"Does he give any reason for his interest?"
"No, except that he is inclined to help him when there is an opportunity."
"Does the boy know him?"
"No."
"Has he met your uncle?"
"Yes; Uncle Thomas frequently visits Chicago--he lives in Milwaukee--and stays at the Sherman when he is here. He has stopped and bought a paper of Luke once or twice."
"I remember my sister told me this boy Luke was a newsboy."
"How did he get in with your aunt?"
"I don"t know. I presume it was a chance acquaintance. However that may be, the young rascal seems to have got on her blind side, and to be installed first favorite."
"Your sister doesn"t like it?"
"Not much. Between you and me, Louisa--Mrs. Tracy--means to inherit all the old lady"s property, and doesn"t like to have anyone come in, even for a trifle. She"ll have me left out in the cold if she can, but I mean to have something to say to that. In such matters you can"t trust even your own sister."
"I agree with you, Warner."
The two young men ate a hearty dinner, and then adjourned to a billiard room, where they spent the afternoon over the game. Warner reached home in time for supper.
"Where have you been, Warner?" asked Mrs. Tracy.
"Looking for work," was the answer.
"What success did you meet with?"
"Not much as yet. I fell in with an old acquaintance, who may a.s.sist me in that direction."
"I am glad you have lost no time in seeking employment. It will please aunt."
Warner Powell suppressed a smile. He wondered what Mrs. Merton would have thought could she have seen in what manner he prosecuted his search for employment.
"This is Harold," said Mrs. Tracy, proudly, as her son came in.
"Harold, this is your Uncle Warner."
"So you are Harold," said his uncle. "I remember you in short pants.
You have changed considerably in five years."
"Yes, I suppose so," answered Harold, curtly. "Where have you been?"
"In Australia, California, and so on."
"How long are you going to stay in Chicago?"
"That depends on whether I can find employment. If you hear of a place let me know."
"I don"t know of any unless Aunt Eliza will take you into her employ in place of that newsboy, Luke Walton."
"She can have me if she will pay me enough salary. How much does Luke get?"
"I don"t know. He won"t tell."
"Do you like him?"
"I don"t consider him a fit a.s.sociate for me. He is a common newsboy."
"Does Aunt Eliza know that?"
"Yes; it makes no difference to her. She"s infatuated with him."
"I wish she were infatuated with me. I shall have to ask Luke his secret. Aunt Eliza doesn"t prefer him to you, does she?"
"I have no doubt she does. She"s very queer about some things."
"Harold," said his mother, solicitously, "I don"t think you pay Aunt Eliza enough attention. Old persons, you know, like to receive courtesies."
"I treat her politely, don"t I?" asked Harold, aggressively. "I can"t be dancing attendance upon her and flattering her all the time."
"From what I have seen of Luke Walton," thought Warner Powell, "I should decidedly prefer him to this nephew of mine. He seems conceited and disagreeable. Of course, it won"t do to tell Louisa that, for she evidently admires her graceless cub, because he is hers."
"Are you intimate with this Luke?" asked Warner, mischievously.
"What do you take me for?" demanded Harold, of fended. "I am not in the habit of getting intimate with street boys."
Warner Powell laughed.
"I am not so proud as you, Nephew Harold," he said. "Travelers pick up strange companions. In San Francisco I became intimate with a Chinaman."
"You don"t mean it?" exclaimed Harold, in incredulity and disgust."
"Yes, I do."
"You weren"t in the laundry business with him, were you?" went on Harold, with a sneer.
"No," he answered aloud. "The laundry business may be a very good one--I should like the income it produces even now--but I don"t think I have the necessary talent for it. My Chinese friend was a commission merchant worth at least a hundred thousand dollars. I wasn"t above borrowing money from him sometimes."
"Of course, that makes a difference," said Mrs. Tracy, desiring to make peace between her brother and son. "He must have been a superior man. Harold thought you meant a common Chinaman, such as we have in Chicago."
The reunited family sat down to supper together.
After supper Warner made an excuse for going out.
"I have an engagement with a friend who knows of a position he thinks I can secure," he said.