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Vol. III.

av: Adams.

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NEW YORK, MARCH 21, 1885.

S Di DVAN( in on. W on. N a o o .00
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THE OLD MAID’S WARNING.

BY MANIE DYER BRITTS.

 

 

Ah, well! it was many a year ago,
When life’s young dreams were all aglow,
My eyes were bright. my voice was low,
And my step had all its fleetness:
The brown curls clustered round my head,
When the golden summer dawned and fled,
Which saw my happy hopes lie dead,
And life lose all its SWeetness.

‘Twas in the heart of leafy June.

When brooks and birds were all in tune.

And e‘en the long days passed too soon,
(Youth is so joyous everz)

When cousin Dick threw down his books,

And left the city‘s dusty looks.

For the cool, green lanes and quiet nooks
Of our cottage by the river.

Now I knew little of city ways.

Except from two or three popinjays

Who used to come down to neighbor Gray’s
To spend their summer vacation;

But Dick was another sort of a man,

Honest and true on God's own plan,

And some one says that an honest man
Is the noblest work of creation.

And so, as soon as I found him out,

If you’re good at guessing I have no doubt

You know already what came about—-
Only the old, old story;

Our willin lips soon learned to tell

The thong ts our hearts could feel so well,

And o’er our lives there beamed and fell
The light of Love’s own glory.

Ah. welll the sweet days glided past,
(When we are happy they fly so fast 1)
Without a shadow—until at last,
The st0rm-cloud darkened o’er us;
Only a foolish, careless word—
The same old tale, so often heard,
But the wicked spirit of pride was stirred,
And the way was rough before us.

I was stubborn and Dick was proud——
Both were an ry. and so we vowed
NeVer to yieh : and the sad, dark cloud
Severed us e‘er the morrow.
After-repentance was all in vain,
Dick and I never met again
And I have carried a ceaseless pain—
A never-ending sort ow.

Ah, well! it was many a year ago,

I seldom mention it now. you know;

But you wanted to hear it, dear, and so
how I have told my story.

If I had conquered my foolish pride,

I might have. been a ha py bride.

And walked through li e by Richard‘s side.
His love its crowning glory.

Oh, glad young hearts who love so well,
Oh, bright young lips who fondly tell
The tend‘rest thoughts that ever fell
On Love‘s svvect sunny morning;
Floating together on trite Love‘s tide,
More than all other foes beside
Beware of the demons of WNM and .I’rid'.
Remember the Old Illaid‘s Warning!

The Bordgr Sleuths;

Kit Bandy and His Chums.

BY OLL COOMES,

 

 

AUTHOR or “STONEWALL Boa,” “ BABY 8AM,“

“ LITTLE BUCKSKIN,” arc, ETC.

CHAPTER V.
STORY or xrr’s ADOPTED.

 

FOR several moments Kit Bandy and Old Rat-
azing into each
and their faces
Bandy was the first to speak,
and in reply to the old hunter’s exclamation, he

tler stood mute with surprise
other’s eyes, their hands clas
radiant with joy.

58

bus Bandy, nomad and mart
the 0’ domestic infeclictty; but ri ht down
gla to meet you, Rat. Let me see; it as been
two years since we parted at Laramie. and I
don’t see as age has added even a wrinkle or a
gray hair to your beauty, 'ou old bushrancer."

“ As for you. Kitsie, ’ ttler respondet , " I
can’t say what time has done for you, for the dirt
on your profile has so completely concealed you
from view that there's nothin’ recognizable‘bout
you ‘cept your Adonis—like figure; and then your
classic vome—the belchin’s of a musket—mouth,
sure enough, war a mixture o’ Choctaw and ki-
yote‘, but, bless your deceptive old soul, I’m glad
to meet ye ‘ for a' that, fora‘ that.‘ "

“ This ’ere rooster. Rattler," said Kit. turnin
to the man Slickchops. “ are a pard o‘ mine, and
he rambles to the name 0‘ chc Ruble. He‘s not
much on mouth-work, but just turn a grizzly
loose on him or a dozen Ingins, if ye want to see
how a buzz-saw works up timber."

“ I are very glad to meet you, Ruble," said
Rattler, shaking hands with the mountaineer;
“and now I‘m goin’ to introduce you to my

Chums. This ’ere gentleman are (hie-Armed
Phil. and this bit o’ humanity with a lump on his
head are Stonewall Bob, the Bo ' Trojan.”
N Gladto grasp your hand, P '1,“ said Bandy:
aglgug as to Bob, Rattler, we met him awhile
" When—where?”

“ Before we came here~that is, a few minutes
after he erected a Chinese pagoda on that out—
lzi‘w  mug and then lunged into the wilderness
u! night. We had a long chat with him, and
tlict‘c and then arranged our dis rub-(.5, put on
011.!“ llalldt'Ufl'Sa named each other with appro—
pi‘lzltA‘ handles and sailed into camp. and the rest
you know.“

" Then you carry your disguise ' r e“
observed One-Armed Phil. % mm 5011'

“Our clothing and handcuffs we c  -
swercd Bandy; “ but as for this dirt onabiil‘ fail-BS
we secured that down by the river and tliai‘1s
plenty more thar yit.”

“ And these revolvers Randy and Ruble loan—
ed ine,” said Stonewall, displaying the weapons
with which he had done such fearful execution
amon the Vultures.

“ O i, b the way, Bandy," remarked Rattler,
“for the .ord‘s sake, when did you fellows have
anything to eat last !“

“’Bout an hour ago," responded Kit, with a
bland smile: “ I tell you, Rat, We war hungry,
for we hadn’t had a bite sincc lllOl‘lllll" and then
only had a little. half-grown fawn baked on hot
coals.”

” “ Daint fellers, you be," said Old Rattler:

you’ve pet our appetites, I know," and in
the inornin’ ’11 make ye some liuiiiniiii"-bird
broth. But look here, I'm a little nervous, and
if you‘d step down to the river and soak your—

selves and git the dirt off your mugs, you would- expressive of firmness and decision.

n’t frighten me so—but then, mebbv water’ll
hydraphobia you, Kit.” I

“ It are no greater
your stomach, my

id.
“ Yes, Rattler it are I, Ka-ristopher Ko—lum—
-——a fugitive from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kit. “ I’ll bet a coonskin you don‘t know how
Dakota water tastes.”

" Kitsie, I see you are the same old lilly-lipped
hummer as of yore, the same meetiii‘-house 0’
piety, rooral district 0" simplicity and State’s
prison full 0’ arbitrary pro ’iety.”

"I wish, Rattler,” said it, “that you had
some virtues I could extole, but you hav’n’t, and
never will have until some person preaches your
funeral.”

After some further sparring between the old
bordermen, Bandy and Ruble went down to the
river and washed the dirt and mud from their
hair, faces and hands, then they proceeded to
where the had left their horses and outfit and
removed t em down to camp.

Meanwhile Stonewall Bob and 01d Rattler
searched the dead outlaws and took possession
of their revolvers, knives and ammunition. Then
they carried the bodies to one side and covered
them over with boughs. Had they possessed
the tools with which to open the earth they
would have buried them in compliance with
their convictions of Christian duty.

Among the lifeless forms there was that of the
dcsperatc Jim Noel. His face was swollen and
purple from the blow dealt him by the Boy Tro-
'an. As Old Rattler threw a bough over him

c said:

“Bradstreet and Noel, poor, miserable, lyin'
devils. are both gone over the dark river. Their
deception didn’t work like the classic per-
formance 0’ that IuScious IIIUSkeb-I‘Inlll/ll and his
pal‘d. Slickchops. But the death o‘ Bradstreet
was a wild-eyed stunner—that reminds nic—
where’s Phil!"

“He left schrnl minutes since,” answered
Stonewall: “ he said he‘d run out and reconnoiter
the situation.”

“ l‘vcbeen so full 0‘ busineSs I hadn’t missed
him," said Rattler, “ but isn‘t he a terror on the
shoot? Didn‘t he play his story line on that
boarded outlaw? Ali! that man Phil is a
strungc critter, but true as steel and brave as a
lion. I met him a month ago for the fu‘st. and
we naterally froze together, and when I told him
o' my goin‘ on this tri ) he asked to accompany
me. and. of Course, couldn‘t refuse, 8.1M I‘m
glad now I didn’t, for he’s a hull team if he has
but one hand.”

“ Hc‘ll make it hot for the murderers of his
friends." said Stonewall, “and I hope he may
meet every one of them for they will not recog-
nize their supposed boy-victim now grown to
manhood. and this gives him an advantage of

the murderous scoundrels.”

Kit Bandy and his friend, Zeke Ruble, pre—

sented quite an improved appearance when they
returned to camp.
sec that the lapse of time had made little if any
change in the old mountain detective.
just about the same in looks, in his jolly and
rollicking spirit, physical powers and undauiited
Courage.

Rattler was now enabled to

He was

But no one would ever have taken Zeke Ruble.
as he now appeared, for thc slouchy, dirty-faced
Slickchops. and it was only the presence of
Bandy with him that convinced the others that
such was the case, so great a change had the
man made in himself. He was a man of perhaps
fortY‘flVe years of age, of about medium hight.
and rather inclined to corpillcncy. H is smot ithly-
shaven face ‘essed a frank, open look. al—
though it bore several ugly scars that somewhat
marl‘ed “5 Symlnetig’. His forehead was broad
811d lllteuectllfll. an his mouth rather large yet
His eyes

 

were of a dark-blue, and the only feature of his
face not altogether in harmony with the others
stranger to my face than ——not but WI ‘
festive old friend," retorted they had a quick, restless and furtive movement

at they were bright enough, but

 

There was instantly thrust from within a. hand clutching a.

 

 

 

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of one accustomed to being on his ard. No
one noticed this quicker than did 0 d Rattler,
but he naturally attributed it to a nervous tem—
perament and force of habit from living in the
midst of constant dangers.

Rattler complimented him upon his improved
appearance and then. turning to Stonewall
Bod, he waved his hand toward Old Kit and
8&1 -

"Look there, Robert Conistock, at Kris. ’Lum—
bus Bandy, and tell me if you don’t think he’s an
Ambrosial god! a star-e ed buccaneer?”

The Boy Trojan smi ed in a perplexed way,
for, being a stranger to Bandy, he could hardly
enter into the full spirit of Old Rattler’s humor—
ous satire.

Bandy, however, at once came to the young
plainsman‘s relief. sayin :

“ Stonewall. that old bushranger‘s compli-
ments don‘t disturb me at all, even if they_are
fun-pokers, If he‘d gone through all that I have,
the enamel ’d be off his bright, brassy face. If
he'd weathered the storms o’ ten years 0‘ mar-
ried life as I have. he'd know more‘n he does. I
confess that I‘m but a relic of my former self,
for I carry the mementoes of every year 0’ my
connubial alliance somewhar about me. This
Catskill range here down my cheek is where my
wife, Sabina Bandv, fetched me one little love-
swipe with a hatchet, and this Smoky Hollow
gutter on my licad here is whar she cut )hasized
a \vifcly command with the poker. T is sun-
ilowcr here on my brow is not a birthmark, oh,
no! it is whzu' my loving spouse kissed me by
proxy with a sizzlin’dtot sad-iron. Do you won—
der that I‘m disfiggcredé~that I‘m not so ex-
quisitely beautiful as Mr. Rattler! Do you won—
der that I‘m a Ruinsof Alhambra! a downfall
o' the Roman Empich a Dccstruction of Hercu-
lnncum.’ a magnificent monument, chipped and
defaced by the ruthless hand of woman .6"

Old Rattler roared with laughter, aifl the oth—
ers could not suppress a smile.

“ How like the Psalms 0’ David and the La-
mentations o‘ the Martyrs that sounds,“ said
Rattler: “ but say. Kitsic. hm‘e you been mar—
ricd ary time since I scc‘d you last f"

" ()nc‘t," replied Kit, with comic gravity:
" that is, me and Sabina met, and artcr talkin‘
things over in a rational way we concluded to
make up, quit bein' a pack 0‘ fools, settle down,
and live together again: and so I employed an
architect and workmen and proceedwl to erect
one of the iiiicst sod—houses iii all the big rowdy
West. I stocked it up with the finest furniture
that I could manufacture. and Wc wcnt to work
again like two kittens. Things swuin along,r love-
ly and a few months later Sabina suggested that,
if in my ramblin‘s around I should run across a
nice little orphan child without a home, to try
and git it and We would adopt it. as our own,
and raiso it up and we would conic to love it as
our own flesh and blood. and thus loving it. it
would be a kind 0’ a link to bind us closer to-
gether. To this proposition I quickly consented
for] knew exactly whar I could lay my finger
on the ‘ liiik.‘

“ “'al. in a few days I went over to camp and
made straight for the ‘ Foamin‘ Mug,’ the lead-
in’ saloon in the place. whar a orphan, a sweet
little dark-eyed, meek-faced girl was helpin’
’tend bar. f course, ’Bina said nothin’ as to
whether the orphan should be a gal ora boy,

and so I made up my mind to try and git little

 

 

Azelia away from the contaminatin’ inflooence of

that bad place. The saloon-keeper was an old t-
bellicd Dutchman that hadn’t any more feelin for
an oi man or ‘preciation o‘ the beautiful than ()ld
Tom {attler has for pure, unadulterated water.
I talked with old sour~kraut about the child, and
he said her pretty face drawed him much cus-

cocked revolver, accompanied with the command: " Silence or death!”

 

\\

tom, and he didn’t want to let her go. But I
coaxed and entreated, and finally a reed to ive
him  much money if he’d give er u ). be
money fetched him a-flukin’, but before Ihandin’
it over I went and talked with little Azelia about
changin’ her home. The little thing said she’d
like to be adopted into a good, Christian family,
and I told her that war we, and then she talked
with old mash-tub awhile, and came back and
told me she would go home with me. So she
packed up her goods, and I paid old Limbur r—
give him my note payable in one year wit in-
terest and other trimmin’s—and started for the
Bandy clearin’s the ha piest man on earth. If
she‘d been my own 0 ild I couldn’t have felt
prouder as I led her into the parlor whar Sabina
war fryin’ some corn biscuits and interduced her
to her new ma. The little thing, herself, seemed
all joy and happiness. She war just twenty
years old, but I ope to smother with a falsehood
in my month if she looked a day or an hour over
—sa fourteen or fifteen.”

“ on rascally old fraud!” exclaimed Rattler,
with a chuckle.

“Silence, man!” commanded Kit, with a
frown, " this is a serious matter to me, and you
don‘t want to be fliiigin’ in your insinuations to
harrow up my feclin‘s."

“If I‘d been Sabina I’d harrowcd up your
hair for ye.“ Rattler again put in.

“I thought I‘d done a splendid thing,” Kit
wunt on, “ in selectin’ the desired link, but when
I‘d intcrduccd her to hcr mother, and I see‘d
’Bina's under lip begin to bump up in the mid-
dle, I knew to oiic‘t that she Wei"n‘t satisfied
with my selection o’ an orphan. and as soon as
we war alone she told me she‘d rutherhzid a
little boy-link 0’ five or six than a girl 0’ uncer—
tain years. Thar‘s whar we differed. but then I
didn‘t tell her so—I knew better. I hadn’t for-
got the time she sewed me up in a. blanket and
rolled me into the Yuba river, jist because I
danced a few times and then drank a bumper—
a modestlittle bumper—with Hagar Aim For-

'ot.
g “Things ran along quietly for several days,
but all the while I could sce a little cloud gather-
in’ in the domestic sky—that the link that war to
bind us closer together was actin’ like a jockey-
stick—crowdin" us t'urder apart.

“ One day Sabina took me aside. and with a
triumphant gleam in her eyes, axed me if I
knew that my link—my little Azelia, was a wid—
der of twenty-two, whose husband had been
killed in a saloon racket in Cheyenne. I was
horror—struck by the news, and almost bi'okc
down under it: but then and thar, I had to
promise that I'd waltz the o lian back to the
cam > inside of the next three ( ays.

“ ‘liat some, dnyI managed to get a private
talk with the child, and I told her Mrs. Bandy
wanted her to go away jist because I thought so
much of her, and that if she had to go, I (1 go,
too. I then axed her if she Wouldn’t go away——
’way off with me where I could be a father to
her, and not be tormented to death by a jealous
mother. She said she would, and my heart was
exceedingly happy. Then We made arrange-
ments to go that night. \Ve were to start at
midnight. I had to go over to the camp, and
was not to be home till in the night, and I was
to meet Azelia with two horses all rigged at a
certain pine tree. The night was dark—most
darned dark. but at the a )pointed time I was at
the appointed place, ant by and by my little
orphan came tripping down to me all bundled
up in her jaunty little hat, vail and coat, with
gloves on her hands. I greeted her in a whisper,
and she answered the in the same way. Teiidcrly
I lifted her into the saddle, nimny I mounted
my own hoss, and then away we went down the

 

dark valley into the darker canyon. I’d taken
the precaution to muffle the horses’ feet so their
hoofs made no sound.

“Occasionally I leaned over and tenderly
whispered to my timid, silent child, and softly
she would whisper me ‘ yes, sir,‘ or ‘ no, Sir.7

“Oh, how exceedin’ly happy war I! The
moon shone down into t e canyon at times, and
as we glided along it seemed to me that
I war floatin’ in a gondola on a sea 0’
moonshine. The rip and rustle 0’ the night-
birds’ wings seemed like sounds emitted from
ha strin swept by the fairy fingers 0’ the
nig t-win . Every sound, in fact, seemed to
resolve itself into music in symphony with my
tuneful heart. The stars actually seemed to
scrouge over before me in the sky, as if each
one was scrambling to be the guide that war to
lead me and my child to the happy land 0’
Canaan, while the man in the moon seemed
laughing with joy and winkin’ coyly with his
bias eye."

" Of all fools, they say an old fool is the wu’st,”
observed Rattler, sententiously.

“ “'cll.“ Bandy went on. without ap *aring
to notice the interruption, “ the purple shadows
of night began to thin up after hours and hours
of riding in heart—thro ibing silence. Mornin‘
was comin‘, and I war really glad, for I wanted
to look upon littlc Azclia‘s fair. sweet face. I
watched the eastern sky growin‘ red and redder.
and daylight was just about upon us when I was
startled by a click \‘cl‘y much like that of (l
pistol. The sound was at my side. and lookin'
around, whut was my speechless horror to be—
hold my child with a derringcr leveled upon my
heart!

“ ‘ Azelia! my child!‘ I cried, ‘ what does that
mean!”

" ‘Stop!’ she fairly shriekcd, and We quickly
drew rein. Then she lifted her vail, or rather
snatched it away with a snarl, and if there, iii-
stcad o‘ my little Azclia, didn‘t set Old Sabina
Bandy, I hope to smother for want of breath!
Yes. there she sot. Rattler, with Azelia’s jaunty
little hat, and coat and vail and gloves all on
nice as you please. The demon o’ fury was
blazin’ in her eycs. and if looks ’d ’a’ done it
shed ‘a’ shivcred me to dust then and thar. I
was terribly taken back—I felt sickish, and I
longed for an avalanche to come down the
mountain-side and bury me sixteen million feet
under it. But instead of an avalanche, Sabina’s
voice ag‘in rung forth.

“‘Kit Bundy!’ she fairly screamed, ‘climb
down off o’ that boss at once or you‘ll fall off
dead!‘

“ Bo 's, I got, for I knew Sabina could handli-
a pistol as rracel‘ully as I can handle ()ld ’l‘om
Rattler, an when I was off the boss she rattled

n:

“ ‘ Kit Bandy, I have a notion to ccnd your
career anyhow, you base, ungrateful wretch.
But I reckon you’ll not undertake to elope with
another widder —— orphan child — soon ag’in.
Thank the great and adorable mercy! Azelia
Boggs had honor enough to give you away to
me and help me in thwartin’ your heartless de-
signs. you prince 0’ old fools, as the widdei'
called you! Now go or come as you please, and
go or come the best you can 1’

“ And with these remarks she took both horses,
turned and departed liomcward. Confound her
old picters! she had ridden all o’ thirty miles
jist to git to play that miserable little trick on

me.

“ VVal, I was left standin’ right there feelin’ a
little muttonish, and after while I sot down by
the wayside under a pine, and begun to cogi—
tote. I now diskivered why it was that the man
in the moon had laughed so broadly and had

 

 

 

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