“If the bill is a fair one it shall be paid,” said Harry.
He went to the door and called “Mr. Robinson!” That gentleman entered. Squire Turner looked at him as if he could not believe the testimony of his eyes.
“Mr. Robinson!” he ejaculated.
“Yes,” said the lawyer; “I was called East, unexpectedly, and thought I would make a call on you to report progress. Not finding you at home, I inquired out Mrs. Raymond, who, by the way, I found had an entirely erroneous idea of the value of the warrant. You will be glad to know that I have succeeded in obtaining an offer of ten thousand dollars, which will be paid over within a month.”
This last blow was too much for Squire Turner. Foiled at all points, he dashed his hat angrily upon his head, and rushed from the house in undignified haste. In this connection, it may be added that Harry, finding he had collected the two thousand dollars from the insurance company, forced him to return it. Squire Turner saved his reputation by stating that the man who set the house on fire had voluntarily come forward and paid the money, which enabled him to return the sum collected of the company. For this act Squire Turner was made the subject of a complimentary paragraph in the county paper; but it is doubtful if he enjoyed reading it much.
Great was Mrs. Raymond’s joy over the lucky turn in her affairs. Between nine and ten thousand dollars were paid her as the proceeds of the land warrant, and this made her quite comfortable. When it was ascertained that Harry had brought a still larger sum from Australia, he became quite a great man in Vernon, and, if he had not been so young, I verily believe he would have been elected to some responsible town office.
But it was not Harry’s intention to live in Vernon. He wanted a larger field for his efforts. The next summer he made a visit to England, and was cordially received by Mr. Lindsay, who wished him to remain; but Harry was unwilling to be separated from his mother. Mr. Lindsay then proposed to Harry on his return to enter a counting-room in New York, to learn business, with a view of establishing a branch of his own house in that city, at a later day, to be under Harry’s charge. This proposal was accepted by our hero, who felt that it would be advantageous to him. He removed his mother and sister to New York, as they were unwilling to be separated from him.
It is enough to say that in business Harry exhibited the same qualities which we have already seen in him, and that his mastery of the details was surprisingly rapid. As I write, Harry, who is now twenty-one, is about to undertake the charge of the New York branch of Lindsay & Co., which will give him a commanding business position. There are rumors that Maud, whose early preference for him still continues, will, before very long, become the wife of her father’s young American representative, and I am inclined to think the report is a true one.
My readers may like to hear how James Turner made out in life. A year since he obtained the situation of teller in a bank, his father standing surety for him. He soon developed expensive tastes, and finally disappeared, carrying away thirty thousand dollars of the funds of the bank. This loss his father has had to make good, and, in consequence, he has become a comparatively poor man, and a very sour, morose man at that. He was compelled to give up his imposing house, and he now lives in the humble cottage formerly occupied by Mrs. Raymond. So the wheel of fortune has turned, and those who were once at the top are now at the bottom. But, for Harry and his mother, we hope many years of happiness are in store. But, if ever reverses should come, we are sure that Harry, keeping in mind his old motto, “Sink or Swim,” would bear up bravely, and turn defeat into victory.
The next volume of this series will be