The Argosy — page 147: what you’re looking at

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

jan. 1, 1008. 133 THE MILLER’S REVENGE. By THE AUTHOR OF “ FOOLISH MARGARET.” IN TWO PARTS.—PART II. “ee OWN on the floor, vile thief! You and I must become better acquainted.’ “The terrible pistol was still pointed in a line with her eyes, and she avas fain to obey the command of him who held it. With another cry for mercy, fainter than the first one, she slid from the sacks to the ground, and crouched there in mortal terror. “<«So, so, Mére Babet, this is your fashion of getting an honest living, is it?’ sneered Lebrun. “Mercy! have mercy!’ was all that the miserable creature at his feet had power to say. “¢QOh! yes, I'll be merciful, never fear. Merciful, that is, after a fashion of my own.’ “ With that, Lebrun laid down his pistol, as though he could have no further use for it against an object so contemptible, and turned to light a couple of candles, that were fixed in a wooden frame close by. Hardly was his back turned, when Mére Babet gave a sudden spring, and before Lebrun knew what had happened, the pistol was in her hands. As he turned, she fired. The flash nearly blinded him for the moment, and the bullet seemed to skim his hair as it whizzed past, but beyond that he was unharmed. Next moment his hand was driven with the force of a hammer into the woman’s face, met she fell to the floor bleeding and insensible. ‘‘TLa Mére Babet was a well-known character on the island. Indeed, she was better known than liked. There was scarcely a house of the humbler sort between Noirmont Point and Gorey, the threshold of which she was not in the habit of crossing at least once or twice during the summer months; while, in the kitchens of several of the gentry, she was a more frequent visitor than the heads of the household were at all aware of. For it was well known throughout the island, that if any one possessed the power of interpreting dreams, and of precasting future events, that person was Mére Babet. Besides which, she was said to be the recipient of gifts still more occult and dangerous than that of vati- cination. For instance, it was well known that the power of blight and cursing lay with her in great force—the power of causing a man’s crops to die off mysteriously, and without any apparent reason; of — COMIC OCIS GO)