The Yankee Champion — page 140: what you’re looking at

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

THE YANKEE CHAMPION. 133 “You be certainly. Ain’t you goin’ right away from his house?’’ “Do you mean the house of Silas Ryan?’’ ‘‘Of course.”’ “Luke Soper,’’ said Gideon, in a slow, meaning tone, ‘‘you know that Silas Ryan is not my father?’’ “Why, boy, who told you that?’’? asked Soper, with mingled surprise and uneasiness. “Ryan himself told me.’’ ‘“‘Did Silas Ryan tell you that he was not your fa- ther ?’’ : “Yes. Listen tome, Luke. If you had a son like me could you find it in your heart to kill him?’’ ‘“No, by the blood of the saints, I couldn’t.”’ ‘Then has not Ryan told me by his own deed that he is not my father?’’ Luke walked on for some distance in silence. He was evidently pondering upon some subject that troubled him. At length he said: “You’ve got hold of sunthin’ more’n that, Gid- eon.”’ “So Ihave, Luke. I heard what you said when you prevented my false father from shooting me, and I then knew that the man who would have mur- dered me was not my father. Now was I not right? Don’t lie to me—don’t lie, Luke; but tell me honestly the truth. No word of mine shall betray you.’’ ‘“Well,’’? returned Luke, with some hesitation in his manner, ‘‘I don’t s’pose there’s any use tryin’ to deny what you’ve heard with your own ears, an’ seen with your own eyes. Silas Ryan ajin’t your father, nor never was, nor never will be. There!’’ “Oh, I knew it, I knew it,’’ ejaculated the boy, in tones of fervency and thankfulness. “The villain ain’t fit to be the father of a dog,” CECoy payicel exoye) <S €o mn