Roxy Hastings — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

158 ROXY HASTINGS. the ladies were gratified to find him better looking and bet- ter dressed than his letter had led them to expect.- He was a stoutish young man, seemingly about twenty-five years old, of rather handsome face, by virtue of a white skin, a red spot of the size of a dollar in each cheek, mut- ton chop whiskers, and a pair of black, sharp-looking eyes, and he was clad in a citizen’s suit of gray, not much the worse for wear, with fine boots, slightly cracked, and: a soft hat. He was very glib of tongue, making instant inquiries for “the lieutenant” as he shook hands with the ladies, and professing the greatest disappointment on hearing of his absence. **Don’t know what I shall do,” he said. ‘‘I’ve been quite depending on him, you see; haven’t another friend in the | city, and, as I said, I’m quite—I don’t like to mention it— — but really quite destitoot.” Mrs. Lee begged him not to make himself uneasy on that score. “We are all so very—very, deeply beholden to you,” she said, putting her kerchief to her eyes. “Why, yes, I got the lieutenant out of a bad scrape, to be sure, and had to sweat for it, I can assure you.” ‘Ah, Iam sorry to hear that. You know you wrote that your punishment was quite light, but I suppose you didn’t want Alfred to worry about you.” ‘‘Exactly ; yes, ma’am; that was it,” said the visitor. ‘What was your punishment?” Laura ventured to ask. “The lash, mum; sixty blows well laid on, three days runnin’; two weeks in the coal-hole after that, on black bread and water, and then another floggin’. Jist lived through it, mum.” ‘Dear me, it was terrible !” said the widow. ‘‘We ought to be forever obliged to you, I’m sure. But you seem to look pretty well now.” | “Yes, mum; all the result of a good constertution, mum. I picked up wonderfully as soon as I got away, and began to git a little somethin’ good to eat.” ‘But how did you get away ?” “Well, PU tell you, mum. After I come out of the coal-hole, and hed my last floggin’, they put me back in that same room that the lieutenant and I was in, jist for a day. or so, they said, till they knew where I was to £0. And in the evenin’, when the guard came in, to see all right for the night, I leaped upon him like a tiger—” ‘“Bless me }” 3 Eomicbooks.co