Bonny Jean, and A Severe Threat — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

BONNY JEAN. “89 of attempting farther progress. So ‘he seated himself, with a bed of soft moss for a cushion, and prepared to wait for the coming of morning. All at once his eyes fell upon a light—a small bright light—moving slowly onward toward him. ‘‘A ‘‘will-o'-the-wisp, or a ‘‘jack-a-lantern !” he decided, after a long survey; but as the light grew rapidly larger and nearer, Philip finally distinguished that it was a lantern in the hands of some ‘person, and as its rays fell upon the face of the man, Philip could with difficulty restrain himself ; for he recognized Gabriel Black. Upon his shoulders Black carried a spade, an ax, and a rifle. Heavily laden, indeed ; but he had come armed, determined that his work should not be interrupted this time, or if it was, some one would be hurt. For the villain was on his way to make a second attempt to rob the lonely widow and helpless orphan. He drew very near the spot where Philip was sitting, and paused there. Then he placed the lantern on the ground, and laid the rifle beside it with the ax; then taking the spade, he moved slowly toward a certain tree. ‘‘Here is the gum with the cross upon it,” he said aloud, his voice breaking the silence of the lonely place, with a strange, supernatural sound. ‘‘I’m ahead this time. And now for the chest of gold !” Philip Randall arose cautiously, and creeping silently for- ward, seized the rifle which Black had deposited upon the ground. ‘There was a light in Philip’s eyes that looked dan- gerous. CHAPTER XIX. DISAPPOINTED HOPE, ‘All is lost!” repeated Jean, mechanically. They stood silent as the dead, while the tall, dark form of a EomIrcbooks.co |