A Daughter of Maryland — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

b Fated o) alg LS ih Sl 0? ic a & ih dial Sadi 2 Ps ae fais ¥ ¥ mA A?) ’ A. ‘. . ’ 22 A DAUGHTER OF MARYLAND. though towering, majestic pines on every hand seemed determined to outrival its dizzy height. The sound of rushing water told that the river ran just back of the smaii clearing made about the simple dwelling. Though the door of the hut, for it was little better, was ajar, Aurian could hear no sound from within, and the thought came into her mind that she was too late. Spring- ing lightly to the ground, she secured Maze where he would be the most sheltered from the oncoming tempest, and stepped swiftly across the well-worn threshold, just as a half-smothered sob reached her ears. At that moment the very floodgates of the heavens seemed to have been sud- denly opened and the rain fell.in torrents. | ‘*Oh, am I[ too late, aunty?’’ she asked, when suddenly a dark body in the further corner of the dingy room assumed the ungainly proportions of a large, fleshy negro woman, whose dusky countenance quickly taking on a broad smile, exclaimed : ‘Fore de Lord! ef hyur ain’t dat bressed honey ob Missus Orry! Do yo’ hyur dat, Frostus?’’ ‘‘Praise de Lord!’ came in a deep, sepulchral tone from the adjoining apartment. ‘‘I tole yo’ she’d come, Debby. Come right in dis way, honey; de ol’ man am ’bout fro de dark valley. I’se monstrous Sta to see yo’, Missus Orry. De ol’ woman don’ gib. up yo’ weren’t comin’, but I tol?’ her yo’ eee t forgot de ol’ man. Come right in dis way, honey. ’ ‘‘Tuddy me!’’ exclaimed the old woman, ‘f‘yit am rainin’! Yas; go right in de odder room, honey. ’Pears to me yit am monstrous dark all ob a suddint.’’ It was so dark in the low-walled apartment that Miss Lancier had to grope her way toward the door of the inner room, but she knew the house well, and in a moment she stood by the couch of the sick man. ‘‘Are you really so much worse, Uncle Frost! ??? she asked, as she took one of his thin hands in hers. ‘‘I ought to have come before, but I——”’’ comicbooks.com —