Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 173 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 173: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose from the penny dreadful "Lion-Heart" (page 157). The text describes Dr. Pratt's realization that Troupe Anderson, a wounded young officer, rode off into a tornado in fear for someone named Tom's safety. The doctor assembles a search party to investigate, while visitors—Mr. Jefferson and Baron Steuben—arrive to congratulate the "daring" young officer. The narrative focuses on explaining Troupe's desperate midnight gallop and its apparent connection to a distant storm that devastated a plantation near Hornbuckle's Clearing on the Blue Ridge.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Lion-HEART 157 missed from the stable. Later yet the stable-boy who was supposed to have ridden the horse off on some errand returned from his visit to some neighboring plantation, to tell his story of the tornado-cloud and ‘Troupe Anderson’s midnight gallop. The situation was mitigated. Dr. Pratt observed that even a fellow who had lost as much blood as had Troupe was capable under strong nervous excite- ment of extraordinary effort. “Just as desperately wounded men will rally for a charge, and rush at earth- works with the best of ’em.” But why had he gone? Wherer Nothing betrayed any connection between Troupe’s sortie and the rush of that funnel-shaped cloud _ which — miles away and at dead of night — had roared through space, leaving the town to sleep on in peace. “Whatever the motive for it, that ride’s enough to kill him! But it won’t. Those Andersons— last one of *em — have nerve-force enough to—to remove mountains,” avowed the doctor. By and by stories about the tornado plodded into town; news on muleback. The storm had devastated a distant plantation, and thence bounded to the summit of the Blue Ridge. “Out on top’ ’ the forest had been licked up by the wind. “Out ‘bout Hornbuckle’s Clearin’, Doc.” And now Dr. Pratt began to understand — in a degree — what must have happened. Troupe, weakened as he was, had ridden off in the wake of the storm, frenzied with fear for Tom’s safety. Nothing but a matter of life and death could have caused him to do such a desperate thing. But how was it with Tomr And Unaka? And if they were unharmed, where: was Troupe? Hurriedly he as- sembled a searching party to go with him to the top of the mountain. And there was mounting in hot haste then! Hardly were they gone when Mr. Jefferson — with him Baron Steuben — came to call on the young officer whose daring exploit was in every mouth, as the Governor was saying. “A mere youth, Baron. The son of our old neighbor, Audley Anderson. No gallanter young fellow saw SeIv- CORNICLOO <S (EO) m