Beadle's Dime Novels No. 37: Godbold, the Spy — page 62: what you’re looking at

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

60 GIDEON 60DBOLD, --geream ‘fr¢m Alice indicated to the guide the presence of danger; but the warning came too late; for when he raised his eyes in the direction intimated, the four villains whom he had perceived through the crevice of their door, were advanc- ing upon them fally armed. Resistance would have been instant death, while he well knew that there was hope in life. Their chief rancor seemed to be directed against the aged guide, whom they all approached. — “ Villain,” cried the foremost—for éven these abject wretch used this term in reprobation— “have we caught you? Wha, punishment d’ye expect yourself, and what mercy for that daughter, for the manner in which ye trated our mither a the woods ?” . “T defended myself,” said the fearless guide, “ and where’s the man that wouldn’t ?” “Tll take the beard from your chin—your hair from your ‘head—and your skin from your flesh, and your daughter shall see the game.” The ferocious brute advanced and seized him by the beard, while one of his companions, no less malicious, assailed him from behind and grasped the silver hair upon his head. Each monster trew his knife, prepared, with more than Indian barbarity, to scalp and to sever the skin from the chin while their victim lived. But the captive flinched from the operation when the knife was t to be applied, and in his great muscular writhing, th , With its attendant scalp, was torn from the head, and the white and flowing beard, no more tenacious than its brother of the head, yielded, with its parent _euticle, to the fierce embrace of the bandit chief, so that each " villain had the prize he coveted. ' Alice, who had heard these frightful threats, with a ery of despair, rushed toward these murderers to implore their mercy ; but, when she reached the spot, there depended from their hands these venerable trophies of her aged friend.” All stood aghast, not even perceiving that the several portions of the flesh were bloodless, until it was discovered that the victim from whom they were had withdrawn to the mouth of the cavern-through which the stream at their feet drew its waters, and then it was disclosed to Alice, that her protector was a youth—that age had been assumed It was _ ConmmichoOoxs.coml > a i ew = cole