Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-30
Copyright, 1901. by s. r. orOOkstt>
XII.
Ordination.

Ordination
As may well be supposed, John had much
On his mind during these days Of suspense.
He rode his horse everywhere, Questioned,
cross -Questioned, followed false clues till
they tailed of into nothing or ended In
absolute culs -de-sac. But nothing came OF
IL. The girls had, so far as their friends
knowledge was concerned, absolutely disap-
peared. Yet old David Glendenning would
have no communication made to the au>
thorities. Neither was their fathers heart
bitter against them. He took no account
Of anything. He would stick at nothing.
He was their father and he would love
them to the end.
"If only l could tell them sae--I wad be
happy" he said, "but I'm thinkin' they ken
tt-eepecially Fairlle."
He stood on the top Of the watch tower
with the fstted calf bleating in the wood
yard beneath, and he locke across that
great and terrible wilderness. on the other
side OF which are sins OF crimson and
scarlet and pleasures like to the purple OF
Tyre. and great famines and swine troughs
and prodigals returning and unreturning.
All the same, 1t was a weary time for
all concerned. Meantime RupeFt's foot grew
quickly better, and he plunged more and
moro deeply into such designations as the
country and the neighboring towns at
forded.
Occasionally Rupert would be a couple OF
days from heme, and once II was the after
noon Of the third day before he returned.
On this occasion Gregory Glendonyyn had
grown f~retfully anxious. He could not stay
indoors, but with a gun over his shoulder.
though It was the middle OF July, haunted
the edges on the plantations and rugged
points from which he could obtain a view
Of the various roads leading west and north
from Castle Cover.
To John, however, his manne Was COM
pletely altered. He was unweariedly kind
to his younger son and his influence. to-
gether with DR.. Augustus Caesars good
offices, soon smoothed all difficulties out
Of the way OF Johns settlement. The day
OF the ordination was fixed and John en-
gagged with what zeal he could muster in
the preparation of hts trial discourses.
Tue night before the ordination Gregory
Glendonwyp sept for his Younger son to
his study and upon his entrance invited
him to, take a chair.
II have a hard thing to open to you,
JOHN he said. ut is difficult at any time
for q father 70 humble himself TO his son
peculiarly hard in my case. in that / am
conscious that many times and for long
periods / have been far from doing you
justice"
"If ever that has been so, father" said
John, II have forgotten It,"
The proud old man silently bowed his
head and then relapsed into SO prolonged
a silence that John watched him with some
anxiety.
The matter is this" he said at length.
you said when we spoke together that
when you entered upon the living which !
have taken some pains to secure and keep
open for you, you would expect me, through
q lawyer, to make count and reckoning
with you for your mothers fortune, prin-
oipal and interest. Now, l do not conceal
from you that this, though not, OF course.
impossible, would at the present moment
be exceedingly embarrassing to me. You
will remember that the care and handling
of II was left entirely to me. ] had full
power to employ 1t as I thought best Now,
q few months ago there ZANE a sudden
and overwhelming call upon me--a call
which required to be met at once II the
honor OF our house was to be preserved.
Al the moment there was only one fund
upon which l could draw.
81 admit that / sunk a portion Of that
fortune which should have been youFs to
avert the threatened disgrace-your dis
grace as we'll as mine. Now, what l ask OF
you is that You should allow the money
which I have expended to remain as a first
charge upon the estate, am advised tina,
such a course is perfectly legal. You will
receive your income as certainly and at
as high an interest as on any other security,
and you will have the satisfaction of having
lifted a great load Ct sorrow from your
fathers heart"
John Giendonwyn, without q moments
hesitation, took his fathers hand.
Agreed" he said. Il Will do all you
wish In the matter. l have neither wish
nor need to take the capital OF my mothers
fortune out OF your hands.
."And as to the interest-that shall be