Mr. Crewe's Career, Book I.

r removed from that land of outlaws, Pepper County. Mr. Paul Pardriff, who had a guilty conscience about the clipping, and vividly bearing in mind Mr. Blodgett's mishap, alone avoi

aged in a "Welcome Home" parag

ber business. And Tom, albeit he had become so important, habitually fell once more under the domination of the hero of his youthful days. To

s office was in what had once been a large residence, and from its ample windows you could look out through the elms on to the square. Old-fashioned bookcases lined with musty books fil

iting-room for various individuals from the different parts

you've be'n home, Austen," his

ompels you to travel a

g from the win

om this pleasantry was not lost. "You've be'n

t it than I did,"

able Hilar

d many fish,

sat on the edge of the des

said, "what are you dr

oing back West?

ce, but looked down into hi

to get rid of

oats, haven't you?"

good many," Au

t settl

t the lady, Judge

t her if you had

y second in a quarrel. He knew his father, and perceived that these

in that outlandish country, for all I

om business and try fis

e Hilary some

ng cattle and practising with a pistol on your fellow-beings? You won't

spected that it had cost his father

ld get along, Judge? How long

d the Honourable Hilary, "but I won'

a bronco," declared

ve worked hard all my life, and got where I am, and I've always thought I'd like to hand it on

un in exactly that ch

heard of a man refusing to be chief counsel for a great railroad. I don't say you can be, min

have time to make up my mind how to answer Mr. Flint when he comes to me with the proposal. To speak frankl

ary smiled again,

at the end of that time, I won't hinder you. But I feel it my duty to say, if you don't accept my offer, no son of mine shall inherit what I've laid up by hard labour

our name if you put up a new station in Ripton and built bridges over Bunker Hill grade crossing and the

talk to you," said the Ho

him down again into

e I yearned after the money. Thinking of it has never kept me awake nights. Now if you'll allow me to take

Honourable Hilary d

f practice I can by myself. Of course, sir, I realize that these, if they come at all, will be owing to the lustr

Honourable Hilary, an

gain, Auste

n a decent proximity. And I ought to add that I always intended going into the law after I'd had a fling. It isn't fair

, the practice did not immediately begin to pour in, but the little office rarely lacked a visitor, and sometimes had as many as five or six. There was an irresistible attraction about that room, and apparently very little law read there, though someti

d and red-faced-who were neither clients nor lawyers. These were really secretive gentlemen, though most of them had a hail-fellow-well-met manner and a hearty greeting, but when they talked to the Honourable Hilary it was with doors shut, and even then they sat very close to his ear. Many of them

e Ripton Record would frequently make the following announcement: "Among the promi

p for himself, there were many ways-not legal -in which the son might have been helpful to the father, but the Honourable Hilary hesitated, for some unformulated reason, to make use of him; and the consequence was that Mr. Hamilton Tooting and other young men of a hustling nature in the Honourable Hilary's office

ife of Pepper County, Mr. Blodgett having completely recovered now, and only desiring vengeance of a corporal nature. But a bargain was a bargain, and Austen Vane stuck to his end of it, although he had now begun to realize many aspects of a situation whi

ne flew past the grove and brought a heavy train to a halt some distance down the grade. The women shrieked and dropped the dishes they were washing, and the men left their horses standing and ran to the crossing and then stood for the moment helpless, in horror at the scene which met their eyes. The wagon of one-of their own congregation was in splinters, a man (a farmer of the neighbourhood) lying among the alders with what seemed a mortal injury. Amid the lamentations and cries for some one to go to Mercer Village for the doctor a youn

aboard, Charley?" t

uctor, who had been add

st

here. And go to the grove," he added to one of the picnickers,

iquet, as he was bid. Austen Vane

," he said, "and the names and addr

e cushions had arrived. They laid these on the floor of the baggage car and lifted the man on to them. His name was Zeb Meader, and he was still insensible. Austen Vane, with a peculiar set look upon

e of his periodical trips to the northern p

s life?" he asked, sinking into one of the vacant

wered. "I didn't do anything but get a tourni

nd continued to regard his son.

, does it?

gled. In a death-trap as cleverly conceived as that crossing, with

w. He resolved to ignore the palpable challenge in this remark

witnesses?" was

ticular pai

oting. What kind of

w," said Austen, smilin

ad

ely to mak

he is," s

g hurry 'round and fix it up with him as soon as he can talk

Honourable Hilary departed. That student of human nature, Mr. Hamilton Tooting, a young man of a sporting appearance and a free vocabulary, made the nex

opped in to get those witnesses in tha

" said Austen, making a

tut

ing, biting off a piece of his cigar. "Go

m

is looks to me like a nasty one. I don't like those Mercer

sten. Young Mr. Tooting paused with a lighted match halfway to his cigar and

s, they don't get anything like what they ought to get, do they? Wait till you see how th

ds like vi

Tooting, "that a man could make more

as well, perhap

're not on the

that exalted plan

the usually clear-headed Mr. T

nking seriously of having a sandwich and

rmally fertile brain for some excuse to reopen the subject

at Leith is smart-smar

u know

id Austen. "He's a

to the handle. You ought to hear him talk about the tariff, and national politics. I was passing there the other day,

sked Austen, curiousl

his study, as he called it, and gave me a big glass of whiskey and soda. A fellow with buttons and a striped vest brought it on tiptoe. Then this Crewe gave me a long yellow cigar with a band on i

d he say

e raft of questions about fellows in the neighbourhood I didn't know

said Austen, as he pushed op

by steam-engines. Austen Vane called twice, and then made an arrangement with young Dr. Tredway (one of the numerous Ripton Tredways whose money had founded the hospital) that h

feeling he had experienced at the accident swept over him. The farmer's beard was overgrown, and the eyes looked up at him as from caverns of suffering bel

e you are getting al

d," answered Mr. Meader;

whistle or any b

ader; "they even shut off

ugh of his fellow-men to realize that a Puritan farmer would be suspicious of sympathy. The man had been near to death himself, was com

amages from the railroad, and to advise you not to accept a compromise. They will send some one to you

a lawyer, with a mortga

Me

"and if you'll take me, I'l

the son of

es

said Mr. Meader, as if to ask what ma

o the young man's face, and the suspicion

said at last. "I guess

h oblige

he came from, but did not confide in Mr. Tooting the fact that Mr. Vane's son had volunteered to wring more money from Mr. Vane's client than Mr. Tooting offered him. Considera

it of dropping in from time to time to chat with him, and gradually was rewarded by many vivid character sketches of Mr. Meader's neighbours in Mercer and its vicinity. One a

was run over by the cars. She's be'n here twice. When she fetched it to-day

game?" rep

regular in the summer time to see sick folks, but from the way she made up to me I had an i

ilr

lint's d

n lau

ter with fruit to everybody his railroad injures, she wouldn't have t

his, and calculated the

she didn't make me laugh, she has such a funny w

know?" Austen exclai

r how you druv up and screwed that thing around my leg and

ined to make too much

e doorway. The sound was feminine laughter of a musical quality that struck pleasantly on Austen's ear. Miss Victoria Flint was sated beside

you have missed your voc

ld have made a for

aimed the invalid. "How

declared, "if they

r ruminated, and glanced up. "Drat me," he remarked, "if he

s, sparkling with humou

dially; "come right in." He turned to Victoria. "I wan

him who I am, Mr. Me

me-wahn't it? But I callated he'd know. She's the daughter

to Victoria's cheeks. Then she glanced at Austen and

to confess that you ha

ne," s

pearance and qualities had reached the age of thirty-two without having listened to feminine comments of which he was the

nic talents of Mr. Meader, of which yo

with interest as he lo

it to-day, Z

ader. "I'd almost agree to get run over again. She was askin' about you, and that's a fa

rovingly, but there were little creas

always got the better of me. I had one of 'em aft

survived triumphan

e you," said Mr. Meader, "or

m the humour of this remark,-and they laughed together. Her colour, so

, Mr. Meader!"

id Mr. Meader, "if it ain't p

knowledge to himself that Mr. Meader was right. With a womanly moveme

e to come here twice a week to see you, if you talk this way. And I'

'!" he exclaimed.

." She raised her head and looked at Austen in a curious, inscrutable wa

h away, aroused in him an intense curiosity betraying, as it did, a certain knowledge of past events in his life in the hitherto unknown daughter of A