Beadle's Dime Novels No. 35: East and West — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

78 THE BEAUTY OF WILLARD’S MILL. coming almost to the broken land about the mill-place. _ In vain she wished for a match to set a back-fire. In vain they both ran bravely on, resolute not to waste time in lamenta- tions. The pony snorted, and tried to escape. They must stop to breathe, or they should fall down and be devoured by the terrible foe upon their track. On came the red, leaping flames, swift. as the wind, irre- sistible as fate. The black smoke already began to stifle them. “Oh, Heaven! must we perish ?” cried Constance, as she gazed, fascinated, upon the terrible yet beautiful destroyer, whose hot breath scorched her cheeks. “Oh, cousin Constance! please do ride!” urged Minnie,. strangling already. ‘If you ride, I can run faster; but if you don’t, we shall both be burnt up!” “No, I will not!—I shall let the pony go! Run, run, Minnie!” “ Constance /” shouted a voice behind them. “ Thank God! there is help.” It came not a second too soon. Riding right out of the flames, Harry Stewart brought life in place of death. In an instant Minnie sprung to the pony, comprehending that now her cousin was safe; and Constance, seated behind their deliverer, clung tightly to him while they sped away, away, out of the clutthes of the fire-king. “ But I don’t see, Harry, how you dared come through the fire,” said Constance, when they were all safely recovered from their fright. : “ What is there I would not have dared, to save you,” he murmured in her ear. “ Why, when I first noticed the fire— which some one passing must have set with a cigar—my first thought was of you two ladies, and your danger. I was some distance away, but galloped hard on after you, till I came to the bridge; then, seeing how hot the fire was, and that there wus only a narrow road through it, I stopped to wet my hand- kerchief, which I tied loosely over my mouth. Chancing to have another about me, I did the same for my horse’s nose; and then we lost no time until we found you; though Satin- hide didn’t like the work very well !” Miunie thought she had never seen her cousin so beautiful comiclooks.com