Witch Hazel; or, The Secret of the Locket — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

Se ee eee * ey ae, “Bss—one, two,’ counting her lily fingers. Papa says ‘Witch Hazel.’” “Witch Hazel!” repeated Perey, looking puzzled, “How queer!’ Theu he brishtened and smiled, “Timagine that your real name is Hazel, but that you are full of mischiet, aud so he put the *Witch’ on for that.” j The child lny back upon her pillows mnd laughed aloud, clapping lier lands gleefully, as if delighted with the boy’s explanation of the strange combina- tion of names, “Ess, me és a witch,” she said, mischievous dimples playingathide-and-seekin her cheeks; *papa says so,” “What is your papu's name, little one?” Baudy Morton asked, regarding her with exceeding tenuder- ess. : A thoughtful look came into’ her eyes for a mo- ment. Then she replied, though with @ puzzled air: “Papa—Guay ; 10, mamma say ‘Alf? to him, “Uni!” observed Captain Morton, reflectively; ‘as nearasl can make out Ais name must have been Alfred Gay, and this little lady is Hazel Gay.” “Where do youdive!” Percy inquired, But thig question the child could not answer. Bvidently she had resided in-a large city, for there wasn't any “g’ass or any water where she lived; nothing but stones and great big houses, and the sky was ’?way up high.” Jt was very little that they could glean from her regarding her former life; she was almost a baby; she could not even talk plainly, clipping some of her words and mwaugling others in the most infantile fashion. “Why can't people teach their children to talk plainly, and not in such an outlandish, babyish fashion?’ said San dy Morton, contemptuously, after an unavailing attempt to make the fair stranger tell something more about herself. “A sensible man would teach his child to tell her full naine a8 600n as she could speak, and where she lived, too. We neyer can tind out who her triends aS@is>geks-carg