Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-05-21
CHAPTER TX.


sketches In Charcoal.
l reached the village in half an hours
orisk canter Old Saint Peters church at
one end OF the long street, Bat Merry's
tavern at the other, and a score or so
OF houses between, made up the town.
speedily found the place was seeking
"a house with a sign bearing the legend:
Law offices of Thomas Stockton. ESQUIRE
Counsellor-at-Law. and Master in the Court
Of Chancery, State OF New Jersey" and
in smaller letters below: THE Moryan rs
tate"
A black boy ran out to tie my horse and
In response to my question, said SQUIRE
Stockton was in
found the lawyer in book lined office
"a man of 20 or thereabouts as 1 learned
later, but looking younger by twenty years
He sprang to his feet when 1 introduced
my self.
What Henry Morvan? You've grown.
Henry, since l last saw you Let's seel
You must have been six or eight years old
then no wonder you've grown. Ha, hal
You were as lively mannikin for your age
as / ever saw. I'm glad to see you-glad
you've decided to come back and settle
down at the/o old place. It's been running
to seed little. without a real master
bring some Jamaica and some water-the
flat bottle, mind-not tho demijohn. Keep
the demiJohn for ordinary visitors, Henry
you understand. xss,.ths flat bottle Dick
He squared his shoulders. ''well, sir. a
day more and you would have had cali
from me- Socially, socially, not profession
ally. Although everything is ready for an
accounting at any time. Whati'
mo hurry for that" answered. ''The
accounts are better in your hands than
In mine But to tell the truth, 1 have come
to see you on business
"Ah. see," said tho old gentleman.
Dick, put the bottle there. Where are the
tumblers? oh. all right. And, Dick tell Mr..
Ffthian to look up those mortgages we
were talking about, and to tell anybody
who calls that Pm busy"
He waited until the boy had withdrawn
and had closed the door OK the office.
business. Henry. yet not about the ac-
counts? Yes, l dare say I understand. A
little ready money-whatl Always useful to
young man-even in the country" He
whirled to his desk II can let you have
a couple Of hundred now, and tomorrow
mo, no." l interrupted, the more hastily
lest / should yield to the temptation. i've
plenty Of money on hand. It's more SCI
rious matter than pocket money"
WHAT More seriousl You haven't been
mo fear OF that" laughed
He squared his shoulders, and dropped
into chair. Lets hear it-let's hear it,"
Mr.. Stockton" 1 began. "I've come to
you about something rather beyond your
duty to your client. perhaps; But I've
come because. to be quite open with you,
you're the only man 1 can trust" He
bowed gravely, his keen eyes upon me.
I've absolutely no friends here-the very
house-servants and gardeners are more at
tached to my cousin Bran than they are
TO me. That's natural enough-they hardly
know me, And BRAN" l paused
Bran Morvan7 He's your friend, isn't
ne? What"
II fear not" rejoined. "And that's pre-
eisely the reason l want your advice-to
let you judge for me-"
With that l told him all knew-whIch
was little enough. and all 1 suspected
which was deal more. The lawyer lis
tened. glaneing at me sharply from time to
time.
so. you see, It's all in a cloud" I con-
cluded. There's nothing to lay hold Of
that Is nothing / care to lay hold Of OF
course, whatever happens / don't want
Bram's name to come out. And there's my
cousin Miss Ferriss Dayton, to consider,
the Morvans in our grandfathers' time to
shame twenty families. / don't want more
now l nattered myself that no one,
though twice a Morvan, could have shown
himself more solicitous for the family
name. IT went do 70 raid the old Swede's
cabin en- the ground that it's a harboring
place for footpads, because. II we caught
any OF the rasCals they'd be sure to in
crminate Bram-perhaps Miss Dayton as
well. No. that won't do. Besides. a posse
couldn't get within five miles OF the place
before the birds would be flown. l suppose
the only thing 10 do is to await what hap
pens"
BY the Eternal, Henry that has a
confoundedly Jacksonlan sound but it's
handy, BY the Eternall YOU ought 10 be a
lawyer. A lucid statement, sir-lucid and
most convincing. A just conclusion. toal
That IS not In law-no, many be not even
Just IN equity. but for the nonor OF the
family. Bramfeld Morvan-what He's a
wild one very wild. He's has a crowd OF
young hawks hanging around Morvan for
years-Lawrenee Arnold, and swarm OF
riff-raff didn't even know the names of.
q" Brownie Davis perhaps" suggested.
and Bin Garrison, and Lentz."
Very likely II wasn't for me 10 inter
fere since you had given Bran express
permission 70 live there. But 1 didn't think
he'd ever go 50 Tar as he has. No, no. we
must keep it quiet. Your plan is the right
one-we'n do nothing-for the honor OF the
family l believe that's best. What"
Il hope So" / answered truthfully. II
don't see anything else to do"