.</p> - -<p>When near them he uttered the howl of the yellow wolf and upon the -signal being answered, boldly advanced and stood before the band. One, -a tall, Herculean man, stepped forward and whispered:</p> - -<p>"Well, Fyffe, what luck?"</p> - -<p>"It's all hunky," replied Jack, for it was indeed he, "an' a easy job. -On'y six fellers, an' they half drunk, ef not more so," and then he -clearly described the position each man occupied.</p> - -<p>"Now, comrades," added he who appeared to be the leader, "you know what -we are after. A friend, and one of us, is in danger. Our law says that -we must assist each other, and now is the time. You have heard what -Fyffe says. These men must be secured without being harmed if possible, -but if they cut up rough, why a knife is the best remedy. The less -blood shed, the better, for this section is getting uncomfortably hot -already. You understand me?"</p> - -<p>A murmur of general assent; then he added:</p> - -<p>"We will ride to the edge of the timber, and then leave the horses. We -must take them by surprise; and mind you, when once we have got our -friend, quick's the word, for we will have the <i>vigilantes</i> after us, -hot-footed."</p> - -<p>In a few moments the designated point of woods was reached, and -dismounting, the horses were secured; after which the band stealthily -proceeded toward the tavern, using every precaution to avoid discovery. -Then four men crept toward each of the sides where the double guard -were posted.</p> - -<p>The remainder held themselves in readiness to rush forward, in case -their comrades should need any help. Four of the men were secured -without any noise, other than a slight scuffle, but the other party -were not so fortunate.</p> - -<p>One of the guards caught a glimpse of the rescuers, and hailed them. -The answer was an instant rush, at which the guard fired a shot, that -brought one of his assailants to the ground.</p> - -<p>But, he never fired another, for a long knife was plunged downward, -the steel gritting as it severed his breast-bone, and with one faint -gurgle, Alfred Wigan was a dead man!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2> - -<h3>THE HUMAN BLOODHOUND.</h3> - - -<p>At the first report, Polk Redlaw sprung to his feet, with all the -Indian instincts of his nature fully aroused. He caught a glimpse -of the main body rushing forward, and not knowing who they were, he -dropped to the ground and glided to a safe distance, but from whence he -could still see those out in the open ground.</p> - -<p>At first he thought it was the vigilance committee returned to finish -up their work, but he was not certain, and deeming discretion the -better course, determined to keep shady until he knew what card to -play. If a rescue, he resolved to dog them wherever they might go, for -his hatred of Poynter could only be assuaged by the latter's death.</p> - -<p>When the double tragedy was over, and the other guards secured, the -band rushed forward and forcibly burst in the door of the tavern; and -were proceeding toward the "long-room," when Henderson called out from -the loft:</p> - -<p>"Who the devil air you, an' what ye want?"</p> - -<p>"Better shet y'ur eyes an' years, 'Honest Jim,' so't you won't hev to -lie when you tell the <i>vigilantes</i> thet you don' know who tuck the -pris'ner," returned Jack Fyffe, significantly.</p> - -<p>"Ef you don't do nothin' else, why, <i>I</i> won't know any on ye at all. -An' ef ye like, jist take a good swig apiece, an' I'll charge it to -profut an' loss," laughed the host, who apparently was not averse to -having Poynter escape the doom that threatened him.</p> - -<p>"Bully for you, ol' hoss; you won't lose any thin' by it!" was the -cry, and his invitation was complied with, two or three times over.</p> - -<p>Only pausing for one huge gulp of the liquor, Jack Fyffe unbarred the -door, and soon severed the cords that hampered Poynter, who, after -chafing his benumbed limbs, thanks to the skill Polk Redlaw had shown -in drawing the knots, emerged from the long-room, a free man once more.</p> - -<p>He glanced around him with not a little curiosity, scanning the forms -and features of his rescuers as thoroughly as was practicable by the -dim, flickering light cast by the one rude lamp. But if he recognized -any of them, excepting Fyffe, he did not show it by word or sign.</p> - -<p>"Come, boys," spoke up the tall man we have noted before, "we must make -tracks, or those <i>vigilantes</i> will be down upon us. They must have -heard the rumpus, I reckon."</p> - -<p>"But what shall we do with the prisoners—let them go?"</p> - -<p>"No; take them along. We'll keep 'em as hostages, so that if any of our -fellows are strung up, we can retaliate. Five of them, isn't there?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; but about Sant?"</p> - -<p>"Maltby?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. He's dead."</p> - -<p>"Take him along. If we leave him here, they'll toss him into the first -hollow, and he was too good a man for that."</p> - -<p>"You seem to be leader here, sir," said Poynter, placing a hand upon -the man's shoulder. "What do you intend doing with me?"</p> - -<p>"Well, that depends mainly upon yourself. If you have had enough of -these vigilance fellows, why, come with us. We never go back upon a -fellow-craftsman," returned the man, cordially.</p> - -<p>"And you are—"</p> - -<p>"The same as yourself; free livers is our name for it. Those whom -we favor with our custom call us horse-thieves and counterfeiters," -laughed the leader.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" muttered Poynter, and bending his head as if in deep thought.</p> - -<p>"All ready, Tamelt?"</p> - -<p>"All ready, sir," was the prompt reply, and the little band left the -house.</p> - -<p>Jack Fyffe directed Poynter to a horse, which, with great delight and -surprise, he found was his own noble bay, that had been taken when he -was arrested. The five prisoners were also mounted, their horses having -been found in the tavern stable; but they rode not by their own aid. -Strong cords bound them to the saddle so securely that even had they -tried to cast themselves to the ground, the effort would have been -unsuccessful.</p> - -<p>Poynter and Fyffe rode together, as they struck into a rapid lope along -the soft, loamy road, but not until quite clear of the neighborhood, -did either of them speak.</p> - -<p>"Wal, we've sp'ilt the fun o' them hounds ter-morrer, 'tany rate," -chuckled Fyffe.</p> - -<p>"Yes, but how did it all come about?" queried Poynter, who did not -appear very much at ease, when we consider what he had escaped.</p> - -<p>"Wal, in co'se we wasn't a-goin' to see a fri'nd jerked up thet a-way, -'thout helpin' 'im. So's soon as I see'd how it war gwine to work, -I sent Sant Maltby to let the cap'n know, an' whar I'd meet 'em to -'xplain, like. Then we crawled up, an' tuck the guard, but poor Sant -got throwed clean in his tracks. The rest you know."</p> - -<p>"Who were the men you took prisoners?"</p> - -<p>"Thar's one on 'em you'll be glad to see—Jon'than Green."</p> - -<p>"Ha!" exclaimed Poynter; "the lying scoundrel! But, Jack, my friend, do -you know you've made a mistake?"</p> - -<p>"How so?"</p> - -<p>"I am no counterfeiter—never was."</p> - -<p>"Thunder, you say!" ejaculated Fyffe.</p> - -<p>"It's the truth," soberly affirmed Poynter. "I have never committed a -deed against the law, to my knowledge, in my life."</p> - -<p>"But the evidence?"</p> - -<p>"Was one tissue of falsehood from first to last! Why it was started, or -who was the one who planned it, I know no more than you do; but I will -find out if it takes a lifetime," hotly exclaimed Poynter.</p> - -<p>"Hello, my friends, what's up here?" asked the leader, falling back -beside the two men, at the sound of Poynter's excited tones. "Not -quarreling, I hope?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir, I owe him too much for that," warmly responded Poynter. "But, -are you the captain?"</p> - -<p>"For the time being, I am. Why?" said the man, somewhat surprised at -the other's tone.</p> - -<p>"Then I must speak with you, for a moment."</p> - -<p>"Go on; I have no secrets from Jack."</p> - -<p>"Well," slowly uttered Poynter, "from what I have heard, I believe you -labor under a serious mistake, regarding who and what I am."</p> - -<p>"How so?" interrupted the leader. "Are not you the man that the -vigilance committee arrested and condemned?"</p> - -<p>"I am; as my back can testify!" bitterly gritted the young man.</p> - -<p>"Well, then, where's the mistake?"</p> - -<p>"In this: I was wrongfully accused. I have never, knowingly, passed a -coin, and as for murder, there is no blood upon my hands, save that -shed in self-defense."</p> - -<p>"Whe-ew!" whistled the outlaw. "But Jack told me the evidence was -complete!"</p> - -<p>"It was not his fault for thinking so. I would have believed the same -in his place. But I am speaking the truth, and thought it best to tell -you how the case stands, lest you should think me a traitor or a spy, -in case the truth ever comes out."</p> - -<p>"You were right. But what do you intend doing? The hunt will be hot for -you, as, if a man would take all that trouble and expense to put you -out of the way, <i>legally</i>, he will not let you off so easily."</p> - -<p>"I know that; and in perfect freedom, is the only chance of my ever -clearing myself. I frankly own that I am puzzled," slowly replied -Poynter.</p> - -<p>"Well, sir, I am not often mistaken in a man, if I do say it myself," -added the outlaw leader, after a pause. "And now I make you a -proposition. Will you accept my hospitality for a few days, or weeks, -until this excitement cools down?"</p> - -<p>"Are you in earnest, and would you trust a stranger so far?" ejaculated -Poynter, in astonishment.</p> - -<p>"Not every one, I admit," laughed the other. "But you I can, and will; -and if necessary, will answer to the band, for your honor, with my own -life. But understand me: upon no account are you to divulge what you -hear or see; nor the places we will take you to, even if your life -depended upon it, unless we give you permission. And in return, you -will be left free to come and go, as you will. You will not be asked, -or expected, to do any thing against your conscience; and if you should -need any assistance that we can give, you have but to say as much."</p> - -<p>"That is far more than I could expect, and I sincerely thank you for -it," rejoined Poynter, warmly clasping the outlaw's hand. "But I am at -a loss to imagine the cause of such generosity."</p> - -<p>"It is easy told. You are an innocent man, unjustly accused and -condemned; and I was once the same. False friends and misfortunes have -made me what I now am, and I still have some of the bitter feeling in -my heart, if I am an outcast, a branded felon.</p> - -<p>"Besides, I feel a strange liking for you; why, or from what cause I -know not, unless from the resemblance upon this one point."</p> - -<p>"Well, sir," exclaimed the escaped prisoner, "I will gladly accept your -offer, and if there is any return that I can make, without—"</p> - -<p>"I understand you," interrupted the outlaw, with a tinge of melancholy -in his tones, "and would be the last man in the world to ask you to -forfeit your feeling of self-respect. But come," he added, again -assuming his old air of reckless gayety. "We have fallen behind, and -they'll think we are deserters. Spur up!"</p> - -<p>"But one moment. Have we far to go?"</p> - -<p>"Less than two miles, now," was the reply. "But why?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing much; only I would rather be in the neighborhood, for—"</p> - -<p>"For certain reasons, I presume," laughed the outlaw leader. "But never -mind, I was young once myself, although I don't look much like it now," -and he ended with a half-sigh.</p> - -<p>Poynter's curiosity was keenly aroused, by the language and manner of -his strangely-acquired friend, so different from what might have been -expected; and found himself wishing for a better chance to observe his -features, than was afforded by the dim, uncertain light.</p> - -<p>As he peered toward him, Clay could see that it was a robust, powerful -form, nearly if not quite as much so as his own. Of the features he -could distinguish naught save the glitter of a pair of sparkling eyes, -and the long, flowing hair of almost snowy whiteness, as was also the -luxuriant beard and mustache.</p> - -<p>As we said, Polk Redlaw resolved to dog the rescuing party wherever -they might go, spurred on by his bitter hatred of Clay Poynter. And he -was just the person to accomplish this if it lay in human power to do -so.</p> - -<p>Tall and gaunt, he was like the grayhound, swift and tireless; while in -other respects his instincts were those of the bloodhound. The traits -inherited from the Indian cross in his blood were aroused and in full -play on the night in question.</p> - -<p>When he saw Poynter emerge from the tavern under the bright glare of -the torch carried by Jack Fyffe, unbound and in freedom, the heavy -rifle rose as if by instinct to his cheek, and, for a moment, the -wings of death again appeared to overshadow the young man. A single -pressure of the finger, a touch sufficient to bend a feather, upon the -hair-trigger, would have sufficed, and in the darkness it appeared easy -enough for Polk to have made his escape.</p> - -<p>But the gun was lowered. The mongrel was not satisfied with such a -revenge. His hatred was too intense; he required a death of shame—of -degradation; a death that would destroy both the life and honor of his -foe, and leave a record at which the finger of scorn and contempt would -be pointed.</p> - -<p>When the cavalcade plunged into the darkness of the tree-shadowed road, -the human bloodhound followed hard upon the scent. His rifle trailed in -one hand, his head and neck craned forward, Polk Redlaw sped along with -noiseless strides that appeared to be made without an effort.</p> - -<p>So steady, silent and uniform was his progress, that it seemed like a -magnificent piece of machinery, rather than a man. His Indian blood -shone forth now, in his free and untrammeled motion, as he kept at a -certain distance in the rear of the rescuers, the same whether they -rode faster or more slow.</p> - -<p>From his crouching position he could not be seen upon the shadowed -road, while those whom he was trailing, being mounted, could quite -plainly be distinguished. But for a time we must turn elsewhere.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2> - -<h3>A SAD HISTORY.</h3> - - -<p>When Neil McGuire returned home from the "Twin Sycamores," disgusted -at the brutality displayed by his neighbors and comrades, he found his -daughter Nora sitting up awaiting him, late as it was, the fearful -suspense and terror she had endured plainly imprinted upon her pale and -worn countenance.</p> - -<p>Shocked at the change, and strongly excited by the events of the last -few hours, McGuire told her all, winding up by saying that he feared -the prisoner would not live to see another day dawn. Nora gave one low -cry and swooned, and when she recovered from it a strong fever set in.</p> - -<p>There was no doctor nearer than the fort, even if he could be induced -to journey so far, and as old aunt Eunice had gained quite a reputation -as a nurse, she was called in, while the almost distracted father set -out for medical aid. The doctor came, but his aid was not needed, the -fever had been broken, and, strange to say, Nora was up and about the -house in as apparent good health as ever.</p> - -<p>But if the worthy farmer was surprised, we, who are in the secret, need -not be. It was, perhaps, owing to a certain message brought by aunt -Eunice, who kindly turned her back while it was being perused, and when -she did look it had disappeared; but from the frequent journeys made by -the invalid's hand to the region of the heart, it is not difficult to -guess where.</p> - -<p>The note was from Clay Poynter, briefly detailing the facts of his -escape, stating that he was in a place of safety, and imploring an -interview, leaving the time and place to her, of which he could be -informed by aunt Eunice. Nora did not hesitate about granting the -request, but the return of her father necessitated a postponement, -greatly to the disappointment of the lover, who was disgusted at only -meeting his old housekeeper when he expected a sweetheart.</p> - -<p>Neil McGuire was sorely puzzled and disturbed about something, and soon -opened his mind to Nora the day of his return. It was after supper, and -she had brought him his filled pipe, when he bade her sit down—that he -had something to tell her.</p> - -<p>"Do you know, pet, that I half-way fear we have been doing Clay Poynter -a great injustice?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, father, I knew it all along!"</p> - -<p>"Did you, indeed? Well, as I said, I am afraid we have been mistaken, -although I am not quite certain. And the reason I think so is this:</p> - -<p>"It was late in the evening when I got to the fort, and as the doctor -would not start out that same night, I went over to the city; as I -could not bear to sit still while thinking of the danger you might -be in. It was raining, and feeling cold and chilly, I stepped into a -saloon to get a drink, when I met a man who was just a-coming out.</p> - -<p>"I was so astonished that you could have knocked me down with a -wheat-straw, for I would have sworn he was none other than <i>John -Dement</i>! But while I stood there, he slipped out, and when I started -after him, he was gone. I hunted for an hour, but without success; I -could not find him again."</p> - -<p>"And there was no mistake?" anxiously asked Nora.</p> - -<p>"There <i>may</i> have been. I might have been deceived, and took some other -person for him. If it <i>was</i> Dement, he had his whiskers colored black, -and his hair trimmed, and of the same color. But I caught his full eye, -and you know it is not a common one."</p> - -<p>"Yes, it makes me think of a rattlesnake's," shuddered the maiden.</p> - -<p>"Well, even if he is innocent about the murder, there is the other -charge," added McGuire.</p> - -<p>"But that may be false, too."</p> - -<p>"I don't think so. And yet," he added, after a slight pause, "he didn't -act like a guilty man. I thought it was bravado, then, but now it seems -more like the fearlessness of an honest man."</p> - -<p>Nora did not answer, although strongly tempted to do so, for fear she -would reveal more than was prudent, and in a short time both retired.</p> - -<p>A little after noon, on the next day, had Neil McGuire glanced up from -his work back of the house and looked almost due west, he would have -seen the trim, dainty form of his daughter, as she disappeared in the -woods, accompanied by aunt Eunice. And perhaps his mind would have been -still more perturbed had he witnessed the fervor with which a certain -stalwart, handsome man embraced Nora, while her antiquated duenna -placidly stared at the bushy top of a neighboring tree.</p> - -<p>Whatever it was aunt Eunice saw, it must have been very interesting, -for there she stared, and never once looked around until her name -was called. Then she seated herself at a little distance from the -lovers, pulling out from her pocket a huge stocking, that could only -be intended for one person in the settlement, unless worn upon both -feet at once, industriously knitting, as deaf now as she had been blind -before.</p> - -<p>Who says she never had been young?</p> - -<p>We need record but one passage in the conversation, as the remainder -was foreign to our purpose.</p> - -<p>"Well, pet, I will explain what your father meant when alluding to my -leaving Kentucky. It is true, I did leave there to save my life, much -as I fled from here, although matters had not gone quite so far then.</p> - -<p>"When I was but a child, my father was accused—falsely, as I ever -will maintain, although I have no proof—of belonging to Sturdevant's -gang of counterfeiters and horse-thieves. He was arrested and thrown -into prison, but he never had a trial. A band of disguised men forced -the jail, and taking him from his cell, proceeded to a grove some four -miles distant, and hung him like a dog!</p> - -<p>"It was nearly a month before the remains were found, by a man hunting -cattle, and then, after his burial, my mother sickened, dying within -the same year. I was but eleven years old then, and although so young, -these fearful events made me desperate.</p> - -<p>"The neighbors all looked upon me as a sort of outcast, and taught -their children to shun me as though I were a moral pest. This did not -help me much, and as I grew older, I was taunted and hooted at, for my -father's <i>crime</i>!</p> - -<p>"But, as my muscles grew, they found this fast becoming a dangerous -sport, for I bitterly resented every insult, even from those twice and -thrice my own age. I had no relations, not even a friend to lean upon, -or to whom I could turn for aid or counsel. And thus I grew up.</p> - -<p>"I admit being wild and reckless; but I can honestly say that I never -once committed a mean or criminal deed. And yet I was often accused -in whispers, of being both a counterfeiter and a horse-thief! Almost -any one would have left the place in disgust; but I did not. The only -beings that I had ever loved were lying in the little yard back of our -house.</p> - -<p>"I often, when my trials had been unusually bitter, have spent the -livelong night beside the graves of my parents, sobbing as if my -heart would break; and it is to those sacred influences alone that I -attribute my remaining clear of a life of crime—that I did not yield -to the temptations presented to me of living a wild, free life.</p> - -<p>"Well, I was at length openly arrested, but as I managed to escape -before trial, I never learned who was my accuser. It would have been -almost certain death to remain there then, as I had no friends who -could assist me to clear myself, and so I fled.</p> - -<p>"I went to Arkansas, near Merton, and for a time all went well. I -entered a homestead, and for several years I worked diligently on it; -and then sold it for a fair price, intending to open a store. But my -enemies followed me even there, and the same suspicions were noised -about. I was avoided by all respectable persons as though I had the -plague.</p> - -<p>"In disgust I left the place, and from that time until I came here, -I wandered far and near, living an aimless life until I thought I -had once more eluded my pursuers. But you have seen how sadly I was -mistaken; and here, just as life was brightest, the same rumors were -whispered abroad, the old charges were brought up against me. I was -seized and flogged like a dog!"</p> - -<p>"Poor Clay!" murmured Nora, through the tears called forth by the sad -history of her lover's life, as she clasped his hand in hers, as if to -still further testify her boundless faith in his truth and honesty.</p> - -<p>"Yes, but I go no further. I have found <i>you</i>, and now I have an -additional incentive to clear myself, and baffle my secret enemy, -whoever he may be. But how?—that is the question."</p> - -<p>After some further conversation, and an appointment being made for -another meeting, the lovers separated, Nora and Eunice returning to the -house, while Poynter walked rapidly away toward his own building.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2> - -<h3>A DELECTABLE CONFAB.</h3> - - -<p>After leaving Nora, Poynter walked swiftly in the direction of his own -house, that had been closed ever since aunt Eunice had been called in -to attend Nora during her sickness. But he kept a good look-out as he -proceeded, lest he should be discovered by some of those kind friends -whose hospitality he had abandoned so hastily, a few days before. For -he well knew that if seen and recognized, a hue and cry would be raised -that might end disastrously, as several hours yet remained of daylight.</p> - -<p>He had found a secure refuge with the outlaw band who had rescued -him from the power of the vigilance committee, where he resolved to -remain until his plans for the future were fully matured, at the urgent -request of the leader. This man had evinced a strong interest in -Poynter, and pledged his own as well as the assistance of the band, if -it should prove necessary, in any way.</p> - -<p>Just as Poynter was about to cross the crest of a hill, he heard the -quick thud of a horse's hoofs coming at full speed upon the opposite -side of the rise, and darted at once into the thicket of bushes upon -the left side of the road. Cautiously parting the leafy screen, so that -he could observe the extreme summit of the rise, Poynter awaited the -horseman's approach.</p> - -<p>Scarcely had he done so when the rider rose the crest, and drawing -rein, paused and glanced around him. With a half-surprised curse, -Poynter raised his heavy rifle, while the sharp click sounded clear -and distinct, as the hammer was sprung back; but then he lowered it.</p> - -<p>"The lying dog! For a cent I'd plug him, if only to save 'Judge Lynch' -a job."</p> - -<p>The horse and rider were standing out in bold relief against the clear -sky, but still the ambushed fugitive could tell that Polk Redlaw, the -half-breed, stood before him. Although strongly tempted to punish his -treacherous foe, Poynter withheld his hand, lest he should get still -further entangled in the wiles of his secret enemy.</p> - -<p>Redlaw appeared to be expecting some one, as Clay judged from his -manner, and after a few minutes' waiting, he placed his fingers to his -mouth, and blew a shrill, piercing blast, that echoed from point to -point before dying down to nothing. Scarcely had the sounds ceased, -when a second peal came whistling along the ridge, as if in answer; -to which Polk replied, and then dismounted as if satisfied, standing -beside his noble-looking horse, idly smoothing the long, flowing mane.</p> - -<p>In a few moments a second man appeared upon foot, with his long rifle -carried at a trail, and the two men greeted each other as if greatly -pleased at the meeting. Again the steely glitter shone in Poynter's -eyes, while he bit his lips fiercely as if to repress his emotions, -when he recognized the new-comer.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" he gritted, as he crouched forward. "Wesley Sprowl! There's -deviltry on foot when such men meet together, and by all that's good, -I'll scent it out!"</p> - -<p>The two men now plunged into a little side-trail, Redlaw leading his -horse, and no sooner had they disappeared than Poynter retreated until -around the bend, where he glided across the road, and in a few moments -struck their trail; keeping just without the path, where, if by any -chance the men he was dogging should glance back, he would be out of -sight.</p> - -<p>They proceeded leisurely enough, and he had no difficulty in keeping -within ear-shot of the horse's tread, while his own footsteps were -deadened upon the moist soil. After proceeding thus for nearly half a -mile, the two men paused, and slipping the bit from his horse's mouth, -Polk Redlaw allowed it to feed at will while he and Sprowl seated -themselves upon the greensward beneath a huge oak tree.</p> - -<p>Poynter, by dint of cautious creeping, managed to gain a dense clump -of bushes at only a few yards in the rear of their position, where -he crouched down with his weapons ready for instant use, in case he -should be discovered. But they gave no sign of suspecting an intruder, -and conversed in an easy, careless style, very much to Poynter's -edification. The first of this he missed, owing to the task he had to -perform, but then he listened intently.</p> - -<p>"Well," Polk Redlaw was saying, "they did not suspect any person was -following them, although I kept them in sight the entire distance. And -that was no slouch of a job either, for they were in a lope most of the -way, and I began to be pretty well blown before they gave any signs of -halting.</p> - -<p>"But then they paused and a signal was sounded; and from the reply I -knew that I had dogged them home. And I was right, for in another ten -minutes the whole crowd was gathered in a huddle, unsaddling their -horses, while a dozen or so more were building fires as if the entire -country belonged to them.</p> - -<p>"I lay low, taking notes, and I saw enough in the next hour to satisfy -me that I had really tracked them to the den of the horse-thieves; for -there were several tents and regular fireplaces fixed up, while the -ground was tramped hard and dry."</p> - -<p>"And where was that?" inquired Sprowl, curiously.</p> - -<p>"Well, you'll let it go no further, of course," added Redlaw, after -a slight pause. "You know where Han Hooker killed the big bear, last -fall? near the 'Turkey branch'? Just due west along the creek about a -quarter, is the spot.</p> - -<p>"But as I was spying around, a cursed dog somehow got scent of me, -and as I saw him circling around, I lit out, for if they had found me -there, the d—l himself couldn't 'a' saved my hide. I cut sticks in a -hurry, as I got out of their hearing, but the brute took my trail, and -in a few moments I could hear him coming, hot foot, growling like a -painter.</p> - -<p>"I was afraid to burn powder, so I just hunkered down behind a big -rock, and drew my butcher. As the imp turned the corner, I grabbed his -nose and twisted him down; then a cut or two and <i>he</i> was quiet enough.</p> - -<p>"But I'd seen enough, so I started for home, with the dog on my -shoulder—for I was afraid to leave him where the knife-cuts might -'a' told tales—and carried him until at a safe distance, when I -dropped him over the bank into the creek. And there my infernal luck -still followed me, for his claw caught in my shirt and over I went, -head-first, plump onto the rocks.</p> - -<p>"Luckily my head took the dog for a pillow, and only got a little -bruised and stunned like; but when I came to I found that my right -ankle was either broken or badly sprained. I managed to climb up to the -level, although every motion nearly made me yell out, but there I was -stuck!</p> - -<p>"I knew that if my life depended upon it, I could not have got to the -town, as I was, and so I lay there, thinking what to do next. At last I -slid down the bank, cut off a hind quarter of the dog, and then managed -to drag myself to the "Hole-in-the-wall"—you remember?—where I lay -until this morning.</p> - -<p>"The dog-meat kept me, and although toward the last it wasn't overly -sweet eating, raw at that, I managed to worry it down; for hunger is -just a little the best sauce I know of. The last bite I just shut my -eyes and thought it was a roasted wild turkey, and it tasted so natural -that I actually began to gobble!" declared Polk with an oath.</p> - -<p>"Bah!"</p> - -<p>"Fact. But this morning, two hours by sun, I saw a horse—that one -yonder, it was—straying along the branch, and as he was tame I managed -to catch him; rigged a halter from a piece of lime-bark, and lit out -for town, where I got, safe and sound, after giving you the hint to -meet me here."</p> - -<p>"Well, what'd you want, anyhow?" asked Sprowl.</p> - -<p>"In a moment. You see I told old Reeves about the hole I'd found, -and offered to guide him to it, after dark, to-night. So he sent out -messengers, and by this time the <i>vigilantes</i> are all up to snuff.</p> - -<p>"You may be called on to help, but if so, I want you to play sick; have -a thundering shake, or something of the sort."</p> - -<p>"Just what I'd 'a' done anyhow," dryly responded Sprowl. "I have no -notion of running my head into the hands of that cursed Poynter. -Meagreson didn't pay me for <i>that</i>."</p> - -<p>"Well then, you'd just as lieve make a 'double sawbuck' as not, if by -doing so you spite Poynter and run no risks?"</p> - -<p>"Twenty dollars?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. And for half an hour's work."</p> - -<p>"Wouldn't I? Why the old man only gave me a hundred for swearing -against Poynter—Hello! what's that?" he added, starting to his feet, -and looking toward the bushes where Poynter was concealed.</p> - -<p>The latter had given a sudden start, as he caught the hint dropped by -Sprowl, that could only refer to the charge of murder that had been -brought against him. But who was this Meagreson, or the "old man?"</p> - -<p>"Bah!" grunted Polk, lazily turning his head, "don't get scart at your -own shadow. I heard it too, but it's only my horse."</p> - -<p>"Sure?"</p> - -<p>"Thunder! yes. Come. I'm in a hurry. Will you earn the money?"</p> - -<p>"That depends," replied the other, as he reseated himself, "upon what -it is."</p> - -<p>"Well, I know you'll never peach—"</p> - -<p>"Of course not!"</p> - -<p>"I know it," dryly added Redlaw; "it wouldn't be healthy. But I want -you to be sick when the crowd starts to-night, and then after about two -hours—say about midnight—you must get up and set the house yonder, on -fire."</p> - -<p>"What!"</p> - -<p>"Set the house of Clay Poynter on fire—isn't that plain enough? Never -you mind what for—that's my own affair. It's enough that I've good -reasons, and when I come back, I'll tell you. Will you do it?"</p> - -<p>"Its a risky job—" hesitated Sprowl.</p> - -<p>"No it isn't, either. But, yes or no, because if you won't, there's -others—"</p> - -<p>"Enough! I'll do it. But cash down, you know," leered Sprowl.</p> - -<p>"Do you doubt my honor?" exclaimed the villainous mongrel.</p> - -<p>"Not in the least," coolly responded his colleague, "but it's my way of -doing business."</p> - -<p>"Well, there's half of it. The rest I'll hand you in the morning."</p> - -<p>"But supposing you should get rubbed out to-night?" suggested Sprowl.</p> - -<p>"Curse your croaking!" hotly exclaimed Redlaw, thrusting out another -bill. "There; will that do?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; but say, isn't it a good joke upon old Meagreson that he has been -paying us all to prove this Poynter a counterfeiter and murderer, while -all the time he really belonged to the gang?" chuckled Sprowl.</p> - -<p>"Bet ye! But come now, old fellow," added Redlaw, insinuatingly, "who -is the old coon, anyhow? I know you can tell a fellow, if you will."</p> - -<p>"Maybe I will, when you tell me what for you want the house fired," -significantly answered Sprowl.</p> - -<p>"Well, give me an idee, anyhow," urged Polk. "I'll tell you to-morrow, -sure."</p> - -<p>"Honest?"</p> - -<p>"I said so, didn't I?" sharply.</p> - -<p>"Well, don't get your back up about it and I will give you a hint, -anyhow. You see, I knew him in Kentucky, and again in Illinois, where -he helped run the business, after Sturdevant—"</p> - -<p>"What!"</p> - -<p>"Fact. I done a little in that line myself, on the sly, and we were -thrown together consid'able, as he furnished the "queer." But I got the -pull on him in a little scrape in which a certain man named Duaber, was -concerned.</p> - -<p>"There was a love-affair mixed up with it, I believe, and while -Meagreson got the sack, Duaber got the girl. So a lot of charges were -trumped up, much as we've served this Poynter, you know, only it ended -in the poor devil's being lynched in earnest.</p> - -<p>"He was taken from jail and hung by a gang spurred on by the old man, -although he was not present at the deed. I gained a cool thousand in -square money for it, and all went off smoothly. But I thought he was -dead until he came here, found me out, gave me some money, and got me -to play the same trick over again."</p> - -<p>"I wonder what his reasons were, anyhow," mused Polk. "I'd give a -five-spot to know," he added, covertly glancing at Sprowl.</p> - -<p>"You will?"</p> - -<p>"If it's honest, I wouldn't mind."</p> - -<p>"I know what you're up to," nodded the other, "but if you'll promise me -not to breathe a word or hint of who told you, to <i>anybody</i>, I'll tell -you!"</p> - -<p>"You know—or should know by this time, that I never split on a friend."</p> - -<p>"That's so, Polk, and if you'll shell out, I'll tell you in a cat's -whisper."</p> - -<p>"Here you are; but no shenanigan, now," replied Polk, handing the bill -to his comrade.</p> - -<p>"Honor bright! Well, then, this Clay Poynter, as he calls himself, is -in reality none other than Henry Duaber the son of James Duaber, who -was hung on a false charge by the vigilance committee!"</p> - -<p>"Whew!" echoed Polk Redlaw, with a long-drawn breath of astonishment. -"I begin to see into it now. And the old man hates the son for the -father's sake!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, that's just it. And as you've acted on the square, so far, I -don't mind telling that he is the same one who has hunted this young -fellow from pillar to post, ever since he was a little shaver," said -Sprowl, confidentially.</p> - -<p>"I'd rather have his friendship than his hatred, then," laughed Polk. -"When's he coming back, do you know?"</p> - -<p>"Not yet awhile. It'd spoil the whole thing, you see, if 'John Dement' -should come to life again before Poynter was nailed."</p> - -<p>"But it seems to me that you'll be in a bad box, my friend, if it is -found out that you swore to a lie."</p> - -<p>"Oh, that's easy patched up. Besides, the men will be so cut up and -ashamed at being greened so, that they'll be glad enough to let the -matter drop, and as for the <i>law</i>, I'd die of old age before that could -or would do anything here," sneered Sprowl.</p> - -<p>"Well, that's your look-out, not mine. But we'd better be moving. Catch -my horse for me, won't you?—this cursed ankle is sore yet."</p> - -<p>In a few moments the mongrel was mounted, and paused to add:</p> - -<p>"Now mind you play your part. And not before eleven, anyhow, as if the -glow should be seen too soon, the men will turn back, thinking it some -of theirs."</p> - -<p>"All right. But you send around for me; it'll look better. I'll go -home now and begin shaking," and with a loud laugh the two precious -scoundrels separated, each man going his own way.</p> - -<p>Scarcely had they disappeared when Clay Poynter emerged from his -ambush, and stood for a moment, trembling with anger. His face pale and -stern-set, his eyes glittering with bluish sheen of polished steel; his -breath came hot and heavy from betwixt his tightly-clenched teeth.</p> - -<p>Truly, he had good cause for being wrathy, and for feeling thoughtful, -too, in the revelations so complacently made by Wesley Sprowl.</p> - -<p>But he did not pause long; then throwing his rifle across his shoulder, -he struck through the woods at a rapid pace, heading his course toward -the rendezvous of "White Crees," the leader of the band who had rescued -him from the "Twin Sycamores."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER IX.</h2> - -<h3>THE INCENDIARY.</h3> - - -<p>It was some time after dark before Clay Poynter neared the rendezvous -of the border outlaws, despite the speed at which he traveled. But he -was in time, and after satisfying the sentinel of his identity, he -hastened at once to the presence of "White Crees," as his aged friend -was universally termed by his men and comrades.</p> - -<p>He was lying at full length upon the ground, one elbow propping his -head as he gazed thoughtfully into the fire, crackling merrily before -him. There was a kind of half-frown upon his face and a fiery gleam in -his full black eyes, that told Poynter he was unusually excited about -something.</p> - -<p>"Well, sir, what is it?" quickly asked Crees, as he raised his head at -the young man's approach.</p> - -<p>"Bad news, I fear. This retreat is known—"</p> - -<p>"The devil!"</p> - -<p>"Yes; and you will be attacked to-night by the vigilance committee, in -full force," coolly rejoined Poynter.</p> - -<p>"Bad enough, I must say. But are you certain?"</p> - -<p>"If hearing the entire plan, detailed by the man that found you out, is -enough, I am."</p> - -<p>"So—so!" muttered the outlaw chief.</p> - -<p>"Well, your decision," impatiently said Clay, "what is it?"</p> - -<p>"We must run for it. Not but that we are strong enough to stand our -ground, if such a course would be prudent, but we must tread lightly. -The country is hot enough now, and a collision, where blood would be -shed, must be avoided."</p> - -<p>"Very well, then; I want one man for duty concerning myself, as a sort -of witness. Can I have him?"</p> - -<p>"A dozen, if you say so," was the cordial reply. "Who is he?"</p> - -<p>"Jack Fyffe."</p> - -<p>"Hyar I be, square, an' mighty glad ef I kin help ye any."</p> - -<p>"Then saddle our horses as quick as possible, please. If I had time," -again turning to the outlaw leader, "I would explain, as I have much to -tell; but some other time must do. Things are working around a little, -and I may come out right side up after all."</p> - -<p>"Good! and I, too, have done a good job to-day."</p> - -<p>"So? Where'll we find you?"</p> - -<p>"Tell Jack to lead you to the north side of "Bald Hill," where the -branch cuts through the "Wildcat Range." He knows it well."</p> - -<p>"Well, I must be off, and the sooner <i>you</i> are, the better. It's nearly -ten o'clock now, and they'll be along by one, at the latest."</p> - -<p>"So they may," laughed the outlaw, "but thanks to your warning, they'll -find little to satisfy their appetite. Remember, 'Bald Hill.'"</p> - -<p>"All right!" and then the young man vaulted into the saddle as Fyffe -led up the horses, and the two men dashed rapidly along the road.</p> - -<p>"Now Jack, old fellow," cried Poynter, "we must ride as if the -'gentleman in black' was at our horses' tails, or we'll be too late."</p> - -<p>"Whar to?"</p> - -<p>"My house. Do you know a path that we can go, so as to avoid meeting -our friends who'll take the main road?"</p> - -<p>"Bet ye! It's rough ridin' though, but bein's it's shorter, 'twon't -take no longer. What's the biz?"</p> - -<p>Thereupon Poynter succinctly stated what he had heard while -eavesdropping the two precious scoundrels, adding:</p> - -<p>"It isn't that I care so much for the house, but we must take that -Sprowl a prisoner. He knows enough to clear me, and if he can prove -what he said, to bring this Dement or Meagreson to justice; and that's -just my hand, now."</p> - -<p>"We'll do it! Ef not in the act, we'll nab him at his own shanty. Then -a taste o' the med'cin' 'at they gi'n you'll bring 'im to tarms, I -reckon. Leastwise we kin try it. Meagreson, ye said?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; do you know him?"</p> - -<p>"Oh no, I guess not! Lord, won't the ol' man be glad!"</p> - -<p>"Crees, do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Look out! Hyar's the cut-off. Foller me cluss an' look out for yur -head."</p> - -<p>They now diverged from the road, into a path just allowing one horse -to pass at a time, and the riders were forced to stoop low along their -horses' necks to keep from being struck by the low-hanging limbs. This -fact effectually put a stop to all conversation, for the time being.</p> - -<p>Presently the ground grew more open, although they still continued in -single file, and as they rose the crest of a hill, Fyffe exclaimed, in -a glad tone:</p> - -<p>"It's all hunky so fur, anyhow, square. Ef it stays so fer ten minutes -longer, we'll save 'em both."</p> - -<p>"Are we so near, then?"</p> - -<p>"Leetle better 'n a mile. See, thar's the branch."</p> - -<p>"Good! I know where we are now. Spur along; we've no time to lose."</p> - -<p>In less than the time named the horsemen drew rein at the western -fence of the yard, and speedily hitching the animals, they stealthily -advanced until the rear of the house was gained. After pausing for -a moment to listen, and hearing nothing suspicious, they made the -circuit of the building; thus satisfying themselves that the would-be -incendiary had not yet arrived.</p> - -<p>"We're in good time, Jack," whispered Poynter, joyfully, "and 'll get -him yet. Do you hide here in front, and I'll do the same behind. If you -need help, whistle and I'll come."</p> - -<p>"Help, ag'in' <i>thet</i> little or'nary cuss? Bah! I'd take him 'ith one -finger."</p> - -<p>"So much the better, then. But look sharp."</p> - -<p>"Shall I nab 'im as soon as I see him?"</p> - -<p>"No; I guess we'd better let him start a blaze first. Then he can't -deny but what that was his intention. Yes, that's the best way."</p> - -<p>"All right then. Better lumber down, though, fer ef he shed cotch a -glimpse o' either on us, it's all played," cautioned Fyffe.</p> - -<p>This advice was too good not to be followed, and in a moment more, all -was still and silent about the premises. Poynter's mind was greatly -excited, as well it might be, at the facts he had learned on that -day; and as the gloomy prospect that had spread over his future began -to lighten, a thousand air-castles were built, over all of which the -pleasing form of Nora McGuire, his little rosy Irish lass, reigned as -queen—need we state who was the king?</p> - -<p>But he was suddenly aroused from his reverie, by the light tramp of -a man's feet, and glancing up, he saw a dim, shadow-like figure, -cautiously approaching the house, at a little to his left. From his -position, close beside the slightly elevated porch that stood in the -rear of the kitchen, the door of which led out upon it, Poynter was -perfectly hidden, while yet he could quite plainly note the intruder's -every movement.</p> - -<p>This person lightly stepped upon the porch, and cautiously tried the -door, but it was fastened. Then he went to one of the rear windows, and -after a slight effort, raised it; then propping it up with a stick, -drew himself through the aperture.</p> - -<p>Listening intently, Poynter heard him groping around the room, and then -after a few moments' silence, he saw a faint, flickering light spring -up. Gliding to the window, he peered through, and saw Wesley Sprowl -igniting a short piece of tallow-dip by the aid of a match.</p> - -<p>Poynter knew now that he had his game secure, and crept around the -building, where he was met by Jack Fyffe, who had been alarmed by the -slight noise, and was just coming around to investigate it.</p> - -<p>"Is it him?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," whispered Poynter, "but we must let him start the fire first, -before we interrupt him. Then as I jump through the window, do you -burst in the back door and put out the blaze. I'll 'tend to him."</p> - -<p>"Jest as you say, square; on'y I'd like to gi'n the varmint a squoze, -like, jest for beans," grunted Fyffe, as he followed Poynter around the -building.</p> - -<p>They could still see the light, and hear an increased rattling in the -room, and cautiously peering in at one corner of the window, the two -men saw the incendiary splitting fine kindlings with the knife he had -drawn from his belt. Poynter could scarcely restrain his passion, at -noting how coolly and deliberately the dastardly scoundrel set about -his work; but the pressure of Jack Fyffe's hand upon his arm, recalled -his presence of mind.</p> - -<p>When a little pile of the shavings were made Sprowl piled over them -some splinters of wood that lay beside the kitchen-stove, and then -applied the lighted candle to the heap. It instantly ignited, the tiny -blaze creeping along, thrusting out its forked tongue like a serpent; -at which the incendiary gave a chuckle of delight, and rising, dropped -a chair over the fire.</p> - -<p>He next grasped the table, with the same intention, but Poynter had -seen enough, and drawing himself up by the arms, he dropped lightly -through the window—the noise made by Sprowl in dragging the table -effectually drowning his footsteps. One stride, and the large, muscular -right hand of Clay Poynter tightly clasped the villain by the neck, -compressing it as if in a vice.</p> - -<p>Jack Fyffe was in no wise behindhand, but speedily followed his leader -through the open window, thinking that better than to demolish the -door, especially as there was no particularly urgent call for haste; -and with a few shoves of his huge foot, kicked the brands into the -capacious fireplace, it having done no damage, save slightly scorching -the chairs and floor.</p> - -<p>"It may be fun to you, square, da'say <i>'tis</i>, but ef you 'xpects to git -any 'fessions outen thet critter, you'd do well to let up a little," -admonished Jack, as he bent forward to peer into the face of the -prisoner.</p> - -<p>And there was ample foundation for his warning, for in his rage at -the cowardly miscreant's action, Poynter threw the whole power of his -arm into the grasp, and Sprowl was already senseless. His eyes were -widely protruding, and his open mouth and lolling tongue, together with -his rapidly-blackening, distorted features, rendered him a horrible, -repulsive sight.</p> - -<p>"You're right, Jack," said Poynter, as he relaxed his grip and suffered -Sprowl to drop upon the floor, then bending over him, he poured a -little brandy down his throat, although Jack grumbled at the sacrilege.</p> - -<p>In a few moments Sprowl had recovered sufficiently to sit up, -thoroughly bewildered at the sudden reverse he had experienced. But -his captors did not give him time to ponder over it, or ask questions, -as it was growing late, and for obvious reasons they did not care to -remain longer than was absolutely necessary in the neighborhood.</p> - -<p>So, after securely binding the incendiary's hands behind his back, the -two men, highly elated at their complete success, led the way to where -the horses were hitched.</p> - -<p>"You're the lightest, Jack," said Poynter; "better take him up behind -you on the horse."</p> - -<p>"Durn the thief!" growled Fyffe, "let 'im tramp it; 't'll do him good."</p> - -<p>"So he might; but there's no telling whom we may meet, and I won't lose -him now. But if you object, he can ride with me."</p> - -<p>"I didn't think o' that, square. Jest you hyste him up arter I mount."</p> - -<p>This was speedily done, and Sprowl secured to the body of his captor, -thus effectually preventing all hopes of an escape. Then leaving the -premises they entered the road, proceeding at a moderate pace, as they -were not desirous of arousing any of the neighbors who might chance to -be at home.</p> - -<p>For a couple of hours they rode on without halting, when they both drew -rein simultaneously, bending forward in the saddles, and listening -eagerly. It was a sharp, clear report, followed by what appeared an -irregular volley of small-arms, resounding all about them as if an -entire army was engaged in battle.</p> - -<p>But the two men were far too well versed in the peculiarities of that -portion of the country not to know that it was but the multiplied -reverberations of the one first shot.</p> - -<p>"Listen!" exclaimed Poynter, guardedly, "don't you hear the click of -shoes upon the stones?"</p> - -<p>"Y'ur right, by the 'tarnal! It's the <i>vigilantys</i>, I reckon. Better -kiver."</p> - -<p>"To the left," muttered Poynter, leading the way. "Hold the reins while -I keep the horses from neighing. And mark you, Sprowl, those are your -friends, but if you utter so much as a whisper, by the God above me, I -will shoot you like a dog! You know I keep my word. They may hunt us, -but it would be too late to do <i>you</i> any good!" hissed the young man as -he passed by the prisoner.</p> - -<p>They were scarcely a dozen feet from the road, upon a little lower -ground, from whence they could have a clear view of anybody passing -by. There was no moon, and the dense growth of underbrush close behind -them, added to the dark color of their horses, rendered discovery very -improbable, if not impossible.</p> - -<p>Poynter stood by the animals' heads, one hand upon the muzzle of each, -to check any inclination they might feel for whickering during the -passage of the horsemen. They had not long to wait.</p> - -<p>Scarcely had these precautions been taken, when the foremost man came -in sight, and then the main body. Their oaths and curses, if nothing -else, would have identified them as the band of <i>vigilantes</i>, returning -from an unsuccessful search for the outlaws, thanks to Poynter's timely -warning.</p> - -<p>After waiting a few minutes, until satisfied that the entire band had -passed, the ambushed men again entered the road, proceeding for some -little distance in silence. Then Clay spoke:</p> - -<p>"Those fellows weren't in the best of humor, eh, Jack?"</p> - -<p>"Not overly much. Wal, it shows 'at the boys got cl'ar, anyhow. But -see, hyar's the cut-off."</p> - -<p>"Leading to Bald Hill?"</p> - -<p>"Yas," and Fyffe led the way along a narrow, irregular path.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER X.</h2> - -<h3>SPROWL TOES THE MARK.</h3> - - -<p>In less than half an hour the tall, rocky crest of "Bald Hill" reared -its gray head before the men, and Poynter gave vent to a sigh of relief -as he saw that the tiresome ride was nearly at an end. Having traveled -the distance four times, twice upon foot, and once on a dead run, he -was greatly exhausted, and so sleepy that he could scarcely keep his -eyes open.</p> - -<p>The outlaws were upon the alert, as the quick, sharp challenge -testified when the outer lines were reached. Dismounting with a -half-groan, Poynter relieved Fyffe of his "backload," and after -securely binding the man, dropped him upon the ground, asking the -sentry to keep an eye upon him. Then Poynter threw himself beneath a -tree, and almost ere his limbs were still, a fast-increasing rumbling, -as of very distant thunder, told how sound was his slumber.</p> - -<p>The sun was an hour above the horizon when Poynter again opened his -eyes, although he declared he hadn't five winks of sleep. But after a -cool bath at the creek close at hand, he felt greatly refreshed, and -joined White Crees, who was sitting near one of the fires, smoking a -pipe.</p> - -<p>"Up for all day, Poynter?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I hardly know, to tell the truth," laughed Clay. "I can tell you -better after I have some grub."</p> - -<p>"There's part of a cold turkey, or here's venison; take your choice."</p> - -<p>"Hot meat for me, even if I do have to turn cook to get it," said -Poynter, cutting several generous slices from the prime saddle that -hung suspended from a tree near at hand. "But, hello, I forgot! What -has been done with my prisoner that I brought in last night, or, -rather, this morning?"</p> - -<p>"I put him in a safe place," returned the outlaw. "The poor devil was -nearly dead this morning. You put him with his head down hill, and I -really believe that another hour would have finished him."</p> - -<p>"'Twouldn't be a very great pity," muttered Poynter, his mouth full of -meat, "after I have got out of him what I want to know. And that makes -me think—where's Jack?"</p> - -<p>"Off on a hunt, I believe; a gang of turkeys passed down the creek this -morning, and he's after them. But why?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing; only from a hint that he dropped last night about one -Meagreson—"</p> - -<p>"What! <i>Meagreson</i>, did you say?" excitedly exclaimed the outlaw, -bending forward, clutching Poynter with his long, bony fingers by the -arm, until the young man winced with pain.</p> - -<p>"Thunder! yes, but I ain't made of wood, nor steel either. Do you want -to take off my arm?"</p> - -<p>"Pardon, Poynter; but that name made me forget myself. Where did <i>you</i> -hear of <i>him</i>?"</p> - -<p>"From Sprowl; he told Polk Redlaw a long yarn yesterday that I -overheard, and enough in it to show me that my secret foe was this -Meagreson, or John Dement, as he called himself here."</p> - -<p>"Tell me all, just as he said it. I have good reasons for wanting to -hear it," added the outlaw, impressively.</p> - -<p>Poynter gave a hasty outline, and to his great surprise Crees bowed his -head to the earth, his strong form working and writhing as if in mortal -agony. But when he would have stopped, a hoarsely-whispered "<i>Go on</i>" -from the old man was his only answer.</p> - -<p>"And now you know as much as I do," added Clay, arising. "But come, -show me where you put Sprowl, and I will see if he can tell me any -thing more."</p> - -<p>Crees arose without a word, and passed a short distance up the -hillside, pressing through some bushes until he stood at the foot of -a good-sized tree, in a tiny glade. To the trunk of this, and in an -upright position, was bound the form of the wretched Sprowl.</p> - -<p>Poynter started back in half-alarm at the fearful change a few hours -had made in the man's appearance. Dreadfully haggard and sickly -looking, with his eyes protruding, his tongue lolling from his parched -jaws, the drops of cold sweat rolling over his face, Sprowl looked as -if about to give up the ghost in earnest.</p> - -<p>"My God! he's dying," cried Poynter, as he sprung forward and severed -the cords that bound the poor devil, laying him down upon the ground.</p> - -<p>"Give me your flask; mine's empty," as he turned to Crees, who silently -handed it to him, while his eyes were fixed intently upon the wretch's -face.</p> - -<p>A few swallows were poured down Sprowl's throat, and thus bathing his -face and neck with the pungent liquor, Poynter soon uttered a glad cry. -In truth, the patient appeared to be recovering, and in a few minutes -the light of reason once more shone in his eyes.</p> - -<p>"I know that man," slowly ejaculated Crees, not once removing his gaze, -that appeared to attract the other's attention much the same as the -fascination exercised by the rattlesnake.</p> - -<p>"My God! who are you?" almost yelled the wretch, as he suddenly sat up, -staring at Crees, wildly.</p> - -<p>"Who should know better than you, Wesley Sprowl?" sternly said the -outlaw.</p> - -<p>"I know you now. You are—"</p> - -<p>"Hold!" commanded Crees, "that name is dead now. If you as much as -whisper it before I tell you, by all that's holy I'll treat you as I -would a snake! Do you understand?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir," faltered Sprowl, once more sinking back.</p> - -<p>"Here," interrupted Poynter, checking this by-play, that not a little -excited his curiosity. "Here, Sprowl, take another sup of brandy. I -want you to answer me some questions, and you'll need your strength -before we're through."</p> - -<p>"Yes—yes—the brandy!" eagerly muttered the prisoner, clutching at the -bottle, and not drawing breath until it was emptied. "There! now I can -talk; only I am hungry," he added, wistfully.</p> - -<p>"Well, I will get you something, for I am going to treat you a deuced -sight better than you deserve, after your lies about me."</p> - -<p>"They <i>were</i> lies, all of them; but I will confess—yes, I will -confess!"</p> - -<p>"Just stick to that, old fellow, and my word for it, you'll never have -cause to repent doing so," cheerily replied Poynter. "Now, Mr. Crees, -if you'll just stay here to keep our friend company, like, I'll go get -something for him to eat."</p> - -<p>"Gladly; for I, too, have something to ask Mr. Sprowl," returned the -outlaw. "And, if you will, please give a whistle when you come back; -won't you?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly, if you wish it."</p> - -<p>"I do. But don't be offended," he added, appealingly. "I will explain -it all to you soon. And any thing else that may appear strange, that -you wish to know. Will that do?"</p> - -<p>"Finely," cordially replied Poynter, pressing his strange friend's -hand, and then dashing down the hillside to the encampment-fires.</p> - -<p>He cut some venison steaks, and soon had them broiling merrily, after -which he prepared hot water for coffee, and stirred up a "hoe-cake," -standing it upon a strip of elm-bark to bake before the glowing embers. -Evidently he meant to keep his word to Sprowl, of treating that worthy -better than he deserved.</p> - -<p>When his cookery was completed, Poynter gave the desired signal, and -when he reached the tree found that the outlaw was sitting in the same -spot, while Sprowl had bowed his head between his hands, evidently -deeply moved by some emotion, either of fear or remorse. But the young -man quelled the curiosity he felt, for he knew that Crees' word might -be trusted, and that ere long all would be explained.</p> - -<p>"Well, old fellow, here you are," cheerily cried Poynter, as he placed -the food and drink before Sprowl, with not a trace of rancor in his -tones. "And do you see how fast you can demolish them, while I do a -little talking. But mind you, don't answer before you've weighed well -what you say, as you may have to swear to it. Do you hear?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir, I do hear, and so help me God, I'll tell the honest truth if -it hangs me!" solemnly exclaimed the prisoner. "You treat me and talk -to me like a gentleman, while I have treated you and yours worse than a -dog. I shall say nothing but the truth, and if it must be, will swear -to it before any court."</p> - -<p>"Now I begin to know you again," cried Clay, gladly; "and I tell you -that, guilty as you have been, unless you have helped commit one deed—"</p> - -<p>"Your father, you mean?" interrupted Sprowl.</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"As God hears me, I never raised a hand or a finger against his life. -I falsely swore against his honor, I do not deny, but of any thing -further, I am innocent."</p> - -<p>"Well, go on and eat. I will tell you my terms, although I frankly -tell you that were it not for your wife and helpless family, I would -<i>demand</i>, not <i>request</i>. Now, however, we will let that pass.</p> - -<p>"First, I wish you to tell me the plot against my father; who concocted -it, and who were the prominent actors in it. Also their reasons for so -doing, so far as you are aware of them.</p> - -<p>"Then what you know of myself; who it was that has hunted me from -'pillar to post,' to use your own language? Also what you know about -one Meagreson, <i>alias</i> John Dement, his character, crimes, and, in -short, every thing.</p> - -<p>"I warn you, however, that I am not to be deceived; that I know far -more than you have any idea of, so that any attempt of that kind will -only injure yourself. Do you fully comprehend me?" queried Poynter.</p> - -<p>Sprowl answered by a double nod; his mouth being crammed so full of the -juicy deer-steak, that speech was impossible.</p> - -<p>"Very well. Now, I will tell you further. If you make a clean breast of -it, however guilty you may have been, with that one exception, I will -let you go free, and in addition give you such a start that, if you -endeavor to do so, you can live an honest, comfortable life.</p> - -<p>"I will pay for your farm, will build you a house and stock them -both, so that you can have no further excuse for going to the bad. -But mark me—this is not on <i>your</i> account; it is for your patient, -long-suffering wife, and the deeds will be given in her name. Now, what -do you say to the bargain?"</p> - -<p>"Well, sir, what <i>can</i> I say," muttered Sprowl, brokenly, "but that -while I have acted like a dog, you treat me as a white man? Perhaps -'twould be a better job if you put me beyond the way of doing any more -harm; I <i>do</i> think so. I have always been a cursed, cowardly fool, and -if at times I would try—and God knows that I <i>have</i> tried for Mary's -sake and the children's—to break off, here would come a temptation, -and down I'd go, worse than ever," gloomily replied the prisoner.</p> - -<p>"Well," heartily responded Poynter, "better times are coming now, and -if you will only help yourself, others will lend a hand. Cheer up, old -fellow, and hold your head up like an honest man; there's a heap of -good left in you yet, or you'd never talk as you do now."</p> - -<p>"If I ever <i>do</i> get on my feet again, it is to you and <i>him</i> that I -must give thanks, after God," solemnly uttered Sprowl. "But where shall -I begin?"</p> - -<p>"Tell me first about my father; why and how it was that you acted -against him as you did."</p> - -<p>And then Wesley Sprowl repeated the tale he had briefly outlined to -Polk Redlaw, giving every detail in full; but enough has been said to -enlighten the reader. It was a terrible tale of revenge and injustice, -in which an innocent man was made the victim of a villain's plottings, -aided by such unscrupulous coadjutors as Sprowl and Jonathan Green.</p> - -<p>As the sad incidents of his parent's sorrow and ruin were detailed, -Clay Poynter (as we must still call him) bowed his head and wept bitter -tears of grief and anguish. Had he glanced toward his companion, he -would have seen that "White Crees," the outlaw leader, had bowed his -stalwart form, and it shook as if with mortal agony.</p> - -<p>"About your being driven from Arkansas," said Sprowl, "I know nothing -save that this same man followed you in his hatred for your father; -that he had sworn you, too, should die a felon's death. But you fled -from him, and it was years before he found you here.</p> - -<p>"He saw me, also, and knowing that I was poor, tempted me to aid him, -as I had done once before. For weeks before he made his appearance -openly, he was undermining your reputation, by covert hints and -innuendoes, that only too easily found holding-ground in the troubled -state of the country; and this was increased by your reticence -regarding your affairs and previous life.</p> - -<p>"I helped him in this, as did Green, Wigan, Redlaw, Dalton and Gibson. -Then you were arrested. Sam Gibson and Frank Dalton were bribed to -conceal the dies and counterfeit coin in your house, then to swear to -the finding it.</p> - -<p>"Jonathan Green was bought over, as I was, to swear as we did. For fear -one charge should fail, he arranged that of the murder of John Dement, -by which name he had made the acquaintance of Neil McGuire, as they -both were fellow Masons.</p> - -<p>"He made himself popular in the neighborhood by his friendly manner and -the freedom with which he spent his money. He wished the excitement to -be great and deadly when you were charged with his death.</p> - -<p>"He gave me the diamond cluster-pin that was so well known and told -me what to swear. I was poor; he threatened to denounce me as one of -the gang unless I performed his bidding, and I consented. It was hard, -though, although you may not believe me.</p> - -<p>"You had acted the generous friend to me and mine; had furnished food, -clothing and medicine, when I was sick and unable to work; all this you -did, and yet I would have sworn away your life!" and for a few moments -he remained silent.</p> - -<p>"Had it not been for the firmness of Neil McGuire our plans would have -been fully carried out, and that next morning's sun would have shone -upon your corpse, as we fully expected. But then you escaped; how, I -never learned.</p> - -<p>"Meagreson was in Leavenworth awaiting the message that I had promised -to send or bring him, of your death, but instead it was that you were -once more a free man. Still he thought and hoped that you would be -taken, and had set the police of the city on the alert for you in case -you should go there; but it was useless.</p> - -<p>"He was fully disguised, as he had been while here, for as he is now -over fifty years of age, his hair is naturally almost snow-white. But -he wore his years well, and he was not suspected for other than he -seemed.</p> - -<p>"You know how I attempted to fire your house—it was that mongrel cur, -Polk Redlaw, that tempted me; and that I was captured in the endeavor, -I now sincerely thank God! It is one crime the less upon my soul; and -He knows that there are enough there already," concluded Sprowl, in -a broken tone, as he bowed his head, while the hot, scalding tears -trickled freely adown his wrinkled cheeks.</p> - -<p>There was no affectation about this, as his hearers were fully -convinced. He was really moved at the kind and honorable manner in -which he had been treated by those whom he had wronged so deeply and -terribly.</p> - -<p>They knew that it was sincere repentance, and that from then, -henceforth, if his life was spared, he would be a different man. The -truer depths of his nature were touched; the crust of wickedness was -broken, never again to heal over.</p> - -<p>"And this Meagreson—do you know nothing of his future plans?" at -length asked Poynter, looking up.</p> - -<p>"Unless he should hear from me, he was to meet me at the 'Twin Points' -Friday night."</p> - -<p>"Then you think he will come?"</p> - -<p>"I have no doubt of it," was the assured reply. "He will be too anxious -to learn the latest news not to come."</p> - -<p>"Good! he will probably meet visitors he does not expect," cried Crees.</p> - -<p>"That he will! Unless he fails, we will have him at our own terms, and -then—"</p> - -<p>"And then!" echoed the outlaw.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER XI.</h2> - -<h3>FYFFE SOUNDS HIS NOTE.</h3> - - -<p>"Hark!"</p> - -<p>It was Poynter who made the exclamation, abruptly checking the outlaw's -words. The three men slightly bowed their heads, as if listening -intently, while their eyes sought each other's faces. The sound came -again.</p> - -<p>It was the loud exclamation of a man—such as one would make in driving -a refractory yoke of oxen. And yet it could scarcely be that, for the -ground surrounding, whence the alarm proceeded, was rough and broken, -difficult even for a man to traverse upon foot.</p> - -<p>"What is it?" whispered Crees.</p> - -<p>"'S-sh! Listen."</p> - -<p>"<i>Dod</i>-rot y'ur ongainly copperossyty, kain't you walk chalk? Gee, -that—gee, you 'tarnal critter! Dod burn ef I don't rouse you up wi' a -saplin'. G'long, now, you creepin' snake!"</p> - -<p>A tirade of such adjurations, followed by what sounded like the crack -of a whip, and then a strange sort of muffled howl. Such were the -noises that aroused the curiosity of the trio, in the little glade.</p> - -<p>"Scratch dirt, now, you'd better. 'Tain't much furder, or durned ef -I b'lieve we'd git thar to-day, the way you <i>does</i> creep. Wuss'n any -jackass I <i>ever</i> see'd! Git up an' git, now, less <i>I'll</i> go ahead an' -snipe you 'long arter me. How'd thet suit, eh, ole stick-in-the-mud? -Shoot at an honest feller ag'in, w'u'd ye? Guess ye won't, no more. -Hoop-la!" and then came several more cracks, accompanied by groans and -half-choked howls.</p> - -<p>"It's Jack," whispered Crees. "Wonder what he's up to?"</p> - -<p>"Look!"</p> - -<p>As Poynter uttered this exclamation, the bushes parted, and a -miserable-looking object broke out into full view. It was a man, but so -tattered and begrimed that little else could be guessed. Whether white, -black or red, a stranger or an acquaintance, could only be surmised.</p> - -<p>His arms were tightly drawn back and secured at the elbows, while a -slack withe ran from ankle to ankle. His draggled and matted hair -overhung his face, but was not long enough to entirely conceal the -existence of a strange freak upon his captor's part. <i>He was bitted!</i></p> - -<p>A good-sized stick was secured between his jaws, about two feet in -length. To either end of this a supple vine of grape was attached, so -that a jerk, right or left, by the driver, would effectually turn the -prisoner, if not quite throw him down.</p> - -<p>Holding fast to the opposite ends was the grinning Jack Fyffe, who bore -a long, supple hickory rod, with which he occasionally "touched up" the -captive. Upon his back were two rifles.</p> - -<p>"Good Lord, Jack!" cried Poynter, in amazement, at this truly unique -"turnout," "what under the sun do you mean treating the poor devil that -way? Who is he, anyhow?"</p> - -<p>"Hellow, square, you thar?" returned the rough borderer, appearing -not a whit abashed, giving his captive the twitch necessary to turn -his head up the hill, and then adroitly applying the whip, that made -him spring nimbly forward. "How air you, anyhow, this mornin'? Kinder -fotched along a fri'nd to call on you, sorter permiscuous, like. Git -up, thar, <i>you</i> critter; step lively, now, an' show the gen'lemen y'ur -paces. Hy—ah!"</p> - -<p>"For mercy's sake, Jack, let the poor devil loose!"</p> - -<p>"Not ef I knows it," retorted Fyffe, coolly; "I hed too much trouble -a-gearin' him up, fer thet. An' marcy—the skunk don't know what thet -means. <i>He</i> didn't hev no marcy onto you nor the ole man, nor likewise -on me, when he tried to shoot me, a little back yon'."</p> - -<p>"Who is it?" queried Crees.</p> - -<p>"Why, don't you know? It's Jim Meagreson, John Dement, or Snakey, as -<i>I</i> call him," declared Fyffe, exultantly.</p> - -<p>Poynter stared in amazement, but not so the outlaw leader. With a -half-stifled howl of rage and vindictive joy, he drew his knife and -leaped forward. Jack Fyffe thought he meant murder, and caught him by -the arm.</p> - -<p>"Dang it, boss, he's bad enough; but don't butcher him in thet way!"</p> - -<p>"Stand off!" yelled Crees, throwing the other violently from him. -"Stand off, I say. I am not mad. He is of more use to me living than -dead, you fool!"</p> - -<p>"All right, then," returned Fyffe, rubbing his shoulder dolefully. "I -know thet, but was kinder afeard thet you'd fergit when y'ur mad was -up. Thar he is; I turn him over to you fellers, an' dog-goned glad to -git shet on him, <i>I</i> am, the onmannerly cuss!"</p> - -<p>"<i>'Tis</i> him, Poynter; look!" and Crees held back the captive's head so -as to more fully expose the wretch's features.</p> - -<p>"It is, indeed," gladly exclaimed Clay, as he beheld the man whom he -had been falsely accused of murdering. "And an hour since I would have -given ten years of my life if this could have been assured me."</p> - -<p>"Wal, square, thar he is, 'thout any o' thet. You're welcome to my -shar'."</p> - -<p>"But how'd you chance upon him, Jack?"</p> - -<p>"Thet's a long yarn—too long fer a feller to spin what hain't had no -breakfast," added Fyffe.</p> - -<p>"True; I forgot. Go get something and then come up. We may need you;" -and then, as the borderer hastened down the hill, the young man turned -to the captive.</p> - -<p>He was in a truly pitiable condition; but those who beheld him had been -far too deeply injured by him to indulge in any such feeling. True, -they gave him brandy and bathed his head, but it was only to restore -him so that they could gain his confession.</p> - -<p>He soon revived and stared around at the two men, Sprowl having taken a -position out of sight behind the tree, where he had not yet been seen -by Meagreson. The men eyed him in silence, but he only vouchsafed them -a look of angry defiance.</p> - -<p>"Well, James Meagreson," at length said the outlaw leader, "we meet -once again!"</p> - -<p>"My name is <i>not</i> Meagreson, and I don't know you—never set eyes on -you before," sullenly responded the captive.</p> - -<p>"Do you know <i>me</i>, then?" put in Poynter.</p> - -<p>"Know you? Yes; for a vile horse-thief and counterfeiter!"</p> - -<p>"Do you mean to say—" began Crees, when he was interrupted by the -other.</p> - -<p>"I mean to say that I am plain John Dement, an honest trader, and that -you shall dearly rue this outrage."</p> - -<p>"Bah! that's played out. You may as well own up now, for your -accomplice and tool has betrayed you; has exposed all your plots -and crimes. If you are obstinate, we will just hand you over to the -vigilance committee, whose aid you are so fond of invoking, and let -them deal with you."</p> - -<p>"Am I a fool?" sneered Meagreson. "Don't I know that you dare no more -show your face to one of them than to kiss a rattlesnake? The only -answer you'd get would be a hempen cord and swinging bough!"</p> - -<p>"Now that's nonsense, old man," put in Sprowl. "<i>You're</i> the fool. -They've got you in a corner, and you may as well come down. Green and -the rest of the boys have owned up, and unless you make terms as we -did, it'll be all night with you."</p> - -<p>"Who's that?" faltered the prisoner, a gray shade settling upon his -florid features.</p> - -<p>"Sprowl," replied that worthy. "I've told all I know and am going to -swear to it, if you are obstinate; and, as you very well know, it's -enough to hang you a dozen times over."</p> - -<p>"The others—"</p> - -<p>"I tell you they've 'peached, and you're a spotted man, if these -gentlemen are only a mind to press the matter," glibly said Sprowl.</p> - -<p>A deep groan was his only answer, as Meagreson fell forward, his form -trembling like a leaf.</p> - -<p>"Let him be, Poynter," said Crees, "and when he thinks it all over, -he'll see that it's of no use holding out further. Here comes Fyffe."</p> - -<p>"Hellow, what you fellers bin a-doin' to my hoss?" cried that worthy, -as he leisurely strolled up the hill, wiping his greasy mouth upon his -shirt-sleeve, and smacking his lips. "Make a bully quarter-hoss, he -would, ef he was a leetle better trained. Stumbles an' kicks over the -traces now, kinder; but he'll do."</p> - -<p>"Never mind now, Jack," interrupted Poynter. "He's thinking."</p> - -<p>"Yas; needs it, I reckon. While y'ur hand's in, jest think a leetle -how all-fired nigh you come to killin' a feller-critter-man. Sp'ilt my -ha'r, anyhow," at the same time tugging at the shaggy lock that grew -beside his ear, trying to bring it before his eyes. "See thar."</p> - -<p>It did indeed look as though a bullet had cut a jagged passage through -it, as he had hinted. Then Poynter seated himself beneath the tree, -motioning Jack to do the same, saying:</p> - -<p>"There's nothing else just now, Fyffe; sit down and tell us how you -chanced upon this fellow, and all about it."</p> - -<p>"Don't care 'f I do, square," quoth Jack, gnawing off a huge mouthful -of "niggerhead," and then passing the plug to Sprowl. "Don't chaw, -b'lieve?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"I do. Wal, I allus war fond o' tellin' stories. Mam, she used to dress -my trowsers with her ol' slipper purty nigh the hull time, 'cause of -this habit o' mine; but, Lord, thet didn't do no good. Only driv' it -back ag'in, like. But dad, he <i>was</i> a yarner, now I tell you! I kain't -hold a kendle to him when he'd got a good streak on. Jest about -half-cocked, an' then stan' from under! He'd allus got a bigger one -back, too, ef anybody'd top his'n, fer a cap-sheaf. I tuck arter him, -I consait, though the ol' coon 'd offen say 'at he's 'shamed of me, -'cause I couldn't lie better; but thet's nyther hyar nor thar.</p> - -<p>"When I 'gun winkin' this daylight airly, I got up an' begun sorter -swoopin' 'round fer grub. But blamed the bit could I find, 'cept -some wenzun, an' I swore I'd hev none o' thet. Fact is, my appertite -is sorter delacut, like, an' won't b'ar plain grub, like you bigger -fellers.</p> - -<p>"So, as I went down to the crick fer a drink, I see'd lots o' gre't -big turkey-tracks in the mud, toes a-p'intin' downarts; an' so I jest -shoulders shooter an' shakes moccasin sorter lively, 'cause I'd made -up my mind to hev a gobbler fer breakfust, <i>an'</i> nothin' shorter. Ef I -says a thing, even ef it be jest to myself, sorter, it's gwine to be -did, ef so be it kin.</p> - -<p>"But I trailed them dratted birds so fur thet I'd e'ena'most gi'n up -all hups o' drappin' one, an' hed 'bout made up my mind thet wenzun -was a heap better, enyhow, when I sot blinkers on as fine a strutter -as ever gobbled to a hen. Up goes my gun, slip goes my fut, an' down -I rolls inter the crick, while the dratted bird flops off through the -bushes, tail on eend, like a quarter-hoss wi' a jimson burr fer a -crupper.</p> - -<p>"<i>Didn't</i> I cuss some, sorter, as I got out? Mebbe not; 'tany rate, off -I put ag'in arter thet turkey, fer I swore I'd hev it ef it tuck all -day. No 'tarnal two-legged bird sh'u'd fool me like thet, not by no -manner o' means, ef I knowed myself, an' I rayther thunk I did. So on I -splurges, lickety-split.</p> - -<p>"But I stopped ag'in, mighty sudden, though 'twa'n't a turkey I see'd. -It was a man kinder strollin' along, fer his health, I reckon, an' he -pulled up too. Thar we stud, a-gawpin' at each other like looneys, when -he spluttered out sunkthin' thet kinder smelled o' brimstone, and then -took to his heels like the devil was arter him.</p> - -<p>"An' ef <i>he</i> wasn't, I was, 'cause I never yet see'd a feller thet run -'thout takin' arter 'im jest like blazes. It's a kinder 'farmity like, -I reckon; anyhow it's a fact. Wal, he put an I put, jest a-scratchin' -dirt an' a-kickin' up the leaves the beatinest kind you ever did hyar -tell on.</p> - -<p>"I'm purty hefty on the run, as ye know, but blamed ef he wasn't mighty -nigh my master. But I'd never say die tell the bellers clean bu'sted, -an' at last he jumped for kiver, a-swingin' his shooter mighty keerless -like. I did ditto, an' thar we war. I sorter grinned, 'cause it 'minded -me of ol' times when ha'r went wild.</p> - -<p>"But then I peeked out, mighty keerful like, 'cause I didn't want -another hole in my brush-patch overly much, when I hope I may never -see the back o' my neck, ef thar he wasn't a-streakin' it through the -woods, his coat tails a-streamin' out wuss'n the tag eend to a comet. -Lord, wasn't I gritty then? Mebbe not!</p> - -<p>"I jest set my grinders like a clamp, pulled the slouch furder on my -head an' then set ol' toad-smashers to work. The ground jest fa'rly -smoked about me, I run so fast, and I overhauled ol' smarty like fun. -He pecked 'round an' see'd it, then whirled 'round to'rds me, yellin' -out he'd shoot fer shore.</p> - -<p>"But my Ebenezer was up like a mice, an' I kept on, wild fer bitin' an' -gougin'. The dratted imp did shoot shore enough, but it jest clipped -my ha'r a leetle, an' then I downed him. I was mad at the feller's -impedence in burnin' powder when I was jest in fun, all the time, an' -drawed my knife to finish up the job.</p> - -<p>"I had her raised all ready, when I caught his eye, an' helt my han'. I -knowed him in a minute, though he'd changed a heap sence we met last. -I knowed how tickled the ol' man 'uld be, ef he see'd him, 'cause he -kinder 'lowed he kicked the bucket long ago.</p> - -<p>"But thar he was, an' I 'tarmined to fotch him inter camp. So I -started, but the bugger tried to run onc't or twic't, an' so I thought -I'd see how he'd work in a single gear. He cut up rusty a leetle, an' -n'arly nipped off my thumb, the onmannerly brute; but when I once -got him fa'rly bitted he done purty well, barrin' the kickin' an' -stumblin'," concluded Fyffe, with a long-drawn yawn.</p> - -<p>"It'll turn out the best day's work you ever done, Fyffe," said Crees, -extending his hand.</p> - -<p>"And I will not forget it very soon, either, old fellow," warmly added -Poynter.</p> - -<p>"Wal, ef so be you fellers is satisfied, I'm shore I be," grunted Jack, -lying back upon the grass.</p> - -<p>"But what do you think I'd best do next, Mr. Crees?" asked Poynter, -after a slight pause, a little anxiously. "I think, with Sprowl's -evidence, here, I need not hesitate about showing myself openly once -more."</p> - -<p>"You have a good deal to work against down there, yet, and I think -you'd best wait a little, and see what we can get out of our friend, -yonder," responded Crees, thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>"Well, I suppose I must, though it's hard to be lying idle when such -charges are hanging over me," sighed Poynter.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER XII.</h2> - -<h3>POYNTER FINDS SOMETHING.</h3> - - -<p>It was in the afternoon of the same day which Fyffe had so signalized -by his turkey-hunt. The prisoner, James Meagreson, was occupying the -same position in which Sprowl had done penance some hours before. He -had been left here by his captors to ponder upon his situation and -reflect as to which should be his future course, whether to persist in -his denials or acknowledge defeat and submit to his triumphant enemies -with such grace as he could muster.</p> - -<p>That his meditations were far from being the most pleasant imaginable, -one glance at his sullen, stern features would evidence, and there was -a fiery, vindictive glow in his small black eyes that boded ill for -Poynter's hopes—a look that had proclaimed a determination to "die -game," and to hold them in defiance while breath lasted. Only at intervals -a softening tinge would appear, as if his heart failed him, or a desire -to remedy the wrongs that he had committed, so far as lay in his power, -had assailed his mind.</p> - -<p>But these moments were few and far-between, and then, as if the -tightly-drawn cords began to pain him yet more intensely, the scowl -deepened, and he gritted his teeth in the excess of his fury. The -moment had passed, and the deadly hate now raged without alloy.</p> - -<p>In the mean time the three friends were gathered together, smoking or -conversing idly, or buried deep in thought. Presently Jack Fyffe lay -back, dropped his pipe, and then his stertorous breathing announced -that he was in a deep, sound slumber.</p> - -<p>The remainder of the band had either long since done the same, or went -off upon business of their own; the scouts sent out having reported -that all was quiet among the <i>vigilantes</i>, those worthies having -disbanded and returned to their daily occupations, no doubt highly -edified by their midnight wild-goose chase.</p> - -<p>Save the regular sentinels, none appeared to be upon the alert -excepting Poynter and Crees. The latter was covertly but intently -regarding his younger companion with a strange, far-away look in his -deep black eyes, while an unconscious sigh would now and then heave -up from his massive chest, as if engendered by some painful memory of -bygone days.</p> - -<p>Poynter suddenly aroused himself, and glancing hastily around, uttered:</p> - -<p>"Why, where's Sprowl?"</p> - -<p>"Yonder," returned Crees, pointing to the ragged form of the man -inquired after, lying under a bush, sleeping. "Poor devil, his last -night was a hard one."</p> - -<p>"True, but he had no one to thank for it save himself. However, I have -some hopes of him yet. He is not <i>all</i> bad, and for the sake of his -family I am willing to lend him a helping hand. His wife, poor thing, -has seen hard times of late years. The entire support of the family, -and of this shiftless, lazy brute into the bargain, has fallen upon -her. And she is a perfect lady, too, for all she's uneducated. It's -strange what choices women will make sometimes!" exclaimed Poynter.</p> - -<p>The outlaw leader only grunted, "Just so."</p> - -<p>"But that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about just now. You have -several times promised to tell me your story, and why not fulfill it -now? 'Tis as well as to wait longer."</p> - -<p>"You are right, and I will do so; although I had intended to wait -until after Meagreson had acknowledged his guilt. But what Sprowl has -said is enough," slowly replied Crees, passing a hand across his brow, -as if to chase away some painful reflection.</p> - -<p>"But I have not heard him mention your name!" cried Poynter, in -surprise.</p> - -<p>"Yes, you have heard him tell my whole story, or nearly so. Henry -Duaber, <i>my son</i>, have you no greeting for <i>your father</i>?"</p> - -<p>"Son—father!" faltered the young man, gazing in bewilderment upon the -outlaw leader, at this strange appeal.</p> - -<p>"Your father, Henry," continued the elder man, in a choked tone; "can -you not believe me?"</p> - -<p>"But my father was—is dead!"</p> - -<p>"No, not dead—only in name; he escaped with life. I am your father. By -your dead mother—by my sainted wife, boy, I swear it!" solemnly said -Crees.</p> - -<p>"Is it—can it be true? I will believe it—father!" brokenly exclaimed -the young man, bending forward to meet the proffered embrace.</p> - -<p>It was a holy scene, this strange meeting of long-parted kindred; and -their tears were mingled together, tears such as strong men need not be -ashamed to shed. They were deeply affected, as well they might be, and -when the first gush of emotion had passed, they sat beside each other, -hand clasped in hand, gazing kindly and affectionately at each other.</p> - -<p>"It is strange—passing strange!" at length uttered Henry, (as we -must now call him, Clay Poynter no longer). "More like a romance than -any thing in real everyday life. I have mourned you as dead since my -childhood, and now find you my kindest friend, while I still thought -you a stranger. How long since you first recognized me?"</p> - -<p>"Not until to-day, although your story awoke strange fancies, it was so -like mine; but I, too, thought you were dead. I had heard so, and saw -what purported to be your grave."</p> - -<p>"My grave!"</p> - -<p>"Yes. They told me you had died at nearly the same time with your -mother. Why, I know not. It could not have been from malice, for they -knew me not. I was a stranger in my native home."</p> - -<p>"But you—how were we deceived, and why did you not tell us of your -escape, and our dear one might still have been alive?"</p> - -<p>"Listen, and I will tell you all," replied James Duaber, in broken -tones. "It is a sad, sad story of cruel wrong and sorrow; but I was -the victim—I and mine! You know the first, or sufficiently well as to -render a <i>résumé</i> unnecessary. But it was James Meagreson—the wretch -yonder—who caused it all for revenge, because your mother chose me in -preference to him.</p> - -<p>"A man named Frank Soutar was confined in the same apartment with me, -upon a charge identical with the one for which I was to suffer; but as -he acknowledged to me, deeming me of the same gang, he was guilty. The -mob knew nothing of his having been changed to my cell, as it had only -been done that same day; and when they broke open the doors in the dead -of night, he was seized for me in the confusion and darkness, while I -hid beneath the pallet.</p> - -<p>"And the error was never discovered by the mob; they hung him, thinking -they were doing as they had been bribed by Meagreson, who took that -way to insure my death, fearing lest I should eventually escape -his revenge, if he left the law to decide. He was hung, but I took -advantage of the open door to flee, and during the excitement, managed -to effect my escape unmolested.</p> - -<p>"A staunch friend of mine, Jack Fyffe, yonder—who was also under the -ban, and in hiding, managed to secure his two horses, and upon them -we rapidly fled the country. He had joined the mob with the hope of -assisting me to escape, and he alone discovered the error, in time to -return and assist me.</p> - -<p>"We rode hard all that night, and lay hid at day, for we feared that -the error would be discovered in the morning, at least, and then the -hounds would be hot upon our trail. We traveled in this way until out -of the State, and far into the wilds of Arkansas. But even then we did -not feel secure, and thought it best to lie concealed until the storm -had blown over.</p> - -<p>"Still, I wrote, and managed to post two letters to my wife, telling of -my safety, and that I would soon return to remove her and you to our -new refuge. Besides this, I counted upon her knowing of my escape, else -I would have dared all to have seen her.</p> - -<p>"So, I waited for six months, and then was upon my way back, when I -met a man who had just come through there. He did not know us, and I -questioned him closely. Then it was that I learned of her death, and -that you, too, had died. I did not doubt its entire truth, and in my -wretchedness, I plunged into crimes and dissipation to drown reflection.</p> - -<p>"For years this went, on, until a time came when I felt driven to -return to the graves of my dead. No one knew me; I was a stranger in my -native home, I had changed so, and saw where my wife lay, and what they -said was your last resting-place. Then I went back again to the old -life and lived it until I met with you.</p> - -<p>"Although I knew you not—you had changed your name, and I did not -recognize the little boy in the stalwart, handsome man—I felt drawn -toward you. And now that you know how sinful I have been, will you -still take me by the hand, and say, father? It is blackened, but there -is no blood upon it."</p> - -<p>"Father!" cried Henry, once more embracing the outlaw leader. "What -matters it now? You leave this life, and we will be all in all to each -other, from now henceforth!"</p> - -<p>"Thunder 'n' lightnin'! jest look at Snakey!" yelled out Jack Fyffe, as -he sprung to his feet before them, and wildly pointed up the hill.</p> - -<p>And there was good cause for his excitement.</p> - -<p>During the respite afforded by his captors, Meagreson had not been -idle, after the first few minutes. His was not a mind to despair for -any length of time, and although greatly astounded at the unexpected -meeting, with a man whom he had thought long since numbered with the -dead, his mind speedily resumed its wonted activity, and he thought but -of escape.</p> - -<p>Minute after minute he toiled and twisted at the thongs that secured -him to the tree, until they rolled up into hours. The skin and flesh -were terribly abraded, yet he did not heed the pain. Every instant he -expected the return of his enemies, to receive the decision he might -have arrived at, when in all probability the progress he had already -made would be discovered.</p> - -<p>Little by little he worked the cords loose, until one of his hands -slipped from the noose. It was with the greatest difficulty that he -restrained the shout of exultation that arose to his lips; but he did -so, and then his other hand was free.</p> - -<p>Owing to the size of the tree, his arms had been secured only at the -wrist, after being extended at full length. Another cord was passed -around his waist, while his feet were likewise secured, forming toils -that his captors deemed it impossible to effect an escape from.</p> - -<p>With his hands once free, it was but the work of a minute for the -captive to release the rest of his body; and he stepped from the tree, -a free man once more. His keen eyes glanced hurriedly around, and in -the one look, took in every chance, both for and against his escape.</p> - -<p>If he started to flee upon foot, he would, to an almost dead certainty, -be discovered and overtaken, as his frame was stiff and weary. Besides, -under cover of the one little clump in which he now stood, the entire -hillside was fully exposed to the view of the three men below.</p> - -<p>But his eye glittered, and the old cold gray look settled upon his -face, as his gaze fell upon the form of a horse, all ready equipped for -the road, standing carelessly hitched to a pendent bough. If he could -once reach that, he felt that escape was assured. But could it be done?</p> - -<p>To do so, he must either make a considerable <i>detour</i>, most of the time -in full view of the trio of his enemies, or else, making a bold dash, -pass within a score yards of them, trusting to the surprise to succeed -in his hair brained project. And this latter course he decided upon.</p> - -<p>Gathering all his faculties and straining every nerve, Meagreson made a -wild bound from his covert and dashed swiftly down the hillside toward -the horse. And had it not been for the watchful eyes of Jack Fyffe, -no doubt he would have succeeded, perfectly. But the borderer's shout -brought both father and son to their feet, pistol in hand.</p> - -<p>"After him, Jack—Henry!" yelled the outlaw leader, "don't shoot—take -him alive," but as he spoke, the revolvers of his companions were -discharged.</p> - -<p>Discharged, but the only perceptible result was a quicker and longer -bound upon the fugitive's part.</p> - -<p>"Take him, boys; for God's sake don't let him get free! You men on -guard—stop that horse!" screamed the chief, as the trio bounded -forward with headlong speed.</p> - -<p>The fugitive gained the rearing horse in safety, tearing the -bridle-reins loose, leaped into the saddle, and with a wild yell, -darted away, waving his hand in defiance. And to the great chagrin of -his enemies, he disappeared in triumph among the trees.</p> - -<p>But their speed was suddenly checked, and for a moment they paused, -glancing at each other. Their ears had caught a clear challenge to -halt, closely followed by a single whip-like crack; then a wild shriek -as of a human being in mortal agony, the quick trampling of hoofs, and -then all was still.</p> - -<p>As they once more pressed forward in painful suspense, a hollow, -unearthly groan sounded from the spot whence the shot had come. -Bursting through the bushes, the quartette—for Sprowl had also joined -them—beheld a terrible sight.</p> - -<p>A man—one of the outlaw guards—was coolly recharging his rifle, with -his gaze bent upon a bleeding form before him. There, pale and ghastly, -lay the form of James Meagreson; not dead, but apparently dying. The -lower portion of his body lay still and motionless, but his head and -shoulders writhed to and fro, while his arms were tossed wildly about, -in the intensity of his agony.</p> - -<p>Wild cries and bitter blasphemy poured from his lips, and he bitterly -cursed those surrounding him. The fatal missile had entered his -stomach, and passing through, had broken his back.</p> - -<p>The men did not attempt to remove him or to bandage his wound; they -saw that such a course would only be inflicting useless torment upon -him, that his time had come; his life slowly ebbing away with the -fast-fleeting moments. Two of them knelt beside his head, and kept him -from hastening his end by the useless struggles.</p> - -<p>James Duaber spoke to him kindly, imploring him to confess before he -died, but his only answer was bitter revilings and curses; the fearful -words, coming as they did from lips fast chilling in the embrace of -death, caused even those strong men to turn aside with a shudder.</p> - -<p>And thus he died, still reckless and defiant; a fitting end for his -long and sinful life. There were grave faces that surrounded him, -as breath went out, but no tears, no grief at his tragic end. Their -injuries had been far too deep.</p> - -<p>By this time the majority of the troop had collected, alarmed by the -disturbance, and a number of them were detailed by their chief, to -prepare a grave for the dead man. It was soon completed, and the corpse -was quietly lowered into the bark-lined pit; then the damp mold covered -him forever from mortal ken. There was no whispered prayer, no murmured -blessing over the unhallowed grave; and nothing but the long narrow -mound remained to show where the unfortunate being had been laid, for -his last long sleeping-place.</p> - -<p>Unloved he had lived, and unloved he had died. Poor James Meagreson!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER XIII.</h2> - -<h3>DEATH AMID JOY.</h3> - - -<p>When we raise the curtain once more upon our characters, it is after -the lapse of three months. A quarter of a year, that has not been -uneventful to those in whom we are interested; but we can not linger -upon them. A brief glance at the leading episodes is all.</p> - -<p>The unfortunate death of James Meagreson changed the entire plans of -the outlawed couple—father and son. But first of all James Duaber -announced to his followers his intention of leaving them, and for the -future leading an honest life.</p> - -<p>Some of them murmured, but their chief was too highly esteemed and -respected, for them to raise any serious opposition. Some few of their -number joined him in his resolve, but the majority determined to -continue on; the wild free life having charms they could not resist. -But it was agreed to leave the neighborhood, and ply their calling -elsewhere.</p> - -<p>So their attention was only turned to the vindication of Henry Duaber's -honor, as the father was totally unknown to the settlers, and the -charges brought against him had long since passed into oblivion. -Their first move was to secretly abduct Frank Dalton, and when he was -confronted with Wesley Sprowl, and found that his perjury had been -discovered, he promised to make restitution as far as lay in his power, -at any time he was called upon.</p> - -<p>Thus prepared, Henry Duaber boldly returned to the settlement, where he -was once more arrested by the excited vigilance committee. His trial -came off in good time, and thanks to the candor of his witnesses, he -was triumphantly acquitted.</p> - -<p>None were more cordial and sincere in their congratulations, than Neil -McGuire and "Honest Jim" Henderson, who declared his bar was free to -everybody, upon the joyous occasion; and never before, in the memory of -"the oldest inhabitants," had there been so many "exhilarated" men to -be seen, at one time, as upon that afternoon.</p> - -<p>There was some talk about giving the perjured witnesses a taste of -"birch law," but thanks to the firm opposition of Henry and others, -it was not carried into effect. There was one familiar face missing -among the crowd, but none regretted this fact. Polk Redlaw was not in -the best of odor among his <i>quondam</i> associates, and did not make his -appearance.</p> - -<p>The "big house" was reopened, and old aunt Eunice in her glory once -more, never tiring of dwelling upon the prominent part <i>she</i> had played -in the late events. Henry met with no further opposition from the -father of Nora, and matters progressed finely between the young couple, -and at the same time no less rapidly.</p> - -<p>Henry was an ardent suitor, and pleaded his case so well that the -"fatal day" was set; and when we reopen our chronicle it had arrived. -Great preparations had been made, and although the weather was somewhat -cool, it was decided to have a grand barbecue and dance by moonlight in -the open air.</p> - -<p>Upon the summit of a little knoll was a sort of pavilion, erected -for the dancing. The floor was composed of puncheons, the flat side -uppermost, rudely dressed with an ax. Seats of the same were ranged -around the sides, each end resting upon a block of wood. At one -extremity, projecting beyond the platform, a stand was erected for the -musicians, of whom there were three, already present.</p> - -<p>Busy preparations were going on a little distance from the pavilion, -for the "barbecue"; in full view, but far enough away to avoid -inconvenience from the smoke, deer and hogs were being prepared for the -spit—cattle were by far too valuable for that purpose—while turkey, -ducks, prairie-chickens and smaller game were being roasted at the -house. These minor items were to be furnished by the guests, who were -each expected to "bring something."</p> - -<p>It was early yet, but "out West" that is the fashion, and several -parties had already arrived, although too few to begin dancing. Then -the guests began to drop in more frequently, singly, in couples, or -small parties of several; the ladies hastening to the cabin to make any -little arrangement of their finery, while their cavaliers unsaddled the -horses, securing them to the surrounding trees, placing fodder before -them, and then joining the company already gathered at the pavilion.</p> - -<p>It was really amusing to watch the actions of some gawky overgrown -youth as he fidgeted about uneasily in his oppressive "bestermost" -suit, now and then stealing a furtive glance at the opposite end of -the stand, to learn if the eyes of his "bright, particular star" were -upon him. If so, to note the studied attitude of would-be grace and -<i>nonchalant</i> ease that he would assume, which was flatly contradicted -by his fiery blushes.</p> - -<p>To note the envious looks of the more backward, as they watched with -longing eyes the free and easy demeanor of some more courageous swain, -as he mingled with the blushing and whispering damsels, who appeared -little more at ease than the former. There were many beautiful forms -and faces to be seen among them, that would fill the breasts of many of -our city belles with envy, despite their <i>outré</i> dress.</p> - -<p>Presently the scraping and tuning of violins broke the spell, and -seemed to dissipate the restraint that surrounded all parties. The -groups began to mingle and converse more freely; the tap of some dainty -foot to be heard as it kept unconscious time to the music; the confused -request and murmured consent to dance; then the order, "Choose your -pardners, boys!"; the sets were formed, and Henry, with Nora, led off.</p> - -<p>The fun waxed fast and furious, the din increased, and the sets -appeared mixed in inextricable confusion, the clatter of heavy-soled, -horse-hide boots, the lighter fall of a more dainty foot, the rustle -of dresses and shuffle of moccasins, with now and then a gay burst -of laughter at some unlucky wight who makes a ludicrous blunder; or -a stentorian shout from some half-wild borderer as he grows excited; -mixed and intermingled with the music, more loud than melodious, while -above all soars the clear voice of the "caller-off."</p> - -<p>The picture is homely, we grant you, but it is pleasant, nevertheless, -and it would be hard indeed to find a fashionable gathering that -contains so little alloy of envy, pain and hypocrisy as this little -congregation of rude, unpolished, but kind and open-hearted people. -Rough and unlettered they may be, but their hospitality shames that of -many a more pretentious class; while it would indeed be hard to find a -truer or a more generous heart than those that beat under a deer-skin -hunting-shirt, or homespun dress of linsey-woolsey.</p> - -<p>Occasionally during the figure "promenade all," the toe of some clumsy -swain, or perchance that of his rosy lassie, would catch fast in some -crevice or protuberance between the rudely-joined puncheons, that -cast them with violence to the floor. The next couple being too close -and under great headway, would follow suit, and a mass of writhing, -struggling humanity form a prostrate heap upon the floor.</p> - -<p>Oh, what a burst of laughter would then ascend from hearty lungs, -echoing through the woods from grove to grove, arousing the feathered -songsters from their nests, causing them to chirp and twitter, no doubt -wondering what possessed the people at that unseasonable hour.</p> - -<p>Then Jack Fyffe—who did not dance—caused a renewed burst of merriment -by seating himself upon one end of an unusually refractory slab, to -hold it in its proper place, as he said. And there he sat, as solemn as -a judge, smoking his pipe complacently, as though a crowd of the gay -dancers were not whirling all about him, until the gathering broke up -for supper.</p> - -<p>And such a supper! More fit to be likened to a bounteous dinner, -served up for a regiment of half-famished, war-worn soldiers. The long -tables, manufactured from slabs of rudely-hewn wood, and supported by -stakes probably furnished from the limbs of the same tree, were piled -almost to overflowing with game and pastry.</p> - -<p>Such saddles and haunches of venison; delicious buffalo-humps and -pickled tongues—the proceeds of an extended hunt, for this especial -occasion—the wild turkey, lusciously brown and tempting, almost -bursting with the rich dressing; the prairie-chicken and pheasant, -quail and snipe; even down to the huge "black-bird pot-pie."</p> - -<p>Then the appetizing pastry and preserves, the results of that same -season's "berry-hunting"; the honey, from that as clear and limpid as -amber, to the dark and strong-flavored "bee-bread"—the vari-colored -comb piled in great stacks.</p> - -<p>And the strong, fragrant coffee, sweetened with honey and tempered -with the thick, golden cream; the highly-prized tiny cups of "real -boughten tea," mingled with stronger draughts for those so inclined, of -"corn-whisky" and crab-apple cider.</p> - -<p>All this, to say nothing of the barbecued game, which is in great -demand from the very novelty of its cooking—I could not tell you -one tithe of the good things that were there; the very sight of such -abundance seeming enough to banish one's appetite for a fortnight to -come.</p> - -<p>Henry and Nora were the gayest of the gay, even among that happy -crowd, and kept those surrounding them in the highest glee with their -witticisms and repartee. But they left the table among the first, and -strolled back toward the pavilion.</p> - -<p>Jack Fyffe fidgeted around for a few moments, and then hastily followed -after, announcing his approach with a sonorous cough, that startled the -young couple into turning around.</p> - -<p>"Beg pardin, square," apologetically began the borderer, "but p'r'aps -you'd better be on y'ur guard, like."</p> - -<p>"Why so, Josh?—what do you mean?" asked Henry.</p> - -<p>"Jest take a squint over yander, an' mebbe you'll see."</p> - -<p>Duaber glanced in the direction indicated, and a hot flush passed over -his face as he noticed the tall, dark form of Polk Redlaw leaning -against a tree, apparently deeply absorbed in thought. But had they -been a little closer, a snakelike look would have been seen from -beneath the slouched hat, fixed vindictively upon them, while one of -the hands that rested across his bosom fiercely gripped the haft of a -long, keen knife, hidden within his shirt. "He here!"</p> - -<p>"Never mind, Henry, let him go," nervously whispered Nora, "he can't -hurt you now."</p> - -<p>"If he keeps his distance I will not molest him," answered Henry. -"Besides, I do not believe he is armed. Do you see any, Jack?"</p> - -<p>"No, but that don't signify," grunted that worthy. "A snake don't show -its teeth tell it goes to strike, an' <i>he's</i> a copperhead, <i>he</i> is."</p> - -<p>"Well, I'll watch him," and the young couple turned away, while Jack, -his mind relieved by delivering the warning, repaired to the table to -indulge in another meal.</p> - -<p>But in five minutes more Henry had totally forgotten the warning, and -had thoughts only for Nora. Fortunately, she was not so oblivious, -and hearing a slight noise behind them turned suddenly, just in time -to behold the crouching form of the mongrel, as he uplifted his heavy -knife.</p> - -<p>Her shriek startled Duaber, and he quickly turned, in the nick of time, -to nimbly avoid his enemy's rush, adroitly tripping him with one foot, -while he delivered a lightning-like blow with his right fist, full upon -the dastard's neck, that hurled him headlong to the ground as if he had -been shot. Before the affray could go any further, the combatants were -surrounded and Redlaw disarmed, being rather roughly handled by Jack -Fyffe, who finally ended by kicking him from the grounds.</p> - -<p>In a short time the incident was forgotten by the majority, and the -dancing once more resumed. But Jack did not occupy his old position, -and when he again appeared he was fully armed, a rifle in hand and -revolver at his waist.</p> - -<p>Neither did he enter the pavilion, but stationed himself at a little -distance, beside a tree, where his form was so blended with the shadows -that at a score yards distant it was not visible. So another hour -passed away, and he obstinately retained his post, heedless of fatigue.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he uttered a low grunt, and crouched forward, half-raising -his rifle, while the faint click told of its being cocked. A dim, -shadow-like form had caught his roving glance, and upon it his every -attention was now centered. Twice the long barrel rose to his cheek, -and as often was it lowered, while his head craned forward as if in -doubt.</p> - -<p>Just then the music ceased, at the words, "promenade all—to your -seats!" and the dancers separated. Jack Fyffe gave vent to a -startling yell, and quickly raising his rifle, discharged it with an -instantaneous aim.</p> - -<p>The wild cry that followed told how true had been his aim; but it was -duplicated. Quick as had been his motion, another flash had streamed -out upon the darkness, from the spot at which he had aimed, and <i>two</i> -cries were mingled with the reverberating echoes, and then came a dull, -heavy fall upon the floor of the pavilion.</p> - -<p>Jack did not glance toward the latter, but with an angry howl, more -like that of a famished wild beast than a man, leaped forward toward -the spot from whence had come the secret shot. A dark form lay there, -motionless and silent, but he heeded not that. One by one the chambers -of his revolver were emptied, and then he spurned from him with his -foot the dead and mangled form of the mongrel assassin, Polk Redlaw.</p> - -<p>In the pavilion a pale and horrified group were gathered, some bending -over the bleeding, senseless form of Henry Duaber, while others -attended to the fainting girl who was so soon to have become his bride. -Heads were gravely shaken in answer to inquiring looks; their decision -was that the young man would never speak again.</p> - -<p>He breathed faintly, but each respiration seemed as if it would be his -last. The blood slowly oozed from a ghastly wound upon his head, and -they said that his brain had been pierced.</p> - -<p>But we are happy to be enabled to state that they were greatly -mistaken; had it been true, it would have made too sorrowful an ending -to our story—one that the reader might well grumble at; for there had -been no marriage as yet, and what is a novel without that?</p> - -<p>In fact, he recovered his senses long before Nora did, and when his -wound was washed, it was found that the bullet had only cut a deep -gash upon his head, merely stunning him for the time being. When he -had once convinced Nora that he was really unharmed, he declared he -only had a slight headache, and made the assertion good by carrying out -the original programme, and heroically passing the trying ordeal of -changing the young lady into Mrs. Nora Duaber, that same night.</p> - -<p>The dance was broken up by this catastrophe, and while no one expressed -pity for the dead man, he was reverently buried, before another -sun shone. Nora knew nothing of this at the time, and her joy was -unclouded, for more reasons than one.</p> - -<p>And now we must leave them, with only a few parting words.</p> - -<p>The young couple duly entered the "big house," where, with aunt Eunice -for a housekeeper, they led a peaceful, happy life. A few years since, -James Duaber died, loved and respected by all who knew him; the fact of -his old reckless life having never transpired, the secret being safe -between the three.</p> - -<p>Wesley Sprowl still lives, and is in moderately comfortable -circumstances, thanks to the generosity with which Henry Duaber -fulfilled his promise. He is not rich, and never will be; his -disposition prevents that. But his sad and long-suffering wife has -greatly changed for the better, we are glad to state.</p> - -<p>And worthy Jack Fyffe, although now well along in years, is still hale -and hearty; can handle his heavy rifle with sufficient precision to -keep the larder well supplied with small game, and takes great delight -in teaching the little Duabers how to shoot, swim and ride. He and -"Honest Jim" Henderson are great cronies, often sitting for hours -over their glasses and pipes, vying with each other in their stories -of "when I was young." To listen for a while, one would be strongly -tempted to believe that "Sinbad the Sailor," Robinson Crusoe, or the -worthy Baron Munchausen had returned to life, and inhabited the shapes -of "the venerable story-tellers."</p> - - -<p class="ph1">THE END.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="ph1">DIME POCKET NOVELS.</p> - -<p class="ph1">PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY.</p> - - -<p>1—Hawkeye Harry. By Oll Coomes.<br /> -2—Dead Shot. By Albert W. Aiken.<br /> -3—The Boy Miners. By Edward S. Ellis.<br /> -4—Blue Dick. By Capt. Mayne Reid.<br /> -5—Nat Wolfe. By Mrs. M. V. Victor.<br /> -6—The White Tracker. By Edward S. Ellis.<br /> -7—The Outlaw's Wife. By Mrs. Ann S. Stephens.<br /> -8—The Tall Trapper. By Albert W. Aiken.<br /> -9—Lightning Jo. By Capt. Adams.<br /> -10—The Island Pirate. By Capt. Mayne Reid.<br /> -11—The Boy Ranger. By Oll Coomes.<br /> -12—Bess, the Trapper. By E. S. Ellis.<br /> -13—The French Spy. By W. J. Hamilton.<br /> -14—Long Shot. By Capt. Comstock.<br /> -15—The Gunmaker. By James L. Bowen.<br /> -16—Red Hand. By A. G. Piper.<br /> -17—Ben, the Trapper. By Lewis W. Carson.<br /> -18—Wild Raven. By Oll Coomes.<br /> -19—The Specter Chief. By Seelin Robins.<br /> -20—The B'ar-Killer. By Capt. Comstock.<br /> -21—Wild Nat. By Wm. R. Eyster.<br /> -22—Indian Jo. By Lewis W. Carson.<br /> -23—Old Kent, the Ranger. By Edward S. Ellis.<br /> -24—The One-Eyed Trapper. By Capt. Comstock.<br /> -25—Godbold, the Spy. By N. C. Iron.<br /> -26—The Black Ship. By John S. Warner.<br /> -27—Single Eye. By Warren St. John.<br /> -28—Indian Jim. By Edward S. Ellis.<br /> -29—The Scout. By Warren St. John.<br /> -30—Eagle Eye. By W. J. Hamilton.<br /> -31—The Mystic Canoe. By Edward S. Ellis.<br /> -32—The Golden Harpoon. By R. Starbuck.<br /> -33—The Scalp King. By Lieut. Ned Hunter.<br /> -34—Old Lute. By E. W. Archer.<br /> -35—Rainbolt, Ranger. By Oll Coomes.<br /> -36—The Boy Pioneer. By Edward S. Ellis.<br /> -37—Carson, the Guide. By J. H. Randolph.<br /> -38—The Heart Eater. By Harry Hazard.<br /> -39—Wetzel, the Scout. By Boynton Belknap.<br /> -40—The Huge Hunter. By Ed. S. Ellis.<br /> -41—Wild Nat, the Trapper. By Paul Prescott.<br /> -42—Lynx-cap. By Paul Bibbs.<br /> -43—The White Outlaw. By Harry Hazard.<br /> -44—The Dog Trailer. By Frederick Dewey.<br /> -45—The Elk King. By Capt. Chas. Howard.<br /> -46—Adrian, the Pilot. By Col. P. Ingraham.<br /> -47—The Man-hunter. By Maro O. Rolfe.<br /> -48—The Phantom Tracker. By F. Dewey.<br /> -49—Moccasin Bill. By Paul Bibbs.<br /> -50—The Wolf Queen. By Charles Howard.<br /> -51—Tom Hawk, the Trailer.<br /> -52—The Mad Chief. By Chas. Howard.<br /> -53—The Black Wolf. By Edwin E. Ewing.<br /> -54—Arkansas Jack. By Harry Hazard.<br /> -55—Blackbeard. By Paul Bibbs.<br /> -56—The River Rifles. By Billex Muller.<br /> -57—Hunter Ham. By J. Edgar Hill.<br /> -58—Cloudwood. By J. M. Merrill.<br /> -59—The Texas Hawks. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr.<br /> -60—Merciless Mat. By Capt. Chas. Howard.<br /> -61—Mad Anthony's Scouts. By E. Rodman.<br /> -62—The Luckless Trapper. By Wm. R. Eyster.<br /> -63—The Florida Scout. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr.<br /> -64—The Island Trapper. By Chas. Howard.<br /> -65—Wolf-Cap. By Capt. Chas. Howard.<br /> -66—Rattling Dick. By Harry Hazard.<br /> -67—Sharp-Eye. By Major Max Martine.<br /> -68—Iron-Hand. By Frederick Forest.<br /> -69—The Yellow Hunter. By Chas. Howard.<br /> -70—The Phantom Rider. By Maro O. Rolfe.<br /> -71—Delaware Tom. By Harry Hazard.<br /> -72—Silver Rifle. By Capt. Chas. Howard.<br /> -73—The Skeleton Scout. By Maj. L. W. Carson.<br /> -74—Little Rifle. By Capt. "Bruin" Adams.<br /> -75—The Wood Witch. By Edwin Emerson.<br /> -76—Old Ruff, the Trapper. By "Bruin" Adams.<br /> -77—The Scarlet Shoulders. Harry Hazard.<br /> -78—The Border Rifleman. By L. W. Carson.<br /> -79—Outlaw Jack. By Harry Hazard.<br /> -80—Tiger-Tail, the Seminole. By R. Ringwood.<br /> -81—Death-Dealer. By Arthur L. Meserve.<br /> -82—Kenton, the Ranger. By Chas. Howard.<br /> -83—The Specter Horseman. By Frank Dewey.<br /> -84—The Three Trappers. By Seelin Robins.<br /> -85—Kaleolah. By T. Benton Shields, U. S. N.<br /> -86—The Hunter Hercules. By Harry St. George.<br /> -87—Phil Hunter. By Capt. Chas. Howard.<br /> -88—The Indian Scout. By Harry Hazard.<br /> -89—The Girl Avenger. By Chas. Howard.<br /> -90—The Red Hermitess. By Paul Bibbs.<br /> -91—Star-Face, the Slayer.<br /> -92—The Antelope Boy. By Geo. L. Aiken.<br /> -93—The Phantom Hunter. By E. Emerson.<br /> -94—Tom Pintle, the Pilot. By M. Klapp.<br /> -95—The Red Wizard. By Ned Hunter.<br /> -96—The Rival Trappers. By L. W. Carson.<br /> -97—The Squaw Spy. By Capt. Chas. Howard.<br /> -98—Dusky Dick. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr.<br /> -99—Colonel Crockett. By Chas. E. Lasalle.<br /> -100—Old Bear Paw. By Major Max Martine.<br /> -101—Redlaw. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr.<br /> -102—Wild Rube. By W. J. Hamilton.<br /> -103—The Indian Hunters. By J. L. Bowen.<br /> -104—Scarred Eagle. By Andrew Dearborn.<br /> -105—Nick Doyle. By P. Hamilton Myers.<br /> -106—The Indian Spy. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr.<br /> -107—Job Dean. By Ingoldsby North.<br /> -108—The Wood King. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr.<br /> -109—The Scalped Hunter. By Harry Hazard.<br /> -110—Nick, the Scout. By W. J. Hamilton.<br /> -111—The Texas Tiger. By Edward Willett.<br /> -112—The Crossed Knives. By Hamilton.<br /> -113—Tiger-Heart, the Tracker. By Howard.<br /> -114—The Masked Avenger. By Ingraham.<br /> -115—The Pearl Pirates. By Starbuck.<br /> -116—Black Panther. By Jos. E. Badger. Jr.<br /> -117—Abdiel, the Avenger. By Ed. Willett.<br /> -118—Cato, the Creeper. By Fred. Dewey.<br /> -119—Two-Handed Mat. By Jos E. Badger, Jr.<br /> -120—Mad Trail Hunter. By Harry Hazard.<br /> -121—Black Nick. By Frederick Whittaker.<br /> -122—Kit Bird. By W. J. Hamilton.<br /> -123—The Specter Riders. By Geo. Gleason.<br /> -124—Giant Pete. By W. J. Hamilton.<br /> -125—The Girl Captain. By Jos. E. Badger.<br /> -126—Yankee Eph. By J. R. Worcester.<br /> -127—Silverspur. By Edward Willett.<br /> -128—Squatter Dick. By Jos. E. Badger.<br /> -129—The Child Spy. By George Gleason.<br /> -130—Mink Coat. By Jos. E. Badger.<br /> -131—Red Plume. By J. Stanley Henderson.<br /> -132—Clyde, the Trailer. By Maro O. Rolfe.<br /> -133—The Lost Cache. By J. Stanley Henderson.<br /> -134—The Cannibal Chief. By Paul J. Prescott.<br /> -135—Karaibo. By J. Stanley Henderson.<br /> -136—Scarlet Moccasin. By Paul Bibbs.<br /> -137—Kidnapped. By J. Stanley Henderson.<br /> -138—Maid of the Mountain. By Hamilton.</p> - - -<p class="ph1">The following will be issued in the order and on the dates indicated.</p> - -<p>139—The Scioto Scouts. By Edward Willett. Ready<br /> -140—The Border Renegade. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr.<br /> -141—The Mute Chief. By C. D. Clark. Ready<br /> -142—Boone, the Hunter. By Frederick Whittaker. Ready December 2d.<br /> -143—Mountain Kate. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. Ready December 16th.<br /> -144—The Red Scalper. By W. J. Hamilton. Ready December 30th.<br /> -145—The Lone Chief. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. Ready January 13th.<br /> -146—The Silver Bugle. By Lieut. Col. Hazleton. Ready January 27th.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Beadle's Dime Pocket Novels</span> are always in print and for sale -by all newsdealers; or will be sent post-paid, to any address; single -numbers, ten cents; six months (13 Nos.) $1.25; one year (26 Nos.) -$2.50.</p> - - -<p class="ph1">Address, BEADLE AND ADAMS, Publishers, 98 William Street, New York.</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK REDLAW, THE HALF-BREED; OR, THE TANGLED TRAIL ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. -</div> - -<div style='margin-top:1em; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center'>START: FULL LICENSE</div> -<div style='text-align:center;font-size:0.9em'>THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE</div> -<div style='text-align:center;font-size:0.9em'>PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person -or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the -Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when -you share it without charge with others. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work -on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the -phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: -</div> - -<blockquote> - <div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most - other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions - whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms - of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online - at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you - are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws - of the country where you are located before using this eBook. - </div> -</blockquote> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg™ License. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format -other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain -Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -provided that: -</div> - -<div style='margin-left:0.7em;'> - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation.” - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ - works. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. - </div> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right -of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/donate/">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. -</div> - -</div> -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/68507-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/68507-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index bf65afb..0000000 --- a/old/68507-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/68507-h/images/illusc.jpg b/old/68507-h/images/illusc.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 55d6489..0000000 --- a/old/68507-h/images/illusc.jpg +++ /dev/null |
