Beadle's Dime Novels, No. 91: The Lost Cache — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

A SONG AND AN ECHO 71 truth that beauty itself passes current more readily, and is in greater demand, when it is accompanied by a goodly portion of this world’s goods. After dusk they left the camp together, John armed with his rifle, and Kate with her faithful revolver, saying that they intended to take a short strojl under the moonlight. This . was contrary to Mr. Brainard’s wish, but, as he was not ac- _ customed to oppose himself to the will of his daughter, she carried her point, as usual. The young folks were cautioned against going far, and against coming into collision with In- . dians, which cautions they promised to remember, and forgot them as soon as they set out. They went directly to the ravine in or near which the trea- sure was reported to be concealed; they parted the under- growth, and looked down at its depths, into which the rays of the moon hardly penetrated; and they walked along near its: edge, seeking a place for descent. They reached a small gully, which appeared to lead dgwn to the ravine, and John Brainard concluded to make an ex- ploration. He laid his rifle on the ground, told Kate to re- main where she was for a fw moments, and disappeared: down the declivity. If Kate Brainard had not been accustomed to the wilderness; and familiarized with some of its dangers, she would tta- turally have been troubled with timidity, on being thus left alone; but she knew that her brother would soon return, the moon was shining brightly, and she had a rifle and a pistol, her skill with which weapons had lately been proved upon - human-foes. Consequently, the thoughts that filled her mind were not thoughts of fear. She looked up at the starry sky, of which she caught pleasant glimpses through the leafy tops of the tall trees; she imagined herself the possessor of* or sharer in that wonderful hoard of gold that had lain concealed during so many years; she wondered about the gay and bril-. liant life { in the settlements, of which she had heard so much, > ‘and which she had so often longed to experience; and she dreamed, as maidens will, of an ideal lover, handsome, brave and accomplished, who was to step down from the clouds and lay his heart and his hand at her feet. The few minutes that her brother had mentioned passed by, cqmiticbaoks: Com