Beadle's Dime Novels No. 226: The Mustang-Hunters — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

ee he nee a’ a t Sree Saree tee je dos ee ee Pe Ay, i i» > fe —<- » =a HE MUSTANG-HUNTERS. ate >.> ss hev you been, Frank? How’s yer father, an’ the old planta- tion, down to Westonville ?” “The young man’s face clouded. ae “ My.father and mother are both dead, Pete,” he said, “ and ____ the old plantation was sold by the sheriff for the benefit of the creditors, not a year ago.” “ Yer don't say!” returned Pete, much concerned. “ Do tell! Why, Frank, my boy, tell’s xl] "bout it. Ill hobble the r hess and turn him out to graze while yer tell me all yer trou- ° bles.” y2 -An1 suiting the action to the word, Pete ungirthed and removed the rongh wooden saddletree from the back of lis gray pony, and allowed the later to crop the herbage at. leisure. Then the old hunter produced a store of dried veni- * son from his wallet, and inviting the young man to sit down, a he listened, while young Weston, over the “ dinner,” told his :. story. ee “You know, Peie,” the young fellow began,“that my _ father, the colonel, owned nearly the whole of Westonville at — ‘k “one time, and had hundreds and thousands of acres covered ~ ay with cattle and horses, besides field-hands to cultivate the cotton plantation. He might have kept it all, but for one _ . thing. He would gamble. Even during the war our estate did not suffer much. We depended more on our cattle than = cotton, and did not feel the emancipation of the slaves much. ~ ee fe But when my father came back, after Kirby Smith's surrender, ~ = _ he brought back from the service two bad habits, drinking. : “ My mother died, as you know, when I wae a litile boy, RY ‘and it.was but little I learned at the old school at Weston- p> ville," S. 2 : “ Durned little,” cenelvtaik Pete, suspending his munching 3." eae momert; “but I l’arned yer some things, ef the schoolmarm ¢ didn't” ; ae _ “My father sent me away when I was cleven years old,and Twas put to a boarding-school up North. There there was in no hunting to take me away, and I had nothing to do but : Ke I did learn to some purpose. During the war, my ; Poiana ter bean G0 the or a u Jet! a. ix “comicbooks: com