Laura Brayton — page 207: what you’re looking at

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

198 LAURA BRAYTON. he advanced and setting his lamp on the table, paused for an instant, looking toward the bed. Her veins seemed frozen with horror. She could not cry out—she could not move a limb. - Sharp hesitated but an instant. He had paused to listen to the regular breathing, which told too plainly how soundly the old man slept. And now, stealthily and slowly, he moved toward the bed to make that sleep eternal. With the open razor glitteing in his right hand, he parted the curtains with his left, and looked down on the helpless form reclining there. Lydia Gardner, nerveless, dumb with horror, stood and saw him raise his hand above his victim; she closed her eyes—it was all she could do. Then suddenly a piercing shriek broke from her lips, for she heard a gurgling cry, a struggle, and wild, bitter curses from the lawyer’s lips. “Murder! Murder!” she screamed, and now her eyes were wide open, but the room was wrapped 1 in darkness. An instant the struggling continued, then all was silent for one dreadful moment. Then a voice which she knew well to be that of ' Mr. Luke Withers, exclaimed: “What is all this? Whois here? Speak! Who . is here?” “Tam near you, sir; but are you not hurt?” ex- claimed the young lady. “No, Iam not hurt. But I was awakened by ter- rible screams. What does itmean? Who are you? Your voice sounds like that of my good Miss Gardner.” “JT am Lydia Gardner, sir. But the light is out. That lame man, Sharp, was trying to murder you. — (a0) ~ comicbooks