St. George Rathborne

“ All your cunning cannot save him from Stareyes' blade. We are in the play, and a human life is the stake. Go out and betray me if you care to, but remember that the lips of Stareyes can utter truths which may seal the doom of the American detective!"
It was a critical situation for the Quaker.
Stareyes was determined, and her bosom rose and fell like the ocean tide while the threat passed her lips.
Her hands seemed to lose blood, and her eyes emitted sparks of light akin to fire.
Old Broadbrim looked down into her face, and stepped back.
"You're safe," said he. ”

“ Whom do you serve in this part of the island?"
"I serve myself!" cried Danny, his little eyes blazing like stars. "I'm an old man who does no wrong, but I come from Melbourne, now and then, on business."
"The business of a spy!"
The next minute Old Danny sprang up with the agility of a cat and his face seemed transformed.
In one of his bony hands he gripped a dagger, which he threw above his head with all the fiendishness of a thug, and in another instant he made at Old Broadbrim like a panther.
But the detective threw up one hand and caught the descending arm in a grip of steel. ”

“ Old Broadbrim waited, with his hand on his revolver.
In a little time the man arose and stood erect—a tall, wiry, dark-skinned native, with great black eyes and a shock of raven hair.
He sprang to where the detective was and rested his large hand on his knee.
"They come to-night, captain," he said.
"Who—the bandits?"
"Captain Blacklocks and his robbers."
"You have seen them, then? Where are they?"
"Over the hills there," was the answer. "They are getting ready for the swoop. They will burn the houses and strip the woman's treasury. You must fight for your lives." ”

“ The ranch house was in flames!
"It is the girl's work," thought the detective. "She plays a desperate hand, but the right one just now."
Already he saw the moving forms of men in the rapidly increasing light, and the following moment he was in the saddle riding like the wind toward the scene.
The men of the ranch were fighting the flames with all their might, and Old Broadbrim threw himself into the work with his accustomed agility. ”

“ Merle was looking Old Broadbrim squarely in the eye and his gaze seemed to transfix him like a lance.
"It's a bargain, eh?" he cried.
"I'll try," said Old Broadbrim.
"That's all I ask. I know if you 'try' we'll get rid of this pest in skirts. Don't mince matters, Riggs. Let her have the full benefit of your grip and that will be sufficient."
Old Broadbrim cast his eyes down the ravine and seemed to measure the distance to the bottom mentally.
"Stareyes is cunning and cool. I have stood before her and seen her orbs flash like twin stars. ”

“ They had come to surprise Ranch Robin at last.
Merle stood at bay till the band came, and Old Broadbrim, crouching behind a tuft of grass, held his breath, but clutched his repeating rifle with firm hands.
Merle was seized at once.
His hands were tied behind his back, and then the bandits consulted.
Suddenly one of them turned to their prisoner.
"Where's the money?" he demanded.
Merle's answer was a defiant oath.
"Come! we can't stand to be cursed. Where's the money? In the big house or in the little one? You'll be a dead man in ten seconds if you don't spit out the truth." ”

“ He fell back with the prisoner in his grip, for he had looked into the scarred face of Old Danny of Melbourne.
The detective dragged his man back to the hotel and forced him up to the room to which he had been assigned.
There he thrust the old man into a chair and looked triumphantly at him.
Old Danny showed a pair of blazing eyes and growled like a maddened beast.
"You've left Melbourne, I see?" said Old Broadbrim.
No answer.
"Who pays you to watch people on the street?"
"No one. I was watching no one." ”

“ CHAPTER XXIV. THE QUAKER'S TRUMPS WIN.
Sharp and clear was the report of Belle Demona's revolver.
The three horses in the street stopped, and one of the riders pitched forward, but did not fall to the ground.
With a cry that welled from the depths of her heart, the woman in the alley stood as one transfixed with horror.
"The wrong man!" she exclaimed.
In another moment a horseman dashed into the alley, and the queen of the ranch, with smoking revolver in her hand, stood undecided.
"You? I thought so," said a voice as a man leaned over the saddle and clutched her arm. ”

“ I snuff out the light, and in the darkness we fight it out forever."
"Why not in the light?" asked Old Broadbrim.
"Let it be in the dark," was the answer.
"But thee had light when thee struck Custer Kipp down in the library of his own house!"
There was a slight start on the murderer's part, and his eyes for an instant sought the floor.
"Never mind that. You are an indefatigable tracker; never heard of your like. Trailed from New York, I have been in the shadow of your hand long enough. But it must end now—in this house!" ”

“ Those who knew the man would have called him Merle Macray, and his well-rounded figure, dressed in a rich ranch costume, was shown off to advantage.
"Wait!" said the girl through her clinched teeth. "My time will come, and then you will feel the vengeance of Stareyes. I never forget, monster, and by and by the hand of fate will fall and smite you. It can't always last thus. You can reign on the ranch as its king, but here and elsewhere you can't play out your hands and chuckle your satisfaction. ”

“ Old Broadbrim dropped his voice to a solemn whisper.
"Look here, Danny," he said, "the man is dead."
"What, the person who incurred Belle's vengeance at Monaco?"
"Yes."
"Does she know it?" cried the old man. "Did you tell her?"
"She knows it. Not only this, but Merle went to America months ago charged with a commission from her."
"To kill him?" exclaimed Danny of Melbourne, his face losing every particle of color and his eyes seeming to leap from his head.
"Do you think Merle would cross the sea to serve Belle Demona?" quietly asked the detective. ”

“ You will probably find me in the fight when it comes off; but I can't take service under Captain Merle."
"Why can't you?"
"I—don't—like—the man."
"Very well. We will hold the ranch to the last," said Old Broadbrim. "If Blacklocks knew this perhaps he would postpone his swoop."
"Not he! You don't know him," cried Black George. "He has sworn a great oath that by to-morrow not one of you shall be alive, and that the gold in the treasure house shall be in the pockets of his bandits."
The native cast a hasty glance over the landscape behind him and drew back. ”

“ He had virtually done so, for he caught him in the bush, and, under guard, had brought him back across the ocean to expiate his terrible crimes within a few blocks of the spot where he had perpetrated them.
"It's just like Josiah Broadbrim," said Clippers, in an outburst of enthusiasm. "He always gets his game, no matter where it hides, nor how long the trail is. Old Broadbrim is as certain as death and taxes. ”

“ Captain Blacklocks, the man who led the robbers last night, will have revenge. You didn't kill the man, though his friends dragged him away. He will come again, and some night, unless we strike soon, the ranch will crumble before the flames, and Merle and Belle Demona will end their careers in the light of the burning bush palace. These bandits of the desert are men of purpose and demons without mercy. They will avenge the battle of last night, and if they ever get hold of you as Roland Riggs, the guardsman, you will never see the flag of your land again. ”

“ Guided by the man who had come in the nick of time, Waters went up the steps into the starlight.
"This way," whispered Briggs.
Three minutes later the rescued man stood some distance from the blackened ranch house, and Briggs' hand pointed toward the south.
"You know the way to Perth," said he. "To be found here means death."
"But Riggs," said Waters, "is he back?"
"He is over there; but don't stop for him; Riggs can't help you at Robin Ranch. He has all he can do to care for himself. You must go or die here, Dick." ”

“ The stern face of the detective did not soften.
"Who is Roger Reef?" he asked.
"A man who used to look like you, but I see now that you're Riggs and no one else. All's well out here, I suppose?"
"Yes, but, Captain Merle, if I am suspected of sailing under an alias here, let me mount my horse and turn my face at once toward Perth."
Old Broadbrim handed his rifle to the rancher and started toward the house, but the hand of Merle stopped him.
"Not for the world!" cried Merle. "We can't spare a man like you just now. It's all right, Riggs. I call you by your true name, you see. ”

“ One bright morning while Clippers was in the act of opening his little house near the famous alley in New York, a footfall greeted his ear, and the next moment he fell back with a cry of astonishment.
Old Broadbrim stood before him.
"Back!" cried Clippers. "I'd given you up, and Hargraves and Irwin are still at fault. They declare that the mystery of Fifth Avenue is as dark as ever, and no one can throw any light upon the death of Jason Marrow."
"Wait, Clippers," smiled the detective. "Wait till you see Merle, the murderer——"
"What, did you find him?" ”

“ It would be death."
"I know that, girl, but I am ready to face the worst."
"Then play fair with me. If I avenge myself you need not be troubled with taking a man across the sea. Stand back, sir, and let Stareyes take care of the inmates of Ranch Robin."
Old Broadbrim was not inclined to do this.
The girl should not baffle him nor throw him for a moment off the bush trail.
"I understand. You don't intend to do it!" she cried. "You have made up your mind that I am to be brushed aside, and treated like a viper which one finds in one's path. You intend to dare me to do my worst. Beware, sir!" ”

“ Belle Demona listened closely, and did not lose a word.
Old Broadbrim told of life in the far West, of living in Omaha and beyond, but said nothing of the Eastern cities.
"It is strange to me, Mr. Riggs, that you never visited the great cities on the eastern seaboard of the United States," said she.
"I liked the West and its free life too well."
"But there is excitement in New York; there is real life in any large city, and the free-and-easy career one can run there is equal to the one the plains afford."
"You must know something of the cities, Miss Belle?" said the detective. ”

“ The robbers of the desert might burn the buildings overhead, and miss the treasure which would be safe despite the flames.
"Isn't it worth fighting for?" asked Belle Demona.
The detective nodded and continued to gaze at the alluring sight.
"Would you know how much is here? I scarcely know. None of us can tell. The wealth is almost fabulous, for sheep raising in Australia is profitable, and here one turns one's money fast. But it is worth fighting for against all the ranch plunderers in the land. A part of it is yours, Riggs, if you stand by us." ”

“ Suddenly the figure of Belle Demona loomed up before him as she directed the men still at work on the remnants of fire.
"A deadlier viper than that never lived in the bush," said Waters, as he watched her. "But for her Riggs would not be here looking for Merle, and she would slay on the spur of the moment. Her sting is death." ”

“ There are eyes about the ranch as keen as yours and you know that Demon Belle hates you like a viper."
"On that score there's no love lost," laughed the girl from Perth. "Wait till we stand face to face, as we will some day. Then you shall see this proud woman, this adventuress, cower before me and beg for mercy."
"The ranch queen? I don't know about that," smiled Old Broadbrim.
"Wait and see."
And with this the girl looked away, her face paling in the light and her lips compressed.
In another moment the detective was walking from the scene of his encounter with Stareyes. ”

“ I don't like Melbourne and, besides, it's not the place for cards that Perth is. I've been thinking, Riggs, since seeing you, that I might let you carry out the rest of my plan and investigate the old pit for me."
"You're kind, Jem, just as if I care about the job."
"I'll pay you, Riggs. I'm the lucky man to-night," and he pulled from his pocket a lot of ten-pound notes. "Help yourself, but only go to Old Danny's and look into the pit. If any one's at the bottom Belle Demona will pay well for the news, and if it's empty—why, by Jove! we can trump up a story for the occasion. ”

“ I don't care why Merle went to America, for I'm only Roland Riggs, ranch herder and plainsman, and it doesn't matter to me if he went out on a mission of blood."
Jem fell back and his lower jaw dropped as he looked Old Broadbrim in the face.
"I happen to know that Belle Demona hated an old man who years ago spurned her love in Monaco, and, as he was a rich old cove in the States, he was a fat pigeon to be plucked or killed."
"That's it!" and the hand of Jem came down upon the table with emphasis. "He was a rich old cove, sure enough. I heard Merle say that he went out to pay off an old debt." ”

“ All at once the front door of the ranch opened, and Merle came out.
Old Broadbrim touched his hat to him.
"You're up early, Riggs," said the hunted man. "Don't you sleep good?"
"Good enough, I guess; but I'm an early bird."
Merle came up and lowered his voice.
"Walk down the paddock road with me to the bridge," said he.
"Certainly. The morning's cool, and a little walk will help a fellow stretch his limbs."
The bridge was but a few hundred yards from the ranch dwelling, and spanned an almost waterless ravine, which was one of the wildest spots on the ranch. ”

“ For a moment the detective looked away, but his gaze came back to the stern face of the girl.
"Belle Demona fired the sheds and thinks I am there yet," she went on with a derisive laugh.
"I thought so."
"I could have killed her had I wished to, but her time is to end in a bitterness worse than death. Wait, Riggs. She is to see the end of all her hopes, and the revenge she took across the sea is to mock her at last."
Old Broadbrim heard at this moment a slight sound overhead, and they looked up.
"I know their plans," said Stareyes. "I have not been idle since you rode away on Black Duke. ”

“ With you, Riggs, and the rest of the new recruits, we will meet these nighthawks and clip their wings. But who warned us?"
"Black George."
"That rascal?" cried Merle. "Why, that's the man I caught stealing sheep last summer and had whipped on the scene of his rascality. I don't like him."
"There's no love lost between you, then," smiled Old Broadbrim. "But the bandits will attack us."
"Yes, they will come. We must prepare, and if the worst comes we will spring the mine," said the ranch queen. ”

“ The fool has crossed the sea to fall to pieces in the dungeons of the ranch."
Merle, a minute later, stood once more face to face with Belle Demona.
"You found him?" she said.
"Yes; it is true. There was a plot, and when Riggs comes back we spring the trap on him."
"It shall be done! We must be entirely safe here."
"We shall be."
The shades of night had deepened over the landscape and the songs of the birds in the bush had ceased.
Far across the pasture lands of the Australian ranch moved a line of men and horses that gradually approached the ranch like robbers. ”

“ Merle, with a face full of eagerness, took the letter which the youth extended and withdrew with a hurried glance at Belle.
"You fight like a prince," said she, looking at Old Broadbrim, who had taken in the messenger and the letter. "It's a pleasure to know that one's fortunes are in such good hands at Round Robin Ranch. Some time you will tell me about your career, for Merle says you have traveled a great deal." ”

“ The lips of the doomed man met, and his eyes glanced over the long stretch of starlit barren that lay ahead.
It did not take Old Broadbrim and Waters long to secure their captive in the saddle, and then, with a last look at the dark structure a few feet away, they gathered up the reins.
"You got out, I see," observed Merle, for the first time addressing Dick.
"Yes; the dungeon, strong as it was, did not hold me long. The fire gave me a good fright, and for a time I thought all was lost, but help came."
"Help? I thought so. You could not have escaped without it." ”

“ The two men walked over to the place where Merle had been captured.
"I was making a quiet inspection of the lines by moonlight," explained Merle to the guard. "It is necessary at times, for you don't know what sort of guards you get. But men of your stamp, Riggs, are worth their weight in gold."
"They're gone, sir. Over the ridge yonder you can hear the last sounds of their horses."
"Yes. When you get off to-night come into the house," said Merle, and with this he left Old Broadbrim and went toward the ranch dwelling. ”

“ It is only vengeance. But I've left him for Riggs, the detective. I only want to teach Belle Demona that one woman cannot rule all hearts with a rod of iron in this part of the world."
Waters, who had dropped Stareyes' arm, stepped back, but the girl eagerly followed him.
"The game is up," she went on. "Riggs is unmasked, and they know that he came out after Merle Macray. By their shrewdness he is in the jaws of death, and unless he closes in on Merle now he will end his trail in darkness." ”