Roxy Hastings — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

‘ROXY HASTINGS, _ 69 sum before him a fortune for himself, he never wavered in his integrity, nor dreamed of appropriating a dollar wrongfully Not even a covetous wish crossed his honest breast. * P’raps he’ll give me anoder of ’em,” he said ; but this was too dazzling a dream for belief. He began to stow the coin slowly in his pockets, and when he had filled them all, yet not so far that they suspic- lously bulged, he had a large pile left. The remainder, after wrapping each piece in paper, to prevent any clink- - ing, he put in his boots, which had ample tops, and which, though very old and many times patched, had no hole ogee which even a tiny golden dollar might have es- caped. He walked clumsily enough with this strange load, but yet not so as to attract attention, for Luke was old and often rheumatic. He took his cane and a little basket now and wént toa drug store and a grocery, and procured the ‘various ar- ticles which were named on his memorandum, and then with his numerous parcels he trudged slowly prisonward. Very slowly he walked, for now and then even his old ears caught the faint chime of the coins in his pocket, strik- ing against each other. He met nota few acquaintances, both white and black, who all had a nod and a kind word for the old fellow, and some of whom, of his own color, despite his anxiety to slip past them, insisted on stopping and shaking hands and in- quiring about his welfare. ‘‘Take care dar. Don’t shake so hard. I’se a little stiff to-day !” Uncle Luke would say. | He kept a sharp lookout in all directions for Shem and Mose, but they had gone early to camp as usual, and did not trouble him. : He reached the prison without serious molestation, and | when his little basket of wares had been overhauled and the parcels felt of and smelt of, and some of them punc- tured to make more certain of their contents, he was ad- mitted for the stipulated sum, which he had ready in his broad palm. Had the hobbling old man been a winged Mercury, bear- ing celestial gifts, his welcome from the anxious lieutenant could scarcely have been more hearty. Celestial gifts? did he not have them in that old basket, blackened with age, which Alfred so eagerly seizes and opens, before making any inquiries about his money ? Some Gomichoo “S (e (0)