Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 338 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 338: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains running prose from page 320 of *Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil*, a Victorian penny dreadful. The text depicts dialogue and narrative among characters including Lady Amy, Dick, and Tom, centered on matters of money, jewels (an "Aztec Ring"), and romantic entanglements. Lady Amy makes cutting remarks about Dick's romantic prospects and mentions a Princess who wishes Tom to join her on a yacht cruise and offers him money. Tom expresses reluctance, fearing bad luck. The Princess then addresses Tom emotionally, revealing her affection for him and recalling a time she overheard him speaking sternly to someone named Bambouk. The page shows no illustrations—only text.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
320 Tom ANpERSON, Dare-DEvIL Boots who’s making the fortune of the Marquis of Cara- bas! Ehr”’ Everybody laughed, but Lady Amy turned upon him. “You should buy the big emerald, Dick.” “Why?” suspiciously. “Madame Beauharnais may be a widow some day — who knows?— and she might be kinder to the owner of the Aztec Ring than she was to plain Dick Knatchbull.”’ | His square jaw dropped. He turned white. She went on mercilessly: “By the way, what did you give la belle Fifi for a wedding-gift? I’d like twenty Caribs. Hope you'll like the man of my choice, else I won’t get my Caribs. I mean to drive through the Bois with a body- guard of Caribs. Just as a thriller, you know!” Dick’s sneer had come close to the mark. When the Princess heard that he was still slogging away in the count- ing-house, she sent for Tom. She had planned a cruise in Lord Mulgrave’s yacht. She desired him to be of the party. If she asked him to leave his employer, she must secure him against the want of money. She requested that he make use of the small sum banked in Bridgetown in his name. Tom looked serious. “What if I should come a cropper with this money unpaid? No, my princess. [he Devil’s always camping on my trail. The Aztec Ring might throw me over — might prove my undoing—” ‘"Tenez!”’ she cried out. And then she said certain things he remembered as long as he lived. She was old, stricken, embittered. He had roused her from stagnation. He had revived in her the desire to live. “I’ve nobody in the world but you, De la Jonquiére, and the dear little red-haired girl down yonder. Nobody else cares whether I live or die. When I used to come into Bridgetown to hear you sing, I one night overheard you say to Bam- bouk: “You black scamp! Do you think you can stagger round with that sedan?’ If you take another drop of rum before you start up the mountain with the princess, I'll pitch you into the Bay!’ When I heard you, my heart CONNIE KOOKS (E() m