Beadle's Dime Novels No. 126: Old Jupe — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

98 OLD JUPE object much, and here I am, ready to cheer your pining soul, Mary! Luke said he knew you would be terribly melancholy —he depended on me to do my best to take up your mind.” It was thus Annette announced herself on the day of her arrival. Mary was glad to see her, for she had been “ of pining and mclancholy mood ;” then, too, Nettie brought the latest news of Luke; she had seen him, talked with him, brought his last loving message on the day when he finally sailed for Liver- pool, Mary asked so many eager questions about’ her husband as to call down her sister’s ever-ready sarcasm. “It’s @ wonder you let your big baby out of your sight, sis, Ain’t you afraid he’ll fall and hurt himself, or that somebody will not fix his pap just right, or run away with him; or that he'll get lost and not know his way back ?” | “ Don’t you fret any in your husband’s absence ?” asked Mary, blushing with the idea of having made herself ridiculous. “ Not a bit, my dear. Parcell and I are very much attach- ed; but I should not expect he'd like me long, if I kept him tied to my apron-string. Men don’t like to be kept too close —lLuke no more than the rest. He enjoyed himself hugely when he was in New Orleans. We ‘went together, every evening, to some place of amusement. I did not know he could be so gallant.” 7 “Tt was I who urged him to go to Liverpool,” said -poor Mary, secretly almost crying with a new jealousy to think that Luke had been so gay, while she had been so lonely ; yet ready, with a woman’s instinct, to shield him from cen- sure. “T don’t wish to tie him to my apron-string. I’m glad he’s going to do so well. But it was hard to part with him. It was very good of you, too, Nettie, to come so far to see me. We'll have a nice time, I’m sure, and I'll try not to be foolish,” 3 “Thats more like it, sis, “Yowre not an old woman yet. You ought to dash out, as I do, and be gayer than ever. I’d buy pretty things and wear them, if I were you; and go out as much as I pleased. Luke’ll like you all the better for it. When women settle down into drudges after they are COMME OOOKS. com