Beadle's Dime Novels No. 126: Old Jupe — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

THE NIGHT CONVERSATION. 73 taken him into their ranks; but this party was also unfortu- hate ; losing their cattle by starvation, and getting out of food, its members were kept in the mountains through the winter, suffering terribly, dependent on their rifles for all the food they had, and lodged in a cave, with seldom any fire. In the spring they made their miserable way along, until over- taken by other emigrants who.shared with them, and helped them on, but “ole Jupe was allers an unlucky nigger,” and got lost again, about a week before, by going aside from the main party to chase a deer. Since then he had had no food, but roots and berries, and had slept, with no blanket, on the ground; he was about to perish from utter weaknesss, and had sat down to “ giv’ up de ghos’,” when found and rescued by Mr. Bryant. | Such was a brief synopsis of his story; but who can_pic- ture all its details of weariness, fright, and ill treatment,.hun- ger, thirst, cold and sickness, alternate hope and despair, its thousand little miseries and larger sufferings, as the slow months lagged away, bringing poor Jupe no nearer the object of hig sad pilgrimage? Yet he strugghed on, determined to be true to liis mission, only praying that he might live long enough to accomplish it, That night the moon shone brilliantly. Jupe had been given a blanket in Bryant’s tent, and was soon after sound asleep. But Luke could not sleep. The sight of his old ser-' vant had aroused memories which prevented rest, Jupe had been with him, that happy, blessed winter; had mingled in the family during that blissful era of its existence, and the meeting With him shook him as he had thought never again to be touched. Stealing out upon the grass, Luke sat there, staring up into the deeps of heaven, while the moonlight made his unshorn face more haggard still. He started violently when some one spoke, close beside him. The negro had crept out of the tent after him, and was looking anxiously into his worn countenance. shuts « Massa Bryant, I didn’t come to Californy fer gold. I came fer to find you out an’ tell you suffin’.” “ Well !”?—-Luke spoke sharp and short, “take care what you talk about. There are things no man living naust dare speak to me about.” | ; connicloooks.com