Beadle's Dime Novels No. 14 — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

§2 THE EMERALD NECKLACE. “Every thing is romantic here. How strange that your friend should have built himself a palace like this for the self- ish pleasure of enjoying it in solitude.” “He was not a selfish man,” said Pennon, “or did» not mean fo be. He was unfortunate, Perhaps when he planned this place he expected to make a paradise of it by sharing it with the-woman he loved. But ladies are sometimes fickle.” Rosalie looked over the side of the boat into the water. . The south wind, balmy from the blooming shores, blew them along until the spray which broke away from the prow glittered like a wreath of jewels hung around it. The scenery seemed to the sailors more picturesque than that below the castle. The mountain, covered with pines, stood on their right; on their left were sloping banks with groves growing down to the water’s edge. There was a bend in the river where it swept around the base of the hill, and as the boat followed its course, the party came in sight of a small island lying sweetly on the bosom of the stream. ~Pennon had told them nothing of it, though he had visited it himself a day or two before, wishing to surprise them. “That is the ‘ bright little isle’ of which Moore speaks, I expect, from its appearance,” he said, “and there we land for an hour or two of exploration. No poet ever yearned fora = sweeter spot: ‘ Here a leaf never dies in the still blooming bowers, And the bee banquets on through s whole year of flowers.’” All eyes were attracted to it as they approached. Underneath the trees, which arose in lofty groups, they could see shadowy vistas, pleasant with moss, grass, and flow- ers. They were welcomed by a golden burst of harmony from countless bright-winged birds fluttering amid the swaying branches and darting their bills into the fragrant bells of blos- soms, | : ~ Every one was eager to spring upon the shining sand, which lay like a girdle of gold about the island. Pretty shells, some of which Lulu gathered hastily in her straw-hat, peeped up on the shore; but no one eould step at that moment to aid her selection, for the coo] shatle wiled them on to their protection ; while the murmurs of the lexves. overhead, the carols of the : comiiclooks.com