| Show r 7 J W. W 4 J J- J JOHN By FREDERICK BURT BURS UPHAM ADAMS I Anther Author of 01 The Th Kidnapped Millionaires Colonel Colonl Monroes Monroe's Doctrine Etc Etc- I 0 COPYRIGHT WIGS K UPHAM 1902 BY BT All rights 1902 1905 BT BY ADAMS reserved A. A J. J l CHAPT CHAPTER R Continued The valet opened the door and John Burt entered I 1 For a moment BIte re did not Ilze him The moustache and beard had disappeared and the strong regular regular regu regu- lar lines of John Burts Burt's face were In perfect harmony with the keen calm and discerning eyes Hello HelIo Jim what's the matter with you I Mall MalI right John oP of fellow mall man right Glad to see ye dear oP of John Have a drink John Glad to see ye Blake swayed and fell Into John Burts Burt's arms arms His His' flushed face and reeking breath told their own story without the help of the emptied de de- canter Blake weighed two hundred pounds but John picked him up and laid him on the couch as If he were a child chUd Youre knocked out Jim he said Take a a nap old man and you'll beall beall be beall all right when you you wake up With a dull smile on his lips Ups Blake sank Into a deep slumber The minute hand band of the little clock crawled half Its way around the circle i before John Burt left the side of his friend His eyes were fixed on the the motionless figure but his thoughts wandered far away Blake groaned and muttered In his sleep Bleep At first his words were Incoherent incoherent Inco inco- herent but as his excitement grew his voice became distinct and in a higher key rey h he exclaimed This is awful awful awful-awful awful What shall I do what shall I do I love her I Ilove Ilove 1 love her and no one shall shaH stand between between between be be- tween us us no one by God no one rot even even even- The sentence ended in a moan moan and and again lie he sank sanle into quiet 1 slumber clumber y j Pacing up and down the room John Johni i stepped on a crumpled newspaper He pi picked ked it up glanced carelessly at the i date ate and name and ran his eye over the pages The first words that caught his attention at at- u were Miss Jessie Carden Garden John Burt stood like Uke a statue and read the paragraph which bad had thrown Blake Into a frenzy of fear j Every word burned Itself Into his i brain Instinctively he drew back like 1 one menaced by bya a a blow struck in the dark ark Then the enormity of the thing came to him Crushing the paper in his hand he be strode across the room and towered over the figure of the theman theman man who had requited years ears of friendship friend friend- ship chip with an act of treachery Blakes Blake's face was was turned turned toward him the the handsome cut clear-cut features of the tho one he be had known since boyhood Tor For an instant the Impulse to strike this thU man dead In his sleep came to John Burt Then Thena a flood of at feeling checked th the welling swelling tide of his ilia rage rae i i How could you do such a thing 1 lira dim he te exclaimed unconsciously unconscious alou aloud For hours bours John Burt concentrated concentrate d his mind on the strange problem which h ha had so suddenly arisen At times a wave of anger swept over him bu buin butin but butin t in the end charity won against odds odd s which seemed overwhelming It was dark when Blake awoke fro from m his stupor He lIe raised himself on hi his s se elbows and stared wildly about the th e room until his eyes rested on John Burt John laid aside the book he had d made a pretense of reading Do you feel better Jim he asked asked ask ed as Blake struggled to his feet and passed his hand wearily across his eyes I beg pardon for this foolishness exclaimed Blake looking ruefully first firs t at John and then at the decanter As you jou OU know Im I'm not given to drink drink- 4 ng ing I felt very ery bad this morning an and d took some some brandy on an empty stow Are you you sure I said nothing t to o offend you John You have said nothing to offend me since that day we had the fight figh t near the creek in old Rocky Woods returned John looking Blake frank frankly y In the face The latter's ej eyes ees es dropped d in confusion Well say no more about it added adde d John Take your bath and by th the e time you are ready I will see that Roberts has dinner served wring Inuring and after the meal John le lethe led d th the conversation back over the years year s l r r l i I I III l i iJ J II I 1 f ED TH 1 They had spent together Blake was wa s strangely silent As a rule he too took k the lead over his quiet companion o on n such luch occasions but this evening when n he attempted to join in the conversation conversation conversation conversa conversa- tion something arose in his his his' throat and choked him CHAPTER Hawkins Makes a Discovery John Hawkins strode into the office offic e of James Blake Company at a an n early hour the following Monday morning and after greeting the nominal nomi nal dal head of the firm was shown t tJohn to o John Burts Burt's room Mighty glad to see you my boy his deep voice rumbled as he laid a giant palm on the shoulder of th the e younger man They talked for several minutes on o n commonplace topics Mr Hawkins studied the face of the younger wit with witha h a a 1 scrutiny which which did not escape John Joh n BurtIn BurtIn BurtIn Burt In your new disguise disguise r or lack Jack o of f disguise you disguise you strangely remind m me e of some one said Mr Hawkins sud denly You told me once as I r remember re re remember e member that you were born in Massa Massachusetts didn't you f r 1 y J JI I did replied John and I also told you that Burton was not my right name Now Im I'm going to tell you vou w who ho I am though you must guard ray raj secret for a while yet yet yet-a a short while I hope John Burton is good enough fo fome for forme forme r I me asserted the magnate grimly I 1 know youre you're all right and be bea bet beta t a million on it ft Dont Don't tell teU me y boy If you run any risk by doing so There Is no reason why I should not tell you jou Id ad John after a moments moment's moments moments moment's mo mo- ments ment's pause Here Is an advertisement advertisement advertisement advertise advertise- ment I 1 recently ran across in a Sa San n Francisco newspaper Read It it John Hawkins adjusted his glasses glasse s and real the following To John Burt of Hingham MassAll Mass All rewards off offered red for your arrest b bRandolph by y Randolph or Arthur Morris are hereby y withdrawn and you are exempt fro from m prosecution t at our hands Signed Randolph Morris Arthur Morris John Hawkins read it slowly ly an and d looked searchingly Into the face of f th the e young manSo man So your names name's Burt Ever Everl hava have hav havea e a relation by the name of Peter Pete r Burt DIy My grandfathers grandfather's name Is Peter Pete r Burt replied John Was Was he he a whaling captain He w was s captain and part owner owner o othe of f the whaler answered d John Hawkins vented his surprise i in n exclamations and John Burt Bur t was silent in puzzled amazement John Burt grandson to old Ca Captain Captain Cap Cap- tain Pete Burt This is too rich M My boy hoy theres there's a feud between the houses house s of Burt and Hawkins but it shall shaH no not t extend to your generation Well We'll bur bury y it right now Did the old man ever eve r mention the name of Jack Hawkins to you Never I suppose not It isn't likely h he e would and again Mr Hawkins seemed seemed seem seem- ed vastly amused Well I was hi his s first mate on the the Ca Cap Burt was nearly sixty years old then and I was about twenty six There was an idea abroad that no man who trod a deck beneath an American fla flag g could lick Jack Hawkins and barrio barring s one ono man I guess they had the facts fact up about right Do you see that scar He ran his fingers through the Iron- Iron gray locks and pushed them back bad from his forehead There showed a livid mark with four black circles Those round black marks are th the e prints of your dear old grandfathers grandfather's s knuckles he said letting the hair drop back Into place been n there thirty odd years Ill I'll tell you u how it happened Captain Burt was a avery avery very religious man according to hi his s own standards He was particularly down on swearing A cuss word drove e him crazy and Ive I've seen him pound a aman man nearly to death for a harmless ss s I damn We Ve had a sailor named Bilson continued Mr Hawkins He was on one e of those clumsy aggravating fools fool s whose very looks were an Incentive to profanity It came on to blow on one e right and I 1 sent Bilson Gilson aloft He managed managed man man- aged to foul the fore royal fore royal clew lines line s and when I yelled at him he laughed laughe d in his idiotic way and I 1 was boiling g mad all over While I was relieving g my mind I felt a hand on my shoulder shoulder der and it wasn't a gentle genUe one either Not another word from your blasphemous blasphemous blas bIas mouth Jack Hawkins said Captain Burt You go to hell I said so mad madI I didn't know what I was saying He He gave me a cuff on the side of the head with the palm of his hand It was not heavy but it made me crazy Go below and pray God to forgive forgiven you he said No man had ever struck me before and nd I swung at him with my right I 1 caught him a glancing blow above bove the eye He didn't even raise his hands Hit me again Jack Hawkins he said calm as if asking me to pass him the saltI saltI salt I aimed for his chin but caught him on the neck It was like striking a brick wall His arm smashed I through gh my guard my-guard guard and his flat fiat landed full on my temple It was a frightful blow and I went sprawling to the deck Before I could make a struggle Le picked me up and hurled me over the rail As I came up I caught one w Ft glimpse of the through the mist as she heeled to port in the f gale rale The water revived me and I succeeded suc sud r seeded In kicking off oft my boots I r swam in the direction of the ship and by sheer g od luck bumped into a v n n- coop which h some one one Captain Captain Burt most likely likely had had thrown overboard I floated around on that hencoop until morning Along about noon I heard a splashing splash splash- I ing ng ng and a big canoe filled with natives natives na na- tives came in sight I yelled at them sad after much palaver they took me In They were friendly savages on a 1 visit from one small island to another I went along as a guest and It was months before the boats of the Jane JaneM M At came ashore and took me offA offA off i f A year later I landed In Frisco just lust in time to be in the the gold excitement excite excite- r K ment That's alL If your your grandfather grandfather grand grand- l father hadn't thrown me overboard I In n the middle of the Pacific ocean Its It's ry not likely Id I'd have located the Challenge Chal R lenge mine I forgave him years ago and md you can bet I 1 harbor no grudge 1 against his gran grandson son l He has been the one to suffer said J John hn He imagines himself your 7 murderer and for years has prayed for forgiveness I expect to go back to him in a few days and you must go with me Then he told John Hawkins the story of his boyhood and of the shooting shoot ing lug of Arthur Morris He told of his love for Jessie Carden Garden and of or of his determination de de- termination t to to restore to General Carden Car Car- den the fortune filched from him by bythe bythe J. J the elder Morris When last I saw Miss Carden Garden J said John she was the hel heiress ess to toa a If comfortable fortune I had nothing a but health strength and ambition but she the believed in my future and something something some some- thing has has told me that she would wait walt J t for lor me I shall see her In a few I. j J days and I wish her to be as proud j and independent of my wealth as s on that night I left her side five years V Aj ago She has been veen robbed of her i birthright but If my judg judgment ent of the Ji- Ji J value of L. L O. O is accurate it will wUl be restored to the keeping of her father J t I have news for you about L. L O 0 1 i isaid said John Hawkins but first tell teIl me ne exactly how you stand I The company Is organized with one onehundred onehundred hundred thousand shares of a par value alue of one hundred dollars each he said Raid with bonds bonds to to the amount of I five millions more Morris holds thirty-five thirty thousand shares and his associates tes twelve thousand That Is three thousand less than control but buthe he imagines that General Carden Garden cannot can cannot can can- not exercise his option on ten thousand thou sand shares As I wrote you Ive I've had Blake acquire this option from General Gen Gen- t era eral I Carden Garden but of course Morris 1 knows nothing of of at this By private purchase and in the open market our I agents have picked up twenty-nine twenty thousand shares Lets Let's s see e mused Hawkins I ILave ILave 1 Lave have you have and an option on Cardens Carden's That makes la a total of shares You yet lack of control Go Into the markets and buy em my boy Youve You've done a great piece of work a bigger one than you realize To be continued |
