On the Trail of Geronimo — page 189: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE TRAIL OF GERONIMO. 177 comfortable as here, while, more important than all, you will be safe.” This proposition was so wise, and there was so little in the way of its accomplishment, that the wonder is it was not instantly accepted; but Dick was astonished to find the opposition it met from those in whose behalf it was made. Mrs. Harland believed that her husband would return on the morrow, and she could not bear the thought of his finding the building deserted. True, they could leave a note which weuld explain every- thing: but if the Apaches were ahead of him, they would fire the structure, destroy the writing, and convince him that his whole family had been slain. or carried off. She believed that with the three yauchmen and the same number of ladies, each of whom was armed and knew how to shoot, they could beat off any party of hostiles that were likely to disturb them. Fanny sided with her parent. Possibly, while she would have been glad of the move which would have allowed her to spend an indefinite time in the society of Dick Whitcomb, yet her maidenly modesty caused her to shrink from the very step she would have liked to take. 2 (C0) mM