Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 30 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page from "Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil" (Victorian Penny Dreadful) This is running prose from page 14 of a serialized adventure tale. The page depicts a letter from a Southern officer (apparently named Troupe de Berrien Anderson) written during the American Revolution, discussing his absence and expressing affection through romantic verse. The narrative then shifts to a scene where Tom and others receive the letter and a visitor arrives—a coarse, muscular man with prominent teeth who speaks in rough dialect about tobacco prices and the British occupation, before greeting "Miss Dare" familiarly. The footnote clarifies the letter is based on an actual historical document from a Southern officer during the conflict with Britain.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
14 Tom ANDERSON, Dare-DeEvIL The time I’ve been absent from you all appears an age. As soon as this important affair is over, I shall immediately return home.! Then came the postscript :— My dear love and respects to yourself. Love to Lady Pantoufle, Tom Calvert, and ma’m’selle. **Hath Heaven a cup of bliss for me? Oh, may I share that bliss with thee! ”’ Your Humble and Obedient Serv’t TROUPE DE BERRIEN ANDERSON. How plain it was that the young fellow had tried to write in an offhand fashion! But his heart got the better of him in the postscript. Talking about the American Revolution as “‘an important affair’ merely, sounded — to Tom’s thinking —vastly cool and soldierly. “Hello! This was written before the assault on Savan- nah! Wish we could get letters in a reasonable time. Ish going to start at daylight, you say? Don’t you wonder what’s become of the English mare?” Well was it for Tom that he did n’t yet know that story. The hall door swung open. A twanging voice reached their ears. “"Terbacker’s low. Hit’s plumb low. Wouldn’ sell nary poun’. Atter while hit’ll be wuth sump’n. Wid the British overrunnin’ the kentry en’ the niggers runnin’ way ter the British, ain’t a-gwine ter be much mo’ terbacker made. That’s hit!’ The speaker came out of the door. Big of bone and big of muscle, he had a gross jaw, “‘ buck’s teeth,’ and small, ferocious eyes. Lifting his hat to the mistress of Oxheart, he came down the steps, with an attempt at ease. “Well, well, Miss Dare, how ye do grow! Mighty nigh tall ez Tom here, hain’t ye? Gittin’ anvious, hain’t ye now, [Tom?”’ 1 Copy of a letter written by a Southern officer during the struggle with Great Britain. CONNIE KOOKS (E() m