A Daughter of Maryland — page 103: what you’re looking at

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

94 A DAUGHTER OF MARYLAND. Finally reaching a room in the south part of the main building, an apartment which had been his in the years of his early boyhood, he advanced to one of the windows, when leaning on the dusty sill he gazed for a long time out upon the starlit landscape. By daylight his position commanded a wide view of the surrounding country, it being possible for the beholder to look beyond the valley of the Potomac upon the mountains of Virginia. The sky was clear enough for him to follow the road quite distinctly, as it wound down the descending grade toward the distant woods, and as he maintained his solitary and aimless vigil he suddenly discovered the figure of a horseman coming slowly up the highway. Wondering who could be abroad at that hour, he watched the rider, until to his surprise the latter turned his horse into the grounds of Graymont, heading the animal directly toward the old mansion. By this time Carroll Southard began to regret that he had left the door open, but as it was too late now to remedy the mistake, he could only remain as silently as possible where he was, while he wondered what had brought this solitary horseman to that place then. An inkling of the truth came into his mind as he recognized the man as Blandon! | Dismounting near the old poplar, the slave hunter secured his horse from wandering, after which he boldly entered the ruins, showing very little caution if he expected to meet an enemy there. The fugitive heard the other pass from room to room, until he realized the search would not be ended until his own apartment had been visited by the sleuthlike Blandon. Accordingly he silently erossed the floor and closing the door secured it as best he could by crowding the blade ‘of his pocket-knife in over the latch. He had barely accom- plished this before the heavy steps of Blandon sounded on the creaking stairs. A moment later the slave hunter was + —e