Beadle's Dime Novels No. 13 — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

78 CEDAR SWAMP; OR, WILD NAYS BRIGADE. brigade, the majority of them met with a sudden death. Some twelve or fourteen of them were spared, however, and my ex- ecution will be the signal for theirs.” This answer, given so calmly, took the commander all aback. He could scarcely doubt Vale, for the American spoke with the accent of truth. His contemplated course of action accordingly was changed; Vale was permitted to live, for a while at least, and the prisoner was remanded to his place of confinement, while Clinton should make up his mind as to what should besdone with him, The afternoon had 9 well on, and John was sitting in his cell, cursing the fate that condemned him to this confine- ment, when he should be searching high and low for his missing sister. His cogitations were at length broken in upon by the opening of the door, and the keeper entered, fol- lowed by Simon Hunt. “T’ve brought your brother-in-law here to see you, and give you half an hour for talking ; so, whatever business you haye, get done with it in a hurry, for it’s the last. time you’l! meet, I’m a thinking.” Thus spoke the jailer, and, departing, he slammed the door pehind him, leaving the two alone together. “This is kind,” said John, “coming to see me; but how did you effect an entrance here? Will you not excite suspi- cion in the minds of the British ?” “ Never fear for that. Jam pretty well known as a most devoted subject. to the king, and were it not that my trade is useful to them, before this I should, doubtless, have been en- rolled among the ranks of his supporters. As a relation of your wife’s, I persuaded the jailer to admit me. He and I are friends, by the way, and all is right in that quarter. E “‘T suppose, of course, you have some object in this visit ?” interrupted Vale, “ and whatever it is, it had best be spoken of immediately, for I understood the jailer to say that you had but half an hour.” “What could my object be but to speak of your release from this imprisonment? There is no question about it; if you are left here two days, your death is certain. I heard of the answer that you made to Gen. Clinton this morning, and that answer alone preserved your life through the day. Un comiclbooks.com