Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 263 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 263: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis This is a page of running prose (page 245) from a Victorian penny dreadful titled *The Duel*. The text depicts a chaotic scene in Charleston following the assassination of Captain Paris. A character anxiously seeks his brother while evading suspicion of shooting Paris, fearing arrest. Meanwhile, others rush toward British Headquarters with what appears to be a body ("Rory and his burden"), drawing crowds. The passage concludes with a young man named Pinckney St. John halting a carriage to speak with his aunt and a young woman in pink, then arranging for someone called Colonel Lloyd to be placed in his carriage—though the sentence cuts off mid-page.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE DUEL 245 “Tf a Royalist had met the baronet, he’d be safe; even if he’d killed his man. But a Rebel has run a British colo- nel through! “How can I get a word with my brother? Won’t do for him to be seen with me. I am suspected of shooting Paris! What a malignant significance there is in every circum- stance that surrounds me! The ice is getting thin for us both, Troupe, mon brave!”’ A great horror of the spot where he had endured such maddening suspense hurried his steps. He hoped to avoid notice, to say nothing of arrest, but meant to lurk about the streets until he found out — somehow or other —1if Troupe had been seized. Meantime, the rest were running along another street to the same destination, British Headquarters. The spec- tacle presented by Rory and his burden drew after them such people as were afoot, the crowd swelling every min- ute. A few carriages had turned away from Lady Savage’s, though it was not yet one o'clock. The assassination of Captain Paris had cast a great gloom over fashionable Charleston. “Look yonder; there goes the Pomfret coach; going home from the ball already! Poor Paris has played Banquo at the ball supper! By the Lord Harry, there’s Aunt 5t. John and Peg.” And Pinckney St. John darted out into the street and hailed the driver of a very handsome car- riage. “Steve! Pull up!” It was the voice of the master. The black coachman reined in the spanking bays; two aston- ished faces appeared at the carriage windows; and there was the fledgling heir of the Savages and St. Johns, pour- ing out a story to a tiny old lady in magnificent diamonds and matchless marabouts; and to a young lady in pink gauze with her pretty hair built up into a white tower. “Oh, poor Sir A‘neas!” she faltered. Her brother returned hastily: “Jump out, Peg. We'll walk home. Aunt St. John will take a seat with the Strothers — won’t you, aunt? Yonder they come. Here, Colonel Lloyd, put him in my carriage,’’— and Pink CORNICLOO® “eS (C©) im