The Land Claim — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

A LOVER IN TROUBLE. %5 “Bxactly; there is no mistake about him, But the scoundrel got off safe, and sold the horses over in eastern Iowa.” “Tt seems incredible that any man could be so consummate a hypocrite and desperate a villain, and yet carry no more marks about him than that man did. The only motive he could have had was revenge for that joke we played on him —which cost poor Doc his life. Ill never play another practical joke as long as I live—I could not, after this!” said Flag, with tears in his eyes. “ Newcome will be cleared, I suppose ?” he added, after a pause, during which the young men’s thoughts were busy with the past. “No jury will be able to convict him with such doabts in his favor, and I don’t think he will come to trial at all.” “ And the daughter—what has become of her? Ah, I have found out the cause of your elongated visage, 1 believe. Your face can’t keep a secret of that sort, Squire. No trouble in that quarter, I hope *” _ Allen was just in that state of mind when he wanted a confidant—somebody into whose sympathetic ear to pour the story of his wrongs, and the bitterer wrongs of her he loved. And so he told Flag the whole story. “The old curmudgeon!” Flag exclaimed. ‘“ Why, Id let him hang; I'll be blessed if I wouldn’t! He’s altogether too hateful to live among human beings, and society would be better off without him.” : “ Unfortunately, that would not help my case at all, The little saint has adopted the martyr’s réle in this affair, and seems determined to offer herself as a sacrifice for the sin of telling the truth about her undeserving father. The great thing now would be to gain time; for it is my Opinion that the mysterious stranger will appear again before long, and that then she will be taken out of Mauvais’ hands. That would save Aer; but I suppose I should be looked upon as a fortune-hunter, if I presumed upon our engagement then. Confound it, I'm out of luck every way m, “Courage, old fellow! It's darkest always just before dawn. "What's the reason you can not detain her here as a Witness ?” “They would get around that by taking depositions; and comliclsooks.com)™