Beadle's Dime Novels No. 20: Florida; or, The Iron Will — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

— =... 7 i2€ FLORIDA; OR, THE {RON WILL “I will take it back, Parker,” Florida said, hollowly. “TI ‘ will throw the matter upon her sole responsibility. If she comes to see you within the week, I absolve her from any desire to love or feel interested in another.” “It is terrible to have this suggestion to feed upon,” said Parker, lying back, exhausted. “I hoped eyery thing from Virginia—I should die, deprived of hope. It is all soul and body have had to live upon for many a day. Don’t kill me outright. Tell her to write—oh! send me a line from her. No human being was ever loved as I love her.” Florida’s rebel spirit rose. Anger was slowly but surely taking the place of pity. How had Virginia dared to act thus in direct defiance of her wishes, her knowledge? ‘The old hard hate came up and clouded the right that was faintly battling in her heart for supremacy. He was poor, stigmatized, under the ban of illegitimacy. If she, possessing his love, could have overlooked all this, feeling him heart and soul another’s altered the entire aspect of the matter. Her husband he might be—she shrurk from calling him brother. Even at that moment, Horace Dudley was telling his love to Virginia. Her cheek was blanched to snow-whiteness when he spoke. She held out whiter hands, aghast. “O! Mr. Dudley, have mercy, have pity,” she cried. “° can not love you—you must not love me. I—am already - wife.” He flung at her a strange look, almost of despair—tb arose and walked hastily across the room. She, nearly faintis - frightened at her own words, dreading she knew not what f her long concealment, drooped forward, till her face leaned o, her hands, and the tears rained through her fingers. The yoice soothed while it roused her. She lifted her frightened face. “Tell me all, Virginia, and why this has not been known Let mé be ncw as a brother to you, my poor, timid, trembling dove.” And, resting with a sweet confidence, as new as it was strange, upon his friendship, she told him all. “And I see you are afraid of this sister Florida. She has held you in iron bonds.” “You will forgive me,” said Virginia, deprecatingly, holding out her hand. COmmiclooks.com