The Illegal Marriage — page 229: what you’re looking at

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

Petitical 2 he CRRAT et a, Me AGM RS MeN ENP od UAT mc as al Ok SAG OHNE ee Me Rene MAL pS Berit CNN ab AaR aca * g - n _*™ , * * ‘: see say” = a 3 P ¥, “a \ Pitt * y ? . = v's me ; “ r re . t ; eee) ~*~ : % THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE. 221 and there learned that she had been seen with Doctor Trippe. Burning for revenge he sought Trippe, and attacked him as stated above. Again the two men met, and Trippe, wishing to shield Mary from her father’s wrath, told him that she was dead. For a moment Hawks seemed stunned at the news, and without a word plunged into the woods. Thenceforth he had but one object in life—to kill the man who had, he believed, caused the death of Mary. Building this secret hut in the Echaconnee swamp, he had lived there for the past years, subsisting as best he could, and waiting, like a tiger for his prey, to slay the man who had deprived him of a daughter. Many times had he seen the doctor CINE by; but only twice had he been able to hit im. Almost breathlessly Stannard listened to this strange story. Hawks fell back exhausted upon his bed, and Stannard looked upon him with pity, while he wondered at his endurance, and the ad- mirable courage of Trippe. “Hawks!” he said at length, “why did you not give me these papers before?” “Because I wanted money.” “But I would have given you any price for them.” “How could I know that? With young Guerry I was sure. I had the power to make him give me the money if he married Miss Morgan. I couldn’t do anything with you. I wanted money to go away arter [ had done my work.” “Oh, Hawks! Hawks! You do not know what you have done,” cried Stannard, as he thought how m ch sorrow might have been spared, had he known the truth earlier. “You were wrong about Trippe—indeed you are. It was noble in him to protect her at the risk of his life, but I am certain as I live, Hawks, that he never wronged @ither her or you.” “Mebbe you’re right, colonel—_—” “Colonel Stannard,” said Harris, entering the © room, “are you aware how late it is? I shall be obliged to close, Gomicboo cS (Eo)