Bonny Jean, and A Severe Threat — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

92 BONNY JEAN. Smoothing the pigeon’s ruffled feathers, and petting it in her pretty demonstrative fashion, Jean managed to turn her back upon Mrs Corney, and glance into her mother’s face signifi- cantly, and meanwhile upon her fingers she began to spell a sentence in the deaf and dumb alphabet. For the Conways had once owned a deaf and dumb servant—a negro who could neither speak nor hear; and the family had all learned to con- verse quite fluently in that dumb fashion. And Jean’s nimble fingers managed to spell quickly: ‘*The bird belongs to Lady Lee. Could I send a message to her ?” | For poor Jean did not know or dream of all that had be- fallen her friend, and that Lady’s fate was as pitiable as her own. Mrs. Conway nodded encouragingly. Jean understood and determined to make a prodigious effort. Providence favored her, After a time Mrs. Corney arose as _ though to leave the room. ‘‘T’ll be back in a minute,” she answered. ‘‘ Don’t airy one o’ ye dare to move !” And the door closed behind her. ‘There was not an instant to lose. Jean snatched a pin from her dress, and with it rudely scratched one of her fair white arms until the blood spirted forth. Her mother meanwhile had torn a small scrap of wall- paper from the wall, which chanced to be covered with a hideous representation of various birds, and fishes, and reptiles—sup- posed by Red Tavern critics to be marvels of art and beauty. Dipping the pin into the fresh red blood which flowed from her arm, Jean managed to scrawl on the reverse side of the paper these words ; *« Mother and I are prisoners in the old Red Tavern. For God’s sake, help us. JEAN CONWAY.” A bit of thread lay on the floor of the room, where Mrs. Cor- ~Ecomicbooks.co