Beadle's Dime Novels No. 13 — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

92 CEDAR SWAMP; OR, WILD NAT’S BRIGADE. throat was loosened; then came the noise of a heavy fall. Bewildered she beheld Capt. Preston lying on the road, his head cleft down to the very jaw, while by her side, with a saber dripping with the still liquid life’s blood, stood the tory, - Timothy Turner. Blood was slowly trickling from a bullet- wound in his breast, and his face was ghastly pale; but, from underneath his lowering brows, his dark eye gleamed with a bright light. “T am dying,” he muttered, as he rolled from his horse, staggering to the green bank which margined the road. ~ With a brain all awhirl with wonder and doubt, Kate sur- veyed the tory. Involuntarily she turned her panting, trem- bling horse to one side, and drew néar to the man as he lay there; the life-blood gurgling forth at every quick pant, the pallid countenance upturned to her with a wistful look. She saw the lips move, and bent down in her saddle. “ Will you listen to a dying man ?” he faintly asked. “ Whatever you have to say, tell it quickly,” she answered. “Do not let your friends murder me. I shall die soon. Come nearer.” Catherine felt herself greatly moved. “Fear not,” she said, and lightly sprang from her saddle. As she touched the ground, Nat Ernshaw and his men thundered up. “Harm him not!” almost commanded Catherine. “He has saved my life and is dying. Touch him not, I say!” The men were eager to saber him, it was plain. , “We will not,” replied Nat; and Kate bent over the dying man. : = “I’m .going,” said Turner, speaking hoarsely and quickly. “Tt’s hard, but it must be. It isn’t much for you to do, but I want you to say you forgive me.” “For what ?” “Tt was me that carried you off” Turner saw the fire flash in those eyes, and he continued, “Pve been wicked—I loved money—but I loved you better and stronger than any thing else. It’s the only good in me, but that was made bad enough when your brother turned me out of the house. 1 hated- him and Ernshaw. But I didn’t mean to let’ Preston harm you. I would have stolen you from him again. I was near when he was. If I could have made up my mind, 1° commicbooks.com