José — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

JOSE. 127 CHAPTER IX. A STRANGE WOOING. Mary slowly arose, opened the door that led to her servant’s room, and stepped to the little window. Before her lay the wide, sunny space through which she had ridden. Willow bushes and towering cotton- wood trees marked the course of the river, whose limpid mountain waters ran deep in their channel, invisible save at close proximity. Mary carefully noted its winding course until lost at last among the foot hills, some miles away. Thoughtfully she returned to her room; but she had barely resumed her seat when a knock at the door interrupted her reflections. The door opened at her invitation, and her father appeared. The girl arose with a manifestation of mingled surprise and alarm, on recognizing her visitor. “Keep your seat, Mary,” said Mr. Brown, closing the door after him and casting a quick glance around the room. “I came to have a little talk with you. Are we alone?’ “There is no one here, nor in the next room,” re- plied Mary, slowly resuming her seat, and awaiting the opening of the conversation naa evident ex- © pectancy. He sat down, for a moment covering his forehead with his hand. “T must have a confidential chat with you, child,” he began, raising his eyes to hers with a show of gravity which she had never before seen in her Gomicbooks