“Dear Herbert:
“I would be an ingrate of the meanest type if I did not write to you and acknowledge the great debt which I owe to you now, and which I will continue to owe till the day of my death. I fully realize that if it had not been for your interference and kindness I would have been arrested, and myself and the members of my family disgraced. But sometimes bad beginnings have good results, and the merest incidents prove to be the turning point in a man’s career. I am satisfied now that the little episode which occurred at the post office a few weeks ago is going to prove the making of me. I know that I have been indolent and worthless; that I was foolish enough to contract bad and vicious associations, and that I have been guilty of many disreputable things. Somehow or other I went along doing these things without thinking of the meanness that was involved in them. Looking back upon them now, I can see very readily how little incidents repeated many times led to bad habits, and how these bad habits were gradually undermining my whole character.
“I do not ask you to believe me, but I am going to tell you just the same, that from the instant you gave me the kindly warning in the post office building I made up my mind that if I were given the opportunity I would lead a better life in the future. I am now making this effort with all the courage at my command. It’s a hard job, but I believe that I am going to come out a winner. I have secured honest employment in this little town, and I intend to remain here till I am fully satisfied that I am fit to associate with manly and self-respecting persons like yourself. Kindly consider this letter sent in confidence, and not to be revealed till you hear from me further.
“Very truly yours,
“Arthur Black.”
Herbert was delighted with this missive. It repaid him for the great sacrifice he had made—not for Arthur Black—but for his sister. His first thought was to call on Mary and assure her that her brother was alive and well; but upon mature reflection he abandoned this as being unwise. From that day, however, Herbert put more heart into his work. He still depended upon his voluntary contributions to the newspapers, and while he longed for a permanent position on the staff of one of the large dailies, he felt that he would have to bide his time before he reached such a desirable post.
During these days he often thought of his father, and more than once he recalled the dramatic scene when his father and the strange visitor were seated at the table together in their little home at Cleverly. He had frequently resolved to run out the mystery of that night, and now he vowed it with more than usual vehemence. Everywhere he went he tried to discover some signs of the queer stranger. It seemed a hopeless task, but he resolved to persist in it till the end. One evening, while he was walking down Cortlandt street, his gaze was attracted by a big, broad-shouldered man who was walking along the street four or five yards in advance of him. There was something very familiar about those bulky shoulders. He looked again, and as his glance traveled upward he suddenly realized that the man had a shock of bushy red hair. Recognition was instantaneous; it was the man he had been looking for for so long. He pushed his way through the crowd, and at one time was almost able to reach the mysterious person by stretching out his hands; but at that critical moment a heavily laden truck intervened, and the queer one gained several yards on him. It was evident that he was making for the ferry house to take the boat which ran to Jersey City. Just before they reached the pier the bell began to ring its warning signal. The crowd hurried. The man with the red hair and the bulky shoulders ran rapidly towards the boat, with Herbert after him panting for breath.
“Hurry up!” shouted the gateman to the approaching crowd.
The big man redoubled his speed, and just as he entered the ferry slip and got aboard the bell rang for the second time, the iron gate was slammed to with a bang, and Herbert found himself standing on the wharf, gazing at the boat churning its way towards the shores of New Jersey.
CHAPTER XIX
PERSISTENCE HAS ITS REWARD AND HERBERT FINALLY MEETS THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER
Herbert Harkins was now consumed with a burning desire to meet the mysterious stranger. He had an actual interest in clearing the memory of his father; but above and beyond that he was now filled with a boyish curiosity which insisted upon being satisfied. The thought of the stranger occupied his waking hours, and even disturbed his rest at night. When he was out of doors he stared at all the big men he happened to meet, in order to discover, if possible, a burly man with broad shoulders and a shock of red hair. At times this peculiar quest seemed so absurd that he felt like abandoning it altogether; but such periods of depression were invariably followed by a resolution to persevere till he had accomplished his desire.