At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

AT A GIRL’S MERCY. 30 stood, her heart for a moment stopping its beating with dread, but her face catching something of her father’s stern self-repression, stifling down the in- ward cry against this last terrible trouble that was hanging over them. “IT understand, father,’’ she said, and though her lips were white her voice was steady. It was the first time she had called him ‘‘father,’’ and his heart ached for her sudden awakening to womanhood and the sadness of life. ‘““Good-morning, Nan,”’ he said. ‘“Keep up a brave heart, and things may not be so bad as we fear. I will be home early as possible to-night. You will not _ be bothered by any of this business so far as the de- tectives are concerned, for they will go to my office for whatever they have to say. Tell Captain Trav- ers when he calls—for, of course, he will call on hearing-this—that I am proud of my little girl,” He attempted a laugh as he left the room, for he feared when he was gone she would give way to grief, and he could not bear the thought of it for his sunny-hearted daughter. What, then, was his surprise when he came down from his wife’s room and was passing through the hall on his way out. Nan came quietly from the library, and, slipping her hand under his arm, walked, with him to the steps where the carriage was waiting to take him to the station, a brave smile on her lips, and her voice steady and natural, uttering little commonplaces, though her face was white and set as death. And, her smile still in his thoughts, he drove away, marveling greatly at the endurance of women, even this frail daughter of his, well worthy, he thought, to be a daughter of the Union; while Nan . Gomircbooks:com bee ‘ ar