The Illegal Marriage — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

30 THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE. the porch of the overseer’s house one could see the door of each; and it was easy, therefore, to check the first symptoms of turbulence. It is arare thing to find a village of two hundred souls of any race or color, where there is not more or less quarreling; but generally this little colony was remarkably quiet. If disturbance arose be- tween man and wife, it was instantly stopped, when Ogletree, the overseer, appeared at his door. Though often stern when on duty, Ogletree was a kind-hearted man, and ruled by love rather than by the lash. He was often called upon as arbiter in quarrels, even with old master himself; and did not hesitate to decide against his employer if he thought him in the wrong. Old Morgan would curse furiously for a time, and make all manner of threats, but it generally ended in his making some present to Ogletree’s family, thereby showing that, while he would not acknowledge himself in error, he respected the man for his sturdy honesty. “Old Dan Morgan,” as he was universally called, wasaman of more than sixty years of age, tall, haggard, and stooping, showing in every feature the effects of long vears of dissipation. If not exactly crazy, he was not considered sound in mind.. “He’s as madas a march hare,” the neighbors were accustomed to remark; but they exaggerated his peculiarities, and would not see that long habit had more to do with his madness than anything else. From youth up he had been given to the most dreadful bursts of passion. In his cups he was simply intolerable. And when a fit of horrors had given him a warning to stop drinking, he grew dark and moody, seldom speaking to any human being, Eomicbooks.co