Laura Brayton — page 187: what you’re looking at

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

178 LAURA BRAYTON. best chance of profit came from those who, having been at labor during the day, moved to and fro a little while in the early evening. But the lamp-lighter came early, a street lamp shone directly over her stand, and she gathered courage as the passing by became more and more frequent, and her consequent gains increased. But she still watched the man who crouched there in the alley-way, and she shuddered once when she distinctly saw him draw outa large, bright knife, | and pass his finger along its edge. It was an hour, maybe, when she saw him move out suddenly and stealthily from the alley and come toward her stand. At first she thought he was going to approach,’as usual, to purchase; but she saw him look intently at the tall and graceful form of a young man who was just before him, and, with his hand thrust into his bosom, where she had seen him return the knife, follow his steps. The young man came on so close that she saw his face, and a look of surprise, joyful surprise, beamed from her countenance, and she seemed about to rush out and speak to him. But he was walking fast and close to him followed the strange man, with such a cruel look that,,all forgetful of her interests, she hurried on to warn the young man of what she intuitively felt was his danger. *For, after seeing the face which was bent on him, the form so quickly following him, she felt that nothing short of a murder was intended. Swiftly she followed; but none too fast; for just as the next corner was reached. she saw the hand of the ruffian suddenly raised, close behind the back of the young man, comicbooks.co