Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 354 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 354: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil (page 334) This is a page of running prose from a Victorian penny dreadful serial. The narrative follows Dr. Macglashan's confrontation with a character named Macaya by a pool, where the doctor forcibly extracts white hairs or threads from Macaya's hand using a lancet, apparently to preserve evidence. The text then details the doctor's busy day attending to various patients—a tooth extraction, a croupy baby, a sailor's broken leg—before he arrives home for supper, where his wife protests his intention to stay up late smoking and writing important correspondence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
334 Tom: ANDERSON, DarRE-DEVIL Macaya wagged his apelike head. His apelike eyes scanned the rim of the basin, minutely. He scrambled to his feet, went round to the opposite side of the pool, and from an overhanging blade of grass detached, with the utmost care, something like a filament of white silk. One or two of them there were. Dr. Macglashan’s jaws took on a bulldog set. ‘The honor of a British-West-Indian planter — the peace of mind of an English army officer — were at stake. “ Puir auld Tulloch!” And there was the still, small voice of Science, too; which may be hushed never! He took a lancet from his pocket. He lurked. As Macaya came out of the court of roses, a hand fell on his windpipe; and another hand threatened him with an open lancet. His knees came together, and he made an effort to get down on them. But that iron clutch held him up. Point- ing with the lancet to Macaya’s closed fist, Mac made the Carib know that he was to surrender. Macaya was loath to do so. But the open lancet was an argument. He un- closed his black claw. The other took from it two or three white hairs, or threads. Then he loosed his grip, and Macaya ran like a rabbit. Dr. Macglashan remained until afternoon with Dick; and then left his patient, conscious and hungry, in the hands of Captain Tulloch and Dr. Pomeroy. He reached home before nightfall; in time to draw a tooth for some- body, to put the breath in a croupy baby, and, lastly, to go aboard a South-American bark, out in the Bay, and set a sailor’s broken leg. At ten o’clock he got home to his supper, of fried chicken and cold veal, of Barbados fruit, and a half-bottle of worthy port. “Doctor,” protested Mrs. Macglashan, “you’ve been going since long before day. You ain’t a-going to sit up till midnight, now?” “T’ve got to smoke, Molly. And then I’ve some impor- tant writing to do. Go to bed, lass.” ECOMMICOOOKS.(e© m