Beadle's Dime Novels No. 85: The Fugitives — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

hadrun. It more than convinced him of his childish vail ardice. ) “ You did not enter the barn, then ?” “ Golly gracious, no—guess not.” “What I thought,” said the Quaker, turning toward Abingdon. ‘“ Tarry thou here, until I satisfy myself.” Instead of emerging from the front door, Franklin, after con- siderable maneuvering, let himself out of the kitchen, which being draped in shadow, afforded him greater safety in case the house was under surveillance, J airly outside of the building, he controlled his movements by the greatest circumspection, While he did not believe that Pete had obtained even a glimpse of a hostile savage, he yet knew there might be many lurking in the shadow of the woods, and a thoughtless exposure might be followed by the sharp crash of the nie and the un- erring bullet. While stealing along the fence, and when about a rod from the gate that opened into. the barnyard, the Quaker heard a noise as if made by a person crawling upon the ground. He paused, and looking in the direction indicated discovered a dark figure in the act of rising. One penetrating glance showed that it was a large hog that was apts changing its posi- tion. “ Verily, Pete is a coward; to be, so terrified at a harmless quadruped.” This discovery gave Franklin greater confidence, andi he. advanced toward the stable. It required but a moment to see that the two horses were gone! Greatly rejoiced at this discovery he set out to communicate as much; to young Ab- ingdon. He was walking quite rapidly toward the house, when ‘be stepped upon something that yielded to his foot. Stooping down. and examining it, he was astonished to find. it an In- dian moccasin! He held it up in the moonlight and scru- tinized it. This gave anew turn to his thoughts. The most natural inquiry was as to how this came there. And the most natural and only. answer that presented itself was that it had been dropped during the day by the owner— in fact, it was morally impossible that it should have lain there more than several hours at the most. —neieati 56 THE FUGITIVES. conmmiclbooks.comn