"I can"t help that. He was just a common sailor who had run away from his ship and was gold mining in California. And when he and his partner struck it rich father borrowed money, headed a company, and bought them out. That mine was the Excelsior, and it"s just as productive to-day as it ever was. I rather think Atkins must be very sorry he sold. I suppose, by right, I should be very grateful to your distinguished representative."
"Well, I do declare! Sho, sho! Ain"t that funny now? He"s never said a word about it at home. I don"t believe there"s a soul in Bayport knows that. We all thought "twas South Sea tradin" that boosted Heman. And your own dad! I declare, this is a small world!"
"It"s odd father never told you about it. It"s one of the old gentleman"s pet stories. He came West in 1850, and was running a little shipping store in "Frisco. He met Atkins and the other young sailor, his partner, before they left their ship. They were in the store, buying various things, and father got to know them pretty well. Then they ran away to the diggings--you simply couldn"t keep a crew in those times--and he didn"t see them again for a good while. Then they came in one day and showed him specimens from a claim they had back in the mountains. They were mighty good specimens, and what they said about the claim convinced father that they had a valuable property. So he went to see a few well-to-do friends of his, and the outcome was that a party was made up to go and inspect. The young fellows were willing to sell out, for it was a quartz working and they hadn"t the money to carry it on.
"The inspection showed that the claim was likely to be even better than they thought, so, after some bargaining, the deal was completed. They sold out for seventy-five thousand dollars, and it was the best trade father ever made. He"s so proud of his judgment and foresight in making it that I wonder he never told you the story."
"He never did. When was this?"
"In "54. What?"
"I didn"t speak. The date seemed kind of familiar to me, that"s all.
Seem"s as if I heard it recent, but I can"t remember when. Seventy-five thousand, hey? Well, that wan"t so bad, was it? With that for a nest egg, no wonder Heman"s managed to hatch a pretty respectable brood of dollars."
"Oh, the whole seventy-five wasn"t his, of course. Half belonged to his partner. But the poor devil didn"t live to enjoy it. After the articles were signed and before the money was paid over, he was taken sick with a fever and died."
"Hey? He died? With a FEVER?"
"Yes. But he left a pretty good legacy to his heirs, didn"t he. For a common sailor--or second mate; I believe that"s what he was--thirty-seven thousand five hundred is doing well. It must have come as a big surprise to them. The whole sum was paid to Atkins, who--What"s the matter with you?"
Captain Cy was leaning back in his chair. He was as white as the tablecloth.
"Are you ill?" asked the congressman anxiously. "Take some water. Shall I call--"
The captain waved his hand.
"No, no!" he stammered. "No! I"m all right. Do you--for the Lord"s sake tell me this! What was the name of this partner that died?"
Mr. Everdean looked curiously at his friend before he answered.
"Sure you"re not sick?" he asked. "Well, all right. The partner"s name?
Why, I"ve heard it often enough. It"s on the deed of sale that father has framed in his room at home. The old gentleman is as proud of that as anything in the house. The name was--was--"
"For G.o.d sakes," cried Captain Cy, "don"t say "twas John Thayer! "Cause if you do I shan"t believe it."
"That"s what it was--John Thayer. How did you guess? Did you know him? I remember now that he was another Down Easter, like Atkins."
The captain did not answer. He clasped his forehead with both hands and leaned his elbows on the table. Everdean was plainly alarmed.
"I"m going to call a doctor," he began, rising. But Captain Cy waved him back again.
"Set still!" he ordered. "Set still, I tell you! You say the whole seventy-five thousand was paid to Heman, but that John Thayer signed the bill of sale afore he died, as half partner? And your dad"s got the original deed and--and--he remembers the whole business?"
"Yes, he"s got the deed--framed. It"s on record, too, of course.
Remembers? I should say he did! He"ll talk for a week on that subject, if you give him a chance."
The captain sprang to his feet. His chair tipped backward and fell to the floor. An obsequious waiter ran to right it, but Captain Cy paid no attention to him.
"Where"s my coat?" he demanded. "Where"s my coat and hat?"
"What ails you?" asked Everdean. "Are you going crazy?"
"Goin" CRAZY? No, no! I"m goin" to California. When"s the next train?"
CHAPTER XIX
THE TOPPLING OF A MONUMENT
The Honorable Heman Atkins sat in the library of his Washington home, before a snapping log fire, reading a letter. Mr. Atkins had, as he would have expressed it, "served his people" in Congress for so many years that he had long since pa.s.sed the hotel stage of living at the Capital. He rented a furnished house on an eminently respectable street, and the polished doorplate bore his name in uncompromising characters.
The library furniture was solid and dignified. Its businesslike appearance impressed the stray excursionist from the Atkins district, when he or she visited the great man in whose affairs we felt such a personal interest. Particularly impressive and significant was a map of the district hanging over the congressman"s desk, and an oil painting of the Atkins mansion at Bayport, which, with the iron dogs and urns conspicuous in its foreground, occupied the middle of the largest wall s.p.a.ce.
The cheery fire was very comforting on a night like this, for the sleet was driving against the windowpanes, the sidewalks were ankle deep in slush, and the wet, cold wind from the Potomac was whistling down the street. Somewhere about the house an unfastened shutter slammed in the gusts. Mr. Atkins should have been extremely comfortable as he sat there by the fire. He had spent many comfortable winters in that room. But now there was a frown on his face as he read the letter in his hand. It was from Simpson, and stated, among other things, that Cyrus Whittaker had been absent from Bayport for over two weeks, and that no one seemed to know where he had gone. "The idea seems to be that he started for Washington," wrote Tad; "but if that is so, it is queer you haven"t seen him. I am suspicious that he is up to something about that harbor business. I should keep my eye peeled if I was you."
Alicia, the Atkins hopeful, rustled into the room.
"Papa," she said, "I"ve come to kiss you good night."
Her father performed the ceremony in a perfunctory way.
"All right, all right," he said. "Now run along to bed and don"t bother me, there"s a good girl. I wish," he added testily to the housekeeper who had followed Alicia into the room, "I wish you"d see to that loose blind. It makes me nervous. Such things as that should be attended to without specific orders from me."
The housekeeper promised to attend to the blind. She and the girl left the library. Heman reread the Simpson letter. Then he dropped it in his lap and sat thinking and twirling his eyegla.s.ses at the end of their black cord. His thoughts seemed to be not of the pleasantest. The lines about his mouth had deepened during the last few months. He looked older.
The telephone bell rang sharply. Mr. Atkins came out of his reverie with a start, arose and walked across the room to the wall where the instrument hung. It was before the days of the convenient desk "phone.
He took the receiver from its hook and spoke into the transmitter.
"h.e.l.lo!" he said. "h.e.l.lo! Yes, yes! stop ringing. What is it?"
The wire buzzed and purred in the storm. "h.e.l.lo!" said a voice. "h.e.l.lo, there! Is this Mr. Atkins"s house?"
"Yes; it is. What do you want?"
"Hey? Is this where the Honorable Heman Atkins lives?"
"Yes, yes, I tell you! This is Mr. Atkins speaking. What do you want?"
"Oh! is that you, Heman? This is Whittaker--Cy Whittaker. Understand?"
Mr. Atkins understood. Yet for an instant he did not reply. He had been thinking, as he sat by the fire, of certain persons and certain ugly, though remote, possibilities. Now, from a mysterious somewhere, one of those persons was speaking to him. The hand holding the receiver shook momentarily.
"h.e.l.lo! I say, Heman, do you understand? This is Whittaker talkin"."
"I--er--understand," said the congressman, slowly. "Well, sir?"