Ruby's Reward — page 280: what you’re looking at

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

“You are very squeamish all at once, it appears to me,” he said, ‘‘and [was a precious fool to tell you anything about it; but that old man exasperated me so tonight that [ripped it out before I thought. I hope you don’t intend to turn State’s evidence,” he concluded, with some anxiety. “You need not fear,” Mrs. Gordon returned, coldly, “torture would not draw the confession from me; still I am very uncomfortable in possessing the. knowledge.” “Then we are all right. I’d do the same thing again to getrid of that fool, who has been an eye- sore to me all my life. I warned him he would come to harm if he didn’t keep out of my path. I believe I should have had clear sailing with Ruby but for him.” Ruby, in her place of concealment, was growing very nervous as she listened to all this, and her small hands were so tightly clenched in trying to control her shaking limbs and almost chattering téeth, that it seéined as if they would never open again, aud it was with a feeling of intense relie?t that she finally heard Edmund Carpenter rise from his seat, aud say: “Well, it is time I was on my way tothecity. I wish I hadn't let the cat out, Estelle, since you feel it so keenly, but T’ll make it as easy for you at the trial as I can.” Mrs. Gordon shivered. The thought of going be- fore a court of justice to testify against the young man whom hitherto she had been 80 eager to run, had now become a torture to her. “Shall I aecompany you back to the house?” her companion asked, as she stood irresolute, “No, Lwill walk a little farther down the avenue with you—I do not feellike going in just yet she answered. comicloooks.com a ee eee ane ee om