The Wrong Man — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

98 TEE WRONG MAN. | ee which were hurrying toward the scene of the explosion) began to think that life had utterly departed, when he again opened his eyes. But the light of intelligence was now gone from them —they were glassy and rayless; and his low, incoherent mar- murings too plainly told that reason had fled. ‘* Self-defense, Lucy—kiss me, and dry year tears! Whocalls me murderer ?—shove off, Cato, and pull away stoutly—there, they'll never overtake us now—your name can’t suffer, Charles, for they don’t know it—ha! the water's thick with blood a see, see! Overton’s black face is grinning in the midst ef t. ’ §$Such were some of the disjointed phrases which fell at inter- yals from his working lips. The allusion to Overton was the last words he uttered, and as they were spoken, the vividness with which the image of the floating body was presented to his disordered imagination might have been partly inferred from the strong convulsive movement it occasioned. ~ “Stand back! stand back, and give him air!” cried severat voices, as the old man, with a gasp g effort, halfraised himself from the grass. Sedley rolled his rayless eyes round the re- haan, circle, the muscles of his frame relaxed, he tumbled heavily and prone upon the pene’ and the light let in by the opening of the crowd fell on the stiffened features of a A black boy who had that moment joined the group now broke through the ring, and falling on his knees ‘beside the body, took its cold hand in his own, and wept aloud. There was something touching in the faithful negro’s grief, and the heart-warm expressions in which he gave utterance to it. At length a murmur ran from one to another, and the necessity of removing the eines began to be spoken of. This conversation seemed to recall the negro’s mind from the depths of affliction to the consideration of other circumstances. Several perso: each emulous to show himself more active than the beige” ieft the group with the purpose of procuring rails or some other materials for constructing atemporary bier. The black also rose to his feet, and casting one leng and earnest look upon the body, turned and glided from the crowd. We left Lucy and Dudley at the moment when their ears were stunned the loud and near sound of the explosion. ‘The cause of the occurrence had been soon explained to them by Cato, who, soon after the shock, came rattling along the bank of the ravine to jointhem. The plan of blowing up the Dlock-house had been devised by in with the purpose of concealing the flight of Dudley. He was aware, it seems,that — - @ quantity of powder, deposited in the vault of that building at — atime when an irruption of the Indians was apprehended, had sever been remoyv The idea strack him that if he could - possess himself of the body of Over-ou, dress it in the clothes . a Css . Cees .* ee a ip See ae i. | ri 4 % }. cas: * Po * beth - ’ | comicbo tnt E oks:com - ¢ ‘ é ‘ ¢ “ oe ee ar tO ee A ey See Pe : Mn