The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 144: what you’re looking at

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

» 142 THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE. The man fairly gnashed his teeth at et thrust of bitter sarcasm. ‘Weshall see. The chief has never yet denied me any request I made of him; and when I tell him what is the dearest wish of eo Fife: Iam sure he will grant it.”’ “Well, perhaps he will. I have always heard that the best way to deal»with people afflicted with im- -becility is to humor them, But what might be the nature of this wish—the dearest ye of *your life, I believe you said?” ‘So you do possess, among other traits, the femin- ine one of GHFLOENY:. The wish is that you should be made my mistress. ”’ Boiling with indignation as Marian was, she could have scarcely wished her tormentor to receive more instantaneous punishment than he did; for at that moment a-huge revolver, thrown ne an unerring hand, hurtled through the air and struck him upon the back of his_head. | He fell forward upon the ground, stunned and bleeding, and a voice, which was_not altogether un- familiar to Marian’s ears, called out these words, in an authoritative manner: : “Halt, men! One of your number has fallen.” The horses were stopped in a moment, and very shortly the men were gathered about the spot where their comrade lay. At this moment he began to show signs of returning consciousness, and, as soon as he had recovered enough to understand, the per- son who had spoken before said: ‘“Men, take warning by this. I want you to under- stand that this young lady’s sister is all the world to _me, and that so long as I am obliged to-hold captive any friend or relative of hers, they must be re- ~ comicbooks .