The Illegal Marriage — page 136: what you’re looking at

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

128 THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE, CHAPTER XII. THE FORGED ORDER—ANOTHER VISIT TO OLD HAWKS, The sun was fast declining in the west when Stannard returned to the castle. Doctor Pierce was smoking a cigar upon the veranda. “How is she, Ham?” Stannard asked, walking toward the hall door. “She’s asleep now; better let her rest 1f she can. I will come over with you in the morning.” Knowing that Miss Morgan was not able to leave her bed, Raborn had gone to the overseer’s house for his dinner. Together the two men went down the walk. Stannard paused at the gate. “Aleck!” he called, to one of the house boys, “tell Mr. Ogletree that I will ride Philip home, and bring him back in the morning.” A boy led the horses up, and Stannard stroked the sleek neck of the beautiful bay, upon whose back Cecy had so often rode. More than twelve months before, he had given her the horse, and Cecy had called him Philip, after his own crown- pate setter, a dog of which he was very fond. Would she ever again take a run over the country with Philip? He prayed that she might soon be up again; but it chilled his heart as he thought of her recovery and its consequences. “Ham, what do you think of her?” he asked, as they started on. “Is she very sick?” “No—that is——” replied the doctor, slowly and thoughtfully. “Was there anything like hereditary insanity in Morgan?” he asked, abruptly. “Never. The family have always been strong, mentally. Morgan ruined his mind by excessive drinking. He wasa disappointed man. If ever a man did love a woman, Morgan loved Mattie Allen— comicbooks.co we ' I, s* ae ee