Thrice Wedded, but Only Once a Wife — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

—— «THRICE WEDDED. = ae repeated, with a dark scowl, looking first at one, then the a other. | ‘‘Been engaged this long time, have you?” “Yes, we have, and if you won’t marry us, we can go to some one else. Robbie is rich, and I guess he can pay for it, so you needn’t be afraid about that.” _ The indignant littlelady’s face was of a crimson hue, and her blue eyes snapped fire, while she enforced her speech with a stamp of her tiny foot, as she stood erect and defiant before him. They made a strange picture, and one that each remem- bered in the long, dreary years that followed. ‘That gray old man, with his evil face, and wicked eyes, sitting there, looking so intently at the two children before him. Robert, with his fine, manly face, glowing with excitemen’ and ex- -ercise, a smile wreathing his full lips at Dora’s anger, while : * _ “Robert Ellerton!” at length almost gasped the man, ~... €omicbooks.co at the same time there was a half perplexed look in his eyes at the old man’s words and manner. He was holding | Dora’s hand in a protecting sort of way, while she stood all flushed and indignant, and half ready to cry at the bare idea of being made fun of, her hair tossed and flying with every motion of her quivering little form. | Yes, it was an interesting and striking picture beneath _ that rustic arbor, with the waving trees, the bright sunshine, and beautiful flowers, for a back-ground, mterspersed here and there with the gleaming white figures of statuary, and an occasional glimpse of the silvery waters of a miniature lake, as the waving branches of the trees were parted by a — gentle breeze. | 3 As Dora mentioned the name of Robert Ellerton, a sud- den change came over the squire’s wrinkled face. — He became ashy pale, his lips were clenched beneath his _. teeth until they sank deep into the flesh, and his coal-black. eyes became almost red with the fierce blaze of passion that seemed to stir him. | His frame quivered, and he glanced at the youthful lovers — in a way that frightened Dora, who pulled Robert by the ey . _ sleeve, and whispered that she was afraid, and wanted to go home. = Robert stood silent and spell-bound, at the sudden and | : almost terrifying change in the squire’s manner, staring at him with wonder-wide eyes, and gaping mouth.