The Illegal Marriage — page 114: what you’re looking at

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

ee 106 THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE, from us, long before even the telegraph flashed the news over the country? It is one of those mysteries which the mind strives in vain to comprehend. Far away from railroads or telegraph; in country villages where even the mail comes but twice a week, we heard rumors of bloody engagements, in which loved ones were slain, many days before the flying reports were officially confirmed. Is it that different kinds of concussion, or agita- tion, in the atmosphere convey different impressions to the mind? Does this natural agency bring us hope, or fear, or sorrow, or despair? Or are there, indeed, spirits abroad which whisk about upon the winds to whisper words in our ears? Believe as we may, the simple fact remains; and we know, because the whisper makes a deeper im- pression on the mind, that evil news does fly rapidly and mysteriously about. Daylight had scarcely come ere the whole Echa- connee settlement was aroused by a report that Morgan and his daughter had both been murdered in their beds. Miss Morgan was lying in her own room, when the neighbors came, and their first inquiries were for her. Stannard explained her condition to them, while in the dining-room, as before narrated, and was joining in their proposal to offer a reward for the murderer, when a negro entered the door. “Mars’ William!” he said, using the first name as nearly all negroes do when speaking to young men; “Mars’ William, kin I speak to you a minit2” “Certainly, my boy. What do you want?” “Please come outside a minute,” the boy said, seeing the white men pushing up to hear what he had to say. comicbooks.co