Beadle's Dime Novels No. 127: Bald Eagle — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

vie! BALD BAGLE. at her. She was saucy, too, like little Midget, but a great degl handsomer, taller, more of her. Well, there was a law- yer, and a doctor, and a general, and the deuce knows what more spooneying and sweeting about her. I could not stand it. JT said up and down, out and plain, ‘these chaps are not the kind for you, Miss Livingstone; you'd be tired of them in a week. Come, now, do stop fooling; take me; you won’t do better ;’ and then I put in the love, and all that; got down on one knee, (I was slender in those days, Vinton; you would not think it), and kissed her hand.” The colonel laughed outright, a pleased, sympathetic laugh such as gentlemen give each other in such cases, which ar- rested the long speech of De Witt, who gaye a more uproar- ous demonstration of the same kind. “And what did Miss Livingston say?” asked Vinton. “You ought to have seen her laugh! It was a perfect cataract of dimples, and she boxed my ear with such-a little, soft hand! This was being kinder than I expected, and I clinched the bargain by kissing. Yes, I kissed her on the lips; she was proud, and wouldn’t go behind such a kiss, and I don’t think she ever repented of it.” The hearty old tory rubbed his hands at the memories of his youth, and really looked young, and audacious, and hand- some as he spoke. “T could walk up to a cannon’s mouth easier than take a woman’s hand,” replied Colonel Vinton, wheeling his horse as he spoke. “The more fool you, Vinton ; talk about winning a woman. Pshaw ! it’s all nonsense. You must take them and keep them; try to win the perverse little witches, and ten to one they'll say no, when they want to say yes. My Midget refuse a fine fellow like you! Stop abit! notso fast! Did you ever ask her? She’s not a morsel to be laid on any man’s platter without the asking !” " Vinton explained promptly the state of the case, for he saw the irritable old tory was just on the point of picking a quarrel with him. “ All very well; she isa dainty bit, as you say, colonel,” (and here, by way of parenthesis, we must do the lover the justice to say he had not presumed to utter any such phrase, and CoOmicloooks.Ccomn)