A Silver Brand — page 178: what you’re looking at

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

170 A SILVER BRAND. And before Jock could gather his slow thoughts together his team had driven off, and left him standing with one fat hand in his pocket, staring after it; the clinking silver coin in the pocket, which had just found its way thither, reconciled him, however, and dispersed his momentary doubts. “Yon is an honest man, or he wouldn’t have paid me in the beginning. He will come back with my team, and I must hurry with the supper,” he muttered, and went shambling into his cottage. : Yet it must be confessed that it was with intense relief to lingering misgivings that he heard the well-known rumble of the cart nearly an hour afterward. He hurried down to it, staring rather dubiously at the light car in the back, which was turned bottom upward, with the imp and torn silk thrown over it, raised unnecessarily high he thought. ; “That aballoon! It looks like no balloon I ever see!” he declared, as he clambered tothe seat. “T should think not. Didn’tI tell you it was torn, and that all the gas escaped? It must be whole and well in- _flated to look likea balloon. Poor thing! it has had a hard enough time,” the sronaut answered, cheerily. “Now, then, Jock, I want your horse to do his best. It will be dark before we reach the town atthe soonest, and my little fraulein will be alarmed.” , The journey was long and tedious in the rough vehicle, but it was safely concluded, and the cunning eronaut gave Jock another coin and-sent him to a cake shop while he was taking out the remnants of his ruined pet at the neat door-way, wherein stood the bright-faced wife, wondering at her Carl’s slow movements. ~ The bright eyes widened and deepened as he hastily helped out a slender figure in black, and hurried it into the door-way, from which she stood aside mechanically to give them room. “Shut the door, and take care of her, Crezence,” said her husband, in a peremptory tone that was another surprise. . Well, well, the saints only know what has happened to Carl,” she muttered, setting out a chair for her guest; “something terrible has happened, I’m sure; I only hope he hasn’t lost his wits.” : ‘Don’t be angry with him,” spoke up the sweet, silvery voice; “itis I who am to be blamed, And indeed I can’t blame you if you are angry.” | Eomichbooks.co