The Wreck of the South Pole and Other Strange Tales — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

122 Penelope. the novel idea of him preventing anything Helen wanted to do. Helen, who had been his pet from the time she had waded bare-footed in the surf and built mimic forts in the sand! But Aunt Christine was wrong in her surmise this time, for when her brother entered the parlor he found it occu- pied by both the Senator and the Lord, as well as Helen. She was more beautiful than ever, thought Uncle Robert as he looked at her. And still it would be difficult to name in what her beauty consisted. Her face was fair, but no -more. And yet there was something about her which compelled one to admire. Perhaps it was her uniform ladylike calmness and reserve. There are some women who can so hedge themselves in with pride that men will worship them as divine. Helen was busy with a mass of blue and white floss, deftly weaving them into some fancy work, and Mr. Alison, as he stood at the door, heard the Senator saying: “We used to wonder in Washington what it was Miss Winter was knitting. Col. Monks once said it reminded him of Penelope’s web; at least it was never finished.” Mr. Alison was surprised to see a delicate color spread over the girl’s face as if the remark had touched her heart. After a few minutes the two gentlemen stepped out upon the piazza and left Mr. Alison and his niece alone. “Now,” thought Mr. Alison, “is the time to have it over.” “Helen,” he began solemnly, but Helen slipped her Gomicbook (E(o)