Geoffrey's Victory by Mrs Georgie Sheldon — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

GEOFFREY VISITS THE SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY, 179 a terrible bruise and gash on her forehead. My wife was so frightened and shocked that she dropped her cup on the floor, where it broke in a dozen pieces, and then, with a scream, turned and ran, as fast as her trembling limbs would carry her, toward home. I called my son and one of my men, and we started at once for the place. We found the woman lying as my wife had describea her, ouly instead of being dead, as she thought, she was now rolling her head from side to side,and moaning as if in great pain.” ‘‘Not dead !” interrupted Geoffrey, in a startled tone. ‘*No, sir, praise the Lord! not dead. We lifted her and laid her on her bed just off the kitchen, when I sent my man for a doctor, and my son back home to bring his mother, while I got some water and bathed the poor woman’s head. My wife was too sensible to nurse her own feelings when she found she was needed, and that her friend was not dead, and she came immediately to do what she could for her. “ When the doctor came he said it was doubt*ul if the | 44 ‘ poor thing could live; the blow on the head had beena ~ | : xy fearful one, and it was a wonder that it had not killed her outright. Besides that, there was tke print of three fin- - gers on her throat, showing that there had been a strug- gle with some one, and poiating to foul play. “Of course when we found that Henly had decamped§ taking the boy with him, we suspected him of having done the deed, and the authorities were at once set on hia track. But nothing has ever been heard of himorthe child from that day to this; at least not to my knowl- edge. His wife had a tough time of it. We had her brought over here, and my wife and daughter took care of her through a three month’s illness, and when she did get up again she was but the shadow of her former self.” ‘‘Did she get well?” Geoftrey exclaimed, amazed. - “Yes; she recovered her heaith, though she was nof as strong as she had been, and her head was apt to trouble her at times. But her heart was broken over the disap- pearance of her husband and the boy. It was:a long time before we could make her tell how she had been injured, and then she excused Henly. She said he had come home the worse for liquor, and did not know what he was about. She said he must have been frightened, be- lieving he had killed her, and then taken the boy and tied. I suspect there was something more to it, but that was all we could ever get out of her.” (eCoypnyicel exoyo) S (E(0) =}