Thrice Wedded, but Only Once a Wife — page 135: what you’re looking at

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

126 | THRICE WEDDED. of this man, but resolved not to gain his ill-will by making any incautious remark. The stranger eyed him balefully, while he kept hopping uneasily first upon one foot and then upon the other; at length he said, grimly : “Um! I presume if you don’t remember me you do Jessie _Almyr!~ Ha! that touches you in a tender spot, doesn’t it?” said the villain, with a horrible grin, as the other started violently, and flushed to his very brows with a deep crimson, at hearing one whom he had tenderly loved and reverenced spoken thus lightly of, and by such a monster, too. At last, raising himself to his full height, he replied, proudly: “‘Of course I remember one who was my wife. But I do not know who you are that dare mention her name to me in that tone.” “‘Oh,no! But you probably know who it was that dared to steal her from her rightful lover; curse you!” “Ha! I know you now, Ralph Moulton!” replied the un- happy man, again closely scrutinizing his enemy’s face, going nearer to the grating for that purpose. ‘‘Yes, I know you now,” he continued ; ‘‘but I cannot understand what has brought you here, unless you are a prisoner like my- self. However that may be, | wish no conversation with ye under any circumstances, with regard to my marriage. will say this, though, as the subject has been mentioned : Miss Almyr probably accepted me for her husband because she loved me and considered me worthy to fill that place; and Heaven knows that J loved and cherished her as the apple of my eye; and life has been dark and dreary enough to me since she left me for her happy home above.” As Mr. Ellerton finished speaking, he turned away from the intruder at his door, as if to put an end to any further conversation, and again seating himself, buried his sad face in his hands. Squire Moulton, exasperated at his enemy's calm dignity of manner, and at his inability to excite his anger, fairly gnashed his teeth, and in a frenzy of passsion, exclaimed : “Tt is a lie—a base lie! You know that you came with your flattery and honeyed words, your wealth and baby face, and won her from me—me, who had always loved her, and whose whole life had been one continual study — = -comicbooks ews -“ e ~< mie = Ss ; ae = al : << we, a ~ =. ~~" = * ~ =f ~ =