Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-07-13

IL 10, 1907.
knee. 1t was a week since he had como from
Richmond, leaving the child's mother dead
there. He had spent the week going from
one newspaper Office TO another, Wanting
and vaporiug, and drinking hard, but with
still cold consciousness all the time of stand
ing by her grave, on which the rain pat
tered, with her child's life left in his hands
to do with it what he would.
Mary's hoy would have grown into truth
full, God fearing man if she had lived; a
gentleman, too; the class which Standsh.
with all his tawdsy Dragging, watched far off
with jealous awe. Now What could he
make of the boyl He took the little chaps
hands in his, and pulled him closer trying
with his bcarcd eyes TO penetrate the future
Like father. like son; il was so always. For
himself, whether it was the faint of tho
butcher shop or some flaw in his make up no
did not know, but he was labeled everywhere
for contempt. Even here, where he was a
stranger, he was marked already, no saw, as
disGcputablc, vulgar, a frothy bubble Of a
t1sn. Ee was sore and CALLED by the snubi
he had met with today. He sat quiet in the
eapdy hotel l,arlor, holding Jack close while
tho servants lighted the lamps and people
calnc and went he looked steadily at the cost
OF what he meant to do.
"Ill take the weight of your old father OF
of you, Jack, he said at last, stopping to kiss
the fat, red little face "Good-by, my SOM
He did take it off. He entered the boy
under the name OF Proctor at fashionable
boarding school, setting aside the entire sum
he had saved with which to start paper in
| Philadelphia. 81 can scratch for myself he
said.
"Let the lad have everything he wants " he
urged his govcrnesS one day. His father
! had the best blood in Virginia in his veins,
madam. And teach him religion. His
! mother but he broke down her. "She's
| yonder,n he said quietly at last, CHANGING up.
/ The govcrness nodded and understood him.
SO thf STINT succeeded OF what it cost
himself, he said nothing; it had lifted the boy
at once, I've thought into a pure region Of
( fashion, and refinement, and salvation. The
1 ylories Of the Proctols, in the course of years,
! rev and multiplied readily in the ma ior's
/ tandling. There were times when he became
/ confused himself, 50 real had Jacks llustri-
/ ols family grown. "Remember your father
/ the general, lad.' he would cry, when urging
tie boy to manliness or courage. "Noblesse
/ obligem
Damned if l know whether there was
/ Gen, Proctor or not" he would mutter per-
| picked to himself afterward.
Well, there was the end of it all now. The
lie had been played successfully for years,
/ yet now all Jacks world was to know it was
lie. Sitting 10y the fire in his shirt sleeves,
! tapping his knees with his clumsy fingers,
| the major went over it this afternoon
There's nobody who knew me in Virginia,
and knows my name is Richard and not Dan,
that can't tell about the boy He saw no
way of escape. "If to call himself my friend
was ruin to the lad, what will become of him
as my SOM And to-day. Jacks fate stood
in the balance as McMurray had said.
! Again and again the ma jor reasoned round
the dreary circle.
"Or one side the charge of great church,
wealth, and the woman he loves; on the
other--men There was nothing beyond
that Tonight must end it one way or the
other The drumming of his fingers grew
slower on his knees, till he sat like block
staring in the fire. The gnawing hunger
tearing at his flesh made his brain clearer.
He was to be hung on his boy like a mill
stone to drag him down, till one or other Of
them diedi What if he We're dead now?
! Great gain would follow; and as for loss
The major rose mechanically, the eyes I'M
der his grizzly brows growing strangely keen
| and glittering 81 don't know that I'm of
much account-if one took stock of me- He
passed his hand with queer chuckle over his
| big. hungry, rheumatic body; then glanced
| hastily toward the pile of MSS. on which
! no publisher had drawn for months proudly
conscious for a moment of the genius which
had been his birthright II never made my
mark, though" he muttered. He repeated
that once or twice.
The stock was taken.
He stood quiet a moment, and then sopped
his face with his ragged white handkerchief
1t was strangely composed and grave. He
went to "A closet and took down from the or
DERBY shelves a bottle full of dark brown
LIQUID. from which he half filled a goblet,
which he placed ready on the mantel shelf;
then. as though doubling ii, efficacy. he took
ont a tiny vial full of white powder and hid
it in his pocket. Unlocking IA desk. he took
out an old leather covered Bible. yellow with
age. and began tursng over the leaves, to
find the family record"
"Born. Jan 81. John, only child of Richard