The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-10-29
By ]. SuUinnertOn

agents, and thy're in London. I'm only
to show people the 'Ouse who ave per-
mlts from the agents. You don't look as
II you'd got one"
But I must have-You must give me
some information
The mans saturnine face became satiri-
'Ho,". said he, unmoved. 81 must, must
II Well, ! won't. See? And If you're not
gone in two minutes 1 telephone for a
policeman to take you away. Seer"
i tell you that I'm not a tramp. Listen,
M. Kevett was my uncle: This place be-
longs to me-. My name is John Revett."
Inc earetaker was mistaken. He dis
appeared. There was a sharp noise. The
bolt was drawn; the chain was latched
once more. Jack stood confronting the
solid oak door Of Revett's Mead. His
uncle was dead. His journey had been
taken In vain.
without knowing what he did, Jack turn
ea dlsconsolately away. He went a little
instance down the path towards the gate,
turned Off through the trees, skirting
a small pond in which goldfish cleaned,
and by another path entered a spinney
where he had often played as a boy. Here
he seated himself as he had often done in
~ch1ldhood. Memory was flooding back
to him. The pronunciation Of his true
name had been the last link in the chain
OF rediscovery. He began to work back
to the past.
1t was all quite simple. His father had
died twenty years before, when Jack was
five years old; his mother had not long
survived him.. From the age Of five,
therefore, Jack had been brought up by his
uncle, Evelyn Mead. He had lived at Re-
vetts Mead. He knew every inch Of the
house and the gardens, and a great deal
OF the surrounding countryside. This was
his home, the only home he had ever
known, and the home which was to have
been his forever. Later he had been sent
away to a public school, and it was from
this school that he had run away, at the
age Of sixteen, to join the British army. To
avoid being recalled to school he had given
the name John Barrett, had given his age
as twenty, and had sent his uncle a letter
from somewhere in England" explaining
his action, and promised to reveal his
whereabouts later. He had been hurried
to France among the early endorsements,
had duly written again, once, twice; and
within six weeks had been a victim Of
the disaster already described. For years
he had been ignorant Of all this; and now
that it was clear to him the knowledge
was found to be useless. He had no place
here. His uncle was dead, and the house
was to be sold by order Of a distant rela-
tive Of whom Jack had never heard.
1t was at this point that Jack did what
those who have endured much physical
and mental strain are sometimes mercifully
permitted to do when the strain is relaxed.
! With his back against a tree, hidden in
the warm, shady s~pinney, he closed his
eyes, and within a few seconds fell fast
asleep.
At dusk Jack awoke. He felt sore in
every limb. His feet ached, his shoulders
ached, his legs ached, and his head was
heavy. At first he could not think where
he was, so strange an aspect had the heavy
lacing OF the leaves above his head; but
presently, although his head began to pain
him., he began to recOllect the circum-
stances in which he had come to this spot.
Not moving as yet, he began to think.
At first he thought Of his uncle-that
kind man who was always his rather stern,
rather distant friend. His uncle was dead.
1t seemed impossible to think Of him
| nc 61ol co -suad -nn TonIfu nnu1u Hnnnh
memory of all that belonged to his old
life. But Evelyn Revett was dead. All his
old ~kindnesses had gone by, ~unacknOwl-
edged, unerwarded by any expression of
gratitude that must have been due from
Jack.
Jack felt a lump rise in his throat as
he thought Of all his uncle had done for
him, of all the kindness shown and the
lcealed. He recOllected his own rOughness
and the young egOtiSmS that must have
wounded or amused Evelyn Revett. H
wished he might have told his uncle how
: leSsness, stupidity, thOughtlesSneSsA It
was too late. His uncle was dead. Long
did Jack sit thus, remembering. Tn dusH
deepened. Night fell. Darkness crept closer
and closer, until everything was almost
hidden. Still Jack sat with his bach
e against a tree, thinking.
] He thought at last Of what he must do
. He must go to the auctiOneer who had IL
e hand the selling Of the house. From this
man he must learn the name Of his unclei
solicitor, and the address Of Sir Montague
? ReVett-POle. Only so could he ascertain
/ anything of his uncle's death and Of tn
way in which. at the end Of his life hi
y uncle had felt towards himself. That wa
the first important thing.
OF any personal profit to himself wh1cl
might have arisen through his uncle
death Jack did not think until later. II
days gone by it had been understood tina
y Jack should be his unele's heiri but tina
understanding might have been broken b.
Jacks impetuOus plunge into the arm
at a time when other spirited boys Wer
doing as he had done. 1t was likely tina
Uncle Evelyn had been angry, that he ha
n been hurt by Jacks lack OF confidence
e Well? In that event Jack was no Wors
off that he had been until this moment
I But he might prove otherwise. 1t mugh
prove that this house, this garden, a
these pleasant acres by which the hous
and garden were surrounded DelOnge'
to him. In the darkness Jacks fac
FLUSHED deeply.
But then he was appalled, by recOllectiO
Of something which had been revealed D
the ~caretaker's manner. He was dirty, or
shaver, and disheveled-these misfortune
could be corrected. He was also shabD
and i'll shOd-these misfortunes could nc
> Immediately be corrected. But worst OF al
- he had no single document, no sing
friend, to testify that ne was In Iac9 10R =
n world were bound to be suspicious OF Mn
1t was a horrible sensation. Jack rose /
d his feet in a sort Of impatient horror. i
l. have to prove that he was really himse
was likely to be a task indeed! How eoul
it be dOne2 That was another problem a
together. It was one OF immediate d1IIleu
sr ty. Once more Jack fell into a brown stud
this time standing erect, with MS ey'
: staring straight in front OF him.
q 1t was while he stood thus that JaC
saw tn glimmer of a moving light comm
7 through the darkness; and Simultaneous
/. with this glimmer he saw a bold ana rec
d less pain for the solution OF all MS pro
lens.
~ BE knew very well what the light mean
=, It meant that the c~aretaker was goII
~ down to the stables and the chlek'
he houses for a goodnight survey. Su
=. OuerdOino2