Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-08-15
CHAPTER XI

CHAPTER XI.
With the rejuvenation of his aspect.
Jethroe. Sr. took a smarter gait and a
more upright carriage of the head. He
felt a sort of rebound from his late
middle age. A life spent largely in the
saddle, in free air and wild places, life
of risk and adventure, had kept him ply
sically young. He was playing for his
life now, and for a great stake into the
bargain; but his spirits were youthful
in their buoyancy, and he chuckled to
think of the deception ne was preparing
for his pursuers.
He had settled himself costly beside the
fire with a novel when there came a tap
at the door, anu a waiter, in answer 10
his bidding, came in with visiting card
on a salver.
'Show the gentleman this way" said
Jethroe, and slipped into the bed cham
Der the instant the man had disappeared.
He left the door half open, and stood
silently laughing behind it until the Wis
itor was ushered into the adjoining room.
THAT you, Harvey" he sang out
| then, in a big, CHEEKY voice.
Yes, sir" said Harvey; ''it is l."
Jethroe listened until he heard the
| closing door and the walters retreating
footsteps muffied on the carpet of the cor
rider. Then he strolled nonchalantly
| back to the sitting room with a smooth
| face, and with a nod of greeting such
as a stranger offered, seated himself be-
side the fire and took up the book he had
| laid down minute earlier. Harvey Jeth-
roe junior, hat in hand, stood at the ia
bic and returned the greeting.
"Soldv' shouted his uncle springing
to his feet "Own up. Say you're sold"
He laughed boisterously at his neph-
ew's wondering face, and clipping him
by the shoulders by both hands, rocked
him to and fro.
sold? the younger man answered,
like a belated echo. Il never saw such
transformation in my life"
You wouldn't have known me?" ask
ed his uncle in high glee. Confess it.
You wouldn't have known meP'
II hardly know you now" said Har-
vey. IF l hadn't come expressly by
your own orders to find you here | should
scarcely believe you"
That's eminently satisfactory" re-
turned Jethroe, with a return to his Gus
tamary manner I've sent for you, Mar
tin" he added very seriously, because
| want your help at a grave crisis, and
I'm going to give you my entire conf
dence. Make yourself comfortable, and
I'll talk to you. In the first place,
take it for granted that you have kept
your eyes open, and that you wouldn' t
| have come here unless you were sure that
you were not being watched or follow
| ed
II did as you instructed me-" said
| Harvey. "Hargraves gave me a man to
| keep watch Nobody has followed me-"
"Hargraves." said Jethroe. "Ah, yes,
| the lawyer who served you in that little
affair at z 0tral station"
| Exactly, Harvey answered. 81 broke
| the journey twice, and there has been
no attempt TO follow me-"
Good said Jethroe "Now listen.
| am going to put my life and fortune in
your hands. l can trust my brothers
only son, eh?''
You can trust me entirely. sir"
I'm going TO prove that believe you.
| I'm worth a million Of money. Harvey,
there or thereabouts, and if you ask
me what l propose to do in the way of
SPEEDING it, l couldn't tell you I've lived
| handsomely since l made my pile and
never spent a fifth part of what l could
afford to spend to-day. l don't know
| how TO do It. And now Tn risking my
/ life for more. Why? I'll tell you. 1t
isn't because want it for myself but
because I'm determined, at any risk. at
any cost, to prevent it from falling into
/ the hands Of the most internal gang of
rascals in the world. See here, now"
He unbuttoned his waistcoat. and from
a pocket on the inside drew fat, thin
case Of leather, which he laid upon the
table.
What that is worth" he said, with
an impressive hand stretched fatty upon
it, no one knows. IL isn't split up
among a herd of capitalists, 1t isn't GO
ing to feed an army of shareholders. Its
enc mans property, and its miles and
mles away the richest single property in
| the world. 1t belongs to me"
He drew from one pocket Of the case
a thin sheet of limp parchment.
There" he continued, lis the pattern
of chessboard, with its sixty-four