In the Sunk Lands — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

102 IN THE SUNK LANDS. ‘‘T hate to kimpel you to leave the warm fire, but I reckon you'd better peramble up that ladder. Patty, you kin sleep down yere to-night.” “Why * began Patty, opening her blue eyes in astonishment. “The young gentleman unnerstands why,” interrupted her father. ‘‘ He also unnerstands that I mean what I say,” he continued, significantly. I did, thoroughly. I don’t suppose I eve® went up a ladder more awkwardly in my life. And simply because I knew I was watched by a decid- edly pretty girl. » “ What are you goin’ to do, pap ?’”’ asked Patty, in rather an awestruck tone as I scrambled to the upper floor. ‘* Goin’ to take down that ladder,’ was the reply. He went to work vigorously, lifted the foot of it from the floor, and then ensued a © lively wrestle, which ended in the ladder getting the best of it and landing on top. I looked down through the scuttle-hole. Patty, instead of securing a safe position and screaming—according to my ideas ofa comircbooks.c