Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 363 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 363: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis: Running Prose from a Victorian Penny Dreadful This is a page of running narrative prose (page 343, titled "SENTENCED") from a serialized Victorian sensation tale. The text describes Lady Amy Dalton, daughter of the Governor-General of the Windward Islands, being denied entry at a gate by a soldier following orders. She rides away in anger, then returns dramatically on horseback to leap her horse over the enclosure wall to reach condemned prisoners—apparently including a Cherokee man and a Marquis—who stand facing execution. The passage emphasizes melodramatic moments: Lady Amy's shock at denial, the condemned men's final moments, and her daring rescue attempt. No illustrations appear on this page.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SENTENCED 343 they had just passed saw, with starting eyes, a girl on ~ horseback coming down the drive at a gallop. She signaled to him to open the gate. “Sorry, mum; I’m hunder horders.”’ She surveyed him breathlessly. It was the first time in her life she had ever been denied. “Tam Lady Amy Dalton, the daughter of the Governor- General of the Windward Islands. I command you to open that gate!” “Colonel’s horders, Your Ladyship. Himpossible,” stuttered the man. She turned her horse and rode away. Directly, the gate was opened; to admit five persons, under guard. The Bishop of Barbados and the Windward Islands (God.rest his soul!) walked first, with the Arch- deacon of Bridgetown. Then came the condemned. The Marquis de la Jonquiére — pale, imperious, a prince of Tragedy!— had drawn the Cherokee’s arm through his. Tom clutched Unaka’s right arm; and he shuddered visibly, like a sleep-walker whose feet are finding out a precipice. The Cherokee — by the divine right of race! — was imperial in his inflexible dignity. His eyes were fast upon that lessening section of a copper disk sinking in.the sea, still shining through smeary, brine-colored vapors. It was at this instant that Lady Amy turned the big bay round in his tracks. “Tt is high,” her breath came in sobs, “but we must!” Back, at a rush, she came; straight at the high brick wall of the enclosure. It was a terrible jump, but the Eng- lish fox-hunter was long of Jeg and big of soul. He did not balk. Right over she lifted him— and they were within the parade-grounds. The men under guard had been marched to the oppo- site end of the field. *Bout face; and they stood with their backs to the western wall. CORNICLIOO eS (C©) mn