Beadle's Dime Novels No. 213: Squatter Dick — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

74 SQUATTER DIGK It would. be death—death the most horrible ;, death by poi- son! And yet she could go no further... Nature was alrescy overtasked,. andAda felt the drowsiness: of , sleep: sieuling upon her, and. benumbing ber faculties of mind as well as body. Arousing herself with an effort, she slaggered to one side, and was only saved from fulling to the ground by the trunk.of a small tree. A gleam of hope inspired her, and extending her arm she found that she could reach the lower limbs. This. was it, then, She would rest until daylight came, in its limbs. Fenring to wait longer, Ada fastened her staff to her, waist with her belt, and then, with strength augmented by the peril of her situation, she caught the limbs of the litle tree, and managed to drag herself to a secure pereh in.its middle. Dreading lest, in her sleep, she should fall to the ground, Ada, by elongating her belt, wound it around both her waist and a stout limb, and then securely fastened it. Then, worn out by the trials and fatigue she had undergone, no. sooner was this precaution accomplished than she dropped off into a deep slumber or stupor. ty ) The tree in which she was ensconced, was not very large, ut growing in a clear space upon the little mound, its limbs were long and strong. . The place she occupied was close to the muin stem, and some ten feet from the ground. _For hours ber stupor lasted. The sun arose and the little hillock was lighted up. by its warm rays, pouring down through an opening or rift in the limbs overhead. . The sun rolled higher, until it was near the; meridian before Ada awoke, ise gt x gs yea Fs When she did so it was with a sudden start and premonition _of danger. There was a strange, musky odor saluting her nostrils that almost overpowered her. Then, as she stared wildly around her, in momentary fogetfulness of where she was and what had occurred during the past horrible night, ber eyes rested upon the mound below her feet. Ada uttered a loud ery of terror, and shrunk convulsively back. Had it not been for her precaution in binding herself to the tree, she must have fallen; fallen to the ground, and then what would have been her fate? Ah, it needed no pro- phet to foretell that. bo comlicbooks.com