The Illegal Marriage — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE. 31 save one. Rough, boisterous, and passionate as he was, old Morgan doted on his daughter Cecy, and was loving and tender, at most times, to her; yet from long indulgence his passions had become almost uncontrollable, and even with her he some- times gave way to the most fearful ravings. Such was the character that old Dan Morgan had borne in the Echaconnee settlement; and he seemed to grow worse from year to year. Especial- ly terrible was he to children, who had heard the home gossip about him—he was their Jefe no, the bogey with which thoughtless mothers frightened the rebellious children into submission. “If you don’t keep still and go to sleep, old Mor- gan will catch you!” was acommon threat, and as efficacious aS common. At the very sound of his name the little things would catch their breath, and hiding their heads under the sheet, remain perfectly still until OSD took away their young fears. And although men could not say that they were afraid of him, they did not care to provoke his anger, and so kept clear of the old bear unless busi- ness demanded that they should meet him. Yet, there was a bright side to his character. If he cursed and abused a poor man, he was apt to do him a service sooner or later; if he exacted every dollar of his rents with the utmost promptness, he was very likely to return a part of if in wood, corn, or the free use of his cotton-gin. Hence, it was that he came to be regarded as a madman utterly, but a good man enough when you got on the right side of him. But one thing roused his passion instantly. If one came to ask something of him for the support of preaching, he flew into the EComicboo cS Eom