Alice Wilde: The Raftsman's Daughter — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER VII. SUSPENSE. WHat was the consternation of Alice when her father re- turned the evening of the day of his departure and told her he had concluded he could not be spared for the trip, and so, when they reached the mill, he had chosen Ben to fill his place! Every vestige of color fled from her face. “QO father! how could you trust him with Philip?” burst forth involuntarily. “Trust Ben? Why, child, thar ain’t a handier sailor round _ the place. And if he wan't, I guess Moore could take care _ of himself—he’ll manage a craft equal to an old: salt.” “Can’t you go after them, father? oh, do 8% now, this -night—this hour !” “ Why, child, you’re crazy !” replied the ‘rafternnn, looking at her in surprise. “I never saw you so foolish before. Go after a couple of young chaps full-grown and able to take care of themselves? They’ve the only sail-boat there is, besides— and I don’t think I shall break my old arms rowing after ’em when they’ve got a good day’s start,’ and he laughed good- naturedly. “Go along, little one, I’m ’fraid your love-cracked.” Got the only sail-boat there was! There would be no use, then, in making her father the confidant of her suspicions. It seemed as if fate had fashioned this mischance. -Several rs the men had got into a quarrel, at the mill, ‘that morning some of the machinery had broken, and so much basiness pressed upon the owner, that he had been obliged to relinquish his journey. He had selected Ben as his substitute because he was his favorite among all his employees; trusty, quick, honest, would make a good selection of winter stores, and render a fair account of the money spent. Such had been the young man’s character; and the little public of Wilde’s mill did not know that a stain had come upon it—that the comiclbooks A NEW TROUBLE. 51 CO)