Beadle's Dime Novels No. 3: Myra, the Child of Adoption — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

THE LETTERS. 75 no man of whose character I am not well informed, shall visit my house? How can you thus receive a person of whom you know nothing ?” “ But, papa, I do know all about him, now, and so may you; only read these letters, and you will find that his family is as good as ours; his character irreproachable; his position every thing that can warrant the acquaintance he has sought.” Mr. D. took the letters yery coldly, and without another word proceeded to read them. Myra watched his countenance with a palpitating heart. The frown remained immovable on his forehead, and his mouth relaxed nothing of its stern ex- pression. Coldly and deliberately he read the letters through ; laid them down one by one, and then placing his hand upon the parcel, turned to his daughter. “What proof have we that these are not forgeries ?” he said. Myra’s heart swelled indignantly. She could hardly force herself to answer. It seemed as if her father had determined to receive no eyidence in favor of the man, against whom he had taken a prejudice that, to her warm nature, seemed most unjust and causeless. “The handwriting, the autographs, are they not genuine ? are they not sufficient ?” Mr. D. took up one of the letters pa examined it closely. “The letters may be genuine; but what proof have we that this young man came by them honorably—in short, that his name is Whitney, or that he is at all the person for whom he represents himself ?” _ “Oh, papa, this is too much! Only see this young gentle- man yourself, and then judge if-he can be suspected of obtain- ing those letters by dishonorable means !” Myra grew pale, and tears started to her eyes as she spoke. Mr. D. regarded her for a moment, then placing the letters in his escritoir, he turned the key. Myra waited for some answer to her appeal, but he coldly took up the paper that he had been reading as she came in, and seemed to cast the subject of conversation from his mind. Myra_went to her chamber with a heavy heart; she felt chilled and hurt by her father’s coldness: perhaps, too, there was in her heart a feeling of dis- appointment regarding Whitney also. In the slight mystery commiclooks.corn