The Land Claim — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

44 THE LAND-CLAIM. “Perhaps you could yourself direct these people to some new object of suspicion, if old Neweome could only be spared. You take a great interest, apparently, in a man who, according to your belief, is the murderer of your friemihs +157 > “ How do you know I believe that?’ asked Allen, sharply and quickly. | “ Because I heard you tell Flag so.” _ “TI thought you were dreaming /” said Allen. Ed gaye a short, strange laugh; but his eye fell, and he soon turned into a path by himself, “to meet an engagement,” he said. The next morning Ed announced that he had business out in the western part of the adjoining county ; and Squire and Flag were left to their lonely housekeeping, and to long, sad talks about their late friend’s tragic fate, and the doubt that seemed to hang about the identity of the real and the sus- pected murderer. If .ever in “these frequent conversations the memory of the apparition they had seen haunted their thoughts, and troubled their better judgment, they endeavored to dismiss it as unworthy their.cooler mood. And yet, in spite of reason, it led them to make a closer investigation of facts than other- wise would have appeared necessary, and started a question in their minds concerning a certain other person, which pru- dence obliged them to keep concealed in their own bosoms, until some further and more tangible evidence of its truth should transpire. Le oe Comiclooks.corn