Ruby's Reward — page 196: what you’re looking at

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

had been already tendered the bereaved widow and sister. Walter Richardson and Edmund Carpenter met agwaininthis house of mourning tor the first time ainee the evening of the grand reception in Mr. Gor- don's former elegant residence. Walter zreeted the son of his former benefactor kindly and courteously, but he was met with a frowning brow and a haughty manner, that amount | ed almost To rudeness. Poor Ruby was heart-broken, She seemed fairly dazed by this mighty grief that had overtaken her so suddenly ; and is was enough to make the strong- est ely simply to look into her white face and note the wild. hunted look in her sunken but tearless eyes. When her brother’s body was borne from her sight and laid within the costly Gordon tomb, the tension on her overstrained nerves gave way, and she fell back fainting in the carriage, Mrs. Gordon shrieked, and lapsed into hysterics, erying out that Ruby, too, was dead; and Walter, hearing the sound, aud fearing the worst for his darling, leaped from his own carriage, and rushed to sit) aid. glance within the coach showed him Ruby’s eas face and inanimate form; and, with com- pressed lips, he sprang away to a fountain near by, wrenched a cup from “its chain, and bore it, full of water, back to the senseless girl. He entered the carriage ; he gathered his loved one jnto his arms, and bathed her face and temples until ghe began to recover consciousness. Just as she drew a pe breath and unclosed her eyes, Walter chanced to glance up, and saw Edmund Carpenter standing by the open door of the carriage, and glaring at him with something of the ferocity “ot a wild animal as itis about to spring upon its prey. Ruby saw him also; and, suddenly realizing w hose arms were supporting her, she sat up, her hand for the cup of water. D, HOAUU WE. QU