Roxy Hastings — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

100 ROXY HASTINGS. fell upon his knees and buried his face in his hands as they rested upon the bed. But the keeper was not closely watching him—he had advanced only to remove the dishes which had contained the supper for the two men, but perceiving that they had been untouched, he turned softly, and walked out, locking the door behind him even with a subdued noise. | “Vou needn’t take de books in to him till you come on in de mornin’, Massa Hess. He wants to read de Bible and pray, and write letters home to-night, and talk to Lewy, and he got plenty to eat and drink dere, and hopes you won’t come in nor let nobody in.” _ Hess gave a grunt, whether of assent or disapproval it was difficult to say, and Alfred, fearful that Luke would overdo:his part, walked on and turned an angle of the hall, whither the negro at once followed him. He did not know the way out of the building, or he would perhaps have de- parted sooner, without waiting for the old man. They had still to pass a sentinel near the street door, and another in front of the building, and the lieutenant, bid- ding Luke keep close to his side, conversed with him with seeming earnestness as they went along, in order that he might avoid looking at these officers without seeming purposely to do so. He sighed heavily as he drew near the first man, and said, slowly, and in a nasal tone, gesticulating with one _ gloved hand upon the other: “The worst of these death-bed repentances, Brother Luke, is that we can never pronounce with certainty upon their genuineness. All seems fair with the young man— he seems to be humble, he seems to repent.” They were outside now, where the twilight still lingered. There were several soldiers loitering about the door of the recruiting-office, and the solemn sentinel was marching, automaton-like, to and fro upon the sidewalk. Lee continued, looking only at the attentive negro: ‘He seems to repent not only of his private sins, but of the greater crime of having joined this cruel army of abolitionists, who are devastating our fairland. Ah! that was his crying sin.” , “Yes, sah.” “I have tried to impress upon his mind the great wicked- ness of this act, Luke—its enormity, its—” “Yes, sah.” ~ And he owns that his punishment is just. Let us hope that he is sincere in all this,” | ; comicbooks.co