Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-03-26
CHAPTER Xxx.


Another summer had come. Ronald
was now ddings law partner and lived
In town. He had put up no sign, having
told his partner that he would not do SO
TIL he had found ont his rightful name
Dave and his mother and sisters had
moved to Texas and purchased n good
farm from the sale of their own place
and the insurance money.
One morning in July Redding hustled
into the Office as our hero sat reading
at his desk. The old man wore a look
Of suppressed excitement and looked as
il he were dying to have Ronald ask him
what had happened. But our hero only
gave him hurried good morning and
went on with his reading.
Redding sat down at his own desk and
threw up the roller top with great
clatter. 'Well," he began, won don't
have the least curiosity in the world
about anything. Why haven't you axed
q Teller whar he's been all mornin'?"
Ronald smiled as he looked up from
his book. II thought you might be i'll.
] was going to send round TO see about
you
you couldn't guess, to save yore life.
The truth is, old Hasbrooke sent for me
Just as I was leaving the breakfast table,
an I went right ont to the plantation.
What he wanted, an what I dropped on
10 while ] was thar, would fill a wonder
ankle, or he would have come in to talk
over the matter with us"
The old lawyer pinched his nose sew
eral times and winked slyly into Ron
ads expectant face. You had n fool
notion, young man, that l was dom a
sort of charity act in takin' you in with
me, but lnowed which side my bread
was buttered on. knowed you'd draw
business, and plenty OF il. We'll, the
colonel opened up by sayin' that he'd al
ways felt n big interest in you, an scnce
you've made such rep with yore
speech on the Lester robbery case he's
made up his mind to hep push You
along"
Ronald's face had fallen. Thee was
something in the idea of Col, Has
hrooke's patronage that offcndeG Lis
pride.
IT am sure | have never expcrt,G aid
from him in any way, and il der. ds
on the nature of his proposition - TO
whether I shall
Don't fly Off the handle" rrinncd
Reddinr; "it's only business for the
firm. He said his affairs had never been
managed satisfactorily by Lee and West
Git seems they got TO thinlin' they
owned about all the old man had). He
eaid II had got so he had to 90 in to see
'em two or three times fore they would
atten' TO what he wanted, an they was
paid lump sum by the year. He has
jest offered us the job, an I accepted
1t before he could bat his eyes. ! call it
the latest thing l ever run across. an
owe you for my half Of it,
He is certainly very kind" answered
Ronald, his brow ruffled with a frown;
for your sake, at any rate, l shall raise
no objection, but he and I
"Ah!" broke in Redding, leaning
forward 10 his chair, Il kinder
thought he acted quar- about it; he
kept akin eff I knowed for sure if you'd
pbJtCli dH Sdlu IHdyD l orr 70 see You
first before takin' UP the proposition,
but I knowed o good thing. an didn't
want no shance o lettin' il 90, so
tot i'm you'd be tickled to death. Wei,
even ef you an him have been at outs.
he's showed willingness to patch it
up, an you ought to let bv-cones be
1y-gones."
"Oh, it will be all right" said our
hero. 81 shall write him a note of ap-
probation"
But l hain't told YOU all VET" Red
dings face took on serious look. IAN
! know you will want to kick me for
meddlin' in yore private affairs, but
the truth is, | got my foot in il before
! thought, lie was akin about wore
mother an the childcrn-I mean the
Fanshaws-an' somehow | felt so GOOD
over what he had done that I up an
let yore cat out o. the bag. confded
to him every blame thing vou'vc told
mo about your family mystery. an tbe
search you'd made M in Tennessee for
the grave. Wei. sir. The old man looked
like he was goin 10 faint. mover seed
sbody act Ike no did; he iumncd nm
m, bia ezra foot 49, l,,,.., =. - :, i, =.