Beadle's Dime Novels No. 120: The Hunchback — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

THE DWARF’S DEFIANCE. 21 are tireless on the march. I wanted to ask you. Before this you haye guessed who it is I loved so well. Her name was Gertrude.” “ My aunt ?” ‘ “ Yes.. Know you aught of her ?” “If you have any lingering feeling for her, bear it still. She is dead.” ; The hunchback threw himself prostrate and groveled on the cold floor of the cabin. His lips moved continually, ‘though no word came from them. Stanton thought he was praying. After a little while he rose upon his knee, and an expression almost beautiful swept over his face. “ She is gone!’ he said, “ and I can love ber as I love the angels, of whom she is the brightest. Boy, why do you tarry? Leave me alone with my dead.” | ‘You can not see her floating in the air. Your soul is corrupt and not pure. JZ see her—and she says, ‘In the place where I dwell your robe shall be pure as any.’ ” He rose suddenly. The burst of feeling was over, and he turned savagely upon his guest. “ Why do you linger here, son of an accursed race? Go back to your father and tell him that Caspar Decker, the ‘ Little Man of the Lake,’ sends him greeting. Let him not dare to come here after me. If he does, we will meet under God’s blue sky and I will pay him with my good sword for the wrongs he has done me.” “Tt is night,” said Stanton, “Stay,” replied the hunchback, “I forgot myself. Rest thee here, and the best bed I can give you shall be at your disposal. Dare you stay here, knowing what you do?” “ T trust you,” replied Stanton. “ J trust no man,” was the stern reply. “ Sit down again. If you will take a book, do so, I am willing.” Stanton stepped to the table and took up a book. It was one he did not understand, written throughout with red ink, bearing full-page drawings of strange inventions, machinery and diagrams. Stanton, whose education had been more in arms than in letters, wearied of it soon and laid it down. “ You tire of it,’ said Caspar. “ And yet it is the result of many hours of labor. I shall not live to see the day, but the Comiclooks.conm