Year: 1879




He collected his patrons rent, he kept
his accounts, he understood his business
as no one else did he overlooked the
household affairs, bought and sold, and
saw that nothing was wasted in the
kitchen when the master of the house
became helpless with age and rheuma-
tism. Moreover, he looked after and
supervised Master Max, who called him
housekeeper, and sometimes, in mo-
ments of hilarity, promised to buy him
a mob-cap. Mr.. Clark took these jeers
very quietly. No one could perceive
that he had any dislike for the boy. He
seemed mere calculating machine, i'm
pervious to everything but figures.


Poor Max lived but dull life with
these men, and it can't scarcely be
wondered at that he sought elsewhere
for society and pleasures. Some boyish
scrapes provoked storms at home, and
as Max was not a patient fellow, 1t hap
pened that as he grew toward manhood
he did not grow in his grandfather's
good graces. There might be other
CttuoCS iOl utoCOluuhO
but he knew nothing of them. He tried
to be silent about the small allowance
he received, although it exposed him to
a thousand notifications. He COM
menced the study of law because his
grandfather desired it, although he
would much have preferred trade, and
he took in silence many annoyances
from Clark, who held over him an es-
pionage very revolving to the feelings of
a high-spirited young man. At length,
when Max was nearly twenty-five and
his grandfather over seventy, a change
came.


One night there was a cry through
the house, a running hither and thither
of frightened servants, and gathering
of neighbors. Old Mr.. Hunt had been
found in his study, bleeding and half
insensible from blow in the face, and
his desk broken open, and large sum
of money stolen from it. The story
which the old man told was this: He
had heard sound in his study as he
was about retiring, and remembering
that large sum of money which he
had that evening received for rents was
in the desk there he crept across the
entry to look. BY the faint ray of light
that followed him from his room, he
saw man wrapped in shawl bending
over his open desk and fumbling among
the papers. He sprang upon him crying,
81 have caught you ~ and was received
with a blow that for time deprived
him of consciousness. When he re-
covered he was surrounded by his SER
wants and Mr.. Clark. The robber had
escaped, but handkerchief marked
Max Hunt" lay on the floor, and
Max's shawl was on the door step out
side. Moreover, Mr.. Clark testified with
great apparent reluctance that on enter
ing the house he had met Max going
out hurriedly, had spoken to him, but
received no answer. He then went to
the study and found Mr.. Hunt lying
upon the floor insensible 1t came out
afterward as evidence that Max and his
grandfather had been on bad terms for
day or two, and had had high words
that very evening. Max had been heard
to say that he would be a slave and
beggar no longer, and that if his grand
father did not accede to his wishes he
must take the consequences. To be sure,
1t transpired also that their quarrel had
been about Lutte Ringgold, his engage
ment with whom Max then for the first
time announced to the grandfather. Old
MIR. Hunt hated the family, and refused
to countenance the engagement, remind
ing Max of his dependence.


Link after link was added to the chain
of evidence; and the old man, who, be-
ginning by thinking that his grandson
might be the criminal, ended by swear
ing that he was, and shuddered and
clung to Clark when he confronted the
young man in the court room. The
crime was dastardly one, the accused
was penniless, the accuser rich, and it
ended by Max being sentenced to State
prison Or life for robbing and intent to
kill. 1t mattered little that poor Lutte,
changed suddenly from a bashful girl to
an impassioned woman, begged, and
vowed, and prayed, and went on her
knees to judge, governor and council.
The great machine of the law caughtup
her lover deliberately, but irresistihly,
and ground him into convict. She
visited him in Jail every day, to the
great Indignation of her family, who