Cap'n Warren's Wards

rullers and milk at a pushcart on Broad Street, when the captain returned to the office

and left word for us to telephone if you came. Our Mr. Graves is still ill, and the matter of yo

red bench, and the clerk entered the inner off

Club. He wished me to ask if you

ed, slowly, "I s'pose I could. I don't know w

econd Street. I'll send one of

way. Though-" with a reminiscent chuckle-"if the folks I ask are a

?" asked the

ut loud, that's all. Mr. Sylvester

ld wait if I 'phoned

in his direction. Say, that young chap that was here wh

He's only the office

ighty. Ho! ho! He's got talent, that boy has. Nobody but a born genius could have made as many mistakes

uble. A brass-buttoned attendant answered his ring and superciliously inquired his business. Captain Elisha, not being greatly in awe of either buttons or

n, Major," he added cheerf

oom and left him. The captain amused himself by looking at the prints and framed l

said, "is this

s my name. This is Mr. Sylvester,

ain. I waited until twelve-thirty, but as you didn't com

as well be here as anywhere. Don

unched, Cap

gh 'tain't often I have those slips, I'm free to say. Ho! ho! Abbie-she's my second cousin, my housekeeper-says I'm an unsartin critter, but t

d Sylvester la

unts. At any rate I'm sure of my appetite. I had a lunch engagement with an acquaintan

ou, Mr. Sylvester; but I don't know's I'd better. Your fri

t 'friend.' Of course you will! You must. We ca

much obliged to you. Is ther

right here at t

p, and its quarters correspond. The captain gazed about him at the marble floors and pillars, the paintings

ur club on, Mr. Sy

room is on the fourth, i

how many room

is our own, and a comparatively new

whole shebang i

tain

see. W

e you goi

raisin' hob because the Odd Fellows built on to their buildin'. He said one room was enough for any society. 'Twould be, if we was all his kind of society. Theoph's so small he could keep house

st entered it, seemed about to ask another question, but choked it off and re

n," said the host,

isha shook

t and be thankful, like the hen that found the china d

rders, and the waiter brought first a bit of caviar on toast. If Sylvester

well! Why, I haven't ate this since I used to go to Cronstadt. At the American consul's house there we had it

such. Ho! ho! I remember there was a big, pompous critter of an Englishman there. Mind you, I'm not talkin' against the English. Some of the best men I ever met were English, and I've stood back to back with

rd about what a good-that I was pretty lucky when it come to shootin' wild geese, and I'm blessed if he didn't send me orders to get him one for a dinner he was goin' to give. Didn't ask-ordered me to do it, you understand. And him nothi

ow, standin' fishin' at the edge of some reeds. I up with my gun and shot it. The consul chap looked at me as if I was crazy. 'What in the world did you kill that fish-basket on stilts for?' he says. 'Son,' says I, 'your eyesight is bad. That's a British-American goose. Chop off about t

to the Englishman

goose they ever ate. So I ain't sure just who the joke was on. However, I'm satisfied with my end. Well, there! I guess you must thi

"Go ahead, Captain," he cried.

a merely smiled a

yarn all the rest of the afternoon. Let's see, we was goin'

Warren, just how much do you know

ore we go any further, let me ask a question. Do you know why '

pointment. Your brother forbade our mentioning it, but we did not know, until after his d

t see two lengths ahead. I cal'late Mr

said you were ve

tell you that 'Bije and I hadn't seen each

es

gets. Why, Mr. Sylvester, it's one of them situations that are impossible, that you can prove fifty ways can't happ

arren was a close-mouthed man

p'ints where he was different

Have you questio

ll, leavin' out about the price of oil paintin's and the way to dress and that it's more or less o

u like

dge 'em. You see they're sufferin' from the joyful

smiling, but his eyes were not. Sylvester not

n disagreeable, I

e kind they've been used to. Caroline's a nice girl. She is, sure. All she need

ster had met young Warren, and

ds to grow, too; though I wouldn't presume to tell him so. When a feller's undertakin'

k his head and lau

d! Then, from your questioning o

that a good guardian might be a handy thing to have in

erwi

nterested volunteer substitutes for the

p your mind to b

waitin' for what comes next-you've ordered enough grub to victual a ship-s'pose you

. You have a right to know. But I war

ind, to tell of A. Rodgers Warren, his business and his est

sider'ble, ain't it?" i

and one hundred

s pictured standin' along with his city nephew in the gallery of the Exchange. And the nephew says, 'Uncle,' says he, 'do you realize that a seat down there's wuth seventy-fiv

he amount of your brother's tangible assets. Graves made a hurried examinati

ell, heav

s retained, and the office, having been leased for a year by its former tenant, was still open pending the settlement of the est

were his companions?

society, or his companion

about the society ones. Anyhow, I can try. These Wall

ted. "Nothing crooked about them, of course. You see, a stoc

? All right, you needn't go any further. He was

now, your brother's personal habits were goo

. Mighty glad. Is there any

o get together-you and Graves, if he is well enough; you and I if he is not-and begin a careful e

wa'n't any debts, t

there are none, excep

t down his coffee spoon and seemed

something," observed the lawye

ore I left home, and I'

es you? if

use my sayin' so, Mr. Sylvester

The latter pushed back his

must die, that his children and their money must be taken care of; you were his nearest relative; his trust

ace of it, as you say. But you'

t's

ell, I can see that. So did I. And I

napkin with care and stood

igars more comfortably there, and go on with ou

line's in season for supper-er, dinner, I mean-I don't

iness. This

w two big chairs near the open fire, rang the bell, and ordered cigars. After the cigars were lighted and the fragrant clouds o

is boyhood, his life at sea, his home at South Denboro, his position in the village, his work as selectman, as member of the school committee, and as dire

The lawyer finished his cigar and lit another. He offer

our storekeeper and postmaster-that he must buy his cigars on the reel and cut 'em off with the scissors. When the gang of us all got a-goin' mail times, it smells like a rope-walk burnin' down. Ho! ho! It does, for a fact. Yet I kind of enjoy one

his pocket knife, impaled the cigar st

verlooking the Avenue were gathered groups of men, young and old, smokin

day, is it?" he as

. W

ll those fellers hadn't an

y're doing their regular stunt. You'll find mos

Pay 'em wages

r the Exchange closes. Others are business men, active or retir

s-the chronic ones-don't have any business, either, except to keep the dust from collectin' on the cha

set have rich fathers o

'. That's philosophy, anyhow. What are they

nusually pretty gir

I see that the main difference between it and South Denboro is size. The billiard-ro

t is

ood up to shake a day-day to whoever was passin'. Hum! He's made a hit, ain't he? I

coran Dunn. He is a lady-killer, in h

caught a glimpse of the lawyer as the latter ros

ly. "That was a peach. You should have

r. Dunn," said

efore?" asked Sylve

g salute when our seafarin' friend come aboard. How w

rate, considerin' ho

uid amusement at the pair, "What is this-a meeting of the

awyer's ton

ime on, but they cost like the devil to keep up. An auto is bad enough. By the

e captain, aghast. "You did

must be good ones. It was slippery as the mischief, I was running the car, and I tried to go between the fellow and the curb. It would have been a decent bit of steering if I'd made it. But-ha! ha!-by Jove, y

did not reply. But Captain E

!" he exclaimed.

k the wheel, and we beat it. Lucky the cop didn't spot the license number. Might have cost me fifty

s matter," answered the lawye

l, I won't butt in. Ta, ta! See you later, Captain. You must go for a spin in that car of mine. I'll

ave met with his mother's approval. She had annou

had gone out. He did no

s he calls it, with him, I cal'late my head'll be spi

ooked curio

him before

ed. Or his mother was there then. He came

s

and his ma pret

, at mutual acquaintance

ixed, I s'pose

e so. I d

? Don't stand on any ceremony, hey? Caro an

rrens. In fact, just before your brother's death, I remember hear

r-Caroline

ably nothing in it. There is

on. I'll think the whole business over for another day o

't give

'd better not. H

es

take the job. Take

I'm gla

u a

ve made your acquaintance, Captain Warren. Good

h thorough city training and habits as the senior partner of the law firm should express pleasure at the id

uhn, at the office next day, he might h

to judge investments and financial affairs, I should be certain the Warren children couldn't be in better hands. And no doubt we can help him when it comes to that. He'll probably handle

Kuhn; "you surprise me

ibbed conventionality. If a man has a joke in his system, Graves doesn't understand it and is suspicious. I tell, you, Kuhn, there'