The Island Bride — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

ra ~ “ & “, wan!” 4) “You must have been deceived, madam,” said Weldon “Deceived! Oh, dear! oh, dear! how could T have been de ceived. Didn’t I hear a heavy rustling in those bushes ? didn’t I hear the crackling of twigs? Who,” she continued, with a heart- rending sob, “could have made that rustling and cracking buta man ; 2 man come to insult me, because I was alone and unpro- tected.’ “ Did you see him ®” inquired Squint. “See him! And do you suppose I should have stayed thet lung enough to see him! No—no! I ran down to the beach at once, and, hearing me call for help, I think it’s very likely he retreated. Oh, heaven! must our sex always be persecuted on account of our attractions? Must we be’ hunted, insulted, and—oh, dear me!” she interrupted, with a flesh burst of tears, “ it is terrible to think of it!” The parson had to sneeze. “Tn my opinion,” said he, “ you are mistaken in thinking that the noise you heard was made by a man. A cocoanut falling into the bushes might have caused it.” : “ Ay, ay,” said Bolt, “ and it’s parfectly nat’ral that a sus- ceptible natur’ like this lady’s should be scared by a cocoanut and convart it into a man.” Miss Trundle directed a fierce glance at the old tar. “Parson Trust!” she shrieked, “this is an insult. I call upon you for protection !’ “Why, cork me,” cried Squint, “ I'll answer for it that no insult was meant. Bolt, d’ye see, has a way of applyin’ the wrong tarms to express himself. By ‘susceptible natur’” he meant ‘skeptical natur’,’ which explanatory on my part, will, as I take it, set every thing right and ship-shape atween you and him, ma’am !’ So saying, he darted off to follow Weldon, who was now moy ing toward the clump of shrubbery amid which the spinster had_ Btated she heard the noise. After searching a few minutes the two men found a cocoanut, which, it was evident, had recently fallen from a tree that grew near the bushes. “ Squint seized the prize, and was about to elevate it above his head, with ashout of triumph, when Harmon suddenly placed a hand upon his arm and pointed to a dry stick lying upon the ground, and which had been evidently trodden upon, asit was broken in the middie. COMlicbooks.conn »