Middletown transcript., 1922-03-25
Duke Vernon's
Kind Act
BY HAZEL SMITH,

tlon Tor man, young, ambitious, In
love with life and all its pleasant
promises and rewards to come; vet
at that supreme moment Of disappoint-
ment and loss, Lane Percival meant
every word he spoke.
He stood in the room where he and
Duke Vernon had spent many hope
full. happy hour during the past year.
They had been like brothers. Each
had come to the city from a country
home to carve way to fortune. To
one of them Lane Percval had come
as we'll the glory of youth-love, deep
tranquil, abiding. Even in that the
faithful Vernon seemed to share his
thoughts as q cherished sister
And now-this! An opened disor-
dered drawer in the bureau. an over
turned tin box with it's strong lock
broken-and empty. Two days before
1t had contained $4O0 the savings Of
two years. Percival had got leave of
absence for a day to escort Alyra to
town forty miles away, where she was
to spend week with an old school
friend and he had returned to find
Duke Vernon faithless.
ale has taken 1t ALL" muttered Per-
cival, dark browed. and his heart for
the moment was filled with cruel hate
That night he wrote all the truth
to Myra, with heavy heart telling
her that he must begin all over again,
and they muSt-wait
~ guess it is my fate to meet with
disappointment in my friends" he
wrote Myra. "Next time shall make
you my banker, and shut out from
my life every bit of human love ex-
cept for you"
"A telegram, sir" announced
messenger boy, just as percval was
sealing up. this letter.
In wonder Lane Percival read a
brief message. It was dated ut
point in Michigan and it was signed
Duke Vernon. It ran:
Better than I left you word. We
have made it."
What word-made what? In he
wilderment Lane Percival sought vain
ly to read the riddle
1c SleIt IL Ilttlt loNHIuS tHDIIllHs.
He arose dull and oppressed and
bothered. There was a knock at the
door.
"Ceme in" he directed
"Tt's me-" announced the man who
cleaned the halls and washed the win
dows and kept the place generally in
order. 81 found letter. and check
fc IN, f1,A ,,,f t,,-t
I'm not much of a scholar hut spelled
out your name"
"My name?" repeated Percival
vaguely.
"There they are" and the man
handed Percival sheet of paper and
a check
The latter was made out for S4OO
and signed by the missing Vernon.
The letter bore the initials of the
same signature, and ran:
"Dear Lane:
81 have hurry call for funds. ready
cash. Urgent. A big thing I have
taken your money and leave YOU
check. Expect great news"
Slowly the truth began to dawn or
the startled Percival.
There was another summons at the
door of his humble room the next eve
ming.
He flung the door open widely Then
he drew back. The open happy face.
the bluff hearty tone of his friend. re
turned, were a reproach that made
him shrink from the extended hand
rst IL n,,Iy hn
have wronged YOU"
"Wronged me?" rang out the chcory
tones of Vernon. "When? How?"
"T believed you had stolen my mon
ey."
"Td have done it if there had beer
no other way!" cried Duke Vernon
"Tve made 1t. No more scraping and
saving and creeping along Lool;
there!"
He drew forth and Haunted before
the eyes of his bewidered friend GER
titled check.
"Ten thousand dollars!" were the
words that dazZled the eyes of the
astonished Percival.
"See who It's made out to-"
my brother!"
"Yes-the ne'er-do-well the wild
rover. the poor fellow you lost faith
in. But I had faith. He was all good
only impulsive and easily Influenced.
He lost your money and his ir<an out
and out swindle. But that was educa-
tion didn't tell you, but for year
I have been stalking him. off and on
up In the copper mining district-as a
partner. You wouldn't see him a
year ago when he called here snid
Vernon. "He's made good-won't you
see him now?"
eyes" said Lane Perciva humbly
"and ask you both to forgive man
who needs to begin the study of human
nature all over again. to make himself
worthy of being called friend and
brother"
And Vernon went out and brought
tire wanderer back with him. II did
not take long. even after his abiect
confessions. for Duke and Rupert to
cheer up their repentant companion.
Z And they spent that evening in plan
ming what a lot the $4,000, received
for claim that the $40o had come
it,st In time to secure. would do for
t,jrpe young, ambitious fellows and the
bonny girl who need not now wait
longer for Lanes start In life.
Genius Is superior aptitude to pa
D,,I