Rocky Mountain Sam — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

Bd 3 comicboo ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. 43 respectable parents. His father died when he was a child. When he was a lad of eighteen, and pursuing his studies at the medical college in Montreal, his mother set out to make a visit to a relative, a fur-trader, residing in Pembina, on the Red River of the North. While there, she was captured by the Blackfeet Indians—a branch tribe of which then occupied that region. Robert—who had means, and still has some at his command—set out upon a pilgrimage in search of her, vowing, with truly filial and noble determi- nation, to rescue her if she was alive, to collect and bury her bones, if she were dead, or never return to the haunts of civilization again. His inquiries were in vain. The Blackfeet tribes were removed by the Government to their present reservation. Still, with the same, noble, steadfast aim in view, he followed them hither. It was about this time—some three years ago—that he made my acquaintance and was admitted into my house. He at once fell madly in love with my daughter, who, however, never manifested anything but the greatest aversion to him. His intentions. were the most honorable—he had wealth and respectability, and I did not see any special objections to his prosecuting his suit, provided he did not annoy Mollie too much, until I was made aware of grave charges against his character. No matter what they were—lI was satisfied that, while he had been actuated by the noblest motives respecting his mother’s recovery, he had been leading a wild and desperate life upon his own account—had defrauded a friend, who had trusted him, out of his sweetheart, besides committing countless acts of rascality; in a word, I learned so much about his dark and disgraceful past that I at once forbade him my house. We had a terrible altercation, and he went away vowing revenge, and swearing that he would have Mollie with or without my consent, or her consent either, for that matter. He has made three attempts to carry her off previous to the one of to-day in which he was successful. He has adopted the life and habits of the Indians, in order the more thoroughly to prosecute his search, they say. I am sometimes charitable enough—when my blood is cool— to credit him with being crazy. He has enormous influence with these tribes, has money, which he freely spends for their benefit—is shrewd, cunning, and desperately brave. Big Horn may know of his mother’s whereabouts, and keep his secret in order to keep his power, but of this I cannot cS (ele) aa :