A Study in Scarlet (Serial Edition Cover) — page 103: what you’re looking at

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

A STUDY IN SCARLET. 95 “Gone, eh!” said the little girl. ‘‘ Funny she didn’t say good-by; she ’most always did if she was just goin’ over to auntie’s for tea, and now she’s been away for three days. Say, it’s awful dry, ain’t itp? Ain’t there no water nor nothing to eat P” “No, there ain’t nothing, dearie. You'll just need to be patient awhile, and then you'll be all right. Put your head up agin me, like that, and then you'll feel better. It ain’t easy to talk when your lips 1s like leather, but I guess I’d best let you know how the cards lie. What’s that you’ve got?” “Pretty things! fine things!” cried the little girl, en- thusiastically, holding up two glittering fragments of mica. ‘‘ When we goes back to home I'll give them to brother Bob.” “You'll see prettier things than them soon,” said the man,confidently. “You just wait abit. I was going to tell you, though—you remember when we left the river?” “Oh, yes.” “Well, we reckoned we'd strike another river soon, d’ye see. But there was somethin’ wrong ; compasses, or map, or somethin’, and it didn’t turn up. Water ran out. Just except a little drop for the likes of you and—and—” “And you couldn’t wash yourself,” interrupted his companion, gravely, staring up at his grimy visage. — “No, nor drink. And Mr. Bender, he was the first to go, and then Indian Pete, and then Mrs. McGregor, and then Johnny Hones, and then, dearie, your mother.” “Then mother’s a deader, too,’’ cried the little girl, dropping her face in her pinafore and sobhing bitterly. CONNIE OOO lKS (E@