Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 85 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 85: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Page 69 This is a page of running prose from chapter titled "The Committee of Public Safety." The text depicts a dramatic moment in which a mysterious, unnamed Colonel—hiding at Oxheart House to escape hanging—reveals that a sketch drawn by a governess depicts Leslie Park in Sussex, his own home. The revelation distresses him deeply. The scene then shifts to a missing waxen Madonna statue that vanishes from the mantelpiece, sparking comic dialogue among servants (Tom, Dilsey, and Ole) who debate whether a rat or supernatural forces are responsible. The prose combines melodramatic tension with dialect humor typical of Victorian penny dreadfuls.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE CoMMITTEE OF PuBLic SAFETY 69 ‘For reasons of state r’’ with a sensitive blush. His eyes glowed. “For the same urgent reasons that I am nameless under this generous roof. At Oxheart House I am ‘the Colonel’ merely — because I dare not make my- self known! ‘To do so would redouble the difficulties and dangers besetting you — you who have saved me! — and now, you are hiding me from the hangman!”’ “Don’t,” her face hidden in her hands. But the song that led to this little talk was to Dare the very shield of Britomartis in the day of disaster. One day the convalescent was busy over a little sketch of an English country house. Dare, looking on, exclaimed suddenly, “Why, — that must be Leslie Park.” He started; the blood drove over his face. She stammered, “I—I saw an engraving of an old place in an English magazine — the ‘ Bee.’”’ “It is Leslie Park: in Sussex.” ““T beg your pardon,” said Dare, turning away. But he exclaimed under his breath: “‘ You stole the secret of Leslie Park from my pulses. It is my home!”’ The little governess rose to go. It was getting dark, she said. And she went to the chimney-piece, where, a minute since, had stood the waxen madonna. She gave a little dismayed shriek. “La Vierger”’ “Oh, the dickens!”’ said Tom. “Don’t mind her, Mimi. She’ll turn up.” “But I saw the thing an instant ago. What the deuce went with it?”’-asked the Englishman. And Dilsey broke in, “It wuz right dar; on de fire. board; lessen I’m er liar.” “Why, this is witchwork,” exclaimed the Colonel, hold- ing a lighted candle above the mantel. But Ole had a solution. “It vass a sass-shy rat. He yust yumped up dere, und dragged de leedle ooman off — * Whut fer, name de Lord?” demanded Dilsey scath- ingly. “Whut rat gwine tote off de Virgin Ma’y fer?” “Yoost fer aggervation, Dilshey.” “Bet a silver half-crown there’s not a rat in this room,’ CONRNICMOO® SS (c©) im