Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-03-15
CHAPTER I.

n Pickerins's letter bringing news Of
: lny grandfather's death found me AT
Naples early In October. John
Marshall Gicnarm had died in June.
leaving will which gave me his prop
crty conditionaiiy. Pickering wrote.
and Il was necessary for me to return
Immediately to qualify as iesatsc. II
was by the merest luck that the letter
came to my hands at all. for II had
been sent to consiantinopie. In care
OF tho consul.scncrai instead Of my
banker there. and II was not Picker.
lns's fault that tho consul was friend
Of mine who kept track of my wander
tn.s and was able to hurry tho csecn.
tors letter after me to Italy. where
Z had gone to meet an English imam.
cicr who had. I was advised. unlimited
money to spend on African railways.
I am nm engineer. n graduate of nn
American Institution familiarly known
rs The Tech" and as my funds were
running low ! naturally turned to my
profession for employment.
Hut this letter changed my plans.
and tho following day I cablcd Pick
crins Of my departure and was out.
ward bound on steamer for New
York. Fourteen days later ] sat In
PickcrinI's Office In the Alexis Build
Ing and listened intcntly while he
read. with much pondcrous emphasis.
tho provisions OF my Irandfathcr's
will. When he concluded ! laughed.
Pickering was serious man. and
was glad to see that my icvity paincd
him. had. for that matter. always
been n source Of annoyance TO him.
and his look OF distrust and rcbukc
lid not trouble me In the least.
I reached across the table for tho
papcr. and he gave the scaled md be.
,s-ibboncd copy Of John Marshall Glen.
YIin's will into my hands. I read Il
through for myself. feeling conscious
meanwhile that Pickering's cool gaze
was bent inquirinsiy upon me. These
arc the paragraphs that interested mo
most:
Il give and devise unto my said
grandson. John Gicnnrm. sometime n
resident bf the city and state OF New
York. and later n vagabond OF parts
unknown: certain property known as
Glenarm House. with the lands and
hercditaments thercunto pertaining
and hereinafter more particularly de-
scribcd. and all personal effects. goods
and other property that may be
located In the premises and on the
land herein described.-the said realty
lying in the county Of Wabana In the
state OF Indiana.-upon this condition.
faithfully and honestly performed:
THAT said John Glenarm shall re.
main an occupant OF said Glenarm
House and OF my lands appurtenSrt
thereto. demeaning himself meanwhile
in an orderly and temperate manner.
Should he fail at any time during said
year to comply with this provision,
said property shall ut once revert to
my general estate. shall become. with.
out reservation and without necessity
for any process Of law the property.
absolutely. of Marian Devereux. of the
county and state Of New York"
We'll" he demanded, striking his
hands upon the arms of his chair.
what do you think Of it,"
Y, For the life of me l could not help
AtSSgning again. There was. in the
. X.st place. delicious irony in the
fact that should learn through him
of my grandfather's wishes with re.
spect to myself. Pickering and had
grown up in the same town in Yer.
mont; we had attended the same pre-.
paratory school, but there had been
from boyhood certain antagonism
between us. He had always succeeded
where failed, which is to say, l must
admit, that he had succeeded pretty
7 f1 Ia
down to my profession, but chose to
see something Of the world first. Pick.
ering gave himself seriously to the
law, and there was. knew from the
beginning. no manner of chance that
he would fail.
/ am not more or less than human,
and remembered with joy that once
I had thrashed him soundly as the
prep school for bullying smaller boy,
but our score from school days Saas
not without tallies on his side. He
was easily the better scholar-I grant
him that; and he was shrewd and
y plausible. You never quite knew the
extent of his powers and resources
and he had. always maintained, the
most amazing good luck,-as witness
the fact that John Marshall Glenarm
had taken friendly interest in him.
1t was wholly like my grandfather
who was man of many whimB, to
give his affairs into Pickering's keep
ing; and l could not complain, for
had missed my own chance with him.
1t was, l knew readily enough. part OF
my punishment for having succes ded
SO signally in incurring my gr,lnd.
fAher's displeasurs that he had made