Here the 1830 typesetter accidentally added the narrative connector now, perhaps because of its frequent usage in the nearby preceding text, although in none of these cases do we have a preceding and:
Of course, and now is very frequent as a narrative connector in the Book of Mormon, occurring about 650 times in the text. For another example where now was accidentally added after and, see under Mosiah 19:5; there Oliver Cowdery momentarily added the now as he was copying from 𝓞 into 𝓟. In each case involving and and now as narrative connectors, the critical text will follow the earliest textual reading. Here in Alma 1:26, the 1837 edition removed the intrusive now, probably because Joseph Smith noticed that 𝓟 itself lacked the now when he compared 𝓟 with the 1830 edition in preparation for the 1837 edition.
Summary: Maintain in Alma 1:26 the original connector and without the now that the 1830 typesetter accidentally added.