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ENT KﬁENE’s
- : KNOCK-OUT.

A STORY OF THE

RED RAIDERS 0F BLUE JACKET.

 
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2

Shasta Sam, the Sparkler.

 
row, rock-walled corridor of a mountain
stronghold. and the speaker, a man of
athletic build. threw himself heavily
against another whom he had detected
listening beside a half-open door, hurl-
ing him headlong across the threshold.

But the spy was young and agile. A
quick grasp at the edge of a heavy table
within saved him' from a stunning fall
on the rough stone ﬂoor, and with mar—
vellous celerity he was upon his feet
again, when. almost instantly, his drawn
revolvers sent shot after shot at his
assailants.

Assailants. for there were three-two
white men an aged Indian chief—in that
rude stone-floored chamber. Alarmed by
that startling cry, they had leaped to
their feet, weapons in hand, to ﬁre rap—
idly at the daring mountain detective,
thus suddenly discovered among them.

But luck was against the trio of ban-
dits—for such they were—and with the
venturesome detective, for when _the
smoke lifted two of the men were no
longer visible, while the old Indian thief
was seen to be crouching beside the body
of the one who had thrown the spy into
the room.

The two captives were also within that
grim chamber. These the detective at
once released, saying: «

“ Rise, gentlemen, and secure weapons,
if you- can. for others of the Mountain
League may be. upon us in a moment,
and we must be prepared to hold our
own." ,

The command was scarcely obeyed
when the heavy trampling of many feet
vas heard in the corridor without, and a
squad of United States regulars burst
into the rock-ribbed room.

Even in the excitement and confusion
of that moment, the old Indian felt a
gentle pressure upon his arm. The
black eyes of the prostrate outlaw were
peering into his grim face!

“Hist! Black Bear!” the outlaw
breathed; “I am hurt but little, but we
are hemmed in, and your cunning must
save us.

“Get me into the side chamber if you
can, and from there we must reach the
magazine, get arms, and escape by the
secret passage; that or we hang! Be
quick!"

The redskin nodded, a hopeful look
ﬂashing from his sunken black eyes. The
soldiers entering the room confusedly,
he deftly dragged the outlaw into the
room or passage adjoining the living
place, and closed the heavy slab door,
which he pinioned securely.

That done, the younger outlaw leaped
to his feet.

“Well done, Black Bear! ” he ex-
claimed, jubilantly. “Now the way is
clear to the magazine. Let“ us be off.

“Yes, yes! My son, we must not tar-
ry,” the old chief declared, crossing the
chamber with trembling steps. “To re—
main is death, while if we escape we
may retrieve all.”

Then, with Black Bear slightly in ad-
vance, the pair quitted the side or blind
chamber and entered a gloomy passage-
way. .
Descending a short ﬂight of steps out
in the stone, they found themselves in
yet another corridor, from' which they
turned to enter the magazine—a low,
square room, dimly lighted by a lantern
suspended from the ceiling.

Weapons of many kinds were hanging
upon the walls, and when they had se-
cured the door father and son—for such
they were—the supposed “chief” being
a white man disguised—armed them-
selves thoroughly; then, lantern in hand,
the younger outlaw led the way down-
ward through a trap in the ﬂoor.

“We must secure all the money in
the treasure chamber, my son,” advised
the old man, as they entered a zigzag
ﬁssure running through the heart of
the rocks. “ The band is destroyed; we
are the proper heirs, and all now is
ours! ”

“There is a great deal, father?”

“ Many thousands, my son, in cash,
nuggets. and diamonds, besides the other
booty which we must leave."

 
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“Good! It will put us on our feet
again. We can organize another band
and yet secure the fortune we now have
got to abandon."

The old chief shook his head in a de-
cided way. ‘

‘No, Keene, my son, We must adopt
a different plan." he declared. “ A for—
tune may be secured—a round million,
perhaps—but there must be none to
share it with us.

“If help is needed, hire it, and let the
men work blindly, for none must, know
you as Kent Keene or suspect the end
you have in view.”

“Then you have arranged the plot,
father? ”

The old outlaw uttered a chuckle as he
twisted his claw—like hands together.

“ Oh, yes, my son! I have schemed my
whole life long, both for vengeance and
for gold, and now, when all else has
failed, there comes the opportunity for a
brilliant stroke, if your cunning and
courage are equal to it."

“Try me, father,” and the younger
man turned eagerly to the wretch who
called him son.

“Ay, ay! And it’s the last chance I
can give you, boy, for I am old———vcry
old.

“But here is the treasure cave, and
while we secure the money and gems I
Will tell you all that I can, for every—
thing will depend upon your shrewdness
and nerve.”

An opening in one wall of the ﬁssure
confronted the pair, and, holding the Ian—
tern before him, Kent Keene, the outlaw,
stooped and entered, followed by the
chief.

A mere pocket in the rock was that
“cavern,” but it was ﬁlled with heavy
wooden boxes, each secured with a chain
and padlock to prevent removal by any
of the League, whose loot it was.

Then the chief, drawing from his
bosom a bunch of keys, unlocked one of
the boxes or chests, the smallest one of
the lot, and disclosed to the eyes of his
son a dozen or more packages of bank
notes, all of large denominations, while
from beneath them he drew a small
buckskin pouch of precious stones.

“Here is a fortune in itself, my son,
but not enough for your needs and mine,”
the chief observed. “ Stow the bills and
the diamonds upon your person, and
take all, for I have with me enough for
the present.

“And now I will tell you what you‘
must do. , -

“ You yourself must turn detective, and
put your wits against those of one of the
keenest criminals the world has ever
known.”

Kent Keene started. .

“ Turn detective, you say?” he cx-
claimed, both voice and manner betray—
ing uneasiness.

“ Ay, detective, for there is much you,

must learn.

“In the camp of Blue Jacket, down
near the northern boundary of the great
basalt plains, lives a.’ man known as
Solomon Zebender. He is a miser, shrewd
and cunning. He is rich—very rich, it
is said—with the spoils of a long life of
secret but successful outlawry, although
he lives in a mere hovel.

“But the bulk of his wealth was made
by one stroke. .

“Fifteen years ago he came one day
upon a man wounded and dying beside
a Colorado trail, and this man, Ishmael
Estell by name, was rich in mining prop-
erty of the ﬁrst class.

“ Zebender was not wholly hardened.
Moreover, his cupidity had been aroused
by words Estell let fall in his delirium,
and so he carried the wounded man into
the nearest mining camp, and carefully
nursed him back to life.

“But he had learned too much to per-
mit Estell ever to- escape. Under the
guise of deep and true friendship, he
worked his way so thoroughly into the
miner’s esteem and conﬁdence that there
were no secrets between them. Thus
Zebender knew exactly what Estell pos-
sessed, the location and valuation of all
his property, and that the miner was

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a widower with two children, a boy and
a girl.

“This boy was some ten or twelve
years old, the girl an infant of two, and
they were the sole heirs of Ishmael Es—
tell.

“Then Estell was suddenly attacked
by a strange malady, which baffled the
little skill possessed by the camp’s doc—
tor, and in a few days he died.

“His last act was to name Solomon
Zebender executor of his estate and
guardian of his children, without bond.

“ This was the end for which Zebender
had plotted, and now the fortune was
fairly within his grasp, for be converted
all the property into cash within the
year, deserted the children, and disap—
peared.

“ This fortune, my son, you may win.
and it is a noble one, for under Zebend—
er’s care it has steadily grown.

“Estell’s son was killed, so rumor
says, several years ago, while searching
for proof of Zebender’s rascality; but the
daughter lives, and I have reason to be-
lieve she is in the camp of Blue Jacket,
and known to the miser.

“So, go you to Blue Jacket, in some
deep and cunning disguise, ferret out
Edith Estell, and make terms with her
for the recovery of the fortune. That
done, boldly confront Zebender and ac-
cuse him of the murder of Ishmael Es—
tell, and wrest from him the property.

“ Here in this packet which I give you
is proof of the crime. found years ago
by my secret agent, and if the miser re—
fuses to disgorge you can send him to
the gallows.

“Do this, my son; act promptly, and
all will be well for you in the future, for
with a portion of the Estell estate at
your command you can forsake the paths
of outlawry and live like a gentleman."

That the younger outlaw was deeply
impressed his face showed, even by the
dim light of the lantern, and there was
a glow in his dark eyes, showing him
ready and anxious for the task.

“I will do it!” he declared. “And
if your information is correct, I should
certainly win.

“But in the eVent of my failing to
ﬁnd Edith Estell—what then? ”

The old man’s sunken black eyes
ﬂashed balefully. ,

“ You must not fail! " was the response.

Kent Keene silently secreted the money
and jewels upon his person, and slipped
the proof of Zebender’s guilt into his
money belt.

Then the old chief spoke again, his
voice sinking almost to a whisper, and
for a.half hour father and son talked
most earnestly.

But the pseudo-Indian, the whilom
chief of the bandit league, had come
there, not to ﬂee, but to end his vile ca-
reer, for suddenly he tottered and fell
to the stone ﬂoor, when from his mouth
and nostrils burst a blood ﬂow which
quickly brought unconsciousness and
death!

 
CHAPTER II.
RED BELT, THE SPORT.

Blue Jacket lay sweltering in the heat
and the glare of the August sun one
Saturday afternoon when one of the half-
dozen roughs lounging on the piazza in
front of the Idaho House descried a lone
horseman coming down the trail from
the northern camps. .

“Heigho, pards! Jes’ look up yen-
way, fer ef thar ain‘t a galoot with wheels
under his hat I misses my guess,” the
fellow sang out, lazily rising and point—
ing through the dazling glare at the ap-
proaching rider. “ Whoof! Et makes me
dry ter think of et!”

Then a bustle of excitement took the
place of the inert laziness so characteris-
tic of that particular group, and all
crowded to the end of the piazza to get
a better View of the horseman.

Down the trail at a rapid canter he
came, although his horse was plainly in.
distress. ' ‘

“Et's a puffectly safe bet, gen’lemen,
thet'ther critter’s a heathen, e1 thar’s

 
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not mighty good cause fer haste,” Major

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-body!

Shasta Sam, the Sparkler.

3

 
Marker declared, with an indignant toss
01' his shiny bald head.

“Hossﬁesh is hosstlesh, an’ thet‘s a
good one he‘s on, or I’m no jedge. An'
I’ve allers allowed es how a good boss is
better a heap sight then a bad rider.”

Then the major retreated to the bar-
room, sat down, and patiently awaited
the arrival of the stranger.

Strangers were a rarity in Blue Jack-
et, and were seldom seen except on the
semi-weekly stage days. In the whole.
history of the camp but two had ap~
peared as this one was coming, and both
had been in full ﬂight before a vigilance
committee from the upper camps.

“ An et‘s a puffectly safe bet thar's a
screw loose some’ers behind this one,”
the major sagely asserted.

And this was the opinion of the group
on the porch, as well; but as the horse—
man drew near they stopped their run-
ning ﬁre of comments and ﬁled slowly
into the saloon.

Saturday afternoon was a half-holiday
in Blue Jacket, and many of her denizens
were there, gathered around the various
card tables, at play, but all knew that
something out of the ordinary was about
to happen when that solemn-visaged row
of roughs and idlers came ﬁling in, and
for the moment all play ceased.

Then a swift clatter of hoofs at the
door announced the stranger’s arrival,
and a moment later he stepped into the
saloon.

A tall man, splendidly built and strik-
ingly handsome was he, with black eyes,
hair, mustache and imperial.

He was garbed like a sport, with short
coat of blue velveteen, gold buttons,
frilled shirt, and flowing silk tie, black
doeskin pants, and patent-leather shoes.
A six-inch belt of red leather, fastened
with a massive gold buckle, encircled his
waist, supporting a knife and a brace
of revolvers. >

A bold. a dashing-looking fellow he cer-
tainly was, fresh as a daisy despite that
hot and dirty ride, and as he stepped up
to the bar, just inside the door, he
dropped a banknote on the polished hard
wood, and cheerily sang out:

“ Hallo, hallo! Come up, pards—every—
There‘s a new sport in camp! Let's
drink to better acquaintance!”

The invitation was accepted with alac-
rity by every man in the room save one,
and that one was Cool Cy, the lessee of
the card tables.

For some reason, probably unknown
even to himself, the gambler had in-
stantly formed an instictive aversion to
the Sportive stranger, and he quietly re-
mained in his seat behind the faro lay-
-out. \

“ Come, pard!——come drink with me to
our better acquaintance,” the stranger
urged, laughingly, as he noticed the
gambler’s indifference. V

“ I am called Red Belt, the Sport, and
you will ﬁnd me a square man when
squarely treated, but a terror to crooked
deals and brace games.”

Then, to the intense surprise of Blue
Jackets denizens, Cool Cy rose from the
table and Without hesitation approached
the bar.

The gambler was a bully, morose and
sullen, and all had expected trouble in—
stead of acquiescence.

But Cool Cy was determined to quar-
rel and to force a ﬁght, right there and
then, and his cunning brain had instantly
conceived a plan whereby the odds would
fall in his favor.

Taking his place beside Red Belt, be
ﬁlled his glass; then, as he started to
raise it to his lips, suddenly paused and
turned to the sport.

“ Did I understand you to insinuate
that I might be running a brace game?”
he demanded, slowly, and speaking each
word with the utmost distinctness, while
his cold gray eyes looked ﬁxedly into
the black orbs of the stranger. “Or that
I was in the habit of treating people

' other than squarely? ”

> r you are—”

Red Belt laughed.
“ Well, now, it may have sounded that
way," he admitted, carelessly. “ But as

 
t . i v ‘i
. p  , ‘ ,l'...‘

   
Swift as lightning the hand of Cool
Cy rose, to dash the glass of beaded
liquor in the eyes of the sport; but,
swifter yet were the movements of Red
Belt, for a sudden swerve of his head
took him out of line with the ﬂying con—
tents of the glass, while, instantly, his
right ﬁst shot out. knocking the quarrel-
some gambler off his feet.

Of course, all was confusion. for there
could now be but one ending to that
quick and bitter quarrel.

\Vith a bound, Cool Cy sprang erect,
revolver in hand, but the weapon of Red
Belt stared him full in the face, and
he shrank back unnerved.

“ Sorry, sir, but you would have it so,"
the sport exclaimed. “Had you heard
me out, we would have been friends, not
enemies.”

“Perhaps!” sneered Cool Cy.

Red Belt smiled.

“No, it’s just as I say,” he assured.
“I came here to hang out my shingle,
but not to hunt trouble. Like yourself,
I am a sport, looking for business.”

“That’s just the rub; Blue Jacket
Camp is not bg enough for two ﬁrst-
class men in our line, and as I was here
ﬁrst I propose to stay, so I reckon you'll
have to look further.”

The gambler spoke in an arrogant,
menacing tone.

Red Belt looked at him in surprise.

“ Upon my word, mister man, you have
a peculiarly fresh way of taking things
into your hands,” he exclaimed, a wicked
glitter in his black eyes; “but, as you
have laid down the law, one of us must
go, I take it.”

“That is true!”

“Very good. Here’s a proposition:
We’ll leave it to a vote of the gentle—
men here. Let them de’cide which shall
go.

“I admit that your being first on the
ground gives you the right of way. To
offset that, I‘ll put up a thousand dol—
lars against your interest here.

“What say?”

Cool Cy hesitated a moment, then gave
assent to the proposition. Both men put
away their weapons,‘ and the prelimi-
naries were quickly arranged.

Then the vote was taken.

Much to the surprise and chagrin of
Cool Cy, he found himself almost unan-
imously elected to leave Blue Jacket,
whereupon, to the surprise of all, he at
once packed up and departed withOut
protest.

“You will understand, gentlemen, that
the trouble was not of my seeking,” Red
Belt remarked, when the gambler had
disappeared from view over a distant
rise in the trail.

“Oh, no! He bluffed, and you called,”
the landlord assured. “It’s my honest
opinion, too, that you have done Blue
Jacket a good service in driving Cool Cy
out, for he was quarrelsome, and his
many shooting scrapes have given the
camp a bad name.”

Others voiced the same opinion, and
the sport was assured that he need look
for no hostility because of the gambler‘s
discomﬂture.

Then Red Belt announced his inten-
tion of stopping a few weeks in Blue
Jacket, and arranged with the landlord
for board and lodging, paying in gold for
a month in advance.

That done, he went to the stable to see
that his horse had been properly cared
for; then he sought his room and pre-
pared for supper. ‘

The landlord had announced that the
gaming privilege of the hotel would be
offered at auction immediately after the
supper hour, and as it was the leading
resort of the camp, it was generally be-
lieved that the bidding would be most
spirited. '

The Red Belt Sport was early on hand,
and when the privilege was offered be
promptly raised every bid until the dis-
gusted competitors had all dropped out,

 
whereupon he quickly closed the deal ‘

with the landlord, paying the bonus in

cash, and at once took possession.
Then the two dealers who had been
employed by Cool "Cy offered their serv:
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ices and were engaged, and the gambling
hall was declared open for business.

Every one seemed anxious for a chance
to try his luck against the new sport,
and until midnight business was excep-
tionally brisk, with the bank winning
steadily.

But at that hour there came a 11111. A
majority of the crowd were cleaned out;
others, under the impression that Sun-
day would be a great day because of the
departure of Cool Cy, wished to turn in
in time for a night’s rest, while a yet
smaller number were so thoroughly un-
der the influence of the liquor which they
had been imbibing so freely that they
were unable either to play or to get out.

So the tables were almost wholly de-
serted, and the Red Belt Sport gave er-
ders to close the games for the night.

Just at this juncture three men, each
in a different part of the room, began to
move slowly but steadily toward the faro
layout, where sat Red Belt in person.

There was nothing suspicious in these
movements, save that they were simulta—
neous, yet Red Belt instantly jumped to
the conclusion that he was about to be
attacked and robbed.

But he sat unmoved, chatting with a
miner who lingered after his fellows
had departed; yet his revolvers were out
and ready under cover of the table, for
he was determined to teach the camp
roughs and toughs a lesson they would
remember.

His suspicions were speedily veriﬁed.

The trio reached the faro layout at
exactly the same moment, one facing
the gambler and one upon either hand at
the ends of the table; then from the
miner who had engaged his attention
came the stern order:

“Hands up, Red Belt, for we are here
to avenge the insult put upon Cool Cy!"

“ Don‘t draw, or yQu’ll—”

The heavy crack of the gambler‘s
weapons ﬁlled the hiatus, and springing
upon the layout, shot after shot rang
through the room. .

The two dealers had sprung to their
employer’s assistance, but the battle was
over, for on the ﬂoor lay one of the as-
sailants, badly “plugged,” while the
others had sought safety in ﬂight—the
gambler not having shot to kill.

The Red Belt Sport had not escaped
unscathed; a ball had pierced his left
arm, while another was imbedded in his
thigh, but he stood his ground unﬂinch-
ingly, wounded as he was, until the in—
jured man had been carried from the
room and the place closed for the night.

It was the last attempt made to avenge
the banishment of Cool Cy. Red Belt
had “earned ’his spurs,” and he was
promptly hailed as the new “ chief ” of
Blue Jacket.

Then, by his kindness, he won the
friendship of the wounded rough, Ute
Jack, while he was laid up, for the sport
took him each week an amount equal to
the wages he was wont to earn in the
mines when at work, and paid all ex-
penses accruing as cheerfully as he could
have done for a life-long friend.

In the cabin occupied by Ute Jack were
two miners, pards of the rough, who had
been injured in the Good Luck Mine a.
few days before, and they, too, were
thoughtfully provided for by the new
sport.

“While helpless, they are dependent
upon Jack,” the gambler explained.
“Give them what they need, and bring
the.bi11 to me."

The denizens of Blue Jacket to a man
voted Red Belt “a clean, white sport,”
and the gambling hall at the Idaho House
ﬂourished as it never had before.

That there was a mystery in the life
of the gambler none could doubt, and as
the months rolled by he was often
strangely absent from his chair behind
the fare layout, but no questions were
asked, for the man was feared as well as
admired. -

 
CHAPTER III.
RED BELT‘S ORIPPLES.

We have said that the Red Belt Sport

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won his way by kindness to the heart

    
:idﬁ‘f.‘ ‘

 
4 Jack ‘had thrown up his hand in dis-

. atthat moment. and ending his musings

‘ ordinary which had led to that secret

‘ dark and secret.

following, and one ever ready to sell his

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4 . Shasta , Sam,

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the . Sparkler.

 
of the man he had been forced to wound
so severely, and that they became friends.

That this was the case all in Blue
Jacket knew, for as soon as he was able
to hobble about Ute Jack called at the
Idaho House and paid his respects to the
sport, by whom he was entertained right
royally.

Naturally, it was suspected that a deep
game was afoot, in which Red Belt was
to be the victim; but when the days had
rolled on until nearly a month was gone,
the still helpless rough gave a striking
evidence of his ﬁdelity to the strange
man who had ﬁrst wounded, then be-
friended, him.

The “cripples,” as Ute Jack and his
two pards were popularly called, had got-
ten in the habit of hobbling out of camp
to a cool, secluded gulch, a short distance
up the trail, every afternoon, where, with
a pack of cards and a ﬂask of liquor,
they would while away the drowsy sum-
mer hours. '

Usually they were a noisy, boisterous
lot, so that one passing up or down the
trail would be pretty sure to detect their
presence, although snugly hidden from
sight in a small glen opening» off the
gulch. But at times the cards would lose
interest and they would then loll about
in the grass, quietly chatting or silently
smoking and drinking, until the shades
of evening came.

It was'on one of these days that the
acknowledged leader of the trio, a tall,
awkward, loose-jointed rough known as
Sugar Foot, made an important discov-
ery.

Interest in the game had ﬂagged. Ute

gust after an hour’s play, and turned
over on'his back, with his pipe between
his teeth-an example which Pious Pete
was not slow to bllow. ‘

This left Sugar Foot in a restless mood,
and after some minutes of smoking and
growling he picked himself up and en-
tered the winding ﬁssure leading into.
the gulch. ‘ I

1A few days previously the ruiﬁan had
noticed faint traces of a pathway wind-
ing up one wall of the fissure to the
rocks above, and he now determined t9
explore it.

Climbing slowly and steadily to the
top of the wall, he found himself at the
foot of a gradual slope densely covered
with dwarfed pines. The narrow path-
way was there more plainly marked, and
seemed to lead straight up the mountain.

“ Some one hes'a den up thar,” the
fellow decided, his small, dark eyes
gleaming suspiciously. “ Is et a ‘strike,’
or jest 21—”

Voices in the gulch below startled him

abruptly, he crept stealthin to the verge
and peered down. .

Two men were ,there, both known to
the ruihan, and he quietly stretched him-
self upon the rock to listen, ,for he was,
a sneak and in spy by nature, and he
knew that it was something out of the

meeting. ..

One of 'the menw s a Mexican named
Pedro Gomez, a graph er, and he had been
the most prominent competitor against
the Red Belt Sport for the gaming priv-
liege at the Idaho House. Report said
that he 'was a treacherous scoundrel, im-
placable in his hatred, and given to deeds

'The second was Dare-Devil Dick. a
bravo of the camp, with a considerable

zerv‘ices for gold,“ no matter what the
es . .
At the moment Sugar Foot looked
down Gomez was speaking.
“You are sure, Senor Dick, that you
can rely upon your men?” he asked.
“,Oh'yes, Pedro; fer ther gold yer offers
they will do ther deed,” was the prompt
reply. ' . ‘ i
“ And they do not know that I employ
them, Senor Dick? ” g- R g .
' “ rmﬁno fool,fPe oi” v ’

i )
‘v‘

  
‘, \,

 
“but the Red Belt Sport, was surrounded

» tion.

"most vicious aspect, named Honeyfang,

  
that I employ them to remove him they
might revolt, for i am not liked,” an
the Mexican scowled blackly.

“No, Pedro, ye're not ace-high, thet
way, an’ I’m free ter say I don't love
yer, nuther," was the bluff response. “ But
yer gold hes a good ring, Pedro, an’ es
thet‘s what we’re arter, yer kin depend
on us.

“ Six of us will be thar at nine o’clock
tor—night, an’ we'll ﬁll ther Red Belt so
full 0’ lead he’ll never know what hurted
him.”

“It is well, senor. Fail not.”

Then the musical clinking of gold
pieces came to the ears of the spy upon
the rocks, and he eagerly craned his
neck to get a better view of the villain-
ous transaction.

Ten double eagles fell in the hand of
the bravo. That transaction consum-
mated, with a parting injunction Pedro
Gomez turned and strode away, followed
a few minutes later by Dare-Devil Dick.

“ Uh, huh!” muttered Sugar Foot, as
the bravo disappeared down the gulch,
and, turning upon his‘ back, he stared
blankly at the sky.

But he was a quick-witted scoundrel,
and after a m'oment's thought he hur-
riedly scrambled down into the ﬁssure
and rejoined his companions in the glen.

Cursing them for their drowsiness,
Sugar Foot explained what had happened,
and suggested a counterplot.

That night, sharply at nine o‘clock, the
raid was made, just as Dare-Devil Dick
had promised Pedro Gomez it should be;

by friends, and the plot proved a signal
failure; the ruﬂ‘lans were repulsed and
driven from camp, while the bravo chief
and the Mexican were captured and
thrown into the calaboose.

The “cripples” came in for their full
share of the glory, and thus was every
deubt as to’ the sincerity of the friend-
ship they professed for the Red Belt
Sport completely removed.

Red Belt was conspicuous at the trial
of the two desperadoes., He was instru-
mental in securing their discharge, and
as time rolled on he became more and
more popular.

With a nerve that it seemed nothing
could shake, a dead shot, and a master
of wrestlin‘g and boxing, he became
known throughout the camps as the
champion of Blue Jacket. and it was
said that hold indeed would be the man
to cross his will. '

 
It was early in March that Blue Jacket
awoke one morning to a genuine ,sensa-

The cabin of Solomon Zebender, stand»
ing upon the mountainside some distance
from the .camp, ‘had been entered by
masked men during the night and the
miserly old mine owner robbed.

Not only, robbed, but tortured.

The rough [men of Blue J scket declared
that being robbedwas in itself the se-
verest torture which could be visited
upon the old miser. But the burglars
had evidently thought differently, for
Solomon showed a pair of badly blistered
hands and! feet in support of his asser-
tions when called upon by the marshal.
Long. Dave Sty. '

The alarm had been given at an ex-
tremely early hour, and in a very pecu-
liar way. - I

In the employ of Zebender, as man of
all work, was a great hulk of a fellow of

whose chief duty, it w'as said, was to
sleep in a miserable lean-to back of the
cabin. .

But on the night in question Honeyfang
had slipped out about eleven o’clock and
gone down to the camp for a. drink.
Meeting some acquaintances. he had pro—
tracted his stay until/day was dawning,
and then, fearfui of the miner’s wrath,
hastened home, considerably the worse
for'liquor. , » i
» On entering the lean-to he was aston-
" d to ,dis " ver the door leading intoi

 ,  II the nestinstan
n; n. g , J

 
Fearful of the worst, he entered the,
cabin, only to ﬁnd Zebender and his'
daughter bound and gagged.

The appearance of the cabin pointed
to robbery as the motive, and pausing
only long enough to release the girl and
her father, he hurried out, and with re-
volvers and voice raised such a hubbub
that the marshal and a number of men
soon made their appearance.

“Hey! Sly Dave, ther ole man lies bin
robbed," the big ruiﬁan howled, at the
top of his voice, as the ofﬁcial came into
view. “Robbed an’ bucked an’ gagged,
an’ ther cabin turned up si’ down! ”

That the rufﬁan was exaggerating but
little the marshal quickly discovered.

But to the surprise of everybody, Solo—
mon Zebender seemed to wish the matter
dropped.

"I don’t keep mOney lying around
loose,” he explained. “ The fellows didn’t
get much—not enough to pay. them de—
cent wages for their night’s work, and
I don’t reckon it’s worth while to make
any fuss about the matter. '

“ You see, I am not much hurt. There
were three of the .fellows, all masked,
and strangers to me. and when they
didn’t pick up as much as they had ex-v
pected to, they tried to blister me into
telling where to ﬁnd more.

“ But that, gentlemen, was impossible,
for I am a poor man, despite current
belief to the contrary; I can honestly
say I don‘t possess a thousand dollars
to my name.

“ I am simply an agent for others, and
at that only to a limited extent."

“ That is true,” the daughter declared,
timidly. “ We are poor—Tvery poor, and
it was only yesterday that father and I
were discussingthe advisability of my
seeking employment somewhere in the
camp."

“Wal, people don’t always git their
neighbors rated right—«not by a jugful,”
the marshal asserted, while ﬁrmly ﬁxed
in his mind was the belief that the miser _
was deliberately falsifying.

“ But ef yer don' care ter push ther
case, ’tain’t my lookout, an’ I'll go back
ter bed. Ef I happens ter ketch on ter
ther critters, though, I reckon Blue Jack-
et won’t be "none too healthy fer them.” ,

And with that the marshal and the men
with him withdrew. . u

up

 
. 4d,. .a<'.~¥m.zu.;,, :_‘;,r'

 
i

 
.— ...c.-.v.,.,,_

 
.- 4.. ..~. w»... ,,

Then the miser proceeded to give his ? '

\

bodyguard, the valiant H'oneyfang, an  I

artistic tongue lashing. ‘

‘The burly rough took it quietly, wait-  “
ing patiently until Zebender had ex-s '~

hausted his stock of expletives and in- ;
vectives; then a drunken leer crossed his
face, and he stepped forward and looked

unﬂinchingly into the blazing orbs of his ' '

employer.

“ Thet’ll do, boss! An’ don’t let et hap- 1

pen agin! -
“ You knows, an’ I knows, an’ ther gal

..,,, ...-

knows, what them blame cusses war ar— v "

ter, an’ thet et weren’t eny gold ye got ’

hid !——nixey!

" They were arter thet thar leetle 88-;

cret I kerry right up hug-3'11“: «'the‘f .

rough laid his foreﬁnger upon his bulg- {i '

ing forehead. “ They burned. yer hoofsg

ter make yer squeal thet—not open up; '

yer gold’

" Don'tgive me any more 0’ yer fun- ; '

ny business, fer I ’members thet leetle ‘
Colorado sarcumstance very ’stinctly, an'
I reckon Jack’s es good es his master.
See?" '

Solomon Zebender
sw‘arthy face grew white.
around apprehensively, his small black
eyes glaring with terror.

"Hush, man-” v

“ An’ I say, ole par-d, while we’re at et,

thar’s another leetle p’int I wants set- .

tied,” the rufiian continued, rudely break-
ing in on that weak-voiced admonition.
“I reckon you’ve noticed es how, sauce»
I bin a-shagkin’ hyar with yer, I’ve got

‘41“

shivered and his ’
He glanced -’

mm

 
almighty lonesome, an’ now I axes Yeti

plum’, straight out, ter make me yer 50.11. ii

in-iaw‘. » “
"Etll keep thet leetle matter all 

ther fam’biy, an’——" ' . , ' .:
A ﬁreamof rage .

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:: ﬂames-z» ‘ shame, i...

 
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    ,,

 
Shasta- ,‘Sam, the

 
in time to avoid a’swinging blow from
Zebender, turned and ﬂed.

 
About ten o’clock that morning the
Red Belt Sport left camp with gun and
dog, bound for a day‘s shooting.

Taking the trail lead ng to the north-
ward, he walked linisurely onward for
nearly a mile, when he came to a narrow
deﬁle leading off to the westward.

k Entering. he pushed onward until he

had found a point at which the south
wall might be easily scaled; there he
ascended the mountain and turned to the.
south, a course which would take him
directly past Blue Jacket, but at such a
height he would not be seen.

' Provided with a powerful ﬁeld glass,
at times he paused and carefully scanned
thecameand the loWer trail, as well as
the course he had covered.

A mile or more below the camp h
descended and entered a small ledge
cavern.

When he reappeared his face was cov-
ered with a mask, while a rubber cowl
and long cloak concealed his head and
body. Dog and gun had been left in the
cavern.‘ '

Descending yet further, the Red Belt
Sport entered a gulch, and fromla cavity
in the rocks drew afolded sheet of pa-
per, on which was scrawled:  .

“Chief: We tried the game, b t it
wouldn‘t work. The miser' swears it is
all a lie—that he never knew Estell,
much less'his daughter. Searched the
. shack for papers, but found none. What
"next?" ' . ,

There was no Signature. -

Biting his lips in vexation, the Red
'Belt Sport reflected a moment, then at
the bottom of the paper wrote the one

  _ word:

“ Wait."

 
CHAPTER IV.
- u THE wean.

“Zetta, I am. expecting a caller-.311
agent of the law. His business with me
is private. Crippled as. I am, I shall
have to leave it to you to devise means
to. keep Giles away, while the caller is
here." " ‘

So. spoke Solomdn Zebender to his
daughter, when alone with her one morn-
ing a fortnight after the raid of the mys-
terious burglars.

“Well, don’t worry, father; I will
do the best I can,” the girl replied, in

‘- her matter-of—fact way. I

“ But when do you expect this caller? ”

“ At any hour. The letter you mailed
two weeks ago was addressed to'him,
but the mails are uncertain,'f0r the Red
Raiders'arehecoming bold and the coach

. that, day, Was held up at Dead Man's
Canyon; ' .

“But he will come, I feel assured, and
Honeyfang must not hear What passes
between us." I .

“I shall do the best I can," Zetta again
declared. '

“ And then. father? ”

“I shall keep my promise to you, girl.
\Ve'll go to some small place in the East,
where I can be at peace with the world.
We’ll be poor~very poor, but I have

lived so that the change will not affect»

B. .  . » .
" Vider be stripped of all the prop-
erty?’f"" . ‘V ,
“Of every dollar, girl, ‘save a few hun-
dreds which rightfully belong to me."
, A look of quiet content‘came into Zetta
,Zebender's dark eyes. “ r . ‘
“ That is well. father!" she exclaimed.
caressing the grim old face. “ Make full
restitution—yield everything not your
OWn, and.I shall be happy!”
The miser sighed.

were not to'be carried out.
Three days passed, and the expected

gégviﬂitor failed to appear. Anxiety weighed

heavily upon the mlser.

He grew fret-

 
gander.

" ful’and ill at ease.

i;

‘ There is something wrong,” he would

 
tether metals: is was» 2a.,
i ’ : ' Id  ‘1;

But the plans ofifa'ther and daughter,

will all come right yet, father, I am
sure.”

Soon, however, came a great'change,
and all knew that old Solomon Zebender,
the miser of Blue Jacket, was dying.

He had been suddenly stricken speech-
less, and lay in agony—bitter, intense
mental agony. '

The. shadow of a great wrong lay heav-
ily against his soul. now trembling upon
the verge of eternity.

Could he but speak, there was yet time
for atonement—time to amend the past;
but his tongue was paralyzed. llot, dry,
and swollen, it clove to the roof of his
parched mouth.

His hands, yet showing traces of those
cruel blisters, lay powerless beside him.
He vainly strove to lift them, that the
words he wished to utter might be writ-
ten.

His swarthy old face had taken on that
peculiarly waxen hue which so often
presages the nearness of death, and his
whole appearance, with the single ex—
ception of his eyes, was that of a corpse.

Beady, black, deep-set, and small, these
eyes turned upon the persons beside the
couch, with a look at once appealing and
terrible, while his thoughts, unworded,
ran: -

“ All—~all that I have, would I give for
the privilege of speech! Help me, why
don’t you? Heavens! Will you let this
monster, Death, drag my secret into the

May heaven guard and keep you! And
"you, Giles——you will~ not help'mel—you
are powerless, you say? Zounds! Could

I but reach you, even Death would shrink'

from me to you!”

Thus those eyes, strangely powerful at
all times, but eloquent now with voice-
less agony, seemed to speak, as old Sol?
omen Zebender lay with the dew of
death upon his swarthy brows.

The doctor shook his head slowly.

“ I diln reckon Ole Zebender hes salted
his last mine," he mused, reflectively, his
bloodshot brown eyes shifting covertly
from Giles Honeyfang to the bowed head
of the daughter. “ An’, by ther same
token, he’s skint his last‘ tenderfoot!

“ Et’s mighty queer, too, but et’s klv-'
lered so almighty “deep I cain’t jest reach
thergcause 0' his sickness, else' I’d be
mighty apt ter fix-ct. Thar's sign enough,
but 0’ what ?—-—thet’s ther question! ”

“ApperpleJIY. you think, Doc?"

'Giles Honeyfang asked the question
cautiously; yet there was a trace of sag.-
gestiveness in his husky tones. In fact,
a' shrewd listener would have decided
that the miser’s henchman was desirous
of just that verdict-apoplexy.

But the liquor—soaked brain of Doctor
Jeremiah Samuels failed to catch the
suggesti n, if suggestion it was, and he
again sh 0k his head, saying:

“ New, et’s never thet. Et’s p'ison! ” '

“ Pralysis, mebbe? ” ‘

“,Naw, et ain’t p'ralysis. It’s p’ison—
rankp’ison, dugsgun'ye! A n't I dun said
so? Blamed ef‘I knows ow but ther
critter’s got a dose—a mighty big dose et
that! {I cain't tell jest what at is; but
tharhe be, an’ et's p’lson—no less! ’.’ '

,The doctor spoke in a decided manner.
The earlier‘symptoms had betrayed the
presence of bison, and upon those symp-
toms the in n of medicine, once a skilled
practitioner, had proceeded. But treat-
ment had been too long delayed, and the
case was hopeless, »  ,

This view was extremely distasteful to
Honeyfang, but it seemed to meek the
approbation of those eyes looking out
from that waxen face upc‘m the couch.

“ I—I—caln’t go thet ldear, 1300,”. Hon- -

eyfang protested, drawing his huge hand’
sharply across his shaggy brow‘s. “ Et’ll
go hard with her. too " With a sv‘vift gesté
ure at the slender iigure crouched be-
side the bed. “ His on’y child, min" ye,
an' et must hurt her ter knowwbut, I tell
ye Doc, thar’s a mistake somewhar! Sol
Zeebender neverwnever suicided! "

aroused from h
, cunningly; y, ,, '

l H

 
5393.1 at}?! »
art as

In harshly slbilant strains’c‘am‘e that"
declaration, and then. as if suddenly-

  
the speaker, her tearful black eyes
gleaming with a sudden burst of scorn
and anger.

“Scoundrel! Ruffian!” she exclaimed,
her voice pitched in a ringing, metallic
strain. “My father is not dying by his
own hand! It is accident or murder! "

\Vith arms akimbo, Giles lioneyfang
stared hard at the grief-stricken girl,
his protuberant gray eyes slowly ﬁlling
with an expression of scornful incredu-
lixy, not unmixed with venomous ha-
tred.

An ugly-looking customer was this ruf-
ﬁan. Full six feet in height, with broad,
thick shoulders and heavily muscled
arms and legs, he betrayed in each clum-_
sy movement the strength of a veritable
giant. -

His poll was thatched with a mass 0
bristling, sandy red hair, of wiry harsh-
ness. Mustache and beard, foul with to—
bacco stains, were of the same color, and
added not a little to the general repul—
sivcness of his broad, fiat face.

A long. vivid scar extended from tem—
ple to chin, and the low but bulging
forehead was also seamed and scarred,
while the nose had evidently been bro—
ken.

He was roughly dressed, and a stout
leather belt encircled his ponderous mid-
dle, supporting a brace of revolvers and
a long knife. As he glared savagely at
Zetta Zebender his grimy hands uncon—

grave? Ah, I love you; my dear child! {sciously shifted from his“ hips to the

butts of his weapons. _

“,Say et ag’in, an’ say et slow, ye dain-v
ty bit, 0’ ladybird! ” he growled, roughly
shaking off‘the thin, wasted hand Dr.
Samuels had ventured to place upon his
arm. “Ef. ye dare hint—”

“It is accident or murder, I say!"
ﬂashed the girl, almost desperate in her
grief and despair, as she swiftly mored '
from behind the bed and boldly advaned
upon the ruil‘lan. “ You were with him
when—” -

Checkifig the words trembling upon
her tongue, Zetta Zebender turned’
abruptly. . . s ,

A door behind her had opened, and
gestranger stood within the death cham—

r.

 
CHAPTER V.
SHAS’I‘A SAM, THE SPARKLER. *
The man who had thus suddenly and
unannounced entered the home of the--
Zebenders was a most remarkable-look-
ing personage. -
At least six feet and tw’o inches inn
height, he was as straight as an arrow,
and splendidly formed, with broad
shoulders, trim waist, and straight, sin-
cwy legs. ‘ A
His face was of handsome mold, stem
and fearless, yet fair and smooth as:
woman’s, with eyes large, lustrous, ands.
black as darkest night. » ‘
Long mustaches of a bright golden-
brown color shaded his finely chiseled
lips, and thick tresses of soft and silky *

.hair 'of the same rich, warm tint, lay in

clustering; ringlets upon his. shapely" “
shoulders. '

That this man was a sport of high deg
gree even Zetta Zebender knew at a
glance. His'snow-fiecked cap and over.-
.coat were of the finest sealskin,’and~" lit;
keeping with the rest of his attire.  ,
elegant under-coat of jet-black velvet“ I
was trimmed with buttons of solid gold, , ,
the from of the immaculate, frilled white, , ‘
shirt studded with diamonds, \while the
knot in the ﬂowing black silk tie at his
threat was fastened with a mashive pin,
representing a half-closed hand clutch?
ing a diamond as large as a hickory nut.

High-topped patent-leather boots ens
cased his shapely feet, and his velvet
breaches were secured at the waist With”
a girdle of crimson silk, from which mi
truded the butts of a pair of gold-mount
ed revolvers. , 7.
"In his‘left hand the sport carded hi
ﬂexible rattan cane, the head of  
was formed of a virgin nugget astral-3e "

was :1 doorknzb, god it was an impatient 
2,!) agent e out with thiamine; -  ,
t~  scammed a: '  m

e attention of 2c

  
3‘... .. v. ..V .‘ ~;['-‘  ~;;: 7 _> ,4 _
L 7‘7 .33; I,  1,  vi.;v,.~_r~.\.w , .4 .‘\.

Shasta Sam, "the sperm

er‘. ‘

 
the sport exclaimed, removing his cap
and inclining himself in a digniﬁed man-
ner, as the girl abruptly confronted him.

“But as I am in urgent haste, and no
/ one answered my knocking at the door,

I ventured to enter.

“Is this Solomon Zebender's home?”

" It is—or was.” Zetta answered, with
a swift, sidelong glance at that waxen
face on the bed. “You are here, sir, at
a most inopportune time. My father is
dying! ”

The sport started. His eyes followed
the woman’s glance, and he impetuously
moved forward.

“ Dying, you say? I——”

A quick gesture from the girl checked
the words. Then the doctor's wasted
hand was laid against his shoulder in
mild restraint. ‘

"Wait!" he exclaimed, his bloodshot
eyes ﬂashing a keen look at that hand-
some face. “Who aire you, thet you in—

- 'trude thus? Hastn’t Miss Zebendcr told

, you thet ther man is dying—thet et is no

time fer sech es you? "

“ Ya—as, an' isn‘t ther gal‘s word
enough?” growled Honeyi‘ang, suddenly

_ 'awakening from his open-mouthed con-

' templation of the stranger and lurching
between him and the bed. “You git
out! ”'

“ Slowly, my friends! ” retorted the
,sport, in quiet contempt, yet with a vivid
gleam in his magnetic black eyes that
boded ill to the ruﬂiaﬁ. “ I am not here

. unbidden, but at the urgent request of
 3' .. Solomon Zebender himself.”

“Yer don’t say! ” Honeyfang sneered,
while his protruding gray eyes flashed
a- look of cunning intelligence at the
doctor, 5“ An" Who be, you?”

 f “ Yes, tell me who you are? ” supple-
: , ~ mented Zetta, with, a curious contraction
1-‘ of her dark brows, while the little color
 remaining in her dusky face receded,
leaving,it a cold, gray hue, “‘Heaven.
knows I need a tried-and true friend now!
‘Am I to understand that you are—that
my father has sent for you?"

 ‘ “Precisely, Miss Zebendcr," the sport
_ pressured. “He suspected that he was
 soon to be made the victim of foul play,
I ' and'to ease his conscience of a certain
 e’vil transaction in the past he sent for

me.

,f‘ My name 18 Samuel Shelby, but I am
; called Shasta Sam, the Sparkler, and I
" ,have come a long distance at your fa-
l'ther’s request. . , - .
. “But. let the man speak‘ for. himself,
for here, is his letter,” and from the
. pecket of his coat the sport‘ drew an en-
;j; veibpe,'whioh he’ handed to Zetta.

.  It was postmarked " Blue Jacket, Ida-

' .110, March 6, 188-3” inscrawlin‘g, almost'
illegible characters, and‘ with renewed
.Ihop‘e apparent in every movement the
, 'wbman drew the fouled sheet from with-
“ in and opened it. - l ‘

y
' .r '.'

hivélufthe truth of the sport’s assertions,

-. Mr in a peculiarly heavy, sloping chit-og-
 rim! . which she instantly recognized as
M». others. was the following:

 4   » "stun JACKET, March 5, 188—.

aft-Samuel Shelby: ( _- A '

._ "Your trail crossed, mine ﬁve years

  330, and yen Werev‘hafned. '

. I," Come tome now.‘ and I will tell you

all. ’ V _ . .

- ; {‘1 My life is nearly done; my conscience

hurts me, and l

 liaﬁ't- ‘ »  a

"ﬂame to me at ancestor my enemies
at work, and something-tells- me the

'dfis'x near. Solomon "Zebenderﬂ3

. ii, , , ' ' , ,. ,
‘ 20th” ‘Ze'bender shrank back and pressed
 hamlet her eyes, as if to ,‘shut .out
 libomejhm'r , scene. (and the letter ﬁnt-.
 :' tend unneeded to' theﬂoonl  A ’

0 ‘ But"fit eternal escape ‘the curiong

.‘ Xi:

 
“rift £01133, gibending‘jlmov‘ement of. his
ailerons body,; hesto “ped'
fill his grimy  V  g ,  __ .
a on mu". tr. 1:? Wt ﬁlﬁwﬂtﬁé

tie private ‘my ' 

“gym; .9. k I" ,3

  
,

and; which 'she saw was proofvposi¥

would, malts amends for; '

one: VHoneyfangileth I'. '
and clutched _

      
evil face. “Ain't I Solomon Zebender’s
closest an‘ best friend? Go ’way, yer
card—sharp, or I‘ll kick yer out! ”

Shasta Sam‘s eyes glittered wrathful-
ly. Then, with a swift, cat-like spring,
he was upon the rutlian, one hand grasp—
ing his hairy throat and shutting off the
power of utterance; the other the wrist
of the hand holding the letter, and
wrenching it 'till the bones fairly
cracked.

'l‘hroughout the latter part of this
strange scene, Dr. Samuels had stood
a silent, listless spectator, his blood-shot
brown eyes looking stolilliy, even hope-
lessly, from one to the other of the three
actors; but now his interest seemed sud-
denly reawakened,,and he crossed the
cabin floor with quick, nervous strides
and threw open the door. r

“Throw him out, sir! " he exclaimed,
turning and addressing the sport with al-
most pitiful eagerness. “He's worried
the patient all day, an’ we jest c’u’dn‘t
git rid 0’ him.”

“ Yes, yes! Throw him out!”. added
Zetta Zebendcr, who had dropped her
hands from her eyes at the slight noise
accompanying Shasta Sam’s movements,
and she darted forward and secured the
letter.

Even the terrible eyes upon the bed,
now growing dim and lustrelcss with the
ﬁlm of death, seemed to close and open
approvingly.

Then, with a superb exhibition of sup-
pleness and strength, Shasta Sam deftly
shifted his hold upon Giles Honeyfang, to
grasp him around the middle and swing
him clear of the ﬂoor. .

A yell of mingled rage and terror burst,
from the ruﬁian’s swollen throat, to be
quickly followed by a series of vicious
threats; but, undaunted, the Sparkler
strode steadily across the room, and the
.next' minute Honeyfang struck the snow-
covered earth so heavily that for the mo-
ment the breath was-jarred from his
body. r ‘ ' '

Hardly waitingto bestow a. second
glance upon the prostrate rufﬂan, Shasta
Sam closed the door and turned Ito Zetta
Zebender.

The girl had recovered her composure,
and now greeted the sport with a wan
smile. ,

"I trust you will overlook your rude
reception," she exclaimed, her deep,
dark eyes frankly meeting the gaze of
the sport. “ I have been well-nigh dis-

was doing."
.“Pray don’t mention

“8 ’n
bhw. “ Circumstances,
been at fault, I am sure. . V -
“ New. may I see 'your‘ father,
once? ” - I H - _
"C8Mlﬂb’y3h‘. He has been await-r
ing your coming most anxiously.” ,
' At that in cture, Dr.,Samuels, moving
,away from t 6 side of thecouch, turned
totheso‘rt.‘   .‘ ‘
. " My ri’en’v, I’m sorry, but you’re too
late,”_ he annou 'ced, in ahusky whisper.
“Thor man is end! "w ~ ,
True enough. A single startled glance

" it, Miss Zebend-

at

‘ mon. Zeb'ender had ﬂed!

- .  ,  CHAPTER VI. ,1
was SPARKDER AND THE MAJOR.
Shasta 8am did not long delay
mun-retrain the Zebender home. ' . _
“He was a‘ Strange man, and ,the‘
daughter ,is a strange girl,” he that.

 
'tered“ paneling to, look back through the,

_. nun snow at that humble cabin nest-'
ﬂing" upon the mountaimside. . “jP'os-
s'esaed‘of.al'eoolimillion; and living and
dying in 'a hovel like thatl'  ‘-:
"W‘Wamit ,due to “fear that his crime
would ﬁnd him out,-'or only ‘to greed? ’. r
l “ Well, ,it is ended now. He is dead,
,ﬁgd’aguinam I failed lathe case. of my
a. \' .' I ‘ 13'. I ‘ . r . ‘
x. ,u anti—peace to his-.ashesl4r‘peace to his
I.f ‘2 5.! =. = “' “ i -

  
way do

   
try .
I

 his
to,  rd

tracted all day, and hardly knew what In

Shasta S‘am returned, with a slight‘
not you,‘ have

showed. that the last spark of life in Solo-_

his I 

in;

- tors in Blue Jackettha’n I,do.‘”

  
claimed, closing and laying aside the ,t
buokv‘and unctuously rubbing his hands, “

served, and the major echoed the words. , x ‘

about "the-matter," assented Shasta.

   
A quarter of a mile below the cabin he
came upon the wagon trail leading into
camp, and a few minutes later entered.
the hotel at ‘which he had secured quazu
tcrs.

“ The Idaho House” the hostelry was
called, as announced by the rudely let—
tered sign extending across its front,
and it was the most pretentious building ,, t ‘
in Blue Jacket. »

It was two stories in height. The outer
walls were of rough pine slabs, set up- ; i

ref—w

right and nailed to heavy cross timbers, 
and at irregular intervals were small. 
windows, each formed of a single sash . i‘
and provided with a heavy wooden shut- ' 1'.
ter. T ,

The ﬁrst floor was divided into three 1".
compartments—saloon, dining room. and 3‘
kitchen—by means of thin boa’rd parti- 5.”:

tions. The second ﬂoor was split in
halves by a'long. dark passageway run-
ning almost the length of the building,
an? these halves, in turn,’were cut up
in 0 small sleeping apartments, some
thirty in number.

The saloon occupied fully twotthirds of , 
the ﬁrst ﬂoor. A small corner at the L
front end of the bar was made to do duty ‘
as the hotel ofﬁce, and the remainder
of the space was given over to tables for
drinking and gambling. .

Here it was, as the reader knows, that
most of the men of Blue Jacket were
wont to congregate when the day‘s work
was done, and “The Sports' Resort,” as
the Red _Belt Sport had l'echrisicncd the
saloon and gambling hall, did a flourish—
ing business. I , 1

At the moment .Shastalsam entered, '
probably twenty men"were in' the, place,
nearly all miners, lounging about,drink-
ing, chatting, and smoking, but a hush
came upon them as the sport appeared.

The/Sparkler had been scarcely three
hours in the camp, having come in late a
In the afternoon on the stage from the 
north, but all there had heard of his ar- v » i
rival and that he had gone forthwith to
see Solomon Zebender, and thus and-
his errand were being freely discussed. 3

But now that the stranger was before
them in person, the miners held their
tongues, thatthey might the better user :
their eyes. I! ,; _ .v 2'

Pausing 111st insider the door. ,the' ,
Sparkler turned to thallandlord, .' who- 
stood behind the; bar; Wish ﬁnger,
upon: a; ,ne ‘in'the open registhr,‘telk-

l . . .

ingto Meier Marker. ‘ ‘ .

.'.‘ Hallo! hallo! ” the host smilingly. ex—

a, .tipﬁy r“ ,1;

 
o

, ..... .

 
as he leaned toward the sport.
and your man? ” 

“ Oh, yes; I had not the slightest diﬁi- v ' ..
.culty in finding him, thanks to your di- % 
rections,” the Sparkler returned. 
»“An' a man would be safe—puffectly . 
safe, in bettin' all his wealth that you '
found him ready‘for business, too," the
major remarked, inan insinuating way}.
while his'round, oily face betrayed the

“ Did you in 7

dee est interest. , .1 I
S asta Sam smiled.   _ i; f ‘: '
“ Oh, no.9» he replied. ‘~‘ I found. Stum- ' ; 1“;

possible to do an.» .‘business With'rhim: E 4 1.?

thejnan is-deadif'. , ' . -' . '2 
Both men’ looked surprised. ' -
“ Ibis a. strange case,” the landlord ob—

""Yes.,therevis something mysterious

"-And now, landlord, there are, some‘s
questions I would like to askyou in title 
vate. I am a stranger inaBlueQJdck'st. 
here on business, and I wish-.46 gain,  5
some information concerning the camp" 
and certain other matters»; . can you 
oblige me?" i -  I’ l  

‘“ With .pleasure,‘Mr. Shelbyt‘ but per-' i,
mit me to introduce ,ngior Marker. He‘ "
is a pioneer here. and an honorableanan.I 
I would suggest that-yen talk tom.an
He knows far more7about men and mht-qj

 
, i

   
f
u

   
The, p'a'rkle'r nodded, and gru,s"'éd
has 0 ,the seedy fellow in black". 5;. -
. "‘ un- [Montth know ye!.".'.t ' “
declare) r “81va 

 
camp an’ et’s people, an’ I shall be most
happyter obleege ye.”

Then the landlord drew aside, leaving
' the two men alone.

“ How long has this man Zebend‘er
been a resident of Blue Jacket? " Shasta
Sam abruptly inquired, in a guarded
voice.

‘ I

 
“About three years.” ’
V i a ‘ “ What property has he here?”
 ,“A heap; ther Good Luck Mine is
i; mostly his, an’ then he owns a number
 o’ mighty good claims.” ,-
,. 'i,‘ “And the man Honeyfang?”
.i’i “Come here with ole Sol. He’s an
4’2, ugly brute, an’ he’s a grip on ther mi-
ser.”
K “ Did Zebender's daughter come with
"him, too? "

“No; she’s bin at school, somewhar,
an’ on‘y come last fall. Et war a case
0’ dove in a hawk’s nest, though they
,do say es how she’d nigh converted ther

 
“. ole man.”

53 “ It is known, then, that she is really
 Zebender’s daughter?” ,

.5 “ Oh, ya‘s; an’ she tarned ther ole man

honest, too, fer he‘s made nary a' cheat
sence she came," Major Marker earnest-
ly declared. “ He‘s bin a heap sight
diff’rent, I tell you." '

Shasta Sam pondered a moment, then,
abruptly changing the subject, aSked:

“ Are ther‘e many hunters living in the
hills around Blue Jacket?”

. ' A,-puzzled look came 'over the major’s
*round red face, and he shook his head
negatively.

“ On’y one es I calls ter mind,” he re-
plied. “ Thet’s Old Antelope. He brings
game ter camp once a week. llis cabin
‘is back in ther hills, some miles f’m

,_hyar."

“ His name is Abram Moselle? 3’

. m..i,--a.._..
. u.
msrz‘aox ‘W<.7u.jau “'9 can-v:  .

.: r.- ~1s ;.

i  1 “,Mebbe; can't say fer sure. Never
 i?‘ heer'det. called.”

 v  " He" lives alone?”-
ri! ' “No; his wifenom Betty. lives with

 
“ Wild N811, Wise???" and the vorce
of the Sparkler betrayed intense interest.

 
‘ - 1;; him, an’ then they,hes~‘a«gal+—Wild Nell.”
& The major nodded complacently.f :

' a. No galoot in Blue Jacket hes ever see'd
', her, ,’cept at a distance. They do say
Old Antelope an' his wife set great store
by' her—sent her off ter school, an' sech."

 
, :i‘, , “ She is their daughter, then? ”
o m. I “ Ca‘in’tsay, for I don’t know.”
V .r ‘ 'f Old Antelope is one of the men I

_ g _, i came to Blue Jacket to see," the‘ Sparkler
 I ,observed. '“Coul’djou guide me to his

,cabin to-momw. .
 3;, The petal-an hesitated, ,: then stam-

   
« {' .edtgfm ﬂ, ‘1 ' V
N ‘uél'c’u’dﬂyes’ but“. 3‘38 Y0! pardon!

‘é ‘ E! ther’deal’s square—-’ 1 ., . . ,

tr - “ Rest easy on thatipoint," cut Justus;
 , . ta; “ you shall be assured: but‘wefll. pass
, ,5:  , that point, for the present. Ansvnrme
 ,one more question: Is therem Rafael

;, .  Reno in Blue Jacket?”  i . . .. -

'  “ No, sir! I know every galoot in camp,

” an’ thar's none hyar o' thet name."

E; . , v, That ended the conference.

.  , Shasta thanked boththe major and the
, ' ,' landlord, paid for a month‘s board and
‘  is. :10 and called for the cigars for the

 
  éj“  g I

7  the herd went through the room
r , that Salmonzewnder was dead, and in
 . a moment everybody was talking of the

’ occurrence; , g,   _, ~
The miser had neverébeen popular in
~. . Blue Jacket; but mangrjgcangd 11mg acts
 of kindness and somehow deeds of cun-
ciingly-hidden char, , while Others won-
dered what Zetta, t e dark-eyed,daugh-
4' ter,,'would ‘do.  f"  ..
‘ (VJn’fthe‘midst of the discussion, the
‘; outer door .,was ﬂung open, andj'Giles

' ' .‘aneytang strode intoithe room.

    
‘,  ,3“ kaew at a glance, for his .brutal face
,  - Was ﬂushedand his pale gray eyes wore

  
mass ew-

Shasta em:

“ Call on me fer any p’ints about ther_

1 "So I said,” he afﬁrmed. “Ant.me
name ﬁts, too, fer she’s shy es a deep;

'That’tlie desperatio had been drinking; h
,' ar

that :peeuliar,"glasay look which liquor
' v  cl J ' . ‘

 
.\
at

savagely rubbed his eyes, then dashed
his hat aside, and with hands upon re-
volVer butts, deﬁantly faced the crowd.

“ Whar is he? Whar is Shasta Sam, I
say?” he yelled. “Trot him out, pards,
tell I eats him up, fer I‘m a hungry
wolf with nary a bone ter gnaw!”

Then he caught sight of the Sparkler‘s

smiling face, and with a maddened roar'

sprang forward, brandishing his huge
ﬁsts.

Eluding that savage rush, Shasta drove
his clenched hand into the ruﬂian’s face,

knocking him, down!

 
CHAPTER VII.
'rwu'r: WAltNlﬂi).

Honeyfang struck the ﬂoor with a re-
sounding crash, but immediately jumped
to his feet, revolvers in hand.

His lips were bleeding freely, his eyes
were ablaze with rage, and he pre-
sented a picture of denioniac fury.

“ Cuss ye! "I he snarled, viciously; and
that he meant to do harm, none could
doubt, and there was a sudden scurrying,
right and left,'am0ng the spectators.

The Sparkler was the coolest man in
the room. Instead of retreating or at-
tempting to .draw a weapon, he darted
forWard with the lightness of a feather-
weight" and landed a ‘stiff right-hand
punch‘on the ruﬂ‘ian’s nose.

Back went the bris ling head of Honey-
fan'g, with a'jerk, an 'then he fell back-
wardsat- full length, 4

This time he did not rise. '

The blow, er the fall, or the two com-
bined, had produced unconsciousness, and
so far as he was concerned the trouble
wail? over, for the time, at least.

hen some of his friends'volunteered
to get him home and look‘after him, and
when they had carried him out quiet was
restored.

“By Jove! thet war es purty a right--
hander es ,1 ever see!” the major de-

clared, in his oily Way, as he warmly

grasped the» hand of the sport. “Shasta
Sam, you do BlueJacket proud!

“In my younger dayell was one o’
ther coves .w’ot loves it iii; an'? et’s a
puffectly sateibeti sir, thet I. know jest
what I’m-v talkin' about when‘. I say a
neatermlowiwas never struck _ ,
" .“An‘et went home with pr pe force,

ito‘o, fer Honeyfan'g dropped like i e was
‘shot, an’ ,I reckon when he comes to

he'll wonder. how ct happened,” and the

veteran chuckled complacently.
“But,.sport. ye must keep a bright

eye out

with a bad gang, he’ll be, mighty apt ter
come after ye hot.” . ‘ ..

,“ on, I‘ll bb on my. guard,“ .the Spark-
ler assured, and then’ he passed into the
dining room to eat [his supper.

It changed that the room was almost
deserted. But two miners were at table,
‘and a moment, later both times _‘men

rose and -'went into the barroom,y and,

Shasta Sam found himself alone. .

, Then a neat-looking girl appeared

from the kitchen to receive'hisoOrder,

and‘the S arkler could not help? noticing

that she , .as‘s‘reatly agitated. ' 
Hex" comely face was pale, her blue

eyes were a terrified look, and she’pullied

nervouslyga‘ big‘whlte apron. *

Glaneingr A'hastllyi around the room, she.

quickly- approached Shasta Sam. I ,
*‘ Oh, sir! *Yotigaredn dengue—terrible
danger!” she exclaimed, her clear vi-
brant voice sinking almostto a, whisper.
“ Be careful, or they Wlilkl'll you! "  r ‘
“ Who; little“’girl? ’5}! the; Sparkle?
asked, kindly, and "with ya reassuring
smile.‘ ' "I  ‘y, '
The girl shuddered. ‘ :3; t f
," That frightful man, Giles .Honeyfdhjg,

and hiscrowd,” Sheireplled; ““I,hearda
them,,;iust now, back “of the. kitchengand;

,they were certainly plotting» to ” 'do you
before, the night, is over. i, r

 _. “ here were three .913 ’them.:and they“
Would ‘ '

  
'spoke‘ot.others-.w o  h 19,: that ha
item ", ‘5’ 3"»

i

7‘the 'Sparkler.

fer a double-bankin’, game, fer'
thet cuss is revengeful, an' es he runs‘

1 your humble s "vent. . .

' an’ see adeai'o’T'thethklmd.” 

 
and first thought to tell father, and I
was about to do so when you came in,
and we decided to tell you.”

The Sparkler had listened most atten-
tively to the girl, and his handsome face
grew stern.

“I thank you, little girl, and your
good mother, for the kindly interest» you
have shown, and for the warning." he re-
turned, courteously. “‘Forewarned is
indeed forearmed,’ and if the ruiﬁans at»
tack me I shall do my best to prOtect
myself. -

“I came into Blue Jacket an utter
stranger, bent on business only, and
seeking trouble with no man; yet, cir—
cumstances forced me to incur the enmi-
ty of this Honeyfang, before I had been
in the camp an hour, and now it seems
the quarrel must be continued to the bit-
ter end.” .

Then the Sparkler again thanked the
girl, pressed a gold piece into her hand,
and requested that his supper be brought .
to him at once.

The meal was a plain but substantial
one. and in a few minutes Shasta Sam
'ﬂnished it, whereupon he rose and pro-
ceeded direct to his room on the second, ’_ 
ﬂoor. ; 

Here his baggage, a stout trunk and
a grip, had been brought when the stage
came in, and from their contents the
Sparkler prepared himself for the even-
~ing's campaign.

Divesting himself of his costly apparel,
he donned a ‘Cunningly woven shirt 0!
steel mail, then a white ﬂannel shirt,aud
a full suit _of tannedand dyed buckskin,= 
high-topped boots, and a slouched black

a . ‘ i » ‘

 
A stout leather belt took the place of, f
the silken girdle about his trim waist, ,_
and then he closed and locked the “trunk,
examined his weapons, and prepared to ’
descend." ' . 1

His_diamonds, with the single excep-
tion of the massive stone in his tie, had
disappeared, and the change in his garb
had transformed him into the semblance
of a wealthy cattleman or rancher out for,
“a lark.” » I ‘ f '1.

Descending to the bar-room. he‘pu
chased and lighted {a cigar, then, while
talking to f the a dlord, careless '
scanned the steadily g owing throng. ’ 

Several games had opened during ,
absence, and Landlord SWift ventnr’ 
the prediction that it. would be the 
est Saturday night the Sport’s ‘Resorf.
had known in many! months.‘ .  '

Then Major Marker appeared-Hand
joined in the conversation and after in?
few minutes drew the Sparkleraside.‘ .

“ Thar‘s goin’ ter be-trouble. hyar to-
night," volunteered the veteran, in a mfg?
terious whisper. ‘f Of course; t’s [e
o' my funeral, Shasta Sam, but ’ve ‘
der taken a fancy ter you, an" "I’ve’ftlg‘n
ured et out thet- I’d not’be doln" Sest'
right if 'I didn’t putt you-up ter h
time 0' day. . , .‘ -  

'“ That ither'" berderned' Honeyfand ‘ ,
layin’ fer you with his gang. an‘ "at; ' ’
don’t look sharp ,‘he’s goin'fter‘giv‘e
the: meanest, kind of a cold deal. " :32
‘ “ Now, I’m .dead sot ag’in’ any 1'
games o thet kind. an’ I kalkllate
when thet break came I’d chip in.
38812-2 fer luck, v ,  I, 4 i

“In my younger days I miss I
,a ﬁghtinf man. an’ no jolly young:
liked a rip-r0 rin’ ‘ructicrr' 

. “an”... r

 
, 4‘ You ,understandrbf course-,thetjétrsr 
war man to mag, cit-even twoter’
I’d not mix 111;..-,ut-etieignotthetw-e
hull sans asiiniim’. man“
that right kind 9" blood in him”; Rims

  
. ‘9 No, a; immune: kind is need»; ‘
‘erated by a maniorthe right, stri it;
.Sfparkler‘returned.’   *i , h,
4“! thank mu; maior.,not.oii15f 
warninghut tor: your timeiyséffdri 
ﬁnancial; well, An, “intimgti'en: _ ’
- “t

 
ghbexpect trouble? halt;
‘ tidoesn‘et lessen the '

     
 fﬁmxf‘   =

r r .

"the i: S

 
“ Do you know what plan these fellows
intend to follow?”

The veteran shook his head.

“ Only thet they intend fer to go for
you,” he replied, rueiuliy. “but from
What i know of ther gang, I reckon
they‘ll try ter make et appear a case of
accident.

“Ye see, Red Belt. ther boss 0‘ thcr
place, isn't come in yet. an’ my idce i:
thar’ll he a row kicked up. an‘ you'll
catch a stray bullet or two aforc he
tarns up."

Shasta Sam laughed. _

“That is quite likely correct,” he do-
clared. “It is an.old game, and cunning:

, enough to win nine, times out of ten
" where the victim is taken unawares.

I “But in this case I think we can even

the odds. We know the attack is com-
' .ing, and we know the leader of the gang.
" .I'Taking these two’points, we should be
. able to turn the trick againxt them.”

" ,“ Oh, yes!” the veteran cx‘aimcd. " Elf
,‘ we're on our guard, we’d orter make ’cm
I , almighty sick 0’ ther game.

- “ But, sport, et strikes ine thet of I
. "war in your place I’d make et a dead—sure.
 p’int ter drill Honeyfang fer keeps. He's
‘a tough and a bully, an’ et’s a puffectly
. safe 'bet Blue Jacket will be glad ter at-
tend his funeral.” -
" But to this proposition the Sparkler
gave a decided negative. ;
,  “ I‘ll have to admit there’s mighty

 good common sense in your suggestion,

2 major,” he averred. “But in this affair
I shall hardly be able to proceed in a
, common-sense way, as these things go.

“, The truth is; the life of this misera-
ble scouiidrel, Giles Honeyfang. is mast
valuable to me. He is in possession, I
sﬁspect, of a secret I would give a .good
“Tm-any thousand dollars to know. I
,v~l5._.“ If he dies, very ’likely the so at will
Idle Withhim. Possession of th 5 secret
Psis‘os‘sential to my peace of mind and hap-
 pﬁnless, and there the thing is in a nut-
; S 5. . 1. ’

   
_ SDon’t kill the fellow unless it be-
comes absolutely neCessary, for I must
gzrye'tf'ﬂnd ways and means to wring the
truth from him.”
, ' The ‘veteran assented, and then, as the
conversation was beginning to attract
'the attention of the curious, the Sparkler
jm'oposed taking a turn at the faro bank.
" 7,2“.You‘ go at et, 'pardner, but excuse
.mex'the major returned, with a doletul
,Aehake of his head. “ Et’s a uffectiy safe
hetno man li-vin’ likes a good, healthy
gtussel \vith ther tiger better than yours
truly. But ter tellther gospel truth,
"I’m clean busted—sent" every dollar I
, had‘ ter my lawyers a few days ago, an’
” t’ll’be at least a week before my remit-
nces ar ive. So thar you are, an’ I
reckon y u’ll have to count me out o'
ragtime. ’ I
.  the reader knows, Shasta Sam had
ﬁrmed a pretty accurate estimate of tho
elem; beat earlier in the eve ing, but
hog-thought occurred to him hat the
mot-might prove valuable as an ally,
__ " glidﬂetermined to enlist him.
, Allow me to advance you a hundret ,"
W,sugges ed, and then, before the a"-
et ran Ivcould ' recover his

 
:‘tonished ‘ _
breath, he dr w forth a roll and slipped
,, a couple 'of hills, which be promptly
gag y'r‘e'ssed into the, hand lifted in mock,

V ‘ rin expressive of heap delight over~

 
8
,adthe major's oily face. , t
V‘ShnntsSam, you're a truewblue‘sport,
gen’leman .ter boot!" hegurgled,
, aslippingthé bills-out of sight.
oh do me proud! .‘Tak'e somethin’
within!" , A - _' .  M
,Tho Sparkler demurred, but the vet-‘
cran- insisted,.and they paid their re.
propocts to the'bar,.whe_reupon Peter Swift
ad the doubtful satisfaction of chalk-
ngjup another round on the long ac~
count standing against the name/of Ma-
 , arker. ‘ , -, . ‘
'm the two crossed to the mo lay

a
in

  
11 psi her ,mmctedg,
t gov of. “ 

Shasta “ Sam, ~

atfthe oppo ite'side of tho'room  H

CHATTER ’ili.
TUE ATTACK.

At the moment Shasta Sam and the
major seated thmselves at the taro ta—
ble the Red Belt Sport entered the room.

He carried a handsome repeating riiie.
a couple of splendid dogs were at his
heels, and it was evident that he was
just in from a ramble in the hills.

Pausing only long enough to take a
 of seltzer and exchange a few
words with the landlord, the gambler
hastened to his room to prepare for sup—
per.

Meanwhile, Shasta Sam had purchased
a couple of hundred dollars’ worth of
checks and begun to play, while the ma~
jor, to the intense surprise of the fare
dealer, produced and invested a crisp
ﬁfty-dollar note.

For a deal or two the game ran on in
a hum—drum way, with no material
change in the fortunes of the players or
the bank. The Sparkler lost a few dol-
lars, while the major succeeded in doub-
ling his stake.

Then the Red Belt S ort appeared

to his patrons, and at once relieved the
dealer, and the play began in earnest.

in two bets the Sparkler lost the re-
mainder of his original stake, but im-
lncdiately Went down into his pocket for
"ﬁve hundred dollars, which he placed
in a lump on the last cards in the box,
calling the turn, and won. ‘ x

As the odds on this play were four to
one, the sport was eighteen hundred dol-
lars ahead ofthe game, and he set-
tlled himself in his chair for a battle roy-
a .

With the beginning of the new deal,
his luck set in in earnest, and when the

, last turn was'made he was in possession

of something like five thousand dollars of
the bank’s money, while the major, his
xoily face beaming ‘with joy, reckoned his
gains at something more than half, that
amount. , .

That the Red Belt Sport was annoyed
all could see, though his face was calm
and impassive. Shifting box’and paE‘k,
he shufﬂed the fresh cards and slipped
them into place, exposing the king of
diamonds as the “ soda ” or top card.

Promptly Shasta Sam set ﬁve hundred
dollars" worth of checks on the layout,
behind the queen, thus playing king
queen, and knave to win. ‘.

Here it was that the most remarkable
feature of his wonderful lu’ck manifested
itself, for :on each. of eleven Successive
turns one of the three cards showed,
winning for the Sparkler, and eleven

ﬁve hundred dollars—~five thousand and
ﬁve hundred.- dollar in all. ' ‘ '

Nor was the m .joris luck much less

phenomenal, for he, too, was a steady
winner, though to a smaller amount.
I But the bank could not further with-
stand such a run of ill-luck; it was loser
to the exten‘tof nearly twenty/thousand
dollars, and. Red Belt ‘nonchalantl‘y
turned the silver "dealing be“; upon its
side and declared the game closed.

“ I‘m hard hi, gentlemen, and it’s no
use to go beyo d What I can settle to-
night," he', announced. “But the game
Will be open.to~morrow, as. usual, and
sections as ever, and I trust that i shall
have the pleasure of seeing you again.”

Then he took up 'the\checks, carefully
stacked them in the rack. and handed
out the money," whereupon Shasta Sam
and his companion urose'trom the table
and walked over to'the bar.

watchful eye upon the crowd gathered
about the table, and were assured that.
Honeyfang and hisgang had not'yet ap-
peared. v l’

liar, nudging the sport With his elbow.
;“Eef we ain‘t bed a, clean run of it, I.
don't know! . '  '

3‘ An hour ago I was Cleaned out—now

 
‘fm'e‘j‘jaot over seven! thagsahd’ good hard
‘; c *  ' f  1'5 ’  88"”)! H
’ ’ “one «a sh fortunate/f

   
N 4'; ‘v an

parkler. “

’from the dining room, net ded pleasantly,

times 'he reached out and took down

‘ While playing; both ‘men had kept: a'

“ Talk about luck!” chuckled the ma-x

 
I confess that I an) superstitious enough
to regard it as an omen of good in the
coming struggle.

“And, by the way, there is Honey-
i’ang now! ”

'l‘ruc enough; the giant desperado had =

just entered the door of the saloon,
closely followod by a number of rough—
lool;ing follows, all armed to the teeth.

Shasta Sam-and the major had reaéhed
the bar, but both faced resolutely about,
weapons in hand, to confront Giles lion-
eyi‘ang and his pards.

“ Stiddy, critter! ” the giant gritted, as
his weapons swung to a level, his badly-
bruised face glowing with rage. “ I done
reckon thar’ll be no wrastlin‘ nor boxin’
in this hewr whirly-gust, fer—

“ Ready, pards! Let her go! ”

Sharply, savagely came that abrupt
command from the discolored lips of
Iioneyfang, to be instantly followed by a.
furious volleyof pistol shots from the
roughs at his back, and amid the crash-
ing of glass the ﬂame in every lamp in
the place flickered and went but! ‘

Intuitively, Shasta Sam sprang nimbly
aside, revolvers up and ready—only to
sink inertly to the floor under a terriﬂic
blow upon the head!

No blind, wild attack, inspired by hate
and a thirst for revenge was that, but a.
cunningly arranged trap to deprive the
Sparkler of liberty, if not life!

Inert, senseless, he was raised to his
feet, and, under cover of the intense
darkness, half-carried, half-dragged to
the open .door, where other hands were
waiting to receive him.

The hoarse voice of Giles Honeyfang

urging his men on, the sonorous defiance

of Major Marker, the trampling “and
churning ‘tof, in ny- ﬂeet—the various
sounds incident 0 that sudden and furi—
ous attack, all» conspired to cover that
bold abduction. ‘ ‘

“Separate, pards, an’ guard doors and
windows!” shouted Honeyfang, after a
moment. “ He’s a cunning fox, an’ we’ll
take ter the bresh fu’st off! ” ‘ ;

But, swift as were the rufiians to obey
that sharp command, they were discount-
ed by Landlord Swift and the Red Belt
Sport. A lamp ﬂared up on each side of
;he room, and boniface and gambler.
leaped upon tables, each with a repeating
shot-gun in hand._  -' ‘ '

“ Steady! you cattle!” warned themed
Belt sport, in tones of cold Contempt, as
the muzzle of his gun dropped to a'level.
“Move hand, or foot without the word,
and neither pepper nor salt will save

your cowardly carcasses!

“ Remember—~there’s six good loads-—
each load good for a round dozen! ”

To a man, the roughs shrank-back and
halted in confusion. All knew that the
gambler spoke the truth—«that the “ ii—

0t” gunsin the hands of himself and -

Peter Swift were heavily charged with
buckshot, and warranted to do terrible"
execution at that close and deadly range!

With lowering face, Giles Honeyfang
thrust his weapons back into his belt,
and, nodding curtly, said: ‘

"We passes, Pa'rd Red Belt, an’vvi i,

wait for a better time ter/ hatch in:
game: '= ' \ ' , '

‘f This hyar yearth ain't big enough fer
me an’ Shasta Sam both \ter perambulate
around on. at.) an’ I hyarby gives notice
thet‘oneor t'other‘hes got ter die! ”

And with that warlike declaration the

.burly 'ruiﬂan glared around the room in

quest of his foe.’ r ,
= The Sparkler was nowhere visible.
“Flunked! Levantcd, by ther great
horned toad!” exclaimed Honeyfang,’
with. a well-simulated start of surprise.
“Tail .tucked, . an? headin’f fer the:-
bresh——” ' ,’ ' l l ”
“You’re a—playln’ ther‘ truth with a
copper, I’m bettin!" interrupted Major
Marker, indignantly. 5‘ Shasta Sam never

tured'heel'ter younor these cattle with _‘

you! ”

A furious retort was upon the lips ;:'-
of Iioneyfang, but ere he could give“: ‘ 
V , nded , through‘r = 
the open doorway and. confront;
\ 'wh is over a ' I -~ ’

utterance a lithe form.,bou

l

 
~..

"0' ~m,~‘ummvw-. i.  s,
5,5,. « «1-; a ;_ ,-

“’  

     
(4‘

1;  _ Mr’.:§t§s~3;_ a l ‘ “if”:  'ﬂ ‘ , .7:

 
' brown, long, and wavy, and conﬁned at

S

 
veg.
I.

hasm said, ' the. sparlget ,. I. . . .

    
9,. 

 
“ Dastard! What have you done with
Old Antelope?

“ Speak quickly, for I am here to know
the truth—~to aVenge the wrong!” '

 
CHAPTER IX.
WILD NELIJS sTonY.

The one uttering that stem demand
was a young girl of striking beauty of
face and form.

She was dressed in short skirts of
tanned buckskin, headed and quiiled after
the Indian manner, with a long jacket
or coat of the same material, snug-ﬁt-
ting and belted at the waist with a broad
sash of some black stuff. Her feet were
encased in high-topped patent—leather
boots, while upon her proudly-poised
head was a gray sombrero, looped up at
the side with a miniature gold bowie.

Her eyes were black; her hair was dark

the back of her neck with a circlet of
ribbon. The face was delicately molded,
but browned by exposure, with dainty
red lips and gleaming white teeth.

Hanging at her back was a handsome
repeating riﬂe; a long hunting knife was
in her girdle, and beside it were holsters
for the revolvers in her hands.

A murmur of surprise, quickly chang-
ing to admiration, went up from the
crowd, as the girl confronted Giles Hon-
eyfang with that stern and threatening
command: ' '

“ Speak quickly, for I am here to know
the truth¢-to avenge the wrong! ”

startled, the ruﬂian shrank back, then
quickly rallied his wits, and with a cun-
ning leer upon his face replied:

“Old Antelope, ye ask? Wal, now, I
cain‘t say, Wild Nell. He war hyar in
camp yistiddy, with game ter sell, I

, heurs, tho’ I didn’t see him. i

“ But why ask me? I don’t keep tab—”

,“ Stop! Do you think to deceive me?
Tell me,the truth, for it is the truth I
am determined to, have! ” and Wild Neil’s
black eyes ﬂashedfangrily. '

“It is true Old Antelope came to Blue
Jacket yesterday, with game to sell_ 111
the afternoon he left the camp,  you
followed him.” . a ' ‘

"‘ I followed him! ” repeated Giles Hon-
eyfang, in open-eyed astonishment.
“Deed an’ double, Wild Nell, . ye aire
mistaken thar! ”

“I am not mistaken!” the girl de-
clared, earnestly. “As I said, he left the
camp for home, and you followed him.”

The, ruﬂian’s face grew dark and low-

crin

g.
“ ild Nell, I tell ye ye sire mistaken,”
he iterated, vehemently. “'I tells ye I

' did not fuller, Old-Antelope."

.' 1‘

‘o. ‘

 fang is proved guilty."- I

  
y‘,‘ his?“ say .that'yotl' did,‘Giles Honey—
", roveet!" '

“ It is simply my word against yours,"
averred Wild Nell, bitterly.) ‘11 was up
in the mountains, but with my glass ‘1
saw Old Antelope coming, up,the trail.
Ten minutes later you came along, res
volver in hand, dogging his steps."

An- ominous murmur rose from they

crowd.
“ Men of Blue Jacket, I appeal to you
for a fair hearing—that is all,” Nell con-

tinued. with a single sweeping glance
'gghlévphe'faces’of the surrounding throng.

“3.351151!!! belief-that, Giles Honeyfang

'13 wMI=2§t'»,the-‘murder of Old Antelope,

but not untiiiit is clearly proved, must
there be violence done.”

“It shall be you shy, lady,” Red
Belt declared, , h agn'significant nod to
Landlord SWift. {‘8 to, your’fcase, and
no man shall lift a and until Honey—

’Wild Nell nodded approvingly.

“That suits,” she’ declared,
“ And now, to resume:

“ From my’ position on the mountain

tersely.

. is Was simply impossible for me to warn

Old Antelope of his danger, and. as the
next best thing to do, I descended to the

.trail as rapidly as possible.

“Of course, neither man was in sight

when I gainéd'the trail; but I hurried
ward,jexpecting each minute to hear
, 31m». a   .

 
1“ No report came, and after nearly an
hour of rapid walking I concluded that
Old Antelope had eluded his pursuer.

“Then, within a few hundred yards
of our cabin, I came upon a spot be-
traying signs of a desperate struggle.
At that hour no snow had fallen, but the
stony trail was stained with blood.

“No sign of a living presence was
there, and, in alarm, I hastened on to the
cabin, hoping to ﬁnd that Did Antelope
had succeeded in reaching home.

“But he was not there, nor had Old
Betty, his wife, heard the sounds of that
desperate coniiict .so near at hand, and
we vainly searched the vicinity until
nightfall for some trace of him, living or
dead.

“ Compelled to give over the search by

the coming of darkness, Old Betty and
myself returned to the cabin and barri-
caded the doors, for we felt that we, too,
were in danger of attack.
- “Nor was our surmise wrong. Dur-
ing the night the cabin was attacked by
a number of men, who attempted to force
an entrance, but were driven off. At day-
break we left the cabin by a secret way,
and came over the ,mountains to Blue
Jacket. ‘ t

“That, men of Blue Jacket, is the
story in brief, and, as truly as I stand
here, Giles Honeyfang was the man I
saw on the trail of Old Antelope.”

Calmly, but in tones of bitter deter-
mination had Wild Nell' spoken, and
when she ceased, that ominous murmur
again rose from the rough men crowded
around her,

“Silence—all!" warned the Red Belt
Sport, in a cold, clear voice from his
position upon the table; and then, as
the murmur subsided: "‘ The lady has
spoken and her words certainly have
the rin of truth. ’

“'Gile Honeyfang, what have you to
say? "

In open-mouthed surprise, if not dis-
may, the accused ruﬁlan had listened to
that terse recital, so damn ing to him-
self, from the lips of Wild ell; but at
that abrupt question his wide Jews shut
sharply, and he boldly confronted the
gambler. ‘ . . g.

“ Jest this: Wild’Nell is mistaken!”
he declared, with a gesture half mock-
ery, half defiance.‘ “ I hates t/er say et,
but ther lady's clean oi! ther trail 0’
truth, as I kin prove ter all!‘

“ Go,'ask Zetta Zebender What I was
all day yistiddy—ail night last night! "

“ That’s fair enough,” Peter Swift in-

terposed. “ If any living person has
knowledge of your movements,,during
that time, Miss .Zebender must be the
0118. »
“ But I frankly confess that I believe
Wild Neil has made no mistake—~that
you have done away with Old Antelope.
Therefore, to the calaboose you must go
until the matter is decided.” .

“ Yes—yes!

Belt coincided, and his ‘cry was echoed
by others. “
t" Then, to the surprise of all, Honeyfang
quietly returned his revolvers to the
’holstere'in his belt, saying: ,

:80 be it; Bring on yer marshal. . l

I am innocent, an’ Zetta Zebender
will prove eti" . . - ,

Long f‘Dave- Sly, . the marshal, at once
strode forward-placed the ruﬂian under
arrest undies him away. " a a ,

Now. to appoint a committee 'to was
upon Miss Zebengerx,’ Red Belt conun’s
ued, when the retreating steps ohm;
marshal and his prisonercould no longer
be heard.
trude upon the ladyst this time, but
in a case of th kind we can’tsmnd
upon ceremony.” . . , ~

“That is true," some one assented,
and thena cornmittee of three, 'with the

Red Belt Sport as spokesman, was quick— '

ly appointed and dispatched upon-the er-
rand in hand. i'

The return ,the three‘w' 7 '
awvariited. .. .. .0; , -: as eagwy
thin an hour, they and»? into - '
Sports'f Resort, and » .Rod ;. ‘ thy
mounted, the table I
Instant "

    
that's the ticket!" Red.

‘mighty queer play, anyhow, sin-r" - ,._I
n It is hamly the thing to mg; drew rein and dismounted, to lay

'ment’s listening convinced
rfrom those. in , advance.

saddle and struck spurs to]

 
Belt againf t

while Wild Nell, who had retired to the
dining room, was hastily summoned ly
Landlord Peter Swift.

Then the Red Belt Sport terser an-
nounced:

“The statements made by Ciles lieu—
eyfang have been borne out to the letter
by Miss Zetta Zebender.

“During the day and the night. he
was at no time absent from the cabin
longer than half an hour, as was at once
proved beyond question.

“It is simplya case of mistaken iden~
tity, and the committee recommends that
Honeyfang be at once released from cus-
tody."

Wild Neil‘s face grew white with pas-
sion, and her dark eyes blazed with
dire ire.

Slowly and without a word she turned
and walked out of the place.

 
The morning came bright and clear.'
and with the ﬁrst peep of the sun above
the eastern horizon Blue Jacket awoke
to a fresh sensation.

Dead in the winding street, with his
bearded face upturned to the cold, blue
sky, lay Oid ’Antelcpe.

 
CHAPTER X.
A RIVER ES'I‘EIJ... ‘

Taking advantage of the excitement
created by the sudden appearance of
Wild Nell and her startling charge , -
against Giles Honeyfang, Major Marker
had quietly slipped from the barroom ‘
into the dining room of the Idaho House. ' ,

The veteran was loath-“to believe that
Shasta Sam had taken his departure
under cover of darkness to escape the "
attack of Honeyfang and his allies.

“ Et‘s a puffectly safe bet ther Sparlz~ ~ .'
ler‘didn’t do no sech a thing,” he mut~ 7
tered, his furtive little eyes sweeping ,the
empty dining room, as he crossed the
threshold. “ He’s clean game, that sport
is, with nary a streak o’ yaller in .his
makeup, an’ hyar goes ter nose out his
trail. He’s fallen in with ther critters,
,an’ they’ve run. him off ter ther hills fer
clean, quiet pickin’.” , ‘ ..

Then the major passed through aside
door into the street, and bent his head ,
to listen. . 7 f

“I knowed et!” he chuckled, after a'
moment, as a faint, but regular jar came
to his ears. “A passel 0' horses maki‘n”.
a clean run out ther north trail. an' ct‘s 
a thousand-ter-one shot they’ve got that“
Sparkler." r a ,, ,'

Conﬁdent, now, that he had solved the"
mystery of Shasta Sam‘s abrupt disspé- ‘
pearance, the veteran hurried totiie ecr~
ml in the rear, of thehotel, where “be.
procured and accoutered a horse, the»,
migrated and set forward in swift 
su . ’ ’ ‘  “‘7'

He had taken the precaution to mum’s,
the heats of'his steed, while in the cor-
ral, and, ’as the night was extremely
dark, he felt little fear of detection. ,.

Along the winding street of the camp ' i
he. sped, then out upon that rough and \-
dangerous trail at break-neck speed, tie-17’
termined to shorten the gap between"
himself and the Sparkler’s captors;
they could slip undetected into some do;

ﬁle or ganyan to complete, their“!

“Eff I 'kin on’y ‘spot' ther lanes 
reckon. titer trick is most es '
turned," "the veteran. mused, ﬁt
his ears to catch some abund‘by ﬁsh

.to locate the ﬂeeing “teacher‘s:

   
Breaking off abruptly; Dialer Mar

 
ear close to the shew-covered earth. ,
A sound had reached him, and a me»-
him. i 

   
“Cio’sin?“up, all right,“ he hm.
he again clambe. ri

grimly. as

 
“ Now, go! ye. rascal! ” . , .
Obedith to that} low—voicedcom
the. horse sprang fox-ma: 1 ‘
and in .a few minutes.“ '

 
&

a.”isam tile» Sparklér”

 
speed and loosened the Weapons in his
fholsters. Then, with startling sudden-
ness, a pair of dark forms leaped out
from a hidden alcove in the rocks bor-
dering the trail, and barred the way. ,
. “Hands up, pilgrim! ”' sharply or-
 dered the foremost, one hand closing
firmly upon the nostrils of the major's
horse and driving the animal back upon
its haun'ches, the other swinging a cocked
grevoiver to a level. “Et's a bad hour
" 0’ ther night ter travel this trail. Ye
must give an account 0’ yerself! ”

       
" .supplemented the second, ﬂourishing his
‘ revolvers in a threatening manner.
‘ “Ding—bats, paper or dust—et's all one,
»' long as thar's plenty of et! ”

Major Marker was a quick-witted man,
, and courageous; but the attack was un-
' expected, and he was caught completely
 off his guard.

Thanks to the precaution lie-had just
taken, however, his hands 1were upon'the
‘ ,: butts of his revolvers.
_. \“Wal, pards, et’s a puffectly safe bet
' ye caught me nappin',” he remarked,
, with that air of easy assurance peculiar
. ,to him. “But et kinder strikes me ye’ve
‘ ’ collared ther wrong pilgrim."

’ “ Ther wrong'pilgrim'.‘ Oh, no, major!
You aire jest ther man we were hopin’
ter see! ” assured the nearer of the out-
laws.

, “So—ho!" V ,

f ‘f Yas, major; et struck us ye’d be put-
ty rich pickin’, eh, Pete? ” s

“ You has called et, Pard Dirk.”

_ The veteran sighed, and slowly shook

E
m
IT
(b
:2
D.-

 . “Et’s too bad, boys, but I’m busted,”

he declared. “My suits hev not bin de—
cided yet, an’ I tell you court costs an'
lawyers’ fees hev kept me cleaned right
down, for hard pan. Meb’be ye’il strike

s

  
. ,“Ye’re good enough right now, ma-
jor," the outlaw Dirk assured. ‘fThar’s
‘thet leetle matter of a few thousand ye
Won, from Red Belt te’r-night—‘Z

“Oh, bless ye,‘ man dear!” biandly
nterrupted the veteran. "I put thet in
ther Express office ter ship East ter my
,‘iaWyers jest afore I left Blue Jacket.
Ef'I’d pn’y knowed-” i ‘

'.A'h0wl of rage and incredulity broke
it v upon that smooth and oily voice, and
both Outlaws stepped nearer their victim.
" F‘ Divstnount, an’ we’ll search ye, ye fat
traud‘i.” “uttered Dirk, savagely. ~
 “ That: we will,” echoed the outlaw
@Pete; and then both men brandished
their weapons in an extremely ugly way.
 it I'm a-Comi’n’l——I‘m a-comin’l " Major
Marker hastily prote ted, his voice quiv-
ering with cunning y—simulated ' fright,
‘anduthen he, suddenly dropped behind
his; horse. 1
But, at the instant his feet touched the
and, the weapon in each hand explod~
twice. and ,wit-h sharp cries of pain‘
outlaws to pied over- 'in the trail.
th':.agilifty. onderful for one of his,
 and corpuient build, the veteran
 terward‘ and disarmed his tallen

ost‘tiddy, yegbloody -pirits!."' he

   
V 1' e’re both due ter’a stiff'kit fer a first-
 f’uneral, an‘ I bets aweenty-bitol
kiwi-hymn bring what’s owin’lf—fer a

    
' groan was the only responseﬁnd the
_  hastily knelt and" examined his,

 
use Dirk was dead, one or the
balls, front the, majpr’syweapOn
seed directly through his heart.

  
ﬁg.
  awasgdmpossibie, ~ in that dense
darkness‘to-teii. a  
WB‘ut o  anciithing Major Marker text.
acidiﬁed: bpths, men were . strangers / in
’ 'iu’e Jacket. ‘, f " " ‘ "
Hone of ther
ei’talentl”hei'mutteredi, ., _
 hen “the ‘ wounded man spoke,
‘ " sounding strangeiyrweak 

   
“ An' pay a bit 0’ toll fer our trouble,” ‘

" mein. better trim, next time.” * 

ed, his voice ,low and menacing. *

 Wounded. though just How;

3,3,5 “and. but oer: 'i
751%? e

“The man Dirk and myself are both
strangers in Blue Jacket; indeed, neither
of us has been in the West very long.

“ We have both been down on our luck,
and it was while casting about for some
way in which to better our fortune that
we were drawn into tliisjob.

“ I feel that I am dying, and I wish to
make a clean breast of it, you see.”

“Which same is nacheral, partiner, an'
puffcctly proper, too," the veteran as-
sured, in his oily way. “Jest uncork
yer vials o‘ penitence.”

“ My name is Esteli—Abner Estellﬁ’
pursued the wounded man, sarcely heed-
ing the whimsical though kindly utter-
ance of the major. “My father’s name
is Ichabad Retail, and you will find his
address among papers in my pocket.
Write to him and tell him I am dead,
but do not tell him how I diet 

“Jest cs you say, pardner,” nodded,
the veteran. “ An' this hyar leetle job——
you were a-sayin'n”

“Yes, I’ll tell all I know,” Abner Es-
tell declared, his voice growing a, triﬂe
stronger and betraying just a trace of
vexation at that thinly-veiled hint.
.“ Give me time. -

“ We were on our way to Blue Jacket
8. week or more ago, were Dirk and I,
when we were stopped on the trail a few
miles north of here by a masked man,
who, introduced himself as Dick Dread,
chief of the Red Raiders.

“ In our case he made a water haul, for
Dick and I hadn’t a dollar between us.
When the ohtlaw found how desperately
hard up we were he laughed, handed us
a few dollars each, and suggested that we
join his band. ' i

“ Blind fools that we were, we jumped
at his proposition. Then we were led
back into the hills to the rendezv0us,
where were half adozen cutthroats, and
smade to swear to obey the rules govern-
,ing the Red Raiders. ,_ . r
V “Yesterday morning three or the men
got orders to report at‘a. point near Blue
Jacket, ready for work.
turned unhurt, and he brought in" as a
captive a long-haired old hunter.

“ Then, shortly after noon to-day, four
of us got a hurry order to report at Blue
Jacket, and Dirk and myself were among
the number sent.

“A mile this side of camp we were
.met by the chief. He explained that cir-
cumstances had compelled him to change
his plans. He had intended to abduct
a young lady and hold her for .ransom;
«but the afternoon stage hadibrought in

old-time enemy,
captured and carried to‘ the stronghold,
or, failing in that, killed.   i
“ It was while waiting for a chines-to
work the trick that we noted the heavy
winning made by yourself and Shasta
Sam, Major Marker, andlri‘aftor ’ the
trouble between the sport and Honey-
fang we had little diﬂiculty in getting
that ruman to open the game, ferxus. ,
" We felt that if we succeeded in run-
ning the sport. off, youwould follow,
hot-foot, and thus We, would. stand a

Dirk and I were dropped behind to way-
lay ou.”.-A '  ‘
'.“Uh»huhir” the "veteran ejaculated.
‘" An' shad job et,war, too! ”

“0h, yesi.“ We failedmfaiied ,‘miserae
blyl“? Abner Estell assented. “‘But then,
a manta hindsight is; much better than
his éoresight, orvary‘few ventures of the
kin would be ‘made in this wpridS' '

peeringu the trail. ,  __
“But. t s hyar old hunter ye speak,
.about—s-who war he?” -   V  ‘ 
' “ Hails knownJas Old An sieve}?
“ran’ ther young l'eddy?’i‘ - '
‘,;.‘»,‘.Wild Neil." w » : ~ , =

"  .KCHAP'rnin.”

 
W

use?

But one re- '

a tip-topsport whom he recognized as an ‘
and he wanted him.

chance ' of bagging both, ‘ rolls; and so '

' \i" Yangtth is true,”.declared the major, -'

. ' ,., ‘ A" violent shiver ,ran ’thr'ough Abner. ' t ,

, chief or the Red'Raiders, known as! meg..- '

,.  ‘son' puny,ch
 as

“Et’s. a puﬂectly safe bet ther gal
had read ther trail right when she
tackled Honeyfang,” the veteran mused.

Then, aloud:

“Wild Nell, ye say? An" who in tarna~
lation did Dick Dread expect ter pay ran-
som for her?”

“I don’t know," Abner Estell replied,
weakly. “ Somehow, the boys seemed
to think the ransom was a bluffmthat
the chief had learned the girl was an
heiress, and expected to force her to
marry him. I thought so, too.”

“Uh—huh! Wal, thet’s a queer kind
0’ wooin’, or I’m a sinner! But, then,
females aire owdashus queer critters, an’
mebbe Dick’s idee warn‘t so far wrong.”
. “Oh, no! His idea was really a brill—
131.112. one, so far as we could determine,”
rejomed Estell. “ You see, we talked the
thing over among ourselves while wait-
ing at BlueéJacket to-night, and we
Came to the conclusion that this sport
we were to capture was probably none
other than the chief.”

“Shasta Sam, you mean?"

“ Exactly.”

Major Marker uttered
gust.

“Crazy es a passeil o’ bedbugs!" he
exclaimed. ‘ i

“ Well, wait~let me explain,” expogtu-
lated Estell, querulously. “The facts
'were such that we could reach no other
conclusion.

.“ For weeks past a man has been sta-

tioned at a point above here, to keep
watch on the trail and report all who
come and go. Yesterday the man Was
withdraWn without cause and Lieuten»
ant Rackstraw, who stands very, near
the chief, took his placeandgayeron-
ders that noone shouldlcav‘e the ren-
dezvous during, his absence  ’.

“ That order-was ‘disobeyed. Dirk stole
away from camp‘ to hunt, and it was
thrOugh him that we gained our in-
formation.

. " He went over toward the trail, but
some miles north of where the lieutenant"
was stationed, and he saw the coach
stopped by this sport, who got aboard.
He had a fair look at the man, and he

declares that it was the chief without his
mask.”

 
a sniff of dis-

dhr’ Isle-’2’». as “we:

we»

 
“ But
Sam in deadorialivehmani” .. 

s Wed. became, as weekly. as. as‘lambf’
Estell retorted. with a ghastly: segment
a emanatr'rhe clip ’h‘e, gotéover'the . .
headmgnardep than intended, but he’ll i‘. »
make hackle}: When he comes't‘o. y
‘.f_"11hen,' too, the order still stands to A ‘
,navp‘tu‘fjthe. girl, and We ﬁgured that' I
some , rk night Lieutenant Rackstraw
would arrange matters so that,when we
got'up in the morning Old Antelope, the
i3111);)rtyand the girl would all be miss-
Major Marker shook his head‘ emphata
icaliy. = A ‘ i

" Et’stoo roundabout a way fer a man
like Shasta Sam,” he declared. "Now,
of ther sport wanted'thet girl; we dollars,
ter doughnuts ’h'e'd “about oft-in ads-'4 l l
cent way, even of he‘war'bickégrem' "  f ,2 

“I’ve had a deai"o‘ esperii ne‘witﬁ- if" 
ther female critters in my unseat I)»; 
must remark, that Shasta Sam is just
ther kind of a chapter ketch a maiden's
fancyg,” j:   ‘ ; ,
’ #011, no,é‘Pard Eaten, you an’ yer pends
hev/made ther biggest kind of a mistake. ’
:rnis Shasta Sam 18,8 SDOPt--one '0’ ther .
mangstmightmrward kind, res y ten  
\back his opinions with all thar is o hint.-  '
“. He’s jest simply thet sn’. fuathin"
intone} opine, an’ I’m open tor gamble '
that he’s not Dick Dread nor any other
0' ther. Red Raiders." I 7  '

yer orders. were ter bring Shasta _

 
Estell’s‘ form, and‘» he,  ', the snowy
ground with his clenched (hand. ,

" I tell you; I have made no mistake,’,' ,
*he asseverated, his rapidly failing voice}.,,
rising savagely. ; “ Shasta Sam is the ' "

  
Dread! ., I  , , , 4 _ 
' “More than, that, 11319 is my cousins-9min
8 ' .7

  
rother‘; is

 
vk_;.n;~.- ~

 
Shasta  the Sparkler.

 
“His name is Daniel Estell! Tax him
with that, then let him deny that he is
Dick Dread if he can!”

Abner Estell ended with a sharp gasp,
and then a peculiar, gurgling sound came
from his hroat.

Major Marker drew back.

“His hand is played,” he muttered, as
he slipped fresh cartridges into the
empty chambers of his revolvers. “ An’
I reckon et‘s a good thing fer Shasta
Sam thet Abner Estell died right thar! ”

Pausing only long enough to drag the
bodies of the fallen outlaws to the side
of the trail,, the veteran mounted and
again set forward.

The delay caused by the attack had
been sufﬁcient to permit the Red Raiders
with Shasta Sam in charge, to pass be—
yond hearing, and the major urged his
horse into a rapid gallop to regain the
advantage lost. '

 
Leaving the pursuer thus, let us follow
the adventures of Shasta Sam.

The reader will remember that at the
moment the lights in the Sports' Re-
sort were extinguished, the Sparkler re-

ceived a vicious blow on the head, which

rendered him unconscious, and that
while in that condition he was secretly
carried out of the place.

This blow had been dealt by the out-
law Dirk, who, with the assistance of
Abner Estell, at once carried the sport to
the open door, where the others of the
party were in waiting.

The order to retreat was at once given,
and the four men hurried up the rough
dark street to a small clump of pines,
where their horses were in readiness.

Then the Sparkler was securely bound
:astride a led animal, and the little cav-
alcade galloped out of Blue Jacket.

“This is a fine night's work, pards,”
the leader exclaimed, in an exulting tone,
when they had won clear of the camp’s
confines. “We’ve not only obeyed the
chief’s orders to the very letter, but have
succeeded in catching our man well load-
ed with money.”

“ Et’s ther best pull ther Red Raiders
hev yet made,” another asserted, with
equal jubilance.

“ True es gospel, both 0’ ye,” rejoined
Dirk. “ An’ yet we might ’a’ done bet—
ter.”

“ How so? ”

“By takin‘ in Major Marker, too.”

The suggestion seemed to strike each
of the outlaws most forcibly, for all
quickly drew rein.

“ Mebbe ther trick kin be worked—”

“ Not by goin’ back," tersely interrupt-
ed the leader. “We went ter Blue Jack-
et ter obey orde s—no more, no less!

“But ef ther o e galoot can scent our
trail, he’ll be after us ter help out his
new pard, fer they do say he’s dead
game."

This suggestion called forth a spirited
discussion, which resulted in an agree-
ment to leave two of the party in am-
bush on the trail, and Abner Estell and
Dirk were selected for the purpose.

In the meantime, the crisp night air
had revived Shasta Sam, and he was an
interested listener, for the words of the
Red Raiders partially explained the des-
peﬁate plight in which he found him-
se

His feet were tied firmly beneath the
horse, while his hands were lashed se-
curely to the saddle horn.

“I guess I am booked for a trip to the
stronghold of these fellows," he could

. not help thinking, after slyly testing his
'1 bonds.

“1 only hope the major will
not attempt to follow them alone, for
they are desperate”,

Then the party again moved forward,
and no further halt was made until the
spot for the ambush was reached, when
all paused for a moment while the lead-
er gave his parting injunction to Dirk
and Estell.

It was at this moment that the Spark-
ler made a discovery which thrilled him
with hope.

Under his

desperate tugging and

straining the thongs holding his hands

were giving way. The Red Raiders

_ u,,> ‘,_ . ..  ,. .  ‘ “,l l ‘v‘,’
. -,. .f v.  “I _. _- V1.4” h  -, MU)“. ,m ,,. U n I

..l. '-‘

 
were yet ignorant of the fact that he had
regained consciousness, and he deter-
mined to leave them so as long as pos-
sible.

Then Dirk and Estell withdrew from
the trail, leading their horses, while
the others again pushed onward with
the captive. '

Nearly a mile had they proceeded, in
almost unbroken silence, when from the
rear came a burst of pistol shots.

“He showed ﬁght—they were com—
pelled to down him!” the leader ex-
claimed, sharply drawing rein.

“Yas, I reckon he’s full 0' holes, an’
no mistake,” the second outlaw averred,
the darkness hiding a vicious smile on
his,ugly face.

Both listened intently, but no further
sounds came from the scene of the trag-
edy, and after a moment they resumed
their ﬂight.

At this juncture Shasta Sam succeeded
in freeing his hand, and he cautiously
felt for his knife to sever the bonds
holding his feet.

Both knife and revolvers were gone.

“ Now, here’s a pretty pass!” the
Sparkler soliloquized. “ I’m just as badly
off as before. I’ve had my work for
nothing!”

Such, indeed, seeemed to be the case.
Bound to the horse and without weap-
ons, he was certainly at the mercy of his
captors.

For a couple of miles the miscreants
rode onward at a leisurely pace, then
turned aside from the trail and drew
rein at the mouth of a narrow ﬁssure in
the rocks.

“ I suppose we might as well wait for
the boys and see what kind of a haul
they made off the major,” the leader re-
marked.

“ An’ we‘d better take a look at ther
sport, fer he seems ter be hard hit," the
other suggested, and, suiting action to
words, he rode alongside the Sparkler.

Swift as thought Shasta Sam’s right
hand went out, plucking a revolver from
the belt of the outlaw; then, as a yell
of surprise burst from the fellow’s lips,
the heavy butt descended upon his head,
sending him sprawling from the saddle.
Alarmed at this startling turn of affairs,
the outlaw leader jerked a weapon from
his belt; but, before he could ﬁre, a ball
from the sport shattered his arm, and he
wheeled his horse and darted back to
the trail in full ﬂight.

Chuckling grimly at the sucéess of his
ruse, Shasta Sam caught the bridle of
the fallen outlaw’s horse, turned, and
rode back to the trail, bent on retracing
his way to Blue Jacket as quickly as
possible.

A half mile back he was met by the
major and a man afoot, whom the .vet-
eran introduced as Old Antelope.

Early in the night the old hunter had
escaped from his captors, and had been
on his way to camp when met by Major
Marker. ’

Explanations followed. Then Old Ante-
lope mounted the led horse, and the
three started for Blue Jacket at a rapid
pace.

Arrived at the mining camp, Major
Marker took charge of the horses, while
Shasta Sam and Old Antelope laid their
course toward the hotel. ‘

 
CHAPTER XII.
ACCUSED.

The clouds had vanished, the night
had given place to day, and the snow was
melting into tiny riwulets under the rays
of the sun, when Shasta Sam was sud-
denly roused from a refreshing sleep by
a thunderous knocking at his chamber
door.

“Hallo! hallo!” he exclaimed, sitting
upright on his narrow bed and staring
blankly at his surroundings. “What’s
wanted?”

“ Wake up, Shasta Sam! Wake up, an’
let us in!” came the mellow voice of
Major Marker, from the corridor beyond
the door, in accents of suppressed ex-
citement. “ Thar’s a heap o’ trouble in
this hyar camp, an’ we‘ must see ye.”

Thoroughly awakened by ‘ that ,sum-

: gin;  w ,4. 
'rv- l“. ,,.. ,v , , 17,,  ink-9.. . ' ,gy ‘g .. ..

    
11

mons, the Sparkler sprang from the bed
to the ﬂoor, hastily dressed himself, and
opened the door.

Major Marker and the landlord at once
entered the room, and the former care-
fully closed the door and locked it.

That both men were laboring under
deep and powerful exoitement, the Spark—
ler discerned at a glance.

The major’s round, red face wore a
look of gravity, bordering closely upon
the ridiculous, while Landlord Swift
was a triﬂe pale and extremely nervous.

“Sit down, gentlemen, and compose
yourselves," the sport coolly requested,
waving the pair to seats upon the edge of
the bed. “You will excuse me a 1no~
ment. I haven't ﬁnished my toilet! ”

“Toilet!——ther deuce!” spluttered Ma—
jor Marker, jumping to his feet, while
the color in his face deepened to purple.

“ Don’t ye know, Shasta Sam, thet ye’re
standin’ on ther aidge of an earthquake
——thet minutes right now aire more pre-
cious than hours yistiddy or to-morrer? ”

The Sparkler shook his head in amaze-
ment.

“ No, I really do not know it,” he re-
turned. “Explain.”

Then the major and the landlord ex-
changed glances, and the former nodded
vehemently.

“Didn’t I tell ’em jest thet!” he ex-
claimed, exultantly. “I swore my new
pard war innercent, an’ I didn’t tell no
lie!” '

“ Oh, I felt'that it was all a mistake,”
hastily averred Peter Swift. “There
was an utter lack of motive; there Was
no reason in the world why Shasta Sam
should stain his hands with the old
man’s blood; and so I said.”

The Sparkler looked from one to the
other, a slight frown wrinkling his usu-
ally smooth brow. It was plain that he
was mystiﬁed.

“Explain, gentlemen,” he requested,
curtly. “ You speak in riddles!”

“I’ll make,et plain all too soon, my
pard,” returned the major regretfully.

“ Old Antelope was found dead in ther
street this mornin’, an’ thar be some
who hints only too plainly thet et war
your hand thet struck him down! "

Shasta Sam started, then his lips
curled scornfully.

“ Old Antelope is dead, and they say I
killed him, do they? ” he exclaimed, his
black eyes ﬂashing from man to man.
“Well, the charge is utterly false. I am
ready to face them.”

“Easy, pardner—slow an’ easy! " cau-
tioned Major Marker, raising his pudgy
right hand, as if in entreaty. “ We must
look ther thing square in ther face, an’
meet proof with proof, fer et’s a puffect-
ly safe bet they’ve got a nasty case sot
up ag’in ye.”

“Oh, yes. I can readily understand
that they have left no stone unturned,"
the Sparkler assured. “There is just
about a million dollars at stake in this
game, and that amount of money is suf-
ﬁcient to set the wits of these sharpers
on keenest edge. They have divined
my mission in Blue Jacket, and are de-
termined to rid themselves of me.”

Both the major and the landlord looked
surprised. '

“ You’re a detective? ” ventured Peter
Swift, after a moment’s silence.

“Oh, no! I’m nothing of the kind,”
the sport quickly declared. “I’m plain
Sam Shelby—Shasta Sam, the Sparkler,
if you please, and I’ve clipped into the
game—well, just for the percentage!
More than that I cannot tell you now,
save that the job before me is one no
man need be ashamed to be caught at.”

The veteran promptly extended his
hand.

“Putt et thar, Shasta Sam," he ex-
claimed.
ther crack 0' doom! ”

“And here, too,” Landlord Peter
Swift chimed in, as be grasped the
Sparkler’s hand. “The major can tell
you I formed a mighty good opinion of
you, ﬁrst off, and I’m not a bit shaken
in it. Count me as an ally.”

“ Thanks, gentlemen! I appreciate
your friendship more than words can

 
wv .p ‘ ,  . - , .‘ ‘1 ' .
t "' 1a, '3 ‘: ; r _, a? i 1 “to. 'y, f v. ’\;-< 7.4: V. a? t .m .z ,,  ;

“Ye kin ’pend upon me till .

 
12“

' Sheetal A Slam,

      
~r

 
the

 
x


pa’rkler.‘ '”

 
' gteli," was Shasta Sam‘s smiling response.
7 “ But don’t incur trouble or make ene-
mies on my account. I’m a bird of pas-
sage—here to—day, gone to—morrow. Let
me hoe my own row; if worse comes to
worse, I’ll flush my hand, and if that
fails to save me, you may chip in-—and
mighty welcome!”

“ Ye mean-"

“ Just What I’ve said,” out in the
- Sparkler, rightly interpreting the major’s
 puzzled look. “Fall in line with the
' gang, both of you, and you can serve me
. well! One man training with them can

i do me more real good, if he's so minded,

r, than half a dozen openly for me.”
,‘ Then the sport hastily outlined the
_ plan which had suggested itself to him,
> and his friends, nodding acquiescence,
made ready to quit the room.

“Be a' bit careful," the landlord cau~
tioned. “The house is surrounded, and
the marshal is waiting for you down
stairs." ,

 Shasta Sam simply nodded. The next

' minute he was alone.

“ Now, to prepare for war, for it is to
' be War, indeed,” he muttered, carefully
‘ closing and locking the door. “Out of
“my promise to the dead grows this
, strange strife, but be true I must, though
the end be death.”
 Quickly concluding his toilet, the

Sparkler opened his trunk and took
therefrom a brace of heavy revolvers and,
thrust them into his belt in lieu of the
weapons taken from him . by his ab-
; ductors the preceding night.

' Then into a secret pocket of the trunk
he thrust a packet of papers, closed the
lid and locked it.

“Now, I am ready,” he mused, and,
,‘ passing into the corridor, he locked the
‘ door, thrust the key into his pocket and
descended to the dining room.

At the moment he entered, the place
i/‘Was deserted, but the Sparkler quietly
seated himself at a table, and then the
landlord’s daughter Came in from the
“kitchen. ~ ,

' f‘ The marshal is waiting in there,"

she announced, in a low voice, while

 staring steadily at thedoor leading into

‘theibarroom. “Father said that if you

ﬂashed to escape you should follow me.”

3, \Again Shasta Sam’s brows gathered in

ominous frown, which as quickly dis-

.appeared as he noted the paiior of the

sface.

‘9 I: thank you, but I have no desire’to

escape," he returned, gently. I

gj The irl uttered a sigh of relief. '

J‘I as sure you would not go!" she
claimed, a faint ﬂush stealing into her

race as she met the Sparkler's earnest

gaze. “ I know that you are innocent! ”

. At that moment Long Dave Sly, the

marshal, hustled noisily into the room,

(their followed by Major Marker. ,

,7 The. landlord’s daughter hastily re-

 to the kitchen. ’

 hah, spertl—vye're up at last, I

the ofﬁcial greeted. “ Ye're just in

e ter'saver‘trouble.” i

“ Indeed? ” \

“Yea. I ‘was jest goin’ up ter rout ye

‘01“. an’ hysr ye meet me halo-way," \and

e marshal grinned broadly.

“Oh, I like to be neighborly,” the

      
‘ Q
~:

I ‘1

0-.
u
u.

"The marshal nodded, and his face
grew stern. " '

, Jest that, Shasta Sam,” he replied,
 :hand dropping upon his revolver
 ,“ ,Ye aire charged with the murder
ﬁll”! it antelope, an’ I reckon ye’re my

WW

‘ , CHAPTER XIII.» '
 'rnn MARSHAL RESIGNS. ,

A peculiar smile curled Shasta Sam’s
lips, and for a full minute he looked the
marshal straight in the eyes. ‘ ‘ '
f‘ Very 'well; we’ll consider that I'm
your prisoner,” he returned, at length“

'But before. we proceed further, let’s
understand each other thoroughly.
Yon-ﬁshy ‘I am charged withsthe mur-

tpiduAntelopel'l , . : v I '

i. .

 
.1

subdued voice.
way, waitin’ with a rope; but when they

lie .
‘mn

 
(f I  I!

Again the Sparkler smiled in that pe-
culiar way, and Long Dave Sly bit his
lips in vexation.

“You are fully empowered by law to
make this arrest? ”

“Yas, sirree! I am ther marshal 0’
Blue Jacket, an’ my word goes—you
bet! ” boasted the ruﬁian.

“ There‘ll be a preliminary hearing
here, and then I'll be carried to Rocky
Bar for trial, I suppose? "

“ No, sirree!” the marshal exclaimed,
indignantly. “In a case 0‘ this kind,
whar ther proof is plain, Jedge Lynch
tries ther case, an’ et ends right thar.
Thar’s no foolishness-no monkey bus-
iness of eny‘kind! ”

Shasta Sam uttered a’whistle of mock
suprise.

“And suppose the prisoner demurs!”
he asked. in that some cool, quiet way.

“ An’ what's thet? " demanded the mar-
shal, testily.

“ Suppose he kicks-objects? ”

“I s‘posc he‘d be good fer a hide full
0’ holes,” the marshal declared, tapping
the butt of his revolver. r

“ But ye’ve talked a heap plenty fer one
time, Shasta Sam, an’ I do reckon we’d
better be movin’ on down ter ther cala—
boose.”

Then the sport drew back from the
table, and rose to his feet.

At the same instant his right hand
swung to a level, and Long Dave Sly,
to his intense disgust, found the muzzle
of a cockedvrevolver staring him in the
ace.

“ Steady! you murderous dog! " warned
Shasta Sam, coldly, a grim smile playing
about the corners of his mouth. “ Steady!
-—and listen:

“ You know who killed Old Antelope—
you know that my hand did not strike
the blow! .

“I am ready for trial. At the hour
set I shall be on hand-not as a helpless
prisoner rat the mercy of the roughs of
Blue Jacket, but just as I am now—-
armed and ready to exact for myself a

i square deal! ”

“0h, yesl—ye’ll be thar!” the ruﬂ‘ian
sneered,'in a voice quivering with rage,
while his face turned a sickly, yellow-
ish white. “ Given hate a chaince—"

That snarling ﬂing ended in a howl
of terror. .

Thrusting his revolver into its holster,
Shasta Sam had suddenly darted for-
ward, and his open right hand fell sharp-
ly across the marshasl’s. lips.

“ Take that for a lesson in good man-

ners! " he ﬂashed, his black eyes spark-w.

ling angrily. Then his fist shot out, and
the ruﬂian fell in a heap. '
“ Major Marker, have the kindness to
drag that brute into the street,” the
Sparkler requested, as he calmly meat-
ed himself at the table, to await his
breakfast. “ Say ,to\his friends that I
shall be at leisure presently, and ready
to give them satisfaction, if they so
wish." : ‘
“Et’s a puffeotly safe bet they won’t-
want none! " the veteran chuckled, in 3.
“They're all out yen-

flnd ye're up an' around, doin’ business
et ther same ole ,sfand—~wal, I reckon
they’ll ﬂgger out that the job‘s best left
till night!"

“ You“ think, then—J

“They’ve got no leader.” the veteran
continued, with a wary glance at the re.
cumben‘t marshal. “ One’s afraid an'
t’other dassent; an’ when they do make

a break a glimpse o’ ther bell ,wether

will give us *a line on ther parties back
0’ ther game.” . ,

“ Yes, that is true,” assented the
Sparkler. ,_" I thinklpur friend, the mar-
shal, is done with the whole matter—
that is, so far as an open play is con-
cerned. He is a'duli brute,‘and, if I mis-
take not, isignorant of the fact that he
is simply a catspaw in the hands of art-
ful schemers. It follows, then, that when
decilian toga ligand some one else

 " ,. . » 0-!

. F >  érowd'n‘the

      
,_,_,_.__. _.._.__. -._.-.._.,, ._.....,...._._. .__‘_..... -

‘ing his jaw.

 
anything turns up I'll contrive ter let
ye know."

Then Major Marker raised the form
of the unconscious marshal from the
ﬂoor and strode into the barroom. ‘

The place was closed, with the doors
and windows securely barred, for Peter
Swift was a prudent, cautious man. lie
knew that if the turbulent crowd gained
access damage would be done.

From his seat behind the bar the land—
lord had heard all that occurred in the
dining room, and as the veteran entered
with his burden he promptly came. for—
ward.

The marshal was placed upon one of
the tables, and the two men set to work
with whisky and water to revive him.

A few minutes sufﬁced to bring the
rufﬂan to his senses, and he sat up with
a snort of disgust.

“ Woof! ” he grunted, tenderly feel—r
“Thet settles me es mar-
shal 0’ this hyar camp! No more in
mine! ”

“ W’at! ” the veteran exclaimed, in
surprise. “ Aire ye goin’ ter give up? ”
“ Edzactly! I’m goin’ ter resign! ”

The landlord shook his head.

“I wouldn't think 0’ doing et, Dave,”
he declared, earnestly. “ Ef you do, Blue
Jacket will be too hot to hold you!”

“ Cain’t help thet! My min’s made up!
Thar’s too mighty many hard knocks an’
too blamed leetle gold an’ glory in et
fer me,” the ruﬂian asserted, and he got
off the table and walked across to the

' bar.

Then the three carefully talked the
matter over. . a

But Dave Sly was fully determined. He
was wofully crestfal'len over his signal
defeat'at the hands of the Sparkler, and
his courage seemed to have utterly van-
ished. v ' ' ‘ '

After a few.minutes he left the hotel,
accompanied by Major Marker. and the
nep‘vs of his resignation quickly spread
through the camp.

Then, true to the landlord’s prediction}
a hooting crowd gathered around the rec-
reant; he was seized and placed astride
a rail, and borne out of camp, with an
injunction never to return under penalty
of death.

That done, Blue Jacket turned out en
masse to elect a new marshal. ,

The man selected was none’other than
Red Belt, the Sport! ' ' '

Shasta: Sam had boldly appeared upon
the street shortly after‘the discomﬁture
of Marshal Sly, and when he heard the
name of the new official he smiled grimly.

“At last the enemy is showing his
hand! " he muttered. .
’Contrary to general expectation, how—
ever, no further attempt 'was' made dur-
ing the day to arrest the Sparkler.

“Shasta Sam will be on hand when
wanted, never fear,” the new marshal de—
clared, when approached concerning the
matter. “He is notione to run away,
I know, and should he» try it~weil, the
trail would be a short one! "

And with that the hotheads of the
camp were compelled to rest content, for '-
all feared the Red Belt Sport. While/none:
cared to, try conclusion ‘with' Shasta‘
Sam. ‘ ' ‘ ‘

During the afternoon the funerals of
Solomon Zebender and Old Antelope oc-
curred. By common consent, the mines
had been closed for the day, and the

.whole camp was idle.

“It? looks like a bad night,” Peter
Swift remarked. late in the afterntmri,’
with a dubious shake of his head,“ to
Shasta‘ Sam. “ The boys have, been
drinking a good deal to-day, there are
quite a number of strangers in from the
hills, and if the mayor helds court to-
night ther‘e’s almost sure to be trouble.” ‘

“It certainly does look equally,” the
Sparkler responded. I “ But as these mat-
ters can’t beghelped, they’ll have to run
their course.” ’ '

At that moment the Red Belt Sport'ap-
peered. Stopping beside Shasta Sam, be
tapped,

 
3.. eggs: 4‘9nas' g <

no.‘ 'NpMJ’ mom.

a v ‘»¢.w»f..M--  

 
1.

 
ﬂA‘

I was on duty throughout the forenoon,

‘ soften the sharp rattle of the half-frozen
. rude coffin; yet, Zetta Zebender stood

Jealousy and rage.

surly, blaze with intense anger.

, laughed aloud.

defiant, [half—pleading cry, Zetta Zebender

‘ reproach upon my father! ” ‘ '

" W‘ﬂ- me" 018 man" W: a!" the! Honeyfang and a half-dozen congenial“,

“in which you are involved, and you are
requested to be on hand promptly at
seven o’clock.

“Personally, I do not believe you guil-
ty, though of the proof against you I’
know nothing.

“ I trust that you understand me—
that you feel that this duty is not of my
seeking? "

“ I understand you perfectly,"
Shasta Sam’s quiet response.

“ Have no fear. I will meet his Honor
promptly at seven o’clock to-night.”

was

 
CHAPTER XIV.
ZETTA AND GILES.

That Zetta Zebender was deeply grieved
at the death of her father, Solomon, the
wiser, all who called at the Zebender
cabin that bright March day could read-
ily believe.

It is true that she was not to be seen——
that she was fast locked in that end of
the cabin which had ever been assigned
to her private use; but numerous tokens
of love-and affection were there to be-
tray the grief of the daughter’s heart.
.All that was mortal of Solomon Zebend-
er lay in a rude pine coffin, shaven and
:shrouded, bereft of the miserable rags
which in life. had distinguished him from
his fellows.

Giles Honeyfang, his heavy, brutal face
discolored and sw‘ollen’ with the marks.
of his two encounters with Shasta Sam,"

land be it was who walked beside Zetta
Zebender as the dismal funeral proces-
:sion wended its way across the valley to,
the burying ground, known to Blue Jack—
of as “ Pilgrims’ Repose.”

No minister was there, with fervent
words of hope and spiritual cheer, to

salads as they pattered down upon the

unmoved. no sigh, no tear, bearing wit-
ness that her heart was touched with a
single thrill of sorrow or pity.

Calmly, stolidly she stood until the
:grave was ﬁlled and the telltale mound
.rose above the surrounding level, then
turned and slowly recrossed the' narrow
valley to the desolate cabin, with Giles
Honeyfang stalking doggedly at
‘heels.

There was a peculiar look upon the
ruﬂian’s face—~11 look difficult to analyze.
It bespoke both fear and determination,

Just inside the cabin door Zetta Ze-
‘ben'der paused and turned squarely
around, facing her follower. Her dark
face was now white and drawn, and her
black eysa’swolleu from weeping, seemed

"Wt-Well? "i she demanded, sharply.

Giles Honeyfang recalled and grew
pale, then the bloodsrushed to 'his face
and he shook his huge list savagely. ‘

“ Business-jest business! ” he- ré.
turned, in a voice hoarse with pent-up
fury. “ Ther old man’s dead, an’ at lies
bechuxt you an‘ me, an’———ct's got ter be
settledi." .

"You are mad, mani~crazy!" Zetta
'retorted, a wan smile crossing her thin

this” our! You go your way~I’ll go
 'i a, ,
fiWilgjan! ‘ ood when~ye know ther

" ’cried Honeyfang. sav-
ageing The? old man swore we should
divide-J}  “

“ There's nothing tel-divide!” cut in
Zetta, sternly.  p , , .- ,

The ruﬂian started back, aghast. But
his purturbation was only momentary.
A cunning leer crossed his face; and he

" Very good 3—we’ll see! " he'exolaimed.
half-turning. “ Ther Estell gal lives, an,
I kingﬁnd her. Or, Shasta,’8am—.v- ,

"Stop!" And with that sharp, ham

stamped the ﬂoor fiercelY. “ Do lift out

calla? hurthim,” pursued the mutual:

her ‘

 
fixed. steadily Mn mu. .

¥  {the Sparkier.‘ i'

stake in clearin’ their thing up, an’ I do
reckon Shasta Sam—"

“ Oh, no, no! ” Zetta inierruped. “ i\ev-
er that! "

“ Wal, then—what? ”

“ Name your terms!” desperately.

“ Just a full hate! ”

" Of my father’s money—yes!
Estell estate, not one penny! "

“ Ye mean—4’

“ The money shall go to its rightful
owners! ” ﬂashed Zetta.

Honeyfang whistled and cocked one
eye derisively

“You don‘t mean et!” he jeered.

“ Yes, I do mean it. Such was my
father's last wish." .

“ He was crazy! He made the fortune.”

“I do not care to discuss that. Let it

Of the

'answer that I shall follow his instruc-

tions.”

“ Girl! Ye dare not! ”

Zetta’s lips curled contemptuously.

‘-‘ We shall see! ” she retorted. “What
have I to fear? ”
“ Ye forget

night! ”

“'I forget nothing. I was compelled,
through fear, to tell an :untruth to save
you. -

“ Now, have a care, Giles Honeyfang!
I no longer fear you. The truth- will

what happened last

hang you, and the truth shall be
known! ”
“What! Do you threaten?” and the

ruﬂian’s eyes glittered balefully.

“No; but Wild Nell told the simple
truth, and you are implicated in the
death of Old Antelope! ”

“ Girl, ye are wrong! " .

“ No, Giles Honeyfang, I am not
wrong, and I warn you to go your way.

“The money taken from the estate of
Ishmael Estell shall be returned, dol—
lar for dollar, and any attempt at inter-
ference upon your part shall bring the
halter to your neck! ”

The voice of the girl, while subdued,
rang with sternness, and the revolver
she had drawn warned the ruﬂian that
she was in deadly earnest. .

'A coward at heart, he shrank back in
alarm, while from his lips came the
pleazll i r , '

“ Don’t blame me, girl! "Twas iher
ole 'nian led- me inter ther game!

“ But I am pore~—mis’abul pore, an’
all thet Estell wealth is a powerful temp-
tation .ter a sinner like me. ‘

“ Give me hate 0’ what ther ole man
left, an' I'll go my way.” , . - i

. Nodding curtly, Zetta Zebender
turned, entered the cabin and Closed
the door. When she reappeared, there
was a thin packet of crisp 'new 'bank
notes in her hand. ,

“ Two’ hundred and fifty dollars, Giles
eenough to dress ybu decently and sup-
port you until you can find work,” she
said, dropping the money in his huge
hand. “ ’

“ I go from this cabin to the hotel for
a, few days, then leave Blue Jacket for‘
ever. .If the place will be of Service to
you, you are free to use it.’,’

With a mumbled word of thanks, Gliea’
Honeyfang thrust, the. money i to his
Docket, turned and started rapid y dorm
the slope to the camp. ‘

._ CHAPTER XV.
I .  THEMETAMORrHOSIs.

Like ions in a dream; Giles Honeyfang
descendedytopthe valley, his dull brain
busy with plots for the future;

Just at the footof the mountain, in the
last building on the southern end of the
winding,rirregular street, wasa saloon,
gambling-hall and danceorOOm,; known
under the blanket title of “ Paddy's
Gloryl’ , '. - 

The proprietor was Paddy McGovern.

 
a leak, lean Irishman, not many years“

from the “Ould Dart," and the place
was reputed to be the‘toughest in Blue
Jacket. . ‘ r , ' '

For something more than a your past,
this dive had been the rendezvous ‘of

  
spirits. and as u;

    
uﬂifan neared
our ,9 ﬂattened s ‘ 

Jill-E

Goldberg, he purchased a laundered a;

and with these articles

 
A number of men lounged about the
place on rude benches and boxes, while
in a rear corner four miners were seated
at a table, playing cards.

Noisin banging the door behind him,
Honeyfang strode up to the bar, rapped
loudly with his fist, and cried:

“ come up, pards, one an’ all, an’ gaze
on ther new chief 0’ Blue Jacket!”

A hush came over the ill-ordered place.
Giles Honeyfang was well-known to all
present, but he now appeared in a new ‘
role, and great was the wonderment
thereat.

But, to a man the loungers and the
players arose and came forward, for all
feared the ruflian.

Paddy McGovern deftly set out bottles
and glasses, and then all drank to the
health of Giles Honeyfang.

Then, as the crowd fell back, McGoy- '
ern winked slyly and drew the ruﬂian ,
aside. 

“ Whist! monl—et’s yersel,’ oi’Ve wants
ed to see, dhe whole day long! ” he whis—
pered, gently pulling Honeyfang aside.
“ Sure, now dhat dhe ould mon’s dead,
an’ ye’re dhe nixt best in dhe fam’bly;
et's yersel’ as should know et! ”

The ruffian nodded in a knowing way..-
and the Irishman continued: , _ " ,

“ Et’s about dhis new sport in camp—e"
dhis Shasta Sam. Sure, now, an’ dhey do.
say dhat d'he onmannerly omadhoun
be castin’ about ter get a grip on dhe.
Good Luck Mine; dhat he’s kicked yes;
out o' houst an’ home dhis blissid min-1
ute, an’ dhat dhe miser’s daughter is in
on dhe deal to git rid o' yez an’ kape 
share.” “ --

Red grew the face of Giles Honeyfan
and he glared fiercely at the saloonist,
Then his ﬁst shot out, and Paddy Mes
Govern measured his length on the ﬂoor-

“ Et’s a lie! ” Honeyfang savagely (lo-9,
clared, and then he turned and strode out;
of the place.

But that thrust, so adroitly given, 
borne fruit. The iron had entered: the
rufiian's soul, and from that moment
Shasta Sam was playing with fire. i 

Without so much as a backward,
glance, Honeyfang strode up the stree I
his dull brain busy with the thoughts”
awakened by Paddy McGovern’s words

“ Fine feathers “make fine birds,’.’i
muttered. “ Ther sport is a top-notch
fer dress..an’ et’s on’y nacheral‘peoglqg
should size him up es a big chief. ,. Bu
Mose Goldberg, he’s es ﬁne es ther finest.
an’ we’ll see!” ' ‘  _

Moses Goldberg, it may be remarkedv.
was the principal merchant of BlueJackv
et. (He, was, as his name indicated, '
Jew, and his place of business was a}
long. low frame building about manna
dred yards north of the Idaho House.

Owing to the excitment in camp. as
had been extremely dull during the ,,
and when Honeyfang- entered the stain
he found the proprietor wonderfully g,
to receive him. ,r _ 

“ Veil, mine goof fr’ent,‘v'ot can I: _
for you?" Goldberg exclaimed, briskly
rubbing his thin, claw-like hands, as
stepped into view from behind a‘  j
of merchandise. “ Some clodings._oh

“ Right ye aire, Israel,” Honey/rim,
sponded. ” Ther best ye got, 
thin’ dead swagger." , " ,

“,Vell, mine tear fr’ent,- dose?an ~ M
klndt ve keeps," the Jew assured. 
fery pest on earth an’ n'ot’ingselseﬂ
: Then he briskly led the way to
clothing counter, and a moment
Giles Honeyfang was deeply, u;
in the task he had set himself.» ‘
- Naturally, theJew's stock was ii ‘ ‘,
and it required but a few minutes:-
Honeyfan'g to make a selection. H ,V ‘
a brown-and-w'hite plaid suit, of
large and loud figure, and at odes ,.
tired to the rear of the store an  '
it on. F. t I , ’ ‘

Then, at an admit suggestion

 
and obliar; and a ﬂowing red}! A
be proceed

  
further} adorn himself.
The enact was . literal

. , nasal}! .
fez-cedars ' hen“ he

 
'14:

Shasta

Sam, the

 
The sack coat was extremely short,
and the pants ﬁt his sturdy legs snugly,
while the ﬂaming tie harmonized well
with his bristling red beard.

“Min tear fr’ent, you need now one
of t’ose ﬁne Proadvay silk hats und a
hair of t’ose Prince of Vales shoes, und
you vill be t’e pest dressed man in t‘e
Territory, so hellup me, chiminy!” the
Jew assured, most graciously. “You
vould t’en pe tressed ver t‘e pest society,
und t’e atmiration of all t’e vimmens."

“Ye’ve got me right whar I live,
Ikey!” grinned Honoyfang, and he
bought the shoes and the hat, and donned
them.

Then some few minor purchases were
made, and just at dusk the metamor-
phosed ruﬁian started out in quest of the
barber.

There was no regular shop in Blue
Jacket, but a short distance above Gold-
berg’s place was a small hotel run by a
middle-aged German, who was said to
possess considerable skill in the tonsorial
art, and to this man Honeyfang went.

A bargain was quickly made, and when
the rufﬁan reappeared upon the street a
half hour later his best friend could
hardly have recognized him.

The matted red beard had disappeared,
leaving only a bristling mustache and
imperial, while the heavy thatch of red
hair had been cut close to the scalp.

Now that his face was fairly uncov-
ered, the ruﬂian was more repulsive-
looking than ever; but he swung jaunti-
1y down the street, cane in hand, puff-
ing ﬁercely at a long, black cigar, at
ease with himself; for he was confident
that his conquest of Blue Jacket Camp
would now be speedy and sure.

It was shortly after seven o’clock when
he reached the Idaho House, and as he
stepped into the barroom a sharp gasp
of surprise escaped his lips.

The trial of Shasta Sam for the murder
of Old Antelope was in progress, and
the place was crowded.

 
CHAPTER XVI.
THE TRIAL.

The mayor of Blue Jacket, Kenneth
Morgan by name, was in many respects
a peculiar man. .

He was a bachelor of uncertain age,
tall and angular, with piercing dark eyes,
prominent nose, bushy gray hair, and a
huge gray beard that reached to his
middle. He dressed well, was a fair shot,
never gambled, and never drank, but was
an inveterate smoker.

From the earliest days of the camp
he had held the position of manager of
the Good Luck Mine, and was said to
be one of the wealthiest of Blue Jacket’s
citizens.

He owned the best house in the camp,
a modern six-room cottage, in which he
lived alone with an elderly negro man-
servant to attend him, and those who
had been favored with a view of the in-
terior reported that it was most luxuri-
ously furnished.

Then, Kenneth Morgan was a man of
excellent education, a ﬁnished musician,
and an accomplished artist, and the peo-
ple of Blue Jacket often marveled that he
remained in their midst.

When the murder of Old Antelope and
the accusation against Shasta Sam was
duly brought to his notice by Red Belt,
the new marshal, the mayor promptly
named the place and set the hour for the
trial, and then was punctually on hand
to hear the case.

Exactly at seven o’clock Shasta Sam
coolly walked into the Sports’ Resort,
and then, at a word from the mayor,
the crowd was called to order and the
court was opened without ceremony.

“ Prisoner ‘at the bar, you will state
your name and age,” the mayor ordered.

“ Samuel Shelby, aged‘twenty-eight,”
was the calm response.

“ You are charged with the murder,
last night, of one Abram Mose‘lle, bet-
ter known as Old Antelope, the hunter.
Are you guilty or not guilty?”

The Sparkler started slighty, and_his
expression changed, but in an unfaltering

‘7'“ ., Voice he, replied:

 
p  7 v ~ ‘ ., l. V' .
Aft-um Cf ‘1’“‘,-. ,H‘;  A. , f E  ( 3.1,  _".'j  ,;
,i‘i'uljust’évtawmﬁnk-immt New  Mifrﬁrﬁhﬁhﬂ’ r’a‘ 

 
“Not guilty! ”

“ Are you ready for trial?”

“I am ready.”

Then the mayor and the marshal held
a whispered conference, and Red Belt
called the ﬁrst witness to the stand.

It was Doctor Jeremiah Samuels.

The doctor testiﬁed to ﬁnding the body
of Old Antelope in the middle of the
street that morning, just at daybreak.
The body was warm yet. Death had
been caused by a knife wound through
the heart. The knife remained in the
wound.

At this point the mayor handed the
witness a bowie knife.

“Can you identify that weapon?” he
asked.

“I can, and I do,’ Dr. Samuels re-
plied. “It is the weapon I found thrust
through the heart of Old Antelope.”

Then the blade was handed to Shasta
Sam.

“It is mine,” he averred, simply.

A murmur of ominous import rose
from the crowd, and it was with no little
difﬁculty that order was restored.

After a moment Dr. Samuels was ex—
cused, and another witness was called to
the chair.

This fellow was Pious Pete, known as
one of Red Belt’s “cripples.”

By him it was shown that Major Mark-
er, Shasta Sam, and Old Antelope had
ridden into camp together at a late hour
in the night; that when near the hotel
the party had dismounted and separated,
Major Marker going on to the corral
with the horses, while Shasta Sam and
his alleged victim continued down the
street together.

Major Marker was then placed on the
stand. His testimony simply conﬁrmed
Pious Pete’s story.

Other witnesses were examined, and,
although nothing new was elicited, the
case looked extremely dark for Shasta
Sam.

True, no one had seen him strike the
fatal blow, nor was there an apparent
motive for the crime; but his was the
knife that had robbed the old hunter of
life, and it was clearly proved that they
had been together but a moment before
the tragedy occurred.

Again threats loud and deep rose from
the crowd, and it required the united
efforts of the mayor and the marshal to
restore order.

Then another whispered conference
was held, and Shasta Sam was called to
testify in his own behalf.

Clearly and succinctly, the Sparkler
narrated the details of his abduction
and escape, dwelling especially upon the
fact that he had been disarmed while
unconscious, and that his escape had de-
pended wholly upon his good fortune in
securing a revolver from the belt of one
of his captors.

When Shasta Sam had ended, it was at
once seen that his narrative had created
a most favorable impression upon the
minds of many present, and when Major
Marker had been recalled to the stand
to corroborate almost in detail the
Sparkler’s story, belief in the innocence
of the accused was greatly strength-
ened. , '

But the murder was yet shrouded in
mystery; the evidence, though circum-
stantial, was strongly against the de-
fendant, and Mayor Morgan rose and,
with visible reluctance, stated that, un—
less further evidence could be at once
introduced, he would be “compelled to
hold the defendant, Samuel Shelby, to
appear before the court of proper juris-
diction! ”

To those familiar with the processes
of law peculiar to Blue Jacket, the may-
or’s words were equivalent to a death
sentence; for it meant commitment, with-
out bail, to the calaboose, until such
time as the prisoner could be carried to
Rocky Bar. In the camp’s history, eight

v

men had thus been conﬁned, and each
of the eight had met death at the hands
of Judge Lynch. ‘

Shasta 8am realized as much. Yet his
face did not change,

and he met the

 
Sparkler.

 
".' '. int,» " r; A...

 
Then came a brief hush, and all eyes
seemed ﬁxed upon the Sparkler.

The mayor cleared his throat to speak
again, but before so much as a syllable
could pass his lips, Zetta Zebender sud-
denly burst through the inner circle of
the crowd and confronted the court.

Dressed in deepest black, her face
corpse-like in pallor, her black eyes fair-
ly glowing with nervous excitement, the
daughter of the dead miser was at once
fascinating and terrible.

“I want to testify in this case!” she
announced, in a tremulous voice, her
eyes sparkling brightly, as they drank
in each detail of the scene. “1 wish to"
testify for that gentleman,“ pointing to
the accused. “ I know something about
this case, and I believe I should tell it!

A ripple of' surprise came from the
crowd, and Shasta Sam fancied the mayor
changed color.

“ I know all about the killing of Old‘
Antelope,” pursued the girl, rapidly. “I
saw the blow struck—I saw the men who
did it! They are the two ruﬂians known

as Ute Jack and Sugar Foot! There
they stand!”
Sharply, almost venomoust, each

word, clear and distinct as a pistol shot,
came the girl’s revelation, and then from
the crowd came a sharp, sudden roar—a
violent surging to and fro!

Vainly the entrapped miscreants strug-
gled to escape. Stilled, beaten into insen-
sibility, they were quickly dragged to
the street, and thence to the calaboose,

Caught in that mad whirl, in his ef-
fort to preserve order, Red, Belt, the
marshal, was borne into the street be-
fore he could extricate himself’, and it
was not until the culprits had been safely
imprisoned that he reappeared in the
Sports’ Resort.

Then the court resumed the trial. It
required but a few minutes for Zetta Ze—
bender to ﬁnish her testimony; and it
was so plain, direct, and convincing
that there could be but one conclusion.

The prisoner was discharged.

 
CHAPTER XVII.
ZETTA'S rerun.
Congratulations were fairly showered
upon Shasta Sam when it was known.
that he was acquitted, and he quickly
found himself surrounded by the most

prominent citizens of the camp, including:

the mayor, Kenneth Morgan, all of whom
were eager to take him by the hand.

His frank and fearlesa bearing through—A

out the affair had won him many friends,
and he could not help thinking that,
trying as was the ordeal, it had been a
most fortunate one for him.

“Et’s a puffectly safe bet thet ye’re
ther comin’ cock 0’ this walk,” Major
Marker declared, when he had at length
gotten the Sparkler safely aside. “ Trim
ther comb 0’ this Red Belt. an' et‘s a
boss ag'in a jack-rabbit thet ye’ll hev
plain an’ easy scratchin’ ahead.”

Shasta Sam nodded and smiled, and,
abruptly changing the subject, asked:

“Major, do you know where Wild Nell
and Old Antelope’s wife are stopping? ”

The veteran shook his head.

“I don’t, pard,” he replied.
kin easy locate ’em."

“Do so, but go about it quietly. 1'
must see Wild Nell to-night, secretly,
and without fail. You will ﬁnd me right,
here in just an hour."

Without a word, Major Marker nodded,
turned, and walked away, while the-
Sparkler approached the bar for a. mo-
ment’s talk with Peter Swift.

The landlord was in high good humor,
but extremely busy. He warmly grasped
the hand of the sport, leaving in it a
folded slip of paper.

“ It came down for you a moment ago,”
he explained, guardedly. “Miss Ze-
bender sent it, I think. I will see you
again presently.”

Shasta Sam at once withdrew to the
dining room, where he opened and read
the note.

“ But I

It was, as the landlord had suggested, I

a message from Zetta Zebender. It was-
in a coldly formal tone, and requested
the, pleasure of an interview “with Mr.

I

,. it‘s»; .  I~L"t‘w=‘~.‘i.>.  art

5 .
 (gar:

 
 Sh a.  

 
 *

   
Samuel Shelby at his earliest conven-
ience,” in the parlor of the Idaho House.
The “ parlor ” of the Idaho House was
a new one to Shasta Sam; but Lena, the
landlord’s daughter, promptly explained
that it was a large room on the second
ﬂoor, extending across the front of the
hotel, and ﬁtted up as a lounging place
for those of the guests for whom the
barroom and card tables possessed no
‘ attractions.
‘ ', Thanking the girl for her information,
Shasta Sam glanced at his watch, and at
r -, once betook himsolf in the direction of
the parlor.

 
Elated at the thought that Shasta Sam,
whom he hated so bitterly, was on trial
for“ his life, Giles Honeyfang had edged
his way through the crowd to a posi—
tion in front of the bar. -

'l‘he ruiiiau was in high glee. He felt
that fortune was indeed beginning to
smile upon him. Not only would Zetta,‘
the daughter of the dead miser, ﬁnd his
grip upon the Estcll estate ﬁrm and re-
lentless, but there was almost a certainty
that the Sparkler would dangle at a
rope’seend before the break of another
day.

So, listening with keen relish to the
l damaging testimony against Shasta Sam,
he drank freely, while hoping that the
end of thetrial might not long be de-
layed. Deep-in his wolﬂsh heart was a
burning desire to be in at the death of
the Sparkler, and he was fully deter-
; *mined to assist in the execution.
 Then came that brief lull, so signiﬁcant
' in itself—~swiftly followed by the sudden

A {we .‘r‘j|~,-?-'v"‘_-.v : x ;-v
. . « .. .,-

.er’

.,.>‘~vvm~ .~ .

 
 and startling appearance of Zétta Ze-
 bender as a witness in Shasta Sam’s be-
.  half!

;  A sickening fear, which quickly re-
? , "solved itself into a horrible certainty,

fastened npon the heart of Giles Honey-
1 fang. .vHis face grew fairly livid, his pale
gr‘ay eyes snapped and ﬂamed with de-
spairing fury, and the empty glass in his
' hand fell unneeded to; the ﬂoor, to be
dashed into a hundred pieced-,5 '
The babbling of Paddrncﬁovern had
it -«' , been true! i i - '
»‘ Zetta Zebender was in league'with. the
 Sparkler~there was a secret understands;
lag between them! . - . ‘
These thoughts ﬂashed Ithr0ugh the
reeling brain of the ruﬁian, and then he
became conscious of a feeling of ﬁerce
resentment against the girl. V (
Evading the rush of that madly surg-
ing crowd bearing Ute Jack and Sugar
Foot to their wells-merited captivity,
Giles Honeyta 8 slipped, hack into the
dining room. a d ‘then'ce tip-stairs to the

,.

 "i ; .§,W~Zebender had preceded the ruﬁian
Whittle rudiment.- g '  . ,‘ ', -

On'cntering the room,’5h‘e.had closed
the door and walked straight to some“
mirror hanging on one of." the walls.

A glance showed that iier» checks were
slightly ﬂushed, and that her black eyes
were sparkling with subdued excitement.

At that moment the door was stealthy,
ly opened, and Giles Honeyfang entered.

At sight“ of the ruﬁian, Zetta’s look‘
changed. The complacent smile faded

 .. fromher face—the faint dash ot'coior
 "5’€‘,Mm-her-cheeks. Astonishment, disgust,”
f lilmili‘wlptensealoathing ﬂashed from hen
' ‘. ‘*Bﬁ1dil-*M;Qpressive eyes.
‘ "Giles ’B‘oneytang!” she exclaimed,
 a with unnecessarily- .
' “ Same old Giles! f? the militia respond—-
ed, a triﬂe sunstes‘dily, ,as he cocked the
3;; ‘ new silk hat over one eye and ﬂourished

_._\Js...mw .: 

mm .

V  in»
, , J

.13: ,

a“. ,

_ ‘  I - . . , ' .

, g Wm-u-‘v-u «a... a. ﬁmwmwn—amm—A'vﬂh~wmmla- .s,,....._... ..
, v _«,-._,;_.‘.- .,.. ..-
. “at? )5: v : ‘ ‘. -

   
, _  ‘ his cane. “Ain't ye*prohd 0’ me, Zet-
’. ‘ V ' ‘:ta? ’5 ~ ‘- l
‘ And he began walking slotvly to and fro

. -_ "infront of the woman, as it anxious .for
a  a, verdict on his changed appearance.
'  :For a moment the woman viewed him
ﬁlth‘silent scorn and contempt. Then a
. burst of mocking, mirthless. laughter
.- . came from her tightly-drawn lips. y f
. '  , ‘.“.I,have always insisted that you were
  a-iooi;_‘Giles‘ Honeyfang! " she exclaimed,
  .sobrnfuliy; “ Now I know I have always
‘  _. ‘ gn_ ; ’ v '

 
I ruﬂian.

F . “ You are late,"

-. seem

 
ted, his heavy, clumsy ﬁngers working
curiously. “ 1 knows thet I’m not quite
up ter ther limit in hose-sense or good
looks. But—I’ve come for the papers,
Zetta! ”

The girl tossed her head; she stamped
the ﬂoor angrily.

“ No! ” she cried, in ﬁerce excitement.
“ You cannot have them! They go into
the hands of Mr. Shelby, for the Estell
heirs! ” ‘

Honeyfang dropped his cane and stared
hard at the girl.

“Is thet straight?" he demanded, a
tigerish gleam breaking through the dull-
ness of his" eyes.

“ It is straight!” Zetta retorted.

“Paddy McGovern told ther truth!”
the ruﬂian muttered. Then, with a sud-
den bound, he reached the maiden.
caught her by the throat, and shook her
viciously.

“'l‘her papers, or yer last hour hes
come, Zetta Zebender! " he hissed, draw-
ing and cocking a revolver with his free
hand. “Solomon Zebender played with
me fer years—an‘ played with fire! ”

A look of abject terror came into the
girl’s face, and she struggled Weakly to
throw‘off the powerful grip on her throat;
she tried to cry aloud for help, but that
same'ﬁrm and pitiless hand choked back
the sound. ‘

She drew the papers from her pocket
and dashed them onjihe ﬂoor.‘

At that juncture the door was sudden-
ly thrown open, and Shasta Sam stepped
into the room. '

At the same instant Giles Honeyfang
ﬂung the woman from him, grasped the
papers, andwhirled around. .At sight
of the Sparkler a sharp, ﬁerce cry of
exultation escaped him, and he swung
his revolver to a level and ﬁred twice.

At that close and deadly range the bul-
lets could not go astray. Shasta Sam
staggered back and reeled blindly, then
drew himself together and with the re—
sistless fury of an enraged lion. sprang
straight at the thrqat of the murderous

[Tan Kym.

 
CI-IA
- ‘ r’no'r-rmo. A -
~ ,As soon as he could win. clear of the

\

iturb‘ulent, res less throng in‘ the Sports'

Resort, at the close of Shasta Sam‘s

trial. Kenneth Morgan, the mayor of‘

Blue Jacket, lighted a fresh cigar,
plunged. intothe street, and started for
home. _ ’ I .

His cottage stood upon a wooded ter-
race in the mountain-side, just above
the northern extremity of thecamp, and
was reached by a narrow footpath Wind-
ing upward from the road ,running
through Blue Jacket. ~ ,

With quick, restless strides the mayor

hurried onward, and in a few minutes-

gained the footpath, where hen/as joined
by a man who had been waiting in the
dense shadow of a clump of bushes. ‘
I this personage re-
marked, in a tone betraying irritation".
“ .Yo'u have kept me waiting." . ‘

I“ My dear feilow,- it really couldn’t be

helped," the mayor assured, piacidly.
“ You must remember that too prompt a
ﬂight: from the scene of my duties to-
night; might have caused undesirable
ta q 801119on the long-headed sports of
Blue Jacket-’might have set it down". to
:liisa‘lppointmcnt at the, result, of the
ra.”"..x,:»“ - -;~)  ,4, ,'

“Well?! T 'r ..

4

“ Well,,,they' would =hsye~been right/in,

their surmise; tor we certainly had ‘a' re,
markabie set-back.lThe goose was cocked
and fairly ready ,‘to ,serlv'e wherthc Ze-
bender girl appeared, broke the! platter,
and spoiled] the rfeast. '

We must do Something, sudden-quick! 

j‘Oh,’ yes; I suppose that’sas‘ plain .-
as the nose on ama‘n‘s facerbut, what
shall it, "be?" was the disgruntled ’reé‘

spouse: “'Thissshasta Sau’iyis not "onlyv

a lucky galoot, but" he's‘as slipper-ya:

an eel. .Twice in twenty-ian 
, y .

  
slipped 1 through  emf~
' '49} at, “it! be ‘

    
. 1‘?

New, pardne’r. '


us. The Zebender or Estell million is
worth ﬁghting for, and we mustn’t give
up.

“We must seize Wild Nell and Old
Betty Moselle to-night. I have a place
to keep them out of sight until Wild
Nell makes up her mind to yield her
fortune for ransom."

“The little spit-ﬁre will never do it.
I‘ve even coaxed and coaxed her to marry
me, but it is no go, Kenneth."

“Never is a long time!” quoth the
mayor. “But if she declines to come
to terms within a reasonable period, so
much the worse for her. She will disap-
pear forever, and you can then lay siege
to the Zebender girl."

“ Heaven forefend!
last resort! ”

The mayor grew impatient.

Well, Kent Keene, such was the
agreement you made, and it is the line
of action you must adhere to, if you
would secure the money,“ he declared,
sternly. “Falter now, and I will aban‘ ‘
don you and your plot and proceed,2
alone.” A

“I am not faltering,” Kent Keene re. ‘

       
That is indeed a. V

 
torted. “ But I am not enamored of the ‘ I
Zebender girl. She ﬁlls me with loath-
ing.”

Kenneth Morgan laughed harshly. .
“Well, better people have been put
away," he suggested.‘ “ Make your point, ,
gain the money, then free yourself. It is
an easy thing.” _ 
“Oh, yes," Kent Keene returned, .the,,
darkness hiding the frown upon his Ij
handsome face. "But we have discussed “l
the point before, and we‘re losing time,‘
We must get ahead with the work 4:04
night. - . . ~
“Make good your promise to secure "'
Wild Nell and Old Betty before day. and
I will give my undivided attention to
Shasta Sam. "
“We have bungled miserably in send-,-
ing our paid braves against him, for he
is One man in.a thousand, bold, fear-
less. and aggressive, and seems to beat
a charmed life.” ' ‘ ,
f‘ Then you propose—” - 
I “’ I intend to go after the sport nan
shit," out in Kent Keene, in a boastful;
arrogant tone. "I fear no man in. sin-,7
gle combat, for never yet have I met my
master. I will rent this Shasta 8am",
or send him ﬂying from the,camp to. save
his worthless life!” ' ‘ ' f
Kenneth Morgan nodded approval;-
“That is the: way 'to do it," be ex:-
claimed. “ Pick a quarel ,with the fell f "
and go after him yourself._ The odds",an
about ten to one that you will be a 1%
to turn the trick successfully." ‘ 
Then tootsteps in the distance.“
the miscreants to speak even more. " ‘ '_
edly; and their voices sank to whispe. :
A few minutes suﬂlced to endl‘fﬂiaif”
hurried conference; then Kent "K
walked rapidly toward "the camp, while
Mayor Morgan cast aside his ci r '
uttereda single long. aloud whistle,“rin£
peculiar intonation. . I f 5'“
Stepping amid the bushes heart.
Kent Riggs“ had emerged, the 
oﬂlclai, ile awaiting the response,
his call deftly buttoned his, coat, '
his luxuriant beard, and- pulled a ,
,hoodwlike‘ black mask over hi’s‘head 1- ‘
face. ‘ ,,'
f A moment elapsed, then stealthy,
drew near. and a husky vbice, pitcﬁed
cautious “reinstalled out; gt 
‘v ‘;What~swayj, boss? Pipe. a’g’in
ye"  .  , 
t xiiilenneth- Morgan stepped out into;
ra .-  . =  ~
Come!’ he exclaimed, ms‘
changed beyond recognition by tit
folds 0f1thelmesk'. “ Hood? grouting

falter-me”- ' v . . '
“Silently, the fellow obeyedﬂ, 
disguised, mayor hurriediyledw
across Stile valley and tin-on
" "outskirts of the hemp;
‘ here. under'theshelterlngvsi‘de 
gunman. Ind “Mtedyq_ in ,the’nﬁ
 other habitst‘idnwby‘. a. U , '
. I ‘

 
y

   
A

 
nounced, halting in the dense shadow
of a pine, some ﬁfty feet from the cabin.
" Wild Nell is thar, alone with Old Bet-
ty Moselle.

“Now, ther game we is ter play is
. simple. I’ll knock at ther door, an’
when ther gal comes i'll grab her. You
shot off her wind an’ tie her hands, an’
then we kin gobble up ther old woman.
“Then I'll run ther critters over tcr
ther lone pine on the Rocky Bar trail,
an' you skip quick an‘ meet me thar with
three horses.

“ D'ye see? ”

“ Oh, yas, Dick Dread, ther game aire
so simple two kids could play et,” the
outlaw replied. “An' then?"

“Then you skip back ter camp au’
rally ther Red Raiders. We must hold
up ther stage from Rocky Bar ter-mor-
row, fer I hears thar’s ter be gold an‘
greenbacks aboard.

“I’ll meet ther boys at Dead Man‘s
Canyon, an’ they must be ready for busi-
- tress.” ‘

V , “ Et Shel be thet way, boss,” the out-
‘ law assure , and then the two men pre-
pared to advance upon the. cabin.

But at that juncture a brace of pistol
shots rang out on the cool night air,
'down in the camp. A moment later the
'2 reports were followed by a sharp rattling
» f’crash, which quickly developed into a
~ veritable babel of confusion.

“ Quick! Now is our time!" Dick
v. Dread exclaimed, moving swiftly toward
the cabin. “ A screech‘ or two will never
be heard.”

, ,Gaining the door,
' rapped sharply.

l!“ Who is there?” came from within,
in the clear, bell-like tones of Wild Nell.
“Samuel Shelby," was the quick re-

   
the outlaw chief

ply.

, A light step r‘esounded on the cabin
ﬂoor. Then the door was ﬂung open,
and Wild Nell stood on the threshold“
pistol in hand. ' ’
, svaiftly,pthe disguised mayor ﬂung him-
self forward. One deft strokelsent the
revolver ﬂying from the girl's hand,
and the next instant she was struggling
in‘his arms. '

’ The second outlaw, with the dexterity
.ofxan expert at the work, thrust a gag
. to: the girl's mouth and fastened it,
" . then hastily'pinioned her hands.

Y0t a breath too soon was that task
"doomplished, however, 1' for Old Betty
.Moseljle sprang up from the rude couch
on which she “had been lying, fully
dressedhand astily caught up a riﬂe. '
f‘Onhand t et gal, ye onrnanly var-
ngintS! "she screeched, hensunken black
tea blazing with rage, as she hobbled
toward the door. I

.‘ﬂBilence ‘ the old damevquick! "
hbarseiy commanded the chief. spring-
 "back from the door with his help.
3988 burden. “She will ruin all!”

" eWithOut a word, the second outlaw
, d boldly into the cabin.

at he little knew the beldame.
he gun in her hands cracked spite:
, ly, and with a single snarling curse
r elﬁung up his arms and sank in a heap
:z'the rough wooden ﬂoor!
m"’UlII‘lileazi! is ill luck to last forever? "
'with that angry cry upon his lips
 disguisedmay'or turned and ﬂed down
- slope with Wild Nell in his arms” _

CHAPTER XIX.

" ' A FIGHT AND A’ CHALLENGE.

lee l-Ioneyfang’s craven heart almost

’ to beat as he looked into the

 3mg white face and pitiiess eyes of
a- am. i

 
ih 1'

0' had he fired point-blank atthe
“of the sport, at a. distance not cx-
seeding? ten feet-s—ﬁred with quick but
sure aim,; and with intent to kill—and
failedi, I .
.,Then,i as he saw the Sparkler leap
"  ard, blind rage took the place of
r, and he, again, swung his smoking
 y.an to a levels—only to have it dashed
ids by the strong arm.of the sport!
'Yqu--.ﬂendi 5' grated Shasta Sam, the
' ing with a»; vicious. hissing
s

 
‘ j; I, 3*.  ‘ I -..

ﬁan‘sireshly shaven throat. “You piti-
less hound!—-you satan‘s imp!”

Hot, consuming rage'choked the ut-
terance of Shasta Sam, usually so cool
and steady. and he savagely shook the
terriﬁed rough ere hurling him heavily
to the floor. -

Release from that long, slim, and pow-
erful hand was the one thing wanted by
lioneyfang just then. Ilardly had he
struck the ﬂoor when, with a bound and
a choking cry of terror, he regained his
feet and plunged headlong through the
nearest window!

Glass, sash, and shutter gave way with
a rattling crash, and the rullian landed
in a heap upon the roof of the rude ve-
randa. extending across the front of the
hotel. Just an instant he lay stunned,
then roused himself, grasped the edge of
the roof and swung himself over, to drop
to the earth!

An imprecation burst from the lips of
Shasta Sam; and for just a breath he
seemed about to follow the ruﬂ‘lan in
his headlong ﬂight; then better judg-
ment prevailed. and he stepped out upon
the veranda roof. revolver in hand.

“I‘ll wing him—sit he gives me the
chance! " hemuttered, peering over the
edge of the roof. “ Mercy to him is mer—
cy wasted—the villainous hound!”

Then to the Sparkler came the rapid
patter of running feet, gradually receding
in the distance: but in the night, half
blinded by that sudden transition from
light to darkness, he was unable to lo-
cate the ﬂeeing rough.

Alarmed by the varying sounds of that

short but ﬁerce battle, the crowd in the
Sports' Resort, below stairs, now began
surging out upon the street, and the
Sparkler hailed the landlord, giving .a
terse account of the robbery of Zetta Ze-
bender and urging that Honeyfang be
captured and brought in live. '
' A united yell went up f cm the crowd,
and then men hurried in every direction,
determined to hunt ,down and bring in
the cowardly misc'reant.

Smiling grimly, Shasta Sam then
turned and stepped back into the par-
lor.

Zetta Zebender lay just as she had fal-
len, face down in the middle of the ﬂoor.
Thrusting his revolver into its holster,
the Sparkler sprahg forward and raised
her’in his arms. a

The girl's face had been bAdly bruised
by the fall; while, worse'yet, upon her
threat, in black and blue, was the im-,
print of Giles Honeyfang’s ﬁngers!

“The hangman’s rope is that scoun-
drel’s portion—sure! ” gritted the sport,
as his angrily glowing black eyes swept
the room for a couch on which to place
his helpless burden. “I'd like to ,save
him to wring a bit of truth‘from his
lying lips, but in the end his fatevshould
be the same! "

At that moment Peter Swift burst into
the room, closely followed by his wife
and daughter, and to them Shasta Sam
gladly. relinquished his, charge. - ’

Pausing only long encugh to brieﬂy
outline the'mai feature of Giles Honey-
fang’s vicious assault upon Zetta Ze-
bender and himself, so far as he knew
them. the.Sparkier hastily left the parlor
and retired to his own room. ' ,

That he had not escaped uascathed he
knew full well, but as yet he was unable
more than to guess at the extent of his
injuries.

Locked in his room, however. he quick—
ly stripped off coat, vest, and shirt, ex-
posing to the rays of the lamp that ‘cun-
ningly meshed jacket of steel mail; and
then the extent of his wound was easily
learned, for both balls rattled harmlessly
to the ﬂoor! , | .
' One shot had snapped a number of the
tiny steel rings of which the jacket was
woven, and driven the shattered ends in-
ward, tearing and lascerating skin and
ﬂesh enough. to induce a free 'ilow of
blood ' '

“only .a scratch: after all,” Shasta
Sam» 'mtei'edr With a breath ,of relief.
could have "sworn, at the,

‘ ' straight

 
Carefully dressing the wound, slight as
it was, the sport donned his clothing
and went down to the barroom.

The place was almost deserted. But
three men were in the room, and they
rose from a card table, just as Shasta
Sam entered, and approached the bar.

The foremost of theotrio was a tall,
heavily muscled man, who had the ap-
pearance of a blacksmith.

And such, indeed, was his calling. He
was an Englishman, Amasa Plunkett by
name, and, ordinarily. of a quiet, rather
retiring disposition.

At the moment we introduce the Eng—
glishman to the reader, he was fairly
well started upon one of his periodic
sprees. He was not drunk, but he had
enough liquor in him to render him quar-
relsome and make him an extremely
ugly customer to handle.

As soon as he saw the Sparkler, he‘,

changed his caurse to intercept him, and
tapped him familiarly upon the shoulder.

“ ’Ello, ‘ello! ” he exclaimed, in a pecu-
lairly irritating tone. “ Hi reckon you’re
de bloody bloke w’ot dey call Sharsta
Sam, ’eh? ”

“I am so called;” the sport returned,
pleasantly. “ Now, in the lingo of your
own tight little isle, ‘ w’ot's hit to you? ’ "

The Englishman scowled.

“ Don’t hinsult me! ” he warned, with
a menacing gesture. “Hi stoppit you
to Speak hupon ha subject hot great him-
portance. Hi want to hexact ha promise
from you.”

" Oh, you do, eh? "

“ Hi do."

“Well, then, ﬁre away. Explain your—
self. For the life of me, I don’t know
what you’re driving at.” M 

“ You will find hout soon henough,”
Plunkett retorted, in an arrogant way, his
voice beginning to betray anger. “ Hit’s
habout.this,youn_g leddy Hi 'ears you’ve
been tryin' to ﬂirt with. Hi just wants
to tell you Hi’ve ’ad my heyes cocked
hat ’er mysen, han’ hif Hi ’ears hof your
advances hagain, H’ll break hevery
bloody bone hin yer bloomin’ body! ”

The Sparkler laughed outright.

“Upon my word, it's hard to decide
whether you are drunk or crazy,” he

exclaimed. “What young lady do you
mean? ” ‘ ' ,

Then Amasa Plunkett's face grew red
with rage. ‘ " 

“To Wild Nell, hof courself,’ he" blus-
tered. “ You knows, drot ye! Han' you’re
pretendin’», hof hignorance honly to
havoid ha beatin‘.”

And with that he sent his right hand

out in a‘vicious swing at the jaw of‘

the sport.

Neatly ducking the Englishman’s blow,
the Sparkler came back with the grace
of a. dancing master. A stiff right-arm
punch, landing directly over the black-
smith‘s heart, sent him sprawling ﬂat
upon his back on the ﬂoor. . I

Amasa Plunkett was terribly surprised.

Not only surprised, but badly hurt.

But he? was game to his heart’s core.
The quarrel was of his own seeking, and
hethad no intention of quitting until he
had whipped his man or was thoroughly
whipped himself. . . l . .‘  t

“ Stand back!” “be pasted, as his two
friends evinced a desire to run in. “ Fair
play’s de word, hif Hi git ha lickin’ fer
hit!” ‘ \ '

Then he scrambled to his feet, threw
himself into position, and rushed savage-
ly at the Sparkler.  r

Evading that rush by a simple side
step, .Shasta Sam feinted with hs" left,
then shot hisgright-ﬂst acrOSS.‘straight
from the shoulder. landing a terriﬁc blow
squarely upon the blacksmith’s jaw.

Plunkett required the assistance of his
friends to get him up, and they led him
away in a dazed condition. - '

From a position just inside the door
the Red Belt Sport had closely watched
the encounter, and as Shasta Sam again
turned to the bar Red Belt came up and
accosted him. ‘

“ Weill sport, I notice‘ that along‘wtth
your other ‘-BOOOB)DHSh,lthtB, you ’ “
littlesOmetimes.” he unmarked '

“932M? .  ‘

nial

,:

 
' 6

it ,3 if“ .I 1

t .

 
‘7 .- we. I‘d“an-

 
«:3
i

 
“the Red Belt Sport. for all the money

, , , Then, the landlord brieﬂy explained
,the conditions of the match, and the men

‘ perienced eye

I slicer

 
“ Oh, yes,’f the Sparkler returned, care-
lessly. “I had just stepped down to
dampen my throat with a glass of ale,
when the Englishman took it into his
head‘ that I needed a drubbing and forth-
with sailed into give it to me.”

“Will you join me?”

“With pleasure.”

When both had drunk, Red Belt put
down his glass and continued:

“ I was glad to see you handle the Eng-
glishman so easily, for it conﬁrmed an
opinion I had formed that you are a
ﬁrst—class man.

“Now, as it happens, I too, lay claim
to some little ability in the ﬁsric art, and
your performance just now brought to
my mind a p.0position, which I have de-
termined to make you.

“ To put the matter plainly, Blue Jack—
et is a small camp, not capable of sup-
porting two high-class sports, and it
looks to me like either you or I will have
to leave.”

“I suspect that you are pretty near
right,” Shasta Sam admitted, pleasantly.

“Such being the case, I propose that
we decide who shall stay and who shall

go in a fair and manly way,” pursued ,

Red Belt, his tone growing a triﬂe acrid.

“Suppose that we put up a stake of a
couple of thousand dollars each and do
a wrestling match for it, the winner to
take all, the laser to leave the camp im-
mediately. ' ‘

“What say you?” ~

Shasta Sam reﬂected a moment, then
replied:

“I am agreed.”

“Well and good. Will you agree also
to a ﬁnal match—a duel with riﬂes at
ﬁve hundred yards, at sunrise to-mor-
row morning? " he returned, abruptly.

The Sparkler nodded assent.

“ I’m agreeable! An. thing that suits
you, suits me," he decla‘ ed, nonchalantly.
" Now, for the wrestling bout—when will
you be ready? ” 4

“ In just ﬁve minutes.”

CHAPTER XX.
SOME sunrmsns.

Meanwhile, a number or the Blue Jack-w
et citizens had returned from a bootless
search for Giles Honeyfang, and “my
hailed the impending bouts between the
rival sports with keen delight.

Opinion was about equally divided as
to who would be the winner, and many
bets were made, the odds being slightly
in favor of the Red Belt Sport.

,For. months past he had been the ac-
knowledged ,champion of Blue Jacket,
and the best men 015 the camp had gone
down before his superior skill and prow-
ess. “ So, the, wise ones shook their heads
in, a kno-Whi‘s Way, and prepared to back

 
they could get up. .

Each of the principals had retired \to
his room to make ready for the tray,
and promptly at the end of ﬁve min-
utes both reappeared, stripped to the
waist and enveloped in blankets. ‘ ‘

The landlord was chosen stakeholder
and referee, and the money placed 'in his
hands. That done, each picked a second
from the‘crowd, and walked out to po-
sitions near the centre of the room.

threw aside their blankets and advanced .
upon each ther. , ‘

It was‘easily seen that Red Belt was
the heavier :01 the two, but to an ex-
§hasta Sam would have
seemed by far the more supple and pow-
er u . -

For nearly a minute they circled war-
ilyaround, just beyond reach of each
other. Then, with a cat-like bound,‘the
Red Belt Sport closed in. and grappled
his adversarY. i ‘

A sharp breath of surprise went up
from the crowd. The next instant‘ihere.
was a confused whirl of arms and legs?
a straining and cracking of tendons and .
muncles. Red Belt was lifted high in,
the air, then gently lewered, head ﬁrst}.
, ntllhis' naked shoulders fairly touched

 
are the ringleaders.

one oi, his habits.

 
quickly followed by a wild cheer from
Shasta Sam’s handful of partisans.

Springing up, Red Belt retired to his
corner, scowling savagely.

“Curse the luck! The fellow’s skill
and strength are greater than mine!”
he mused, his black eyes shooting glances
of hate at his antagonist. “He is a
trained wrestler!”

Then came the call of time, and the
men again advanced upon each other.

This time the Sparkler “went right
after his map,” as the saying is. He
beat down Red Belt’s guard and closed
without the loss of an instant, and in
another minute the bout was ended.

The Red Belt Sport had again been
thrown. '~

“Shasta Sam wins,” the landlord an-
nounced, not without a chuckle of de-
light.

Avoiding the ﬁckle crowd, now so eager
to do him homage, Shasta Sam again on—
vcloped himself in his blanket and hasti-
ly retired to his room.

In truth, the sport was alarmed. He
feared some accident had befallen Ma-
jor Marker.

It will be remembered that the vete—
ran, when starting in quest of Wild Nell,
had promised to meet the Sparkler in the
barroom, at a certain time. That time
was now past, and Shasta Sam could not
help feeling that his friend had met
‘With trouble. , '

“I will look him up at once,” he mut-
tered, hastily dressing ‘5himself. “ It
simply delayed in locating the girl, the
major would have come and explained
the matter. I

“Somehow, I suspectfthat the gang
back of this scheme for therEstell mill-
ionhave discovered that he is secretly
working in my inte’résts, and have way-
laid him.

“It is a desperate crowd, and I feel
assured that this Red Belt and the mayor
Both are extreme-
lyanxious to get me out of Blue Jacket,
and it can be for no reason other than
that I stand in the way of their possess—
ing themselves of theEstell'estate. v

“ Ah,‘ welli- Judge Ichabad Estell
should be here to-morrow, and then we
can push the» ﬁght and force Zetta Ze-

,_ bender or Giles Honeytang into giving up

the miser’s Secret."

‘ While the sport was thus communing

with himself,- he had resumed his dist

carded clothing, and he, now freshly

charged his weapons and again descend-

ed tothe barroom. f
The hour was late, and many of the

crowd had disappeared, but all remain-

ing greeted the Sparkle-r warmly, and it
was with no little diﬁiculty that he? at
last secured a chance to have a private
word with the landlord.

Shasta Sam terser explained the cir-'
cumstances and his fears tor-the safety
of the major. The landlord was inclined

to laugh at the idea that the veteran had;

come to harm, saying? . _

“ He’s an oily galoot, that Market is,
and he hasan unusually long head, for
I , Robbery would be
about the only object anyone would have

in .tackling him justznow, and he took r'

particular pains, today to preventanyw
thing of that kind happening, by public-
ly intrustlng his funds-to me for'sate

keeping. _ -. . ‘ f.
“No, no! I can hardly think any harm.

has cometo him, for he is too astute. to
be caught in shy ordinary trap, ias wit-
ness his adventurez‘s’ot last night. j; V 

“ \As a matter of tact,‘ I think héihas
failed ’ to discover ‘the- whereabouts of
Wild ,Nell. Old Betty »Moselle, is that
deuced sly that she’ll burrow deep,‘nmv
that some one seems inclined to molest

them, and I think you, will ﬁnd that the

major has been quietly scour-ing the
camp in search of them} It done cau-
tiously, the errand would recuire considy
arable time, small as» the place is”, ‘ ,
“It may be just as you .suggcst,”fthe
Sparkler admitted. ‘ﬂBntrLcan‘t dismiss

the idea that-{lay premonng will 

£131”: 3

‘minutejlater Old Betty. led the way

' neth‘ Morgan greeted his warms“,
 vited them togeitert. ~ "v

Old Betty, standing stiﬁly é ’
centre-got
«the mayor."
div}!

 
turned the landlord. "‘ indeed. it may be
just as you suspect. Some very peculiar , V
things have happened in Blue Jacket of.
late. .

“And that reminds me of this Ze-
bender affair to-night. I fear that the
girl is badly hurt; she seems utterly
prostrated, and sent down word a while
ago that she desired to see you early in‘
the morning, without fail, as she has
something of great importance to com«
municate.” . .

“ I will see her,” said Shasta Sam, and, ,
nodding, he turned toward the door. _

At that moment a woman entered—a
tall, spare, old woman, clad in the pe-
culiar garb of the mountains and carry-
ing a long, muzzle-loading riﬂe at a trail.

It was Old Betty Moselle.

Darting a signiﬁcant glance at the
Sparkler, the landlord advanced to meet -
the woman. .u
. “Good evening, Mrs. Moselle,” he 
greeted, pleasantly. . ' '

“ Same to ye, Mr. Landlord,” the Wo-
man returned, in her shrill, high voice.
“Be thar'a man stoppin' with ye'
name 0’ Sam’l Shelby?” “ 
' “There is—he is here,” and the land’-
lord turned to Shasta Sam. ,

The Sparkler promptly came forward,
and Old Betty regarded him curiously'
with her keen, dark eyes. ’

“ Umph! Same one ther gal spoke
erbout,” she muttered. Then aloud: § 1‘

“Be ye ther Sam’l Shelby thet writ.
from Rocky Bar ter my ole man erbont'l
two weeks ago? ”

“If‘you refer to the late Abram 
selle, I am the same," the Sparkler;
averred. ,

“ An’ ye’re the same Sam’l Shelby thet ’
sent a Major Marker ter my house a. bit
sence ter see of me an’ my gal Nell c’u’
talk ter ye a bit ter-night’?” v
r‘ “‘I am the same, madam.”’

“ Umph! ” And again the ' ,
gazed keenly at the sport. “‘Wal, th
gal’s not thar now. Marker hed sca’ce

  
w.

yer name. _
an' two men grabbed her.
hoods over their heads. _
t’other run away‘with Nell." . - _,
‘ “ The mischiefl.” exclaimed Shasta.
Sam, his eyes gleaming darkly. 

“I trailed him—trailed him rightist
his den," the woman continued, without;
heeding the interruption. “ n’Iffda
reckon, Sam’l Shelby, that of ye: want‘téx;
see my Nell so pow’ful bad ye’li..hev,«ten
come right erlong an' help break 
thet man’s door.” _ j ,

“ Lead on,” exclaimed Shasta Sam,‘
asperated‘ at the cool and methOdW
manner of Old Betty. j . " "T? __

“ And I will go, too,” volunteered
landlord: ' , r  _ y‘.

“The hour is late, and Jim there
take career the house." * 1 

Others promptly volunteered.. bu ,
Sparkler, for reasons‘ best, 1010 a tie
himself. declined their services, with

       
the street, and thence straight to the I,
of Kenneth Morgan. , ‘-,, _ "
l, A» peculiar smile ﬂitted acress the ,
of Shasta Sam ; but the, landlordll' I,
surprised. , 4 ‘ , i  A f
, At, that moment the door‘open ,

the mayor appeared. , . , '  

\-—_~—+——— I) ‘

CHAPTER XXI. ,

g . BAFELED. » v i .

. Despite the unseasonable, . hour

  
{

  
miling mein, threw wide the; doors

 
“You .3 are just in: time to. cats ' ‘
a‘wake,” he explained, . leading the
to \the library. 4“ I had Just ﬁnishe
Kori: on the habits of the Good
Mine, and was looking the house
night when I heard youfeom, ‘ "

“ Books, ye .lonmanly yarlet!

  
the room sadism 
ifii‘lnishedf some gin!

  
18

Shasta Sam, the Sparkler.

 
“Your girl—your Nell!” he repeated,
in palpable amazement. “Woman, what
do you mean?”

“ Ye stole my gal!” accused Old Betty,
directly. “You know what I mean!”

“ Stole your girl!” echoed the mayor,
indignantly. “ Woman, you are crazy!"

“ No, I’m not crazy!”

“‘ Well, you are absurd, at any rate.
The charge you make is simply prepos—
terous.”

Old Betty shook her clenched hand
savagely.

“ I don’t know what thet means,” she
cried, shrilly. “But I do know thet you
an’ another varmint came ter my cabin
an' dragged ther gal away. I shot yer
pardner, an’ he’s dead in my cabin now.
Then I trailed ye straight hyar. I saw
ye drag Nell through ther door!”

“Don’t shake yer head—don’t lie ter
me, Kenneth Morgan! My gal is hyar.
I want her. i will have her, or I‘ll kill
ye—jest es you an’ yer imps killed my
husband! ”

The mayor turned to Shasta Sam and
the landlord. His face was slightly
ﬂushed, and there was an angry glit—
ter in his eyes.

“ Gentlemen, you have been good
enough to bring this crazy creature to
my house. Now, be good enough to take
her away,” he requested, coldly.

“Kenneth Morgan, we shall have to
decline to do anything of the kind, just
at present,” Shasta Sam returned, in a
cool and steady voice. “ I am very much
of the opinion that Mrs. Moselle has told
the naked truth. We came to search
this house, and I tell you that nothing
shall turn us from ourp‘urpose.”

“ That states the case exactly, mayor,”
the landlord afﬁrmed.

Kenneth Morgan frowned.

“ Certainly, you shall search the house,
if you insist,” he said; “but I warn you
now that your search will be fruitless,
and that I shall hold you both to ac—
count for the insult you have put upon
me.

“ Great heavens! Why should I abduct
that wild, untutored girl? What object
could I possibly have for such a crime? ”

“ Money, Kenneth Morgan—money! ”
replied the Sparkler, smiling grimly.
“ The young lady is an heiress; she is
worth nearly a round million—and you
know it, too! To an unprincipled scoun-
drel, suchas I believe you to be, posses-
sion of the girl would prove a veritable
bonanza! ”

“ Sir! I refuse—” V

A forceful‘gesture from Shasta Sam in-
terrupted the mayor.

“Be silent!” ordered the sport, crisp-
ly, his black eyes sparkling with anger.
“ You asked a question and I am answer-
ing it. Rest assured that I shall be as
brief as circumstances will permit.

“ Wild Neil is the daughter of Ishmael
Estell, a Wealthy miner who was, it is
supposed, secretly murdered years ago
in Colorado, by the late Solomon Ze-
bender. As executor, Zebender obtained
possession of the estate of the dead
miner, and defrauded the natural heirs,
a son and a daughter, out of every dol—
lar of their father’s fortune. He was
also guardian of the two children, and as
soon as he was in absolute possession
of the estate he heartlessly threw both
adrift on the world.

" Happily, the girl, then a helpless tot
of ﬁve years, fell into the hands of this
woman and her husband, Abram Mo-
selle, or Old Antelope. They reared her
carefully, gave her a splendid education,
and to-day she is ﬁtted to grace and
adorn the best stations of life.

“ But the boy was far less fortunate.
He drifted about from camp to camp,
in a nomadic way, until his eighteenth
year. At that time he was in Colorado,
and one day chanced to overhear a con-
versation between two miners, in which
it was hinted that Zebender had poisoned
Ishmael Estell that he might secure his
wealth. '

“ From that hour the youth had an, ob-
ject in life. He was determined to ﬁnd
his sister and punish Zebender. With
the patience of an Indian, he followed

’

1.,

 
 3411‘ r'r. . ” u  ,  ‘ 3 75, n 3 .,-.1 “a «(1:41.
‘“ been ' .w «22‘ w.  we 1:  -s« Arw‘iax-sw”

that dead trail, sifting eyery clue, until
much of the mystery had been cleared.

“ Then Zebender became alarmed. He
hired a band of outlaws to put the youth
Daniel Estel] out of the way, and they
succeeded. He was shot down on a lone-
ly trail, in the mountains, and left for
the coyotes and the vultures to feed
upon.

“It chanced that I came upon him,
dying, beside the trail, and from him I
heard the story of Zebender’s crimes. He
begged piteously for me to ﬁnish his
task—nay, made me swear to do so!

“That was ﬁve years ago. It chanced
that I knew of Zebender, and where to
ﬁnd him. I confronted the scoundrel,
but his cunning had been most subtle;
there was no tangible proof of his guilt,
and he laughed at my efforts to make
him disgorge his stolen wealth.

“Forced to give over that part of the
task for the time, I redoubled my efforts
to ﬁnd the girl, and at last succeeded.

“ New, Kenneth Morgan, you have
some idea of my mission in Blue Jacket,
and when I tell you that the Good Luck
Mine is really the property of \Vild Nell,
or, properly, Edith Estell, and that you
know it to be such, you will understand
why I believe you have the girl con-
ﬁned somewhere about your premises.

“ Now that Zebender, with whom you
have been secretly leagued for many
years, is dead, you seek to secure the
Estell estate to yourself, and as a means
to that end you have secured possession
of the girl.”

Kenneth Morgan had grown quite pale,
but now his face ﬂushed angrily, and he
savagely shook his clenched hand at the
sport.

“ Your story is a trumped-up tissue of
falsehoods, so far as I am concerned,” he
declared, irascibly. “ I know nothing
about the Estells, and precious little
about Solomon Zebender; but I do know
that I own the controlling interest in the
Good Luck Mining Company, and that I
bought it outright from the various
stockholders.

“ Proceed with your search of my
premises, and then get out as quickly as
you can. I warn you, too, that you shall
yet hear from me.”

“ Oh, that’s all right,” assured the
Sparkler, coolly. “ I stand ready to give
you satisfaction at any time in any way
you may demand.

“ Now, drive ahead, and we’ll see what
kind of a cage you’ve got here.”

Trembling with rage, the mayor picked
up a lamp and led the way through the
house.

From attic to cellar, every room was
thoroughly searched, and Shasta Sa‘m
carefully sounded the walls and the
ﬂoors.

But no trace of Wild Nell or of any
secret closet in which she could be con-
ﬁned was discovered. '

Kenneth Morgan assumed a triumph-
ant air.

“I trust that you realize your mis-
take,” he exclaimed, with a malicious
smile, as he led the way to the halls.

“Thar’s no mistake erbout et!” 01d
Betty doggedly maintained. “Ye brought
ther gal hyar, an' ye’ve hidden her away.
An’ ye kin mark my words, Kenneth
Morgan, ef harm comes ter her yer life
shell pay fer this night’s work!”

“Begone!” uttered the mayor, con-
temptuously, and he ﬂung open the door.
“ Remember, gentlemen, I shall exact sat-
isfaction from each of you!”

“ Well, , mayor, you can get it on mighty
short notice,” the landlord returned, dri-
ly, while the Sparkler was content, just
then, to answer with a short and vicious
nod.

Then the bafﬂed searchers took their
departure. I
'At the pomt where the footpath en-
tered the trail the three halted and held
a brief consultation.

“I am morally certain Nell is some-
where in that house,” Shasta Sam de-
clared. “ The mayor was extremely nerv-
ous during our search.”

“Yas, she’s thar,” averred Old Betty,
grisly. ,. '   :

 
\
I

 v4).: u:
9.. -.   . .

,ilxrfl.Y n "a", V I; ,‘y , 3  .
' i? ' ""a"“v:". Mill

“Unless Morgan's darky has carried
her off to some den in the hills,” the
landlord suggested. “He wasn’t to be
seen, and we looked the house through.”

Shasta Sam shook his head.

“That may be possible, but I feel that
Kenneth Morgan has kept her near him,”
he said. “I am going back.”

“ Not alone?” the landlord exclaimed.

“Yes: I have an idea that something
may be gained by watching the place.
If Morgan is as much alarmed as I think
he is, he’ll attempt to get her away from
the house before daybreak."

This view of the matter was at once
indorsed by Old Betty, and a moment
later she and the landlord started toward
her cabin, to have a look at the dead
kidnapper, while the Sparkler retraced
his steps to Morgan‘s house.

The sport felt assured that his second
trip would not be as fruitless as the
ﬁrst. He had studied the mayor closely
while in the house, and knew that his
fears had been aroused to the highest
pitch.

Quitting the footpath,
walked silently through the pines, laying
his course to approach the house from
the rear.

There was a light in the kitchen, but
the heavy oaken shutters over the win-
dows were closed, and he was unable
to obtain a view of the interior.

Slowly he continued around the house,
listening at each window for some sound
which would betray Morgan‘s move-
ments.

When the circuit had been completed,
without result, he silently withdrew to
a position in the pines.

“ It is to be a case of wait and watch,”
he muttered, leaning wearily against a.
tree.

But he was mistaken.

Hardly a minute had elapsed, when
hasty steps came up the path, and a dark
form approached the door and knocked.

Then the Mayor appeared, and as the
light from the open door shone forth
Shasta Sam saw that the newcomer was
none other than Red Belt, the Sport!

 
CHAPTER XXII.
ENTRAPPED.

Red Belt quickly crossed the threshold,
the door was slammed shut, and dark~
ness again came over the scene. -

“Aha! It is as I suspected. The gam-
bler and the mayor are allies in this
deal,” the Sparkler muttered, and then
he cautiously advanced from the pines
to the house and tried the door.

It yielded.

Revolver in hand, Shasta Sam noise-
lessly swung it open and stepped across
the threshold. The hallway was dark,
but the library door was slightly ajar,
and voices came from within. '

Stealing forward on tip-toe, the Spark-1
ler paused beside the door, and inclined
his head to listen.

Kenneth Morgan was speaking. His
tones were sharp and querulous.

“You are an infernal fool. Kent Keene,”
he was saying. ” Common sense should
have told you to let that devil alone.
Here you are, half blinded, and com—
pletely knocked out, right at the time
when affairs require your best and keen-
est energies.”

“Well, he did make a monkey of me,
and no mistake,” admitted the Red Belt
Sport, in a tone of disgust. “My Judg-
ment was ’way off. He’s a much better
man than I took him to be.

“But the game’s not done yet, Ken-
neth. Under our agreement we are to
ﬁght with riﬂes at daybreak, and you can
gamble that I’ll come in with his scalp
at my belt.”

“Oh, yes, that’s very likely,” sneered
Morgan. “ The odds are about a hundred
to one that he’ll ﬁnish you.”

A peculiar smile crossed the bruised
and discolored face of Red Belt.

“ The thing is fixed,” he assured, sink-
ing his voice to a whisper. “I entered
his room and ruined every cartridge in
his layout. Before he discovers why his
gun misses ﬁre in the morning, I’ll drill

I 1

two or three holes through him,,and then.

the Sparkler

 
. .  Wm:  2,. a"
‘ N‘m’ _ drif'sJLJ-Ar' w 1:4.  1,? 

  
‘ ply.

take no chances.”

Shasta Sam, the Sparkler.

e ,.~.‘w—r——Am—~ - ~ —i—»—<~—~ ~—--.:-‘_... , .r  .

19

 
I reckon his meddling will stop. I am
taking no chances.”

The mayor shook his head.

“I’ll not rest until I see the fellow
laid out,” he declared. “He just left
here with Peter Swift and Old Betty.
They were hot on the trail of the girl,
and ransacked the house from the garret
to cellar.”

“You got the girl, then?”

“Yes, but failed with Old Betty. She’s
a wildcat. She wiped out Bledson in the
twinkling of an eye, and trailed me
straight home, then went down to camp
and blew the job. We’ve got to get the
girl away from here to-night or we’ll
have a regular nest of hornets around
our ears to—morrow."

“Let Eph run her over to the rendez-
vous,” suggested Red Belt. “As soon as
I ﬁnish up with Shasta Sam in the morn-
ing, I’ll take a day or two off, and compel
her to marry me. Then, with Judge Es-
tell in our power, we can dictate our
terms before a single move is made to-
ward dispossessing Zetta Zebender of the
estate.”

“You will have to see some of the
boys and arrange for holding up the
Rocky Bar stage,” the mayor remarked,
lighting a fresh cigar. “ Bledso was to
attend to it, but I reckon he’s turned
his last trick. According to Shelby"s
letter to Old Antelope, the judge should
be on the. stage, and we can ill afford to
let him reach here.”

A scowl settled upon Red Belt’s dis-
figured face.

“Confound Shelby!” he suddenly ex—
claimed. “Fate seems to favor him.
We looked for him to come in on
horseback; he was compelled to take the
stage, on which he’d shipped his bag-
gage, because his horse slipped and broke
a leg. So he escaped our net, and got
into Blue Jacket. Then, instead of slit-
ting his throat, as we should have done,
last night, when we had him fairly in our

. grip, we spared him to learn his secret

—only to have him slip through our fin-
gers!

“Confound him, I say! In the few
hours he’s been in camp he's pulled
nearly twenty—five thousand dollars from
my pockets, and now, when I need money
the worst, I find myself nearly broke!”

“ Well, if you succeed in shufﬂing him
off in the morning, I’ll advance you the
amount you need,” the mayor remarked.
“ But I am fully agreed with you that we
have made a mighty bad job of it, so
far, at least, as he is cencerned.

“And there is a chance, too, that he
will get onto the trick you worked with
the cartridges and procure a fresh sup-
If that happens, I wouldn’t give a
ten-cent piece for your life.”

Again Red Belt scowled.

“At the worst, my chance will be as
good as his,” he retorted, savagely. “ Few
men excel me in the use of weapons.”

“That is true, and I’m open to gamble
he’s one of the few,” was Morgan’s re-
joinder.

“You are welcome to your opinion.”

“Certainly; it is every man’s unques-
tioned privilege to think as he pleases.
But if I stood in your shoes I‘d make
one good, clean stroke to—night, and win
both revenge and gold.”

“ And how, may I ask? ”

“ I’d go to his room, commit the act
while he sleeps, and help myself to his
money! ”

“ And be hanged for it before noon to-
morrow! ” Red Belt grimly observed.
“Under existing circumstances, I’d be
the ﬁrst man suspected!”

“Prove an alibi by myself and Eph.
Honeyfang would then have to bear the
brunt of suspicion, and as we want to
get rid of him it would be yet another
bird from the same stone.”

The suggestion, infamous as it was,
seemed to impress Red Belt most favor-
ably. He pondered a moment, then rose
to his feet, saying: I

“ The idea is good. I’ll go at once
and see what can be done.”

“ Have Eph carry the girl over to the
rendezvous without fail, for we must

 
“He shall start as soon as he comes
in,” the mayor agreed. “I sent him
out to keep an eye on Old Betty Mo-
selle, with orders to gather her in if
possible.”

Meanwhile, the daring spy in the hall-
way had been eagerly listening to every
word of the conversation, and he felt the
desperate game of Kenneth Morgan and
Red Belt was now fully disclosed.

As the men in the library rose to their
feet, Shasta Sam silently retreated to the
door.

He had left it shghtly ajar on enter-
ing. To his intense surprise, he now
found it closed and securely locked.

A desperate look crossed his stern,
white face. He realized that he was in
a trap.

Near at hand was a door opening into
an apartment opposite the library. Push‘
ing it open, he slipped quickly into the
room and noiselessly closed the door.

At that moment Kenneth Morgan and
his visitor stepped from the library into
the hall. At the same instant a door at
the lower end of the hall was softly
opened, and a burly negro appeared.

“Hi, dar! Marse Morgan, dar’s a spy
in dis house! ” he exclaimed, guardedly,
as he rapidly moved forward.

“ A spy, Eph? ” and the mayor started.
“ You are sure? ”

“Da’s whut, marse! He sneak in at
de front doah; den I lock de doah, an’
go roun’ an’ come in de back way. He
am heah, sah, suah! ”

“We’ll see, Eph. Remain here in the
hall, and if he appears, shoot him With-
out fail.

“Come, Keene, we’ll search the house,”
and stepping into the library the mayor
secured a lamp, then quickly passed into
the room which Shasta Sam had entered
the moment before.

But the apartment was now vacant.

The search proceeded. Room after
room was visited, and the cellar and at—
tic were explored, but no trace of. the
spy was to be found.

The doors and windows were all found
securely fastened, so that escape ’by
means of them could not have been made.

“Eph has made a mistake,” Kenneth
Morgan declared at last. " He became
frightened at a shadow.”

Red Belt shook his head in a dubious
way and took his departure.

“ Now, Eph, get ready for a quick ride
to the den,” the mayor continued, turn-
ing to the crestfallen negro. “Get out
two horses. I want you to take the girl
over there." ,

The negro nodded, and silently quitted
the house, while Kenneth Morgan took
up the lamp and again descended to the
cellar.

The walls and ﬂoor of the place were
of cemented stone. In one corner was
a small heap of debris, such as bits of
stone and lumps of mortar, which had
evidently been left by the masons.

Beside this heap, plainly exposed to
view, was a heavy iron ring, set in the
edge of one of the large, ﬂat stone slabs
forming the ﬂoor.

The mayor frowned darkly as he gazed
at this ring.

“ How careless! ” he exclaimed, biting
his nether lip angrily. “Were Pete
Swift and Shasta Sam now here they
would speedily guess the whereabuts of
Wild Nell! This must not happen again.”
.Then he seized the ring, and with a
single powerful pull swung the slab up-
ward and backward.

A narrow ﬂight of steps, leading down
into a subcellar, lay revealed, and with-
out a moment’s hesitation Kenneth Mor-
gan descended.

There was a lamp in the place, and
just as his feet touched the level the
mayor started guiltily, and a wild yell
of alarm burst from his throat.

Shasta Sam stood before him, cocked
revolver in hand!

“ Silence! ” sternly ordered the Spark-
ler, deftly clutching Morgan’s throat.
“Another sound from you and you shall
die like the craven hound you are! ”

Verily, Kenneth Morgan was fairly en-
trapped! ~ - ,

V

   
.  w '
. .,. ._-.
. .y  k. ... ., ,..'

 
CHAPTER XXIII.
1)? THE x151:

Directly behind Shasta Sam, her beau-
tiful face slightly flushed with excite—
ment, stood Wild Nell, and as her bold.
rescuer seized the mayor by the throat.
she clapped her hands in glee.

“That is good for the rascal!" she
exclaimed, jubilantly. “ Give him a thor-
ough shaking for me, but don’t kill him
just yet, Mr. Shelby.”

“Oh, no, Miss Estell; I‘ll not kill him,”
the Sparkler returned. “That would be
cheating the hangman, and I believe in
giving everybody his just due.

“Now, please unbuckle and put on his
belt of arms, for I suspect that others
of the 'gang will be here presently, and
we would better be fully prepared to
meet them.”

The girl quickly complied with this.
request; and then, as Shasta Sam threw
his captive to the ﬂoor, she brought for-
ward the thongs with which her own
shapely wrists and ankles had been con-
fined. '

“ Turn the tables completely, Mr. Shel-
by,” she requested, her eyes ‘ﬂashing‘
wrathfully. “Here are the ropes he
used on me, and they are strong enough
to hold an ox. Yes, and here‘s the gag,
too, that kept me from crying aloud
when you searched the house. Truss him
up securely, Mr. Shelby, and when we
leave he can feel what it is to be a pris-
oner in this foul den.”

“That’s my idea, exactly,” Shasta Sam
declared. “We’ll not hamper our move-
ments by trying to take him with us,
but will leave him here and send back
for him.”

Then the Sparkler proceeded to bind
Kenneth Morgan’s hands behind his back.
That done he dragged the official to the
wall and secured him to one of a num-
ber of large iron rings set therein.

“This is evidently the prison—pen of
an organized gang,” the sport continued,
turning to the girl. “Those rings were
set in the wall for the identical purpose
which Mr. Morgan’s present condition il—
lustrates.

“I suspected the existence of some
such place when we searched the house,
but was not keen enough to discover it.
Afterward, I remembered a rubbish heap
in a corner of the cellar, and when I
had re-entered the house and was com-
pelled to seek a hiding place, I at once-
descended to the cellar, where under
the rubbish I discovered the ring to the-
trapdoor leading here.

“You will understand now, Kenneth.
Morgan,” turning to that miscreant,.
“ why yourself and Red Belt failed to
discover Eph’s spy, for during the great—-
er part of your search I was here, releas-
ing Miss Estell.”

“ Yes, curse you! I understand it all! ””
snarled the entrapped mayor, his face:
working with rage. “But I warn you,
Samuel Shelby, that the end is not yet!”

Shasta Sam smiled grimly. '

“It is approaching very rapidly,” he
returned, drily. “ And now, mayor, open
your mouth until I adjust this gag.”

Then, despite Morgan’s struggles, the.
gag was applied, and ﬁrmly bound in
place.

Scarcely had this operation been com-
pleted when heavy footsteps were heard
in the house above, and then Eph, the ne-
gro servant, called down from the head
of the cellar stairs: '

“Hi, dar, Marse Morgan! I’se ready! ”‘

With a quick gesture to Wild Nell,
Shasta Sam moved close to the steps
leading up from the subcellar, and, imi—
tating the tones of Kenneth Morgan as
nearly as possible, replied:

“ All right, Eph, but you‘ll have to«
bring down some cold water. The girl‘
has fainted.”

Then the negro was heard moving'
away.
next minute his steps sounded upon the-
cellar stairs.

Patiently the Sparkler waited, clubbed
revolver in hand. Eph could be heard
groping across the cellar; then his feet.
came into view on the upper step, and.

Presently he returned, and the. ..

 
in another instant he had reached the

lower level.

Instantly he divined the real situation.

The bucket of water slipped from his
,. hand, and he quickly grasped his knife.
’ The sport’s revolver rose and fell. The
heavy blltt of the weapon caught the ne-
gro on the temple, and fairly lifted him
off his feet.

He fell like a log.

There was enough of the rope left to
securely bind his hands. Then he was
dragged across the stone floor and fast-
ened to one of the rings, beside Alien-
neth Morgan. \

“ ‘ Like master, like man,’ " quoth the
Sparkler, surveying his work with evi-
dent satisfaction.

" Now, Miss Estell, let us bid our good
friends a glad farewell. It is high time
we were getting back to camp.”

“ Most cheerfully, I assure you, Mr.
Shelby," \Vild Nell replied, and then,
with a last look at the two prisoners,
Shasta, Sam seized the lamp and followed
the girl up the narrow stairway.

. In the cellar they stopped long enough

' “to replace the stone s‘lab carefully, and
, to conceal the iron ring with the heap
 - «ofrubbish kept there for that purpose,
then ascended to the kitchen, and at
' once started for the Idaho House.

But Wild Nell was destined not to
reach the rhostelry that night.

' Just as they entered the shadows of the
,pines a half dozen stalwart forms darted
but from the trees, and closed in upon
‘the Sparkler and his fair charge. In a
jtricje the girl was torn away, while Shas-
ta Sam, despite his valiant struggles, was
borne to earth, bleeding and senseless.

"“ Quick, fellows! He’s done for at
last! ” the leader cried exultantly. “ Skin
his pockets, then close up around Old
Betty .and the girl, and break'straight
for the rendezvous. ‘
{,“Bledso, take command, for I remain
here;” ’

,Quickly the outlaws worked, and at
the-end of a minute Bledso started up in
«disgust.

 “Curses. cap! We’ve s’arched ther cuss,
{an’thar’s not a sou ter be found!” he
,cried.

, .‘,‘ Away, then,” ordered the chief with
«an oath. “And remember the Rocky
.Bar. stage! " V

' ~.Then, like shadows, the outlaws flit-
fed through the pines, while Red Belt,

“and set his steps toward Kenneth Mor-
‘ 'zin's'house.

CHAPTER‘ XXIV.

 
 » ; THE MAJOR REAI’PEARS.
,It will be remembered that on parting
“from Shasta Sam immediateiy‘after that
imitlese search of Kenneth Morgan‘s
ﬁves. Landlord Swift and Old Betty

stoned in the direction of the latter's

ﬁrst; distance was short, and the trip
sires made without adventure of any kind;
‘ at; on eﬁtering, both were greatly sur-
sed to find that, the body of the out:
was missing. ‘
,. pool of blood marked the spot where
:11 had fallen, but. beyond that there was
“so mitigation that the struggle had ever
urre .; - ‘ .
' .4791 guess he wasonly winged, Betty,
mi made good his escape while you
" seaway," Landlord Swift remarked-
,_, ‘Wal, I don’t often waste a shot, but
Sgt mes "look, jest now» esef ther varlet
 able tor, walk off with my bullet.”
‘ , it‘tked, Ol‘d Betty, wither crestfallen, air.
Buttet wasn’t as clean miss, no way." ‘
911,111,01- you hit him, fast enough,
.. I ty,;and I! suspect he’ll remember you
v Jon's as he lives. , ‘ .
But; come—Astana fasten up the-cab

he"

.12.
- x
i

    
\

 
.

are; Shasta - Sam.- ‘ will meet us when he’s
bus. himscouting for the night.”

El helon'y finds Nell,”" the Woman
hut-taxed. slowly fellomng the landIOrd
' a‘j'Et’s a pity they, cain't let

  
“’I'S‘l'hasta Sam,‘ the

tthe'Sport, drew off his hood-like mask'

m and get back to the hpteu for his .

i

matters will all be straightened out in

a few hours, for Shasta Sam knows no

fear, and he's on the trail to stay.”

Then he hastily fastened the cabin
door, took Old Betty by the arm, and
laid his course straight for the hotel.

A hundred yards had they proceeded
thus when they were suddenly startled
by a low, deep groan.

It seemed to come from the bottom of
a narrow gully close beside the path
they were following, and Peter Swift
stopped and hast.in lighted a match.

“ There’s some one down there, Betty,”
he declared. “,Stand steady till I see.”

“ No, I'm cold, an’ I’ll go on," the wo-
man returned, and she plodded ahead.

Muttering an imprecation at her per-
verseness, the landlord peered down the
bank. Then, just as the match flickered
and went out, be disclosed the form of
a man lying in a cramped position at
the bottom of the gully.

“ Hallo! hallo! What’s the trouble? ”
he called.

A grdan was the only answer—a groan
low and deep and strangely muffled.

Swinging himself over the edge of the
bank, Peter Swift cautiously descended
to the bottom of the gully, where, re-
volver in hand, he ignited another match.

He was now within a few feet of the
unfortunate wretch, and as he peered
forward he saw that he was not only
tightly bound, hand and foot, but gagged
as well.

Then, too, he recognized the man.

It was Major Marker!

“ Well, by Christopher Columbus! ” the
landlord ejaculated, hurriedly scrambling
forward. “I'll swear, major, you’re in
the deuce of a. fix!”

Another groan was the only response.

As quickly as possible, Swift removed
the gag, severed the thongs, and helped
the veteran to his feet.

Needlessto say, Marker was in a bad
way. He was speechless; and so stiff
that it was with the utmost difﬁculty
that he could move, hand or foot.

“We’ll have to go slow, old man, till
you’ve thawed out,” the landlord ob-
served, when he discovered the veteran's
condition. “Those ropes have pretty
,near stopped circulation, and you're half
frozen."

Then, he patiently helped the veteran
along until they found a point in the
bank sufficiently broken to permit of
their reaching the level, after which his
task proved much easier. I I
ﬂ But at beat their progress was pain-
fully slow; and it was not until a full
halfhour had elapsed that they gained-
the sheltervof the hotel. .

The barroom was deserted, and the
manin charge was peacefully dozing on
a chair behind the bar when they en-
tered, but at once sprang up, thoroughly
awake and ready for business, on their
nearer approach. ‘

Under. his. skillful ministrations, the
major soon “thawed out," and then he
told his story., i . ,

,“I’d gone out tel; Shasta Sam, ter/
hunt up ther layout‘o' Wild Nell an’
Old Betty," he explained, speaking slow-
ly and painfully. “I h'eer’d thet Pious
Pete hed'bin taken with a m 0‘ good-
,ness an’ given up his cabin ter-them, an’
I went up thar ter ﬁnd ef et war so.

.i‘An’ I'm blamed ef ’twasn't! Et's a
puffectly safe bet thet I was a heap~sight
surprised, but I jest ﬁxed up my business
an’ started back. ter camp. Long ther
by ther gully a gang jumped me, tarned
my pockets wrong side out, an' left me.
jest as‘ye found me, Peter. J.

» "'Et’sa mighty pecooliar sarcumstance
taken all 'round; an' ef‘ye hadn’t 11an
pened ’long jest es ye did, I reckon I’d
<a-petered- out, right their!"

,‘f Oh, yes; I haveh’t a doubt that you
would have been dead by morning," the
ian’dlordiremarked. “.And I assure you
gm “mighty glad I got there when Iv
. I'd-l” y‘ l P ‘ l ' " l _
. Thong-he turned to the bartender and

I

 
W Old B993! ‘ .7

 
Sparkler.

i

numbed their faculties, and briskly set

,wounds, and y will heal rapidly,

any. description upon him. .

‘I think, amounts for his stupor.” ‘

J

  
that some harm had befallen Old Betty,
and he at once drew Major Marker aside
and with him carefully went over the
events of the night.

When this brief conference was ended
the veteran quickly reached a conclusion.

“ Thar's a gang in this hyar camp, an’
Mayor Morgan an’ Red Belt aire- et ther
head of et," he asserted, his round, red
face beginning to glow from his liberal
notations. “l‘vc lied my eyes on Mor-
gan fer some time, an’ thar’s a heap-
sight more mystery about him than thai‘
should be fer a man on ther level.

“They’ve bin makin’ a play ter git
Wild Nell an’ Old Betty in their hands,
an’ I reckon they're gone an' done et."

“Oh. yes,” the landlord agreed.
“There’s a gang, sure enough: they’ve
got the girl, we know, and it’s pretty (591"
tain they’ve got the woman, too."

“The question is, what are we going
to do about it?”,

The major reﬂected a moment. .

“ I don’t see thet we kin do anything
before day,” he declared, slowly strok-
ing his smooth, round face. “I’m so
completely knocked up thet I won't be
able ter move fer three or four hours,
an’ I reckon you’re in about ther same
boat.

“'80 I moves thet we stretches out on
these hyar tables an’ takes a cat-nap.
Shasta Sam is on guard at Morgan‘s
house, an’ when he locates .ther game
he'll find us ready ter lend a hand.”

This view of the case met with the
landlord’s approval, and a moment later
both men were seeking much needed
rest. v

        
Just at daybreak thedoor of'the Idaho
House bar was weakly pushed open. and ,‘
Shasta Sam’staggered blindly across the 
threshold. ’  ' 7"

His black eyes were gleaming ﬁercely, '
but, his face was pale and bloody, his
clothing torn and disheveled.

The bartender sprang up; then, as he
recognized the sport, from his lips burst
the words: , '

“Great heavens! Mr. Shelby, you are
hurt—badly hurt! V , ‘

“Easy now, and I will help you! " 

And vaulting lightly across the bar, ,"
the man quickly advanced to the-Spark?
ler’s side, and conducted him to a chair.

The commotion had roused the, land-
lord and Major Marker, and both came
forward, sleepin rubbing their eyes.

At sight of Shasta Sam, hOWever, they
shook off the drowsiness which lie-

 
tortork.

The Sparkler seemed badly hurt. He
had been beaten over the head with
some blunt instrument, and the Wounds ,
thus inﬂicted had bled quite freely. There i?"
were a number of bullet holes and knife
thursts inhis coat and vest, but, thanks
to the shirt.of mail, no damage had been
inflicted by lead or steel.

Landlord Swift was something of a
surgeon, and he set deftly to, work upon
his guest, washing‘off theclotted blood
and cleansing and dressing the wounds.

“There’s no great damage dones’uhe‘ , .
announced, ‘aftcr a! few-minute‘s. “These 3- *
cuts on the head are merely scalp .-
while
there '39ng tube 110 other wound of

 
u Helms been assaulted, knocked sense- .
less, and. left for dead, but revived and
dragged himself here. He has laid on
the ground until cold and stiff, and that,

      
Shasta Sam, who had now partially
revived, nodded assent to the landlord's
proposition. Under the powerful stimu-
lation of spirits he was rapidly improv-
ing. , »

Then, as the rigidity of his jaws re-
laxed, he explained Just what-'had hap-‘
pened., v f ‘ 

“ Those devils have made a clean sweep
at last,” he declared, in conclusion, his . :
face again betraying its wantedenergy  ‘
and resolution. “And the worst ;of,_itm
is, we can’t prove a thing against them.
” “Let me haveagoodihot  l "

_ ' ’

        
asta; ssh. I  ,

 
en,

Sparkles

 
“‘ ' ‘21” *

 
soon as possible, landlord, and then I’ll
meet Red Belt. Now that the war is fair-
ly on, it shall be one of extermination! "

In vain Landlord Swift and the major
advised a postponement of the duel, urg-
ing his condition as a valid reason for
demanding an extension of time.

Shasta Sam’s black eyes ﬂashed wrath-
fully.

“ Red Belt has sought the ﬁght, he is
responsible for my condition, and it is
now his life or mine,” he declared, in a
hard, cold voice. “When the boasting
braggart toes the mark he’ll ﬁnd me
there and ready! ”

CHAPTER XXV.
FACE TO FACE.

Ere the ﬁrst flush of the rising sun
had stained the highest peak of the sur-
rounding hills, Shasta Sam stepped out
into Blue Jacket’s streets, repeating riﬂe
in hand.

To the casual observer the Sparkler
would have looked little, if any, the
worse for his trying experiences of the
past sinand-thirty hours. His jaunty
slouched hat and ﬂowing hair concealed
those ugly wounds upon his head, and he
strode along with the quick, free step
of an athlete in perfect fettle.

Major Marker gazed after him admir-
ingly.

 
declared, touching the landlord‘s arm.
“ Sam Shelby may be killed. but he can’t
be whipped! ” f
“ Right you are, major,” heartily agreed
the bon‘iface.2 “I’m bettin', too, that he
wins the skirmish.” .
r  Then, at a point about two hundred
and ﬁfty yards down the street, Shasta
, Sam halted and patiently waited, riﬂe in'
hand.

 
When Red Belt reached Kenneth Mor-
gan's cottage, immediately after that
erceand successful aesault upon the
Sparkler in the shadows of the pines,
he found the front door looked.

That there had been‘,gtrt~‘ible 'in' the
house, the gambler xfelt assured. and
without wasting time in. knocking he
“ . hurried around to the kitchen door,
.3: ' which he found ajar. - a
I The room was in darkness, but a: the
threshold Red Belt ignited a match and

 
lamp and fastened the door.

“ It’s queer what has become of Mor-
gan and the nigger,” he muttered, as he
took up the lamp. “ I am willing to ad-
mit that Shasta Sam. was a mighty dari-
gerous man, but I don’t believe that he
. got away with- both of them, and that,
at; too, without ‘using his gun."

”' Then, the gambler hastily searched the
house... ' _

-' Needless to say, there was nowhere a

sign of a struggle. , ‘

Mystiﬂed, Red Belt next entered the
, cellar. There he ﬂashed the rays of the
lamp about, but beyond a number of

 
, V ‘ and other stores, nothing met his gaze

 save the blank, bare walls. ,

’ 7 _ He knew nothing of the subcellar, al-
though he had reasons for suspecting
its existence. Kenneth Morgan was an

I ’extremely clohe-mouthed man, and there
_ were a number of peculiar features about

’  cottage which were known to no
one save himself. and the negro, Eph. ‘
z So, when the keen-witted gambler no-
ticed thedittle heap of broken stones
and dried mortar, his supsicions were in-
stantly aroused. _

“ That stuff wasevidently left by the
mason when he built these walls," he
.muttered. “ It is strange that one so
neat and precise in everything as Ken~
neth Morgan is should permit'it to re-
mai here so long.” ‘

And with that be scattered the heap
with his, foot, disclosing the iron ring. '
" The next minute he had thrown open
the secret door, and was descending the
[ﬂight of rude steps into the subcellar,

 . lamp in hand.,

 
 ,came from. the gambler.

“ Thar‘s clean game, Pete Swift!” he '

glanced around, then coolly lighted the,

boxes and barrels containing vegetables

_ i . “going tocccur.”
Then a sharp cry of anstonishment ,

 
were there, lashed ﬁrmly to the rings in
the ‘wall, just as the Sparkler and Wild
Nell had left them.

Beyond that single cry, no sound es—
caped Red Belt's grimly compressed lips.
He realized just then more clearly than
ever, the superb courage and daring of
Shasta Sam.

Putting down the lamp, he drew his
knife and quickly released the prisoners.
The negro was still unconscious, but a
dash or two of water from the bucket
brought him gasping to his feet.

Kenneth Morgan, stroking his long
heard in suppressed rage, hurriedly ex-
plained how ,both himself and Eph had
been entrapped by the Sparkler, and
Wild Nell rescued.

“I reckon there’s nothing left for us
but to break for the bills at once." he
concluded, in a sullen, almost hopeless
voice. “That devil will be here with
a posse, presently, and if they find us
we’re good for the rope."

“They won’t come!" was Red Belt’s
abrupt but smiling rejoinder. “Both
the girl and Old Betty are now safely in
our hands and on their way to the den,
while Shasta Sam—well, his carcass is
so full of bullet holes that I doubt if
there is a .drop of blood left in him! ”

Utterly bewildered, the mayor stared
at the gambler.

“You can’t mean that!" he gasped,
unwilling to credit his ears “Shasta
Sam dead! Say that again; Kent Keene! "

“ Yes, dead!” the gambler afﬁrmed,
and then he rapidly told of the encounter
in the pines.

Like one in a dream, Kenneth Morgan
listened, then clapped his hands in ghoul-
ish glee.

«Leaving Eph to remove from the sub-
cellar all evidence of the use to which
it had so recently been put, the mayor
and the gambler ascended to the library,
where further explanations were made.

It seemed that on leaving Morgan’s
cottage, immediately after that bootless
search for the spy, Red Belt had pro—
ceeded direct to the Idaho House, to as-
sault Shasta Sam, in accordancewith the
plan agreed up; but the Sparkler was
absent frbmhi‘s room, and, with. his fears
freshly arbused, the gambler decided at-
once to return to Kenneth Morgan, to
put him on his guard.

In the barroom of the hotel Red Belt
encountered the outlaw, Bledso, Who had
shortly before been shot down and left
for dead by Oid Betty The fellow was
suffering from an ugly-looking scalp
wound, but was yet able to do duty, and
at the gambler‘s suggestion he promptly
rallied a nhmber of the Red Raiders.

The party had scarcely started toward
Kenneth Morgan's house when Old Betty
stepped fairly among them, and was rec-
ognized, seized, and hurried away, until\
the party could procure horses.

Nearly \an hour had elapsed between
the capture of Old Betty and the en-
counter with Shasta Sam and Wild Nell
in the pines, and thus it happened that
Landlord Swift and Major Marker, snug-
ly ensconced in the barroom of the Idaho
House, failed to hear the-ﬁring, which
would have warned them of the Spark-
ler’s danger. , .

Kenneth Morgan listened most atten-
tively. He found it hard to realize the
full import of this eccentric turn of]
fortune’s wheel. .

“We must'get rid of that body," he
declared, after a; moment's thought.
“ We'll send Eph out, and let him carry
it down to the lower .end' of the camp,
to be found there, so that it will not.so
plainly appear that we were ‘connected
with the Sparkler’s sudden taking’off.

“JuSt before day will do," Red Belt ob-
served. “ It ‘is seldom that any. one is
astir‘ in camp at that hour, and , the
chances of Eph’s escaping. detection will
be much greater.. ' " ; a

“ Then, promptly at sunrise I’ll go
down to the hotel, fully prepared for’the
duel,‘just as if I really believed it was

. i  v i

The mayor nodded “approval  ' ’

b “ Yeagthat- ,will be" a.

  
'tered., "‘ My appearance here, ready. 

, will quake with fear! ” '
, - At that juncture the Red

. theme

 
hei .dng: i

just as if I were going to act as your
second."

Then the plotters chuckled at their
cunning, and the gambler threw himse.f
upon a couch for a short sleep, while 
Morgan descended to the cellar to give 
Eph his instructions. 

Shortly after daybreak both men arose-
and prepared to go down to camp. Eph
was asleep, so breakfast was out of ques-
tion. Red Belt contented himself with
a glass of liquor, while the mayor light-
ed a strong cigar, and both men left the
house and started down the slope.

Red Belt had secured Morgan's riﬂe,
a ﬁne repeater, and. as he strode boldly
down the hill the mayor silently chuck-
led.

“I wonder if it wouldn‘t be different,
if he didn’t know Shelby was cold in
death?” he mused.

Kenneth Morgan had always secretly
entertained a poor opinion of the gain--
bler’s courage. '

Red Belt, wholly unconscious of his,
associate’s thoughts, led the way until
the path opened into the trail, and then
the two men advanced side by side.

They had proceeded thus for perhaps
fifty yards, when they came to a point.
from which the street of the camp was
visible. ‘

Then they noticed that on each side of
the street, sheltered by doorways and
the corners of buildings there were nu—_
merous small knots of men—«all wait:
ing, watching, eagerly talking!  '~~“.

And at that juncture a mighty shout
went up, and. half a hundred hands»
pointed to them.

Red Belt, the Sport, suddenly grew pale
and stopped in his tracks. ,

“Great heavens!” he ejaculated, quiv-
ering with fear. »“ Look yonder!—-——down , ..
the street! It is Shast-x Sam—and alive! "

Kenneth Morgan’s eyes followed the ';
direction of the pointing finger. There,-
true enough, gun in hand, grimly and
patiently waiting the coming of his foe,‘
stood the Sparkler! . - 3

“Another bungle of it, Kent Keenei'
by heavens!" he cried, in a low, sharp -.
voice . ,

“ Brace up, you fool! Do you want all -‘
Blue Jacket to see that your nerve Is
shaken?” _ I

Rallying, quickly from that sudden new "
cess of terror, the gambler again strode .
forward, but in 'utter‘ silence. until ,
checked by the mayor’s restraining hands?

“Wait here until I return, and-keep'
your eyes open," Kenneth Morgan ore
dered, curtly. . __ t

Then the mayor strode rapidly towardgg
the Idaho House. ‘

 
, 3
CHAPTER XXVI. . 

a run DUEL.’ « I ~

A cold smile curled Shasta Sam's  
lips as that wild shout from the miners '
heralded the approach of Red Belt, the 
Sport. —-  '
Some three minutes had elapsed since i
the Sparkler had taken up his position
near the lower end of- the rough street,,
and this time he had employed in care "i
fully considering the mode of attack he,

 
should adopt. . ..
Then. as that shout‘died away, i

noted the gambier's palpable hest

and, his black eyes gl'éamed brightly. ,,,
“ It is just as [anticipatedi ", bandits

battle, has struck terror to, his ggnilt
sou . ' .« t” 
He believed me dead. or'so ‘badl‘
wounded that I could not Stand, and so
had-no fear that I would meethim! -.

“But I am here, readyand waiting;
And the end is not yet, for when m '
riﬂe speaks he will know that I have dill
covered and foiled his? dastardly ﬁrst
rob me of life-Without danger to,
self, in this dual, and“ his cowardly;

«, i
Belt “. .
halted, While his compani‘onyxennet 
Morgan, walked briskly onward, directing.
his steps toward the “group in: front; ,,

0.,House."    “f ,7 
magma scum the-his!

. 2“; ' ' i; '

        
\ r

 
' equal chance, I presume.

'22

Shasta Sam, e Sparkler.

 
:suppose that some one of you is here
to represent Mr. Shelby in this unfortu-
nate and ill—advised affair?”

“Oh, yas. mayor! I‘m yer h’r-pin,”
Major Marker promptly responded. “ 'l‘het
is, ef ye mean this hyar shootin‘ bee.”

“This duel is what I mean. I have
the honor to represent Red Belt, and I
tell you frankly that I have been trying
to get him to agree to a compromise."

“ Wal, nary compromise goes with my
man," the veteran promptly declared.
“ He's hyar fer business an’ nothin’
else.”

“ So be it, then. He is a stranger in
camp, but seems to be a bold, manly
fellow, and I dislike to see him come
to grief—as he surely will if this duel
proceeds, for Red Belt is a dead shot
.and merciless as the grave.”

“ Rats, mayor—thet’s all rot! Yer man
is shakin‘ in his boots right now, an’
I reckon ye know et, too,” and the ma-
jor laughed outright. “Et’s dollars ter
dimes, ef ye want ter bet, thet Shasta
.Sam wings him, ﬁrst shot!”

Kenneth Morgan scowled.

“ I never gamble,” he retorted, acridly.
“ If you fellows are determined to go
ahead, let’s ﬁx the conditions of the
ﬁght, and may the best man win.”

“Thet‘s right, mayor—puffectly cor-
rect! ” the veteran responded calmly.

“Ther distance was ter be ﬁve hun-
vdred yards, an’ es nigh es I kin get at
~et, they’re about that now.

“ You go ter your man an’ I‘ll go ter
mine. Then ther landlord hyar shell ﬁre
a shot from his revolver, an’ thet’ll be
ther signal fer ther boys ter sail in.

“What say? Is thet fa’r?” .

“Oh, yes; that will give the men an
At any rate, I
have no suggestions to offer.”

Then the mayor turned and in a dig-
niﬁed way walked back to the Red Belt
’Sport, while Major Marker hastened in
the opposite direction.

The veteran was the ﬁrst to reach his
principal. -

“ It’s all right, Sammy!” he exclaimed,
with a broad grin, as he seized and shook
the Sparkler’s hand. “Thet Red Belt
,galoot is scared nigh out 0’ his boots,
.an’ ther mayor war arter a compromise
—w’ich same he didn’t get!”

“ There can be no compromise,” Shas—
ta Sam declared, brieﬂy.

Then a warning shout from Peter
.Swift announced that Morgan had reached
his principal, and the mayor at once
withdrew to the roadside, as far out of
harm’s way as possible——an example
which was quickly followed by Red
Belt’s second.

Then, with a second warning shout,
the landlord raised his revolver and ﬁred
in the air.

Both duelists had promptly fallen into
position, and following closely upon the
report of the pistol came the heavier
notes of the two riﬂes.

Shasta Sam‘s hat was knocked from
his head by his adversary’s bullet.

,But Red Belt fared worse.

Dropping his riﬂe, he was seen to
'throw up his hands and sink in a heap
on the frozen earth.

The ball from the Sparkler’s riﬂe had

~sped true, and the duel was ended.

While Kenneth Morgan hastily organ-

ized a posse to carry the wounded gam-~

bler to his cottage, Shasta Sam, with
Major Marker, coolly walked up the
street to the Idaho House, where he was
given a genuine ovation.

'In a half-lawless mining camp noth-
ing wins like luck and pluck, and in the

.short time he had been in Blue Jacket

the Sparkler had demonstrated that he
'was richly endowed with both.

But there was work yet to be done be-
fore the sun should go down on that
day—sharp, desperate, and dangerous
work, and Shasta Sam was forced fairly
to tear himself away from his admirers,
and, with Major Marker and Peter Swift,
seek the seclusion of his apartment.

Once there, safe from intrusion. Sam-
uel Shelby took these tried and trusted

 , friends fully into his conﬁdence, and

i ' ~

 
i.
\ ,,.;- r,

_ V“, '  l" r. / g_.‘ i,“ ﬁbﬁfw .. \_'  3.735:  1's... -l y  a»  ,‘_
3-" Mit- ‘i’u “it . isn’txi'imzm a“,  ' ‘

mapped out the work he wished accom-
plished during the next ﬁve hours—the
time he had set aside for the absolute
rest of which he stood in such sore need.

 
Zetta Zebender had rallied but slowly
from Giles Honeyfang’s murderous as—
sault, despite the untiring efforts of the
landlord’s wife and Dr. Jeremiah Sam-
uels.

The nervous shock had been great.
That deathly pallor of face and hands
continued, and her eyes held a wild, terri-
ﬁed look.

“ Thar’s somethin’ back 0’ this,” mum-
bled Dr. Samuels, to Mrs. Swift, with a
peculiar look in his bloodshot brown
eyes as he covertly watched his pa-
tient.

“ Thar war somethin‘ queer in ther ol’
man's takin’ off, too, an’ I done reckon
ther trouble, right now, is up hyar,” and
he laid his ﬁnger against his forehead.

“You don’t think, doctor—”

“’Sh! Et will pass away, by an’ by,
an’ et’s no need ter let on we’ve noticed
et. You jest watch her, an’ let no one
see her. An’ I reckon a right smart dose
0’ good liquor won’t hert her none. Ef
she gets bad, sen’ Pete over, an’ I’ll come
back.”

Then the doctor took his departure,
leaving the matron in a ﬂutter of excite-
ment.

This conversation occurred about the
middle of the forenoon. Promptly at
twelve o’clock Zetta sat up on her couch
and gazed keenly at Mrs. Swift.

“Did you send my message to Mr.
Shelby? " she asked, calmly.

The matron nodded afﬁrmatively.

“He stopped at your door a half hour
ago, and asked about you,” she added.

“Why did you not admit him?” and
Zetta spoke sharply.

“The doctor ordered
should see you just yet.”

Then, for the ﬁrst time in hours, a
vivid dash of color came into Zetta Ze-

that no one

bender’s face, and her black eyes
snapped angrily.
“The dolt! The besotted fool!” she

cried, springing up from the couch. “ His
presumption is equalled only by his ig-
norance!

“I must see Mr. Shelby at once!”

The matron rose.

“ Calm yourself, Zetta! ” she requested,
both voice and appearance betraying
trepidation. “Mr. Shelby has gone out
of Blue Jacket and may not return for
several days.”

In sheer disappointment Zetta sank
back upon the couch. .

“ Gone, and for several days,” she re-
peated, in a dazed way. Then she sat
for several minutes, restlessly .tapping
the bare ﬂoor with her foot. Looking
up at length, she abruptly asked:

“Doesn’t the Rocky Bar stage come
through Blue Jacket to—day? ”

“ It does, Zetta,” the matron replied.

“Very good! Now, Mrs. Swift, bring
me some writing materials at once. I
shall go away on the stage to-day, but

.will leave a letter anda parcel in your

hands for delivery to Mr. Shelby.”

The landlady demurred; but Zetta Ze-
bender was obstinate, and carried her
point. In due course, paper, pens, and
ink were placed before her, and then the
strange girl set at her self-appointed
task.

 
CHAPTER XXVII.
GILES IN TROUBLE.

Let us now, for a brief while, follow
the movements of Giles Honeyfang.

His headlong ﬂight through the win-
dow of the Idaho House parlor to the
roof ‘of the veranda, and thence to the
ground, as heretofore described, had been
accomplished without especial damage to
himself, aside from numerous slight cuts
and bruises, and, under cover of the
night he darted away at breakneck
speed.

The ruﬁian had at last learned to hold
Shasta Sam in wholesome fear, and his
only thought, at that moment, was to
get beyond the Sparkler’s reach.

 
v: .~
‘1,
v...

 
_He knew that the surrounding mount—
ains were fairly honeycombed with caves
and canyons, in which one could live for
months or years undetected, could a base
of supplies be established, and his ﬁrst
thought was to leave the camp far be-
hind him.

But when the sounds or pursuit grew
fainter and fainter, his coolness and
nerve began to return, and he ﬁnally
stopped, a short distance below Blue
Jacket, to think over the matter.

“I reckon I’ve got my foot inter et,
fast enough, this hyar time," he ,soliloc
quized, as he gazed back at the twinkling
lights of the camp. “I reckon ther deal
between me an’ this fortune is clean
bu’sted, too, an’ no mistake—even ef
ther gal ain’t dead!

 So I’ve got ter lay low till I see ther
drift; fer ef she did croak, I’m jest nach-
erly sure ter l-etch my ﬁt 0’ sickness at
a rope’s end!

“ An’ I dasn’t go up in ther hills, fer
et’s nary a bite ter eat nor a sup ter
drink I’ve got.

“ Cuss ther luck! Ef I’d not quarreled
with Paddy McGovern I’d be ﬁxed now,
for ther Irishman would hide me away
till this thing blew over or I got a ﬁrst-
class chance ter skip!”

Then Honeyfang crouched down be-
hind a bowlder and, with his chin in his
hands, thought long and deeply.

He knew that he had considerably more
than a hundred dollars in his pockets,
and it had occurred to him that he might
be able to buy back Paddy McGovern's
good will.

“ I’ll try et,” he decided, at length.
“At ther wu’st, I’ll on’y hev ter run."

Rising from behind the huge rock, the
ruﬁian turned and walked back to camp.

As he drew near Paddy’s Glory, he
slackened his pace and advanced with
great caution until he could peer through
the window.

It chanced that McGovern was alone
in the place. The stirring times in and
around the Idaho House had drawn his
patrons away, and the Irishman was sit-
ting on a box before the stove, nursing
hIS battered face and bitterly lamenting
his luck.

Giles Honeyfang realized that his op—
portunity was at hand.

Pushing open the door, he boldly en-
tered, and stepped directly between Pad-
dy McGovern and the bar.

The Irishman looked up. The ex-
pression that came over his face was
simply indescribable. His mouth opened,
and his eyes bulged with-strangely com-
mingled rage, chagrin, astonishment, and
admiration as he deliberately surveyed
Honeyfang from head to heels.

“Phw’at dhe divil!” he blankly ejac-
ulated. ' '

Giles Honeyfang smiled blandly.

“Ain’t I a burd?” he demanded, with
complacent air, as he struck an attitude.

“I just come in, Paddy, ter tell ye I’m
dead sorry I struck ye. Every word ye
told me was so!

“ Will ye take a drink with me? ”

“Yis, yis,” the Irishman briskly as-
sented, averting his face as he rose to
conceal a crafty smile. “ Sure, et’s dhe
foine-lookin’ gintilmin yez hev made 0’
yerself’, Misther Honeyfang! ”

And he walked around behind the rude
bar, and set out a bottle and glasses.

Then the two men drank, and Honey-
fang, with his elbows upon the bar,
brieﬂy outlined his predicament, while
McGovern listened closely, even gravely.

“Indade, an’ dhis is a bad' box Yez
foind yerself’ in, me fri’nd! ” he observed,
when the rufﬁan had concluded. “ If Zet-
ta Zebinder dies, it’s dhe rope I’m think-
in' yez’ll git!”

“I reckon thet-Ill be et,” Honeyfang
admitted, glancing nervously toward the
door. “ But ye kin help me. Paddy, fer
I know thet ye kin hide me till this
thing blows over.

“ An’ I’m not askin’ ye ter do et fer
nothin’, either, fer, good friends es we
aire, et wouldn’t berright. I’ve got ther
isnoney ter make ther thing square.

ee. ’

 
'Then, in

Shasta Sam, the Sparkler.

23

 
And with that the fugitive ruﬂian
dropped a roll of bills upon the bar.

Paddy McGovern eyed the money cov-
etously. One of keener discernment than
GilesHoneyfang would, perhaps, have
read his expression aright.

“ Oi don‘t jist know about dhis t’ing,”
he remarked, doubtfully. “ Dhe place is
all roight, but Oi dunno about dhe hoid-
1n’.

“Yis, begorra!
hoidin‘, too! "

Warned at last by that sudden change
in the Irishman’s voice, Honeyfang
leaped back from the bar. But the pre-
caution was taken too late.

The end of a heavy bludgeon McGov-
ern had slyly drawn from under the bar
fell squarely upon the rufﬁan‘s thick
skull, knocking him down.

“B’at me face, wull yez, yez omad-
houn! ” the Irishman yelled, dancing out
into the ﬂoor. “I’ll t’ach yez a thrick,
bedad, dhat’ll make yez oys wather!”

And then, throwing aside the club,
McGovern fell upon the prostrate but
still conscious rough, and, with his ﬁsts,
beat him to his heart’s content, and end-
ed up by throwing Honeyfang out into
the street.

It was some minutes before the bruised
and battered ruﬂian could collect his
senses sufﬁciently to understand just what
had befallen him. Then he jammed his
hat over his eyes, and with his hands
in his pockets skulked aimlessly through
the street.

As chance would have it, he encoun-
tered no one, and so passed on beyond
the camp. and out upon the Rocky Bar
trail.

“Ther jig‘s up, back thar,” he mut-
tered, disconsolately. “I’ve not a friend
left, an‘ I kin never go back.”

Then he plodded slowly onward, grum-
bling to himself, but driven into con—
tinuous action by the keen night air.

The trail was rough and the night
dark, and as hour after hour went by in
almost aimless wandering, he gradually

Yez kin hev dhe

'fell away from the road and daybreak

found him lost in the wilds.

Utterly bewildered, Giles Honeyfang
gazed around in a hopelss way, then
drew a short, hard breath.

Directly before him lay a deep and
impassable canyon, while on nearly every
side giant rocks reared their snow-clad
heads.

Patches of snow lay'here and there
on the broken height, and the ruﬂian had
determined to retrace his steps to the
road by his trail through them, when
‘he was startled by a scrambling sound
and a peculiar snort near at hand.

Wheeling quickly, he found himself
within a dozen paCes of a huge grizzly,
which, hunger-drwen, was advancing di-
rectly upon him.

That he was in deadly danger the ruf—
fian knew full well; but he coolly drew
his heavy revolvers, and sent shot after
shot into the maddened bxute.

Steadily, rapidly, the bear advanced.
shifting aside, Honeyfang
slipped and fell, and as he came up the
paws of the monster closed around him.

A yell—a shot—a roar of pain, then
both man and beast whirled over the
canyon verge!

 
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE HOLD~UP.

Ribbon Rob, the driver, was in high
feather. The day was bright and clear,
the air sharp and bracing, and his four
good horses were spinning along in
splendid style, despite the roughness of
the trail. '

Half the distance between Rocky Bar
and Blue Jacket had been covered, and
Rob was congratulating himself that the
most dangerous part of his run lay be—
hind him. ‘

“Et’s not often thar’s a hold-up on
this hyar part 0' ther run,” he explained
to his “outsider,” a short, stockily built
old gentleman, with white mutton-chop
whiskers and keen, cold, blue eyes.
“ Thar’s on’y bin three in ther last two
y‘ars, an’ all 0’ them happened at ther
place I p’inted out, back yen.

 l   

 
., u i r . 
{16" ‘1’“ ‘- e’ ‘ i ":1...

“But they do say thar’s a new gang
on this hyar trail now, ready fer biz,
an’ f’m reports they must be reg’lar hum-
mers.

“ Ther ‘ Red Raiders,’ they calls them-
selves, an’ ther chiefs han’le is Dick
Dread.

“ They've plucked a few lone pilgrims,
but hevn’t bothered' me yet, an’ I do
hopes they’ll fergit me entire.”

“I can join you most heartin in that
hope, so far, at least, as the present trip
is concerned,” the passenger averred,
his keen blue eyes busy with the trail
ahead.

“ I confess that I have very little curi-
osity concerning these road—agents, and
no desire whatever to see them.”

Ribbon Rob chuckled.

“I c’u’d almost wish et t’other way,
jedge,” he observed, cheerily cracking
his long whip above the ears of the lead-
ers. “ I’ve most ginerally noticed ’et et’s
them es don’t want ter see ’em ’at’s shore
ter meet up with ’em, while them es do
want ter see ’em diskiver et’s blamed
hard ter find ’em.

“Now, fer a mortal fact—”.

The jehu ended abruptly and, with
hand on rail, ‘eaned far out to the side,
to scan suspiciously a series of tell-tale
marks in the patches of snow bordering
the trail.

“A goin’ an’ a comin’!” he muttered,
sending a sharp look down the long
slope. “Ther critter never doubled on
himself, onless— Yas et war a spy!
Thar’s trouble, shore! ”

“Trouble?” echoed the judge, catch-
ing that cautious utterance. “ Road-
agents? ” \

“ Nothin’ less, or I misses my guess.

“Ye’d better git down, jedge, an' git
inside, fer ther cusses aire awful keer-
less with their shootin’ irons, an’ I reck-
on ye’d never keer ter ketch a stray out-
croppin’ 0' lead, eh? ”

The passenger frowned.

“ Ill not run yet,” he declared, grimly.

“ Wal, hev yer way, but don’t be reck-
less with them thar popguns. Et may
be a false alarm. Dead Man’s Canyon
is jest ahead yender, et thet p’int 'o’
rocks, an’ we’ll soon know. Ef thar‘s
any chaince ter stand them off, I’ll see.
Don’t ye draw tell I do, fer et’d mean
a last ﬁt 0’ sickness fer all two of us.”

" You’d never—”

“Wal, say et, pardner!” and Ribbon
Rob looked quizzically at his passenger,
waiting to hear the rest of that explosive
outburst. “I’d never—which, or what,
pardner?”

“ You’d never let the devils rob you
without a ﬁght for it, would you, Rib-
bon Rob?” the judge demanded, in a
calmer tone, while his keen old eyes
sharply scanned the driver’s weather-
browned face.

Rob slowly shook his head.

“ Not ef a chaince offered—shorely
not!” he returned, coolly. . “ An’ then—
et would ’pend on sarcumstances."

Then he warned the judge to keep
quiet, for the canyon was now near at
hand, and gave his whole attention to
the driving, in apparent unconcern.

The leaders were, abreast of those
frowning jaws, and Ribbon Rob was
fairly holding his breath in suspense and
uncertainty, when forth from sheltering
rocks and bushes sprang an even half
dozen men, all masked and armed.

A riﬂe cracked, then another, and the
leaders went down, pulling the wheelers
With them, and bringing the stage up
with a jar and a Jolt.

“Hold hard, Ribbon Rob, and do not
draw, for you are covered!” the road-
agent chief ordered, in sharp tones.

“So I sees. pard, an’ I do reckon ye’re
shorely slingin’ us the truth,” the driver
responded, as he held the frantic wheel-
ers, now scrambling to their feet, in
check.

“ But, lordy! pard, ye’re new ones on
me, fer I thought ther sheriff f’m Rocky
Bar hed hanged ye all.” '

“The sheriff from Rocky Bar will
never hang Dick Dread or the Red Raid-
ers,” the outlaw boasted, ﬂourishing his
revolver in a deﬁant way.

/

 
“ So—hol An’ ye’re Dick Dread?”

“ No; the chief is not here.

“ But button your lip, Ribbon Rob, and
help down your tenderfoot friend, for the
Red Raiders spare neither age nor beau-
ty.”

Then the judge, white with rage, rose
from his seat.

“ I may be old, I may be a tenderfoot,
but as sure’s my name is Ichabad Estell,
I’m not so old nor so verdant that I
can‘t and won’t make you scoundrels
sweat for this infernal outrage!” he de-
clared, savagely, and then he swung him-
self slowly from the seat to the ground.

Meanwhile two of the outlaws had ad—
vanced to the stage door, and at the
point of their revolvers compelled the
two other passengers to alight.

Then the three were placed in a row
and quickly plundered of their weapons,
valuables, and money, after which the
freight on the stage received the atten-
tion of the road-agents.

That they were old hands at the busi—
ness, Ribbon Rob, who watched their
operations with a critical eye, was loath
to believe.

“ Et’s a gang 0’ consarned camp bums
out fer a stake,” he decided.

Then, when the robbery had been com-
pleted, the two passengers were ordered
to resume their places in the coach, but
the judge was detained. ‘

“I reckon, judge, you’ll have to go
with us and tarry awhile,” the leader
announced. “You’re too almighty pert
for an old rooster, and it would be just
like you to 'kick up a tremendous row
about this little hold—up if we let you

- slip through.

“If appearances go for anything, we
ought to be able to realize pretty heavily
on you in ransom money, too.”

Then Judge Estell raved and stormed,
theratened and pleaded, but all to no
avail, for the leader was obdurate.

“ Bind his hands, boys, and tie him on
a horse, for he goes with us,” he or-
dered.

Ribbon Rob attempted to remonstrate,
but was curtly told to attend to his own
business, and he quietly obeyed. ,

It required but a very few minutes for
the road—agents to complete their work.
Then they retreated into the mouth of
Dead Man’s Canyon, mounted their
horses, and rode away, with Judge Estell
in their midst.

As soon as the Red Raiders had disap-
peared, Ribbon Rob leaped to the ground
and began to clear away the wreckage
caused by killing the leaders.

In this task he was willingly assisted
by the two passengers, and in little less
than an hour the coach was again in mo-
tion, but at greatly reduced speed.

Ribbon. Rob was inwardly fuming and
railing at his ill luck, when, rounding a
sharp curve in the trail, he came in sight
of a company of eight horsemen, all
heavily armed, and each Jeading a lightly
laden pack animal.

A number of these men he quickly rec-‘

ognized, and a yell of joy pealed from
his lips.

 
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE PURSUIT.

“Ho!
wateri—yer shorely does!” Ribbon Rob
sang out, promptly drawing rein. “Yer
outfit looks like ﬁght, an’ ef they’re
spilin’ fer et thar’s fine game jest
ahead! ” ‘

“You have been held up, Rob?” the
Sparkler enquired.

“Oh, yas, Pard Sam—back thar et
Dead Man’s Canyon.

“ Ther Red Raiders jumped us, shot my
leaders, stripped ther hearse, an’ then
carried away one o’ my passingers, ter
hold fer ransom, they said.”

“And that passenger,, Ribbon Rob,
was Judge Estell?”

“ Lordy! Pard Sam, yer must shorely
be a min’ reader, or hev’ sperits an’
spooks ter tell yer things,” the driver
responded, in amazement. “ Judge Estell
war ther identical galoot!

“ He war sassy, the jedge war. He rid
up hyar With me, an’ wanted ter ﬁght.

 
Shasta Sam, yer makes my eyes

 
. 1?.“ x. .4.
.‘ a

24

Shasta Sam, the Sparkler.

 
“ But thar war six 0‘ the Red Raiders
in sight, an' more in ther rocks. Seein‘
ther risk war too big fer ther ante, I
passed, an’ advised ther jedge ter shorely
do likewise.

“ An’ he did, too,. but he shot off his
mouth, an’ ther agents toted him off inter
Dead Man’s Canyon.”

Then Shasta Sam thanked Ribbon Rob
for the information, and the little caval-
cade swung off to the side of the trail,
to permit the coach to pass.

“You galoots ain’t sayin’ much, but I
jest nacherly wishes yer luck," the driv—
er called back, as his stage swept by, to
disappear around another angle in the
winding trail.

Then Shasta Sam turned to his follow-
ers.

“We’re just in time, pards, to strike
the trail fresh and run it right to the
den,” he declared, with stern face and
ﬂashing eyes. “ Elated at their success
and anticipating no pursuit before to-
morrow, the Red Raiders will doubtless
neglect their usual precautions and leave
sign enough to make the round—up quick
and sure.

“But we must strike quick and hard,
for daylight to-morrow will find them on
the move.”

“ Et’s a puffectly safe bet ye've called
ther turn,” Major Marker assented, nod—
ding his head sagaciously. “Now thet
they’ve got things jest as they want ’em,
they’ll scatter, or skip.”

This view of the case met with the
approval of Peter Swift and the five
picked men from Blue Jacket whom the
landlord had gotten together at Shasta
Sam’s request, and the Sparkler and his
“army” at once pushed on toward Dead
Man’s Canyon as rapidly as possible.

Arrived at the scene of the hold-up,
they found evidence to sustain Ribbon
Rob’s report, for the dead horses were
there, while the patches of snow beside

, the trail had been cut and trampled by

many feet.

Pausing only long enough to determine
that the Red Raiders had really retreated
through Dead Man’s Canyon, the Spark—
ler divided his force, detailing Landlord
Swift and one of the men from Blue
Jacket to bring up the rear with the
pack animals; then, with five men at his
back, he boldly pushed into the canyon.

The pace set was a rapid one, for the
afternoon was well advanced, and it was
the sport’s desire to shorten the distance
between himself and the Red Raiders as
much as possible, without actually over-
taking them, by nightfall.

For upward of two hours the chase
continued without a pause. Then, just
as the sombre gloom of the canyon be-
gan to deepen with the shades of ap-
proaching night, the leaders of the party
drew rein and dismounted.

Before them was an intersecting can-
yon, doubling back through the mount-
ains at a sharp angle, and the Sparkler
felt assured that the Red Raiders had
here swerved aside from the main defile,
to ascend to their stronghold.

A brief but careful investigation sus-
tained this belief, and leaving one of the
men to act as a guide for the two with
the pack animals, Shasta Sam mounted
and again moved forward, this time
slowly and cautiously, to note each break
and niche in the walls. .

But the defile abruptly opened into a
small hill-girdled basin, about two miles
above Dead Man's Canyon, and the pur—
suit, in force, seemed at an end for the
night.

Dismounting, Shasta Sam and the ma-
jor retraced their steps a short distance
and sought a sheltered camping place.

Both were confident that the Red Raid-
ers’ r ndezvous was near at hand, and it
was etermined to use every precaution
to keep the pursuit secret.‘

Accordingly, the camp-ﬁres were built
nearly a mile down the canyon, behind
an angle in the wall, and there the party,
'with the exception of the Sparkler and
the major, prepared to remain until day-
break, if not earlier called into action.-

Supper was prepared and eaten; and
then, while the men adjusted their traps.

i

“Adina 2.: f.-:x ,_ ,. , '.   a,”

 
Shasta Sam and the veteran silently re-‘

turned to the basin.

The Sparkler, fortunately, was equipped
with a dark lantern, and both men be-
lieved that by a cautious use of it the
rendezvous might be located, and that
too, without alarming the Red Raiders.

The trail, they quickly discovered, out
directly across the basin and entered a
continuation of the canyon through a
break in the opposite wall.

That fact ascertained, the trail was
easy to follow, for each man took a side
of the canyon, and plodded slowly on-
ward, fairly feeling his way in the in-
tense gloom.

They had proceeded thus for a half
hour, when Shasta Sam came suddenly
upon the mouth of a canyon even larger
than the one they were in.

But the sharp winds had cleared the
light snow away; the bottom of the
gorge was of stone, hard and unyielding,
and no trace of the trail could he dis-
cover.

The two men had arranged a simple
code of signals, and the Sparkler now
summoned the major.

The veteran was near at hand. In an-
other minute the two were together, dis-
cussing the discovery, and it was ﬁnally
agreed that Major Marker should remain
at the mouth of the gorge until Shasta
Sam could make a brief exploration of its
yawning depths.

Accordingly, the veteran sought a shel-
tered spot, crouched down, and patiently
waited, while the Sparkler plunged
ahead, keeping close to the foot of the
frowning wall, and occasionally raising
the slide of his lantern a triﬂe to guard
against the numerous pitfalls hedging his
mm.
1The situation was at once thrilling
and dangerous, wild and fascinating.

No sounds broke the stillness of the
night save those due to Nature and to
Nature’s wildest creatures. And to Shas—
ta Sam, steady of nerve, cool and un-
daunted, these were as music. The
mournful wailing of the wind, as it
swept through that mighty rift in the
mountains, softened and subdued by the
rippling of a tiny stream plunging down
from distant heights—theﬁhowling of a
ravenous beast in quest of food, and the
dismal croaking and screeching of birds
of prey as they whirled and circled
through the air, were but part of a great
voice he had long since learned to love——
the voice of Nature in her wildest mood.

Pushing steadily onward until he had
reached aisheltered bend in the gorge,
the Sparkler again opened his lantern
and closely examined his surroundings.

There, protected from wind and sun,
the snow stretched from wall to wall,
save where cut through by the narrow
stream, and the footprint of neither
horse nor man was to be seen.

“ They’ve taken the water, if they came
this way,” the Sparkler muttered, as he
slowly crossed and recrossed from wall
to wall. “ The other gulch must be the
one, and—” ‘ .

He ended abruptly,. and his hand
closed swiftly upon his revolver.

Just before him, in the snow, lying
on its side, was a huge grizzly—dead.

Beside the brute, crushed and man-
gled almost beyond recognition, lay all
that was mortal of Giles Honeyfang!

 
CHAPTER XXX.
\VHEN Romrns FALL our.

Despite his coolness and nerve, Shasta
Sam was startled. '

So sudden, so wholly unexpected, was
that ghastly discovery, that for fully a
minute he felt powerless to move. _

Had Giles Honeyfang, in life and With
weapons in hand, thus abruptly confront-
ed him, thc effect would have been vastly
different. .

Shaking off the peculiar feeling that
had assailed him, the Sparkler stepped
forward and knelt beside the dead des-
perado. _

Now that the end-had come, no feeling
of resentment against Giles Honeyfang
lingered in the heart of the sport.

,Carefully he went through the dead

. “ \
~\" ' a mi .14.; ' u .f. .a I

 
man’s pockets, removing every articm'i,
whether of value or not, and listing eaci
in his notebook. Then he took off the
belt of arms and a money belt which be
detected around the body, under the
clothing.

This latter belt, old and worn and val—
ueless in itself, contained a number of
closely folded papers, but no money. As
Shasta Sam opened and looked at the
ﬁrst of these documents his expression
changed and his lips twitched nervously.

“Great God! ” he exclaimed. “ Murder
surely will out, for this paper identifies
Kenneth Morgan as Rafael Reno, leader
of the gang that murdered poor Daniel
Estell, and the scoundrel is now certain
to hang!

“ I doubt not that the whole story of
Solomon Zebender’s crimes is laid bare
m these documents, and so Wild Neil’s
inheritance will beyond doubt be se—
cured to her!”

Then the Sparkler, without further de-
lay, entered each of the documents on
his list, and, as it was impossible to give
the body burial, prepared to return to
Major Marker, who was in waiting at
the outlet of the gorge.

He knew, now, that the Red Raiders
had not passed through the canyon; for,
had they done so, the pockets of Honey-
fang would have been riﬂed, and every
article of value on the body taken.

So, with lantern closed, he quickly re-
traced his steps and rejoined the major,
to whom he brieﬂy narrated his expe-
rience.

The veteran was surprised, but by no
means displeased, to hear of the tragic
fate of Giles Honeyfang.

“In life he was a misabul houn', an
I ain’t got no license ter weep now ’at
he’s dead,” he muttered in a matter-of-
fact tone.

“ An’ now, Pard Sam, I've bin doin'
a heap o’ thinkin’ while settin‘ hyar, but
I’ve kep my eyes open, too, an' made a
leetle diskivery of my own.

“I saw a lantern flash up yender on
the hill, straight ahead, an’ I‘m bettin’
ther den is thar.

“Now, ef ye say the word, I'll skip
back an’ hev ther boys move up, so
thar'll be mighty leetle loss 0’ time when
we’re ready ter strike.

“ Et’s a puffectly safe bet thar’s more'n
one way-ter leave ther den, an’ ef ther
Red Raiders diskiver us comin’ we’ll hev
a long chase on hand, of they don’t es—
cape us altogether.

“Of course, et’s your say-so in this
hyar matter, Pard Sam, but 1 war kal—
kilatin’ thet ther nigher we c'u'd creep
in before day, ther better our chances
’u’d be fer makin’ a sweep.”

Shasta Sam nodded approval.

“Your idea is certainly a good one,
Major, and worthy of an old campaign—
er,” he returned.

“We’ll bring the boys up, then locate
the den and creep in and surround it, so
that when the alarm is given the Red
Raiders will not only find themselves
completely hemmed in, but have very lit-
tle opportunity to harm the captives.

“So, you return to the camp in the
lower canyon, explain maters to Landlord
Swift, and have him mow the men up,
while I scout ahead and try to locate
our game.

“Let the men halt here and remain
until I return, or they have cause to be-
lieve that I, too, have ben corralled by
the Raiders.”

Then the men separated, Major Marker
retreating in the direction of the basin,
while Shasta Sam continued up the
gorge, which gradually grew narrower
and ﬁnally ended in a mere gully at the
foot of a short, steep slope.

Here the darkness was less intense;
it was a clear, starlit night, and, once
out of the dense shadows cast by the
towering walls, the Sparkler had little
difficulty in determining the course the
Red Raiders had pursued.

The trail led straight to the foot of an
overhanging bluff, and there entered the
narrow mouth of a cavem-

That much the Sparkler had learned,

,

     
‘when a. hasty step within caused \him to

life has come for me.

for the shot from Old Betty Moselle

murder of that youth years ago, and the

seemed to review his unhappy past.

most have touched the brooding outlaw. '

. above, and‘ the outlaw sprang. to his
feet, muttering: '

a masked man.

indeed! ”

guard, not for the band,.but to meet you

remain a dead secret between us.

 ' . "disguised amazement.
he“ exclaimed in bitter tones. " You intend

to desert—to destroy our chances of sue-j
cess to the ’marploti

question, and because or
' now ask you to reconsi er-—to' retract

vyour rash words and, take the oath

‘anewi" - x.

‘and unﬂinchingly. '

sternly replied. “ You shall fulﬁll your

this

725

 
retreat and seek the shelterpf a conve-
nient niche in the wall.

The next minute the form of a man
emerged from the cavern. i.

For a moment the fellow gazed around
suspiciously, then bent his head low to
listen.

“ I was sure I heard a stealthy step,”
he- muttered, his low tones distinctly
audible to the lurking spy. “But all
seems clear.

“ It is time the chief was here, and,
while anxiously waiting his coming,
each sound, however slight, has seemed
a step. .

“The end of this wild and desperate
Last night serves
as a warning. It was a narrow escape,

came near ending my days. The chief
must now make terms with me, and
allow me to go my way in peace, or one
of us shall die.

“This detective, Shasta Sam, some-
thing tells me, is upon our trail for the

gallows are horribly near for all who
were there that day.

“ Curse that crime! It was my ﬁrst,
and to this day it haunts me! While it
was not my hand that took his life, yet
I‘ was there to help, and the blood of
Daniel Estell lies heavily upon my soul.”

Then the outlaw seated himself upon
a bowlder, and, with head bowed down,

Thus the minutes passed, with Shasta
Sam in hiding so near that he might al-

More than once the sport felt strongly
tempted to spring forward, strike down
and capture the fellow, but each time
resisted the impulse, conﬁdent that more
Was to be gained by playing a waiting
game.

Then :both men were suddenly startled
by quick, restless steps on the bluit

“It is the chief! , I

"Now, I will know what 1 t0. holds
in store for me, for I shall cue the die,
to win or lose! ” ~ - . .

A moment he stood, then a dark form
appeared at the foot of the bluff, and
quickly resolved itself into the shape of

“ Ho, Bledso! You are on guard, I see.
“ It is well; and were all like you, the
Red Raiders would be more prosperous,

“Yes, Rafael Reno, I am on guard,"
was the outlaw's stern) reply. “0n

here. for I have much to say that must

;‘I am sick of this life. My soul re-
volts at continual crime, and I am here"
to demand my release. V

“I wish no longer to owe allegiance to
you or thelband, but desire to go my
way in peace.

“,That is why I am here in waiting,
Rafael Reno, and I demand the fulﬁll-
ment of the‘pledge you gave long years
ago, when ﬁrst I cast my fortune with
yours.”

The chief, Dick Dreadplistened in un-‘

“ Hal. Caleb Bledso, this is treachery! ”

“ You know the laws or the Red Raid-
ers—that the arse you propose for
yourself is punis ed with death.

“ But you have been a. faithful mcm-,
her—you have obeyedI orders without
our ﬁdelity I

Caleb Bledso faced the chief boldly

“And I decline, Rafael Reno!” he
pledge‘ to 'me, or one of us never leaves-
15th alive! " V I '-
‘I‘hen‘fmm the lips of the chief bur t

S,  r olver in he

tics!

 
dropping him, senseless in his tracks.

,prisoner, and Shasta. asked: . .

 
CHAPTER XXXI.
AN OFFER or MONEY.

“Hold, Kenneth Morgan!

“That man shall have a chance for
his life, or you both die, here and now! "

And, with that bold challenge upon
his lips, Shasta Sam leaped from the
niche, and, with leveled revolvers, cov-
ered both Bledso and the chief.

The denouement was a startling one,
wholly unexpected by either outlaw,
and both unconsciously lowered their
weapons.

Then, peering sharply through the
darkness, Kenneth Morgan recognized
the Sparkleg.

“ Shasta Sam! ” he exclaimed with an

oath, lexpressive of bitter surprise.
— “ Yes, Shasta Sam!" the sport grimly
afﬁrmed. “I have trailed you down at
last, Rafael Reno, and I am here to de-
mand your surrender!

" You murdered Daniel Estell at Solo-
mon Zebcnder‘s behest, and for your rc-
ward extorted the Good Luck Mine, a
part of the youth’s share of the Estell
estate.

“Your crime is known to me in all
its blackness. The evidence is at last
complete, and you shall pay the penalty.

“ Resist, or cry aloud, and I, will shoot
you down with as little mercy as I would
show a wolf!”

While speaking, the Sparkler had slow-
ly moved forward. Now he deftly re-
versed the revolver in his right hand,
and brought down the heavy butt with
crushing force upon Rafael Reno’s head...

Caleb Bledso stood unmoved.

“ You have expressed a desire to quit
this life,” Shasta Sam continued, ad-
dressingihe motionless outlaw.

“ I was in hiding here when you came
from the cave, and heard you reproach
yourself for your many’crimes, before
Rafael Reno came.

“ Then I heard your demand of him,
and I believe that you are sincere in your
desire to abandon outlawry forever.”

“I am, so help me Heaven!" Bledso
earnestly exclaimed. " .

“ Years ago that man- led me into
crime, and made me swear allegiance to
him,‘ pledging himself to absolve me
from the Oath, without malice and with-
out énmity, should I ever request it.

“Twice before this day I have made
the demand, and been coerced into with-
drawing it, but to-night I was bitterly
determined, and it would have been his
life or mine had you not appeared.

“. Years ago a clOud came upon my
life, and I was driven into exile: now
that cloud is gone, and could I bury the
past and escape from these hills, I
might live happily. . ‘

“My hands have never been stained
with innocent bleed, and there would be
but little upon my conscience. , _

' “ But it is notto be. The end has dome.
I am a prisoner, and must stand my trial
as an accomplice in the murder of Daniel
Estell, and go to the gallows or to prison
for life, though Heaven knows I was
guiltless of murder or intent to murder.
I" even tried to‘save the boy, but was
driven back and beaten into submission.”
gl‘heSparkler bowed affirmatively.

‘That .istcuc, I know," he declared,
quietly. #1 ,was with Daniel Estell when.
he' died, and his words then bear out
your words how. ' '

“.Pledge me your: word,‘ Bledso, that
you will, lend me'yOur assistance till this
case is inade c’lear', and-I’ll, promise you
freedom and a clean record.” ' ‘

" I will do it, and gladlly," the‘outlaw
returned, deeply moved. '

And the alliance thus strangely made
was sealed by a ﬁrm clasp of the hands.

With the assistance of Bledso, Sam‘
Shelby disarmed. and bound Raiae‘l‘Reno‘,
who was yet unconscious, then they car-
ried him into the niche in which the
Sparkler had been concealed. That done,
the two seated themselves beside the

    
t‘How many men are lathe cavern,
H ,

  
against your life, andare now in a‘ fair

 
n a o u  captiveis IQ
‘ 13$

  
“ They are there, too, but off by them-
selves, securely bound and guarded.

“ "he plot was to hold them there
until the girl could be forced into mar—
rying Red Belt, the Sport,” Bledso con-
tinued. “ It was that, and the proposal
to do away with Judge Estell, that urged
on my revolt at this time, for Wild Nell
is a splendid girl, while Red Belt is a.
miserable Scoundrel, as cruel and merci-
less as Satan himself.

“He is known as Kent Keene to mem-
bers of the band, but is really Prince
Mars, head of the Mountain League,
which made such a stir a hundred miles
north of here a few months ago. He was
supposed to have been wiped out with
the League, but escaped and made his
appearance in Blue Jacket, a few days
after the big round—up at Prickly Pear
Camp. In some way, he learned of Ze—
bender’s secret, and at once begun plot—
ting to get possession of the Estell es
tate. ‘

“It chanced that Rafael Reno had the
same end in View, and discovered Red
Belt's game. That produced a clash,
which ended in the two joining forces,
each of the leaders having equal power,
and each known, when in direct com-
mand, as Dick Dread. ,

“By this arrangement, one or the 
other could always remain in Blue Jack—
et, to keep an eye onZebender, who had 
become greatly alarmed and was acting‘ _.
queerly. It puzzled the men, too, for none» 7
but myself and the ,negroe, Eph, kneW‘
that there were two chiefs. Some thought .
that Red Belt was the man, while others" 4
held that Dick Dread was Kenneth Mor' ,
gan. ,

“The ﬁrst move was to raid old Ze- "
bender’s cabin, in search of evidence of
his theft of the Estell fortune. The raid.
amounted to nothing, but it alarmed the
miser, and over the protests of Kenneth
Morgan and Giles Honeyfang he decided
to make restitution, so wrote to you an
Judge Estell. s
. “Then Honeyfang, to block the game,
poisoned the miscr, and attempted toy.
make way with Old Antelope, that he "
might spirit Wild Nell away, but was.
forestalled by the Red Raiders, who cap '
tured the hunter and brought him here! :

“ Of his-escape you know, but I 
say that Wild Neil’s accusation of Hon»
eyfang was based on truth, while Zettp,
Zebender’s evidence in your behalff'atﬂy
the trial was also true, for the two
roughs really killed 01d Antelope, usin{_
your knife, which they had in some 
secured, to throw the crime upon‘yod,
for both feared and hated you. :1. ‘

“But for the cross-purposes develdpedi,
in the various plots to secure the forcing
it wouldalmost surely have fallen'if j,
the. hands of some one other than Wi‘
Nell, and for her sake, if nothingielse
I am heartily glad that you reached
Blue Jacket, evaded the various plots”

    
way to triumph." . j~ '

Sam Shelby had listened closely to‘t
rapid disclosures of Bledso, and that I
new-found ally was speaking truly hill
could not doubt._ ' '

Many things which had puzzled 8
not a little were now made clear, and

  
the ﬁrst time he fully realized  A p
per-ate character of the clan" he  m
ﬁghting. . . j  
Bledso was about to sgeakkagain’,
a warning “touch upon is arm 
him to withhold further “revelatim
just then. , 'l ‘. < h \_ . “a
‘Rafael Reno, with; eyes glowinggcatu
like in the darkness“. was fully. con
scious. and listening in every word!  ,
“ Curse you for a traitor, Calebmw
so!” he exclaimed, ‘in ' a low, in“
voice‘, as he vainly struggled-post'ﬂ
“ I’ll ’yet be free, and‘then you- “ ‘
care!” 1 - , . J 
. Bledso made no reply} bartender- , ,.
of the night ‘a terriblelioqk

    
face. ‘ ‘ . '  ’  I
With a few law-smhemgs to
ll,the‘8 ker strﬁlle

“ " W  ;

 
26

Shasta Sam, the Sparkler.

 
Not until they had reached the gorge
did either speak. Then Rafael Reno
turned his face toward his captor, and in
a low voice said:

“ The jig is up, Shasta! You have won,
and I give you credit for it, but I have
a proposition to make: I will give you
ten thousand dollars in gold, evidence
that will secure Wild Nell her inherit-
ance, and swear to leave the country
forever if you will give me my free-
dom!”

The Sparker coldly replied:

“I have my grip upon you, Rafael
Reno, and not all the gold in this world
will loosen .it!

“ Daniel Estell was my pard—my boy
pard. There was no tie of blood between
us, but man never loved a younger
brother more warmly than I loved him.

“ And you killed him!

“Release you? Never! As long as
ﬂesh and blood would endure, that long
could I walk through glowing, burning
coals to bring you to the doom you so

-richly merit!

“ That is my answar, and it is ﬁnal‘ ” '

 
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE Jl'lifllll.

Judge Ichabad Estell forgot his age
and his dignity, and cursed most furious—
ly when bound upon a horse by the Red
Raiders.

“ You shall pay dearly for this insult——
every blade of you!” he anathematised,
his keen blue eyes ﬂashing with his
rage. “Affairs have come to a pretty
pass in this civilized country when a
citizen of my standing can be set upon,
seized, bound, and conveyed into the
solitude of the mountains, there to be
held for ransom, with impunity!”

“But, we’ll get the ransom, Judge,”
the leader, none other than Bledso, dry-
ly remarked. .

“ Oh, yes! I reckon you’ll get the ran—
som, confound you!” was the furious
retort. “ I‘ll pay the money, then spend
twice as much in raising an army to
wipe you fellows out! I‘ll invoke the
aid of the Government! I’ll lobby a bill
through making such offenses a capital
crime! I’ll—-—”

“Oh, come off, yer old galoot!” sang
out one of the outlaws, as he swung
himself gracefully into the saddle. “Yer
hangin’ up sech a bluff, we’ll all wanter
disband an’ hire out ter yer! Money?
Yer must be loaded with at! ”

Then the Judge, glaring at the fellow
in an irascible way, subsided.

It required but a moment to secure
the prisoner beyond any chance of es-
cape, and the Red Raiders at once
started on their retreat through Dead
Man’s Canyon.

Two of the outlaws rode well in ad-
vanCe; after them came Bledso and the
judge, while the remainder of the party
were nearly a hundred yards in the rear.

This formation precluded the possi-
bility of escape by a sudden dash in
either direction, and the Judge gritted
his teeth in silent rage.

But Bledso had an object in thus ar-
ranging his forces, aside from any de—
sire to provide against the prisoner‘s es-
cape.

When several miles had been cover-
ed, he glanced over his shoulder, then
looked straight ahead, and in a low voice
said:

“Judge Estell, I have something of the
utmost importance to say, and I am
going to,trust to your discretion.

“ This act of your seizure is not volun-
tary upon my part, for I am forced to
perform it by circumstances which I
cannot now explain. Let it sufﬁce, at
present, that this is my last night with
the Red Raiders, and that before I go
I’ll contrive some way in which to re-
lease you, together with your niece,
known here as Wild Nell, who, with her
foster mother, is also a captive.

“I tell you this, now, that you may
understand all that happens from this
hour on, and I trust you will so com-
‘port yourself as not to give the men any
idea that you expect help from any

 
The judge regarded the outlaw curi-
ously for nearly a minute; then a shrewd
look crossed his stern old face.

“Very good, sir—very good!” be ex-
claimed. “ I am willing to enter into al-
most any kind of an arrangement that
promises to curtail the duration of my
enforced sojourn among your delectable
cutthroats.

“And may I ask, kind sir, what mon—
etary consideration you expect?”

Benath his hood-like mask, Bledso‘s
face twitched, and he ﬂung up his hand
in a gesture partly anger, partly despair.

“Not a dollar—not a single, solitary
red cent of your infernal money! ” he re—
torted, almost savagely. “Do you un-
derstand ? ”

The judge nodded and his expression
changed.

“I did not understand,” he declared,
frankly. “I do now. Pardon me.”

“Certainly,” and Bledso smiled grimly.
“The mistake was quite natural, 1 as-
sure you, and now to explain:

“The Red Raiders are not a regular
road-agent band, but have been organ-
ized simply and solely to aid two un-
scrupulous citizens of Blue Jacket in
carrying out a deep-laid scheme to ob—
tain possession of the wealth left by
your brother, Ishmael Estell.

“It is needless for me to go into de—
tail concerning this fortune, for you
doubtless understand the very peculiar
state of affairs. in connection with. it,
brought about by the late Solomon Ze-
bender.”

Again Judge Estell nodded, then, in
surprise, quickly asked:

“ Is Zebender dead? I received a letter
from him only recently, and since then
one from my son, speaking of Zebender
as alive!” -

Bledso started visibly, while a spasm
of pain seemed to contract his frame.

“ Your son, Judge Estell? ” he echoed.

Estell’s face turned red, then deathly
pale, and in a voice quivering with
strong emotion he replied:

“ My step-son, Samuel Shelby, I should
have said, for I have no other! "

“But you had a son, Judge Estell! ”

“ Confound you! Why do you remind
me of that? Am I responsible for Abner
Estell’s crimes, that they should ever be
ﬂung into my face? ” and the prisoner’s
voice fairly rang with fury, while his
face grew ghastly in its pallor.

“Pardon me, Judge, Estell,” Bledso
coldly returned. “It was not my in-
tention to wound you; but Abner Estell
sent me forth into the world, an out-
cast—made me what I am! His crime
was laid at my door, and he, like a
cringing, cowardly cur, let me suffer, in-
stead of stepping forth and proclaiming
my innocence!”

Judge Estell reeled in the saddle, flung
up his hands, and but for his bonds he
would have fallen.

“ Oh, God!” he ejaculated, in a
strangely hushed and choking voice. “I
see it all, now! You, my poor friend, are
George Gilbert, the son of my partner~
my dearest friend! ”

Bledso thrust forth his hand in
eloquent gesture.

“Hush!” he cried, with chilling stem-
ness. “Neyer!——never again utter that
name while it is trailed in the dust of
dishonor! Let it die beneath the ac-
cursed blight put upon it.”

Estell clutched savagely at his throat.
Sobs shook his short but sturdy frame,
and the tears streamed down .his beard-
ed face.

After a moment he turned to Bled—
so, saying, brokenly:

“ George Gilbert,.there is no dishonor,
saVe that which has fallen upon my
guilty son, and through him, upon me!
I know that you are innocent—the world
knows it! Society—all who knew you in
the past, stand ready to welcome you
back with open arms!”

Bledso. in turn. was deeply moved. but
after a different manner: he was stunned
—dazed; but. after a moment. a realiza-
tion of the full import of Estell’s words
dawned upon him. His whole being
throbbed and quivered with joy!
yr '.  ' .‘

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an

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Z.) *1“. i 4 fr‘

He dared not trust himself to speak,
for he felt that he would shout aloud in
his exultation. With a powerful effort
he suppressed his exuberance, and turn-
ing to his prisoner, in a voice thrilled
with profound emotion, exclaimed:

“Judge Estell. may God bless vou!
You have lifted a load from my sovul~
a load that for many dismal years has
weighed it in the dust! "

 
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Tllid (‘.\l'Tl\'lC.\'.

For some little time Judge Ichabod Es~
tell made no response to the outlaw’s
fervent words.

The judge was a proud old man. He
had felt most keenly his only son‘s dis—
grace, and had cast him off as utterlv
unworthy. Now, the wound was re”—
opened by this chance encounter with
Abner Estell’s victim, and his agony of
mind was something pitiful.

But he was a just man. His duty, as
he conceived it, was plainly before him,
and nothing could balk him of its full
execution.

Rallying his sadly shaken powers. he
again turned to Bledso and continued:

“Yes, Abner was the thief! He
planned and executed the robbing, then
cunningly turned the tide of suspicion
against you, and even manufactured
proof that would insure your conviction.

“Of your arrest, escape, recapture, and
trial I need not speak, save to say that
many, believing you the victim of cruel
Circumstances, rejoiced when it was
learned that you had a second time
slipped the authorities and ﬂed West.

“More than a year had passed, and
the affair had faded from the minds of
many, when the robbery was repeated,
and this time suspicion pointed to Sam-
uel Shelby, who was at home on a visit,
and he was promptly arrested, but as
quickly bailed out, when he, too. dis—
appeared.

“ But Shelby had not taken ﬂight. He
had simply disguised himself most thor-
oughly, and was lingering in the town,

waiting and watching.

“He had suspected Abner, and so fol—
lowed him by night and by day, until
he secured proofs to clear not only him-
self, but you as well, and indict my mis—
guided son.

“Then he came to me, laid the facts
bare, and sought my advice.

“ There was but one thing I could say
to him, and that I did say, although it
well-nigh broke my heart to do it. I
advised that he place the whole matter
in the hands of the prosecutor, which he
did, and Abner was forthwith arrested,
tried, convicted, and sentenced to ten
years in prison.

“He had fought the case desperately;
but the proof was conclusive; there was
no loophole through which he could es-
cape, and he was carried away, swearing
direst vengeance upon Samuel Shelby.

“Then I disowned him, for his dev—
ilish plot to fasten his crimes upon two
innocent and honorable men had ban-
ished from my heart every atom of love-
I had ever felt for him.

“ A year later he escaped from the pen-
itentiary, in company with a desperate
convict, a murderer, and from that time
nothing has been heard of him.

“ Now, George Gilbert, you will under-
stand what I mean when I say there is
no reproach upon your name, and that
you are free to resume your place among
men. -

“And more, George Gilbert, I will
make you my heir because of the wrong
done you by one of my name, and you
shall start into life a rich man.”

Bledso sternly shook his head, saying:

“No, Judge Estell! I thank you for
your kindly offer, but not one dollar of
your money can I accept! My parents
were honest, and I was born an honest
man. What I am relentless fate has
made me: and were I to take. your money,
it would be a reproach to me—a con-v
stant reminder of my miserable past.

“No, no! If there is a place in the
world forrme I will ﬁnd it without your
aid, and earn the right to hold it! ”

. - . - ~ .3 v, ‘ ' ‘
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Shasta Sam, the__Sparkler.

 
Judge Estell gazed curiously at the
still hooded outlaw, but did not speak.
Then, after a moment, Bledso, as we
shall continue to call him, abruptly re-
newed the subject which had so curiously
led to that welcome revelation.

In detail he explained the plot, as we
have heard him reveal it to Shasta Sam,
and, in conclusion, said:

“ It is the intention of Kenneth Mon
gan and Red Belt to start the Red Raid-
ers and the prisoners on their way out
of the Territory at daybreak to-mor-
row, for the presence in Blue Jack-
et of Samuel Shelby has been such a
menace to them that they have become
alarmed.

“Now, Judge Estell, you will under-
stand the importance of my warning to
you to betray no sign that you expect
help, for should the men become alarmed
our chances of success would be greatly
lessened.

“They look for no pursuit before to-
morrow, and with the start they have
they would easily escape.

“Morgan will be at the rendezvous
to-night, and I will at once sever my con—
nection with the band, and devise some
way to effect a rescue.”

“I will be most careful, Gilbert, and
I thank you heartily for your good of-
ﬁces, whether or not the venture suc-
ceeds,” Judge Estell earnestly responded.

Then both men, fearful that thé‘,pro-
longed conversation would attract at-
tention and arouse the suspicion of the
band, lapsed into silence, broken only
by an occasional word.

Just at nightfall the cavern was
reached. While the men put up the
horses, Bledso conducted the judge to
that portion of the den assigned to the
prisoners, relieved the guard, and made
the captives acqainted.

The place was lighted by a lantern,
and through its murky glow Estell gazed
keenly, even anxiously, at the face of
his niece, Wild Nell.

A sigh of relief came from his lips
and he mused:

“ Beautiful—yes! But ignorant, I fear,
and devoid of the social graces.. How
could it be otherwise? Poor ch‘ild!—to be
dragged for years through the wilderness
by that hair—brained hunter, Abram Mo-
selle! ,

“ But she is yet young, and if her nat-
ural intelligence has not been dwarfed,
a skilled governess and tutors.should
put her in presentable shape In due
time.” '

These thoughts the astute old Judge
was most careful to keep to himself. He
bowed ceremoniously to the girl, warm-
ly grasped her slender hand, and, With
a smile, said: _

“ My little niece—my dear Edith! I am
happy indeed to greet you!

“That you are Ishmael’s daughter I
see, for your every feature recalls his
boyish, beardless face.”

From Wild Nell came a ﬁtting re-
sponse, sweetly in a modulated voice,
and the mountain waif’s conquest of
Ichabod Estell was complete. .

He was not only surprised, but

(1.
Ch'all‘lhrgejudge then turned to Old Betty,
grasped her claw-like hand, and warmly
thanked her for her care of the waif.

That done, the trio sat down to discuss
the situation.

CHAPTER XXXIV.
RAFAEL RENO'S mass.

Rafael Reno was in a quandary. Look
which way he would, his cunning brain
could discern no gleam of hope. .

He was crestfallen, too, for that stlng-
ing rebuke from Shasta Sam, so quickly
following the attempt at bribery, had dis-

et illusion.
pefileedhidplong held the theory that all
men could be bought, but that belief
had recived a decided shock at the hands
rkler.
0:831:38 Izﬁey slowly proceeded down the
gorge, the helpless miscreant was filn
anything but a pleasant humor, and e
bitterly cursed himself for the stupidity
which had thrown him into the power
enemy.

 
,v,»_,_< 93.

 
,._ n ‘\.J~:! .1.» "*.!~.‘

“Had my nerve not failed me~had I
only ﬁred when he ﬁrst leaped out from
cover, I could have killed him, and then
nothing would have stood in the way of
my success,” he thought, biting his lip.

“Curse it! There is something in the
man‘s make—up that causes one to weak-
en and falter when facing him thus, for
my nerve ﬂed completely when I recog—
nized him.

“ I have long had secret doubts of Kent
Keene’s courage, but I must admit that
he was bold indeed to face Shasta Sam!

“ Well, I am snared at last, and to re-
pine in useless. I must get my wits to
work and plot to escape, for I am cer-
tainly getting dangerously near to the
end of my rope! ”

Shasta Sam seemed to divine his pris-
oner’s thoughts, for he tightened his
grip on the fellow’s collar, and uncon-
sciously quickened his pace.

Arrived at the canyon mouth, the
Sparkler found that his men had not yet
come 11p, so,he forced his captive to a
seat upon a bowlder, sat down beside
him, and silently waited.

Nearly an hour had elapsed before the
leaders of the party were.heard, coming
slowly and cautiously through the dark
and dangerous pass.

Major Marker was the ﬁrst to arrive,
but the others were following closely in
single ﬁle.

All had halted in the basin to load the
pack animals with wood, for the night
was cold and the gorge a cheerless place
to encamp without ﬁre, while it was the
general belief that no attack could be
made before daybreak.

But the presence of Shasta Sam, in
waiting at the appointed spot, with the
chief of the Red Raiders a prisoner,
quickly altered this belief, and all wait-
ed most eagerly to hear the Sparkler’s
report.

The situation was tersely explained,
but Shasta Sam did not detail his plan
of attack, simply assuring the men that
he had so arranged the matter that there
could be no failure, if each promptly per—
formed the part assigned him.

Then the horses were led into the in-
tersecting gorge a short distance and
securely hoppled. Landlord Swift was
detailed to guard the camp and the pris-
oner, and the little army silently marched
away, with the Sparkler and Major Mark-
er in the lead. v

Left to himself, the landlord at once
threw his prisoner to the ground and
lashed his ankles together, then built a
ﬁre under the shelter of the overhanging
bank and settled down to enjoy his pipe.

Rafael Reno gazed at the lone sentry
a moment, with a peculiar gleam in his
dark eyes.

“ Peter,” he exclaimed, at length, strug-
gling to a sitting posture. “For heav-
en’s sake put up that pipe. You are
torturing me.”

“Oh, I am, eh? ” the landlord retorted.

“Yes, you are. You know that I am
an inveterate smoker. Now, I have a
Case of good cigars in my pocket, but
my hands are tied, and I cannot reach
one, much less light it.”

The captive spoke in a careless, good-
natured way, calculated to disarm sus-
picion; but the landlord was |wary, and
simply replied:

“ I reckon your hands’ll stay tied, too,
Kenneth Morgan."

“Certainly; that’s as good as sworn to,
with you on guard, Peter.

“ But I would be greatly obliged to
you if you would kindly take the case
from my p0cket, give me a cigar, and
help me to a light.”

The landlord pondered a moment.
Then, as there seemed to be no particular
harm in complying with the captive out—
law’s request, he rose and helped him
to the cigar and a lighted match.

“Thanks, Peter! You are a Christian
and a gentleman! ” Rafael Reno declared,
lying down again, but now upon his side,
and vigorously puffing away, while the
landlord returned to his seat. ‘

Then, for a brief spell neither spoke.

The captive was the first to break the
silence. ' _‘  v .

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“ I say, Peter! ” he exclaimed. " I would
like to be a free man once more! ”

“ I would, too, if I were in your place,
Kenneth Morgan,” was the grim re-
sponse.

“Yes? Well, what do you think I did
to-night? ”

“I give it up.”

“You may believe me or not, but I
offered Shasta Sam ten thousand in gold
to let me escape, and then promised to
leave the country forever."

“And he said ‘No’ !”

“Just that, Peter, with a good deal
added to it,” and Rafael Reno laughed
III a peculiar way, then continued:

“ But it would have been money wast-
ed, Peter, had we traded.”

“ How so?”

“Because I am going to be free, any
how! "

The tone in which this assertion was
made aroused Landlord Swift's suspi-
crons afresh, and he glanced quickly at
the captive, then made a desperate grab
for his repeating shotgun, which stood
against the bank a few feet away.

But he was too late.

The wiry form of Raphael Reno shot
through the air, and he descended fairly
upon the back of the landlord, crushing
him to the earth.

Then a vicious kick on the head
stretched the unfortunate boniface sense-
less, and Rafael Reno was indeed free.

Quickly appropriating his victim’s
weapons and cartridge belt. the outlaw
started toward the horses, but was
checked by the sharp rattle of ﬁrearms,
coming from the direction of the cavern.

“By heavens! If I hasten, I can slip
past those devils, gain the top of the
ridge, secure my own good horse, and
be in Blue Jacket, prepared for ﬂight,
long before they come in,” he muttered,
and he sprang out into the canyon and
walked rapidly toward the rendezvous.

“Yes, I am going to skip.” he contin-
ued. “If Keene feels able to travel, well
and good; if not, he can remain. Things
are getting too decidedly warm for me,
‘and the next time I fall down, Peter
Swift’s stupidity and kindness of heart
will not be at hand to help me up. But
for that cigarI could not have burned
the rope from my'wrists, and so freed
my hands to untie my feet!

“I’ve owed you one, my good friend
Peter, for siding in with this Shasta.
Sam against an old residenter like my—
self. but I reckon the deal is squared.”

Thus muttering and talking—one min-
ute chuckling as he recalled some espe—'
cially clever strokes he had made, the
next vowing deepest vengeance against
his enemies, Rafael Reno continued his
rapid pace until he had reached the head
of the gorge, where he cautiously crept
up the slope and slipped past the cavern
undetected.

Above, at the verge of the bluff, he.
paused to listen; but all was quiet. below,
save a low murmuring of voices deep
within the cavern.

“The Red Raiders have been routed
and the captives freed,” he decided, after
several minutes of patient listening, and
then he hastened on to the point at which
he had tethered his horse earlier in the;
night.

Mounting, he laid his course straight
for Blue Jacket, by a route known only
to himself and the members of the out-
law clan, and in a little more than two
hours dismounted at his stable door.

Just as his feet touched the ground
the door opened and Lph appeared.

“ Hi, dar, Marse Morgan! You am,
back, I see! ” the negro exclaimed, with
a broad grin.

“ Yes, Eph, but in a deuce of a hurry to“

go again!” was the grim response.
“ Saddle three of the best horses= in:
the stable, then put pack saddles and

leading halters on three more, and get‘

yourself ready for a long, hard ride."

“ Hi, Marse! I’ll do jes’ dat.”

“And, Eph! ”

“Marse Morgan, sah?”

“ Not a word to anyone that we are
going! This is a skip where we don’t
come back, and it’s not to be known.”
, _ . _,

""Jimx ‘ .w r A. ..s.~ ‘ . "‘  ...

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, Shasta, “"Sfam,

“the _ >.’Sp”‘arkiér. 

 
“ Right, sah! Yas, sah! ”

Leaving the astonished negro to the
performance of the task set him, Ken-
neth Morgan entered the house and pro-
ceeded straight to the library.

‘ Red Belt, the Sport, was up and in
waiting, and his dark eyes shone bright—
‘ ]y as he greeted the mayor.

i“ The tide has turned at last, Morgan,
3 and things are coming our way!" the
' gambler exclaimed, with a jubilant air.
“We’ve got Shasta Sam corralled so
'that nothing but an accident can save
him, and the accident is not likely to oc~
vcur!"

   
CHAPTER 'xxxv.
ItllllKiN lion's FIND.

Ribbon Rob had really divined the
2 mission of Shasta Sam and his party, and
,when he resumed his way and swept
: around the curve ,there was a broad grin
on‘his browned face. '

, “ I’il shorely bet ther Red Raiders with
ia'copper on ther stack, this hyar whirl! ”
he muttered, touching up his team with
ya sharp ﬂick of the whip. “Shasta Sam
3 may be on’y a plain, all-’round sport,
"I but I’m dinged ef he ain't win out on
every, outlaw‘s trail I’ve seed him jump!

   
ﬂown thar et Tombstone—he snared ther
'hull outﬁt, or i‘m a nacheral-born liar
-fer a fac’!

,f‘, Then thar was Black Bill’sband, over
at Durang‘o, an” Rio Grande Ralph’s lay-

es'suckers in spring, an’ I shorely feel
i‘tht’et ther Red Raiders aire up ag’in’ ther
some sort 0’ net! .

_' “ G’iang, Bill! Pete! " and the sharp
crack of the jehu's whip echoed loudly
on the crisp mountain air.

Then Ribbon Rob ﬁlled and lighted his
pe, and settled himself as comfortably
possible in the seat, and the old coach
filed and rumbled slowly onward after
dreary, haphazard fashion. ‘
Yet the pace was a steady one. and

    
«crippled. outfit until sunset, when Rib-
ban Rob suddenly put on the brakes
ganja drew rein. _ ,
~' Just ahead a man’s arm was thrust
t from the shelter of a bowlder, and
n) be hand, moving slowly to and fro,
*tv ' a blood-stained handkerchief!
7 loin/or fact?” the jehu muttered,
luring hard at that grim, signal. “Ef
“road-agents once more, they be shorely
led, an' no mistake! ” _
 Then. aloud, he hailed:
.,.‘-,‘ Hallo! Hallo! ‘ -
Show. yourself, critter, fer this buss
ate, an' I‘ve no time fer foolin’!
' Come out o’ ther bresh, an’ I’ll guv
&'~_llf,t~,_ but nary a step'il I budge off
“Straight an’ narrer way! ”
s only answer Was a deep groan,
my followed by a more frantic wav—
01’ that hand and arm, and then Rib--
_ "Bob, revolver in handnieaped down
hm)»the trailttrapidly advanced to‘ the
Mar, and peered over.
'l‘iie'si’ght'that met‘ his gaze was cer-
~, , lyta startling one.
 tiy tinder the shelter of the bowider
,‘the one who signalled, a man, near
3‘ death» if ‘appearances went for
 ',"while, beyondhim a few feet,
’ere‘iay a‘ second form, cold and dead.
That Ribon Rob was surprised goes
bout saying; but now that he par-
;v Eunderstood the case he was prompt
“ml ,‘ » r

.
..

'4

O1

  
c

  
,f carrying, halidragglng the sore-
n‘nded man from that dismal covert
ijhé trail, the “driver got him to
‘mch, when the passengers leaped
 helped, get him inside. '~ ‘
hen the dead body was dragged from
'r and lashed on the coach deck. when

  
bbon Rob said: ~ ‘, , l
‘1 thank Ye, herds. fer ther help ye’ve
.{an’ now I axes ye ter, look after

   
_ goat of ye kin help at; fer thar’s
Whack 0’ this, I reckon, ,whi'ch
ii p‘int ter more deviimint by ther
‘ misseslmy summit}
 i ‘do , ‘

., o  it he

“ Now, thar was Pistol Tommy’s gang]

ut et El Paso, both scooped in es easy.

hap-tnside.au' don’t let him tucker

 
into place on the seat, gave the horses
:1 inch start toward Blue Jacket.

Fully an hour after nightfall before the
coach drew up in front of the Idaho
liouse, but it was greeted by a gaping
crowd. The landlord was absent, as Rib—
bon Rob knew, so he explainedmatters
to the man in charge; then the wounded
pick-up was promptly carried in and put
to bed, while a messenger was hastily
dispatched to ﬁnd Dr. Samuels.

But Ribbon Rob (lid not delay to learn
the doctor’s verdict. There was a long
and hard run before him, and he was
now some three hours late.

80 be briefly reported the hold-up, had
his wheelers changed and new leaders
put in, mounted to his seat. and sounded
his horn.

At that moment Zetta Zebender came
hurriedly from the hotel, deeply veiled,
and entered the coach. With a last warn—
ing toot of the horn, Ribbon Rob cracked
his whip and the heavy vehicle rolled
away through the darkness.

It was the last seen of Zetta Zebender
in Blue Jacket; no effort.was made to
trace her, but it was afterward learned
she had entered a convent, and so we
here bid her farewell.

 
To say that Kenneth Morgan, or, as
we now know him, Rafael Reno, was
surprised at that exultant declaration
from Red Belt the Sport, is to state the
case very mildly.

He was not only surprised, but deeply
puzzled.

“Are you crazy? " he demanded in an
irritable way. “Shasta Sam cornered,
indeed!
routed completely! Estell and his niece
and Old Betty have beeh rescued, and the
Red Raiders wiped out or captured.

“ So coinpletely, in fact, has been our
defeat, that'I have ordered Eph to get
out the horses, that we may levant while
there is time!” . t '

The gambler’s expression changed, and
he looked nervous.

“ in that case, we are ruined,” he de-
clared. “ But, I do_not see how Shasta
Sam could have accomplished these won-
ders."

it may be well to remark here that
Major Marker and Landlord Swift had
been so secret in organizing the expedi—
tion for the Sparkler that its departure
had remained a dead secret to all in
Blue Jacket, until the arrival of Ribbon
Rob.

“1 do not. understand it, myself,” the
mayor candidly admitted. “But .I do
know that I have stated the, case very
closely. . a

“I may add, too, that Caleb Biedso.
has turned traitor and joined hands with
our enemies, and it was, perhaps, through
him that they worked." I

This bit of news was extremely an-
noying to Red Belt. and he gnach
savagely at' the ends of his mustache.
while Rafael Reno explained just what-
had\happened. .

“I reckon you've called the turn,” he
admitted, at‘ length. “ It looks very
much'as if we shall becompelied to go.

“ But there is yet just a single chance
of success,” helcontinu'ed. “ When Rib-
bon R‘ob.came’ in to-night he brought
with him one‘of our men. who was
wounded in the attack on Major Mark-
er' the other night, and who has since
been lying in hiding along the trail, un—
able. to get‘ back to the den. _

“This fellow, it turns out, is an out-
lawed son of Judge Estell, a ,d hates
Shasta Sam mest bitterly. an so has
sworn that the Sparkler is none other

than Dick Dread. the Red Raider'chief! V ,

"This story has taken like \wi‘idflre’in

the camp, and a mob is now organized

and in Waiting for the Sparkler, whom

. they intend to string up the‘moment he

appears.” , ‘ '
“ But. the idea. I
“I wonder that
sane men. can be gulled With such stuff! "
"Estoli _is.very circumstantial in his
account ,» a 6 gives some facts which
sheets ’ “caldhave-grest di
- I ' lease on trial

  
for. some

vEph

Why, man, the sport ‘has us.

is preposterpiis." Ra-’~
fuel Reno eitclaimed.

mcultyuin-

 
testimony ofrJehu Bill, with whom the
Sparkler came into Blue Jacket.

“The only Weak point in the case is,
that Estell vehemently swears that the
Sparkler is his own cousin, Daniel Es—
tell.”

“And with Judge Estell out of the
way, that would make the story only the
more binding, for there would be none
to controvert it,” the mayor observed.

Then the two men fell to talking in
lower tones, and as a result a fresh plot
was quickly evolved. .

It chanced that the ball from Shasta
Sam's rifle that morning had struck a.
bone and glanced without really pene-
trating the breast of the gambler, and,
aside from the soreness and tenderness
naturally resulting from such a wound,
he was little the worse for the duel, and
quite able to play a minor part in the
proposed undertaking.

Accordingly, Red Belt hastened to the
stable, to inform Eph of the change in
their plans and to give such instructions
as were necessary. '

Rafael Reno was differently employed.

The keen edge of a razor quickly re-
duced his luxuriant beard to a short mus-
tache and imperial. Then he changed
his clothing, donning a suit of tanned
buckskin, with slouched hat, boots, and
spurs.

When he had finished, so great was the
chanﬁtin his appearance that the negro

used to recognize him!

 
CHAPTER XXXVI.
ROI‘TING THE RAIDERS.

Halting. his little army in the shadow
of the bluff, a few paces from the cav-
ern entrance, Shasta Sam glided fox-Ward
alone and uttered a signal call agreed
upon between himself and Caleb Biedso,

It was one in common use among the
Red Raiders, and therefore not likely to
arouse suspicion or attract undue atten-
tion. ~
The call was promptly answered, and

then Bledso appeared from the cavern.

" The prisoner!| cannot be gotten out
without creating alarm and putting! the
Red Raiders on their guard against at-
tack,” he announced, in a cautious un-
dertone. “ The chief has been expected
all evening, and his failure to appear
has excited ‘the men somewhat.

“ All preparations for ﬂitting have, been
completed, and they are now merely
awaiting his coming." I ‘

“ Then we mum strike quickly," Shasta
Sam declared. “ As I understand the
1natter,'my men should have little difﬁ-
culty in getting fairly between the capt-
ives and their keepers.”

" The formation of the cavern certainly
favors such a move. But, in the event
ofran‘. alarm, your men must be prepared
to close in with a rush, for the place is
well fortiﬁed, and if you are once com-
pelledto retreat the game is up.','

“ There shall be no retreat," was the
incisive response. . ' '

“ Now, Biedso, if you will return and
take a position where‘you can guard
the captives against possible ham, 1,
will lead the men to thdattack.”, 

Caleb Bledso grasped the warmers-
lead, and ‘-re- _

hand, then inclined his‘ ‘
treated into the cavern. ' '
Returning to his men, Shasta Sam
quickly outlined thelsituation, explained
to each 'just whatwas expected of him,
then farmeddhem‘in Single ﬁle and led
the way into- the cavern. ‘ ‘
Silently , 'the\ seven rescuers glided
through the dark and winding passage,

until an abrupt bend in the coursegaVe ‘ '

them sires-and uninterrupted view of
the den’s interior. ‘ . .
The captiVeS. they could seawere cono’
fined in a sort of subcavern; connecting
with the main chamber by means of a
natural arch. ‘ , ‘ 
Just Within this arch was Biedso. talk-
ing to the guard. ‘ v
The entire cavern was lighted by means
of lanterns suspended from the walls,
while near the centre of the main cham-,
her were the remains of a. fire.
. is much had the... intrudersgnote

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“Forward, men, with a rush!” the
Sparkler shouted. himself leaping out
into the cavern. while the revolver in
each hand cracked rapidly.

A blood-curdling yell answered his
words, and then the six men from Blue
Jacket spread out, right and left, and
bore straight toward the gamely rallying
Red Raiders, ﬁring at every jump!

So sudden, so swift, so desperate, was
that onslaught, that the Red Raiders,
with half their number down, dead or
wounded, broke and shrank back, then
fled!

The guard in the ’subchamber had
sprung to his feet at the ﬁrst intimation
of an attack, but before he could draw
a. weapon he was seized by Caleb Bled-
so, disarmed, and, with the assistance of
Judge Estell, securely bound.

Leaving the pursuit of the ﬂeeing out-
laws to Major Marker and his men,
Shasta Sam hastened to the captives.

He found the work of liberation com-
pleted, and was at once warmly greeted
by his foster-father, Judge Estell.

“I knew you'd do it, Sam, my boy!”
the latter cried, his grim old face relax~
ing as he wrung the Sparklcr’s hand.

“ It hasn’t been an hour since I told the
ladies here that you'd surely turn up
just in the nick o’ time—as you always
do!

“ And, now, Sam, I want you to meet
an old friend, who has been tried and
found true—George Gilbert! "

Shasta Sam smiled
grasped Bledso’s hand.

“‘I had fairly uncovered your identity,
George,” he assured. “ But I wasn’t
quite sure, and so, perforce, deferred my

questions until a more opportune mo-
ment.

“Your voice sounded most familiar to
me, when I heard you communing with
yourself at the cavern entrance, and
then I recognized it.

“ I am most glad to meet you, George,

'for we had given you up as dead."

Bledso, was deeply moved by the
warmth and earnestness of these old
friends, and at once made haste to
change the subject. .4

“ I thank you, gentlemen, with all..my
heart,” he replied. I

“ But, with your permission, I win
now get out the horses, for we should
leave here as quickly as possible.

“ The Red Raiders embrace some thirty
men in all, and the fellows who have es-
caped may succeed in rallying others of
the band, return. and make it very warm
for us." ,

“ That is true,” Shasta Sam assented.
“We should return to Blue Jacket as

rl as ssible.”

9a’l‘h’en, lwhile Bledso hastened out to
secure‘horses for the party, the’Sparkler
turned to Wild Nell and Old Betty for a
moment’s conversation, ere going forth
to rally his scattered forces.

It required but a few minutes for
those hurried preparations. Then the
horses were led down into the gulch, and
the entire‘party mounted and slowly set
forward.

\ Arrived at the mouth of the intersect-
ing canyon, Landlord Swift was discov:
ered, sitting disconsolately before his
fire; gun in hand and pipe in ‘mouth.
“The devil's gone!" he grimly an-
nounced, rising to his feet as the party
rode up. “ He was too much for me, and
made his escape." ,
Then heterseiy told of Rafael Renos
cunning trick. ,

Shasta Sam's disappointment was most

I

' bitter, but no word of reproach passed

his lips. x
“ It was a case of ‘ had to be,’ I, reck—

on,” he remarked. “But it is a long,
long trail that has no end, and Rafael
Reno shall yet come to justice."

i “He has returned to Blue Jacket, Shas-
ta Sam,” Caleb Bledso declared. “Many
of the Red Raiders are denizens of that
, and he has hastened there for

I

“ “here is a short route across the
hills, ‘by which we can reach the camp
afoot by daybreak. If you say the word,

I

 
 game while the res ‘Of
. as

and warmly ’

party go‘ around by Dead Man‘s Canyon,
and thus cut off his escape by way of
the Rocky Bar trail.”

“ We’ll do it,” was the quick response.

“ Major, you take charge of the party,
and crowd the horses for all they are
worth, to get into Blue Jacket as early as
possible.”

Then hasty farewells and parting in—
junctions were spoken, and Shasta Sam
and his ally quickly retraced their steps
through the gulch to the cavern, where
Krboth ascended to the top of the bluff and
started rapidly in the direction taken by
Rafael Reno a short time earlier.

The,night was cold and clear and the
route comparatively smooth, so that the
'two were able to make splendid time,
and arrived on the outskirts of Blue
Jacket but little more than an hour he—
hind Rafael Reno. v

“ We’ll have to exercise no little can—
-tion in this matter,” the Sparkler sug-
gested. “Owing to the fact that many
of the Red Raiders belong in camp, we
are in constant danger of making known
our errand to the wrong man."

“I’ll be able to spot the members of
Reno’s crowd,” Bledso returned. “ It
is so near sunrise that we should be able
to gather a pretty fair army from the
various saloons, for the denizens of Blue
Jacket, as a rule, are pretty apt to get
up dry, and they’ll be out in force by the
time we round-up the camp.”

“ That is true,” assented the Sparkler.
“ And I suppose we might as well be-
gin with the Idaho House and go right
down the line."

This suggestion met with his aliy’s ap~
proval, and the two 'men at once laid
their course toward the hotel.

Caleb Bledso had taken off and thrown
away his mask, and as there was naught
else in his appearance or make-up to con-
nect hiin with the Red Raiders, he felt
that he had nothing to fear in boldly go-
ing anywhere.

As they approached the Idaho House
Shasta Sam unconsciously took the lead,
ﬂung open the'door and entered.

To his intense suprise, the barroom
was fairly crowded with men, and on his
appearance a general shout went up.

It required no second glance to tell
him that the throng was hostile to him,
and, with back against bar, he quickly
dropped his hands to his weapons.

“ Stiddy, sport! Don’t draw, ef ye love
life!” called the leader of the throng,
a. burly fellow, dressed as a miner, and
with the words he pressed the muzzle of
a cocked revolver fairly against the
Sparkler's head!

CHAPTER XXXVII.
cmsmo 1x.

Thus entrapped Shasta Sam could do
naught but yield, and in another minute
he had been disarmed and his hands se-
curely pinioned. ,

“ Now, Dick Dread, ye may say yer
prayers, fer yer time hes come," the
rough continued, as he tested! the bonds.
“ We’re the Vigilantes 0’ Blue Jacket, we
is, an’ we means te’r clean out ther Red
Raiders, root an' branch, so begins with
you! ” y . , .

“ But I am not Dick Dreadl—I am not
a Red Raider!” Shasta Sam declared,
with ﬂashing eyes. “ I am plain Sam
Shelby, sport! I’ve raided the Raiders,
scattered the band, and rescued their
captives during the night, as a dozen wit;
nesses will shortly prove."

I “ I demand a fair show and a trial-4'

“ A trial ye’ll git, too,” quickly cut in
the rough, Buck Collins by name. “ That's
jest what we’ll give .ye—a fair one, too,
but quick!

“Come, pards, two 0’ ye bring him
along, fer ef ther. wounded Red Raider
owns we’ve got ther chief, thet’s trial
enough, fer sure, ter hang him! " ._

A'shout of'approval went up from the
crowd, and then two of the roughs seized
Shasta Sam and hurried himinto the

 
Abner Estell!

    
“the two ,of us can take that route, atgdj t

it re‘ 1;;

  
dining room, and thence up stairs to the»
chamber in which.lay the dying putlaw, f V
. = ‘» . . ' cooland reliablernen, and 1.

th 

 
bustling entrance of the Vigilantes and“.
their victim, closely followed by Caleb

Bledso, Abner Estell rallied from his

stupor, and his sharp, bright eyes eagerly

scanned that group of faces.

“ Sam—Sam Shelby!" he ejaculated,
faintly, yet with a thrill of joy in his
unsteady tones, as his gaze met the
sternly handsome face of Shasta, Sam.

“Yes, Abner Estell—Sam Shelby,” the
Sparkler returned, not unkindly. “And ~
I am sorry, boy, that you have come to ‘ ’
this, for your father is now here, and
soon must know all.” ' 

“ My father, you say?” 

“Yes, your father. He was captured /'
from the Rocky Bar stage by Red Raid-
ers yesterday, but was rescued last night
and is now near here. .;.

“ And now, Abner Estell, do you know ,5
this man? ” and the Sparkler turned ‘
abruptly and inclined his head in the di—
rection of Caleb Bledso. ,

Slowly, carefully, the eyes of the mori- 
bund scanned the bronzed and bearded -
face before him; then he feebly shook his 
head.

“ I do not,” he muttered.
the eyes— ,_

“ Yes, by heavens! It is George Gilbert!

“ Great God! Why do my crimes rise
up to haunt my dying hour! ”

Wildly rang that cry, and the mori-
bund sprang half erect, to sink back
weak and limp, almost lifeless!

“ Have peace, Abner EstelL! ” spoke i
Bledso quietly. “I come not here! to
harm you;.the past has been made clear,_
and now that you are dying, I freely fore
give your sins against me! .

“ But here is one against whose life“
you are plotting even now—” * '

“ Yes! yes!” interrupted the wretched
outcast, groaning. “ Out of revenge f'
fancied wrongs I have tried to swear his
life away—to have him hanged as Die ..
Dread, chief of the Red Raiders! ,

“ But it is not too late to undo that
wrong and die with my conscience clear
so I now say to all that Samuel Shell»:
is guiltless of any crime. ~ 3

“ Dick Dread, the chief, lives in this
camp, but whether he is the man know;
as Red Belt, the Sport, or Kenneth M "
gan, I cannot sWear, but his identity
between them. ,

“ Both .hanged would be better
either living, for both are murderous W
cals, and are leagued in crime.” ,

Then a sudden sinking spell preven
further speech, and Abner Estell is;
back upon the bed, gasping for breath?

Buck Collins took off his hat, and
fully scratched his head. . ‘ ,

“I do reckon, Shasta Sam. that," 
owe ye an erpology‘, es ther teller 
he exclaimed. “ Dang me! We  3e .
critter's word, an’ took: at fer .st a; ,
too, an’ hev been layin’ fer ye all n 

“But now he takes et all back,’pfﬁ
we takes et all back, too, an' wishes "
good luck, while ye goes free!" . ‘

The bonds dropped from the Spar -
wrists, and with a curt nod to his-
while captors he recovered his w
and turned to the bed. . ,

Cale Bledso was bending 0903'
morib nd, busy with those emcee  ,
sential to the peace of the  "
with a simple word or two of  _ ' ¥
Shasta Sam quitted the spew
descended to the dining roping. 

Thatthe Sparkler was won! all I
and v nearly tarnished, goes wither;
saying; but he contented ‘ himssu,
then, with ordering his breakfast, '
sought Buck Collins in the' bar-room .
, That“ rough} but honest man wash:
ac; of drowiiing his disappoin“ ...
th unegpected climax to the .i ,
bee, in a glass 0f raw liquorirhu  ‘
ward from the Sparkler he w i
tention. V ~ 

Then Shasta Sam tenement)”
errand which had carried hi.“ I
Caleb Bledso to the cams afoot ,
morning, ahead of the main  ,
once enlisted the services, of 
’ The rough was to pick'a'haig r '

“ And yet—  

    
.‘y

   
’em, thoroughly armed '

   
; resumed their way,

Sparkler's lead against the stronghold
of Kenneth Morgan.

“ The man is mayor of Blue Jacket, I
know. but he was caught red—handed, and
I will be wholly responsible for the at—
tack upon his house,” Shasta Sam as—
sured, and then he produced a document,
which he handed to Collins for his in—
spection.

The authority bestowed by that paper
was ample to remove any uneasiness the
rough may have felt, and he bowed with
increased respect as he hurried away to
perform his work.

Not until then had Shasta Sam felt at
liberty to make amends for his long
fast, but now that the opportunity was
his, he hurried in to his breakfast.

Lena Swift was awaiting his appear-
.ance, and as he sat down at the table
she laced in his hands the packet of
papers left for him by Zetta Zebender.

A glance was sufﬁcient to establish
their value, for they related to the Estell
estate, and the Sparkler at once placed
them securely in his pocket, then opened
Zetta Zebender’s letter.

It was short and to the point. It was
dated at the IdahoHouse, Blue Jacket,
and ran as follows:

“Mr Shelby—Sir: Herewith you will
ﬁnd a number of the documents relating
to the case which has called you to Blue
Jacket Camp. There are others in the
possession of Giles Honeyfang, stolen
from me at the moment you so bravely
came to my rescue.

“Of the alleged crimes of my father,
Solomon Zebender, I know nothing; but
I hereby relinquish all claim to the so-
.called Estell estate, reserving only the
money which I have in my actual and
absolute possession and know to have
been my father’s.

“I trust that you may attempt ,to
give me no trouble concerning the Es-
tell estate. I go direct to a convent,

 there to remain, but I wish you contin-
‘ ued success.

Respectfully,
“ Zetta Zebender.”

“A peculiar girl, truly! ” he muttered.
“But she may go her way; my ﬁght is
not with her,” and placing the letter in
his pocket, he turned to his breakfast.

Scarcely had the meal ended, when
Buck Collins'appeared, to announce that
the men were in readiness.

“Mount then, Buck, for the fox may
break cover and give us a chase,” the
Sparkler suggested, hastily examining his
revolvers and riﬂe, “He’s one to die
hard.”

The rough chuckled. “ Right ye aire,”
he assented. “ But ther men aire in ther
saddle, an’ aire waitin’ fer you, Spark-
ler.”

 
At the point where the pathway lead-
ing to Kenneth Morgan's house joined
the northern trail, Shasta Sam and his
party met the returning expedition, With
Major Marker in the lead, and after a
few words of explanation on both sides,
Ithe forces were consolidated, Landlord

‘iSwlft continuing on to the hotel, with

Judge Estell, Wild Nell, and Old Betty.

At the head, now, of something more
than a dozen well-armed citizens, Shas-
ta boldly charged the mayor’s house, and
surrounded it.

A sharp hail, repeated twice, brought
no response; then the Sparkler dismount-
ed and tried the door. .

It was not locked.

“ They have ﬂed!” he exclaimed, in

' keen disappointment.

A short search veriﬁed his words, and
the party reassembled to return to Blue
Jacket; but, at that moment, a piercing

.' scream rent the air, and up from the

throats of Blue Jacket’s citizens came
a great shout of alarm. '

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
A GAME FIGHT.
Laughing and chatting in sheer light-

 
" ness of heart, now that the perils which

had hedged them were fast disappearing,
Landlord Swift and his little party had
to canter slowly

along the trail in to the camp. {

 
Shasta Sam, the Sparkler.

‘Sx

 
Arrived at the Idaho House, the land—
lord and Judge Estell dismounted, and
.both had turned to help Old Betty down,
when, with a swift clatter of iron-shod
hoofs, a horseman in buckskin dashed
up and seized Wild Nell!

A piercing scream broke from the lips
of the girl, and she struggled most des-
perately to escape; but the strong arm
encircling her trim waist deftly swung
her clear of her saddle, to a position in
front of the bold rider!

Then, with the speed of a rocket, the
doubly burdened horse leaped away,
while a great shout went up from the nu—
merous persons witnessing that daring
and reckless act. '

The horse all recognized as one belong-
ing to Kenneth Morgan, or Rafael Reno,
as we now know him; but the rider was a
stranger, for none knew the mayor in
his cunning disguise. '

Promptly both the landlord and Judge
Estell ﬂung themselves into the saddles
so lately vacated, and put spurs to
horses in quick and desperate pursuit.

But the animal bestrode by the outlaw,
being fresh and powerful, gained rapidly
on the jaded steeds of the pursuers, and
so swept out of camp fully ﬁve hundred
yards in the lead.

But from the northern end of Blue
Jacket there came a wild, fierce yell of
peculiar intonation, and down the sharp
slope thundered a ﬂeet, Clean—limbed
roan, bearing Shasta Sam!

By intuition, almost, the Sparkler had
divincd the meaning of that scream,
and the hoarse shout following. T0 at
once whirl his horse and dart away in
swift pursuit, leaving his dazed follow—
ers grouped before the mayor’s cottage,
was his act.

Major Marker was quick to rally his
wits, and, with a word to the men, he,
too, struck spurs to horse, and galloped
down the slope.

Although he had cleared the camp’s
conﬁnes in safety, Rafael Reno heard
that yell with a feeling of dread, and
with roweling Spurs urged on his power-
ful and ﬂeet home to greater efforts, for
he now knew that Shasta Sam had again
escaped and was on his trail!

But, swiftly almost as a meteor shoot-
ing through space, the roan thundered
down the hill and through the camp, at
the southern boundary, passing both
Judge Estell and Landlord Swift, and
sweeping out upon the lower trail in
rapidly gaining pursuit!

To the straining ears of Rafael Reno
there came the steady hoof-beats of the
roan, and his newly shaven face took
on a worried, hunted expression, while
his gleaming eyes glanced wildly from
side to side.

“Curse it! Can Keene and Eph have
deserted me," he gritted, through hard—
set teeth. “Now is the time, for an
ambush here 'Vvould rid us of Shasta Sam
and check pursuit!

“ But—Aha! ”

And' with that ejaculation, a cruel
smile parted his pale, thin lips. For,
snugly ensconced behind the bowlders
and huge rocks bordering the trail at
that point were Red Belt, the Sport, and
the negro Eph, one on the right, the
other on the left, but both mounted and
with weapons in hand!

” That will wipe out the score with
you, Samuel Shelby! ” Rafael Reno mut—
tered, in a voice of cold and sinister ex-
ultation. “With Kent Keene out of the
way I shall hold the winning hand for
both girl and fortune! ”

Wild Nell, having ceased to struggle,
was calmly biding her time—waiting for
a chance to escape; but at these signifi-
cant words her large, black eyes ﬂashed
right and left, to detect those lurking
forms, and from her lips burst a shrill
cry of warning:

“Look! Sam!—-look!—”

Savagely Reno stiﬂed that cry, and
beat down the slender hand pointing to
those deadly coverts; but, prompt as was
this action, it came too late, for the mis-
chief was done!

An answering shout came from the
\Sparkler, and almost instantly his trusty

‘. ,. v. 1‘ - ' ‘ \
'«i .‘f "i ,i_:,-. ,x' ' H

 
riﬂe sent bullet after bullet hurtling
among the rocks, fairly driving Red Belt
and the negro into the open trail, there
to fight for their lives! The noble roan
was now less than a hundred yards dis-
tant, running with free rein, while Shas-
ta sat at ease in the saddle, rifle in hand.

Both negro and gambler knew that the
game was up, unless the Sparkler could
be killed or driven from the trail, and
shouting like demons to encourage each
other, both boldly stood and opened ﬁre.

Then Shasta Sam was seen to swerve
in his saddle, while a tress of his long
brown hair ﬂoated gently to the earth.
At the same instant his rifle cracked, and
under its deadly aim the negro Eph
pitched head ﬁrst to the ground, a bullet
through his brain.

Desperate, now that he was alone and
hand .to hand with the Sparkler, Red
Belt spurred his horse directly across
the trail, dropped his riﬂe, and from the
revolver in each hand sent bullet after
bullet at his advancing enemy.

But his nerves were shaken and his
aim no aim at all. Shasta Sam dashed
straight ahead, and seemingly untouched,
in the face of that rapid ﬁre!

This was more than Kent Keene could
understand, and with a shout of terror
he wheeled his horse and galloped madly
after his ﬂeeing ally, Rafael Reno.

Once again Shasta Sam's riﬂe cracked;
the ball sped swift and true, and, with
a single sharp gasp of pain, Kent Keene,
gambler and desperado, pitched from his
saddle.

The other pursuers from Blue Jacket
were now in plain view, back on the
trail, and as they noted the fall of Red
Belt a great cheer went up, while each
urged his horse to greater efforts, to be
in at the death.

The other pursuers from Blue Jacket
were now in plain view, back on the
trail, and as they noted the fall of Red
Belt a great cheer went up, while each
urged his horse to greater efforts, to be
in at the death.

But the struggle was to end as it had
begun—single-handed! An unlucky step
of Rafael Reno‘s madly running horse
sent him down in a heap. The captive
was thrown clear of the trail, and fell
prostrate at the roadside, unconscious
or dead, while the outlaw himself landed
fairly upon his feet, to boldly face his on-
coming foe.

“ Stop,.curse you! Stand and ﬁght like
a man!” he shouted, jerking a revolver
from his belt and rapidly ﬁring.

But once more the aim of Shasta Sam
proved true and deadly, for, with the
crack of his riﬂe Rafael Reno dropped his
weapon, staggered forward, and sank
upon his face in the middle of the trail.

Hardly deigning his prostrate foe a
glance, Sam Shelby drew rein and dis-
mounted, to spring eagerly to the side of
Wild Nell, who, stunned by her fall, was
now struggling to her feet.

Reassuring words, in tones far from
steady, helped the girl to her senses, and
then-—

“Confound those fellows! What are
they coming for, now? ” Shasta laughed,
in a gleeful way, as he gazed tenderly
into the dark eyes of the happily blush-
ing girl. “ Just when I wanted the com-
pact made and sealed, too! ”

Wild Nell looked up the trail at the
approaching riders, then tossed her head
saucily, saying:

“ There’s time enough to think of that
later, Mr. Shelby, don't you think? ”

“Yes, Edith, dear; but the answer—”

“ Should be what—Sam?” .

“There! That’s better! Yes, I should
think, little one! I begin to believe you
need to have some one to look after you,
and—yes, I’m after the job! ”

“Well, you’ve earned the right to it,
Sam!” and Edith Estell’s slender hand
crept gently in the broad palm of her
bold wooer.

Then both started guiltily, for a sub.-
dued burst of laughter warned them that
the tete-a-tete was no longer a stolen
sweet!

“Et’s a puffectly safe bet ye’ve won
fust prize, Pard Sam! ” Major Marker ex-

  
31

 
ShaSta Sim, the Sparkler.

 
claimed, advancing with a broad grin on
his round, red face. “ But, 0’ course, this
hyar is bcchuxt ther three of us. Ef
mum’s ther word, mum she is! ”

 
CHAPTER XXXIX.
t'oxcm'siox.

The return to Blue Jacket camp was
in the nature of a triumphal procession.

In the van rode Judge Ichabod Estell
and his blushing niece; immediately be-
hind them were Shasta Sam and Major
Marker: then many of the camp's citi—
zens, mounted and afoot, while in the
rear was Landlord Swift, in charge of a
squad of men bringing in the bodies of
the dead outlaws.

Rafael Reno and Kent Keene had cer—
tainly paid a severe penalty for their
many crimes; but every honest man in
the camp breathed easier when it was
made known that with the death of these
two the career of Dick Dread had ended.

The Red Raiders, too, had been sadly
demoralized by that skillful night at—
tack led by Shasta Sam, and when the
tidings went forth that their leader was
dead they quietly disbanded.

The intelligence that Abner Estell was
at the Idaho House, and dying, was con-
veyed to the judge by Caleb Bledso in a
few cautiously turned sentences. When
the stern old father and the misguided
son were brought face to face there was
a scene, ending in reconciliation, and
Abner Estell died with good-will in his
heart’ for all men.

Several days passed before the camp
settled down to its normal condition;
then Major Marker was unanimously
elected mayor. And on that very day,
too. Ribbon Rob‘s stage brought, in the
shape of a bundle of official-looking doc-
uments, tidings that the mayor had won
his numerous “ suits," and was at last a
wealthy man!

Judge Estell, his niece Edith, and
Shasta Sam, did not tarry long in Blue
Jacket. 'They had secured all the evi—
dence necessary to recover Ishmael Es-
tell’s property, and departed, a few days
after the burial of Abner Estell, carry-
ing with them Old Betty Moselle, whom
Edith declared should remain with her
While both lived.

George Gilbert—~he whom we have
known so well as Caleb Bledso—had
proved that his desire to reform was sin-
cere. He became manager of the Good
Luck Mine, a part of the Estell estate,
and something like a year after the
events herein narrated wedded Lena
Swift, the landlord’s daughter.

And, of course, Edith Estell and Sam—
'uel Shelby, in due time, sealed the com-
pact we have seen them make, “ and ever
after lived happily.”

THE END. )

 
NEXT DIME LIBRARY, NUMBER 906!

The Cuban Cruiser;

03.

The Patriot Captain Aﬂoat and Ashore.

BY COL. PRENTISS INGRAHAM.‘,

 
Beadle's Dime library.

BY J. C. COWDRICK.

752 The Sus pct S rt of Daisy Drift.

32!; guest; S t 03 Iigbolbesmrt Detective. .
r1 ‘eri iwo . e latorof rr.
598 The Dominie Detective. in mp“ y-
591 Duke Daniels, the Society Detective.
580 Shadowing a Shadow.

565 Prince Paul,. the Postman Detective.
557 The Mountain Graybeal'ds: 0r, Riddles” Riddle.
519 Old Riddles, the Rock Ranger
499 Twilight Charlie. .the Road . port_

473 Gilbert of Gotham. the Steel-arm Detective.
452 Rainbow Rob, the Tulip from Texas.

436 Kentucky Jean. the Sport from Yellow Pine.
422 Blue Grass Burt. the Gold Star Detective.
390 The Giant Cupid: or Cibuta John‘s Jubilee. )

BY CHARLES MORRIS .
589 Prince H the Rsttlin Detective.

 
BY JOSEPH E. BADGER, JR.
898 Silky Steele, the Stay~in Sport.
881 The S otter-Sport‘s Neck-Tie Party.
870 High- Voter Mark; or. Silver-Tip Sid.
862 Riata Rob, the Range (‘ham )ion.
855 The C ~wbov Chief’s Sure-S lot.
84‘; The Rival Red-Hut SpUI‘iS.
837 Curly Kid. the, Cheyenne Sport.
821 The Soft Hand Detrctive.
815 The Soft Hand‘s Clutch.
809 Dan Dunn. the Soft—Hand Sport.
796 The Frisco lietcctlve‘s Thug-Tangle.
789 Sam Cary. the River Sptrt.
780 The Dead Sport's Double.
771 Prince John, Detective S ecial.
763 Dandy Don, the Denver ctecti've.
7.34 'l he Man from Texas; or, Dangerfield,
Doctor Detective.
744 Swee )stakes Sam, the Silver Sport.
720 The Secret Six; or, Old Halcyon.
712 The Man of Silk.
705 Bantam Bob, the Beaut from Butte.
693 Kent Kasson, the Prose 101‘ Sport.
683 Bob Breeze, the Rounder Detective.
675 Steel Surry, the Sport from Sunrise.
668 Solemn Saui’s Luck Streak
661 The Get-There Sharp.
651 Silverpip Steve, the Sky Scraper from Siskiyou.
645 Gopher Gabe, the Unseen Detective.
636 Dandy Darling, Detective.
627 Mossback Mose, the Mountaineer.
617 The Grip-Sack Sharp’s Even up.
597 Big Bandy, the. Brigadier of Brimstone Butte.
588 Sandy Sands, the Sharp from Snap City.
576 Silver-Tongued Sid: or, Grip Sack Sharp‘s Sweep.
564 The Grip-Sack Sharp: or, The Seraphs of Sodom.
555 Grip—Sack Sid. the Sample Sport.
547 The, Buried Detective; or. Saul’s Six Sensations.
541 Major Magnet, the Man of Nerve.
535 Dandy Dutch. the Decorator from Dead-Lift.
527 Dandy Andy, the Diamond Detective.
514 Gabe Gunn, the Grizzly from Ginseng.
504 Solemn Saul. the Sad Man from San Saba.
495 Rattlepate Rob; or. The Roundhead’s Reprisal.
488 The Theron hbred Sport. .
474 Daddy Dea —Eye, the Desnot of Dew Drop.
466 Old Rough and Ready, the Sage of Sundown.
458 Dutch Dan. the Pilgrim from Spitzenberg.
450 The Rustler Detective. .
443 A Cool Hand; or, Pistol Johnny‘s Picnic.
438 Oklahoma Nick.
433 Laughing Leo; or, Sam’s Dandy Pard.
426 The Ghost Detective: or. The Secret Service Spy.
416 Monte Jim. the Sleek Sheep of Bismarck.
409 Rob Roy Ranch: or, The Imps of Pan Handle.
40‘: The Nameless Sport.
395 Deadly Aim, the Duke of Derringers.
387 Dark Durg. the Ishmael of the Hills.
379 Howling Jonathan, the Terror from Headwaters.
372 Captain Crisp, the Man with a Record.
367 A Royal Flush: or. Dan Brown’s llig Game.
360 Jumping Jerry, the Gamecock from Sundown.
355 Stormy Steve, the M ad Athlete. A
351 Nor‘ West Nick. the Border Detective.
315 Masked Mark. the Mounted Detective.
339 Spread Eagle Sam, the Hercules Hide Hunter.
331 Chispa Charley. the Gold Nugget Sport.
324 Old Forked Ligh thing. the Solitary.
317 Frank Lightfoot. the Miner Detective.
Faro Saul. the Handsome Hercules.
292 Moke Homer, the Boss Roustabout.
286 Pistol Johnny; or. One Man in a Thousand.
283 Sleek Sam, the Devil of the Mines.
257 Death Trap Diggings: or, A Man ’Way Back.
249 Elephant Tom. of Durango.
241 Spitﬁre Saul. King of the Bustiers.
238 The Old Boy of Tombstone.
201 Pirate of the Placers: or, .103. uin’s Death Hunt.
197 Revolver Rob: or, The Belle 0 Nugget Camp.
180 Old ‘49; or. The Amazon of Arizona.
170 Sweet William, the Trapper Detective.
165 Joaquin. the Terrible
154 Joaquin, the Saddle King.
141 E uinox Tom. the Bully of Red Rock.
127 So Scott, the Masked Miner.
119 Alabama J 0e; Or, The Yazoo Man-Hunters.
105 Dan Brown of Denver: or. The Detective.
88 Big George; or. The Five Outlaw Brothers.
71 Captain Cool Blade: or. Mississippi Man Shark.
67 The Boy J ockey: or, Honesty vs. Crookedness.
64 Double-Sight, the Death Shot.
50 Jack Rabbit, the Prairie Sport.
47 Paciﬁc Pete, the Prince of the Revolver.
45 Old Bull‘s-Eye, the Lightning Shot.
40 Long-Haired Pards; or. The Tarters of the Plains.
30 Gospel George: or. Fiery Fred. the Outlaw.
28 Three-Fingered Jack, the Road-Agent.

BY CAPT. FRED. WHITTAKER.

614 The Showman Detective; or, The Mad Magician.
609 The Texas Tramp; or, Solid Squl.
445 Journeyman John. the Champion.
412 Larry Locke. the Man of Iron.
406 Old Pop Hicks, Showman.
878 John Armstrong, Mechanic.
326 The Whitest Man in the Mines.
810 The Marshal of Satanstown', or. The League-
803 To Notch Tom, the Cowboy Outlaw.
295 Oil Cross-Eye, the Maverick-Hunter.
290 The Lost Corvette: or, Blakeley's Last Cruise.
284 The Three Frigates; or Old Ironsides’ Revenge.
277 The Saucy Jane, Priva car.
272 Seth Slocum. Railroad Surveyor.
265 Old Double-Sword; or, Pilots and Pirates.
25'} A Yankee Cossack; or.The Queen of the Nihilists.
24¢ Alligator Ike: or, The Secret of the Everglsde.
242 The Fog Devil; or, The Ski r of the Flash.
230 The Flying Dutchman of 1 .
226 The MadHuasars; or. The 0's and the Mac‘s.
215 Parson Jim, King of the Cowboys.
211 Colonel Plunger; or, The Unknown Sport.
206 OneE e. the Cannoneer.
198 The an in Red; or, The Ghost of the Old Guard.
187 The Death’s Hgad Cuirassiers.
174 The Phantom Knights.
159 Red Rudiger, the Archer.
132 Nemo, King of the Tramps.
115 The Severed Head; or. The Castle Coucy Secret.
108 The Duke of Diamonds.
98 The Rock Rider; or. The Spirit of the Sierra.
96 Double Death; or. The S y of Wyoming.
69 The I sh Ca taln. ATa e of Fontenoy.

the

 
BY “’M. G. PATTEN.

810 Fire-Eye. the Thug’s Terror.

795 Old Night-Hawk, the Crook Shadower.

768 The Prin 'e of New York Creoks.

756 Old llurke, the Madison Square Detective.

747 Double-voice Dan‘s Double Disguise.

715 Double-Voice Dan on Deck.

70: Double—Voica Dan, the Always-on-Deck Detective
696 Double-Voice Dan, the Gorit Alone Detective. u
669 The Sparkler Sharp.

676 Hurricane Hal. the Cowboy Hotspur.

669 Old True Blue. the Trusty.

66?! The Giant S ort: or. Sold to Satan.

656 Old Plug Uiprly. the Rough and Ready.

619 Gold Glove Gid, the Man of Grit.

Aztec Jack, the Desert Nomad.

6'31 Colonel Cool. the Santa Fe Sharp. .
602 Cs tain Nameless. the Mountain Mystery.

571 Olr Dismal. the Range Detective.

545 Hustler Harry, the Cowboy Sport.

BY GEORGE C. JENKS.

Silver Sam. the Shasta Sport.

The Silver Sport’s Double.

The RaceCourse Detective.

The Hayseed Detective.

Ca tain Corden, the Twister Detective.

Wi d Pete the Broncho-Buster Detective. .

‘ Fearless Sam. the Grand Combination Detective.
Boston Bob. the S wort Detective.

572 Jaunty Joe, the ockey Detective.

54 Mad Sharp. the Rustler

539 Rube Rocket. the Tent Detective.

526 Death-Grip, the Tenderfoot Detective.

507 The Drummer Detective.

432 The. Giant Horseman.

898 Sleepless Eye, the Paciﬁc Detective.

BY PROF. J. H. INGRAIIAM.

316 Lnﬁtte‘s Lieutenant: or. Child of the Sea.
314 Laﬁtte; or. The Pirate of the Gulf. *
118 The Burglar Captain: or. The Fallen Star
113 The Sea Slipper; or. The Freebooters.

BY PHILIP s. wanna.

802 Dan Dirk, King of No Man’s Land.
58% Captain Adair. the Cattle King.
567 Captain Midnight, the Man of Craft.
544 The Back to Back Pards.
522 The Champion Three.
502 Bareback Buck, the Centaur of the
472 Six Foot Si ; or, The Man to “ Tie To.
4‘31 California Kit, the Always on Hand.
401 Silver Sid; or, A “ Daisy ” Bluff.
380 Tiger Dick’s Pledge: or, The Golden Serpent.
359 Yellow Jack. the Mestiro.
3‘36 Jack Sands. the Pass of the Town.
299 Three of a Kind; or. Dick, Despard and the Sport.
260 Tiger Dick‘s Lone Hand. .
251 Tiger Dick vs. lron Despard.
207 Old Hard Head: or. Whirlwind and his Mare. ,
171 Tiger Dick. the Man of the Iron Heart.
114 The Gentleman from Pike.
80 A Man of Nerve; or. Caliban the Dwarf.
54 Always on Hand; or. The Foot-Hills Sport.
29 Tiger Dick, Faro King: or. The Cashier’s Crime. ‘
4 The Kidnapper; or, The Northwest Shanghai. g
1 A Hard Crowd: or. Gentleman Sam’s Sister. 7

BY CAPTAIN MARK WILTON.

323 Hotspur Hugh; or, The Banded Brothers.
311 Heavy Hand: or, The Marked Men.

305 Silver-Plated So], the Montana Rover.

291 Horseshoe Hank. the Man of Big Luck.

285 Lightning Bolt, the Canyon Terror.

276 Texas Chick. the Southwest Detective.

271 Stoneﬂst. of Big Nugget Bend.

266 Leopard Luke. the ing of Horse-Thieves.
263 lron-Armed Abe, the Hunchback Destroyer
258 Bullet Head, the Colorado Bravo.

245 Barranca Bill the Revolver Cham ion
237 Lon Haired ax; or, The Black 
227 Buc shot Ben, the Man-Hunter of Ida
223 Canyon Dave, the Man of the Mountain.
219 The Scorpion Brothers; or. Mad Tom’s Minimal
202 Cactus Jack, the Giant Guide.

194 Don Sombrero. the California Road Gent.

176 Lady Jaguar, the Robber Queen.

BY OLL GOODIES.

619 Kit Bandy & Co , the Border Detectives.
148 One-Armed Alf, the Giant Hunter. i
137 Long Beard. the Giant 8% g

99 The Giant Riﬂeman: or. ild Camp Life. ,
t 51 Red Bob. the B0 Road-Agent. ‘

48 ldaho Tom. the oung Outlaw of Silverland.

46 Bowie-Knife Ben, the Nor’west Hunter.

44 Old Dan Rackback, the Great Exterminator

43 Dakota Dan. the Reckless Ranger. ,'

7 Death-Notch, the Destroyer.

BY LEON LEWIS.

797 Pistol Tommy. the Miner Sharp.

785 The Down East Detective in Nevada.

773 Buffalo Bill's Ban: or, Cody to the Rescue.

699 The Cowboy Couriers.

686 The On-the-VVing Detectives. ‘ . .
624 The Submarine Detective: or, The Water Ghouls.
484 Captain Ready. the Red Ransomer.

481 The Silent Detective; or, The Bogus Nephew.
456 The Demon Steer.

428 The Flying Glim; or, The Island Lure.

b-A

P‘lainﬂt

-xh—- gnu ¢ ~.. .- .

8.
0|

BY DB. NOEL DUNBAB.

886 The King of Crooks.

858 Number One. the Dead-set Detective.

850 The Planter Detective. .
730 Duke Despard, the Gambler Duelist. ~ 1,.
604 The Detective in Rails: or, The Grim Shadower. -»
500 The True~Heart Pards.

A new issue every Wednesday ..

Beadle’s Dime Library is for sale by all
Newsdealers. ten cents per copy, br sent by mail on
receipt of twelve cents each.

READLE AND ADAMS, PUBLIBEIIS,

 
65 The R Ra. ah; or, The Scourge of the Indies.

 
330 Cop Colt, t e Quaker ty Detective.

 
 some,  ;,

 
89 The Russian Spy; or. The Starry Cross Brothers.

' 98 Witnuu Sr. Nrw Yonz.

  
. {$119. ,2

’ " lull. all on. in all. M... “

 
904 Buffalo Bill's Tangled Trail: or. Gentleman Jack,
the. Man of Many Masks. By Col. 1’. lugralmin

900 Buffalo Bill’s Rough Riders; or, Texas Jack's
Sharp-showers, By (‘ol. Prentiss Iiigraliaiii.‘

895 Buffalo Bill's Secret Allv; or, The
Double. By Col. Prentiss Iiigraliani.

890 Buﬁalo Bill’s Life-Stake; or, The Plodged Three.
By Col. P. Ingraham.

882 The Three Bills: Buﬁulo Bill,Wild Bill and Band-
box Bill; or, The Bravoin Broadcloth. lngrahani

874 Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Bravos; or, The Card
Queen's Last Game. If; Col. P. Ingraliain.

Texuii‘l-t

Death-Run. By Col. Prentiss Ingraham.
851 Buffalo Bill‘s Double Dilemma; or, The Great

773 Buffalo Bill’s Ban; or, Cody to the Rescue. By

Loon Lewis.

Bull'an Bill‘s Sweepstake; or, Tho Wipe-out at

Last Chance. By (‘01. Prentiss lngmliaiii.

765 Buffalo Bill’s Dozen; or, Silk Ribbon Sam.

Col. Prentiss Ingraliain.

Buffalo Bill’s Masrot; or, The Death Valley

Victim No. 13. By Col. Prentiss lngraham.

757 Buffalo Bill‘s Double; or The Desperado Detec-
tive. BV Col. Prentiss liigraliani.

750 Buffalo Bill’s Big Four; or, Custer’s Shadow.
By Col. Prentiss lngralam.

76.

By

76

p-A

Col. Prentiss Ingraham.
7‘27 Buﬂalo Bill’s Body Guard: or, The Still Hunt of

599 The Dead Shot Nine: or. My Pards of the Plains.
By Buffalo Bill.

517 Buffalo Bill's First Trail. By Nod llunllino

414 Red Renard. the Indian Detective: or. The (lolll
Buzzards of Colorado. By Buffalo Bill.

401 The One-Armed Pard. By Buffalo Bill.

397 The Wizard Brothers; or. White Beavers Trail.
By Buffalo Bill. ,

394 White Bwver. tho Exile of tho Platte; or, A
Wrongod Man’s Rod l‘rail. By Buffalo Bill.

362 Buifalo Bill’s Grip; or, Oath-bound to Custer.

7.13 luﬂ'alo Bill’s Flush Hand; or, Texas Jack’s ,
869 Buffalo Bill’s Road Agent Round-up;01313“l Mys- Bravos. By CJL Prams; Ingmham By Col. Prentiss Ingraham.
“Brion! Mailked Man ‘11 “"10"- BY 1'- Ingraham- 739 Buffalo B‘ll’s Blind; or, The Masked Driver of 329 Buffalo Bill's P'sze: 0h The League of Three
 868 Buffalo Bill’s Deatheharm; or, The Man With Death"! Canyon. By Col. Prentiss Iryzraham. ByCOL 1" I“’"‘“‘“"‘-
53, the Scan By (LL premiss Inzmham_ 735 Buffalo Bill and His Merry Men: or. The Robin 319 Wild Bill, the Whirlwind of the West. By Buf-
857 B R I Bm R In h T P Rm Hood Rivals. By Col. Prentiss Ingraham. falo Bill.
‘3: uszr, he on 's r , r ..
u a 0 ’5'“ 0 y 9" 731 Buffalo Bills Beagles, 01‘, bllk Lil-“SO NHL 133’ 304 Texas Jack. the Prairie Rattler; or, The Queen

of the Wild Riders. By Buffalo Bill.
213 The Pilgrim Sharp; or, The Soldier‘r Sweetheart.

 
Scout‘s Big Three. By Col. P. Ingraham’ the Hills. By Col. Prentiss lngraham. By Buffalo Bill. Government Scout and Guide.

 
9

”Q-vawul m'.<a\~« ‘

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'911'1199AA PllAA 3.1118 01911118

 
Buffalo Bill as Hero and Author.

 
’ BUFFALO 13111..

f‘ . I ‘ l

722 nuaolo Bill on the War Path; or, Silk Lanna

189 Wild Bill': Gold Trail; or, The Desperate Down
Sam. the Will-o’4he- Wisp. By Col. P. Ingram. '

m Mala Bill'- nedoirlo no.5; or. rm. Jack‘s
By Col. P. Ingraham

DuthrShot. By Col. Prentiss Ingmham. h

.93. The ﬂinch Klnt Dead-3h“; 0'. Ten. 3”" 716 Buifalo Bill‘s Scout Shadows"; or. Emerald Ed 175 Wild Bill's Trum Card; or. The Indlnn Heirs“ .
on. ' PW- 3! Dunno Bm- of Devll‘s Acre. By Col. Prentiss lam-atom. By Col. Prenliss in. I I
 " a” 3mm 3"" Bo" m Blue; 0" The “one - - 168 Wild Blllthe Pistol Dead Shot: or. Dagger Don's
' « mm 710 Buffalo Bill Bodied, or. The Deserter Desper Double. By COL m .

. Band’s Blot-out. By Col. P. Ingraham.
 '8” Douala Blll‘l Sharp-Shooters; or. The Surgeon
, Scout to the Rescue By Col. P. lnzrahom.
at Marlo Bill‘s Bot-t war; or. Montebello the Gold
Img. By 001. Prentlu lngrohom.

odb’s Deﬁance. By Col. P. Ingraham. -|
09! Buﬂalo\Bill’i-i Buckakln Brotherhood; or, Open
lug Up a. Lost Trail. By Col. 1’. lngraham.

091 Buﬂalo Bi 1': Blind Trail; or. The Daughter of

158 But " I'Chld ot,8ooutu- or The Doomeo
Doze‘n‘? By r. Frank Powell.’ ’

11" mania Bill‘sSt Pard' or. Dashin Dand .
‘ Theﬁxupur of the ills. By Major DFBurr. y

r / ,3!) White Beaver”: Still Hunt; or The Minor him the Regiment. 3M0]. Prentiss Ingraham. 92 Bum.) 3111, the Buckskin King; or, the Amazon
3 h r faunas-’5 Death—Track. By Buffalo Bill. . ass Baguio Bulls Secipt Serylce Trail. By Major of the West By Major Dangerﬁeld Burr.

 "016 ammo Bill's Rea Trail: or. The Road-Rider Dangerﬁeld Burr. . , 33 Gold Bullets rt: rr. the Knights of the Over-
“  Renegade”: Run-Down. By Col. P. Ina: alum. 667 MW) Bi".3 swoop; on the m of um um“. land. By Bu 310 Bill.

401! Buﬂalo Bill'l Death-Knoll: or, The End hand
’ Elder“: of the Rockies. By Col. P. lnéraham.
' . em Wild Bill, the Wild West Duelist; or The Girl
" We! Moonlight Mine. By Buffalo 8.1].
‘r 800 Wild Bill, the Dead Center Shot; or. Rio Grande
:3 . _ Ralph, the Cowboy Chief. By Buﬂalo Bill.
I 794 Buﬂ'alo Bill's Winning‘ﬂhnd: or. The Masked
’ ‘ Woman of‘tbe Colorado Canyon. By lograbnm.
787 Buﬂalo Bill’s Dead Shot' or, The 8* claim Scout
ol the Colorado By 00 . Prentiss lngraham.

in Bosnia Bill‘s! Brand: or. The Brimstone Brother-
' hood. By Col. Prantlas Ingrahum.

52 booth Trailc-r. the Chief of Sroutr rr. Lifeand

B 001. Prentiss In aham. .
y m oio Bill

658 The Cowboy Clan, or. The Tigress of Texan. Love!!! “Frontier Fort. By But! .
By Colonel Prentiss Inmham. ‘
‘653 The Lasso King's League; or. The Tigers of NEW Issuns' ’ ’ ’
Texas. By Colonel Prentiss “graham. 905 Shasta Sam, the.8parkler; or. Kent Keenes ’ ‘
649 Buck Taylor. tho Saddle King. Buffalo Bill’s KJ'OCk'Out. By John  08b“-
 f of  B   Ingmhlm‘ 906 The Cuban Crulsur; 0" Patriot cu m“ 
e ‘ y ‘ ' s . and Ashore. By CoL ntiss Ingra m.
644 Buffalo Bill’s Bonanza; or, The Knights of the v d
saver Circle. By Col..P. Inmbom. ~ 7. Aname "mm W-
639 The Gold King; or. Montebello, the Magniﬁcent. Boodle». Dim. Library is for solo by all
By Buﬂalo Bill. lewsdealei-s. ten cents per copy, or sent by mull on . .y
029 Butlalo Bill's Dating Role: or, Dareiollth Dick (ocelpt of twelve cents each. BEADLE a: ADAMS. ‘ .

Men at. Grand Canyon. By Col. R. Inmlmn. lung or tho Carbon, By noon new . Publlnhorii. as William ureet. New York, ' ’

 ' ‘ r > \ I I  t

 ,. , l!»

 
117 Domain Bill’s spy Shodnwer; or. The Masked
:1...

1