Beadle's Dime Novels No. 131 — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

A GENERAL GLOOM. 77 CHAPTER VIII. A REVELATION. A “cHANGE had come over the spirit” of the Jolly Jack. No beauty was ever followed by, and received the undivided attentions of two more agreeable young gentlemen than Tan- gee with her two guests. Yet there was an air of constraint over all things ;- the attempts at gayety were attempts, and not realities. Blunders were continually committed, in their ef- forts to be considerate of each other; and not to betray the least rivalry, the gentlemen were painfully polite. Between the two, Tangece was driven to distraction. At last, she rélapsed into a deep melancholy, so different from her natural sunny moods as to attract the notice even of old Joe, who was “ afeared she was sittin’ up too late o’ nights, or stickin’ too clus’ to the pianer.” After a week of this kind of enjoyment, things became in- tolerable. Mr. Wade said “ good-by,” one day, in the ab- ruptest manner, taking his flute and himself off to Long . Branch, without any hint of ever returning. “I'm drefiie sorry to see you go,” said Hardy Joe, as he shook hands; but Tangee did not say even that much. She gave him her hand a moment, which was cold and nerveless, and said, simply, “ firewell,” without raising her eyes to his face. She was glad that Oliver followed him out, and down to the schooner, for she was certain that otherwise she would have betrayed her agitation. When Oliver returned she had summoned back her roses, and was apparently in one of her most playful moods; but he was silent and gloomy. She had noticed, the first day of his arrival, how thin and pale he was, with a certain listlessness about all he did and said. Once she would. have’ been quick to read the cause of his continued sadness; but now her own guilty conscience hid the truth from her ; she fancied him about to be attacked with illness, and redoubled her gentle attentions, that he might not discover how could and reluctant Comicbhooks.com