Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-06-29

hardly be included as an ordinary debt,
and of course you are legally responsible
for it just as much as | am. Take a
friends advice and get to America. A
young man with brains can always dc
something out there, and you can live
down this little mischance. 1t will be q
cheap lesson if it teaches you to take
nothing upon trust in business and to
insist upon knowing exactly what your
partner is doing, however senior he may
be to you. Yours faithfully,
JEREMIAH PEARSON"
"Great heavensl groaned the admiral,
she has absconded."
''And left me both a bankrupt and
thief"
''No, no, Harold" sobbed his mother.
"All will be right. What matter about
money!
money, mother! 1t is my honor"
''The hoy is right. 1t is his honor and
my honor, for his is mine. This is sore
trouble, mother, when we thought our
hfe's troubles were all behind us, but wei
will bear it as we have borne others"
He held out his stringy hand, and the two
old folk sat with bowed gray heads,
their fingers intertwined, strong in each
others love and sympathy.
I'VE were too happy" she sighed.
"But it is Gods will, mother"
Eyes, John, it is Gods will"
"And yet it is bitter to bear. 1 could
have lost all, the house, money, rank-I
could have borne it. But at my age
my honor-the honor of an admiral of
the fleet"
"No honor can be lost, John, where no
dishonor has been done. What have you
donep What has Harold done? There is
no question of honor"
The old man shook his head, but
Harold had already called together his
clear practical sense, which for an in
stant in the presence of this frightful
blow had deserted him.
"The mater is right, dad," said he.
"It is bad enough, heaven knows, but
we must not take too dark view of it.
After all, this insolent letter is in itself
evidence that l had not nothing to do
with the schemes of the base villain who
wrote it,"
"They may think 1t prearranged."
"They could not. My whole life cries
out against the thought. They could
not look me in the face and entertain
it."
mo, boy, not if they have eyes in their
heads" cried the admiral, plucl1ing up
courage at the sight of the flashing eyes
and brave, defiant face. eve have the
letter, and wehave your character. Well
weather it yet between them. It's my
fault from the beginning for choosing
such land shark for your consort. God
help me, thought Twas finding such an
opening for YOU"
"Dear dad! How could you possibly
know2 AS he says in his letter, it has
given me lesson. But Re was 80 much
older and SO muchmore experienced that
it was hard for me to ask to examine his
books. But we must waste no time. l
must go to the city"
"What will you dor
"What an honest man should do. l
will write to all our clients and creditors,
assemble them, lay the whole matter be-
fore them, read them the letter and put
myself absolutely in their hands,"
That's it, boy, yardarm to yardarm
and have it over"
81 must go at once" He put on his
topcoat and his hat. "But have 10 min
utes yet before can catch train There |
is one little thing which 1 must do be-
fore start"
He had caught sight through the long
glass folding doors of the CLEAN of
white blouse and straw hat in the ten
mis- ground. Clara used often to meet
him there of a morning to say few
words before he hurried away into the
city. walked out now with the quick,
firm step Of a man who has taken mo-
resolution, but his face was
and his lips pale.
"Clara," said he as she came toward |
him with words of greeting, 81 am sorry
to bring i'll news to you, but things have
gone wrong in the city, and-and think
that ought to release you from your
Clara stared at him with her great,
questioning, dark eyes, and her face be-
came as pale as his.
'How can the city affect you and me,
Harold?'
"It is dishonor. cannot ask you to
share it."
"Dishonor! The loss of some miserable
gold and silver coinsr
"Oh, Clara, if it were only that! We
could be far happier together in a little
cottage In the country than with all the
riches Of the city. Poverty could not
cut me to the heart as l have been cut
this morning. Why, it is but 20 min
ntes since had the letter, Clara, and it
seems to me to be some old, old thing
which happened far away in my past
life, some horrid black cloud which shut
out all the freshness and the peace
from it."
But what is it, then? What do you
fear worse than poverty?"
"To have debts that l cannot meet.
To be hammered upon change and de-
clared bankrupt, to know that others
have just claim upon me, and to feel
that dare not meet their eyes. Is not
that worse than povertyP'
"Yes, Harold, thousandfold worsel
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