Beadle's Dime Novels No. 139: The Border Foes — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

appeared to have been awed into silence by the intense and overwhelming gloom. George Ryeburn and Walter Wilson were sd silent, be- cause the prevailing stillness and the deep darkness oppressed them as it did the brute creation, and because they were oc- cupied with their own thoughts. They smoked their pipes without speaking, looking blankly at the mass of darkness ~y which they were enveloped. “This will never do, Walter!” exclaimed George Ryeburn, at last. ‘“‘ You must talk to me, or I believe I will go crazy.” “ Just so with me, George. What has kept you silent so long ?” “ Why have you not spoken ?” “T don’t know. I believe I have hardly been thinking, and it seemed almost impossible for me to move my tongue.” “ Let us put some more brush on the fire, and light our - Pipes again, and try to keep ourselves awake by talking. For my part, I must confess that I am almost afraid to sleep.” “T feel drowsy enough to sleep, but I believe it would be better for both of us to keep awake. J should not like to leave you to watch alone.” “ Help me to gather brush, then.” “ As for the brush, George, I am not sure that we ought to make a big blaze. There dig be Indians about the settle- ment.” “Why do you think so?” “T have no particular reason in saying so, except that it is fully late enough in the season, and a good time for them to be here.” “That reason amoun‘s to little. Have you no better reason ?” « “If you press me, my boy, I must tell you that I think J “te Can smeil the rascals.” “ Smell them !” “ Yes!” -“ You must be joking.” “J assure you that I don’t feel like joking in the midst of ; __ this gloom.” YT mean that I have a peculiar feeling whenever I am in- m - “ee - - | “as. % > ~~ | Be sg Se e Le a Sa an Na eg tee eatin ee eb i e ConmicloolkSae com! 7