Mrs. Bob: A Novel — page 177: what you’re looking at

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

A FIGHT WITH FORTUNE. 169 ‘Splendid!’ clapping her hands. ‘‘And sign your name to it.’’ ‘*He will do much for me.’’ ‘‘Who wouldn’t,’’ declares the admiring Bob, -at which she shakes her finger at him, and he hurries away, thinking he ought to be the happiest man on Virginia soil, with such a bright wife. Straight to the telegraph office he hies, and _ pres- ently over the wires is flying a message that will cer- tainly electrify the operator at Gordonville, who has little outside of routine work to keep him busy dur- ing the day—a message that will also startle old Seth Tucker and cause him to think a revolution is at hand, when the entire police force of Gordonville, as constituted in himself, is set to work ferreting out a deep inystery. This done to. the satisfaction of the committee of one, Bob returns to his party, and the whole of them once more bring up at Ford’s. Although they have apparently been baffled thus far by fate, they do not intend to sleep over it. In season they sally forth to catch the three-ten train for Fayette, and this time all go prepared for a journey, Bob carrying a satchel which his wife claims. The train leaves twenty minutes late, and they ad- vance at a snail’s pace. Bob and the Senator ex- change glances, and smile dismally—this is poor progress when haste is needed, Gomicbookssco LAL a)