Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 48: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

TRAFTON ELUDES HIS NEMESIS. 4 ‘“Major de Banyan, you waste your words,’? said Royal, with rising indignation. ‘‘I am fully aware of the purpose that brought you and that scoundrel, your friend, Captain Trafton——’’ ‘“Trafton !’’ exclaimed Moses Bluff, who had been a silent spectator on the scene. ‘‘Does this man know that villain ?’? ‘‘Most intimately,’’ said Royal. ‘“Sir,’’? said Mose, addressing the major, in tones that bespoke his intense feeling, ‘‘if you know the present whereabouts of Captain Trafton, you will, if you have the commonest gratitude for what we have done for you to-day, reveal it to me.”’ ‘‘Faith, my dear sir, it would give me great pleas- ure to oblige you; but, faith, sir, I’m as much in the dark as to the cap’n’s movements as yourself. It’s three weeks since I laid eyes on him.” ‘‘Are you telling me the truth’ ?’ exclaimed Moses, _ almost angrily. “To you doubt the word of an officer and a gentle- man’ ??’ said de Banyan, with real or assumed indigna- tion. ‘/That man is a scoundrel!’ said young Bluff, ve- hemently. ‘‘He ruined my sister, and her death lies on his guilty soul. I have sworn to avenge her, and will kill him on sight!”’ ; “Raith, Pl not dispute your right to do as you think proper, but, when one takes the law into his own hands, the authorities are apt to make it unpleas- ant for him, do you mind ?”’ . Here Royal interfered. ‘Major de Banyan, shall we assist you out of the car ?”? “Tpon my word, you’re very kind, so you are; but I’m not at all hurt, barring a few scratches that’ll - wear away.”’ ‘$Since that is the case, there is work for us else- where, and I would suggest that any assistance you ps (ele) comicbooks