At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

122 AT A GIRD’S MERCY. our utter inability to help give it. Here is this Blake, with more money actually than any man could need or desire, with not even enough patriotism to. offer money when he will not go himself—to buy the men to goin his place. And he has crippled me to a cer- tain extent with the money he feels belongs to him, and that I know every day I would like to return if it must be returned, but that I know he can do with- out, even if I do have to be under that obligation to such a craven spirited man, when our country needs every cent I can spare, and far more, to gain the victory we must gain, but that is hindered because of the lack of money in the treasury. Nan, when I think of the poor fellows suffering hunger and pri- vation, with not even enough to keep them in cloth- ing, and dying day after day on the field for the honor of their country, I believe I have almost an insane desire to murder a man like this Blake. And to think he has the audacity——’’ He stopped suddenly. He glanced hurriedly down at the gentle face at his knee, to know if she understood the pause in his rapid words. He would not have her know the man they both despised so thoroughly could pretend to lay claim to her proud, pure hand. She would treat him well for her fa- ther’s sake. He would treat him as any gentleman should treat another. He could do no less; he would ~ do no more. | Nan shook her head, and laughed bitterly. ‘‘Let’s not think any more about it, papa,’’ she said, soothingly. _ Nevertheless, she was thinking about it the next | morning as she walked down to the summer-house under the rose vines, where the birds were calling, and the air was heavy with the garden scents, She Eomicbooks.co