José — page 143: what you’re looking at

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

136 JOSE. had also evidently undergone a thorough renova- tion, and the table, covered with a white damask cloth, roast meat, and various cold viands, possessed little to betray the barrenness of the wilderness. At the upper end of the board, by the steaming tea-kettle and a row of white cups, stood Hattie, her gaze directed toward the new arrivals with an ex- pression of inquiry, while at the lower end the overseer, his hand resting on the back of a chair, was regarding the young lady’s face with an almost religious contemplation. “You must accommodate vouraale i to things as they are, dear Mary,” McGregor began; “our Hattie is truly a model housekeeper, but I am afraid that she has almost learned to forget among us rough men how to wait upon a young mistress, and to properly attend to all her wants.” The young lady turned her head, bestowing upon the old woman one of her friendly looks, which the latter responded to with a motion of the head and a pleasant smile. “And this is McAllister, our overseer and prime minister, who has almost grieved himself to death because he has not yet been permitted to shake hands with the young mistress of the house,” Mc- Gregor continued, sweeping a glance over Mary’s face. However, he only discovered, as she advanced toward the old Scotchman, an expression of loveli- ness there such as he had never observed before. “Hattie has told me of you, sir,” she said, extend- ing her hand to the overseer, which the latter. as though he feared he might break it, tenderly en- closed in his. “I think we shall soon become fast friends !” (E(0) Gcomicbooks