The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

9€ THE CHILD OF WATERLOO, sec.et, though I would have spared you the knowledge. Look up, Mabel, look up; behold me—I am your father!” . “You!” screamed Mabel, tottering back a few paces; ‘‘ you my father!” ‘““Yes, 1 am he, I told you you might be sorry to find him— am I right? I told you the consequences of this knowledge might be unexpected—they are. You must now come with me; you are my child, and, now yuu know your parent, you must not, shall not, be separated from me.” ‘““Qh! no, no; I cannot-—cannot leave Mr. Morton thus. I must go and inform him. He must-know all, too.” ‘+ You must come now,” and he seized her arm. Mabel fell to the earth. ‘‘Thunder and smoke!” bawled Brolickbones from the tree; ‘‘be aisy, and be after laving Miss Mabel alone, or I’LL be among you in no time at all.” The mendicant started, and looked up in the tree. He imme- diately guessed the cause, for he saw the Irishman struggling to free himself, and had nearly done so, swearing all the while, to keep Mabel in heart. Quick as thought the mendicant placed his foot on the trunk of the tree, and then giving it a jerk with his whole might, the already tottering trunk came with a loud splash into the water, with Brolickbones and all. Then turning to the wood, he called aloud to some one, saying: ‘‘Ho, there, Ned! now is the time. Come, be quick, there is no one near, all is right.”’ In another moment a man came forward toward him, and both stood by the form of Mabel as she sat near where the tree so lately stood. The sudden immersion of Rafferty Brolickbones in the water was an event that had not entered into the calculations of that individual. However, such was the fact—there was the tree and there was the water, and a strong arm had plunged both him and the tree into the stream, and it so happened that the stream which flowed through the piece of ornamental water or lake, came away close to that side, and beneath where the grass grew it was very deep and the stream was very strong, and hence it had worn away the hank. When Brolickbones felt himself suddenly plunged by the force of the fall into the water, he came up with a great ‘‘Ah!” and much spluttering, and 1t was some moments before he could ascertain where he was. During this time the mendicant, as we have already described, had sufficient time to effect his purpose—that of carrying off Mabel, by the aid of his companion, Newington Ned. It was some time before Brolickbones could so far free his head from the branches of the tree and the water as to look around him, or before he could recognize the spot where he had been thrown, for the tree which had so strongly marked the spot was zone, and he scarce knew how to recognize it; but when he did, e saw that no one was near it. ’ Ochone!” he exclaimed, in tones of regret and lamentation; comicbooks. com