The Yankee Champion — page 143: what you’re looking at

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

136 THE YANKEE CHAMPION. father. Don’t deny it now, Luke. Tell me, tell me, if it be so?”’ | ‘“‘No, no—I won’t tell you any more.”’ “But you must tell me this, Luke.”’ | Come, let's hurry on again,’’ evasively uttered Soper. ‘‘We must not stop to talk any more. The river ain’t far off.’’ “You cannot evade my question so,’ steadily persisted the boy, as they again moved forward. “You must tell me that.’’ Luke walked steadily on for several minutes without speaking, but when he did speak he showed by his tones and manner that his mind was settled upon a point from which he would not depart. “Gideon,” he said, ‘‘I’ll answer that question, if you'll promise not to ask me any more.”’ “Well, Luke, I’ll promise.’ “And you won’t ask me another question about your father?”’ “No, not to-night.’’ “Tt don’t make no odds whether you ask it to- night, or some other time, for I tell you plainly that I won’t answer it when you do ask it. Your father was murdered !”’ ‘“Oh, may a just God forever blast the man who did the deed!’’ uttered the boy, in tones of deep feeling. Luke Soper dropped the small hand he held, and ‘stopped again; but ina moment he seemed to re- cover himself, and once more reaching out for the hand of his young charge, he started on. : Sume ten minutes were passed in a silence broken only by the crackling of the boughs and bushes be- neath the feet of the travelers, and the low moan- ing of the night wind through the tall tree-tops. It . - comic 900 CS f ) 1 » . ‘ —" -S | | —_/ —_ %