Ruby's Reward — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

_ Hewas, aswe have already seen, extremely fond of his young sister, who was fifteén _ years his junior ; indeed, she was nore like _adaughter to him,and he had humoured her every wish ever since his widowed mother's | death, which had occurred ten ye wsprevious, ‘ when she hac commended the delicate child .to his care, and bexeed him to guard her faithfully from the evils and storms of life. ; Hehad been trueto his trust—so true that he had almost made an idol of her; and now he could not repress a thrill of pleasure as he became conscious that the wealthy young millionaire seemed likely to choose his treasure from the galaxy of “beauties in their circle, and thus secure to her a position second to none in the city It was not Edmund Carpenter’s wealth and position alone that influenced him, for :Ruby would have those if she never married catall; but he had been pleased with the young man, and aithough he knew there was considerable difference in their agex, ‘yet he argued that he was all the better lalate to take care of her from that very fact. "He had always said he would never dic- - tate to her in a matter so important to her 4interests ; she should be free to choose for “herself—to decide regarding her own hap- *piness, and he would have ‘sanctioned her 'schoice of any worthy and honourable man, without regard to possessions or station. ‘Once or twice he attempted to sound ‘Ruby regarding her sentiments toward her » ‘suitor. . ' “616 seems to me that young Carpenter is ‘ petting quite friendly in this neighbour- : hood,” he remarked, with significant em- *“phasis, one evening after the gentleman ‘had made a protracted call. comicbookss.com fe “bo Be cee