Beadle's Dime Novels No. 126: Old Jupe — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

42 OLD JUPE. hold you in de holler of his han’, I know. Don’ you talk ‘bout dyin’. Ebery ting will come out square.” Mary, trying to comfort herself with this hope, had re- gained her composure when her lawyer was announced. He told her about the piano affair; how the order was found to — be in her handwriting, and asked an explanation. “Mr. Harding, I have no explanation to give. I never or- dered it, never paid for it, and have no idea why it was sent to me. I would like to see the letter. It is impossible that it should be in my handwriting, because I never wrote it.” “Tt would be best to have perfect confidence in me,” he suid with some embarrassment, for it was not an easy thing to hint to the woman before him that she was telling a false- hood. “Do you, too, doubt me, Mr. Harding ” asked the pris- oner, looking hit straight in the eyes. “If you do, it will be best for you to aban den the case. J ask no one to defend me who can not do it with a clear conscience. If all my friends fail me, I will be my own defender.” “YT dov't doubt you, Mrs. Bryant; I can’t, when I see and hear you—that’s the truth of it; but the court calls for some- thing more than faith—it wants facis. Either you are the most artful woman on the face of the earth, or else there is some plot against you, well laid, and, I warn you, very dan- gerous. Have you any enemies? any person or persons who would have an object in injuring you ?” | “ Not, as I have said before, unless some members of that band are seeking revenge in this manner. Even then I ‘can not conceive how they could have placed the dies in the garret, nor how they could have gained access to my sewing- box.” “Are you certain that your negro man is all right ? Some- times these blacks have more wit than we give them credit for.” “ Wit ’nough to know who der friends is,” put in Auntie Clare, before her mistress could reply, “Jupe would jes’ die fer his young missus. I make no doubt if she were dead an’ buried, he’d nebber gnaw anudder bone, but jes’ stretch hisself on de groun’, side de graye, and lie dar, and die, too.” connicloooks. com