Beadle's Dime Novels No. 126: Old Jupe — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

54 OLD JUPE. The boy waxed in beauty and grace, so that wardens, mat- rons, prisoners, every one about the gloomy building, watched for a glimpse of the cherub child. The women used to cry as they pressed around to obtain a look at him, or to steal a kiss thievishly, as if their famished souls were too hungry to resist the longing. Although Mary never referred to her story, a belief grew in the prison that she was innocent. Every one, from the highest officer down to the basest convict, treated her with reverence. The labor to which she was put was that of binding shoes. The lightest were always selected for her. She worked as a machine might, rapidly and well, without any interest in what she was doing. With the long lashes drooping almost to her cheeks, seldom glancing up, never speaking unless spoken to, she sat at her humble toil. The rosy bloom for which she once was so famous had vanished with her happiness, That glorious wealth of hair, which had been Luke’s pride, wis cut off, most humiliating sign of her position ! But what was such degradation now ? There was nothing which she could suffer since she received that letter. In her whiteness and silentness she shone within those dreary walls like a lily growing in the gloom of a cellar. The peniten- tiary scissors could not prevent her hair from curling into a thousand soft brown rings, which gave her a childlike beauty. When her boy came, her countenance lighted up into a melancholy rapture. Little laughing, leaping, crowing child ! He felt not the shadow of disgrace! The women all knew when he cut a tooth, and once, when he was sick with some baby-ailment, and not able to be taken out for three days, the whole prison was in mourning. Ah! what a picture for some painter, when old Clare brought in.her ebon arms the loyely child to his imprisoned mother ! . Luke! that was the magic name by which all hearts were stirred. For his mother had called him after his father, “The child is his. He has a right to his father’s name. He has disowned me, but he can not disown his child,” was what she said, when, at his humble christening in the Bristol jail, she was asked what the infant’s name should be. connicloooks.con %