A Silver Brand — page 174: what you’re looking at

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

166 A SILVER BRAND. hastily at the bough and rope which restrained the ruined — balloon. “TI can, lam sure. Take away this white mantle.” The car fell crashing to the ground, and the wretched remnant of the eronaut’s pride dropped sullenly after 11. “My poor Bird of the Air!” he murmured, sorrowfully, and dragged the debris some yards away from the tree. None too soon, for two liveried. men came at that mo- ment crashing through the tall shrubbery that bordered the road, and concealed it from the field in which the hap- less “ Bird of the Air” had landed. | tad “Any harm done?” asked one. The zeronaut pointed to the forlorn remnants, and shook his head sorrowfully. ‘“Humph!” growled the other; “I shouldn’t mourn over that trash. Weexpected to find a heap of broken bones here. Master sent us to help you. He thought there was a woman in the balloon.” “Thad my wife’s scarf,” said the seronaut, coolly. poe use it to signal with. I don’t think I need anything ex- cept a cart to carry off what is left of my balloon and take me along home. It’s a dear enough experiment I’ve had.” ; Hae fellows looked at each other, and laughed scorn- _ fully. ‘‘I wonder if we look like hunting up carts for every cast-away, Gottlieb,” said one. “Perhaps he’d like the coach itself.” “You needn’t trouble yourself. JI can trudge along and find one for myself, if you’d be good enough to tell me where Tam.” — : * You’re on the domains of the Count Schrodter, and it is his lordship in the coach yonder with his guest at din- ner, his royal highness, the prince,” answered the man, .~ loftily, evidently expecting the humble listener to be over: whelmed by the near vicinity of such august grandeur. ~ The zronaut was not so startled, however, as the cling- ing listener in the tree, whose sudden shiver set the leaves to rustling, which might have attracted attention thither, but that at the moment rang out a sharp voice from the other side of the hedge. ‘“Blockheads! caitiffs! where are ‘you? Why don’t one of you come and report tome? I told you to bring the woman.out to the carriage.” i | , -The lady, peering out from her high perch among the shrouding leaves, saw the flushed, brutal face that was ~ comicbooks.con