Guy Hammersley; or, Clearing his Name — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

GUY HAMMERSLEY. 75 a tall dignified-looking gentleman with gray side whiskers, had just entered the box. The audience, asa matter of course, became at ence greatly excited. Women shrieked, men sprang eut of their seats, and some few made a rush toward the doors, under the impression that the house was afire. Indeed, there were all the ingredients of a panic present, and it is possible that one would have ensued, had it not been for Ward. : Seeing that Guy and the colonel had flown to Mrs. Hammersley’s assistance, he decided that he could do the most good just where he was. So he at once struck into a lively air from ‘‘ Martha” and kept it up till Mrs. Hammersley had been helped off. Then seeing that the spectators had calmed down, he made a bolt of it behind the scenes himself te find out what was the matter. ‘No, no, not you, Guy,” the mother was murmur- ing, trying to motion her son away from her. She was lying on a property lounge that happened to be standing just inside the wings and Guy was bending over her with anxious solicitude. That she seemed to want the attentions of Colonel Starr rather than his own, cut the poor fellow to the heart, and en catching sight of Ward, he went off to lay his hand on the English lad’s shoulder and say in a broken voice: ‘‘ Farleigh, I don’t know what’s come over mother. She doesn’t want me near her.” ‘¢ Don’t mind, old fellow,” returned Ward, trying to put as much comfort as he could into the words. ‘“The strain of singing so soon after the long jour ney was too much for her. It has made her flighty. Gomicboo “S