The Dugdale Millions — page 163: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XVI. DICK'S PROGRESS. DINNER and Wallis awaited the return of Mr. Stanton and Dick, the latter with impatience. At the table Dick’s story was told again, and Wallis’ curlosity was satisfied. Mrs. Stanton however was not. She believed that the story of finding young Dugdale was only a part of the scheme to shield her husband and deceive her. ‘Therefore, she broke into the conversation with irrelevant remarks indicative of her wonder over the gullibility of people who could be induced to accept any statement, however absurd, as the truth. It was Mr. Stanton’s habit to be patient with all of Mrs. Stanton’s peculiarities, attributing them to the general irrelevancy and want of logic of the feminine mind, against which there was little use in contending. But on this occasion, her remarks were so frequent, and seemed to be so inspired by purpose, that be- coming irritated, he exclaimed : “What are you driving at?”’ “Oh, nothing,” replied Mrs. Stanton, with a pro- voking assumption of indifference. ‘‘Oh, nothing at all, my dear.” “Then don’t interrupt the conversation with re- marks so foreign to the topics we are discussing,” sharply commanded her husband. “Oh, no doubt you would like to shape the conver- sation so as to avoid certain disagreeable topics,’”’ was r answer. ‘You may delude Wallis, but not me.” ‘““ Now, for Heaven’s sake,” cried Mr. Stanton, put- ting aside his knife and fork and looking steadily at 353 Comicbookk<s C@ 3}