The Yankee Champion — page 197: what you’re looking at

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

190 THE YANKEE CHAMPION. ‘‘Helen,’? whispered Walter, ‘“‘look upon that woman. Does your soul hold her image yet?”’ The fair girl turned her eyes upon the new-comer, and the fond image she had cherished for years in her heart’s memory stood before her a living reality. The magic words that had so long dwelt in her soul’s tablets fell tremblingly from her lips. The mother caught it, and hope was anchored in the blessed haven of full fruition. The father and the mother, the son and the daughter, were once more dwelling in the embrace of such a love as makes angels happy. Luke Soper had during this time been in the back- ground, but his emotions were far from uninterest- ing. He had fallen upon his knees and clasped his hands toward heaven, and he thanked God that he was not a murderer. He confessed that he was the man who had accompanied Silas Ryan on the night that Maynard and his wife were to have been mur- dered, and that it-was he who first struck the for- mer. Ryan had made him believe that the woman was his own wife, and that the children were his, and that Maynard had seduced them away from him; and then, partly by threats and partly by promises, he had been induced to assist in the foul deed. It was several years before Luke learned the deception that had been practiced upon him, and then his heart smote him; but he had dipped his hand in blood, and Silas Ryan held him by the strong chain of guilt. At length he had feared that Ryan might murder him, for he had determined to protect the children from further wrong, and so he came to Simon Goodhue and confessed the whole; making the old Quaker promise that he would keep the secret, and, in case Ryan should kill him (Luke), comicbooks.com