Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-10-24
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my boyl Ny boyg'
IT am ruined, mother-ruinedT He
stood gazing wildly In front Of him.
while the sheet Of paper fiuttered down
to the carpet. Then he dropped back
into the chair, and sank his face into his
hands. His mother had her arms round
him in an instant, while the admiral,
with shaking fingers, picked up the let
ter from the floor and adjusted his
glasses to read 1t.
"My Dear Denver" 1t ran. "By the
time that this reaches you shall be out
Of the reach of yourself or Of. any one
else who may desire an interview. You
need not search for me, for assure
you that this letter is posted by
friend, and that you will have your
trouble in vain IL you try to find me.
I am sorry to leave you in such a tight
place, but one or other Of US must be
squeezed, and on the whole I prefer
that 1t should be you. You'll find moth
ing in the bank, and about $4,000 UNI
accounted for. I'm not sure that the
best thing you can do is not to realize
what you can and initiate your sem
ior's example. If you act at once you
may get clean away. If not, It's only
that you must put up your shutters
but am afraid that this missing money
could hardly be included as an ordinary
debt, and Of course you are legally re-
sponslble for 1t Just as much as am.
Take a friends advice and get to
America. A young man with brains can
always do something out there, and you
can live down this little mischance. 1t
will be cheap lesson If 1t 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 faith
| fully. JEREMIAH PEARSON"
Great heavens" groaned the admir-
al "he has absconded."
"And left me both a bankrupt and q
thief"
mo, no, Harold" sobbed his mother.
''All will be right. What matter about
money!
Money, mother! 1t is my honor"
1.-THE boy' is right. 1t is his honor,
and my honor, for his is mine. This is
a sore trouble, mother, when we thought
our life's troubles were all behind us,
but we will bear It as we have borne
Others" He held out his stringy hand,
and the two old folk sat with bowed
grey heads, their fingers intertwined,
strong in each others love and SYM
| pathy.
I'VE were too happy" she sighed.
But 1t is Gods WILL mother"
eyes. John, 1t is Gods will"
And yet 1t Is bitter to bear. could
have lost all, the house, money, rank
I could have borne 1t. But at my age
my honor-the honor Of an admiral Of
the fleet"
mo honor can be lost, John, where
no dishonor has been done. What have
you done? What has Harold done?
There is no question of honor"
The old man shook his head, but Har-
old had already called together his clear
practical sense, which for an instant in
the presence Of this frightful blow had
deserted him.
1.-THE mater is right, dad" said he.
ut Is bad enough, heaven knows, but
we must not take too dark a view OF
1t. After all, this insolent letter Is In
itself evidence that had nothing to do
with the schemes Of the base villain
who wrote It,"
"They may think It 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 II they have eyes in
their heads" cried the admiral, pluck.
ing up courage at the sight Of the flash
ing eyes and brave, defiant face. I'VE
have the letter and we have your char
acter. Well weather It yet between
them. It's my fault from the begin
ming for choosing such landshark for
your consort. God help me, I thought
was finding such an opening for you"
Dear dad! How could you possibly
know? AS he says in his letter, 1t has
given me lesson. But he was so much
older and so much more experienced,
that 1t was hard for me to ask to ex-
anime his books. But we must waste
no time. 1 must go to the city"
"What will you do?"