“Dan must have told him, for he was there looking through a crack between the logs; but how Dan found it out is a mystery. Dave was going to give the money to me as soon as I came home. Godfrey must have acted like a brute. He threw Dave clear across the room, and pushed his mother about in a way that was perfectly shameful.”
“It is very unfortunate,” said the general, referring as much to the condition of Godfrey and his family as to the loss of David’s money.
“And the worst of it is that David has no redress,” continued Don. “He is a minor, and that lazy Godfrey can take every cent he earns.”
“That would be true under certain circumstances,” replied the general with a smile, “but suppose you and I could show to Judge Packard’s satisfaction that Godfrey is not a proper person to have charge of a family, and that he has not contributed a dollar towards their support for years; what then?”
“I am sure I don’t know,” said Don, after thinking a moment. “Would the judge do anything about it?”
“Very likely he would. He would issue a warrant for his arrest; and as it would be no trouble at all to prove that David is the main stay of the family, and that he needs that money for the support of himself and his mother, the court would compel Godfrey to hand it over, and then it would probably give him his choice between going to work and going to jail.”
“Good!” exclaimed Don. “David will come out all right after all.”
“I think so,” replied the general, smiling at the boy’s enthusiasm, “and this is just the time to attend to the matter. Court is in session now, you know, and I will see the judge at once.”
Don was delighted; and having placed David’s interests in safe hands, now spoke of his own affairs.
“That isn’t all I have to tell you,” said he. “We found a cub in our trap this morning; the dogs treed another, and I shot the old bear.”