Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-01-19
CHAPTER l.

Pickering's letter bringing news o1 5 my grandfather's death found me al S Naples early in October. John < Marshall Glenarm had died in June ! leaving will which gave me his prop. { erty conditionally, Pickering wrote, { and 1t was necessary for me to return immediately to qualify as legatee. It : was by the merest luck that the letter came to my hands at all, for it had been sent to Constantinople, in care of the consul-general instead of my banker there, and it was not Picker 5 ing's fault that the consul was friend of mine who kept track of my wander ings and was able to hurry the execu- , tors letter after me to Italy, where I had gone to meet an English finan-
 cier who had, was advised, unlimited money to spend on African railways. s am an engineer, a graduate of an
 American institution familiarly known ! as "The Tech" and as my funds were |-'running low naturally turned to my
 profession for employment.
 But this letter changed my plans,
 and the following day I cabled Pick
 ering of my departure and was out
 ward bound on steamer for New
 York. Fourteen days later sat in
 Pickering's office in the Alexis Build
 ing and listened intently while he
 read, with much ponderous emphasis.
 the provisions of my grandfather's
 will. When he concluded I laughed.
 Pickering was serious man. and I { was glad to see that my levity pained
 him. 1 had, for that matter, always been source of annoyance to him,
 and his look of distrust and rebuke
 did not trouble me in the least.
 reached across the table for the
 paper, and he gave the sealed and be-
 ribboned copy of John Marshall Glen
 arms will into my hands. I read it
 through for myself, feeling conscious
 meanwhile. that Pickerings cool gaze
 was bent inquiringly upon me. These
 are the paragraphs that interested me
 most:
 T give and devise unto my said
 grandson, John Glenarm, sometime a
 resident of the city and state of New
 York, and later a vagabond of parts
 unknown, certain property known as
 Glenarm House, with the lands and hereditaments thereunto pertaining and hereinafter more particularly de-
 scribed, 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 appurtenant 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 at 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"
 Well" he demanded, striking his hands upon the arms of his chair, "what do you. think of it?"
 For the life of me I could not help | laughing again. There was, in the | first place, a delicious irony in the | fact that I should learn through him | of my grandfather's wishes with re- spect to myself Pickering and I 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. must admit, that he had succeeded pretty | When I refused to settle down to my profession, but chose to see something of the world first, Pick sring gave himself seriously to the law. and there was. I knew from the beginning, no manner of chance that he would fail.
 | md remembered with joy that once had thrashed him soundly at the prep school for bullying a smaller boy, put our score from school days was not without tallies on his side. He vas easily the better scholar-I grant Jim that; and he was shrewd and plausible. You never quite knew the sxtent of his powers and resources. ind he had. I always maintained, the most amazing good luck.-as witness f he fact that John Marshall Glenarm , lad taken a friendly interest in him. , { was wholly like my grandfather, , rho was man of many whims. to {, i've his affairs into Pickering's keep I ng: and I could not complain. for I , lad missed my own chance with him. 1 { was. knew readily enough. part of I ny punishment for having succeeded i Q signally in mourning my grand ather's displeasure that he had made ( necessary for me to treat with trthur Pickering in this matter of the I viIl: and Pickering was enjoying the 2 ituation to the full q
 But there was something not wholly | Ionest in my mirth. for my conduct turing the three preceding years had ' cen rCprehensible. had used my grandfather shabbiiy. Ny parents died Then ! vas child. and he had cared or me as far back as my memory ran Ie had sufernd me fn snerl inc fr- ] 2