The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-11-18
EDening Story
His Fathers Son.
81 81. LOUIS RAYBoLD.

come accustomed to sly innuendocs
and looks askance, which at first he
attributed to some popularity of his
own. But little by little he gathered
stray bits OF information until one
memorable day shortly before his
! graduation from high school he con-
fronted his mother with his scraps OF
half-knowlcdge and learned from her
the whole bitter tale; how his father
had Incorporated trust funds, had
been indicted and had committed suit
eide in prison while serving his sen
tence.
Don't forget. my son." she had con-
cluded at the end of the sad story,
that now it lies with you to make
worthy the name you bear. 1t was
your fathers also, but thru you it may
again become honorable
And it was with this thought always
in mind that Roger left the high
| back to make a living for himself and
mother. whose scanty resources had
bean practically depleted by the ex-
pense of her sons education. Then,
shortly after his return, his moth er
had died, and Roger, bitterly but truth
| roy she had borne for so many years
fer her Intimely death and his conse-
Quent great loneliness.
His one comfort during the sad days
was the kindness of Virginia Dacre.
Back in Rogers school days had been
| born the one great hate and one great
love of his life. The love was for this
same Virginia, the hate for her cousin,
! Wilbur Howard, nephew of the presi-
dent of the bank where Roger worked.
1t had been Wilburs slurring re-
marks concerning Rogers father that
had made Virginia, at that time a slim,
leggy little girl with swapping brown
eyes and flyaway pigtails. thrust a pro-
tecting arm thru Rogers and declare,
You're a hateful thing, Wilbur If
you are my cousin. and no matter what
you say about Rogers father, he has
the most beautiful mother in the
world" Virginia's own mother was
dead
| Roger had never forgotten her par
tisanship. Not that the old antago-
nism between her and her cousin had
developed. Rather the contrary. For
as Virginia grew into a tall, slender
girl with her pigtails loosened into
waves and curls on her stately head,
and Wilbur became a dapper youth
with thin mustache of which he was
1nordinately proud, people began to
hint that the kinship between the two
was not going to prove an obstacle to
a closer relation, and Roger feared the
downfall of the hopes he had long
cherished.
! And people limited at other things.
also. For instance, there were those
who, when Roger was taken into the
bank, shook their heads and gave ut
| terance to vague remarks about hered-
ity, bred in the bone" like father
like SON." And Wilbur himself, vice
president of the bank largely thru the
grace of being the presidents nephew
had felt it incumbent upon his posi-
ton to demonstrate with his uncle.
IL l. L
embarrassed pull at his mustache.
isn't it-er-rather risky to employ
young Bennett?"
| William Howard laid down the re-
1 port he was reading and regarded his
nephew over the rims of his glasses.
How Eo?" he asked CURLY.
| We'll, his father"
I'm not employing his father. He's
dead" said Uncle Will. CLOSE the
door as you go out, Wilbur
Then, late one winter evening.
Roger, returning to the bank for a for
gotten package. surprised a light in
an inner office. Investigation discov-
after an involved explanation of his
presence, departed hastily. Roger
puzzled over the matter; then dis
missed it from his mind. He could
not know, of course, that Wilbur was
forgetting his own dismay in wonder
er'S) errand.
1t CHANGED that on the day the bank
| examiners elected to visit Tylerville,
Wilbur was out of town. AS he got off
| the train on his return he stepped
| into such a hubbub of excitement as
his native village had not known for
years Knots of people stood on the
corners in gesticulating discussion. An
attempt to use a telephone found all
lines busy The one evening paper
| Haunted the news in glaring type.
Large sums missing from local banks
books tempered with-suspicion di>
Fected toward certain well-known
| citizen"
With fingers that tried IN vain to be
| steady Wilbur held the sheet and read
fOnly at the end, as he saw that Roger
Bennett was being held for investiga-
ton, did the color return to his face.
| 1t looked bad for Roger. Poor chap
! it did that! And with what little in
formation he could give in addition to
! that which was evidently already
known. Well. what could they ex-
pect? And he had warned His uncle.
| At that very moment. parolled at the
| instance of the president on his own
recognizance, Roger Bennett sat in
his room facing the great crisis OF his
| life. Upon his action depended the
happiness of three people Did he as
! sert his innocence and tell all he knew
/
the expense of the fiance of the girl
| he loved. For now came back to- him
many little acts on Wilbur's pdrt-
| petty excuses to see his books. an
erasure or substitution he could not
recall making.
! Suppose he kept silent? His own
life would be ruined and his great
hope of making his fathers name
| honorable. defeated. Yet now that
his mother was dead, what did it
matter. compared to Virginia's shat
tered happiness and loss of faith m
men, He had seen one woman's life
wrecked thru the perfidy of the man
| she loved. Thru the long. sleepless
night Roger struggled--and when
morning came, he had made his de-
cision. Virginia should be happy.
With the morning, came an early
summons from the president of the
bank to come to his office. To his
| surprise, Roger found him not alone.
| Wilbur. chewing the end of an un-
Lighted cigar. sat on the edge of a
chair obviously less at ease than either