José — page 256: what you’re looking at

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

JOSE. 249 open a certain grave and to search for papers on the body of the corpse. I tried to shirk the task, but certain ruin staring me in the face whenever I re- fused, conquered my resistance. I opened the vault, and recognized the old woman who had appealed to my affections more than any one else in the family. Terror seized me—I abhorred myself; I lacked strength to cover the grave, and suddenly I saw the hand of the dead protrude from the earth as if it would clasp me. This aged woman, whom I had wickedly torn from her grave,” Bob continued, in a dull, toneless voice, “was my own mother.” He paused and looked fixedly at his feet. “Twas not apprised of the terrible truth until afterward,” he finally resumed, “but even at the time when I did not know. it, the affair made such an impression on me that I vowed to release myself of my chains. I became attached to the German family and did what I could for them as if that would atone for my crime against their parent. They received me as a brother, seeing only my candid face, not knowing the history of my past life. My tormentor, whom at the risk of my life I had refused obedience any longer, possibly thinking I knew too much about him, in a fierce dispute con- trived to inflict a sight wound upon my hand with his favorite weapon, a small, poisoned dirk. Fortu- nately I knew the qualities of the toy, and before the poison had had time to spread I had severed my swollen hand from my arm with anax. I had done this in the Germans’ house, and when the doctor, who had been hastily summoned to attend me, stripped the bleeding stump of coat and shirt, - the head of the family suddenly espied on my arm a tattooed design that has been there ever since I can Gomicbooks (E(@)