Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1903-09-04
CHAPTER xvII.-CcoSr1sunD.,

CHAPTER XVll-(CONTINUED.
"Well, ma'am, since you know so
much. you probably know also that
have sold my pension. How am I to
i've If do not turn my hand to work?"
Mrs. Westmacott produced large
registered envelope from beneath the
sheets and tossed it over to the old
seaman.
"That excuse won't do. There are
your pension papers. Just see If they
are right"
He broke the seal, and out tumbled
the very papers which he had made over
to McAdam two days before.
"But what am 1 to do with these
now?" he cried in bewilderment.
'TYou will put them in a safe place or
get a friend to do so, and, If you do
your duty, you will go to your wife and
beg her pardon for having even for an
instant thought of leaving her."
The Admiral passed his hand over his
rugged forehead "This is very good of
you, ma'am." said he, very good and
kind, and know that you are a staunch
friend, but for all that these papers
mean money, and though we may have
been in broken water lately, we are not
quite in such straits as to have to signal
ito our friends When we do, ma'am,
there's no one we would look to sooner
than to you"
Don't be ridiculous" said the widow.
You know nothing whatever about it.
and yet you stand there laying down
the law I'll have my way in this mat
ter, and you shall take the papers, for it
lis no favor that I am doing you, but
simply restoration of stolen property
"How that ma amp"
st am just going to explain, though
you might take a lady's word for 1t
without asking any questions. Now
what 1 am going to say is just between
you four, and must go no farther. l
have my own reasons for wishing 1t
kept from the police. Who do you think
1T was who struck me last night, Ad-
miral?"
Some villain, ma'am. I don't know
mis- name"
''But do. It was the same man who
ruined or tried to ruin your son. 1t was
my only brother, jeremiah"
"Ahp
st will tell you about him-or little
about him, for he has done much which
I would not care to talk of, nor you to
listen to. He was always villain,
smooth-spoken and plausible, but dam
gerous, subtle villain all the same. If l
have some hard thoughts about man
kind I can trace them back to the child
hood which I spent with my brother.
He is my only living relative, for my
other brother, Charles father, was killed
in the Indian mutiny.
"Our father was rich, and when he
died he made good provision both for
Jeremiah and for me. He knew Jere-
miah and he mistrusted him. however;
30 instead Of giving him all that he
meant him to have he handed me over
a part of it, telling me, with what was
almost his dying breath, to hold 1t in
trust for my brother, and to use 1t IN
his behalf wn~i he should have squan-
dered or lost ali that he had. This ar
arrangement was meant to be a secret
between my father and myself, but un-
fortunately his words were overheard
by the nurse, and she repeated them
afterwards to my brother, so that he
came to know that held some money
in trust for him. I suppose tobacco Will
not harm my head, Doctor? Thank
you, then 1 shall trouble you for the
matches, Ida She lit a cigarette, and
leaned back upon the pillow, with the
blue wreaths curling from her lips.
Il cannot tell you uOW OltSn hc mas /
a ATTEMPTED to get that money from me. |
He has bullied, cajoled. threatened,
coaxed, done all that man could do.
I still held 1t with the presentiment that
a need of it would come. When l heard
of this villafnous business, his flight,
and his leaving his partner to face the
storm, above all that my old friend had
been driven to surrender his income in
order to make up for my brothers de-
falcations, 1 felt that now indeed had
a need for it. I sent in Charles yester-
day to Mr.. McAdam, and his client,
upon hearing the facts of the case, very
eraciously consented to give back the
papers. and to take the money which he
had advanced. Not word of thanks to
me. Admiral. 1 tell you that it was very
cheap benevolence, for 1t was all done
with his own money, and how could l
use it better?
IT thought that 1 should probably
hear from him soon, and 1 did. Last
evening there was handed in a note of
the usual whining, cringing tone. He
had come back from abroad at the risk
IF his life and liberty, just in order that
he might say goodbye to the only sis
ter that he ever had, and to entreat my
for any pain which he had
,aused me. He would never trouble me
again, and he begged only tbat 1 would
hand over to him the sum which l held
Ia trust for him That, with what he
aad already. would be enough to start
i'm as an honest man in the new world.
L.