The Yankee Champion — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

154 THE YANKEE CHAMPION. floor. They rested upon a dark spot ina line be- tween the door that led from the stairway and the one that opened to the shed. He took the lamp and approached it. It was a clod of frozen blood. ‘Just heavens!’’ he cried, as he started back and set the lamp again upon the table, ‘‘what means this? There have been devils at work here! But that cannot be her blood! A devil, even, could not. have harmed her.”’ At that moment Walter ehoubiit he heard the sound of footsteps without, and on turning about, was confident that he saw a human face at the win- dow, but it disappeared the moment he had caught it. Then followed a low hum of voices, as if of two persons in an eager conversation, and starting back a few paces from the table, Walter drew both of his pistols and cocked them. Hardly had he done so, when the front door was opened, and in stalked Silas Ryan and Dow, the latter keeping safely be- hind his leader. Ryan started quickly back as he noticed the pistols, and in so doing he liked to have sent Dow sprawling upon the floor. “Who are you?” asked Walter, still holding his weapons ready for use. ‘“‘And who are you?”’ returned Ryan. ‘‘Answer my question first.’’ The old Tory saw that the man who thus stood be fore him did not know him, and in an instant he re- solved to play a false character. He mistrusted Walter Nixon in a moment, both from his dress and his general appearance. ‘ “Your question is easily answered,”’ he replied, “though I can’t say that I like the manner of your asking it. Weare travelers, and seek shelter here for the night.’’ ) comicbooks.col