Beadle's Dime Novels No. 127: Bald Eagle — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

16 BALD EAGLE. studying the blaze, darting itself from the pitchy wood like tengues of flame. Maggie, pale and disappointed, withdrew into the shadow, and soon the slight sound of the rocked cradle was heard— the cradle in which had slept her dead child, and into which she now and then peered as if fully expecting to see once more its sweet, smiling face. | At length, Richard had finished his ablutions. 4e careful- ly inspected the doors and windows, drew the shutters tightly, and stuffed the curtains into every little aperture that might give out a ray of light into the dark, stormy night. He spoke only in whispers, and moved about with stealthy tread. No- ticing the movement of the cradle, he frowned and waved his hand for Maggie to desist; then, seeing the poor, young, anxious face, making a light spot in the shadowy room—the only innocent, beautiful thing there—his face softened, and seating himself upon the high-backed wooden settle, by the fire, he held out his hand’ for Maggie to come to him. She obeyed with a quick flush, and would have seated her- self upon the settle beside him had he not taken her upon his knee. Maggie put up her lips for a kiss, but he Jaid her head tenderly upon his broad breast, and pressed her cheek with a slight pat of his hand, which he almost instantly withdrew, with a look of troublous pain, unwonted to his careless, or- dinary expression. “I don’t like to see you rock the cradle, Maggie,” he whispered. ‘ What makes you do it 2” She lifted up her head and looked earnestly. into his face. “ Richard, every little while I hear little Dicky cry. Wher- ever he is, poor little Dicky cries—and to-night I heard him scream just as he did the night he died—one long scream—” Black Dick shuddered, and with hig broad palm laid Mag- gie’s cheek down again upon his breast. At this moment his mother turned her head around, and muttered : “ Have done with your fooling, Dick. Send the girl to bed. I want to talk with you.” Maggie clung to the neck of her husband, and with one hand softly patted his cheek, while he leaned over and whis- pered in a stern, forbidding manner into the ear of the wo- man ; conmicloooks.com