The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

28 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. to her own room, Mr. Henry, and then she can lie down and rest herself a little. See, she’s opening her eyes.” Mabel was certainly recovering, for now she gave a faint, sigh, and opening her eyes, she gazed around her with looks of confused surprise, but when she saw around her those well- known familiar faces which were so dear to her, and which had ever beamed upon her with so much kindness, she burst inte tears. ‘““ Ah, now, that'll do her good,” said the old nurse. ‘¢ Hush—hush!” said Henry. ‘‘ What has alarmed her? She seems evidently in a state of great nervous trepidation.” A strange man,” said Charles, ‘‘ whom we met in the wil- derness——’ ‘‘ A strange man?” ‘* Yes, Henry; I was out shooting. It was late, but, you know. 1 wanted a bat for my museum, and I had just taken a shot at one, when Leo, who was with me, seemed to hear something he didn’t approve of, so off he set, and I followed him. Sure enough, he led me to where poor Mabel was trving to run away from one of the greatest ruffians I ever beheld.” ‘‘ Rafferty,” said Henry Morton, ‘‘ take some one with you, and search the wilderness. If you find this fellow, take him to the cage, and, by fair means or foul, we'll convince him that we are not with impunity to be thus treated on our own grounds. Charles can describe him to you.” ‘¢Come along, my boy,” cried Rafferty. ‘‘Bedad we'll find him, and, Charley, if he don’t resist we’ll make him, and have one of the most illegant rows in all the world.” The young lad was nothing loath to follow Rafferty Brolick- bones, who the reader will perceive was a privileged person, and was permitted just to say and do what he liked at Moncton Friars. Charles Morton, too, was the more willing to go, since Mabel was on the point of being removed to her own room, whitber he knew he could not intrude, and what was the house to him if he were not to see her until, most likely now, the following morning? * * * ¥ % * x When Rafferty and the young ensign Morton were, along with the child which had been placed in the care of the latter, taken from the field of battle, they were carried to different hospitals, and there remained for a considerable time; and what was strange enough, Rafferty, although to all appearance much more considerably injured than the young officer, recovered much the soonest, and without the loss of any of his limbs, although the battle had cut him up severely. Not unmindful of the great service which had been rendered to him on the field of Water- loo, Morton, as his own wounds healed, and convalescence began to approach, had made frequent inquiries after Rafferty, and sent him the means of procuring many indulgences he would else have never seen. The consequence of all this was, that when Rafferty was able to move about, he got leave to visit the ensign, who received him with great cordiality and kindness, and comicbooks. com