José — page 250: what you’re looking at

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

JOSE. 244 he buckled the belt that was held in readiness with its long knife about his waist, and accepted his double-barreled rifle from the hands of one of the domestics. The next instant the party was on its way to the village Mary riding at the head between her father and her lover. Crossing the stream at the ford, they pursued the trail barely visible in the dim starlight, at a moderate canter. With a dense scowl and compressed lips, as if he would suppress some bitter sensation, McGregor at long intervals would take his eyes from the faintly lighted sur- roundings and steal a look at his pale companion. “Have you nota word to say to me, Mary?” he said after a while, in a low tone. She slowly turned her face to him. “T have done as good as you wished, sir,” she answered, in a voice totally bereft of its former tone; “do you now ask more?” Those were the only words uttered during the en- tire ride; even Brown appeared to feel uncomfort- able and gave vent to his pent-up feelings in an occasional rasping cough. A faint gray was tinging the eastern horizon when they reached the village, the same toward which Mary had aimed as the safety-promising harbor three days previous. The entire settlement consisted of a small number of clay-cabins, the largest of which distinguished itself from the rest by a glass window in which a faint light was shin- ing. That was the chief warehouse, post-office, and the justice’s quarters combined, honors jointly con- ferred upon one man, a Yankee by birth, regarding all of New Mexican lineage with sovereign con- tempt. The door of the only room in the house was Eomichboo cS (E(0)