Roxy Hastings — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

32 ROXY HASTINGS. even its equine auditors, if they could have comprehended its import. Sead 3 The colloquists were the farmer and his hired man, scarcely yet a man in years; a vicious-looking fellow, who was known only by the name of Phil, who did not need any very special incentives to an act of villainy. — It is unnecessary to give much of this conversation. “You want to try your hand at speculatin’ a little in this ile business? So I do. There’s fortunes to be made, there’s no doubt of that; but one wants somethin’ to start with.” “In coorse. Any fool knows that,” said Phil. “He’s got a thousand dollars in his pocket now, to my certain knowledge.” | “Seen it?” asked Phil, eagerly. “Ves, I may say I’ve seen it. At any rate, I know it. Tom Ward saw Ogilvie pay it to him yesterday.” “All right!” “He don’t need it. He’s rich enough, you know. Goin’ to get ten thousand for only half of his farm.” | ¢¢ Yes ie “And I shall put him in the room next to you to-night.” 6 Ha ba “He don’t suspect anything. There’s no lock on the door between, and I’ve taken everything out of his room that he could possibly fasten it with.” “ He’ll put somethin’ agin it.” “Tt opens t’other way—into your room. The door is in a kind of niche, you see.” : * Yes—well ?” ‘Well, he carries his pocket-book in his coat, in the in- side breast pocket.” 6 Yes. 3 “ And it will hang on a chair, probably near the bed. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do.” ‘“Why don’t you do it yourself?” * Well, he might wake up, and then I ain’t very strong.” “But you don’t mean—” | Phil’s tone and look, as seen by a dim lantern-light, finished this sentence. ‘*‘N—no, not if it can be helped, of course. . But if he wakes what else can be done? We don’t want to go to State’s prison.” “ Nor to be hung.” , “No danger, if it comes to the worst. Why, he changed Eomicbooks.co