Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 150 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 150: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis: Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil This is a page of running prose from what appears to be the middle of a serialized story (page 134). The narrative describes a group sheltering in a cave on a mountain after outlaws have withdrawn. A character named Troupe gives a pistol to Unaka, a Cherokee boy, as a gift, which deeply moves him. The page concludes with the protagonist Tom falling ill with fever and delirium by day's end. The text contains dialogue in dialect and depicts frontier conflict involving references to "Tories' Den" and militia, suggesting a Revolutionary War or similar period setting.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
134 Tom ANDERSON, DareE-DEVIL “Going home sounds better than anything save ‘The day is ours!’ I’d run the gantlet of their pickets to get to Monticello now, with this story! I’d ask the Governor for a detachment of militia, take command, and attack the Tories’ Den.” “Good Lord, Troupe! If you tried to get down the mountain now, you’d throw away your life.”’ “What does Unaka say?”’ He-Who-Slays-the- Enemy - in - his- Path-and - Walks- Along-the-Tops-of-the-Mountains answered: “Emathla has spoken.” “Stay here. There'll be ‘illigint fight-thin,’ as Pat says, before we clean out that underground camp.”’ It was nearly an hour before the party of outlaws with- drew. They had found nothing but that hole in the ground. Once more silence and mystery brooded over the moun- tain and the abyss below. Our friends stretched themselves on the floor of the cave tosleep. [hey were three recumbent figures around a great circular mirror; the spring in its bowl shone in the firelight. Troupe caught the glance Unaka cast at his splendid sword and pistols. The Cherokee would have disdained to touch them curiously, but his eye slid over them like a bird’s. The look shone with ardor, but was clean of covet- ousness. [hey were beautiful and costly weapons; their owner set infinite store by them. “Unaka, that handsome wampum belt you wear would not misbecome a pistol. Wear one of these for me. It is yours. So!” fixing the weapon in the Cherokee’s belt. Unaka’s heart leaped. He squared his shoulders. He turned hot with pride. He got off a little speech in Chero- kee. [he boy had never owned a pistol in his life; no gift could have stirred him like this. When Troupe and Tom slept before the fire, the savage still sat clutching the gold- mounted treasure that was his!—his eyes like rubies in a bronze mask. Tom awoke next morning with fever; —and before the day was over he was staring and chattering in delirium. ECONNICLOOOKS.(6@) m