Roxy Hastings — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

ROXY HASTINGS. 45 “Fact, and in smelling distance, too. Oh, won’t they squeak when they’re hungry ?” | * But—but we can’t stand it, Charles. Something must be done about it.” “Fact. I—I’ll see, Sissy. Keep cool.” The brother hurried up to his room, and Laura returned to her mother, to vent her fears and vexation about the growing pig-sty and about Charleys’ indifference to it. The young man spent nearly an hour in his room writing and rewriting a letter, which he finally took out to a oi to get it transcribed and directed in an unknown and. When this was done he inclosed the certificate of deposit in it, and dropped it into the post-office. That night the pigs were discussed to a late hour, and various remedies were suggested for the threatened evil. The widow said she would apply to the landlord in the morning, and if he refused them redress, that they must look out for other quarters before their month was up. “That’s it,” said Charles. ‘But where we are to find them as cheap as this I’m sure I don’t know,” she continued, “and then there’s all the trouble and expense of moving.” “To find something quite as bad in our new quarters,” added Laura, despondingly. “ Wecan’t expect much for what we pay. Perhaps we can make terms with these peo- ple, and bribe them into decency.” ‘“‘We have got so much to bribe with.” A heavy sigh responded to this remark. “Have you been in the bank, Charles, since you re- turned ?” asked the mother. “Yes, I looked in to see the boys this morning. They say there’s to be a vacancy there in a few days.” “Oh, don’t you think you could possibly get it?” “They said they would try to get it for me, but I shall not apply myself.” “Vou will take it, though, if it is offered to you?” “Oh, yes. I’ll take it for the present at all events.” At breakfast, next morning, there were still further signs - of dejection, but there was a furtive smile lurking about the corners of Charley’s mouth, and a gleam in his eyes, which, to a close observer, would have proclaimed him anything but a melancholy man. “T shall soon be well enough to go out,” said the major. “To-morrow, I guess, and i can soon earn enough to buy off the pigs.” Gomicbooks (ele)