The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-26

A day or two after Hardie went into bankruptcy. It was d touching failures; books in perfect order, heroic struggle and all that yet, sir, creditors take everything horses, plate. furniture; noth- ing saved but my honor
 Slowly Captain Dodd recovered from his lethargy-but his reason was gone. One night Richard Hardie heard voice call ing his name. He opened the window and there, kneeling on the lawn, was a white robbed figure, which, with many wild cries. begged him to return to him fourteen thousand pounds-his childrens fortune.
 ''Yes, yes" said the banker softly; keep still. l will bring 1t down to you" Just then Alfred came out of the house, Julia Dodd and a policeman came on the scene and they carried the poor, insane captain back to the home from which he had escaped during moments negligence of his nurse.
 Alfred had an interview with Mrs. Dodd and her two children, In which he frank ly told them what he had heard the cap tain say kneeling on the lawn. Alfred accused his father of having taken Cap tain Dodds money, and though Hardie senior, had denied it, there was that in his manner which left Alfred convinced that his suspicious were correct. He knew that Maxley had been cheated, for the fraud had been discovered, and MaXley $ wife. who was subject to heart disease. had died of the shock of the discovery, while Maxley himself was wandering about town, a poor, demented creature. Mrs Dodd said that her husband had been bringing home the sum he had named in his wild talk that night on the lawn but that she had learned that the shin on which he sailed had been wrecked and the money might have been lost then. If it were true that he had reached Eng land with it and had deposited 1t with Hardie & Co.,, it had gone down in the general wreck Of the Dank, ana that was an end of it.
 NO" said Alfred. "I have looked through the books and there is no men tion of the sum. taxed Skinner with the crime He looked guilty and fled town the next day.
 "Oh. pray. make him hold his tongue" cried Julia Let the vile money go Oh, Alfred. why did you tell me? I have sus- pected all along, but I would never have told. A son to expose his own father; for shame!'
 do 1t out of love of justice" mur- mured Alfred.
 "Ah you think so, my fine fellow re- torted Edward But would you have done it for a stranger? Of all blunders the worst is to fall between two stools. Look here. mama we agree for the sons sake not to attack his father. After that 1t would be very inconsistent to turn the cold shoulder to the son. Who suffers most by this fraud? Why the man that marries Julia?'
 Alfred burst out impeteuously: "Oh, prove that. and let me be the suffererl Edward went calmly: If we had the fourteen thousand pounds. mother would settle ten thousand of 1t on Julia and marry her to Alfred. Well, now happen to know that Alfred has ten thousand pounds of his own. He has left his fathers house because his father has wronged us. This house ought to be open to him. That Is only to be Just. Now for justice on our side. l say let him marry Julia and settle on her his ten thousand pounds. Thus will be made up what she loses by the act of Hardie senior; every one will have justice and all will be we'll.
 of anybody settles any of their trash on me. ."sbroke out Julia. T will beat him and throw it in the fire. I hate money And then she ran out into the garden so that people could not see the happiness which came like a burst of sunshine over her face in the train of her indignation Alfred found her there and so it was all settled.
 Edward Dodd might not be brilliant youth, but he was practical one-which | is often much more to the purpose in this l vale of tears. Alfred went back to OK | ford. At the end of the term he would | become of age. Then return to Bark ington and the peal of wedding bells Edward did not return to Oxford. He went tc work in machine shop instead