The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1897-12-30

"OH. MY son! HOW COULD YOU DO ITs"
would tempt even me to give up knock
ing about the world and settle down, as
they all want me to. By George, have
notion to do it. Mother says that
granddad 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 my crop. Nobody ever trusted me so
far as l know, and l never would ex-
plain anything. no matter how suspi-
cious the circumstances might be. So
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
go to sea, but what could fellow do
when he is always getting into scrapes
and is too proud to deny anything even
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 l 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 i'll his arms and placed her
carefully in the big chair. Then pulling
Il 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 l used to sit when was a
little fellow? Now tell me all about it.
What has happened?"
But she only sobbed the harder for a
time, and at length when she could
command her voice she cried out pas
sionately, "Oh, my son, my son, how
could you do it?'
The curly head was lifted instantly,
and the handsome, boyish face grew sui
len and hard Recklessness and pride
We're Habberton family traits, and Ben,
though 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
and, 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 .colueste 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 says
he will have you arrested in the morn
ing, and l do believe, Ben, that ht
would have made you his heir. How
could you do it, Benz"
| Ben had grown very white, and hi
fists were clinched tightly when hi
| mother paused, but he said quietly:
4 80 you and granddad have discovered
i that | am thief, have you? How die
i you find it -outo?'' ''.:..
s:.Why, he had $500 in: bills in hi
writing desk 1t seems he saw'it ther'
just before you went to his room, ane
there was no one else there up to th'
| time he missed it. - -. e.: -''~ -..'- =
80 he says stole it, does he?" .-:
Don't use such words, Ben. O
course you didn mean it for stealing
but l am afraid he will have you arrest
I ed-and think of the disgrace! VIII.
didn' you ask me for money, Ben?'
1t was something like an imprecatiol
! that the young sailor muttered unde