Roxy Hastings — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

106 ROXY HASTINGS. vals, and a few vessels, of various sizes, moored beside them. They hurried on past all these, and stopped before a small cabin on the shore, in which there seemed to be no light or sign of human life. Luke knocked softly at the door, which was almost im- mediately opened by some one who must have been wait- ing close at hand. The room into which Alfred followed his sable guide was so dark that he could see only the outline of the person who admitted them, who seemed to be a tall, spare man. He was, in fact, one of Luke’s confreres,an old free negro, to whom alone, besides Dinah and the drunken Allen, the momentous secret had been intrusted. His role was to hire a skiff, for the avowed purpose of fishing very early the next morning, and to bring it around | early in the evening, and moor it at some point near his house. ‘‘Hah, you got de boat, Uncle Jake?” was Luke’s quick inquiry. “ Y-yes—no—not quite,” said the trembling, eager old man. ‘Den de Lord hab marsy on us!” said Luke. ‘“Dere’s de bells a-ringin’ de ’?larm now, and—” “Yes, but I ’spect it ebery minute, Uncle Luke. I spoke for it, and Josh, he went affer it, and took de money to pay for it. I staid here to wait for you. Ill go myself now. You come on down to de river, and I tell you war to wait.” They went, and an interval of terrible suspense ensued while on the spot designated by their companion they awaited his return. They could no longer doubt that the — escape had been discovered ; every bell in the city seemed to be ringing; the distant roll of a drum was heard, and now and then a shout came to their ears, adding to the evi- ~ dence of a general commotion. “IT *fraid dey pummel poor Dine,” said Luke, in a whis- per; ‘but dey can’t hang her, can dey, Massa Lee ?” ‘‘No, certainly not, and I do not think she’ll be harmed.” “ Dere’s dat poor fool of a Allen. Dey’ll cotch him, sure as a gun.” “Yes, and they’ll force him to tell all he knows.” ‘“He don’t know much, bress de Lord. He don’t know nothin’ ’bout de boat.” - “But, Uncle Luke, the noises grow louder. I hear a tramping off here to the left. They'll place guards all comicbooks com