The Argosy — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

The Village Blacksmith. 95° This interesting pastime had been going on for nearly half-an hour, when Vera, who was thoroughly sick of it, and was longing to walk about the market and look at the people, not at the wares, was startled by a cry of “Mad dog,” accompanied by various shouts and screams.. The cries came from a narrow street at right angles with the square in which the poultry market was held; and a few paces from Vera, at the bottom of this street, stood a small child who could just manage to walk alone, and was now absorbed in sucking a fig some charitable person had bestowed upon it. If the dog were not arrested before it reached this corner, the child, who stood straight in its course all unconscious of the danger menacing him, would in all probability be a victim to it. Vera saw this, and without 2 moment’s hesitation she dashed forward to draw the boy into a place of safety. But she was too late ; she and the dog, a vicious-looking brute, reached the boy at the same moment. Vera seized the child with one hand, and with the other brandished her parasol to ward off the attack of the dog, when suddenly a blow on the head from the handle of a white umbrella stunned the brute, and before it had time to recover, it was despatched by the men who were pursuing it. The same stroke that felled the dog broke Vera’s frail sunshade into two pieces, but she was too much engaged in quieting the now sobbing child and in escaping with it from the crowd that had collected to think of her parasol. Not so Captain Raleigh. Having inadvertently smashed it when he rushed forward to rescue Vera, he now mingled with the crowd and picked up the pieces as nimbly as Vera herself could have done, and then advancing to her with his most languid air, he pre- sented the broken parasol with a long-drawn-out apology. *‘] am very sorry to have broken your pretty parasol, Miss Tem- pest; it was very awkward of me. I trust you are not hurt.” And, without waiting for an answer, Captain Raleigh opened his white umbrella and sauntered off with the air of a man who had never been in a hurry or exerted himself in his life. ‘* Vera, Vera! where are you? What is all this commotion? Why do you leave my side? What are you doing ?” exclaimed Mr. Ryot Tempest, bustling up to Vera, very much pleased with himself for having succeeded in getting a couple of ducks for fifty centimes less than he was orginally asked for them. “T am doing nothing,” said Vera. ‘Captain Raleigh has just killed 2 mad dog which in another moment would have bitten me,,. and I am thinking I didn’t deserve it of him.” ‘A mad dog! You know my horror of hydrophobia, Vera. Dear me, dear me! I hope it has not touched you. Are you quite sure it didn’t? A mere scratch might produce rabies, you know.” “It didn’t touch me or the child; but I can’t do any more COnmicloooel —_— SS (CO