Beadle's Dime Novels No. 13 — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

« . RESCUE OF CATHERINE. | 85. fair charge entered another room—the one whose window looked out upon the little porch and the sycamore-tree. The shutters of this room were the only ones about the house which were to be opened. The old negress, who brought to | Catherine her meals, occupied this apartment, and obstinately persisted in retaining the privilege of sunshine and fresh air. Through this window, Nat had entered, and finding that the old woman was awake and about making an outcry, he had bound and gagged her. , Letting Kate down from the window by means of a quilt which he had snatched from the bed, Ernshaw swung himsclf down by the branches of the tree. Standing once more on the solid ground he gave a low whistle, which was answered by another from the garden, and young Hunt appeared, lead- ing a horse; a moment more found the young man in the sad- dle, with Kate in front of him. “Is it time?” he inquired of the boy. “ Almost,” was the answer. “Then here goes for liberty !” half shouted Ernshaw, as he ' touched.the horse lightly with a spur. In amoment he was lost in the blackness of the night. ; Acting in obedience to the injunction of the blacksmith, John did not attempt to loosen his irons until the jailer had made his finalround. Then, though working without a light, half an hour enabled him, with the ‘aid of the sharp-biting file, to throw off the fetters. With a sigh of relief he laid them quietly upon the floor, and stretched Isis limbs well wearied with the load which they had endured. He next examined the bars that guarded the window by which escape was to be made, The aperture was full large enough to admit of the egress of a man twice as large as Vale were the iron bars once removed; and of these bars there were three. . The saw which John had in his possession, was made from a portion of a watch-spring, and a trial of it convinced him that with a little time he could easily cut through the bars even without the promised assistance of Hunt. The bars were so placed, that if but two of them could be re- moved, the other would hardly give much trouble; and-to the task of removing these two did Vale most assiduously bend himself. By an hour after midnight one of the bars was taken out. By the hour of three, the second bar was more comicbooks.com