At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

170 AT A GIRL’S MERCY. held any hope of reviving him. All thought of her lover or the strange news she had received in her home letter had left her mind as she gave herself up utterly to the work before her. Here was another brave life to save, and in spite of the odds against them, if it lay in her power, she would bring him back to life. Such lives as this were well worth fighting for,and she would do her best. But her best —what could human power do when death had al- ready laid his touch upon a heart? Charlie Courtland, lying where she left him, fol- lowed her with his eyes as she passed down the row of cots like a quiet little queen of a sorrowful king- dom, and there grew into his eyes the look of one too full of thankfulness to be uttered, and it was for some minutes he lay so, forgetting utterly the letter lying in his hands. But his glance presently falling upon it, he took it up, and read with a growing in- terest and excitement what it contained: ‘““DEAR NELL:—You are so busy over your poor wounded soldiers that you give us very little news, and only a teeny mite of letters, anyway. But we know, or can guess, of how full your hands are with this terrible war and the dreadful time that it brings, so we don’t expect you to write often; only you know we appreciate even the scraps we do get, you dear old sister, and we write accordingly to you as often as we can, not even knowing that you will get our letters, the very mails are so uncertain. I have a great piece of news for you, Helen, and guess as-° long as you can, you would not come near the truth, it is so strange, and might have turned out so dread- fully, and no one can find out to whom to lay the blame. You know how brave and enthusiastic Squire Courtland has been during this war, and how anx- ious he is to do what he can to end it. Well, Nell, you could never guess what has happened. It might have been so dreadful, and as it was it threw Mrs. Courtland into one of her terrible attacks of de- lirium, but she is better now, Nell, so you needn’t worry your dear little self.over that. Be sure I wouldn’t teli you anything about this if all the dan- “ ee 3 ro) =A é