A Silver Brand — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

A SILVER BRAND. 99 living woman, there ain’t a married one among ’em. They’re just brothers and sisters, and if that ain’t an odd family—five of ’em and nary one married !” “But there’s a child—the girl,” ejaculated the astonished woman. | | ' “Yes, but she’s nary a bit relation. It’s a girl they’ve adopted, I expect.” | “Do tell! well now that beats all, They’re queer folks, ain’t they?” | And queer folks they remain still, after the ten years’ residence. By no means Americanized, and fraternizing very little with outsiders, they had yet obtained a sort of hold upon the affections of -the simple people among whom they had come, while commanding also a hearty respect, and a rather vague awe. We are going with Mr. Paul Foss to take our first look at the Rock House. That gentleman has just landed after a visit to the town, and he brings a light basket of groceries on his arm, which he hands promptly to the thin, angular woman who opens the rear door for him, and glances quickly, with those sharp black eyes of hers, over his person, and almost immediately pounces upon a_ broad streak of dust upon the skirt of his coat. “There, Paul, you must let me brush you! Don’t come a step farther. I do wish those filthy shop- keepers would try to be a little decent. You’ve been sitting down on some of their dusty benches, and there’s two or three spots. Ive no doubt _they’re oil, or molasses. Do take off the coat, Paul, and let me clean it,” cried she, in a shrill, high- toned voice, as if speaking to a deaf person, and running off the words so swiftly a stranger could hardly have followed her, This was Theodosia, the oldest of the three Misses Foss. She was known on the island from the others, after a year’s residence, by her straight, erect figure, and by the way she carried her head, with her little sharp nose turned up to the air as if scenting out some impurity somewhere. Besides, her eyes were smaller and blacker, her hair grayer Gomicboo cS (e(@)