felicie reflected over harold's dishonest suggestion, and concluded to adopt it. she meant to charge harold with the second robbery, and to brazen it out if necessary. accordingly, one day she stole into mrs. merton's sitting room, and with the keys supplied by harold succeeded in opening the drawer. inside, greatly to her surprise, she saw the identical pocketbook which it had been understood was taken at the time of the first robbery. she was holding it in her hand, when a slight noise led her to look up swiftly.
to her dismay she saw the old lady, whom she had supposed out of the house, regarding her sternly.
"what does this mean, felicie?" demanded mrs. merton.
"i--i found these keys and was trying them to see if any of them had been used at the time your money was stolen."
"do you know who took my money on that occasion?" continued the old lady.
"yes, i do," answered felicie, swiftly deciding to tell the truth.
"who was it?"
"your nephew harold," answered felicie, glibly.
"you know this?"
"i saw him open the drawer. i was looking through a crack of the door."
"and you never told me of this?"
"i didn't want to expose him. he begged me not to do so."
"that is singular. he warned me yesterday that he suspected you of being the thief, and that he had reason to think you were planning a second robbery."
"he did?" said felicie, with flashing eyes.
"yes; what have you to say to it?"
"that he put me up to it, and gave me these keys to help me in doing it. of course, he expected to share the money."
this last statement was untrue, but felicie was determined to be revenged upon her treacherous ally.
"and you accepted?"
"yes," said felicie, seeing no way of escape. "i am poor, and thought you wouldn't miss the money."
"my nephew accused luke walton of being the thief."
"it is untrue. he wanted to divert suspicion from himself. besides, he hates luke."
"do you?"
"no; i think him much better than harold."
"so do i. where did my nephew get his gold watch?"
"it was bought with the money he stole from the drawer."
"so i supposed. well, felicie, you can go, but i think you had better hand me that bunch of keys."
"shall you report me to mrs. tracy?"
"i have not decided. for the present we will both keep this matter secret."
luke's absence was, of course, noticed by mrs. tracy.
"have you discharged luke walton?" she asked, hopefully. "i observe he has not come here for the last two or three days."
"he has gone out of the city--on business."
"i am surprised that you should trust that boy to such an extent."
at this moment a telegraph messenger rang the bell, and a telegram was brought up to mrs. merton.
it ran thus:
to mrs. merton, ---- prairie avenue, chicago:
i have recovered all my mother's money with interest. mr. powell is also successful. will return this evening.
luke walton,
"read it if you like, louisa," said the old lady, smiling with satisfaction.
"what does it mean?"
"that luke has recovered over ten thousand dollars, of which his mother had been defrauded. it was warner who put him on the track of the man who wrongfully held the money."
"indeed!" said mrs. tracy, spitefully. "then the least he can do is to return the money he took from you."
"he never took any, louisa."
"who did, then?"
"your son, harold."
"who has been telling lies about my poor boy?" exclaimed mrs. tracy, angrily.
"a person who saw him unlocking the drawer."
"has luke walton been telling falsehoods about my son?"
"no; it was quite another person. i have other proof also, and have known for some time who the real thief was. if harold claims that i have done him injustice, send him to me."
after an interview with harold, mrs. tracy was obliged to believe, much against her will, that he was the guilty one and not the boy she so much detested. this did not prepossess her any more in favor of luke walton, whom she regarded as the rival and enemy of her son.
it was a joyful coming home for luke. he removed at once to a nice neighborhood, and ceased to be a chicago newsboy. he did not lose the friendship of mrs. merton, who is understood to have put him down for a large legacy in her will, and still employs him to transact much of her business. next year she proposes to establish her nephew, warner powell, and luke in a commission business, under the style of
powell & walton
she furnishing the capital.
the house on prairie avenue is closed. mrs. tracy is married again, to a man whose intemperate habits promise her little happiness. harold seems unwilling to settle down to business, but has developed a taste for dress and the amusements of a young man about town. he thinks he will eventually be provided for by mrs. merton, but in this he will be mistaken, as she has decided to leave much the larger part of her wealth to charitable institutions after remembering her nephew, warner powell, handsomely.
ambrose kean never repeated the mistake he had made. still more, by diligent economy he saved up the sum advanced him by mrs. merton, and he offered it to her. she accepted it, but returned it many times over to his mother. her patronage brought him another advantage; it led his employer to increase his salary, which is now double that which he formerly received.
felicie lost her position, but speedily secured another, where it is to be hoped she will be more circumspect in her conduct.
thomas browning, after all, lost the nomination which he craved--and much of his wealth is gone. he dabbled in foolish speculation, and is now comparatively a poor man. through the agency of jack king, the story of his breach of trust was whispered about, and the sham philanthropist is better understood and less respected by his fellow-citizens.
his nephew, stephen webb, has been obliged to buckle down to hard work at ten dollars a week, and feels that his path is indeed thorny.
luke walton is not puffed up by his unexpected and remarkable success. he never fails to recognize kindly, and help, if there is need, the old associates of his humbler days, and never tries to conceal the fact that he was once a chicago newsboy.
