Beadle's Dime Novels No. 126: Old Jupe — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

40 OLD JUPE. to do the inhabitants of New Bristol justice, it must be con- fessed that they had been long and sorely tried. Howeyer mercifully they might be disposed toward the woman, toward the counterfeiter they felt no mercy. As often happens, their previous liking now added to the bitterness of their dislike. Many things occurred, ag days passed by, and the matter was discussed from every possible point of view, to strengthen the growing assurance of her guilt. Her extravagance in buying new clothes was commented on. Where did the money come from? Every body knew that Luke Bryant had lost a good deal, and that his wife ought to be exercising economy. ‘Then, there was the story of the . piano, and the trunk of clothing! It was now as plain as day that Mrs. Bryant had herself sent for these things; but to blind people to the fact of her spending money so freely, had affected not to know where they came from, In support of this supposition, some one wrote to the firm from whose ware- house the instrument had been sent, asking for the order which had been given them, if it was still in existence, as it was de- sired to be used in a court of law. . Unfortunately for her, the letter had been filed, and was, waen it was sent back in ac- cordance with the request, found to be in Mary’s handwriting, and to have been mailed from New Bristol.. When this fact was noised through the town, nearly every one of the few friends who had remained true to the prisoner forsook their allegiance. A person who could play the innocent part she had acted about the piano, must not only be capable of con- summate hypocrisy, but must haye a parigup motive for exer- cising such deception, When her counsel heard of. it, he at, once: visited. his client to hear what her explanation of the affair would be. He was a young man from St. Louis, who had been settled in New Bristol but a short time, but who had quite a reputation for talent in pleading. He had undertaken the case with a full conviction that Mrs. Bryant was the victim of some com- bination of circumstances, perhaps of a Conspiracy gotten up by other members of the band who were so severely dealt with, and whose quarters had been dis¢overed through the aid of her servant and the energy of her husband, This ap- peared to him the only theory upon which to base a defense ; conmicloooks.comn)