Beadle's Dime Novels No. 97: The Doomed Hunter — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

gic ' RALPH’S NARRATIVE. 51 Just then Stephen’s wife, who had risen and dressed hastily, entered the apartment. She advanced to Ralph and greeted him warmly, showing beyond any doubt that she did not think him guilty, whatever others might do. , | “Where have you been, Ralph, during all this dreadful week which has passed ?” she asked. e “Just what he was about to tell,” returned her lusband. ° “Sit down, Kate, and we will listen, for I know my brother too well to think for a moment. that he would tell any thing but the truth.” “Thank you for the good opinion,” remarked Ralph. “I haye no reason to tell you any thing else. J am innocent of any crime.’ He then gave them a concise but clear account of all that had happened, from the time he had lost or rather regained consciousness after the attempt at hanging till he regained his freedom, and started upon the return toward home. “T knew no other course to. take,” he said, in conclusion, “T felt that possibly Nancy had been discovered, dead or alive. In any case it seemed to me that some revalations must have taken place during the time I had been absent. But if I found that the crime still attached to me, I could get my rifle and pistols, and then take to the woods again. I could lie in wait there till something should happen to prove my inno- cence—for it will,be proved, sooner or later, though I may not live to see the day, “When morning came I found that I had wandered to some place unknown to me. In which direction I had been traveling was a mystery. I neither knew which way the In- dian village lay, nor how far I might be from it. Still I could shape my course by the sun, and the idea of freedom gave me strength to travel with my usual speed. I walked till ex- hausted, and sat.down to rest—I was hungry, but could find no food, nor had I any means of killing the wild game which I saw occasionally. But 1 did not mind this. My good luck would scarcely let me starve to death, and the pangs of hun- ger were much more tolerable than roasting at an Indian fire. “ Presently I began to fear pursuit. Why I seareely knew. There was a tolerable eminence before me, and gaining the top of it I found that I had command of the country far as the > conmiclooolkksiteconn *