The Yankee Champion — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

THE YANKEE CHAMPION. 161 ‘‘And did not Ryan have a hand in it?” **Y e-e-S, Sir.”’ | ‘‘And you drew lots to see who should do it?’’ “Yes, sir.” ‘““Now, whose blood is that in the boy’s chamber?’’ ‘“Tt’s Baxter’s, sir.”’ ‘““Now,’’ he said, as soon as he had gained all the intelligence he could hope for, ‘‘tell me wh32re Silas Ryan is at this moment.”’ Dow answered the question truly, though he gave not the exact locality of the old Tory’s hiding-place. “Now, understand me, Ichabod Dow. Go out and tell him to come here, but tell him not to bring a weapon in his hands, forif he does he dies ere he crosses the threshold of that door. I shall leave the hght here upon the table, and I shall so conceal my- self that 1 can see without being seen; so he dies if he comes in armed. Go, sir, and tell him.’’ Dow turned tremblingly away and left the room. Walter felt sure that all be had heard was true, and he believed that Helen Ryan and her brother were in a place of safety. The young man’s mind was busy with such reflec- tions, when he was startled by the report of a pistol near the house. At first he thought it might have been fired at random for him; but the idea dwelt with him only for an instant, and holding his weapons both ready for use, he hurried forth into the yard and turned in the direction from which the sound seemed to have proceeded. He had not gone many steps when his eye caught the outlines of a man near the corner of the shed’in a kneeling pos- ture. As he approached, however, the man started to his feet, and standing a moment in that position, he turned and hastened off at a swift run toward Comichboo cS m (Ele)