At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

— AT A GIRLS MERCY. , | 6] Of the end that would come if they were caught— the end of her life almost at its beginning—she scarcely yet could think with calmness. Of her mother, so many miles away, who could not dream of what her daughter was planning, her thoughts lingered longest, and with her lover, who would share unlawful bondage with her rather than ac- cept freedom alone. And then her thoughts went out to the man, and he was a good man, whom her mother wished her to marry, who had fairly wrung a promise from her on her last visit home—for her mother still hired her child from her master, and sent her out to service—that she would think of the offer made her, though she did not and never could love him. A minister with a kindly heart, who would give her a good home compared with her home, and who would so place her out of harm’s way by giving her hisname. She knew it was the mother love and fear that wished this for her, that would by so doing protect her from such a bitter fate as herown. But would it not be as well to marry this man whom she was bringing herself to love? Then a new and somewhat troublous thought arose in her mind. Could she go away as she was plan- ning, and leave the other girls in the house to the tate she would escape? One of these girls was very young, barely fifteen, and who, if she kept to the promise of beauty she then gave, would find life more dangerous and harder than it was then, and her life was hard enough, for the others seemed to have a hatred for her, and placed on her the hard- est work and any blame they could. No; she would not leave her, anyway, and she would gladly go, she knew—gladly take the risk, ana bear all hardships Gcomicbooks (c(@)