Roxy Hastings — page 111: what you’re looking at

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

102 ROXY HASTINGS. ; ~ “Why, Joe and I both saw the man go out twice, and didn’t either of us see him go back.” Gallard hurried off as he said this lest his absence from his post should be noticed, and left the slow-witted keey er to reflect on what he had said. Being impressed with the idea that the minister did go out twice, without reflecting on the source of his informa- tion, Hess only wondered that neither of the men should have seen him come back, and then he returned to the train of thoughts which the sentinel had interrupted—perhaps a contemplation of his expected legacy in the morning. But as second impressions, in some minds, are more forcible than first, the words of Gallard soon recurred to him, and with them came an undefined idea that something was wrong, or, at least, incongruous. He would at least make sure that he was all right, and, although disliking to dis- turb his profitable prisoner, contrary to his repeated in- junctions, he determined to look in. He opened the door as softly as possible, yet not without some noise, and looked in. There was the leutenant sit- ting by the bedside, leaning over and talking to Hartley in bed. The room was barely light enough to show this, and Hess hesitated whether to advance or retire. He advanced. “Sha’n’t I light your lamp?” he said. “No, no!” replied Hartley, in a whisper, for he knew that his voice would betray him if he spoke loud. He mo- tioned to the keeper to go back, as he spoke, but he did not dare to look around. There was something strange in this, and for the first time Hess’ suspicions were really excited. He no longer hesitated, but walked quickly up to Hartley, and at- tempted to look into his face, and as this was studiously averted from him, he next glanced at the bed, where the nature of the deception which had been practiced upon him became at once apparent. He seized the stuffed figure and pulled it partly up, and then letting it drop back, he sprang upon Hartley, and seizing him forcibly, turned his face toward the light. With a terrible oath he next thrust the young man from him and demanded: ‘Where is the lieutenant ?” Louis did not reply, and the enraged man again flew at him with the ferocity of a tiger, grasped him by the throat, and repeated the question. Hartley struggled, but did not speak, and when the fran- cComicbooks (ele)