San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-12-11

"oB. MY son! HOW COULD YOU DO 1T"
would tempt even me to give up knock
ing about the world and settle down, az
they all want me to. By George, l have
a notion to do it. Mother says that
cranddad wants somebody to look after
/, the estate. and if he could only trust me
he would be glad to have me do it.
"Confound it all, that's what sticks
in nv crop. Nobody ever trusted me so
far as / know, and / never would ex-
nlain anything, no matter how suspi-
cious the circumstances might be. So i
always got blamed for everything.
Hanged if don't think that even moth
er used to think l took all the cream
that any of the cats stole.
Foolish, of course, to run away and
60 to sea, but what could fellow do
when he is always getting into scrapes
and is too proud to deny anything even
i. when he isn't guilty? Well, I've seen
half a dozen years of life and had good
fling out of it, but don't remember
that 1 ever did anything to be ashamed
of. Hello! Who's there? Come in, the
door isn't locked. Why, mother, is it
you? Crying? What on earth is the mat
ter?''
Springing to his feet, he took the poor
little lady in his arms and placed her
carefully in the big chair. Then pulling
stool forward he sat ON it at her feet,
and laying his head in her lap said:
"There, mother. Do you remember, this
is the way / used TO sit when was a
little fellow? Now tell me all about it.
What has halbened?"
But she oJy sobbed the harder for a
time and 4 length when she could
command \ er voice she cried out pas
sionately, f'Oh, my son, my son, how
could YOU do it,"
The hrly head was lifted instantly,
and tn handsome, boyish face grew sui
len a d hard. Recklessness and pride
wer Habberton family traits, and Ben,
. tho4Eh-a younger son, was true Hab-
berton.
So he said nothing, knowing that he
would hear more presently, and he did,
for soon his mother talked on weakly
-nnd, if she had only known it, foolish
ly: "You know your grandfather al
ways suspected you of being wild, and
after you went to sea he always said
you'd come to some bad end, and / had
hard work to get him to ask you here
for Christmas but after you came he
liked you ever so much. He would not
have asked you to sit with him this
afternoon if he hadn't, and even when
he dropped asleep and you left the room
he wasn't angry. He said of course you
wanted to be with the young folks. But
how could you take that money? YOU
ought to have asked me if you needed
any. l know you said you had come
back as poor as you went away, but
did not think you needed it right away
can return it to your grandfather, o.
course, but he is so angry that he say
ne will have you arrested in the morn
ing, and | do believe, Ben, that b.
would have made you his heir. How
could you DO it, Ben?''
Ben had grown very white, and hi
nsts were clinched tightly when hi
mother paused, but he said quietly:
Soyou and granddad have discoveret
that | am thief, have you? How dit
you find it out:''
Why, he had $500 in bills i'll hi
writing desk 1t seems he saw it Their
Just before you went to his room, an,
there was no one else there up to tn
time he missed it
50 he says | stole it, does he?''
Don't use such words, Ben. o
course you didn't mean it for stealing
put am afraid he will have you arrest
ed-and think Of the disgracel VIII
dldn { you ask me for money, Benz"
IL was something like an imprecatio
mat the young sailor muttered undo