Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-26

were strung across one corner of the
room to shut the boys bed from sight
A little stand covered with books, the
crimson covered lounge and a couple of
chairs completed the furniture of the
| room.
In Hopes own little room they had put
the pretty set of bedroom furniture that
had been their parents.
The stuffy, untidy little kitchen was
stuffy and untdy no longer. It's walls
had been brushed down, its floors
scrubbed and the simple furnishings and
| utensils arranged in the most orderly
manner.
Before the winter rains came down the
boys had cut away the great field of
weeds extending from the house to the
brook, leaving a short, dry stubble that
would readily yield to the pillow. The
high ground back of the house, por-
ton of the pasture land to the north,
with their growth of wild grasses and
| alfalfa, HAD been moved down, and O
very respectable hay stack made. They
had nearly finished pruning the old Or
chard, when the first storm of the
winter came upon them.
The rain fell softly and steadily, as
the farmers of the Pacific slope
like to see it fall, so that the parched
earth absorbed it, while all veg
citation seemed to revive beneath it.
After the rain the blowing began, and
the boys enjoyed the rare delight of
turning the virgin soil; soil that had been
garnerlng up its wealth from the begin
ing of time, that'had never been robbed
by the hand of man. Before the next
rain came they had planted three acres
IF ha hrnh lo IN,
seed which MIR. Abbott furnished them.
The young people found, to their de-
light, that the early rains only served to
swell the volume and increase the cur
rent of ''The BROOKE for few days,
after which the stream was readily
crossed with the raft.
CHAPTER IX.-A MYSTERIOUS JOURNEY.
"Martin, don't you want to take a
ride with me Tomorrow asked DR..
John one day early in December.
"I'll be very glad to, sir and the
boy IS eyes sparkled with anticipation.
'Be on hand early in the morning,
say 'clock, and prepare to be away
the whole forenoon.
els 1t somebody very sick-or far
away?'' asked Martin.
"Eh? Oh, yes-a good ways off -
replied tbe doctor.
Martin had read several stories of de-
teotive experience, and he made up his
mind that he would have great talent for
the profession. He had never been able
to wholly dismiss from his mind the
sohoolmaster' dark allusion to DR.. John
as "a man with a history The doc
tors STANCE embarrassment over the
simple question impressed the boy, and
Il I'd IN ha
curiosity and dread.
They were along the road to Oakland
before Martin realized where they were
going. So the Doctors patient lived
there, and must be some rich person to
afford to call physician from such q
distance. But why should DR.. John
make such a mystery of it? Why should
he have cautioned the boy to say moth
ing about the ride to anyone? Why
should he be so strangely silent all the
way? Why should he drive directly into
the heart of the city and draw up on a
business street, few doors away from
one of the large banks?"
hMartin, - ne said, producing o small
bag of specie, ~ want you to do little
business for me. You see the bank over
thereof
eyes, sir. -
"Take this money and say that Rich
ard Roe or George Smith, or any body
you please, deposits it. Ask for bill of
exchange made out IN the name of E. F.
Sherwood of Philadelphia. Be very
careful about that last name. Better
write it down.
Martin wrote down the name and wait
ed further instructions.
"Don't have anything to say to any
one aside from what have told you. II
they ask you anything further. tell them
you don't know. Bring me the certifi-
cate as soon as it is made out. Get away
from the bank as quickly as you can
Martin took the bag IN his hands. 1t
contained considerable more money than
he had ever before handled; yet he felt