, 1920-12-16
His Fathers Son
By Fl. LOUIS B

Since his early school days he had be-
come accustomed to sly innuendoes
and looks askance, when 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
h~alf-knOwledge and learned from her
the whole bitter tale; how his father
had misapprOpriated trust funds, had
been Indicted and had committed sui
eide in prison while serving his SEN
fence.
Don't forget. my son." she had con-
cluded at the end of the sad story,
that now 1t lies with you to make
worthy the name you bear. 1t was
your fathers also, but through you
It may again become honorable"
And it was with this thought al
ways in mind that Roger left the high
school, went through college and came
back to make a living for himself and
mother. whose scanty had
been practically depleted by the OK
pense of her sons education. Then,
shortly after his return. his mother
had died, and Roger. bitterly, but
truthfully, blamed the heavy burden
of sorrow she had borne for SC many
years for her untlmely death and his
consequent 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 pres
ldent of the bank where Roger
worked.
1t had been Wllbur's slurring re-
marks concerning Rogers father that
had made Virginia, at that time a
slim, leggy little girl with swapping
brown eyes and fyaway pigtails,
thrust a protecting arm through Rog-
er's 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 beau
tiful 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 plgtails loosened into
waves and curls on her stately head,
and Wilbur became a dapper youth
with a thin mustache of which HI was
inordlnately proud. people began to
hin 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. a vice
president of the bank largely through
the grace of being the presidents
nephew, had felt It incumbent upon
his position to demonstrate with his
uncle.
uncle win." he began with a slight
ffA'hhi 'F' pun aA III hlhNAullltt
isn't it-er-rather risky to employ
Young Bennett?"
William Howard laid down the re-
port he was reading and regarded his
nephew over the rims of his glasses.
How sol" he asked CURLY.
well. his father"
I'm not employing his father. He's
dead" said Uncle VIII. 'Close the
door as you go out, Wilbur"
Then. late one winter evening, Rog-
er, returning to the bank for a forgot
ten package, surprised a light in an
inner office. Investigation discovered
Wilbur, rather illustrated, who after
an involved explanation of his pres
ence. departed hastily. Roger puzzled
over the matter. then dismissed It
from his mind. He could not know,
NJ course, that Wilbur was forgetting
his W dlsmay In wondering what
wns the nature of his Roger's) err
rand.
II Glanced that on the day the bank
examiners elected to visit Tylervllle,
Wilbur was out OF town. AS he got
on the train on his return he stepped
into such n hubbub Of excitement as
his native village had not known for
years. Knots Of people stood on the
corners In gestlculatlve discussion.
An attempt to use n telephone found
all lines busy. The one evening paper
Haunted the news In glnring type.
Large sums missing from local bank
books tempered with-susplclon d.
rected toward certain well-known
citizen"
with fingers that tried In vain to
be steady Wilbur held the sheet and
read. Only at the end. as he saw that
Roger Bennett was being held for In
vestlgation. did the color return to his
rnnn II InnEnl Ind fnr nnanr nnnr