Beadle's New Dime Novels: The Two Guards

THE TWO GUARDS This dime novel by N. C. Iron (author of "Stella, the Spy") follows a frontier drama set on the Illinois prairie. The narrative concerns Agatha, a young woman living at an estate called the Cedars with her family, and Cesar, an African man who rescues her from mortal danger. Agatha persuades Cesar to abandon his isolated cottage and join her household as protector and friend. However, tensions emerge: Agatha notes that local Indian chiefs—particularly the noble Sachem and the swift Fleetfoot, who previously visited cordially—have withdrawn their friendship mysteriously. Her cousin Jasper dismisses the Indians as villains plotting to harm her. Cesar distrusts Jasper, calling him "the dark shadow of dis region." When a suspicious noise erupts from nearby woods during their evening ride, Cesar investigates but is dissuaded by Agatha. The text breaks off mid-sentence as Jasper, armed with a gun, emerges from concealment, muttering violent threats against Cesar.