Bonny Jean, and A Severe Threat — page 242: what you’re looking at

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

A SEVERE THREAT. 230 - “** As you will,” he réturnéd. ‘‘Sir John Sydney, took at this woman—the witness just sworn—do you know her name?” Slowly the baronet turned his blood-shot eyes upon the old woman's face. All the blood seemed to forsake his own, as his white lips faltered, involuntarily : ‘* Zingral” She smiled. ‘<7 thought you would recognize me,” she cried, triumphantly. ‘Ah, John Gordon, your game is up! Now, your honor” (and she turned to the astonished judge), ‘‘if it please the court, | am ready to proceed. My name is Zingra Delle; I sup- pose I am of gipsy descent, but I never knew my parents, and was ~ only a poor, friendless, stray creature, until Stella Gilroy gave me a home and treated me like a human being. It was in the pretty village of Greenfields, Lincolnshire, that I first knew her, She was an orphan and beautiful—well, you have only to look upon her daughter to know what she was like then ; she was young, too, and had no one to protect her; so when she fell into the clutches of that wretch, Sir John Sydney, she was like a dove in the talons of a hawk. He courted her under the name of John Gordon, and represented himself as an artist, traveling about the country. He won all her love, and there in pretty Greenfields the two were married, lawfully married, and I— Zingra Delle—and the clergyman’s brother were witnesses. The record can be found at the little Church of St. Stephen, at Greenfields. ‘‘ Well, they lived in Paradise for a time, and the little Lola was born. When she wasa small child, John Gordon insisted on taking his wife and babe away to the south of France, and I insisted on accompanying them. I had never liked John Gor- don, as he called himself. I doubted and distrusted him. . But I never dreamed of his real rank and station ; I never dreamed that he was a baronet, neither did the woman whom he wedded ; she lived and died in ignorance of it all. ‘‘For years we lived in the south of France, John Gordon coming occasionally for a few days’ visit. Lola grew up, and was well educated at the Convent of St. Mary’s. But, as the girl grew older, she became possessed with the demon of discon- tent. She never loved her father ; she seemed to doubt his truth and honor. He had not come to see them in a long time. Finally, his visits ceased altogether, and only the money which he sent served to remind the girl that she had a father, The baronet was foolish enough to mail his letters to his wife comichooks:¢o