A Silver Brand — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

16 : A SILVER BRAND. two centuries. My father will tell you about it. He will congratulate himself upon such an inter- ested listener as you will be. I counted as much ppen his gratification as upon yours, Meester Dal- CTO as he said the last, he laughed; for his quaint pronunciation of English had been previously the subject of good-humored banter between them. “T suspect my admiration will seem very foolish and plebeian,” returned Dalberg. “But how can it be helped, coming as I do from a country whose antiquity is still a thing of yesterday? Is the bridge yonder the only method of approach to the isle?” “Without a boat, yes. On the other side of the island is a wharf; but it is almost always on this side that visitors find admittance, for that side is rocky and precipitous, and one can only make the landing with caution. Both approaches are as jeal- ously guarded asin the old feudal days, however. My father has revived the ancient fashion of keeping a sentinel on guard day and night. Come, let us spur up our horses! A trot across the bridge is an ex- perience worth having.” With a light touch of the spur and a gay chirrup, the pair. went cantering down the slope, and dashed out upon the long, securely planked bridge. As the young count had intimated, a soldierly looking fellow, in a sort of liveried uniform, with a gun at his shoulder, stepped forth from a sentry- box and seemed about to challenge their approach ; but the next instant he swept off his close cap and presented arms, recognizing either the horses or the young gentleman’s person. The latter nodded a good-humored recognition of the salute, but did not rein-in his horse, and they kept up the spirited canter until they neared the other end of the bridge, when the animals them- selves. came to an abrupt pause. Here was another sentry-box, and a second soldier, a tall, brawny-chested fellow, who looked ‘equal to the management of any two men of ordinary size, stepped forth. “Ah, Seippel, a good day to you! All well at the (e(@) comicbooks