The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1901-02-28
FATHER AND SON
THE man who speaks loudly in pub


THE man who speaks loudly in pub
lie places of the valuables of his
sideboard and the insecurity of his
front door may safely be put down as
an amiable idiot. Yet Thomas Ned
ham, of the firm Of Nedham & Will
kins, was no fool. He was reputed
to be a cute man of business, who
knew how to keep his counsel when
his money was at stake; and yet here
he was tonight, on the front seat, of
a crowded omnibus, boasting to his
neighbour that his silver plate was
the heaviest in all Hampstead.
"Burglars?" he laughed, in. answer
to a question. 81 have been 80 years
q householder, and never one of the
gentry has deigned to visit me. I
often think that the man who takes
no p%recaution comes off best in this
matter. I have known some men
spend half a fortune in locks and
bolts, and have a housebreaker in as
regular as the chimney sweep. You
did not know my partner, Wilkins?
He's been dead these, dozen years; and
before things went wrong with him,
and I bought him out, he had a col
lection of coins worth $1,000. Well,
he kept the treasure in a room whose
windows were sheathed nightly in
heavy shutters, bolted and bolted
again. But, of course, he rose one
fine morning to find the lot gone.
That broke the old fellows heart, and
from then till they placed him in
Norwood cemetery he was never off
the rocks"
AS the old gentleman proceeded in
a lower voice to tell stories of the
burglaries that he had known befall
his friends the tall young fellow i'm
mediately behind him showed evident
signs of nervousness. He shifted un-
easily in his seat, and, as ever and
anon the gaslights were passed, his
pinched face showed white and his
big eyes seemed riveted on the jovia]
Nedham. When the merchant left
the bus, with a hearty "Good night!'
to all and sundry, the STRIPPING rose
and slipped off, too.
Twelve midnight had long since
doomed from the church steeple oppo.
site, and still Thomas Nedham, city
merchant and importer, lay wide
awake. Uusally he was a heavy sleep
er, but tonight slumber had deserted
him, though before coming to bed hi
had done his best to woo her by the
subtle aid of two tumblers of strong
toddy.
His active brain insisted on scru
tinizing and dissecting the stock an6
share list of the previous day an6
gambling through his now silent
city warehouse. The old gentleman
chuckled as he held his eyes tight
and ~conjured before him the thou
sands of great bales that numbered
every inch of his stores.
"Wonderful!" he said, audibly
"What a great thing may sometimes
grow from a small one, to be sure
Only 30 years ago, and Twas wonder
ing how I could meet a bill for 81
1875. Now. new blocks added, six-and
fifty was ousemen, piles of paying
wcrk, a ill growing, growing
growing. lder what Wilkins would
think of it'll if he were looking ur
now? Poor Wilkins! They tell mi
he died declaring that I had robbed
him. That was a hard thing to say
No robbery, say I, but a business
Transactions smart business trans
action. Besides, in any case, it was g
question of tit for tat. But for Will
kins I should not have been a bach
elor."
Nedham moved ~uneasily in bed, an6
through a doorway arched with trou,
bled memory he stole to the land Of
forgetfulness.
How long he slept he hardly knew
but he woke with a start. He had the
distinct impression that he felt warn
breath on his face, and, springing out
of bed, he switched on the electric
light. No trace of an intruder was
in the room, but the door, which Ned.
ham felt sure he had shut, stood part.
ly aiar,
Hastily pulling on his dressing gown
and showing his bare feet into slippers
he reached a heavy riding-crop from
the wall and stumbled downstairs
AS he opened the drawing-room door
there was the shuttle of hasty feet
and, when the light went up, a tai
young fellow, shabbily dressed, stood
revealed. The two men faced eacf
other across the table, Nedhan
gripping tight the whip-handle.
"Now," he said, in a wonderfully
composed voice, tive caught 20,
clean. What in all the world may
you want here?"
The youngster removed his bat
tered hat, and his eyes fell as {
tinge of color rose to his cheek.
"a straight question demands {
straight answer" he replied. 81 an
in quest of some of the silver-platt
you boosted about on the top of .tht
Hampstead bus last night. I over
heard that conversation" @
Nedham laughed, and laid the croI
on the table.
"You young fool" he said. "Yo,
do not know Tom Nedham, or 20,
would not have tried this mug'l
game on" He rubbed his hands
"Tom Nedham has never beer