Frank had met Miss Richards on a previous occasion, and now introduced Dick, 
 who was struck with her style of beauty. See page 21.
 
 Richard Vaughn 
 
 BY 
 
 BENJ. F. COBB 
 
 Author of "Tom Clingstone s letters," "Business Methods," "Two 
 
 Boys and a Goat" Our American Indian Babies," 
 
 "Funshine," etc. 
 
 flllustratefc 
 
 Chicago & New York 
 THE HENNEBERRY COMPANY 
 
 Publishers
 
 COPYRIGHT. IQOI, 
 BY BENJ. F. COBB
 
 STACK 
 ANNEX 
 
 PS 
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 CHAPTER 1 
 
 "So you are to be my roommate, are you?" said 
 Dick Vaughn, as he grasped the young man s hand 
 who had just been introduced by his landlady. "I 
 have had the room all to myself for a month, and I 
 must say I have enjoyed it. Good-bye, mamma," 
 he added, making a grimace at the landlady, who 
 was already out of hearing. Then turning again to 
 the young man, he continued: 
 
 "The old lady is a peach and knows a whole lot 
 of things that stand her in good hand at the present 
 time. But what did she say your name was?" 
 
 "My name," said the other, "is Frank P. Bard- 
 well, and if it gives you so much pleasure to have 
 your room alone, perhaps I had best look further." 
 
 "Don t get gay, Mr. Frank P. Bard well. I have 
 a habit of saying exactly what I think; of calling 
 things by their right names, and of making the best 
 of everything. The facts are, both of us are as 
 poor as Job s proverbial turkey, or we would not be 
 boarding at Mrs. Sargent s, each sharing a room 
 with a stranger ; but as long as we have to do it, 
 let s make the best of it. Who are you, anyhow?" 
 
 "I," said Frank, "am a farmer s son. Have just 
 arrived in the city, and came to take a situation 
 
 5
 
 6 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 with the commission house of H. U. Lemon & Co. 
 Do you known them?" 
 
 "I think I have heard of old man Lemon. I don t 
 just remember what I have heard, but it was either 
 that he was very religious or a great rascal; I am 
 not sure which; perhaps it was both." 
 
 "I hope not, I am sure, though he is inclined to 
 be religious, for one of the first things he asked me 
 was if I loved the Lord." 
 
 "I will bet he is an old hypocrite." 
 
 "Don t say that, my friend, for it is much nicer 
 to think the best of people instead of the worst. 
 Besides, I am to work for him, and I don t want any 
 one to try and prejudice me against him." 
 
 "That s all right, Frank; I see you mean to be 
 loyal, and I am sure that is best, but you have asked 
 me nothing about myself." 
 
 "The fact is you have not given me much chance, 
 but I am all ears." 
 
 "Thanks awfully; I had noticed your ears. Well, 
 I am a clerk in the Metro bank, and although I 
 draw quite a small salary, I try hard to make 
 myself think that I am of some importance. But 
 there is the supper bell; let s go down." The two 
 young men went down to supper, and Frank was 
 given a seat at the same table and opposite his room 
 mate. 
 
 Mrs. Sargent s was a large boarding-house, one of 
 the largest in Boston, and Mrs. Sargent was a char 
 acter. She was born and raised up in New 
 Hampshire, and had early learned to be a good 
 housekeeper. Getting tired of the country and 
 hearing of the good wages paid to domestics in the
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 7 
 
 city, she decided to try city life for a time, or until 
 she could save money enough to clothe herself to 
 her liking. The attractions of the city, however, 
 are always too much for the resolutions of the coun 
 try-bred, and Miss Martha Green worked on with 
 no thought of returning to her native hills. At the 
 boarding-house where she worked a sort of semi- 
 respectable place she met George Sargent, a hack- 
 man. Martha was strong, healthy and pretty. 
 George was a farmer s son who had come to Boston 
 to make his fortune. He was good looking and a 
 good talker, and it did not take him long to get the 
 consent of Miss Martha Green to become Mrs. 
 George Sargent. Three children were born of this 
 union, Olive, Martha and Belle, who at the time 
 of the opening of our story were, respectively, 
 twenty, eighteen and twelve years of age. The 
 temptations of city life had been too much for 
 George Sargent, and from an occasional drinker he 
 had become a worthless sot. When the youngest 
 child was about five years of age, Mrs. Sargent had 
 decided that her husband was neither useful nor 
 ornamental, and had literally kicked him out of 
 the house. Strange to say, the man accepted 
 the situation and never bothered his family after 
 wards. 
 
 All of this Dick told his roommate when they 
 returned from the dining-room after Frank s first 
 supper in the house. 
 
 "And are those the daughters who waited on the 
 table?" said Frank. 
 
 "Hold on there, my hearty; don t ever make a 
 break like that before the landlady, or you will
 
 8 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 get your walking papers. I want you to under 
 stand that the daughters of this house are ladies, 
 and the chances are that unless you show unusual 
 signs of prosperity you will never be tendered an 
 introduction. Olive is red-headed and freckled, but 
 she is the daughter of her mother and must be pro 
 tected from the common herd that is obliged to 
 live in boarding houses. Martha, the second 
 daughter, has all the beauty of the family, and is 
 the mother s pride. She even calls her my hand 
 some daughter, and, not thinking of the names 
 quickly enough the other day, when a young man 
 asked after her daughter, Mrs. Sargent said inquir 
 ingly: Do you mean my handsome daughter or my 
 homely daughter? Don t doubt me, Frank, for 
 that is the truth." 
 
 Frank Bardvvell and Dick Vaughn were as oppo 
 site as two young men could be in looks and dispo 
 sition. Dick was dark, with black hair and eyes. 
 He had a habit of saying just what he thought, or, 
 as he sometimes called it, thinking out loud. Frank 
 Bard well was of the same age as Dick, both being 
 a little past twenty-one, but he was light complex- 
 ioned, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was 
 cautious in his speech and thoughtful. He had 
 been taught early to have charity for all, and was 
 never known to say a word against any one. 
 
 As the weeks came and went our two friends 
 became better acquainted, and with better acquaint 
 ance, firmer friends. 
 
 Hiram U. Lemon was the senior partner of the 
 firm of H. U. Lemon & Co., the firm for which 
 Frank Bardwell worked. Mr. Lemon was known
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 9 
 
 among the church people as a very devout Chris 
 tian. He was a steward in the Methodist church, and 
 gave liberally to that institution. He made it a rule 
 never to talk with a stranger more than ten minutes 
 before asking him if he belonged to the army of the 
 Lord, and he usually impressed strangers with the 
 idea that he was more of a Christian than he was a 
 business man. At this time Mr. Lemon had been 
 doing business in Boston for about twenty years; 
 he had commenced by peddling eggs in a basket, 
 and was now at the head of one of the largest 
 produce commission houses in the city; had in the 
 meantime given a small fortune to the church, 
 and those who knew him best used to say that 
 he was a pretty good sort of a business man for a 
 Christian. 
 
 Frank Bardwell became quite a favorite with 
 both of the partners of H. U. Lemon & Co., and 
 was an especial favorite of Mr. Lemon s. Frank 
 was not afraid of work and knew how to do it. He 
 had been brought up on a farm, and had received a 
 good common school education. He was just as 
 willing to shovel potatoes as he was to work on the 
 books, and was capable of doing either; he was 
 always ready to do what he was told, and one tell 
 ing was enough. Perhaps the one thing that 
 pleased Mr. Lemon more than all else was that 
 Frank was willing to work for small wages. Every 
 Monday morning Mr. Lemon would ask Frank 
 where he went to church the day before, who 
 preached, what the text was, and in what manner 
 the minister handled the text; and Frank was 
 always ready with his answers. He had been
 
 io RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 accustomed to going to church regularly while at 
 home. By accident he attended church the Sunday 
 before he commenced work for Mr. Lemon, and, 
 after rinding out what kind of a man he was work 
 ing for, he kept it up. Dick went with him, but 
 unwillingly at first, until they compromised on a half 
 a day at church and the rest of the day for recrea 
 tion. 
 
 During week days Dick, having short hours in the 
 bank, often used to call for Frank when he knew it 
 was about time for him to quit work, and in this 
 way he got somewhat acquainted with Mr. Lemon. 
 In Dick s opinion Mr. Lemon did not improve on 
 acquaintance, and as the two young men would talk 
 him over afterwards, Dick would claim that Mr. 
 Lemon was a rank hypocrite, while Frank would 
 protest mildly and end up by saying that no one had 
 a right to pass such an opinion without positive 
 proof. 
 
 One Saturday Mr. Lemon gave Frank a very 
 pressing invitation to attend his church the next 
 day, which Frank promised to do, and feeling that 
 he would not have been invited unless there was to 
 be something special, he induced Dick to accom 
 pany him. They were given seats near the front in 
 the body of the church. The minister preached a 
 short and powerful sermon on the text, "It is more 
 blessed to give than to receive. " After the sermon 
 was over the minister announced that brother 
 Lemon had a little story to tell, which he was sure 
 would interest every one present. All eyes were at 
 once fixed on Mr. Lemon, who had been a con 
 spicuous figure on the front seat. He slowly arose,
 
 II 
 
 and stepping upon the platform in front of the pul 
 pit, he faced the audience and straightened himself 
 up to his full height. He was a peculiar looking 
 character; his clothes were not of the latest pat 
 tern he said he could not afford it; he was all of 
 six feet four inches tall, long armed and angular, 
 with a head about three sizes too small for his 
 body. As he came to a halt he tried to look 
 impressive, and commenced by speaking very low 
 and saying: 
 
 "My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, you have 
 heard this beautiful sermon that Dr. Spencer has 
 preached to us, and now he says that I am to tell 
 you a story. You all know me and you know my 
 story will be short, for you know that I believe in 
 works. My story is this : Three years ago we fin 
 ished this church and it was dedicated to God, but 
 when we gave God this church there was a mort 
 gage on it of six thousand dollars. Now, let us take 
 the mortgage off and let the church stand out as a 
 free gift from His people. I will not be the first, 
 but I will be the second to give. Brother Holman, 
 what will you give towards lifting this debt?" and 
 Mr. Lemon looked straight into the face of brother 
 Holman, who was also one of the stewards of the 
 church, and was engaged in the same business as 
 brother Lemon. 
 
 Brother Holman turned .red in the face and 
 glanced at his wife, but he received no consolation 
 from her. The little undersized mother in Israel 
 was looking straight ahead of her. She said after 
 wards that she was determined Benjamin should be 
 left free in the matter of giving to the Lord. At
 
 12 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 last brother Holman said: "One hundred dol 
 lars." 
 
 "Make it two, brother Holman," said Mr. 
 Lemon, "and I will give the same." 
 
 Brother Holman half nodded, and Mr. Lemon 
 cried: "Bless God, brother Holman starts the giving 
 with two hundred dollars, and brother Hiram U. 
 Lemon gives the same. Now, brother William," 
 said he, "you keep the books, and then we will know 
 where we stand. 
 
 Brother William Eastman came upon the little 
 platform in front of the pulpit and took a seat at 
 the table. He had already provided himself with 
 paper and pencil, for he had been forewarned by 
 this general in finance, brother Hiram U. Lemon, 
 that he would be called upon to act. 
 
 "And now, brother Hoover," said brother 
 Lemon, "how much are you willing to give for the 
 Lord this morning?" Brother Hoover was also a 
 steward in the church. He was a rich grocer, and 
 as brother Lemon swung his long arms about and 
 descanted on the duty of every professed Christian 
 to give to the Lord, brother Hoover, half rising to 
 his feet and looking out under his shaggy eyebrows, 
 said, in a low but forced tone: "I will give five 
 hundred dollars." 
 
 "Amen," said brother Lemon. "Amen, praise 
 the Lord! And brother Hiram Lemon will also 
 give five hundred dollars. I tell you, brothers, you 
 can all give if you feel like it, and you will feel like 
 it if the good Lord gets a hold on you." 
 
 The people were getting warmed up to the work. 
 Old Father Lockwood started up his favorite song,
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 13 
 
 which, with his English accent, became, "Ho, 
 appy day that fixed my choice," etc., and all were 
 glad to join in the song, for it helped to relieve the 
 tension that was being felt. After the song 
 brother Lemon commenced again to call on the 
 different brothers and sisters to give for Jesus s 
 sake, and with each gift he repeated the same 
 words, "And brother Lemon gives the same 
 amount." Men and women gave who were well 
 able to give, but before all the money was raised 
 some of the poorer ones gave in sums of ten and 
 twenty dollars, which amounted to more to them 
 than did the three thousand given by brother 
 Lemon, as far as being able to spare it was con 
 cerned. Brother Lemon stated the case so plainly, 
 and called out the names in a tone that seemed to 
 say, "You can give and you should give." 
 
 "Sister Mary White," said Mr. Lemon, calling 
 the name of a poor woman who earned her living by 
 going out sewing by the day, "how much are you 
 going to give to help the cause of Christ? Now, 
 you know that the Lord has been good to you and 
 you should not be mean to him. You will not be 
 happy if you go away from here without giving. 
 Just think how much you can afford to give and 
 how much you can give by denying yourself a little, 
 and then multiply it by four and give, and the Lord 
 will bless you for it. He will not only bless you, 
 but if you pray to him he will show you how you 
 can pay your debt to the church." And sister 
 White, knowing that she had but five dollars in the 
 world, pledged herself to give twenty dollars 
 towards raising the debt of the church.
 
 i 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 At last the debt was virtually lifted, the whole six 
 thousand dollars having been subscribed. Hardly 
 one present whose name was known to Mr. Lemon 
 escaped. Even our friend Frank had subscribed 
 ten dollars after his name was called out by his 
 employer, but he was not sure that he had done the 
 right thing after hearing Mr. Lemon cry out at the 
 top of his voice: "God bless you, Frank; but you 
 should give more, for the more we give to the Lord, 
 the more the Lord will give us." 
 
 The benediction was pronounced, and the people 
 slowly left the church. Those who gave of their 
 abundance had a look of satisfaction, but many of 
 those who had promised small sums had care 
 stamped upon their faces. 
 
 Frank and Dick soon found themselves away from 
 the others, but they walked on for half a mile before 
 a word was spoken. At last Frank said: 
 
 "What did you think of it, Dick?" 
 
 "I think you are out ten dollars and that your 
 employer is a hypocritical old jay." 
 
 "You are wrong, Dick. No man would give three 
 thousand dollars as cheerfully as he did and not be 
 sincere." But although another mile was yet to be 
 traversed, neither of the young men spoke again 
 tmtil they were back at the boarding-house of Mrs. 
 Sargent.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 One pleasant afternoon Dick Vaughn called at the 
 commission house of H . U. Lemon & Co. for his 
 roommate. He usually timed his call so as not to 
 have much time to wait, as the store of the great 
 firm of Hiram U. Lemon & Co. was always crowded 
 with goods, and the office was a little cubby-hole 
 that looked all out of proportion to the size of one of 
 the firm s big ledgers. This time, however, he had 
 come too early, as Frank had some extra work that 
 must be done; in fact, one of the other clerks was 
 away and Frank had his work to attend to as well as 
 his own. He was looking over some orders that had 
 come in by the last mail, and as he was not familiar 
 with the standing of all of the customers, he occa 
 sionally asked Mr. Lemon about them. Mr. Lemon 
 was looking over some new cheeses that had just 
 arrived, and, seemingly being in a talkative mood, 
 started a conversation with Dick by saying: 
 
 "When are you two young men going to come 
 into the fold and become workers in the cause of 
 Christ?" 
 
 "I cannot speak for Frank, but as for myself I do 
 not expect to change my ideas in regard to the 
 church, as I think they are pretty well fixed now." 
 
 "What do you mean by fixed, Richard?" 
 
 "I mean that if I live as close to the golden rule 
 as I can I will even up pretty well with the pro 
 fessed Christians." 
 
 15
 
 16 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Do you pray to God to keep you up to that 
 rule?" 
 
 "If you count prayer as the sincere desire of the 
 heart you can put me down as a praying man, but 
 I do not waste much time asking the Lord for what 
 I can help myself to." 
 
 "I am afraid, Richard, that you have not looked 
 at this matter as seriously as you should." 
 
 Just at this moment Frank called out: 
 
 "Fisk & Co., of Swampscott, have ordered twenty 
 firkins of that best butter." 
 
 "All right, Frank, better cut the order down to 
 ten and write them that they can most likely buy 
 just as cheaply or cheaper when this lot is gone." 
 
 Then turning to Dick, he said: 
 
 "I feel very much interested in you two young 
 men, and I want to see you working fur Christ, and 
 neither of you can afford to put off the day when 
 you shall begin work, for we know not what a day 
 or an hour may bring forth." 
 
 A messenger boy came in and handed Frank a 
 telegram, which he opened and read out loud: 
 "Send us ten firkins of your best butter at once. 
 Jones Price & Company." 
 
 "Shall we try and send this out to-night, Mr. 
 Lemon?" 
 
 "Yes, Frank, and you had better send them 
 twenty firkins and write them that we send it 
 because butter is liable to advance soon." 
 
 Dick looked his surprise, for he was thinking of 
 Mr. Lemon s paradoxical statements. Mr. Lemon 
 saw it and said: 
 
 "Jones, Price & Company are gilt-edge people,
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 17 
 
 and we like to give them the benefit of the 
 market." 
 
 "But how about Fisk & Co.?" said Dick. 
 
 "Oh," said brother Lemon, and his face took on 
 a perplexed look, "they are a little weak, you know, 
 and we must protect ourselves. It s business, you 
 see." 
 
 A gentleman came in and took Mr. Lemon away 
 with him, and soon Frank finished his work and the 
 two young men started home together. Frank was 
 talkative and spoke of everything else but business, 
 but Dick was silent, only answering as he was 
 obliged to. At last Frank said: 
 
 "What ails you, Dick? You are as glum as an 
 oyster." 
 
 "I was only thinking what a delightful hypocrite 
 old man Lemon is." 
 
 "Don t let that worry you, Dick. There are lots 
 of things that happen at the store that I can t 
 fathom, but I always put it down that there are 
 good reasons for these paradoxical doings, and that 
 if I do not understand them they must be all right 
 somehow." 
 
 "Perhaps you are right, Frank, in your ideas; at 
 all events you are right in turning a blind eye 
 towards the things that look so much like fraud, 
 but I couldn t do it, and I don t believe I could work 
 for the firm of Hiram U. Lemon & Co. a week 
 without telling the head of the firm just what I 
 thought of him." 
 
 As the two young men walked into the spacious 
 dining-room that evening, Mrs. Sargent was having 
 one of her heart to heart talks with her boarders.
 
 i8 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Of course she was doing all of the talking; she 
 always did at these times. There must have been 
 all of fifty people in the large dining-room, and 
 Mrs. Sargent was discoursing on an oft-repeated 
 subject somewhat as follows : 
 
 "You would hardly believe it, but the raw 
 material for this supper cost me all of fifty dollars. 
 Everything is awfully high, and I buy the very best. 
 There are not many boarding-houses where they 
 buy as good meats as I do or where the raw mate 
 rial costs so much. In fact, there aren t many 
 places that are fitted up for the comfort of boarders 
 as we are here. Where will you find a house as 
 large as this, with marble bowls in every room?" 
 
 Mrs. Sargent had talked every one into silence, as 
 she always did, and although some of the boarders 
 had heard of the cost of the raw material and all 
 about the bowls until both had become bywords, no 
 one ever thought of either questioning Mrs. Sar 
 gent s price of the raw material or mentioning the 
 fact that there were other boarding houses which 
 were supplied with marble wash bowls. Every one 
 seemed to expect this kind of a lecture occasionally, 
 and it was accepted with as good grace as possible. 
 Dick, who had been in the house for more than a 
 year, had heard Mrs. Sargent s story so often that 
 he could repeat the whole thing, and had tried it two 
 or three times, much to the amusement of the 
 boarders. As he took his seat at the table this 
 evening he pretended to be bored by the old story, 
 and when for the third time Mrs. Sargent spoke of 
 those marble bowls, he sprang to his feet, pushed 
 his chair back and rushed from the room.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 19 
 
 "Why," said Mrs. Sargent, "he has gone down 
 cellar! What can it all mean?" 
 
 Every one stopped eating, and Mrs. Sargent was 
 exclaiming at Dick s strange actions when he ap 
 peared with an ax over his shoulder. 
 
 "For goodness sake, Mr. Vaughn, what are you 
 going to do?" 
 
 Dick had just started upstairs towards the sleep 
 ing rooms, but he halted as Mrs. Sargent spoke, and 
 said: 
 
 "I have heard all I can stand about those con 
 founded marble bowls, and I am going to smash 
 every d d one of them." 
 
 With this he started up the stairs and the landlady 
 after him. About half way up the stairs she over 
 took him, and catching hold of his coat tails, she 
 cried : 
 
 "Oh, don t, Mr. Dick! Oh, don t! I won t say 
 another word about those bowls if you will only let 
 them alone," and the tears were streaming down 
 poor Mrs. Sargent s cheeks as she begged and plead 
 for those bowls. 
 
 Frank, with half a dozen of the other gentleman 
 boarders, made a rush for the stairs, and although 
 they had all they could do to keep from laughing, 
 they pretended to think Dick was in earnest and 
 commenced to plead with him not to harm the 
 bowls, and Dick, after the boarders had assured 
 him that Mrs. Sargent would make no further men 
 tion of the bowls, gave up the ax to one of the serv 
 ants and returned to the table. Poor Mrs. Sargent 
 did not show herself again until the next day, and 
 it was more than a week before the boarders heard
 
 20 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 again about the cost of the raw material, and never 
 again in Dick s presence did she mention those 
 marble bowls. 
 
 It was all of ten days after this before Dick again 
 ventured into the commission house where Frank 
 worked. Frank often asked him why, but he could 
 only say that he knew of no good reason other than 
 that he might see more evidence of Mr. Lemon s 
 hypocrisy. Frank laughingly told him that more 
 likely the reason was that he was afraid Mr. Lemon 
 would win him over to working for the church. 
 The two young men were becoming fast friends. 
 With each day the tie grew stronger, and although 
 they might not have realized it, they did realize that 
 when alone the thoughts of each of them turned to 
 the other. 
 
 One evening Dick, getting impatient because 
 Frank did not come home, walked duwn to South 
 Market Street to find him. He found the young 
 man still poring over his books. As Dick came in 
 and informed him what time it was, he gave up the 
 books, but said: 
 
 "I have a call to make on one of the other deal 
 ers, and if you will come with me I will start home 
 with you in a few moments." 
 
 Dick agreed, and the two young men called at the 
 office of Charles Richaids. Mr. Richards did busi 
 ness on the same street, but dealt more in fruit than 
 in produce. He lived near the church attended by 
 Mr. Lemon, and, in fact, attended the same church 
 himself. He was a man well thought of, and had a 
 lovely family, consisting of a wife and two daugh 
 ters. Mabel Richards, the older daughter, was at
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 21 
 
 this time about nineteen years of age, and her sister 
 Mildred was only twelve. 
 
 When the two young men entered Mr. Richard s 
 office they found that he was out, and they also 
 found Miss Mabel Richards awaiting her father s 
 return. Frank had met Miss Richards on a previous 
 occasion, and now introduced Dick, who was struck 
 with her style of beauty. She was a little above the 
 medium height. Her hair was dark brown and 
 abundant. Her eyes were hazel in color, and were 
 large and expressive. Her complexion was fresh, 
 and her teeth were perfect enough to allow her to 
 laugh any time she felt so inclined. Her taste in 
 dress was perfect. She was a good listener and a 
 deep thinker, but could talk if occasion required it. 
 As Dick was presented to her, she said: 
 
 "I have often seen you, Mr. Vaughn, when you 
 have attended our church with Mr. Bard well, but I 
 have never had the pleasure of meeting you before. " 
 
 "I trust it is a pleasure, Miss Richards; I am sure 
 it is for me. But how could it have been possible 
 for me to have attended the same church where you 
 were and not have seen you?" 
 
 "Do you consider me so very tall, then?" said 
 Mabel, laughing. 
 
 Dick said afterwards that he wanted to tell her 
 that she was so strikingly beautiful he felt ashamed 
 of himself for not having seen her the first time they 
 were in the same church together, but he only 
 stammered out : 
 
 "But your church isn t so very large." 
 
 Mr. Richards came in and called Frank into his 
 private office to talk over the business Frank had
 
 22 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 come to see him about, leaving Dick and Miss 
 Mabel alone in the main office, as the regular office 
 hours were over and the clerks had gone home. 
 This plan seemed to suit Dick very much, and as 
 Miss Mabel was quite at home in her father s office, 
 conversation soon commenced again. Miss Mabel 
 started it by asking Dick if he did not enjoy Mr. 
 Spencer s sermons. 
 
 "Parts of them I like very much," said Dick. 
 
 "Parts of them!" said Mabel, in astonishment. 
 "Pray, what part of them can there be that you do 
 not like?" 
 
 "Oh, I am not so very much taken with the old 
 Bible stories that he explains seemingly to his own 
 satisfaction, though I doubt if any one else under 
 stands them; neither do I think much of his ideas 
 of heaven." 
 
 "Why, Mr. Vaughn, how can you talk that way? 
 I think Mr. Spencer s word pictures of the Heavenly 
 City are beautiful, and his sermons on texts from 
 the Old Testament are a great help to me in pre 
 paring me for my life work." 
 
 "And what is to be your life work, may I ask?" 
 
 "I had. forgotten that this was the first time we 
 had met and that you did not know of my self- 
 appointed mission in life. I am going Soulh to 
 teach the negroes. I have become interested in the 
 work and am fitting myself to work among them, 
 both as teacher and missionary." 
 
 "What do your parents say to this wild scheme of 
 yours?" 
 
 "They have been won over to my way of think 
 ing, but not to any wild scheme. It is a simple
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 23 
 
 matter. The negroes are there, have recently been 
 liberated from slavery, are untutored, and many of 
 them know nothing about God. It is the duty of 
 some one to go to them, to educate them and to bring 
 them to Christ. Who is better able to do that than 
 I am? I am young and strong; I can give my serv 
 ices to the Freedman s Aid Society, for I do not 
 need money, and I can turn my life of idleness into 
 one of work for humanity and for Christ. Now do 
 you see anything very wild about the scheme?" 
 
 "You set it forth very nicely, Miss Richards, and 
 after all of your explanation you will most likely 
 think I am something of a brute when I say that, if 
 I had a sister who had mapped out her future as 
 you have, I should consider it on the same level 
 with a scheme of going to the south of Africa to 
 assist the monkeys in picking cocoanuts. " 
 
 "Why, Mr. Vaughn! 1 am surprised that you 
 should talk this way. I did not suppose there was 
 any one but who realized that the best thing for the 
 negroes was to educate and Christianize them, and 
 here I find a young man of education and intelli 
 gence who likens my life work to helping monkeys 
 to select their food. Will you be kind enough to 
 tell me why no one of my acquaintances has sug 
 gested this before?" 
 
 "I think I can do that very thing. You were 
 born and reared in this great wicked city, but you 
 have always been shielded from all of its wicked 
 ness. You hardly know that wickedness exists here, 
 you have been so shut out from it. This being the 
 case, you have been just as much shut in with your 
 own class of people. I trust you will pardon me if
 
 24 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 I say that Christians, as a rule, are somewhat nar 
 row in certain ways. They have a peculiar faculty 
 of not seeing the want, privations and wickedness 
 within a stone s throw of the church in which they 
 worship, but their hearts go out to some half civi 
 lized race on the other side of the globe, or to the 
 negroes of the South, whom they know nothing 
 about except by hearsay, and whom they do not 
 understand in the least." 
 
 Dick was a good talker, and as he talked to Mabel 
 his face fairly beamed, he was so interested. Mabel 
 was dumbfounded. Never in her life had she ever 
 heard any one talk in this way, and she had a feel 
 ing that she had done something wrong in listening 
 to him. 
 
 Just at this time Frank and Mr. Richards came 
 out of the private office ready to go, and the four 
 left the office together. They walked together as 
 far as the Cambridge car station, where Mr. Rich 
 ards and his daughter boarded a car for home, 
 while the two young men walked to Mrs. Sargent s 
 boarding-house on Chamber street. 
 
 After supper that evening the two young men 
 went to their room, and Frank told all about the 
 business which he had with Mr. Richards It was 
 something Mr. Lemon wanted done, and Frank was 
 quite proud of the way he had accomplished it. 
 After he had told the whole thing to Dick, he said 
 
 "What do you think, Dick? Did I do the thing 
 up right?" 
 
 "I guess you did, Frank; but to tell you the plain 
 unvarnished truth, I have not heard a word you 
 said."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 25 
 
 Frank got up from his chair and came over to 
 Dick s side of the room, and taking him by the wrist, 
 felt of his pulse and with mock solemnity said: 
 
 "You are suffering with an affection of the heart, 
 I would advise you to give up coffee and tea and 
 keep away from Cambridge. This attack came on 
 very suddenly, and although the immediate cause 
 was taken away in a street-car, it seems to have left 
 a wound that may be several moons in healing, even 
 if you are not exposed again." 
 
 "I guess you have got me all right, Doctor Frank, 
 but just let upon your diagnosing and tell me some 
 thing of Miss Mabel Richards. She is nearer my 
 ideas of perfection than any girl I ever saw, and just 
 think, she is going down South to teach niggers. 
 Say, but that is the worst I ever heard of. I won 
 der when she intends to go and if I could in any 
 way stop her." 
 
 "You have got it bad, Dick. Is this the first 
 time?" 
 
 "Yes, Frank, this is the first attack; that is to 
 say, this is the first real serious attack. There 
 have been others of a milder form, but nothing like 
 this, and just think, it came when I was least 
 expecting it, and in such a place! South Market 
 street! It doesn t seem possible." 
 
 "And why not in South Market street as well as 
 anywhere else?" 
 
 "No reason that I know of, except that it is such 
 an unromantic place, with its butter, turnips and 
 beef. I never thought of being exposed to Cupid s 
 darts in a place like that. Perhaps it would seem 
 no less real but more natural to be smitten at some
 
 26 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 reception where one was looking for all the loveli 
 ness that society worships." 
 
 "So you own that you are captivated?" 
 
 "Of course I do; how can I help it? Mabel has 
 her life work, which is to go South and teach the 
 negroes, and I have mine, which is to induce her to 
 stay in the North and devote her time to one white 
 man." 
 
 "I am sure I wish you success, but I am afraid 
 you have a big job on your hands. In the first 
 place, Mabel is young and has refused two very 
 flattering offers that I know of. Her people, 
 although professed followers of the meek and lowly 
 Jesus, are not neglectful of their daughter s welfare 
 and will expect her to do well in the financial world 
 when she does marry, and more than this, they will 
 expect her to marry a professed Christian. Sup 
 pose you take a look at yourself in the glass and see 
 how near you come to filling the bill." 
 
 Dick got up from his chair and commenced to 
 pace the room. He was trying to grasp all that 
 Frank had said to him. After a few minutes he 
 stood before the dresser, and, looking into the mir 
 ror, commenced talking to himself something in this 
 style : 
 
 "Well, Dick Vaughn, come to look you over you 
 haven t much to recommend you in a race for the 
 handsomest and sweetest girl in the old bay state. 
 Your position in the bank is not a very heavy one 
 and does not pay much wages ; the bank could even 
 get along without you, but you have youth and 
 health on your side, and are not so bad looking as 
 to call out general remark. Add to these facts that
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 27 
 
 you lack neither cheek nor nerve, which are very 
 much the same, and we find there is a fighting 
 chance for you. That being the case, Dick 
 Vaughn, we take the chance." 
 
 Then turning to Frank, he said : 
 
 "What do you think my chances are, Frank? 
 Will I win?" 
 
 "I hope so, Dick, for in the year we have roomed 
 together you have taught me that you are a good 
 fellow to tie to." 
 
 "All right, then," said Dick, taking Frank by the 
 hand. "It s decided; I win. "
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 When Dick Vaughn and Frank Bardwell first 
 became roommates it was not the easiest thing in 
 the world for Frank to persuade Dick to attend 
 church on Sunday, and it was especially hard to 
 induce him to go as far as Cambridge, but after his 
 meeting with Mabel in South Market street, a 
 decided change had come over him, and it was Dick 
 now who teased Frank to attend church in Cam 
 bridge, and Frank only allowed himself to be teased 
 to plague Dick a little. 
 
 There was one thing that Frank had had instilled 
 into him, and that was that there was no better 
 place to be than at church on Sunday. His mother 
 had been a broad-minded Christian, and although 
 she had instilled the idea of church-going into 
 Frank, she had shown him where church-going 
 would be a pleasure and a profit, instead of trying 
 to make him think it was a duty. The views of the 
 two young men in regard to Christianity were very 
 much the same, but Frank kept his views to him 
 self, while Dick never lost a chance to put himself 
 right ; not that he was at all prone to force his ideas 
 on others, but he would not keep quiet when he 
 knew by so doing people would misjudge him. 
 
 For the next few weeks the two young men 
 attended church in Cambridge quite regularly, and 
 although Dick found a chance each Sunday to say a 
 few words to Mabel, he did not find any excuse to 
 
 23
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 29 
 
 call upon her. Not only did these young men 
 attend church regularly each Sunday, but they 
 attended the young people s meetings Wednesday 
 evenings. This fact pleased brother Lemon very 
 much, as he did not mistrust that there was a 
 woman in the case, and supposed the young men 
 only went because they were thinking more of their 
 souls salvation. 
 
 One Wednesday evening Dick and Frank were a 
 little early at the church, and found several of the 
 young people already present and eagerly talking 
 of a spelling bee that they were planning to have at 
 the next social. 
 
 "It s going to be all kinds of fun," said Sammy 
 Huggins. "Brother Eastman got up the idea, and 
 it is quite original. You see we are to have Josh 
 Billings for authority, and everybody will be 
 obliged to study if they propose to try for the 
 prize." 
 
 Sammy Huggins was a protege of brother 
 Lemon s, and was studying for the ministry; 
 therefore, it was not surprising to know that he 
 thought a spelling bee would be all kinds of fun. 
 Frank smiled at the idea, but Dick was quite inter 
 ested, the reason for the same being that Miss Mabel 
 Richards was with the other young people who were 
 talking it over. The young people s meetings at 
 this particular church were attended by young 
 people from fifteen to forty years of age, and this 
 was the reason that brother William Eastman cou d 
 always be found at them, and why he often pre 
 sided. 
 
 At last all of the arrangements were made for the
 
 3 o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 spelling bee, or all but one, no one had been 
 appointed to put out the words and decide who 
 should receive the prize. Several offered to do this, 
 but to each and everyone brother Eastman said: 
 "We must have you in the class." All at once a 
 new idea seemed to strike him, and going over to 
 where Frank was sitting, he said: 
 
 "I want you to put out the words and award the 
 prize when we have our spelling match. You will 
 do it, of course?" 
 
 "I would prefer not to, Mr. Eastman," said 
 Frank. "I do not belong to the church, and it 
 might seem presumptuous on my part to do this." 
 
 "That is the very reason we want you. We want 
 all who will who belong to the church to spell, and 
 we would prefer to have some one outside of the 
 church members to decide among us. " 
 
 "I would prefer not to do this, but I would sug 
 gest that you take Mr. Vaughn. He would be much 
 more at ease than I would, and I feel sure you could 
 induce him to take hold of it." 
 
 Mr. Eastman then turned his attention to Dick, 
 who had succeeded in getting near Mabel Richards, 
 and was making the best of his chance. Dick 
 heard Mr. Eastman s proposition, and then refused 
 point blank. This surprised Mr. Eastman and 
 seemed to trouble him, as he was determined to 
 secure some one who was not a member of the 
 church to fill this position. He turned to Mabel 
 Richards and said: 
 
 "I must call this meeting to order. Now, will 
 you induce Mr. Vaughn to accept the position I 
 have asked him to fill?"
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 31 
 
 "I will do the best I can, Mr. Eastman." 
 
 With this Mr. Eastman called the meeting to 
 order and conducted it through its usual course. 
 Although Dick and Mabel sat side by side during 
 the whole of the service, not a word was said by 
 either of them. As soon as the meeting was dis 
 missed, however, Mabel put her hand on Dick s 
 arm and looking him square in the eye, said: 
 
 "Mr Vaughn, to please me will you take charge 
 of the spelling at the next social?" 
 
 "Yes," said Dick, and he wished she would ask 
 him a harder one. 
 
 Mabel went at once to Mr. Eastman and told him 
 that Dick had consented to act as schoolmaster, and 
 then joined several of the other young ladies who 
 were going her way home. Dick tried to get near 
 her for a last word, but only received a smiling 
 "Thank you," and a "Good-night," but they were 
 a good deal to a man who was as much in love as he 
 was. 
 
 One evening several days after the young people s 
 meeting, and when it was near the time for the 
 social, Frank came home and found Dick walking 
 the floor in a very excited frame of mind. 
 
 "What s the matter, Dick? Has she gone South 
 and left you with just the remembrance of a smile, 
 as the novelists say?" 
 
 Dick stopped walking and, facing his friend, said: 
 "Come in and shut the door. I am so mad I can 
 hardly see straight." 
 
 "All right, Dick, the door is shut, Fire away and 
 relieve your mind. Perhaps it is not as bad as you 
 think, but let s have it."
 
 32 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "I tell you, Frank, it is bad enough anyway, but 
 let me tell you. Just before the bank closed this 
 afternoon I had a caller in the person of Mr. William 
 Eastman, and after making all sorts of apologies for 
 calling on me, he stated his business in these words, 
 as nearly as I can remember them: 
 
 " I called about the spelling match that you were 
 to take charge of at our social next Thursday even 
 ing. I hardly know how to explain it to you, but it 
 is this way: you most likely know Miss Hartley who 
 attends our church. She is a school teacher and a 
 very worthy lady, and has done a great deal for the 
 church. We feel as though she ought to be 
 rewarded, but she is so sensitive that it is a hard 
 matter to do it, and we have thought that we could 
 do it through the agency of this spelling match. At 
 the same time we want it to appear all right, and in 
 order to do it I have formulated this plan: I have 
 brought you a book that has some of Josh Billings s 
 articles in it and which you can use to give out the 
 words from, and I have also prepared a list of words 
 that are to be propounded to Miss Hartley when it 
 comes her turn to spell. I will see that she learns 
 these words correctly, and with a little generalship 
 on your part, the prize will go where we want it to 
 and the rest of the participants will be entirely 
 satisfied. 
 
 "1 took the book from him, also the slip of paper. 
 My first impulse was to throw the book in his face 
 and curse him for a two-faced wretch, but I 
 remembered that I had promised Miss Richards 
 that I would act as pedagogue, so, swallowing my 
 indignation, I excused myself from spending any
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 33 
 
 more time with him on the plea of work and bowed 
 him out. It was lucky that I was through with my 
 work, for I was so mad that I could not have added 
 up a column of figures to have saved me. Now 
 Frank, what do you think of it all? No wonder he 
 is a friend of old man Lemon s. He is an apt pupil 
 and will be as big a rascal as his master if he keeps 
 on." 
 
 Frank gave a long whistle, cocked his feet up on 
 the back of a chair, and said : 
 
 "That is a scheme worthy of a ward politician, 
 but there doesn t seem to be any going back on the 
 returns, for you have the whole thing down pat. 
 What are you going to do about it?" 
 
 "What would you do?" 
 
 "I would have to think it over a little. I am 
 more than surprised that a proposition of that kind 
 should come from Mr. Eastman, for if there is a 
 man of my acquaintance that I would have taken 
 for an honest Christian and above all petty mean 
 ness, it was Mr. William Eastman. I am not going 
 to advise you what to do, but I would be willing to 
 bet my life against a dime that you will never be a 
 party to any underhand meanness." 
 
 "Thank you, Frank. I would give more fcr your 
 good opinion than I would for that of any other man 
 on earth." 
 
 "All right, Dick, you have it. But there is the 
 supper bell; let s go down and try a little of Mrs. 
 Sargent s raw material." 
 
 When the Thursday evening of the social came, 
 our two friends dressed with the utmost care. Dick 
 had recovered entirely from his mad fit, and was
 
 34 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 his own natural self again. Frank was anticipating 
 a pleasant evening, for he was now quite well 
 acquainted with a number of the young people 
 belonging to Mr. Spencer s followers. 
 
 The social commenced with the never-to-be- 
 skipped piano solo, given by some young member 
 of the church was supposed to have exceptional 
 talent. This was followed by a recitation from 
 Miss Hartley which was supposed to be funny. 
 She was encored and then gave a pathetic one that 
 made the people glad to let her go in peace. 
 Another solo by another exceptional and a short 
 talk by Mr. Spencer used up the time until the 
 long tables were spread for a lunch, or supper, that 
 had been provided by the sisters. 
 
 After the supper came the event of the evening 
 the spelling match. Mr. Eastman announced 
 that every one present would be allowed to contest 
 for the prize, an oil painting, which was a very fine 
 work of art. The picture had been hung up for 
 inspection and was admired by all. There were 
 about fifty of the young people who took part in the 
 contest, besides a few who were not so young. All 
 seemed to enter into the contest in high glee, and 
 no doubt each one figured that there was a chance 
 that his memory would prove better than that of the 
 others and that he might win the prize. Mr. East 
 man reminded Dick not to forget the slip of paper 
 for Miss Hartley, and all was ready for the contest. 
 Dick was- letter perfect in his part and used neither 
 book nor paper. He held the book behind him and 
 gave out the words as fast as they could be taken 
 care of, and motioned each one down as they missed.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 35 
 
 One-half of the contestants went down on the first 
 trial. After the first round Dick found that he had 
 some bright scholars before him who had prepared 
 themselves quite well, but they gave way one by 
 one. Frank did not take part, but watched the 
 proceedings closely, and noticed a look of relief pass 
 over Dick s face as Miss Richards missed and he 
 motioned her to be seated. 
 
 After a time all were down but two, Miss Hartley 
 and Mrs. Mary White. Miss Hartley was given a 
 word and missed. Mrs. White spelled it correctly 
 according to the authority. Miss Hartley did not 
 sit down when she missed, and as Mrs. White spelled 
 the word correctly, Mr. Eastman called out: "Miss 
 Hartley wins the prize." Dick put up his hand, 
 and said: 
 
 "One moment, please; I believe I am the judge 
 of this contest. Mrs. White gets the prize. Miss 
 Hartley missed the last word given out and Mrs. 
 White spelled it correctly." 
 
 There was confusion for a few moments, but Dick 
 stood firm and won his point. The poor sewing- 
 woman, Mrs. White, was overjoyed at her success, 
 and Miss Hartley retired at once to one of the 
 side rooms in no very enviable frame of mind. Mr. 
 Eastman came up to Dick, and said : 
 
 "Your decision was wrong. Mrs. White cannot 
 appreciate a work of art like that. " 
 
 "If that is so," said Dick, "why didn t you make 
 it a contest of appreciation?" 
 
 There had been a good deal of interest in the 
 whole affair, and one of the most interested ones 
 was Mabel Richards. After she lost her place in
 
 3 6 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 the line she stood by and watched every move, and 
 when the dispute came at the last, she never took 
 her eyes off of Dick. When he stuck to his rights 
 she seemed pleased, and after it was all over she 
 went up to him and said: 
 
 "I must thank you again for filling this position, 
 as you did it by my request, and I must congratu 
 late you on your ability as a judge." 
 
 Dick was walking on air on account of the 
 endorsement he had received from Miss Mabel, but 
 realizing that there would be no further chance of 
 getting a word with her, he was willing to accept 
 Frank s suggestion to go home. 
 
 Going through the archway from Leverett to 
 Chamber street that night the young men ran 
 against a fellow-boarder by the name of Harley 
 Bean. Harley was connected with one of the daily 
 papers, but at that time should have been home, as 
 he was through with his work. As soon as he was 
 recognized Dick sang out: 
 
 "Hello, Harley, why don t you go home? All 
 the other places are shut up." Harley had been 
 imbibing a little too much, and, steadying him 
 self to get a better view of the young men, he 
 said: 
 
 "The Archway is open, isn t it? You see, boys," 
 he continued, "I am not as sober as I might be, and 
 if I stay here a while I will only get cold, but if I go 
 home I will get h 11." 
 
 Dick and Frank took hold of him and walked him 
 toward the boarding-house. He went willingly 
 until he reached the door, and then he stopped. 
 
 "Hold on, boys," said he, "my name is Harley,
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 37 
 
 not Daniel. I don t go into a lion s den to-night, 
 not much." 
 
 The boys promised to take him to their own 
 room, which they did, and after he had sat down a 
 few moments he seemed to improve as far as his 
 head was concerned, but grew worse in his feet and 
 legs. The boys did not want to go to bed and leave 
 him, and could not turn him out. He was a bright 
 fellow and well liked. 
 
 "What makes you drink so?" said Dick. 
 
 "What makes me? Why, Dick, I have to. You 
 see, it s this way: my wife is a very nervous 
 woman and needs something to worry about all the 
 time. If I keep sober too long she gets jealous of 
 me, and when I get drunk it gives her something 
 else to think about." 
 
 "Your work is bad for you," said Dick. "How 
 did you happen to be a newspaper man?" 
 
 "It was all her fault; I could not help it. Would 
 never have thought of writing if it hadn t been for 
 her." 
 
 "Why blame her for a thing which most likely 
 you are to blame for yourself?" said Frank. 
 
 "Let me tell you," said Harley. "When I was 
 married I was a hard-working mechanic. I loved 
 my work and I loved my wife. I was a good work 
 man and was doing well, but my wife became 
 absurdly jealous of me. She was not only jealous 
 of other women that I happened to meet in the 
 street, but she was jealous of my work, or of the 
 paper that I read in the morning. One Sunday we 
 were taking a horse-car ride for pleasure, when my 
 wife noticed two girls on the opposite seat of the car
 
 38 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 who seemed to be watching us. I had not noticed 
 them until my wife pulled me by the sleeve and 
 said: 
 
 " Who are those girls, Harley? 
 
 " Never saw them before in my life, said I, and 
 I was honest in saying it. 
 
 14 I know better, said she, and she jumped up 
 and stopped the car. 
 
 " Come on, she continued, and out we got. 
 
 " Now don t tell me that you don t know those 
 bold, bad-faced women. They would never have 
 looked at you like that if you had not been 
 acquainted with them. I have read all about such 
 things; you can t tell me. 
 
 "I then remembered that she was always quoting 
 what she read, and I also remembered that she 
 never doubted anything she ever read ; neither did 
 she ever question any sermon that she ever heard 
 preached. It was then I decided that I must either 
 become a preacher or a writer. After thinking the 
 thing over for a while I decided that, as I was not 
 just cut out for a preacher, I would write, and I 
 commenced at once. I met with success beyond 
 my expectations as a space writer on the Sunday 
 papers, and always managed to get the stuff that I 
 wrote into the hands of my wife. The scheme 
 worked like a charm, and I was educating the dear 
 girl just in the lines I wanted to. It was the first 
 real pleasure I had ever known since I was married. 
 In an unguarded moment a so-called friend found 
 out that I was space-writing. He also found out 
 that I was the writer of a certain pet article of mine 
 that I was particularly fond of, because it had
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 39 
 
 helped me so much with my wife. The next time 
 this rank enemy in the guise of a friend saw my 
 wife he congratulated her on my ability as a writer, 
 and my wife, poor hungry soul, who had found 
 nothing to quarrel about with me for months, caught 
 at this straw and followed it up until she had found 
 out my whole secret. From that day to this she has 
 never looked into a Sunday paper, and if I find any 
 thing anywhere that I don t want her to read, all I 
 have to do is to hand it to her and tell her that I 
 wrote it. With my last hope gone, I took to drink. 
 The first time I went home drunk she swore she 
 would commit suicide if ever I came home in that 
 condition again. She isn t a woman of her word. 
 I was drunk the next night, but she didn t suicide 
 worth a cent. My hope in that direction is gone 
 now, for she has gotten it into her head that I want 
 her to ; but if you will excuse me, I will retire. 
 And he curled himself up in the big arm-chair and 
 was soon fast asleep.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 "And so you are really going, Mabel, and noth 
 ing that I can say will dissuade you?" 
 
 "No, Dick; I cannot change my plans now. I 
 am afraid I have been making excuses to myself 
 to put off my day of departure ever since you first 
 made me say that I loved you, and that was six 
 months ago. You know you took advantage of me 
 after the spelling match because I praised you a 
 little." 
 
 "Yes, I remember all about that; you have told 
 me of it several times. But I forgave you, for you 
 must have some excuse for falling in love with a fel 
 low who cannot draw enough salary to support a 
 wife." 
 
 Dick spoke a little bitterly. He had never 
 realized how badly he was in need of money until 
 he found that Mabel loved him. 
 
 "Don t worry about money, Dick. We are both 
 young, and I am sure that with your ability you 
 will get to the front in a little time. It isn t as 
 though we were engaged and were looking forward 
 to a day when we should need money to go to 
 housekeeping with." 
 
 "Is not the understanding we have nearly equal 
 to an engagement?" 
 
 "Perhaps so, and still it leaves us free in case I 
 should decide to continue teaching, or you should 
 find some one else you liked better." 
 
 40
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 41 
 
 "That is all very nice to say, or perhaps it is, but 
 we have talked that matter over so often that to say 
 anything more about it would only be a repetition 
 of words. There is otie thing I do want to speak to 
 you about, however, and that is what you seem to 
 think is your mission in life. I do not want you to 
 feel hurt at anything I say, but I do want to tell 
 you a few things that you have never had a chance 
 to learn. You have been taught to look upon the 
 negro of the South as a brother, but you have never 
 analyzed that sentiment. The negro is no more the 
 equal of the white man than is the cur that runs the 
 streets the brother of the negro. They are a sep 
 arate and distinct race, and if people would be 
 governed more by their reason, instead of senti 
 ment, they would appreciate this fact." 
 
 "But, Dick, you must be mistaken, and although 
 I think a great deal of your opinion, I cannot help 
 but think that you have gotten upon the wrong 
 track. Mr. Spencer and several other ministers 
 whom I have heard take the ground that the negro 
 is our brother, and not only that, but our govern 
 ment recognized the fact and passed the amend 
 ments to our Constitution, making them free and 
 equal and giving them the same rights that are 
 conferred upon these of our own color. Besides 
 this, the great and noble Lincoln signed the bills 
 passed by Congress that changed the Constitution in 
 this regard." 
 
 "I am delighted to find that you are so well posted 
 in recent history, but the fact remains that the 
 minister who preaches from the pulpit that the negro 
 is a brother and an equal is one of the most incon-
 
 42 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 sistent men living. Suppose Mr. Spencer s sister, 
 whom we all know to be a perfectly refined, educated 
 and lovely girl, should fall in love with young 
 Morris, the negro lawyer, do you think Mr. and 
 Mrs. Spencer would take pleasure in arranging for 
 the nuptials, and would refined little Mrs. Spencer 
 kiss the bridegroom, and take pleasure in introduc 
 ing her black brother, and would Mr. Spencer 
 officiate at the wedding, and would the father of the 
 bride place his hands on the heads of the newly- 
 married couple, and say, Bless you, my children, 
 bless you ?" 
 
 "Oh, stop, stop, Dick! What an awful thing to 
 think of, but of course they do not mean that way." 
 
 "No, that is the trouble; they don t mean that 
 the negro shall be a brother except in theory. No 
 one does who thinks." 
 
 "But what about the men who added to the Con 
 stitution the fourteenth and fifteenth amendment, 
 and the man who was at the head of the nation at 
 that time?" 
 
 "Oh, there is nothing about them that I know of, 
 but did you ever hear of Mr. Fred Douglas and his 
 white wife? Did you ever hear of any of the great 
 men of whom you speak paying any special atten 
 tion to her? If you will look into the facts, I think 
 you will find that she was ostracized by Washing 
 ton society." 
 
 "How do you think of all those things, Dick? 
 You take my breath away by your statements, and 
 they are so different from anything that I have 
 ever heard before. I wonder you do not say that 
 the martyred President was a theorist also."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 43 
 
 "No, I have nothing but good to say of Lincoln, 
 for if there ever was an honest man, he was one. 
 I remember the day the news came of his being 
 shot, and I could not understand how the sun could 
 continue to shine. I remember how I cried and 
 grieved in my boyish way, but to-day as I look at 
 it, there are two sides to the matter." 
 
 "Two sides? How can there be two sides to such 
 a horrible murder? You cannot in any way justify 
 it. I don t believe I could continue to love you if 
 you tried to." 
 
 "Don t worry, I am not trying to justify the 
 cowardly murder, but I do not lose sight of the fact 
 that had he lived through the reconstruction 
 period, he would have made an abundance of 
 enemies. The truth of the matter is, he died just 
 in time, and in just such a manner as to have his 
 virtues stand out so prominently that they covered 
 what few faults he may have had, and he lives in 
 the hearts of the people to-day, and I am glad to 
 say he always will, as a man of exceptional worth 
 and ability, as a man of honor and truth, and a 
 man who loved his fellow man. Republics are not 
 appreciative, and the only man they really honor is 
 the man who dies when at the zenith of his fame." 
 
 While the lovers had been talking in the front 
 parlor of the Richards residence, Mr. Richards had 
 come into the back parlor and had overheard much 
 of the conversation. He had taken no pains to 
 keep quiet, and supposed the young people knew 
 he was there, but they were so interested in their 
 talk that they had not heard him. At last he 
 became interested, and laying down his book,
 
 44 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 listened, but realizing what he was doing, he came 
 into the parlor where the two young people were, 
 and said: 
 
 "I tried to make you people know that I was 
 within hearing, but you were so wrapped up in 
 yourselves that you did not seem to notice me, and 
 I could not help hearing your conversation. You 
 seem to have studied the question a good deal, 
 Richard." 
 
 "I have studied it some, and have been thinking 
 about it a good deal since I became acquainted with 
 your daughter." 
 
 "As you overheard the conversation, papa, you 
 ought to be able to tell us how I can refute his 
 arguments," said Mabel. 
 
 "I have not given these matters much thought, 
 but I have rather taken what the preachers have 
 said for granted, and am not prepared to take up 
 the cudgel for either side." 
 
 "Do you believe that the negro is equal with the 
 white man?" asked Dick of Mr. Richards. 
 
 "I presume God looks at them in the same 
 light." 
 
 "Leaving God out of the question, do you look at 
 them in the same light?" 
 
 "I never had thought much about it, but I sup 
 pose I do." 
 
 "Would you be willing to give your daughter 
 Mabel to a negro for a wife?" 
 
 "Of course not, your question is ridiculous." 
 
 "Is my question any more ridiculous than your 
 inconsistency?" 
 
 "Perhaps not, Mr. Vaughn, but I do not core t->
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 45 
 
 continue the subject." With this Mr. Richards left 
 the room. 
 
 "Perhaps I did wrong, Mabel, in saying what 
 I did to your father, but I could not help it. " 
 
 "Papa will not care unless you press him further. 
 He is one who does not like to bother with knotty 
 questions. If I ever had a thought of backing out 
 of my trip South, that thought is gone, and you 
 have yourself to thank for it. I am going out into 
 the world to see something for myself. I have 
 depended too long upon others for all of my infor 
 mation," 
 
 "I am sorry you have decided in this way, but I 
 don t know what I can do to help matters. If you 
 do not get sick in that trying climate, you will cer 
 tainly get a lot of experience." 
 
 The next night when Dick went to his room he 
 found a note from Mabel, which read: 
 
 "Dear Dick : Forgive me for not saying good-b} r e. 
 I did not have the courage to tell 3^011 that my plans 
 were all made to leave to-day. When you are with 
 me my good resolutions weaken, but when you are 
 away, I see my duty and have the strength to do it. 
 I am glad we are not engaged, and I assure you that 
 I shall never marry. I know my duty and shall do 
 it, and I believe this is what God requires of me. I 
 do not intend to write you, Dick, for your ideas are 
 not in harmony with my work, and your letters 
 could not help me. Besides that, it is your duty to 
 forget me and place your affections on some one 
 who has no such duty as I have to perform. Do 
 not think for a moment that I can write this with 
 out many regrets for what I realize can never be,
 
 46 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 but I am doing what is best for us both. Good-bye, 
 my first and only love. "MABEL." 
 
 When Dick had finished reading the note he 
 handed it to Frank without a word of explanation. 
 Frank read it, and handing it back, said : 
 
 "I would not trouble my head about that, Dick. 
 That girl loves you, and when a girl like that loves, 
 her love will outlast the separation of a year, and 
 that is longer than she will stay down there among 
 those freedmen in the South. If she had not gone, 
 she never would have forgiven herself, as she had 
 gotten it into her head that it was her duty to go. 
 So don t worry, old boy; just remember my words. 
 She will come back, and when she does, Dick 
 Vaughn will be the only one she will see." 
 
 "Thank you, Frank, for your encouraging 
 remarks, but I never felt so heavy in my life as I 
 do now, and I cannot shake the feeling off. It 
 seems as though something were about to happen, 
 but perhaps it is because something has happened." 
 
 Frank, trying to keep Dick from thinking of his 
 troubles, proposed that they take a walk. The invi 
 tation was accepted, and the young men were soon 
 on the street. As they were walking without any 
 particular object in view, they soon found them 
 selves away from the more crowded thoroughfares, 
 and their attention was attracted by some loud talk 
 ing in front of them on the sidewalk. Two men 
 and two women were engaged in conversation, and, 
 to judge by their voices, the subject under discus 
 sion was one on which all did not agree. Just as 
 our two young men came opposite to them, one of 
 the men said something to one of the women,
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 47 
 
 emphasizing it with an oath, and at the same time 
 striking her in the face with his fist. The girl 
 dropped like a log; the other girl screamed and the 
 other man ran. Dick, who was nearer the brute 
 who struck the girl than Frank, knocked the fellow 
 down, and not being in a very amiable frame of 
 mind, jumped on his prostrate form and kicked him 
 good. The girls dodged into a house near by, but 
 their screams had already aroused the police. 
 Frank, seeing that they were liable to have an 
 explanation to make, pulled Dick off, and the boys 
 ran down an alley and soon got back to their own 
 room. 
 
 At breakfast the next morning one of the board 
 ers said: 
 
 "Mr. Vaughn, here is something that will interest 
 you ; let me read it : 
 
 " About ten o clock last night, as Mr. Henry E. 
 Ballard, son of George F Ballard, president of the 
 Metro Bank, and his friend, Dr. William Gates, 
 were walking along Howard street, they were 
 attacked by two roughs. Doctor Gates ran, leaving 
 Mr. Ballard to stand the brunt of the battle. Mr. 
 Ballard fought the two men, but a blow from some 
 blunt instrument in the hands of one of his assailants 
 laid him out, and he was severely beaten. The 
 robbers got something like twenty-five dollars in 
 money, and broke his watch chain trying to secure 
 his watch, but Mr. Ballard fought them so hard that 
 he kept his watch, and the robbers, seeing the police 
 approaching, ran down an alley and disappeared. 
 The thugs must be getting pretty bold when they 
 will ply their trade in so conspicuous a place, and it
 
 48 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 seems as though our police force needed a little 
 polishing up. 
 
 Dick s face was a picture. He was surprised and 
 scared at the same time; surprised that he had not 
 recognized young Ballard and scared to think that 
 perhaps Ballard had recognized him. Afterwards, 
 as he thought of the lie about the robbers, he 
 wanted to laugh. He never looked at Frank, but 
 after breakfast they went up to their room, and, 
 after looking at each other for a moment, both 
 broke out in laughter. 
 
 "After all," said Dick, after a little, "this may be 
 no laughing matter for me. If it should turn out 
 that he had recognized me, it would be a bad job 
 for me." 
 
 "He certainly could not have known you or he 
 would never have sprung that story on the police." 
 
 Dick was very busy on his books that morning, at 
 the bank, when )^oung Ballard came in, and was 
 wondering what he should say to him about the 
 affair when he heard another clerk say: 
 
 "You had a serious time last night, Mr. Ballard." 
 
 "There, that will do," said Mr. Ballard. "I don t 
 want any of you to say one word to me about that 
 affair. I feel sore enough about it anyway." 
 
 Dick looked up from his books, and said to him 
 self, "I wouldn t wonder if you did feel a little sore, 
 by the looks of that face." One eye was black, his 
 nose was skinned, and he had a general used-up 
 appearance. His father told him he should not 
 have come down. Dick did not like the look that 
 young Ballard gave him, but he had no way of find 
 ing out what was in the young 1 man s mind.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 49 
 
 It was nearly a month after this event and some 
 time alter Dick had decided that his alarms were 
 false in regard to young Ballard knowing he was 
 the man who beat him, when the boys had a caller. 
 They were in their room and Dick, as usual, was 
 talking about Mabel and wondering how long she 
 would stay in the South. There came a rap at the 
 door and in walked Harley Bean. He came in on 
 tiptoe, and the boys took it for granted that he was 
 on another of his periodical drunks. 
 
 "Good evening, boys. I told the old girl I had 
 to go out on an assignment to-night, just because I 
 wanted to come up and see you. The fact is, boys, 
 I have been so good lately that I feel as though I 
 were beginning to rust." 
 
 44 What makes you speak so disrespectfully of your 
 wife as to call her tne old girl ?" said Frank. 
 
 "You would not have me call her a young girl, 
 would you? But I forget, you don t know her well 
 enough to appreciate the name." 
 
 "Why did you lie to her when you were coming 
 up here instead of telling her you were going to call 
 on us?" said Frank, and as he said it he did not try 
 to cover up his disgust. 
 
 "There again you don t know her, my boy. If 
 she knew where I was she would have her ear at 
 that keyhole right now," and he got up, and open 
 ing the door, looked out. 
 
 Dick motioned to Frank to keep still, and then 
 said: 
 
 "Don t mind Frank, Harley; he is in love, or I 
 should judge he was, by the way he takes up for the 
 weaker sex."
 
 50 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Oh, I don t mind him. I used to be that way 
 myself, but I paid a minister ten dollars and got 
 cured. You see, boys, it s this way: it doesn t do 
 to tell a woman everything, at all events not in my 
 case ; although you might work it all right in your 
 line of business. Did any one ever tell you that 
 Harley Bean was one of the best paid reporters in 
 Boston? No? Probably not, but you would find 
 that to be a fact if you hunted for it. If I took my 
 wife s advice I would not earn money enough to 
 pay room rent. She tells me that I should never 
 accept an assignment where I would be obliged to 
 go into any place where I could not take my wife, 
 and my best jobs are of the criminal order. Say, 
 boys, you are wondering why I came up here, aren t 
 you? Well, I will tell you. Why, I haven t been 
 up here since I slept in that chair, have I? I ought 
 to be more neighborly, hadn t I? Say, Dick, how 
 much would the people up at your bank give to 
 know who beat up young Ballard?" 
 
 The question came so suddenly that it took Dick 
 by surprise, and he paled visibly, but he gathered 
 himself together quickly, and said: 
 
 "I am sure I don t know; have never thought 
 about it, in fact. 
 
 "Then let me put the question another way. 
 How much would you give to have them kept in 
 ignorance of who did it?" 
 
 "Why should I give anything, or why should the 
 thing interest me in the least?" said Dick. 
 
 "You carry that out pretty well, Dick, although 
 you did give yourself away a little at first ; but your 
 chum here, Frank, has gone all to pieces. When I
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 51 
 
 came in here to-night you both thought I was full, 
 and I let you think so just to get your minds in good 
 shape. When I got ready to get down to business, 
 you both fell into my trap. Now, Frank, I want to 
 give you a piece of advice: don t measure every 
 one by your little six-inch rule, and don t judge 
 other people s motives. I have heard you say those 
 same words to Dick, but it was when he was coming 
 down on some of the church folks. Don t forget 
 that there are other people in the world who are 
 worthy of consideration besides those whom you 
 happen to think are worthy of it." 
 
 "You are right, Harley, and I am wrong. I have 
 always tried to have consideration for every one, 
 and I shall try harder in the future." 
 
 "Now, boys," said Harley, "you may need a friend 
 before you know it, and you may find that Harley 
 is not such a bad fellow after all, even if he does 
 have to tell a few crooked stories to his wife. Do 
 you remember meeting me on Washington street 
 the day before yesterday, Dick?" 
 
 "Yes, of course. We stopped and talked a few 
 minutes at the corner of Washington and Milk. I 
 remember you spoke to two young ladies while we 
 were standing there." 
 
 "Exactly; your memory is good. Well, I was out 
 last night and dropped into Mose Pearson s place in 
 Haymarket Square, and saw those same girls again. 
 They asked after you very particularly. They 
 wanted to know your name first, also who you were, 
 and where you worked. I thought possibly there 
 might be something up, so I told them your name 
 was Charlie Thompson, and that you worked some-
 
 52 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 where down on State street, but that I did not 
 know where. But, said I, why are you so inter 
 ested in him? And then they told me the whole 
 story of the Howard street affair and the part you 
 took in it. You did him up in bad shape and did it 
 quick. I learned another little piece of news at the 
 same place last night that I wrote up and got 
 twenty-five dollars for this morning but I told my 
 wife that I was sent out late to report a church 
 festival over in East Boston. It pleases her better 
 that way."
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 "Will you share my umbrella with me?" said 
 Frank Bardwell, as he stepped up beside a young- 
 lady on the corner of Cornhill and Court streets. 
 The young lady glanced at the speaker, and said : 
 
 "How can I help it, Mr. Bardwell, when you have 
 already placed it over me?" 
 
 "Then perhaps you had better take my arm, that 
 we may both keep out of the wet better." 
 
 The young lady was Miss Olive Sargent, the 
 landlady s homely daughter. The shower had 
 come up suddenly and found her unprepared, and 
 Frank, coming along just at that time, saved her 
 from a wetting. 
 
 "It doesn t seem just right to accept favors from 
 a stranger, Mr. Bardwell." 
 
 "And we are such strangers, too!" said Frank. 
 "Have only lived under one roof for about two 
 years." 
 
 "Even so, we have never spoken to each other 
 before." 
 
 "That is not my fault, I assure you." 
 
 At this moment the rain fell in torrents, and 
 Frank quickly drew his companion into a doorway, 
 saying: 
 
 "We had better wait here a moment until the 
 worst is over; it will not be long." 
 
 53
 
 54 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Miss Sargent accepted the situation as a matter 
 of course, and then, noticing that Frank was look 
 ing at her intently, said: 
 
 "A penny for your thoughts." 
 
 "They are worth more than that. I have made a 
 discovery." And then, feeling that he had said the 
 wrong thing, he blushed like a school girl. 
 
 "The chances are I can tell your thoughts with 
 out your assistance." 
 
 "Do you think so? Then tell them, and if you 
 are right I will own up to them. 
 
 "You were thinking what a shame it was that you 
 had not run across the handsome daughter instead 
 of the homely one. Now, own up." 
 
 "You are decidedly wrong; in fact, so far wrong 
 that I have half a mind to tell you what was in my 
 mind." 
 
 "All right, tell me. /I can stand it." 
 
 "No, I prefer not to; you would think me bold 
 on so short an acquaintance. However, I shall be 
 pleased if the time should come when I feel well 
 enough acquainted with you to tell it." 
 
 "You excite my curiosity. Is it very bad?" 
 
 "I guess not but the rain is about over. Shall 
 we go?" 
 
 Frank raised his umbrella, and the two again 
 started out. 
 
 "We see very little of you at the house, Miss 
 Sargent." 
 
 "Yes, I keep out of sight as much as possible. 
 You see, Martha and I both have situations, as we 
 prefer to do it rather than to assist about the house, 
 for it is much pleasanter for us, and mother can
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 55 
 
 hire girls that are of more assistance to her than we 
 could be." 
 
 "You mother is quite a business woman. I have 
 often admired her tact." 
 
 "I am glad to hear you say so. I had thought 
 you and your friend, Mr. Vaughn, made fun of her, 
 especially Mr. Vaughn." 
 
 "I think you are mistaken, Miss Sargent, about 
 Dick. He is one of the best fellows in the world, 
 and would be the last one to hurt any one s feel 
 ings, although he does like to have a little fun once 
 in a while." 
 
 As they reached the door of the boarding-house, 
 Miss Sargent said: 
 
 "I am very much obliged for your assistance, and 
 trust you may have better luck next time." 
 
 "So you do not believe what I said?" 
 
 "How can I?" 
 
 "Will you let me prove it?" 
 
 "Why, of course, if you can." 
 
 "And will you assist me to prove it?" 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 "Very well. I have two tickets for the lecture at 
 Music Hall for this evening, and shall expect you 
 to go with me. I will call for you at the parlor at 
 twenty minutes of eight," and without waiting for 
 a reply, Frank bounded up stairs. He burst into 
 the room with a rush, and came near overturning 
 Dick before he got proper control of himself." 
 
 "Well, well, well! are the police after you, or 
 has some old aunt died and left you her wardrobe, 
 that you are turning everything upside down?" 
 
 "Nothing of the sort, Dick. I just hurried up to
 
 56 
 
 tell you that you need not go to the lecture with me 
 to-night if you do not want to." 
 
 "I needn t go to the lecture! Didn t I pay for 
 one of those tickets, and didn t I buy it because you 
 insisted that I should go? What is the meaning of 
 all this, anyway?" 
 
 "It only means that I have asked some one else 
 to go in your place, and if she accepts, I will buy 
 the other ticket and you can deny yourself a little 
 just for this once." 
 
 "Out with it, Frank. Who is the fortunate being, 
 and why have you kept her hidden so long?" 
 
 Frank then told the story of the umbrella and all 
 that was said during the trip, and then waited for 
 Dick to speak. 
 
 "So I am to lose you to the homely daiighter, am 
 I? Well, it s all right. I will be safe in not chang 
 ing my clothes to go, for she will be in the par 
 lor." 
 
 "What makes you think so?" 
 
 "For two reasons: first, she is a sensible girl; 
 and next, she cannot very well refuse on account of 
 the way you asked her. I am glad it isn t the hand 
 some one. Olive is worth a dozen of her." 
 
 "I am glad you think so, for that has always been 
 my opinion. Do you think she is very plain look 
 ing?" 
 
 "I would never have thought it if I had not been 
 told so. She has good features and a fine figure. 
 It is true her hair is red, and she has a sprinkling of 
 freckles, but she will pass in a crowd, and has more 
 sense in a minute than her sister ever thought of." 
 
 At twenty minutes of eight Frank presented him-
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 57 
 
 self at the parlor door, and in a moment Miss Olive 
 appeared also. She seemed a little confused, and 
 said: 
 
 "I hope I am not doing the wrong thing, Mr. 
 Bardwell. It is so hard fcr me to know what to 
 do. It may seem strange to you, but I have no one 
 to ask or no one whom I feel I can ask and receive 
 an answer that comes from any particular interest 
 taken in me." 
 
 "I think I can understand it all, Mips Snrgent. 
 You mother is bound up body and soul in Miss 
 Martha, and for certain reasons you have not made 
 any acquaintances in the house. I will venture, 
 however, that you have lady friends outside of the 
 house with whom you are a favorite. Am I right?" 
 
 "Perhaps so, but no one ever seemed to read me 
 befcre as you have." 
 
 While the conversation was going on they were 
 walking toward Music Hall. The lecture was good, 
 and both Frank and Olive enjoyed it. The fact 
 that Frank was taking out his first Boston girl 
 seemed to lend dignity to the young man s bearing-, 
 but Olive seemed to have less confidence in herself. 
 She would have felt much better could she have 
 fathomed Frank s mind and really found out 
 whether he had asked her out of pity or because he 
 found her the least bit interesting. 
 
 When Frank told her that he would expect to find 
 her in the parlor at twenty minutes of eight, she 
 hurried up to her room. There she found her sis 
 ters, Martha and Belle, and also her muther. 
 
 "I am glad you have come at last," said Martha. 
 "I want you to fix my hat as I tuld you this morn-
 
 58 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 ing. I am going out to-night and want to look my 
 best." 
 
 "You always look well, Martha," said her 
 mother. "There is never much chance for im 
 provement. Isn t that so, Olive?" 
 
 "Yes, mother, Martha always looks her part, the 
 handsome daughter, and I will fix the hat at once, 
 for I have an invitation out myself this evening. 
 
 "Is it another hen party?" said fourteen-year-old 
 Belle, remembering that Martha had said that Olive 
 only went out evenings with a lot of old maids. 
 
 "Well, not exactly, my smart little sister, but I 
 have an invitation to go to Music Hall with Mr. 
 Frank Bardwell, and expect to go unless our mother 
 knows of some reason why I should not." 
 
 "Oh, go by all means, Olive," said her mother, 
 "for the good Lord knows it is not often that you 
 get a chance; but don t take it too much to heart if 
 you find that Mr. Bardwell asked you so as to have 
 a chance to get acquainted with your more prepos 
 sessing sister." 
 
 "Don t worry, mother, I will not allow my affec 
 tions to receive a set-back, for I shall never fall in 
 love with any one unless I know I am or will be 
 loved in return." 
 
 "I ll tell you what to do, Olive. You wait until 
 Martha is married and I am off to Europe studying 
 music, and then you will stand a better chance." 
 
 "Thanks, little one; I will think it over. But 
 tell me, mother, is it not possible that Mr. Bardwell 
 has asked me to go to this lecture just for the sake 
 of having company, and not because he has serious 
 designs on any of your daughters?"
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 59 
 
 "I am sure I don t know, daughter, but young 
 men are not what they used to be, and it seems to 
 me that none of them put themselves out for any 
 one unless there is a selfish motive back of it." 
 
 "Perhaps you are right, mother, but I am inclined 
 to think that human nature is much the same now 
 as it was thirty years ago." 
 
 Olive finished trimming Martha s hat, went down 
 and ate a hasty supper, and helped her handsome 
 sister to dress ; then dressed herself, and was only 
 a moment late in keeping her appointment with 
 Frank. 
 
 Music Hall was quite well filled. The lecture 
 was not only instructive, but was entertaining, and 
 was thoroughly enjoyed by both Frank and Olive. 
 As they walked home they talked the lecture over, 
 and found they agreed on almost every point. 
 Frank clearly enjoyed every moment of his evening, 
 and as for Olive, she owned to herself that a more 
 interesting evening she had never experienced. 
 Occasionally her mother s words would come to her 
 and hurt a little, but as Frank said nothing about 
 any other member of her family, she tried to throw 
 off the feeling and make herself think that, if not 
 now, some time some one would want to be near 
 her for herself alone. 
 
 The next morning, as mother and daughter met, 
 the mother said: 
 
 "What did Mr. Bard well say about Martha, 
 daughter? " And Olive answered: 
 
 "Surprising as it may appear, mother, he never 
 mentioned her name." 
 
 Mrs. Sargent looked her astonishment. It was
 
 60 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 beyond her that any one should ever meet any 
 member of her family and not spend the most of 
 the time talking about her handsome daughter. 
 
 Frank had found his evening at the lecture so 
 pleasant that he made it a point to go somewhere 
 with Olive one evening each week. He would 
 either get tickets for the theater or a lecture, or if 
 there was nothing that he thought she wjuld Kke, 
 he would invite her to visit some of his friends. 
 There was no love-making with these evenings out, 
 but there grew up between the two a mutual, 
 unspoken understanding that they wanted to be 
 together at least as often as once a week for an 
 evening. 
 
 Frank was somewhat methodical in everything 
 that he did, and one thing had troubled him since 
 he first commenced to take Olive out. Dick and he 
 had their evenings pretty well taken up, and it 
 bothered him sometimes to hold out an evening for 
 Olive. At last he decided what should be done, and 
 one evening made Olive a proposition as follows: 
 
 "Miss Olive, I have been thinking that it might 
 be more convenient for both of us if we would set 
 aside some one evening in the week when we could 
 be together. As it is, Dick almost makes me skip 
 you sometimes, and I should feel as though I had 
 lost something if such a thing should happen. So, 
 if you are willing, we will decide on Thursday even 
 ing, and we will spend that evening together, either 
 at some entertainment or at home. What do you 
 say?" 
 
 "I say that it is the strangest idea I ever heard 
 of, but I do not see anything against it and will
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 61 
 
 agree to it, provided both of us have the privilege 
 of breaking it any time we see fit to do so." 
 
 "That is all right, but I suggest that if broken 
 once it is to stay broken, unless the one breaking it 
 can give satisfactory reasons to the other for so 
 doing." And this was the methodical scheme they 
 decided upon. 
 
 They would generally meet on Sunday and decide 
 whether they would go anywhere the next Thurs 
 day evening, and in case they did not see each other 
 Sunday, or Olive did not hear from Frank before 
 Thursday evening, she was sure to find him in the 
 parlor at seven thirty, and generally with some sur 
 prise in the way of an evening s entertainment. 
 
 Perhaps the greatest surprise that came to Olive 
 was on one Thursday evening after this arrange 
 ment had been in force for some time. Frank had 
 sent word to her that he had tickets for the theater, 
 and as the play was one that Olive had expressed a 
 wish to see, she was anticipating an exceptionally 
 pleasant evening. She was waiting in the parlor at 
 twenty minutes of eight, all ready to go, when Dick 
 Vaughn stepped into the room and, with a very 
 solemn face, bade her good evening and handed her 
 a letter. Olive was a self-possessed girl, but it took 
 all of her self-possession to control her feelings, for 
 she felt sure something was wrong. Trembling a 
 little, she tore open the letter and read : 
 
 "My Dear Miss Sargent: Business of importance 
 keeps me from you this evening, but I do not want 
 you to lose your evening at the theater; neither do 
 I want to break my agreement with you about 
 Thursday evening, so I send my proxy, Mr. Richard
 
 6 2 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Vaughn, who will escort you to the theater and do 
 his best to make the evening pass pleasantly. Hop 
 ing you will enjoy the play as much as you antici 
 pate, I remain, Yours very truly, 
 
 "FRANK." 
 
 Olive stood up while she read the letter, but 
 she sat down to think when she had finished it, and 
 as she did so drew a long breath. Dick said to him 
 self: "So that s the way the wind blows, is it? She 
 is in love with Frank, and the chances are he is in 
 love with her, and neither of them knows what ails 
 them. But this won t do; I will have trouble if I 
 don t break the spell." 
 
 Walking over to her, he said: "The letter says I 
 am to take Frank s place, doesn t it? That is what 
 he told me, so you had better come at once or we 
 will be late, and I very much want to see the first 
 of the play." 
 
 Dick kept up a running fire of this kind until he 
 got her started, and then talked of everything he 
 could think of until they reached the theater. The 
 curtain was run up as they took their seats, and, as 
 the play was grand, Olive was soon interested in it, 
 but it was easy to see that she was not enjoying 
 herself as she might. Dick noticed it, and did his 
 best to keep her thoughts from the peculiar situa 
 tion in which they had been placed. When the play 
 was over Dick invited her to have a lunch, but she 
 refused in a most decided manner. As they walked 
 home Olive was very quiet, and Dick, for the first 
 time in his life, was at a loss to know what to say. 
 At last he broke out with : 
 
 "Miss Sargent, I almost feel that I ought to
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 63 
 
 apologize to you, and I want you to hear me out 
 and take no offense at what I have to say. When 
 Frank sent for me this afternoon and told me how 
 he was fixed and what he wanted me to do, I 
 wanted to come for two reasons : first, I wanted to 
 see the play; and next, I thought it would be a 
 great lark to be a proxy. As soon as I gave you the 
 letter I thought I had made a mistake. When you 
 finished reading it and almost fell into a chair I 
 knew I had. The fact is, Miss Sargent, you are in 
 love with Frank, and you never really found it out 
 until to-night. It had come on you so gradually 
 that you were not aware of it, and it is most likely 
 the same with Frank. I would not be at all sur 
 prised if he had been miserable all the evening. I 
 hope he has, at all events, and that he has wakened 
 up to facts as you have. I have told you some 
 truths, but don t think that I shall tell them to any 
 one else. Not even to Frank will I mention it, so 
 don t worry on that score." 
 
 Dick stopped talking. After two or three futile 
 attempts, Olive managed to say, "Thank you." 
 
 At the corner of Chamber and Green streets, only 
 a few doers from Mrs. Sargent s boarding-house, 
 they found Frank waiting for them, and Dick, to 
 give Olive a chance to compose herself, commenced 
 to tell him what a fine play it was and what a charm 
 ing time they had had. He talked until they 
 reached the door, and then, thinking it was the best 
 thing to do, bade them both good-night and 
 bounded upstairs to his room. 
 
 Frank had said but little, and Olive had said 
 nothing; but as soon as Frank got a look at her face
 
 6 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 he saw traces of tears, and then he realized how 
 blind he had been before, and how little he had 
 known of his own feelings. Olive tried to speak, 
 and it hurt her to think he could not make light of 
 the situation. Frank noticed this, and knowing 
 that the front hall of Mrs. Sargent s boarding-house 
 was apt to be a stirring place after the theater, he 
 pressed her hand and said: 
 
 "Don t say a word, Olive; I understand it all. 
 Dick has been the means of waking us both up, and 
 it s all right," And with this he left her. 
 
 Olive found her way to her own room. Martha had 
 not returned, and, finding herself alone, Olive gave 
 full vent to her feelings, and, throwing herself on 
 her bed, cried for an hour. These were not tears 
 of sorrow, however, and perhaps they could not be 
 called tears of joy. It seemed to be more of a 
 breaking away of a flood of trials that had been 
 restrained for years. It was twelve o clock before 
 her cry was over and she had dried her eyes and 
 again looked her natural self. When, a few min 
 utes after, Martha came in, she was surprised to 
 find her sister still up. Strange to say, she saw no 
 change in Olive, but was so wide-awake herself that 
 she was glad to find her up to talk to. 
 
 "How did you like the play, Olive? You did not 
 seem to be enjoying yourself as well as usual, even 
 if you did have a new escort." 
 
 "Oh, I don t know. The play was fine, and I 
 think, on the whole, I have enjoyed this evening 
 the best of any. But I did not see you." 
 
 "That s just the difference between us; I see 
 everything, and you see nothing; but I am glad
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 65 
 
 you have changed off from Mr. Bardwell to Mr. 
 Vaughn. I think Bardwell is an awfully stupid fel 
 low, and Dick Vaughn is as sharp as a tack. If he 
 had money I would toss him a few smiles myself." 
 And Miss Martha retired with the firm belief that 
 she could see everything.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 The love affairs of the homely daughter pro 
 gressed evenly after the affair recorded in the last 
 chapter. Frank lost caste with Mrs. Sargent on 
 account of his preference, and Miss Martha when 
 she took time to think of it, felt a little hurt. 
 Belle, who was now nearing fifteen, seemed to look 
 upon him as a sort of freak who either had defect 
 ive eyesight or was a little light in the upper story. 
 Olive had only recently found out that she might 
 make a good appearance if she would put some of 
 the money into her own wardrobe which she had 
 been in the habit of using to help out her younger 
 sisters. For the first time in her life she was happy. 
 She had her young lady friends away from home, 
 and she could always depend on Frank. They sel 
 dom talked of themselves, and still they always 
 found plenty to talk of. They attended lectures 
 and theaters, and this alone gave them subject for 
 conversation; unknowingly they were improving 
 their minds, but knowingly they were having a 
 very pleasant time. There had been but very little 
 talk of love between them, but there was a mutual 
 feeling that was thoroughly understood. 
 
 One evening several months after the episode of 
 the proxy at the theater, Frank was surprised to 
 find that his friend Dick was not at his accustomed 
 place at the supper table. It was Thursday even 
 ing, and Frank and Olive had planned to attend the 
 
 66
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 67 
 
 theater. Frank decided that Dick had received an 
 invitation out, and that he could find him in his 
 room when he came home from the play. As 
 Frank entered his room after he had bade Miss 
 Olive good-night, he was doomed to another disap 
 pointment Dick had not returned. It was some 
 thing that had never happened before, and yet 
 Frank argued: "Dick is of age, and has a right to 
 go and come as he pleases. I will think no more 
 about it." With this determination he retired, and 
 was soon asleep. 
 
 The next morning at breakfast the mysterious dis 
 appearance of Dick was solved. As Frank came 
 into the dining-room Mrs. Harley Bean had just 
 finished reading aloud an article in the paper, over 
 which all the boarders present were exclaiming. 
 She passed the paper to Frank, and this is what he 
 read: 
 
 "BANK ROBBERY! 
 
 "The Metro Bank is Robbed of Several Thousand 
 Dollars. Richard Vaughn, a Trusted Em 
 ploye, Has Been Arrested. 
 
 "Some of the Money Found on His Person. 
 
 "Several packages of bills have been missed from 
 time to time from the Metro Bank, and until last 
 night the efforts of the officers of the bank, with the 
 assistance of some of the best detectives in the 
 city, have been futile in their attempts to find the 
 culprit. Just before closing time yesterday after 
 noon a small package of bills was missed. The 
 bank detective was notified at once, and before any
 
 68 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 one left the bank a thorough search was made, which 
 resulted in finding the package of bills secreted in 
 the inner lining of a coat that was hanging in a 
 clothes-closet and which belonged to Mr. Richard 
 Vaughn. A warrant was sworn out and Mr. 
 Vaughn was arrested at once. After denying all 
 knowledge of the money, he refused to say anything 
 more on the subject, and was locked up in the city 
 hall. 
 
 "Mr. Vaughn is about twenty-four years of age, 
 and resides at Mrs. Sargent s boarding-house on 
 Chamber street. No word has ever been breathed 
 against him before, although young Mr. Ballard, 
 the assistant cashier, says he has had his suspicions 
 for some time that Mr. Vaughn was leading a fast 
 life." 
 
 As Frank looked up from his reading he found 
 that every eye was watching him. He felt the 
 blood leaving his face and he grew faint. He rose 
 from the table and passed out of the dining-room 
 and out of the house without saying a word. When 
 once outside he sought a quiet restaurant and ate 
 some breakfast; then he went to the city hall to see 
 Dick. Harley Bean was there before him and most 
 likely it was lucky that this was so, for otherwise 
 Frank could h.irdly have gotten in to see his friend. 
 Harley, as a reporter, knew the ropes and was at 
 home wherever there were policemen or prisoners. 
 When Frank went in he was talking to Dick through 
 the bars. Dick s eyes sparkled with pleasure as he 
 recognized Frank, and he said: 
 
 "Old Reliable turns up all right, just as I 
 expected. It is a good thing to know that a fellow
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 69 
 
 is not friendless when the dark days come. I was 
 sure you two fellows would stand by me, but I don t 
 know what good it will do, for things are looking 
 dark just now." 
 
 "You are innocent, Dick," said Frank. "That is 
 so much to start with." 
 
 "That is all very well, Frank, but innocent men 
 are hung once in a while, so I am told, and that, 
 you know, is poor satisfaction." 
 
 "Don t talk that way, Dick. You will have 
 plenty of help, and we will have you out of here as 
 soon as we can find out what your bond will be." 
 
 "I am not so sure of that, Frank, for I think I 
 know what you are thinking of. You are thinking 
 of asking Mr. Lemon to bail me out. Isn t that 
 so?" 
 
 "Yes, of course; but why should you doubt his 
 willingness to help you?" 
 
 "Perhaps I am too downcast to think aright, so I 
 will say no more." Then turning to Harley, he 
 said: "I will accept the offer of your friend, Harley, 
 for I do not know who else would take my case." 
 
 With this Harley and Frank left Dick behind the 
 bars, and each went his own way. Harley went to 
 see Harvey Lippman, a young criminal lawyer with 
 but little practice, and Frank started for the com 
 mission house of H. U. Lemon & Co. 
 
 Mr. Lemon had read the paper and guessed the 
 meaning of Frank s being late, and he must also 
 have guessed what Frank was going to ask him, for 
 he commenced at once before Frank had framed 
 the first sentence. He put his hands on Frank s 
 shoulders and said:
 
 70 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "I am so sorry to read of your friend s fall, 
 Frank, and I am more sorry to know that you were 
 accidentally acquainted with a man of that char 
 acter. Some people would discharge you at once, 
 but I know you had nothing to do with it, Frank, 
 and I am sure you knew nothing of it. All you 
 have to do now is to drop his acquaintance alto 
 gether and let the law take its course." 
 
 As Mr. Lemon said this his voice trembled, and 
 there were tears in his eyes. To say that Frank 
 was surprised does not half express it. He was 
 dumbfounded. As soon as he could collect himself 
 he said: 
 
 But, Mr. Lemon, Dick has done no wrong. He 
 is the victim of a trick or else this has been done 
 for revenge. I came as soon as I could, for I 
 wanted you to interest yourself enough in him to 
 bail him out and let him have a chance to dig the 
 truth out of this matter." 
 
 "No, no, Frank, you must not let your heart run 
 away with your head in this matter. Just think 
 how foolish your remarks would seem to an out 
 sider. No one would play a trick like that, and 
 what object would any one have for the revenge 
 you speak of? No, Frank, drop the whole thing 
 and go to work. You and I cannot afford to 
 mix up with this affair in any way. It would not 
 do to have our names in the papers in connec 
 tion with it." And with this Mr. Lemon turned 
 to his desk. 
 
 Frank was not to be put off this way, and catch 
 ing hold of Mr. Lemon s arm, said: "Suppose, Mr. 
 Lemon, this had happened to one of your sons;
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 7.1 
 
 would you have had the same feeling in regard 
 to it?" 
 
 "It could not have happened to a son of mine, 
 Frank. They are both members of the church, and 
 they could no more steal than I could." 
 
 Frank knew that all help from Mr. Lemon was 
 gone, and it was a crushing blow. As he remem 
 bered what Mr. Lemon said about the chances being 
 that some men would have discharged help for 
 being so unfortunate as to be acquainted with a 
 man who had been arrested, he thought he had 
 better work cautiously. 
 
 At noon he dropped into a place to lunch where 
 he was pretty sure to find Mr. Richards, and, tak 
 ing a seat beside him, said: "You have read of 
 Mr. Vaughn s misfortune, I presume, Mr. Rich 
 ards?" 
 
 "Yes, I read it, and was never more surprised in 
 my life. What made him do it?" 
 
 "Mr. Richards, Dick Vaughn is incapable of 
 wrong-doing. He has been fearfully wronged by 
 some one, and my only hope is that in some way the 
 matter may be cleared up." 
 
 "I atn glad to hear you say this, Frank, for I liked 
 the young fellow, and nothing grieves me more than 
 to have a young man of my acquaintance go 
 wrong." 
 
 "I am going to try and help Dick, Mr. Richards, 
 even if I am obliged to give up my position to do it, 
 and 1 want you to advise me. Mr. Lemon has 
 demanded that I have no more to do with the whole 
 matter, for he seems to believe that Dick is guilty. 
 I cannot afford to stop work, but I must help my
 
 72 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 friend. If Mr. Lemcn should discharge me, would 
 you give me a position?" 
 
 Mr. Richards looked at Frank in surprise and said : 
 "No, Frank, I could not give you a position; first, 
 because I have no opening, and next, because I do 
 not care to have any controversy with Mr. Lemon, 
 who is rather set in his way. I don t think, how 
 ever, that he will discharge you, and if he does you 
 can rely on me to try to get you something else 
 to do." 
 
 "What would you do if you were me; give up a 
 friend whom you knew was as true as steel, or give 
 up the situation? Remember, I am asking your 
 advice because I want to know how you see the 
 matter from the standpoint of a business man and a 
 friend." 
 
 Mr. Richards was a very cautious man, was a pro 
 fessed Christian, and was honest and earnest in his 
 Christian work. He was not rich, and most likely 
 never would be. If he saw the shortcomings of any 
 of his fellow Christians, he did not allow himself 
 to speak of them or to dwell upon them. He 
 thought awhile after Frank had finished speaking, 
 and then said very deliberately: 
 
 "I want to help you, Frank, and if I should advise 
 you not to have anything more to do with your 
 friend, you would not heed it. That is not my 
 inclination, however, for I feel that you are in the 
 right in standing by him. You go to Mr. Lemon 
 and tell him that you have decided to stick to your 
 friend, and if you are to lose your situation en 
 account of it, you will quit right now. This will 
 show you where he stands in the matter, and if he
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 73 
 
 lets you go, you come back to me and we will see 
 what can be done." 
 
 Frank grasped Mr. Richards hand and shook it 
 warmly. He was too thankful to speak, and at once 
 hurried back to Mr. Lemon s office. As he came in 
 Mr. Lemon said: "I did not think you would be 
 gone so long this noon, as you were so late this 
 morning. Business comes first, you know, and I 
 want to impress it upon you that what I said this 
 morning was for your own good and must be 
 adhered to." 
 
 This was too much for Frank. He was usually 
 slow to anger, but, like other people who are slow 
 in getting started, his anger knew no bounds when 
 he was once waked up. He was so mad that he 
 fairly trembled, and looking Mr. Lemon square in 
 the face, he said: 
 
 "Mr. Lemon, you profess to be a Christian, a fol 
 lower of Christ, who pardoned the thief on the cross, 
 who always taught love and never condemned any 
 one, but who had love and charity for all ; and now 
 you tell me that I must give up my friendship for a 
 man who is in trouble through no fault of his own, 
 or I must give up my situation with you. I want 
 to tell you now that I will never give up my friend 
 ship with Dick Vaughn; that I will spend every dol 
 lar I have saved to help him, and that I will give 
 him all of my time if necessary. As for my situa 
 tion here, I don t want it, if the price I have to pay 
 for it is to be my desertion of a friend in need. A 
 religion that teaches you to desert your friends 
 when they are in trouble is a mighty poor religion 
 to live by, and I should think it would be a poor
 
 74 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 one to die by, but you will most likely kno\v more 
 of that by and by. You are not paying me a large 
 salary, and you are only paying me what you do 
 because you think I am the best you can get for the 
 money. Now, it is for you to say whether I go or 
 stay; but you must say it quick, and remember, 
 I am not going to desert Dick Vaughn, but will do 
 all I can for him." 
 
 Mr. Lemon s face was a picture, surprise and 
 chagrin both depicted on his countenance, and it 
 was some time before he could get enough control 
 of himself to speak in his usual way. 
 
 "Frank, my dear boy, you misjudge me. What I 
 have said has been for your good, but we must not 
 part this way. You continue as you were, and if 
 you feel that your friend is worthy of some con 
 sideration, give it to him, but be cautious, Frank, be 
 cautious. Some men can only learn by experience. 
 When you find that you were wrong in your esti 
 mate of your friend you will be very much ashamed 
 of your conversation of this morning. 
 
 "I guess that s right," spoke up a strange voice, 
 "but how will you feel when you find that he was 
 right? You will excuse me, gentlemen, for being 
 an interested listener to your little conversation. 
 The fact is, I am a reporter, and as I heard that this 
 young man was Mr. Vaughn s roommate, I called 
 to interview him in regard to the case." 
 
 The reporter was no other than Harley Bean, but 
 he had heard enough of the conversation to know 
 that it would be quite as well for him not to make 
 it known to Mr. Lemon that he was acquainted with 
 the boys.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 75 
 
 "If you want to interview Mr. Bardwell, you can 
 do it at his boarding-house." 
 
 "Thank you, Mr. Lemon, what do you know of 
 the case?" And Harley took out his pad and pencil 
 and commenced to write. 
 
 "You think he is guilty, of course. According to 
 your knowledge of human nature all men arrested 
 are guilty." All this time Harley was writing as 
 fast as he could make his pencil go. 
 
 "You of course think he should have a long sen 
 tence. The banks must be protected, else where 
 would our safety be? You also think the State 
 should not be taxed with long trials, but that when 
 a man has been caught red-handed like this one, he 
 should be sent to state s prison at once. You are a 
 Christian, and of course are voicing the sentiment 
 of the whole church." 
 
 "But, Mr. Reporter, I haven t said a word." 
 
 "I know it, Mr. Lemon. The people who don t 
 say anything are the easiest to interview; the inter 
 view reads so much smoother. You have a son 
 about Mr. Vaughn s age; therefore you feel that 
 you know what you are talking about. Let me see, 
 this is a commission house. Dirty place, isn t it? 
 But you are connected with a note-shaving shop up 
 the street; therefore you are competent to talk on 
 these bank robbery cases. Thank you, Mr. Lemon. 
 This will be a nice readable interview. Are those 
 little bricks of butter sold for pounds? Look 
 awfully small, don t they? Well, perhaps they 
 make up for it in strength. Good day, Mr. Lemon. 
 Glad to have met you. Will come in again some 
 time and make you a friendly call."
 
 76 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 For once Mr. H. U. Lemon had met a tnan to 
 whom he could not talk. Harley Bean was too 
 much for him. As soon as Harley had gone he 
 recovered enough to realize in what a position he 
 would be placed if any of the stuff Harley had 
 talked over should be printed. He ordered Frank 
 to go at once and overtake the reporter and buy him 
 off, if necessary, from printing anything in regard 
 to the interview. Frank dodged out of the office, 
 and, as he expected, found Harley waiting at the 
 next corner. 
 
 "I only came down to tell you," said Harley, 
 "that in all probabilities Dick will be indicted by 
 the grand jury and will be obliged to stay in jail 
 for about six weeks, unless we get him bailed out. 
 I am well acquainted with the jailer at Charles street, 
 where he will be sent, and if you take my advice, 
 you will not try to get him bailed out. It will give 
 us a better chance to work if the people who have 
 done this think he has no friends. I can fix it so 
 that his stay in jail will net be very bad. " 
 
 "What do they say up at the boarding-house?" 
 said Frank. 
 
 "Oh, they are pretty evenly divided, and it gives 
 them something to talk about. Mrs. Bean waited 
 until she found out which side I was on, and then 
 took the other. She said this noon that I was 
 always on the wrong side, and that if I were in jail 
 myself it would most likely be no more than I 
 deserved. Yes, said I, even the thought is 
 refreshing. What a rest I should have. But if she 
 thought I wanted to go there, she would never use 
 her influence in that direction."
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 It was not without many heartaches that Mabel 
 Richards left Boston for the South without having 
 a last talk with Dick Vaughn. She realized that 
 Dick was the only man she had ever met who had 
 awakened within her a feeling of love. Her bring- 
 ing-up, however, had been peculiar. In a sort of 
 vague way she had the idea that whatever was 
 pleasant in life must be wrong, and that to be near 
 to God she must necessarily be a long way from 
 pleasure or anything that was pleasing. In going 
 South to teach the negroes she was induced to go 
 for the same reason that some people are con 
 strained to do penance, and, although she did not 
 feel that she had done anything particularly wrong, 
 she did have a feeling that she was enjoying too 
 much of the good things of life and not sharing the 
 trials of others as she should. She did not look for 
 ward to any pleasure in her work in the South 
 except the pleasure that should come from a self- 
 imposed duty. She had never been away from 
 home before alone, and in fact all the trips she had 
 ever taken had been between her father s house in 
 Cambridge and their summer home at Martha s 
 Vineyard. 
 
 It was morning when the train stopped at the 
 little station called Holton, away down in Georgia, 
 and to Mabel Richards, who left the cars at that 
 place, a new phase of life was opening up. Holton 
 
 77
 
 7 8 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 was a town of perhaps three thousand souls, and 
 the blacks predominated. As Mabel stepped off the 
 car and looked into a sea of black faces, she had a 
 worried expression, for she was a stranger in a 
 strange land; but the appearance of the Reverend 
 Mr. Pennyworth, whom she had known in Cam 
 bridge and who came to the train to meet her, drove 
 away the look of care and brought a smile of recog 
 nition to her face. 
 
 The morning was full of surprises. The negroes 
 looked different from what she expected they would, 
 and there were more of them than she had ever 
 dreamed of seeing. Another surprise was the house 
 to which she was taken. It was a large, old-fash 
 ioned Southern house that had been vacant for a 
 long time before being taken by Mr. Pennyworth as 
 a residence and school. Mrs. Pennyworth presided 
 over the housekeeping portion of the place, while 
 her husband looked after the school and also the 
 spiritual welfare of a little flock of negroes that he 
 had gathered together, and who held their church 
 services in one of the rooms of the old house. 
 There was one other assistant in the school, a Miss 
 May Rivers, also from Massachusetts. She was a 
 typical old maid, tall and slim, and was much 
 interested in her work. Miss Rivers had sprung 
 from anti-slavery stock, and could talk on the sub 
 ject of slavery and the condition of the negro in the 
 South as long as she could get any one to listen to 
 her. 
 
 Mabel was not favorably impressed with her sur 
 roundings, but as she had decided when she started 
 not to be turned from her purpose, she passed over
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 79 
 
 these things lightly and followed her trunks to her 
 room. She unpacked them, and at noon was down 
 to lunch ready to assume her duties as teacher. 
 She asked who resided in some of the neighboring 
 houses, and was surprised to find that neither Mr. 
 nor Mrs. Pennyworth nor Miss Rivers could tell 
 her. 
 
 "But don t these people come to see you, and are 
 they not interested in your work?" 
 
 A sad smile went around the table, and Mr. 
 Pennyworth took up his task of placing Miss Rich 
 ards right in regard to conditions in the South. 
 
 "Have you not been told, Miss Richards, and 
 have you not read time and again that the former 
 slave owners are against the education of the negro?" 
 
 "Yes, I suppose I have heard and read of those 
 things, but I did not think it could be possible that 
 anything of that kind was general; and if it is, pray 
 tell me what the reason is?" 
 
 This question led to a long discourse by Mr. 
 Pennyworth on conditions in the South and the 
 race wars that were threatened, which was more or 
 less Greek to Mabel. 
 
 After the lunch was over Mabel went at once to 
 the schoolroom to commence her labors. There 
 were many things she did not understand both 
 about the negro and his condition, and she worked 
 blindly as far as conditions went, but intelligently 
 as regarded her teaching. 
 
 It was three months after her advent into the 
 school when, one afternoon, feeling more fatigued 
 than usual, she wandered away from the house 
 towards some woods to be seen in the distance.
 
 8o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 She came to a little brook, and a log by its side 
 looked to be such a tempting seat that she sat down 
 and watched the running water. How long she sat 
 there resting she did not know, but after a time she 
 looked up and saw a handsome man in hunting cos 
 tume with his gun in his hand. "With him was an 
 Irish setter, and both had approached without dis 
 turbing the girl s revery. As she looked up the 
 young man said: 
 
 "Pardon me, Miss, but I came upon you acci 
 dentally, and you made such a pretty picture that I 
 was obliged to stop and admire. Even Snap, my 
 dog, was spellbound and never moved until you had 
 broken the spell. Don t go," said he, as Mabel 
 started up. "I am Dr. Lovelace. You have heard 
 of my father, I know. I have seen you often, and 
 have just as often wanted to make your acquaint 
 ance ; not because I have fallen in love with you, 
 mind, but because I wanted to ask you a few ques 
 tions, and these questions are not altogether out of 
 idle curiosity." 
 
 Mabel was interested. As she looked at the 
 young man she realized that she had before seen him 
 and she had often thought she would like to ask him 
 some of the questions she had asked either Mr. 
 Pennyworth or Miss Rivers. Mabel sat down 
 again and patted Snap on the head as he came to 
 make her better acquaintance, and then looking up 
 to Doctor Lovelace, said: "Suppose I commence by 
 asking a few questions first?" 
 
 "You may." 
 
 "Then, if you wanted to make my acquaintance 
 so much, why did you not call at the school with
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 81 
 
 some one who could introduce you? Or why does 
 not your father call on us, and why do not your sis 
 ters take an interest in the education of the poor 
 blacks? Answer these and then I have a few more 
 to ask." 
 
 Mabel was surprised at her own boldness, but the 
 young man was such a perfect gentleman in 
 appearance and seemed to be so earnest that she 
 was willing to put aside propriety and find out some 
 of the things she wished to know. 
 
 "Your questions are so easy to ask that it may 
 seem strange that they are not as easily answered, 
 and they could be answered easily were it not that 
 there is a whole lot to be considered that led mat 
 ters up to the conditions as we now find them. My 
 father does not call upon you because he thinks you 
 are interfering with that which is none of your 
 business, and because the people of the North 
 whom you represent have enfranchised the negro 
 and put him before the law on equal grounds with 
 his former owner. My sisters agree with my father 
 and so do I." 
 
 "Then why do you talk with me?" 
 
 "Because I do not believe in hearsay testimony, 
 and I want to know why you come here to enter 
 into this kind of work. You are young, handsome 
 and refined, and I want to understand your motive, 
 and I also wish to find out how much you know 
 about the true state of affairs in the South." 
 
 "I came here because I thought it was my duty 
 to come. I had heard of the ignorance of the 
 negroes, and how anxious they were to learn, and it 
 seemed to me as though every one ought to do
 
 82 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 what he could to help them. I know but lit 
 tle about the conditions in the South except 
 that you hate both the negroes and the Northern 
 people." 
 
 "Now you are coming to it. That is just what I 
 expected you would say, if you were honest, and I 
 am glad to find you are honest, for you will be much 
 more liable to have the courage of your convictions 
 if you get on the right track. Now, you say we 
 Southern people hate you of the North, and also 
 hate the negroes. Let me tell you a few things. 
 We of the South and you of the North had some 
 differences of opinion. We seceded and you 
 whipped us back into the Union. Then when it 
 came to the reconstructing of this country, you sent 
 a lot of carpet-baggers down here to subject us to 
 negro rule. We fought that kind of reconstruction, 
 and now the carpet-bagger is not so much in evi 
 dence as he was. If the people of the North had 
 what they wanted, the South to-day would be ruled 
 by negroes, assisted by the renegades from the 
 North. We will not stand that, and the better class 
 of people in the North, if they could understand the 
 conditions, would not expect it of us. They do not 
 understand us, and possibly we do not understand 
 them ; therefore there are strained relations between 
 us. But it is not right to say we hate them; we 
 have no call to love them, but hate is too strong a 
 word. Neither do we hate the negro. We appre 
 ciate the negro more than do the people of the 
 North, but we only appreciate him in his proper 
 place." 
 
 "If all this is true, what objection can you have
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 83 
 
 to our schools? Is not the negro educated better 
 than the negro in ignorance?" 
 
 "That is all right in theory. The negro of to-day 
 represents a race of people that has been in bondage 
 for a good many generations. They were uncivi 
 lized tribes of heathen to begin with, and it is the 
 height of foolishness to expect to educate them in 
 one generation and to bring them where they will 
 be able to take positions of honor and trust. The 
 negro is exactly the same as the parrot. In order 
 to train one born in the wild state, you must take it 
 from the nest before it is able to fly. The negro is 
 indolent and shiftless by nature. If he has had one 
 good meal to-day, lie does not trouble himself about 
 the morrow. He is not to blame for this, for he has 
 had all his wants attended to for years. The own 
 ers of plantations all about here have had no end of 
 difficulty during the past few years to get enough 
 help to run their plantations, not but what there is 
 enough help about, but they will not work as long 
 as they can get something to eat without working. 
 If you people would confine yourselves to teaching 
 the small children it would not be so bad, but you 
 are wasting your time on full-grown niggers that 
 ought to be at work in the field, and all that your 
 teaching amounts to to them is that you lift them in 
 their own opinion above their betters. Perhaps you 
 will not say again that we hate you when I tell you 
 that, on two occasions, the better people here have 
 headed off the rowdy element from burning that old 
 shack over your head." 
 
 "Oh, Doctor Lovelace, isn t that awful! and we 
 never knew of it. They must be ignorant roughs."
 
 84 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Of course they are. They are exactly the same 
 class of people as is found everywhere. Even your 
 good city of Boston has its full quota. By the way, 
 I was reading an interesting article a few days ago. 
 It gave the number of people in the different cities 
 of the North who could neither read nor write, and, 
 according to the population, Boston was third in the 
 list. I have forgotten the number of Bostonians 
 who could neither read nor write it was up in the 
 thousands and it struck me that a little teaching 
 might help you out up there." 
 
 Mabel looked her surprise, for she was being told 
 things she had never dreamed of. She thought 
 of the missionary part of the work, and said: 
 
 "You certainly must realize the good we are doing 
 in bringing these people to Christ. There are none 
 so low but that He can appreciate their soul s sal 
 vation." 
 
 "No doubt you are right there. I have not paid 
 much attention to their religious teachings, but I 
 am inclined to think that my rule of teaching would 
 work there also. You must take them from the 
 nest before they can handle themselves." 
 
 "Not in all cases, I think. There is the Rev. 
 Samuel Lovelace. He has been converted only a 
 few years, and you must own he is a faithful Chris 
 tian." 
 
 The doctor s eyes sparkled. 
 
 "So you are acquainted with Sam, are you? 
 Have you seen him lately?" 
 
 "Yes, the poor man came to the house last night 
 in an awful plight. He had been down the road to 
 see a sick friend, and coming back he took a short
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 85 
 
 cut through the woods and fell over a rock into a 
 deep hole and wrenched his back. He fairly cried 
 it hurt him so, and as he begged to stay all night, 
 Mr. Pennyworth let him stay." 
 
 While Mabel had been relating this story of 
 preacher Sam, she had kept her eyes on the brook 
 at her feet, but as she finished and looked up at the 
 doctor, she found him almost bursting with merri 
 ment. 
 
 "I am sure I do not see anything to laugh at in 
 the poor negro s misfortune," she said, and the hot 
 blood rushed to her face as she rose to go. 
 
 "Forgive me, Miss Richards, but you would laugh 
 too, if you were looking at the shield from my side. 
 You must know that until the slaves were freed the 
 reverend Sam was my father s property. I have 
 known him always, and my father will tell you that 
 there never was a more trifling negro than this 
 same Sam. Since he was freed he never has done 
 a day s work, and there are welts on his back now 
 as big as my finger that were put there by the old 
 overseer when he was trying to persuade Sam to 
 work. When he was converted about five years ago 
 I was quite interested. Now, surely, thought I, 
 he will go to work. But no, he started right in to 
 preach, and has preached ever since. So much for 
 Sam. Now let me tell you of last night. I was out 
 calling last night and came home about ten o clock. 
 To save a little distance I took a short cut through 
 the back cf our grounds, and, thinking I heard 
 something in the hen-roost, I picked up a barrel 
 stave and cautiously crept into the place. There I 
 beheld the reverend Sam, with a bag in one hand
 
 86 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 picking the chickens off the roost with the other. I 
 wasn t sure it was he, but as I had caught him at it 
 before, I took it for granted that I had come upon 
 the same thief again. I stepped out and waited 
 until he came out, and then I knocked him down 
 with one blow of my white oak stave and did not let 
 him up until I was tired. No wonder his back hurt 
 him. If he had been any ether than a good-for- 
 nothing nigger he would have died. After I had 
 hammered him to my heart s content, I led him to 
 the kitchen and struck a match to be sure who it 
 was, for he had not spoken an intelligible word. 
 At first I told him I was going to call father, but I 
 did that just to scare him. Then I let him go, and 
 he v/ent straight to your house and you took each 
 other in." 
 
 Mabel s face, as the doctor commenced to talk 
 about the negro, wore a puzzled look. When he 
 told about clubbing the negro she was horrified, but 
 when he had finished talking and she thought the 
 whole matter over, the ludicrous side of it struck 
 her, and she laughed outright. 
 
 "We have been looking everywhere for you." 
 It was Miss May Rivers who spoke, and as she 
 looked from Miss Richards to the doctor, she did 
 not seem to know what to make of it all. Mabel 
 was surprised to find that she had been away from 
 the house so long, and started up from her seat. 
 Then, realizing that she had not introduced Miss 
 Rivers and the doctor, she did so. The doctor 
 bowed his acknowledgment, and Miss Rivers sim 
 pered: "I have often heard of you, Doctor, and 
 wondered why you did not call to see us. I believe
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 87 
 
 you called once when Mrs. Pennyworth was 
 sick." 
 
 "Yes, that was some time ago, but I seldom call 
 anywhere except in a professional way." 
 
 With this the doctor raised his hat, and bidding 
 the young ladies good afternoon, disappeared into 
 the woods. 
 
 "Pray, how did he come to speak to you, and how 
 long has he been here?" said Miss Rivers. 
 
 "I suppose he spoke to me because he wanted to, 
 and I am sure I don t know how long he has been 
 here. I did not look at my watch." 
 
 "I guess he is a nice young man, but I would 
 have run for the house if he had spoken to me when 
 I was alone. I hope no one saw you. It might 
 make talk, for you know these people are ready to 
 pick up anything they can against us." 
 
 "How do you know they are?" 
 
 "Oh, I know, that s all. Everybody knows that." 
 
 "Well, perhaps they are, but I am going to 
 believe hereafter that Southerners are much the 
 same as any one else." 
 
 "The doctor must have said something very sweet 
 to you." 
 
 "No, but he did talk sense, and that is worth 
 listening to, no matter where it comes from." 
 
 No more was said until the house was reached, 
 and then Mabel found out that she had done a very 
 unwise thing, according to the Rev. Mr, Penny 
 worth. However, Mabel retired that night with 
 more to think about than she usually had on her 
 mind, and the thoughts were not altogether pleas 
 ant. She had tried to keep all thoughts of Dick out
 
 88 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 of her mind since she had been South, but this night 
 the thoughts of Dick came, and she did not try to 
 drive them back. She also thought of all the things 
 the doctor had told her, and she wondered if after 
 all Dick were not more than half right.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 There were stirring times at the boarding-house 
 of Mrs. Sargent. She would come into the dining- 
 room when the place was full of boarders, and, plac 
 ing her hands on her hips with her arms akimbo, 
 would say: "Is it at all surprising that I look 
 dragged out?" or, "Who would have thought that a 
 man who boarded in this house would ever be 
 arrested?" 
 
 One morning, when she spoke of the worry of the 
 thing making her lose flesh, Harley Bean spoke up 
 and said: 
 
 "That s just what I said to Mr. Bard well, that 
 you were growing so thin of late." 
 
 "Do you think so, Mr. Bean?" 
 
 "Think so! why, I know it. You are only a 
 shadow of your former self." 
 
 All the boarders looked up, glancing first at Mrs. 
 Sargent and then at Harley. Mrs. Sargent looked 
 puzzled, but there was no indication on Harley s 
 face to show that he was anything but honest in 
 what he said. Some of the boarders, however, 
 could not repress a smile, for Mrs. Sargent was a 
 perfect picture of health. She weighed nearly two 
 hundred pounds, and had never lost the color from 
 her face which always gave her the look cf perfect 
 health. Mrs. Bean, coming into the dining-room 
 in time to hear the latter part of her husband s 
 remark, turned to the landlady and said: 
 
 "How ridiculous, Mrs. Sargent! You never 
 89
 
 9 o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 looked better in your life. Harley is always say 
 ing- some foolish thing." 
 
 Mrs. Sargent went out. A damp cloth had been 
 thrown over the little fun that might have come to 
 the front. 
 
 Harley Bean and his wife were characters at the 
 boarding-house that none of the boarders will ever 
 forget. Neither will they forget how decidedly the 
 men .all stood up for Harley and how the "women 
 condemned him. On the other hand, none of the 
 gentlemen boarders had any use for Mrs. Bean, and 
 all of the ladies took her part when talking to their 
 husbands, although it was very easy to see that 
 they did not put themselves out a great deal to 
 make it pleasant for her. Harley had the name of 
 being a hard drinker, but he hardly deserved it. 
 The trouble was no one could ever tell whether he 
 had been drinking cr not. Dick used to say that 
 the only time he appeared real sober was when his 
 breath smelled of liquor. Mrs. Bean, however, 
 always claimed that he had been drinking, for to 
 her he always acted drunk or smelled of whisky, 
 and one was as bad as the other to her. 
 
 Although Dick Vaughn s arrest had stirred up the 
 boarders at Mrs. Sargent s more or less, they soon 
 dropped back into their old ways. Mrs. Faxon 
 made her regular trips to all of the large stores each 
 day, or at all events each day that she could find 
 anything to match. Matching goods was her 
 hobby, and it was said that if she ran out of pieces 
 of goods to match, she would beg a scrap of one of 
 the other ladies in the house so as to have some 
 thing with which to occupy herself.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 91 
 
 The only one in the house who never forgot Dick 
 and his troubles for a moment was Frank Bardwell, 
 and he could hardly understand how the others 
 could talk of other subjects. Dick had been 
 indicted for the theft, and had been sent to the 
 Charles street jail, and Harley had kept his word 
 about interceding for him with the jailer. This had 
 gone a long way toward making things comfortable 
 for Dick, and had been the means of cementing 
 the friendship between Frank and Harley more 
 firml} . 
 
 One evening, as Frank sat in his room brooding 
 over Dick s troubles, Harley Bean walked in. 
 
 "Well, Frank, what s troubling you now? You 
 look as though the weight of the nation were rest 
 ing on your shoulders. You should not take this 
 thing so much to heart. The fault is not yours. 
 
 "It isn t that, Harley, but it does worry me when 
 I realize how many friends Dick always had, and not 
 one of them has even been to see him since he was 
 arrested. He was a hail-fellow-well-met with every 
 one. He would lend the last dollar he had, and 
 fellows whom he has helped and who owe him yet 
 don t even ask after him." 
 
 "That is the way of the world, my boy; but you 
 wrong them when you say they were his friends. 
 The word friend is one of the most misused words 
 in the English language. Dick had a lot of 
 acquaintances, but he had only one friend that I 
 know of, and that is yourself." 
 
 "But are not you his friend?" 
 
 "Well, hardly. I was acquainted with him, but 
 if I had dropped dead a month before he was
 
 9 a RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 arrested, do you think either of you would be giv 
 ing a thought to me now?" 
 
 "I never thought of it in that way." 
 
 "Of course not, and that is the trouble with most 
 folks; they don t think. " 
 
 "But why have you taken such an interest in this 
 matter if you don t consider yourself a friend of 
 Dick and myself?" 
 
 "Just for the same reason that I would pick up a 
 lame dog in the street that I saw was in danger of 
 being run over; it gives me a little pleasure to do 
 it. Men are selfish beings, and most of the good 
 acts they perform are prompted by selfishness, and 
 lookers-on, who don t think, call it friendship. Let 
 me tell you something, Frank. The average man 
 never has but two friends on earth his mother and 
 his wife. That is to say, while his mother lives he 
 is pretty sure to have one friend, and it is possible 
 to have a friend in one s wife." 
 
 "How about his children?" 
 
 "Children are friends by purchase only. As long 
 as you can supply their every wish they are appar 
 ently your friends, but did you ever hear of more 
 heartless acts than are done by children to their 
 parents?" 
 
 "Don t you count your little girl as a friend?" 
 
 "I wish I could, Frank, but you are getting per 
 sonal. However, it is all right; I led you on. As 
 long as my wife let me alone I managed to purchase 
 my child s friendship. When she got jealous and 
 forbade my bringing the child any more presents, 
 I lost my hold. You have perhaps noticed that my 
 wife is not at all gentle in her remarks about me.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 93 
 
 Well, those things don t tend to make the little one 
 love me, and as I am something of a philosopher, I 
 find it causes the least friction to let things take 
 their own course." 
 
 "But do you mean to say that you are without a 
 friend on earth, Harley?" 
 
 "I guess you have said it, Frank not a friend on 
 eaith, if you except my pocketbook, which isn t any 
 fuller than it ought to be. I had a friend once, a 
 dear old mother. I was the youngest, and after all 
 the rest had married and gone, I was the pet and 
 pride of my mother s heart. I was wild and reck 
 less, and caused her much sorrow until I found out 
 by accident the meaning of the word friend. From 
 that time on I never gave my mother a moment s 
 pain. A year or two before she died I was away 
 from home for a few months, and my dear brothers 
 and sisters came in and robbed my mother of every 
 cent she had. Of course they did it legally, after 
 getting her to sign some papers, but it was robbery 
 just the same. I knew she did not have long to 
 live, and I would not drag her into court to shorten 
 her days, so I took her to a new home and made her 
 as comfortable as I could until she died, and when 
 I laid her away in the grave I knew I had seen the 
 last of the only real friend I ever had. What I 
 should have done then was to have gone and jumped 
 overboard, but somehow I didn t think about it, and 
 instead I got married." 
 
 "If your married life is so unhappy, why don t 
 you separate and support your wife somewhere 
 else?" 
 
 "Say, but you have lots to learn, Frank. You
 
 94 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 don t know Mrs. Rean. She has been telling me 
 for the past three weeks that she was going to leave 
 me and go back to her mother, and just as often as 
 she tells me that I beg of her with tears in my eyes 
 not to think of such a thing." 
 
 "You beg of her not to go? For heaven s sake, 
 tell me why?" 
 
 "Say, but you don t know Mrs. Bean very well, 
 do you? I would like awfully well to introduce 
 you." And with this Harley sat back in his chair 
 and closed his eyes ; he seemed to be day-dreaming. 
 Frank watched him for a while, and then, as his 
 mind reverted to Dick and the part Harley had 
 played in the case, he said : 
 
 "Look here, Harley, are you going to stay by us 
 until Dick s trial is over?" 
 
 "Of course I am. What made you think any 
 thing different?" 
 
 "Because you talk so strangely about friendship 
 to-night that I cannot understand why you should 
 stay with us if there is no incentive. " 
 
 "But there is an incentive, Frank, and it is a 
 stronger incentive than friendship. To be plain 
 about it, it is selfishness. You look surprised and 
 incredulous, but it is because you have not made 
 enough study of these things to call them by their 
 right names. I will tell you how I stand in this 
 matter, and tell you in my own way. In the first 
 place, I may more thoroughly shatter the idol that 
 I hit a short time ago, that idol of friendship. Sup 
 pose you should die to-night. Who would mourn 
 your loss? Now stop and think before you answer 
 me. Think how they would take the news of your
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 95 
 
 death, and how long it would be before they would 
 stop thinking of you altogether." 
 
 Frank did not answer for a few moments, and 
 then he said: 
 
 "I guess you have shattered the idol. My 
 thoughts go to my mother, and I know that to hear 
 of my death would prostrate her, for she is my 
 friend; and I know, too, that to her dying day she 
 would think of me daily, even as she does now. 
 My father comes next in my thoughts, but he is a 
 cool, calculating man, and would only realize that 
 mourning would not bring me back, and would try 
 not to keep me in remembrance. Perhaps Dick 
 comes next. I am sure he would miss me." 
 
 "Of course he would; but are you sure that he 
 would mourn your loss most on account of losing a 
 friend? Or would it be on accoimt of the loss he 
 would sustain by not having a strong worker outside 
 the prison walls?" 
 
 "That thought came to me, Harley, but I would 
 not encourage it. Then I thought of Mr. Lemon, 
 and I realized something of what you said when you 
 spoke of the friend by virtue of purchase, for I feel 
 that he is my friend only because he thinks that I 
 can be of service to him. But go on." 
 
 "Accidentally I was in on the first of this trouble, 
 and it interested me. If I were not a newspaper 
 man I would be a detective, and the reason I like 
 the woik of a reporter so well is because there is so 
 much of the detective about it. I am known to 
 every detective in the town, and every one of them 
 knows that I am ready at any time to join him in 
 any kind of a search that has a bit of danger or
 
 96 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 mystery about it. I help them, and I get many a 
 scoop by being on the inside. There is another 
 point that interests me: I am a lover of justice. 
 Dick is innocent of any wrong-doing, and there is 
 some one in this trouble who is decidedly a villain. 
 I would take pleasure in seeing the innocent man 
 cleared and the guilty one punished. There you 
 see again where the selfishness creeps in. I have 
 an acquaintance who has done me some favors and 
 whose good opinion I want to keep. He is a very 
 bright lawyer, and I induced Dick to give him the 
 handling of the case. Previous to my seeing Dick 
 I had been to see the lawyer and told him that I had 
 a case for him which would bring him to the front, 
 and that I would take care of the witnesses and the 
 proofs if he would take the case. Under these cir 
 cumstances he was anxious to take the case, even if 
 he does not make a cent out of it, and I have killed 
 two birds with one stone ; for, if I can manage to 
 find proof to clear Dick and win the case for Lipp- 
 man, I will have succeeded in making two so-called 
 friends from whom on a pinch I could borrow a 
 dollar, if it came to a show-down. More selfishness, 
 eh?" 
 
 "You are a strange man, Harley, but I don t 
 believe all of this springs from selfish interests. 
 Do you mean to say that what I am doing for Dick 
 is on account of a selfish interest I have in the 
 matter?" 
 
 "I will let you answer that question yourself. 
 Suppose we should succeed in clearing Dick. 
 Wouldn t you just as soon people would know that 
 you worked like a nailer in his defense? Wouldn t
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 97 
 
 that smile come back into your face, and wouldn t 
 you dance all around this room and turn the furni 
 ture bottom-side up in your glee? And wouldn t you 
 enjoy every moment of the next six months because 
 Dick was cleared? Now, don t say it would be all 
 for Dick s sake, and that there would be no selfish 
 ness in it. What say you?" 
 
 "I say you are altogether too mean, and I am not 
 going to answer you; but say, I would turn things 
 over!" 
 
 "I thought so. A wise man is always full of 
 policy." 
 
 "Then you are not always wise, because, for 
 some reason, Glidden hates you like poison." 
 
 "Does he? That s strange." But there was a 
 smile on Harley s face that belied his words. 
 
 "Out with, it, Harley. What have you done to 
 Glidden to gain his enmity?" 
 
 "Do you know, Frank, why a man has enemies?" 
 
 "Perhaps so, and perhaps nut. I don t know 
 what you are driving at." 
 
 "A man makes enemies because the other fellow 
 is not willing to let him have his own opinion. If 
 you will watch that idea you will find I am right. If 
 you have an enemy on earth you will find he is your 
 enemy because you have an opinion of your own and 
 it does not agree with his opinion." 
 
 "But what has this to do with Glidden?" 
 
 "We fell out on a matter cf opinion, and I did 
 not care enough for his good-will to change mine. 
 It was this way: One day I met Glidden on 
 Leverett street and he asked me in to take a glass 
 of beer; said he knew a good place. We went in
 
 98 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 and had our beer, and after we had set our glasses 
 down he fumbled in his pockets a moment and then 
 said: Well, Hariey, I thought I had some money 
 with me, but I haven t a cent. I guess you will 
 have to pay for this beer. Oh, I guess not, said 
 I; you are acquainted here. You just fix it. And 
 with that I walked out. Glidden came in to supper 
 about an hour afterwards with his glass eye gone 
 and a general battered-up appearance, and he 
 hasn t spoken to me since. All the trouble hap 
 pened just because of our difference of opinion ; he 
 thought I ought to have paid for that beer, and I 
 thought he shouldn t have tried that kind of a game 
 on me. But then, there is nothing to be made out 
 of Glidden. He is a lightweight anyway. Perhaps 
 I wouldn t have caught on, though, if I had not 
 overheard him tell of playing that same trick on 
 some one else. That glass eye must have cost him 
 all of three dollars. Pretty expensive beer, wasn t 
 it?" And Hariey smiled at the recollection. 
 
 One Sunday afternoon, soon after the evening 
 spent in Frank s room, Hariey and Frank met on 
 the Common and sat down to talk over the progress 
 in Dick s case, and afterwards drifted off to other 
 subjects. 
 
 "Do you know," said Hariey, "this used to be a 
 favorite walk of mine, and now I generally spend a 
 little time here on a Sunday afternoon. I like to 
 walk down around the old graveyard and then down 
 along the Charles street mall or up here. I used to 
 ask my wife to come until she grew jealous of one 
 of the tombstones. Since then I have taken my 
 walks alone."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 99 
 
 "Harley, I don t like to hear you talk of your wife 
 as you do, and to be honest with you, I feel that 
 you are more in the wrong than she is." 
 
 "I am not surprised that you feel that way, 
 Frank, because every one else does, and sometimes 
 I feel that way m3 T self, but when I try to make 
 things all right it makes her more suspicious and 
 fault-finding; so what am I to do? I am sure I 
 don t know, so if you please we will drop the sub 
 ject. There, you see my good resolutions are gone 
 again. Do you see that old lady, Frank, walking 
 up by the fence, the one that stoops a little and 
 walks slowly? What would you think if I should 
 tell you that that old woman is no other than 
 Mrs. Harley Bean in disguise?" 
 
 "Harley, you talk like a fool." 
 
 "I know it, Frank, but a man may talk like a 
 Frenchman and still be an American." 
 
 The old lady was drawing nearer in a roundabout 
 way without seeming to pay any attention to the 
 two men. Frank watched her, feeling that Harley 
 was the most suspicious, unreasonable man he had 
 ever known. The woman drew nearer. There 
 were many strollers, and she evidently did not 
 realize that Frank s eye was upon her. Two women 
 of the town were about to pass in front of where 
 the two men were sitting. As they came abreast 
 of them, Harley, rose, took off his hat and said very 
 pleasantly: "Good afternoon, ladies, we were wait 
 ing for you." 
 
 The women stopped, and one of them laughingly 
 commenced to say something about guessing they 
 hadn t been waiting long, when the old lady sud-
 
 ioo RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 denly stood before them. She took off her cape, 
 threw back her hood, and addressing Harley, said, 
 almost in a scream: "So I have caught you at last, 
 have I?" She turned to have it out with the girls, 
 but they were flying down the path. 
 
 Frank felt that his turn would come next, and he 
 at once lost himself in the fast-gathering crowd. 
 Mrs. Bean worked herself into hysterics in less time 
 than it takes to tell it, and, a policeman coming up, 
 called a carriage at Harley s request; and the epi 
 sode ended as far as the public was concerned.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 The next day after the events recorded in the last 
 chapter there was another sensation at the board 
 ing-house. Mrs. Harley Bean had decided to leave 
 her husband. Harley had taken himself off early 
 in the morning as usual, and Mrs. Bean, knowing 
 that she would have the whole day to herself, com 
 menced early to tell her troubles so that she would 
 enjoy one whole day of sympathy before she left 
 the city. She had decided to return to her father s 
 home in Lynn and leave Harley to his own destruc 
 tion. 
 
 Meeting Olive in the dining-room, she begged the 
 privilege of a few moments conversation with her, 
 and when they found themselves alone she said : 
 "Olive, you will most likely be surprised at what I 
 have to tell you, but I say what I do for your own 
 good. Frank Bardwell is unworthy of you and you 
 should not only dismiss him and decline all further 
 attentions from him, but you should ask your 
 mother to request him to go somewhere else to 
 board." Then she told of the scene in the Com 
 mon, making it appear as though the two men were 
 there for the purpose of flirting with servant girls 
 or whoever else they might happen to meet. 
 
 "You see, Olive," she added, "I am saying this 
 for your own good, for I do not want you to suffer 
 as I am suffering now. I begin to think there are 
 no good men. Some may be worse than others, 
 but I hardly think there are any good ones. Just
 
 io2 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 think of Mr. Vaughn, of whom all the boarders 
 thought so much. See how he turned out, and Mr. 
 Bardwell was his roommate and no doubt helped 
 spend the money. I always wondered how he was 
 able to take you around so much." 
 
 "Stop, Mrs. Bean. I am surprised at you, and I 
 will not listen to another word." And with this 
 Miss Olive quickly left the room, much to the won 
 derment of Mrs. Bean. 
 
 The next of the boarders Mrs. Bean ran across 
 was Mrs. Faxon. 
 
 "Oh," said Mrs. Bean, "what do you think?" 
 And in a moment she had gone over all she had said 
 to Olive Sargent, particularly putting to the front 
 her condemnation of all men. The two ladies had 
 met in the hallway, Mrs. Faxon having just started 
 on one of her matching tours. While Mrs. Bean 
 was talking Mrs. Faxon tried several times to pass 
 her and get out of the front door, but Mrs. Bean 
 was too much of a general to allow this; besides she 
 thought Mrs. Faxon was a good subject on which 
 to work the sympathy idea. 
 
 Mrs. Bean was not much of a student of human 
 nature. If she had been she would not have wasted 
 any time on Mrs. Faxon, but she had misjudged 
 her because Mrs. Faxon was always such a good 
 listener and said but little in the general conversa 
 tion in the dining-room. Mr. and Mrs. Faxon were 
 an ideal couple. At this time Mr. Faxon was about 
 fifty-five years of age and his wife could not have 
 been much younger. They had raised a family 
 of boys, all of whom were old enough to take 
 care of themselves, except the youngest, who was
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 103 
 
 boarding with his parents. The}" had given up 
 housekeeping some time before this, for no other 
 reason than to put the older boys on their own 
 resources. This Mrs. Faxon would never have 
 agreed to had not John, her husband, put his foot 
 down, and what John said was law to the sweet- 
 faced little Mrs. Faxon. She implicitly believed 
 every word John told her, and she quoted John the 
 husband as religiously as some people quote John 
 the A pestle; and let it be said for John that his 
 word was taken equally as well by all of his 
 acquaintances as it was by his wife. They were 
 a handsome couple, and when Mr. Faxon was away 
 from his business, he was pretty sure to be found 
 with his wife. To see these two together would 
 have driven the pessimistic writer on "Is Marriage 
 a Failure?" into some other line of literature or out 
 of it altogether. They were simply lovers, and had 
 been for over thirty years. Some one had once 
 asked Mrs. Faxon to give her receipt for a happy 
 married life. It was after the gentlemen had all 
 left the breakfast table, but most of the ladies were 
 present. 
 
 "Receipt?" said Mrs. Faxon. "Oh, how funny! 
 Why, you see, there isn t any receipt. I just mar 
 ried John ; we love each other, and that is all there 
 is to it." 
 
 "But there must be some reason why your lives 
 have run in such smooth lines," said Mrs. Glidden. 
 
 "That reminds me," said Mrs. Faxon, "of the 
 advice that John gave our oldest boy when he was 
 married. You know his name is John, too, and 
 you have all seen him and his sweet little wife.
 
 io 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Well, after the wedding and when the young people 
 had come back from their trip to New York, my 
 son said to his father: Father, we have been talk 
 ing it over and have decided to ask your advice. 
 We want our lives to be the same as yours and 
 mother s have been. John looked at them a 
 moment and the tears came to his eyes as he said: 
 If you will be as considerate of each other as you 
 have been up to this time, all petty trouble will keep 
 out of your path, and it is the little troubles that 
 make life unbearable. Never forget that you are 
 lovers. And dear old John came over where I was 
 sitting and kissed me and then left the room. I 
 don t know why, but none of us cared to speak for 
 the next ten minutes, and when we did commence 
 we spoke low, for we all felt that the message we 
 had heard from John s lips was a sacred one." 
 
 This was the woman whom Mrs. Bean was trying 
 to tell what awful creatures men were. When Mrs. 
 Faxon felt that she could stand it no longer she said, 
 holding up a few samples, "Really, Mrs. Bean, I 
 can t listen to you any longer this morning. I want 
 to get down to Winter street early, for I fear these 
 goods will all be gone, and you know John would 
 be so worried if I were not home in time for din 
 ner. " 
 
 Mrs. Bean was disgusted. As Mrs. Faxon went 
 out the front door Mrs. Sargent opened the door 
 from the dining-room into the hall, and Mrs. 
 Bean at once commenced to tell her tale of woe to 
 her. 
 
 "What do you want me to say, Mrs. Bean?" 
 
 "Oh," said Mrs. Bean, commencing to cry, "no
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 105 
 
 one will listen to me, and 1 want some one to 
 advise me." 
 
 "You don t want anything of the kind, Mrs. Bean, 
 because your mind is made up already. Don t talk 
 and cry and ask advice. What you want to do is to 
 act. There is just one of two things for you to do: 
 one is to leave your husband and go home to 3 7 our 
 father, and the other is to stay where you are and 
 make the best of it. If you have decided to go you 
 had better pack your trunk, and if you have decided 
 to stay, which I presume you have, if you will do 
 less talking you will receive more sympathy." 
 
 With this for a parting shot Mrs. Sargent went 
 about her wotk and Mrs. Bean mounted the stairs 
 to the third floor, where she found a more congenial 
 spirit in the person of Mrs. Glidden, who had an 
 idea that her own husband would bear watching. 
 
 When Olive went to work that morning she was 
 very much troubled. She was vexed with Mrs. 
 Bean for saying anything against Frank, and she 
 despised her for saying what she did against Dick 
 Vaughn, who was where he could not defend him 
 self, but what troubled her most was the fact that 
 she knew Mrs. Bean was about to leave her hus 
 band, and she was not sure what she ought to do in 
 the matter. She decided, however, that she would 
 let Frank know about it at once, so as soon as she 
 arrived at the store she despatched a messenger 
 with this note : 
 
 "Dear Frank: Mrs. Bean is going to leave her 
 husband and will not be at the house at six o clock. 
 I write you this because I don t know what to do
 
 106 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 about it, and by doing this I shift the responsi 
 bility upon you. You will know better than I 
 whether Mr. Bean should be notified. 
 
 "Yours, 
 
 "OLIVE." 
 
 Frank read the note, and, folding it, was going to 
 put it into his pocket, when he changed his mind, 
 and, opening it again, copied the letter, and adding 
 a few words of his own in explanation, sent the boy 
 with it to the Herald office, where Harley worked. 
 He was pretty sure the boy would not find him 
 there, but he argued that Harley would get the nota 
 in time to see Mrs. Bean before she went if he so 
 desired. 
 
 After the boy had gone with the note Frank again 
 read the one from Olive. It was the first note he 
 had ever received from her, and, as he looked it 
 over and read it through again, he only saw one 
 thing in it and that was the confidence that she 
 placed in him. Frank carefully put the note away 
 in his pocket and went to work with a light heart. 
 
 It was after two o clock before he heard from 
 Harley, and then it was only one word. Harley 
 had gotten Frank s note, wrote one word at the 
 bottom and sent it back. The word was, "Shake." 
 Frank looked at it and said to himself, "Poor Har 
 ley, he has lost his wife and child, but somehow I 
 pity him more for his loneliness than I do for his 
 loss, and yet I cannot understand why. 
 
 At supper that night, with the exception of the 
 Bean family, all were in their accustomed places. 
 Almost every one knew of the flight of Mrs. Bean,
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 107 
 
 and there was a large amount of curiosity to know 
 how Harley would take it. 
 
 During the day Mrs. Sargent had taken two more 
 young men as table boarders, and seated them in 
 the places formerly occupied by Mrs. Bean and her 
 little girl. 
 
 Harley came home a little late and went directly 
 to the dining-room without going to his room 
 something, by the way, that he very often did. He 
 pretended not to notice that every eye was upon 
 him and said not a word until he reached his place 
 at the table. As he noticed that the places formerly 
 occupied by his wife and child were taken by 
 strangers, he took hold of the back of his chair and, 
 striking an attitude similar to Joe Jefferson s when 
 he utters the same words, said, in imitation of Joe s 
 manner and voice: "And are we so soon forgot?" 
 
 From the time Harley came into the room until 
 he had finished this little speech there was a silence 
 that was almost oppressive, but as the sentence was 
 ended and Harley sat down there was more con 
 fusion than had been known in the room since the 
 time Dick Vaughn threatened to break the marble 
 bowls. The men laughed and the ladies did their 
 best to make enough noise with their plates and 
 knives and forks to cover up the laugh. Harley 
 ate his supper without saying another word, and 
 was one of the last to leave the dining-room. As 
 he passed out he found Frank waiting for him. 
 
 "Come up to my room, Harley." And Harley 
 followed without a word. 
 
 Before going to Frank s room Harley went to his 
 own, which was on the same floor, for his pipe, and
 
 io8 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 as he came into Frank s room he had in his hand a 
 letter that he had found on his dresser. He rilled 
 his pipe leisurely, and after lighting it, said: "I 
 have a letter here, Frank, that will undoubtedly set 
 forth my good qualities in great shape. Shall I 
 read it to you?" 
 
 "Not unless you want to, Harley. I don t want 
 to pry into your secrets, neither do I care to know 
 anything about your affairs unless you would be 
 benefitted in having me know them. If I can be of 
 any service to you, you are privileged to call on 
 me." 
 
 "I know that, Frank. You are all right, and 
 come nearer being a friend to a fellow than one out 
 of a thousand. I knew when I found you waiting 
 for me to-night that you were there because you 
 were afraid I would go off somewhere and get to 
 drinking, but you needn t worry about me. But let 
 me read my letter" and Harley, without reading 
 it over to himself, commenced at once to read aloud 
 to Frank: 
 
 " Mr. Harley Bean: I can stand your treatment 
 no longer, and when you read this I shall be at 
 home with my parents. You need not come after 
 me for I shall never have anything more to do with 
 you. For your child s sake, if not for your own, 
 it seems as though you should have conducted your 
 self so as not to have brought disgrace on us, but 
 it is useless to say more. 
 
 " MATILDA. 
 
 "That isn t so bad now, is it? There is only one 
 thing I don t like about it. She says that she will
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 109 
 
 never have anything more to do with me, and she 
 is such a case to change her mind. I did think if 
 she ever left me that I would go to Florida or the 
 Fiji Islands or anywhere, so that if she changed her 
 mind, she would find that I had protected myself 
 against accidents, but I like Boston, and think I 
 will trust Mrs. Bean s word just once anyway. 
 What do you think, Frank?" 
 
 "I don t think, Harley, and I guess that as far as 
 what there is between yourself and wife is con 
 cerned, you will be obliged to do your own thinking 
 without my help." 
 
 The evening passed pleasantly on the whole, a.nd 
 it was only one of many of its kind that followed. 
 
 The time had arrived for Dick Vaughn s trial, 
 and every one interested in the case was at the 
 courthouse. The bank had sent one of its own law 
 yers to assist the state s attorney, for it had decided 
 that Dick should be punished to the extent of the 
 law. The states attorney and his assistants, with 
 the addition of the attorney for the bank, made a 
 formidable array of talent; while on Dick s side 
 there was only one young smooth-faced lawyer, but 
 he was cool and collected and the array of heavy 
 weights on the other side of the case did not seem to 
 trouble him in the least. Sitting near him was 
 Harley Bean. He was supposed to be there in the 
 interest of the Herald, which was true, but it was 
 also true that his greatest interest was with the 
 accused and with the young smooth-faced lawyer. 
 
 It was some time before a jury was impaneled; in 
 fact the first day there were no witnesses called, but 
 the second morning all was in readiness for the
 
 no RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 legal battle that was to decide whether Dick should 
 step forth a free man or go to prison for a term of 
 years. The prosecution were confident, and as 
 there seemed to be no great amount of confidence 
 on the side of the defense, it was looked upon by 
 spectators as a decidedly one-sided affair. The 
 prosecuting lawyer stated his case, and in stating it 
 said that his side was ready to prove that Richard 
 Vaughn was the thief, that part of the money stolen 
 had been found in his possession ; and he dwelt a 
 long time on the fact that Mr. Vaughn had been a 
 trusted employe and had taken advantage of the 
 men who had assisted him and had put confidence 
 in him. 
 
 The president of the bank was the first witness 
 called. He testified to the facts as he understood 
 them, but in reality he knew nothing, as the money 
 had been taken from the coat belonging to Mr. 
 Vaughn before he had seen it. Several clerks and 
 also the bank detective were called and testified to 
 finding the money in a coat said to belong to Rich 
 ard Vaughn. 
 
 The testimony was not as straight as the prosecu 
 tion expected it would be, and as Harvey Lippman, 
 the lawyer for Dick, cross-questioned them, he man 
 aged to send out the impression that there was a 
 reasonable doubt about the whole thing. 
 
 After a little conversation among the lawyers for 
 the prosecution, it was decided to call Henry E. 
 Ballard, the son of the president of the bank. His 
 testimony was the straightest of all. He was with 
 the detective when the money was taken out of the 
 coat that hung in the closet, and recognized the
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN in 
 
 coat as one belonging to Mr. Vaughn. More than 
 this, he volunteered the fact that Mr. Vaughn 
 admitted that the coat was his. 
 
 The moment the prosecution had finished with 
 this witness, Lawyer Lippman was on his feet and 
 commenced to cross-question him. 
 
 "You are the son of the president of the Metro 
 Bank, I believe?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," and the look of contempt that was 
 shown on the face of young Ballard was plain to be 
 seen. More than this, it was more or less shared by 
 the rest of the prosecution. 
 
 "Now," continued Lippman, "will you tell me 
 how much salary you receive or how much money 
 you have received the past year from the bank as 
 assistant cashier or from your father in gifts?" 
 
 "One moment, your Honor," said the prosecuting 
 attorney; "this witness is not on trial." 
 
 "I know he is not on trial," said Mr. Lippman, 
 "but he is the only one who has given to the jury 
 convincing testimony in this case. He is the only 
 one who has breathed a suspicion that there was 
 ever anything wrong in regard to the character of 
 Richard Vaughn previous to this trouble. He 
 proved nothing, and only gave out these things as 
 his suspicions. Now, what I am ready to do is this : 
 I am ready to show that while the prosecution have 
 not shown any motive for the crime on the part of 
 my client, I can prove that the witness on the stand 
 is a man of no principle or character, and one 
 whose word should not be taken on oath. 
 
 As a matter of course there was a sensation in 
 court. The witness on the stand turned pale, but
 
 ii2 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 with suppressed rage. His father, the president of 
 the bank, was almost beside himself with vexation, 
 and his contempt for the man who could so malign 
 his son was not held back. The prosecuting law 
 yers were telling the judge in the strongest terms 
 they could that their witness should not be insulted, 
 as he was not on trial. Lawyer Lippman stood 
 firm awaiting the decision of the judge, and after 
 quiet was restored the decision came. The lawyer 
 for the defense was allowed to bring out any evi 
 dence that he had to bring, but the witness was not 
 obliged to incriminate himself. 
 
 Mr. Lippman again asked his question and the 
 witness refused to answer. He was then asked to 
 relate his experience with the robbers on Howard 
 street. This he also declined to say anything about, 
 and his lawyer again demanded that he be allowed 
 to go unless the lawyer for the defense would con 
 fine himself to a proper course of cross-examination. 
 
 This was all Mr. Lippman expected. He had 
 shown to the jury that the witness was afraid to 
 allow himself to be examined on his private life and 
 doings, and it left a doubt in their minds in regard 
 to the honesty of his testimony. 
 
 The witness was excused and the prosecution 
 rested their case. 
 
 Mr. Lippman arose and said: "Your Honor, the 
 prosecution have seemingly made a strong case 
 against my client, but I propose to prove to you 
 that one of the witnesses had a strong incentive for 
 testifying as he did. I shall also prove to you that 
 the principal witness for the prosecution not only 
 has a motive for having my client sent to the peni-
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 113 
 
 tentiary, but that he is a man whose testimony 
 should not be accepted by the honorable court. I 
 have here a clipping from a Boston morning paper 
 of June 25th, of this year, which I wish to read, and 
 which was given to the reporter at the time by the 
 witness, Mr. Henry E. Ballard." 
 
 Mr. Lippman then read the clipping, which was 
 the same as Dick and Frank heard read the morn 
 ing after the affair in Howard street. 
 
 The prosecuting attorney tried to speak, but the 
 judge motioned him down and Mr. Lippman con 
 tinued: "I will now call Dr. William Gates." 
 
 The doctor came forward and was sworn, and 
 every one was intensely interested to know what 
 kind of a turn the trial was about to take. How 
 ever, it was past twelve o clock and the judge 
 adjourned court until i : 30 p. m.
 
 When the court convened again Doctor Gates was 
 called to the stand. The court-room was packed, 
 which was something of a surprise to both Dick and 
 Frank, there being many of Dick s former so-called 
 friends present. 
 
 Mr. Lippman commenced his examination of the 
 witness by saying: "You heard me read a notice 
 from a newspaper just before adjournment?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Where were you on the evening of June 24th of 
 the present year?" 
 
 The doctor glanced around until his eyes met 
 those of young Ballard, and then he said: 
 
 "I spent a part of the evening with Henry Bal 
 lard. I suppose that is what you want to know." 
 
 "Tell the court what happened while you were 
 with him." 
 
 "I don t know that I can remember very well, it 
 is so long ago." 
 
 "Then tell it as near as you remember it." 
 
 "We were walking on Howard street when sud 
 denly two men confronted us and one of them 
 knocked Mr. Ballard down." 
 
 "Well, what then?" 
 
 "I don t know what happened then; I ran away." 
 
 "Did you think these men were robbers?" 
 
 "I suppose so." 
 
 "Did you cry out for the police when you ran 
 away?" 
 
 "4
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 115 
 
 "I don t remember." 
 
 "Did you report the affair to the police?" 
 
 "I don t remember." 
 
 "Then you knew your friend was in the^ hands of 
 robbers and you ran away and left him and never 
 told any one about it. Were you and Mr. Ballard 
 alone on Howard street, or was there some one 
 else in your party?" 
 
 "I don t remember." 
 
 The prosecuting attorney said: "If it pleases the 
 honorable court, I think all of this is irrelevant 
 testimony and has no bearing- on the case." 
 
 "I think, your Honor, that the learned gentleman 
 on the other side will find that the testimony of this 
 witness will bear on the case if he recovers his 
 memory enough to give us any." 
 
 The judge nodded for Lippman to go on, and he 
 commenced again with his questions. 
 
 "Is it not a fact that there were some young 
 ladies or girls in company with you on Howard 
 street on the night in question?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Oh, then your memory has returned. You are 
 positive about this? You had no female companions 
 on Howard street on the night of June 24th of the 
 present year?" 
 
 "Yes, I am sure." 
 
 "I want you to be sure, for there were others on 
 Howard street that night besides yourself and Mr. 
 Ballard, and if you do not tell the truth you may 
 have occasion to remember that you are under oath. 
 It is a crime to perjure yourself, and one that is 
 severely punishable. Now, what do you think
 
 n6 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 about it? Were there some young women or girls 
 in company with yourself and Mr. Heniy Ballard 
 on the night in question?" 
 
 "There might have been." 
 
 "And yet a short time ago you told the court that 
 you were sure there were none. Now, you know 
 whether or not there was any one with you two 
 young men that night, and I want the truth." 
 
 "I think there were some women there who spoke 
 to us, but I am not quite sure. " 
 
 The witness was excused, and Mr. George F. 
 Strong was called, who testified that he was on 
 Howard street at the time in question and saw Mr. 
 Ballard and Doctor Gates in company with two 
 young women. He also testified that the four got 
 into some kind of a quarrel and that Mr. Ballard 
 knocked one of the women down, and then Mr. 
 Ballard was knocked down a moment afterwards by 
 one of two young men who were near there at the 
 time. 
 
 "Did you know the young man that knocked Mr. 
 Ballard down?" asked Mr. Lippman. 
 
 "Yes; it was Richard Vaughn." 
 
 The witness was then given over to the opposing 
 counsel, who tried to break his testimony, but it was 
 of no use. 
 
 Joe Spellman was the next witness called. By 
 this witness Mr. Lippman proved that Mr. Ballard 
 was a gambler and had lost large sums of money 
 within the last year, giving dates and places. As 
 this witness was a well-known detective, the prose 
 cuting attorney allowed him to retire without cross- 
 questioning.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 117 
 
 Mr. Herbert Snow was then called. 
 
 "Mr. Snow," said Mr. Lippman, "kindly tell the 
 court what your business is." 
 
 "I am a detective and have been for the past ten 
 years." 
 
 "Were you in the Metro Bank the day Mr. 
 Vaughn was arrested?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Were you there at the time of the arrest?" 
 
 "No, sir, I was there before the arrest, but was 
 obliged to leave before the arrest was made, as I 
 was working on another case." 
 
 "You will tell the court about the discovery you 
 made while there. One moment, please. You 
 know Mr. Henry E. Ballard quite well, do you not?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "You would not be liable to mistake some one 
 else for him in broad daylight, would you?" 
 
 "Certainly not, sir." 
 
 "Just wait a moment. I have decided to let you 
 step aside, for now I want to call Mr. Henry E. 
 Ballard to the stand." 
 
 Mr. Snow stepped aside and Mr. Ballard was 
 asked to take the stand, which he did, but he had 
 lost all of his sang froid. He was pale and nervous. 
 
 "Mr. Ballard," said Mr. Lippman, looking Bai- 
 lard square in the eye, "you looked at your watch 
 just as you started to put that package of money 
 into Mr. Vaughn s coat. What time was it?" 
 
 "Five minutes to three," said Ballard, and then, 
 half -realizing what he had said, he dropped appar 
 ently lifeless into the witness box. 
 
 Mr. Lippman had worked this scene up until he
 
 n8 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 had the attention of every person in the court-room, 
 and not a soul, not even the opposing counsel, had 
 the least idea of what he was driving at when he 
 asked the question. He asked it rapidly, and as he 
 had the perfect attention of Mr. Ballard, there was 
 nothing else for him to do but to answer at once, 
 and the truth was the only thing he had time to say 
 or think of. 
 
 Confusion reigned in the court-room. The scene 
 was indescribable. The prosecuting attorneys were 
 the only ones who were not adding to the confusion. 
 They were dumbfounded at the result. Lippman s 
 plan was plain to them then, but it was too late. 
 Young Ballard had fainted, and it was some time 
 before he was brought to and the officers of the 
 court managed to regain order. 
 
 As soon as Air. Lippman could get the attention 
 of the court, he said: 
 
 "Your Honor, I will rest my case here." And as 
 the opposing counsel had nothing to offer, the case 
 was given to the jury, and that decidedly interest 
 ing and interested body of men brought in a verdict 
 of "not guilty," without leaving their seats. 
 
 The prisoner was again a free man. He was 
 probably the most surprised man in the court-room 
 at the turn affairs had taken, but he was the one 
 who showed it the least. He was pale from con 
 finement, but as he walked out of the court-room 
 his head was up and his step was firm, while every 
 one else was excited. Before leaving the court 
 room Dick shook hands with the judge and jurors, 
 and then walked out with his lawyer, accompanied 
 by Frank Bard well and Harley Bean. A mere
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 119 
 
 happy man than Frank Bardwell could not have 
 been found. He had no words to express his joy, 
 and he could not have uttered them had he known 
 what to say, for the tears were streaming down his 
 face. 
 
 As the four men walked out of the court-room 
 they seemed to have no objective point, but they 
 brought up at "Young s," and were soon seated in 
 a quiet place with a dinner ordered for the party. 
 
 "Harley," said Dick, "I think I have heard you 
 say that there is no such thing as a friend. Now, 
 after what I have gone through and the way you 
 three have stuck by me, what have you to say for 
 yourself?" 
 
 "Just the same thing as I always have, Dick. 
 The whole thing is selfishness. I was in the thing 
 for excitement, Lippman was in it for money, and 
 Frank well, let s see, I ll be hanged if I know 
 what Frank was in it for, unless it was to get an 
 excuse to cry. He seems to enjoy that." 
 
 "Harley, you are a conundrum, bat there are 
 worse than you. By the way, how about the money, 
 Mr. Lippman? How much do I owe you? I would 
 like to know, although I am sure I don t know how 
 I am going to pay you for a little time." 
 
 "You don t owe me a cent, Mr. Vaughn, and I 
 will give you a receipted bill any time you will call 
 at my office. You see in that way we will knock 
 Harley out of another of his pet follies." 
 
 " Not much you won t," said Harley. "Now, 
 lock here, Lippman, how much do you think this 
 case will be worth to you in your practice?" 
 
 "I don t know, Harley. That depends a good
 
 120 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 deal on how much the papers advertise the case and 
 the part I took in it, but I don t think I would have 
 missed it for five thousand dollars." 
 
 "That s it exactly, and still you are trying to 
 make people believe that you are working for love. 
 Oh, you blind people make me weary!" 
 
 "Mr. Lippman," said Dick, "there are a few 
 things that have puzzled me. How did you happen 
 to find that man who was in the bank and saw 
 Ballard put that money into my coat, and why did 
 he not investigate it while he was there or report 
 the case and get me out cf jail quicker, and how did 
 you know about Ballard s looking at his watch?" 
 
 Mr. Lippman laughed. 
 
 "When you have the Old Nick to fight, you know, 
 the only thing to fight him with is a firebrand. The 
 most of that was guesswork, and I will tell you 
 another thing, boys, Harley Bean did more work 
 and planning on this case than I did. He found 
 the detective who saw the trouble on Howard 
 street, and he also found another one who by 
 chance was in the Metro Bank the same day the 
 money was found in your coat. He was in there only 
 a minute about half-past ten in the morning, but 
 that answered my purpose. Harley also found out 
 that young Ballard was in the habit of looking at his 
 watch every time he started to go anywhere or when 
 he intended to do anything. I put these things 
 together; treated them as facts; my bird fell into 
 the trap, and there you are. My whole questioning 
 of Doctor Gates was only to get young Ballard into 
 proper condition. He said just what I wanted him 
 to, for he gave me a good chance to shake the per-
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 121 
 
 jury business over him. You see, it s this way: if 
 you are about to crack a walnut you will prepare. 
 First, you will perhaps get a flatiron, place it 
 between your knees, take the nut between the 
 thumb and index finger of your left hand, place one 
 edge of the nut on the flatiron and strike the upper 
 edge of the nut a light tap with a hammer, and the 
 trick is accomplished. It is exactly the same with 
 a witness that you want to get a little of the meat 
 called testimony out of: before you crack him he 
 must be well prepared. Ballard was so well pre 
 pared that a very light tap brought all of the meat 
 out whole. " 
 
 Harley Bean took it upon himself to pay for the 
 dinner. Then they bade Mr. Lippman good night 
 and the three men went to Frank s room and talked 
 over the various things that interested them. 
 
 "Harley," said Dick, " "I was sorry to hear that 
 your wife had left you." 
 
 "Were you? I am sure I always tried to treat 
 you right, though perhaps I haven t gone out cf my 
 way to do it." 
 
 Dick laughed and said: "I hope it is all for the 
 best. Have you given up drinking? You know 
 you intimated some time ago that you were half 
 driven to it." 
 
 "Did I? I did not intend to. No, I haven t 
 given up drinking exactly. It tastes just as good as 
 ever it did, but I have reformed some. I get full 
 only on decided provocation." 
 
 "And what do you consider decided provocation?" 
 
 "I haven t had anything decided enough but once 
 since you went to board on Charles street, and that
 
 122 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 happened in this way: I came into the office one 
 noon after an assignment, and one of the boys told 
 me that my wife had been into see me. Now, 
 said I to myself, when my wife finds me if she 
 doesn t smell liquor on me she will be disappointed, 
 and I don t like to disappoint her, so out I went 
 and commenced to bowl up. Then I happened to 
 think that if I got good and full she would say, 
 That s just as I expected to find you, and I argue 
 that when a man s wife puts trust in her husband 
 that way some attention ought to be paid to it. 
 The result was I met her that afternoon on the 
 street, and I don t think she was in the least disap 
 pointed. I was afraid I wasn t quite full enough, 
 but it answered the purpose, for I haven t seen her 
 since. She wrote to me, though ; said she had been 
 thinking it over and had decided that it would be 
 her duty to try to live with me if I were trying to 
 do better, but when she found me drunk on the 
 street she gave up in disgust. Just think, Dick, 
 what a tight squeeze I had. If the boys had not 
 put me on she might have found me sober. Well, 
 boys, good-night. I must leave 3 r ou, for I have 
 some writing to do yet to-night. 
 
 When Dick and Frank were left to themselves 
 they began to think of Dick s future. 
 
 "Now that you are once more free, Dick, what 
 do you propose to do?" 
 
 "I am sure I don t know. When I was in jail I 
 never once thought of my future, for although I 
 knew I was innocent of any crime, I did not see 
 how I could be cleared. Young Lippman certainly 
 is a wonder."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 123 
 
 "Do you think Mr. Ballard would give you your 
 old position at the bank?" 
 
 "Well, hardly; although I don t know why." 
 
 The boys talked until long past twelve o clock, 
 and no one bothered them, for as it happened no 
 one but Harley Bean knew they were in the house. 
 They talked and planned, but after all decided that 
 they would be obliged to wait until the next day 
 before anything about Dick s future could be 
 decided. Just as the young men were thinking of 
 retiring, Harley came in. 
 
 "My work is done for the night, and I thought I 
 would come in to find out what you had decided to 
 do in the future, Dick?" 
 
 "Not a thing, Harley. Frank proposed that we 
 both leave Boston and go West, but I wouldn t 
 listen to anything of that kind. Boston is my home, 
 and always has been, and I know of no reason why 
 it should not always be. I have done nothing to 
 run away from, and it seems as though I ought to 
 do best where I am best known." 
 
 "I am glad to know that you have that much 
 sense, Dick. The worst thing you two could do 
 now would be to leave this town, for wherever you 
 went some one would get hold of this story, and 
 when they did they would get hold of the wrong end 
 of it and would have it that you had committed 
 seven murders besides several minor offenses. No, 
 stay where you are, and fight it out. It is the best 
 way. You may find that you need some money 
 before you get settled again, and if you do just call 
 on me. I have a little that is idle, and I would be 
 glad to loan it to you at a small rate of interest.
 
 i2 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 You see, I am as selfish as the rest and am looking 
 out for myself." 
 
 "Thank you, Harley, but I don t think I will need 
 any money. While it is true I haven t any left, I 
 think I can get a situation readily, and most likely 
 will be at work to-morrow." 
 
 "Don t be too sure of that, Dick. People in Bos 
 ton are queer cattle, and they are about the same 
 anywhere else. I think you will have a chance to 
 make some money to-morrow, but you will decline, 
 and situations are not hanging on every bush for 
 men who are just out of jail." 
 
 "But, Harley," said Frank, "it was no fault of 
 Dick s that he was in jail. How can that make any 
 difference?" 
 
 "Do you remember what old man Lemon said 
 about discharging you because you roomed with a 
 man who had been arrested?" 
 
 "Yes, but that was Mr. Lemon. All men do not 
 have such strange ideas." 
 
 "Perhaps not, Frank, but the more you study 
 people the more you will be convinced that most of 
 them have a little lemon in their make-up.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 "Good morning, Frank," said Mr. H. U. Lemon 
 the morning after Dick s release from custody. It 
 was eight o clock, and Frank had been at work for 
 an hour. 
 
 "Good morning, Mr. Lemon. I am a little 
 behind on my work, but now that Dick is free I 
 trust there will be no more breaks." 
 
 "I hope not, Frank; we could not stand much of 
 this kind of neglect. The Lord expects us to 
 attend to our business just as much as to anything 
 else, and unless we do He is displeased and we 
 suffer." 
 
 After the rush of the morning was over Mr. 
 Lemon came to Frank again and said: "Now, 
 Frank, I want you to think this matter over seri 
 ously and see if you don t think it best to go some 
 where else to board so as to be away from Mr. 
 Vaughn. You can make an excuse that you want 
 to get out near me or the church, and come to live 
 in Cambridge. It isn t going to do you any good 
 to associate with Mr. Vaughn. You know you 
 can t handle pitch without some of it sticking to 
 your fingers." 
 
 "But, Mr. Lemon, why do you speak of Dick as 
 though he were a criminal? He was cleared, and 
 not only that, but young Mr. Ballard confessed that 
 he himself was the thief." 
 
 "Yes, I know all of that, Frank, but you don t 
 125
 
 i 2 6 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 understand. He has been arrested, and when 
 people see him the fact that he has been arrested 
 will come to their minds ; they will soon forget that 
 he was freed, and if they do think of that there will 
 be in their minds a vague idea that he was dealt 
 with leniently for some reason other than his being 
 innocent." 
 
 "Mr. Lemon, is that what you understand by 
 Christian charity?" 
 
 "Charity, Frank, begins at home. We must 
 avoid all appearances of evil. We do not need to 
 associate with a man in our every-day life in order 
 to welcome him to the fold of Christ. The doors of 
 our churches are open, and the blood of Christ can 
 wash away every stain. I would only be too glad 
 to see Mr. Vaughn attend our church and Sunday- 
 school, and I would thank God if I could know that 
 he were safe within the fold, a follower of the meek 
 and lowly Jesus; but after all this I do not consider 
 that it is my duty or your duty to associate with 
 him. God brought this affliction upon him for some 
 good purpose, and in His own good time He may 
 bring him up to a higher life, but we must do some 
 things for appearance s sake. The good Lord 
 requires it of us, and I think you had better be 
 governed by my advice." 
 
 Mr. Lemon was called away, and Frank, left to 
 his own thoughts, pondered over Mr. Lemon s 
 words. He could not understand him. It did not 
 seem a Christian act to cut the acquaintance of a 
 friend because that friend had been unfortunate. 
 "No," said he to himself, "I would not hurt Dick s 
 feelines for a thousand Mr. Lemons." With this
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 127 
 
 decision firmly settled in his mind he returned to his 
 work, and fur the time he dropped all thoughts of 
 other things. 
 
 Dick, in the meantime, was finding out a few 
 things. He was finding that a position in a bank 
 was not the easiest thing to secure. At the Metro 
 Bank he had worked up from errand boy to a good 
 position, but now he was having brought to his 
 mind a fact that he already knew; that bank officials 
 have numberless relatives, the most of whom are in 
 need of positions. 
 
 Dick got home early to lunch, and finding a note 
 there for him from Mr. Ballard, the president of 
 the Metro Bank, asking him to call, he did not wait 
 for lunch, but at once went to the bank to find out 
 what was wanted. Mr. Ballard invited him into his 
 private office, and after asking him to be seated, 
 said: 
 
 "Richard, you have been through a severe trial 
 and have come out without harm. I feel that I 
 should do something for you to repair the wrong 
 that has been done. You will no doubt realize that 
 it would be impossible for me to give you back 
 your old place at the bank. The fact is, Richard, 
 any time any acquaintance of my son should see 
 you, whether in the bank or about town, you would 
 act as a reminder of my son s misfortune. I have 
 sent him away for this same reason. Now, Rich 
 ard, I propose to do the right thing by you. I am 
 going to make you a present of five thousand dol 
 lars, but the money is only to be given provided 
 that you leave Boston, never to return. You are 
 alone in the world, and can just as well live in one
 
 128 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 place as in another. With this five thousand dol 
 lars you can go into business in some small town, 
 and you can be a big man in a small town, while 
 here in Boston, without the same chance of a start, 
 you would never be heard of outside of your own 
 small circle of acquaintances. What do you think 
 of the proposition; does it surprise you?" 
 
 "Yes, Mr. Ballard, it does surprise me. I have 
 been thinking all the forenoon that I should have 
 come to you the first thing this morning and asked 
 you to put me back in my old position in the bank. 
 I positively knew that you would not do it, but the 
 more I talked with others, the more I realized that 
 such a course was the only one whereby I would be 
 entirely vindicated. Mr. Ballard, I have wronged 
 no one, but have been wronged while in your 
 employ by your own son. Why should you wish to 
 send me away with the mark of Cain across my fore 
 head, when you are the only one in the world who 
 can put me right?" 
 
 "You mistake me, Richard. The only reason I 
 have for wanting you to leave here is what I have 
 told you, but don t be hasty about answering me. 
 You think it over and see if you don t decide that I 
 have made you a good proposition." 
 
 "I will think it over if you want me to, but I do 
 not think I shall call on you for the money." With 
 this Dick bade the banker good-bye and left the 
 bank. 
 
 Shortly after Dick left, a bank messenger came in, 
 in company with Harley Bean. 
 
 "You sent me for Mr. Bean, Mr. Ballard. Here 
 he is.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 129 
 
 "Oh, this is Mr. Bean, is it? I think I saw you 
 at the trial, and I took pains to find out who you 
 were. I am glad to say that I found you to be a 
 most estimable gentleman, and one who could be 
 depended on to work for the best interests of his 
 friends." 
 
 "All right, Governor, I call you. Show your 
 hand." 
 
 "What did you say, Mr. Bean? I don t think I 
 understood your remark." 
 
 "Never mind what I said; go ahead with the 
 deal and let a fellow know what you are driv 
 ing at." 
 
 "You use queer language for a reporter. Those 
 whom I have met before seemed to be very choice 
 in the selection of their words." 
 
 "I guess you are right, Governor, but you see I 
 am not reporting this interview for the paper. 
 Those guys you spoke of with their choice words 
 had on their society manners." 
 
 "All right, Mr. Bean, I guess we understand each 
 other. I sent for Mr. Vaughn and told him I was 
 willing to give him a start in life if he would go to 
 seme other town. You are a man of the world, Mr. 
 Bean, and ycu no doubt understand that it would be 
 embarrassing for myself and also for my son should 
 he stay here after what has happened." 
 
 "Did you propose to Dick that he should leave 
 town?" 
 
 "Yes, I talked to him along these lines." 
 
 "And he mcst likely told you that he would not 
 go?" 
 
 "Well, no, not exactly, although I am afraid he
 
 i 3 o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 will be foolish enough to throw away the chance of 
 his life." 
 
 "How do you propose to work me into this thing?" 
 
 "Simply by my doing something for you and by 
 your having a chance to do your friend Vaughn a 
 good turn." 
 
 "All right, go ahead." 
 
 , "I have offered to give Mr. Vaughn five thousand 
 dollars if he will go to some other state and stay 
 there, and I am willing to give you a thousand dol 
 lars if you will get him to accept my offer. That is 
 a pretty easy way of earning a thousand dollars, is 
 it not, Mr. Bean?" 
 
 "It may be, but it is pretty tough on the young 
 man." 
 
 "Pretty tough to receive five thousand dollars to 
 take a fresh start in life, when all he has to do is 
 to leave the place where in all probability he will 
 never succeed in getting that much money together? 
 I can hardly understand how you can say it is 
 tough. 
 
 "Look here, Mr. Ballard, Dick Vaughn has but 
 one thing left, now that you and your son have 
 robbed him of his situation. It is his honor, and if 
 I know the lad, he is just the one who will stay 
 here and defend it. Why do you want him to leave 
 the city and state? Don t answer; I will tell you. 
 You think that after he is out of the way a short 
 time and this affair has blown over, you can bring 
 your son back and you can let the impression get 
 out that Dick was really the guilty one. You would 
 sacrifice Dick that you may give your son another 
 chance. We are alone, Mr. Ballard; you can talk
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 131 
 
 straight business to me. Don t cover it up with any 
 charity scheme; it is too thin." 
 
 The two men eyed each other in a way that 
 showed that each was taking the measure of the 
 other. The first one to speak was Mr. Ballard, who 
 said: 
 
 "All right, Mr. Bean, we will talk straight busi 
 ness. We will say nothing about the motive. I 
 want to get Mr. Vaughn to leave Boston for good 
 and all. Will you assist me?" 
 
 "Consideration one thousand dollars?" 
 
 "Yes, consideration one thousand dollars." 
 
 "How do I know that I will get the money?" 
 
 "You will be obliged to trust my word for that, 
 but I guess my word is good for the amount. I will 
 do this, however, for I believe you to be an honest 
 man, as soon as you give your word that you will 
 help me in this matter I will give you one hundred 
 dollars. Now, say the word, and I will ring for the 
 money. 
 
 "Would you trust a man that would betray a 
 friend?" 
 
 "Yes, when in betraying that friend he was doing 
 him more good than harm, I certainly would trust 
 him. Shall I ring for the money?" 
 
 "No, not now, Mr. Ballard. I don t want any 
 money until I have earned it, and I want to look 
 the ground over before I start to work." 
 
 When Harley left the banker s private office Mr. 
 Ballard bowed him out very graciously, and after 
 he had gone the banker smiled to himself and said, 
 half aloud: "What a shallow chap! I really flat 
 tered him until he thought he was too honest to
 
 i 3 2 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 take any money until he had done something for 
 me. " 
 
 Harby s thoughts can best be described by a con 
 versation he had with an acquaintance he met in the 
 next block. 
 
 "Hello, Harley, old man! you look as though you 
 had lost your last friend." 
 
 "No, haven t lost any friend that I know of. Just 
 had an offer of a thousand cold plunks for one, but 
 don t like to sell myself short." 
 
 "What are you talking about, anyway? You 
 must be full." 
 
 "No, net full, but willing. Have you got the 
 price?" 
 
 "Yes, I have the price all right, but I pass you 
 up this time. You ve had enough now. Where 
 have you been, anyway?" 
 
 "Oh, I have been up here looking at a trans 
 parency." 
 
 "Must have made you light headed." 
 
 "Well, hardly, but did it ever occur to you that 
 there were men walking around loose that ought to 
 have their clothes made of opaque cloth?" 
 
 "No, it never occurred to me, but you are dense 
 enough to go naked." 
 
 "Thanks, awfully. Good-bye." But the chance 
 acquaintance was around the corner out of sight. 
 
 That same night after supper Harley knocked at 
 Frank s door and was bidden to enter. There he 
 found Dick, as he expected, and it was evident that 
 the young men had been talking of something that 
 interested them very much. 
 
 "Harley," said Dick, "you said last night that I
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 133 
 
 would be offered some money to-day. What did 
 you mean? Had you heard anything to that effect?" 
 
 "Not a thing, but I thought I knew my man. 
 How much did he offer you five thousand?" 
 
 "Look here, Harley, how did you know he was 
 going to offer me five thousand?" 
 
 "I didn t know he was going to offer you any 
 thing, but I know now that he has. Wants you to 
 leave town, I suppose, and never show up again." 
 
 "You have told that much correctly ; now suppose 
 you tell me what I said to him. 
 
 "You most likely had it in your mind to tell him 
 to go to, but you were so surprised that you left 
 him with the impression that you might accept his 
 offer. Then you came home and as soon as you 
 found Frank you told him all about it, and some 
 thing he has said has made you sort of undecided as 
 to what you ought to do." 
 
 "Say, Harley, are you in league with his Satanic 
 majesty?" 
 
 "Why, do you share your secrets with him? But 
 never mind, boys, I guessed at part of the story, so 
 you tell me the rest. 
 
 Dick proceeded to tell the story as the reader 
 knows it. After the story was finished Frank said : 
 
 "Perhaps I was wrong, Harley, but I advised 
 Dick to think this matter over and to consult you 
 about it before he decided what to do about accept 
 ing it." 
 
 "What do you think you ought to do, Dick?" 
 
 "When he first made me the offer I had it on my 
 tongue s end to say to him that he had not money 
 enough in his bank to buy me, that I would live
 
 i 3 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 here in spite of him and his son. I think I must 
 have lost some of my nerve while in jail, for when 
 he told me that I had better think it over I walked 
 out without deciding. What do you think I ought 
 to do, Harley?" 
 
 "Would you do what I advised you to?" 
 
 "I think I would, Harley. At least I would seri- 
 oi .sly consider it, for I am sure you would advise 
 me as it seemed best to you." 
 
 "All right, Dick, here is my advice, and I want 
 you not only to consider it, but I want you to follow 
 it to the letter: in the first place, make up your 
 mind to stay in Boston. Don t try to secure a situ 
 ation in a bank; go to work at something else, no 
 matter what, so that there is a chance to get up in 
 it. You may have hard work to get into anything 
 that suits you, but take what you can get until you 
 can find something better. Frank and I will see 
 that you don t want for money until you get to 
 work, and then you can pay us back as you can. 
 What do you say? Will you follow my advice?" 
 
 "Will I? Well, I guess yes, for you have advised 
 me exactly as I wanted to be advised, and the only 
 thing about it I don t like is that I am obliged to 
 borrow from you two until I can pay you back, 
 which may be some time yet. But tell me, Harley, 
 why do you persist in saying that there is no such 
 thing as friendship? Who but true friends would 
 do as you and Frank are willing to do?" 
 
 "All selfishness, Dick s all selfishness. You see, 
 we don t want to lose you. It sort of breaks up the 
 gang, you know." 
 
 The next day Dick was out in good season look-
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 135 
 
 ing for work. He had left his troubles behind him 
 and was once more his own self. It was several 
 days, however, before he found anything to do, and 
 then it was by accident that he stumbled upon it. 
 One day, being in a manufacturing section of the 
 city, Dick was attracted, as he always was, by the 
 noise of machinery, and stepped into a furniture 
 factory. While he was watching the men at the 
 turning lathes and other machines, the proprietor 
 of the place came along and said in a very gruff 
 manner, "What do you want here?" 
 
 "Nothing in particular; I was just watching the 
 men work." 
 
 "Just watching the men work, eh? It would be 
 more to your credit if you were working yourself." 
 
 "No doubt it would," said Dick. "Will you give 
 me something to do?" 
 
 Jim Anderson, the proprietor of the small furni 
 ture factory, was a rough-spoken man, but a man 
 with a good heart, and at the same time he had no 
 earthly use for any man who looked down upon 
 honest labor. Usually when he spoke to strangers 
 who were wandering about his place of business 
 they would take themselves off without a word, and 
 he was somewhat surprised that Dick did not do the 
 same. As Dick asked for something to do Jim 
 looked him over, and noticing that he was very well 
 dressed, he said: "You have wandered into the 
 wrong stall, my fine fellow. You should be looking 
 for work down in Washington street, where you 
 could look nice all the time and wait on the ladies." 
 
 "Is it a disgrace in your eyes for a man to look 
 neat?"
 
 i 3 6 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Well, no, perhaps not, but what can you do?" 
 
 "I can keep your books." 
 
 "I thought so. A pen is about as big a thing as 
 you would care to handle. Now, if you can shovel 
 sawdust I will hire you." 
 
 "All right, sir, I will accept the situation, pro 
 vided there is money enough in it to pay my board, 
 and a chance to improve my condition." 
 
 "Say, but you aren t such a bad chap after all. 
 What did you ever do, and why did you leave your 
 last place?" 
 
 "I was a clerk in the Metro Bank, and had been 
 there for ten years until about three months ago, 
 when I was arrested, being accused of stealing 
 money." 
 
 "Yes, yes, I read about that. You have a funny 
 kind of a name commences with V, doesn t it?" 
 
 "My name is Vaughn," said Dick, "but it doesn t 
 seem funny to me." 
 
 "I don t read the papers much, but I read the 
 whole of that, for I happened to know young Lipp- 
 man, the lawyer. So you are willing to shovel saw 
 dust, are you? Well, you come here in the morning, 
 and we will see if you are as good as your word." 
 
 "Yes, but you must remember that I said I must 
 receive money enough to pay my board and have a 
 chance to rise. 
 
 "All right, my boy, come to-morrow. We will 
 find out what kind of stuff you are made of, and 
 will give you a chance to rise, if it is only a chance 
 on the elevator."
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 "Oh, Miss Mabel, such an awful thing has hap 
 pened!" It was Miss May Rivers who spoke, as 
 Mabel came downstairs to breakfast. 
 
 "What is it, Miss Rivers, that is so awful?" 
 
 "You will think it is awful when you hear it. 
 You have seen that little Hoi brook girl, little 
 Mamie? Well, it is about her. She wandered 
 away last evening and the whole town has been 
 out after her all night. This morning they found 
 her bruised and mangled body in the woods, right 
 at the place where you met Doctor Lovelace one 
 afternoon; don t you remember?" 
 
 "Yes, I remember; but what had happened to 
 her? Was she dead?" 
 
 "Yes, she was quite dead, Mabel, and it was the 
 work of some human wretch or wretch in human 
 form." 
 
 "Oh, what can possess people to do such horrible 
 things!" Mabel sat down pale and trembling. 
 Something very like this had happened at three 
 different times since she had arrived in the South 
 that she had heard of, but this was the first time 
 that the victim had been actually known to her. 
 
 "Poor little Mamie!" she said. "She couldn t 
 have been mere than seven years old, and she was 
 such a sweet, bright little thing! Only yesterday 
 she came to the porch and I held her in my lap and 
 she told me all about the flowers that grew in 
 
 13?
 
 138 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 the woods. Oh, who could do such a horrible 
 thing?" 
 
 "Some of those ignorant negroes, I suppose. If 
 these people would only help us to teach them and 
 convert them, how much better it would be. It is 
 so strange they cannot see things in their proper 
 light." 
 
 "Have you seen anything of Tom?" 
 
 It was Mrs. Pennyworth who asked the question, 
 but no one had seen him. Tom was a sort of a man 
 of all work in the Pennyworth family. His full 
 name was Thomas Morgan, but it was seldom that 
 the last name was needed ; every one knew him as 
 Tom from one end of the town to the other. He 
 had been born in Holton and had always lived 
 there. Previous to the arrival of the Pennyworth 
 family he was known as one of the good-for-noth 
 ing, trifling niggers, who only worked enough to 
 keep himself from starving. He was not consid 
 ered particularly bad, but, like many of his race who 
 had more freedom than they knew what to do with, 
 it was thought he would bear watching. When the 
 Pennyworths arrived Tom s smiling face won his 
 way into their hearts, and he became the man-of- 
 all-work already spoken of. Tom spent half of 
 every school day at school, and although he did not 
 seem to learn much, he was a good listener, and 
 when it came to church service he was a most 
 devoted follower. At all events, that was what 
 Miss Rivers said, and Tom was considered her 
 especial protege". 
 
 As soon as Mabel had gotten over the worst of 
 the shock occasioned by the news of little Mamie s
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 139 
 
 death, she thought of the little girl s mother, and 
 without stopping for her breakfast, commenced 
 getting ready to go out 
 
 "Where are you going, Mabel?" said Mr. Penny 
 worth. 
 
 "I am going to see Mrs. Holbrook; will you go 
 with me?" 
 
 "No, Mabel, and you had better not go yourself. 
 It is said that some negro did this crime, and pub 
 lic opinion just at the present time is very much 
 wrought up, and no one can tell what these people 
 will do." 
 
 "What have we to do with the feeling for or 
 against the negro if he is in the wrong? It would 
 seem to me that if these people have such an opin 
 ion of us we should show them by our actions that 
 we are on the side of right and justice, regardless 
 of color. 
 
 "You don t understand, Miss Mabel; you don t 
 understand." 
 
 "Perhaps I do not, but I understand this much 
 that in a case like this I am going to act the same 
 as I would at home : I am going to see Mrs. Hol 
 brook." 
 
 While Mabel was listening she drank a cup of 
 coffee, and thus fortified she left the house and 
 hurried to the home of Mrs. Holbrook. The house 
 was full of strangers to Mabel, but they all knew 
 who Mabel was and all seemed surprised that she 
 should come. Mabel found Mrs. Holbrook and 
 tried to say something to her, but could only hold 
 out her hand, which Mrs. Holbrook took and held 
 for a minute and then gave way to crying. She
 
 i 4 o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 recognized in Mabel a dear friend of the little 
 daughter s who lay dead and mangled in an adjuin- 
 ing room, and every new thought brought fresh 
 tears. 
 
 A short time after Mabel arrived at Mrs. Hoi- 
 brook s a commotion was heard in the front yard. 
 In a moment two young men came into the house, 
 and both said at once: "We have caught him! We 
 have caught him!" Then one of the young men 
 told Mrs. Holbrook that they had been sent to bring 
 her to see the negro before he was hung. Mrs. 
 Holbrook, however, declined to go, but many of the 
 women left the house to see what was to be done 
 with him and how he looked, for the young men had 
 told that it was Tom, the Northerners nigger help, 
 who had committed the crime. When Mabel heard 
 this she felt numb. She knew what was going on 
 around her, but she seemed to have no feeling in 
 the matter. 
 
 In the meantime word had been carried to the 
 men who had the negro in charge that Mrs. Hol 
 brook could not come to the hanging; so, without a 
 moment s hesitation, the negro was hurried fur- 
 ward towards Mrs. Holbrook s house. In a little 
 time a cry was heard, "Here they come!" and 
 Mabel, looking out, saw the mob of infuriated men 
 and also saw the negro with the rope around his 
 neck, and still she had no feeling. She saw them 
 throw one end of the rope over a limb of a tree, and 
 then the thought seemed to come to her that she 
 must know from the negro s own lips if he were 
 guilty of this awful crime. She went out where 
 the men were, and as she came towards the crowd
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 141 
 
 every man seemed to be surprised into silence. 
 Without looking to the right or left Mabel walked 
 directly to where the negro was standing between 
 two powerful men, and as she came up to him, she 
 said: "Tom, look at me. I have heard you say that 
 you were a Christian. Now tell me the truth. Did 
 you kill little Mamie?" 
 
 "Yes, missis, I did; but it wasn t me, it was the 
 debble in me. For sure, missis, it wasn t me. 
 Won t you save me?" 
 
 Mabel turned and started back towards the house 
 without another word, and as she turned it seemed 
 to be a signal for the men, for in an instant a hun 
 dred willing hands pulled on the rope and sent the 
 negro into eternity; and in another instant a hun 
 dred guns were discharged, the contents, for the 
 most part, piercing the negro s body. Mabel cov 
 ered her face with her hands, ran into Mrs. Hoi- 
 brook s house, and threw herself upon a couch. 
 The crowd dispersed and left the negro hanging in 
 front of the house. 
 
 In a little time Mabel regained control of herself 
 sufficiently to get up and start for home, but 
 although the distance was short, the task was a 
 heavy one for her. She had a feeling that she was 
 being followed, and Mr. Pennyworth s words came 
 to her. For a moment she was frightened, but a 
 voice reassured her. 
 
 "Wait a moment, Miss Richards. You have 
 overtaxed your strength; let me assist you." 
 
 It was Doctor Lovelace, and Mabel gladly took 
 his arm and walked along with him. When they 
 arrived at the Pennyworth residence the doctor
 
 14* RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 accepted Mabel s invitation to enter. They found 
 all of the inmates of the Pennyworth household, 
 with most of the negroes, congregated in the living- 
 room. No work had been done in the house that 
 day, and hardly a word had been spoken above a 
 whisper. As Mabel and the doctor entered the 
 room, Miss Rivers, looking up, brought her hands 
 together and half placing herself in a supplicating 
 position, said: "Isn t it dreadful, Doctor Lovelace? 
 Do you suppose the poor boy realized what he was 
 doing?" 
 
 "I don t know, Miss Rivers, but I will assure you 
 that we did when we strung him up and filled him 
 full of lead." 
 
 There was a half-comical smile on the face of the 
 doctor as he said this that seemed to make the feel 
 ing of horror more complete to every one, except 
 Mabel. She paid no particular attention to it ; in 
 fact, had she not found the people at the house in 
 such a disturbed condition, she would have felt 
 quite well, for although a woman of strong feelings, 
 she was a woman of sound sense. 
 
 The negroes were no worse than the whites, but 
 they were ashy pale with fright. A door opened 
 and the voice of old Aunt Tilda was heard: 
 
 "Hit peer monstrous quar dat you good-fur- 
 nuthin niggers couldn stop yo foolishnis en go to 
 work. Dese yar wite fokes ain gwine ter hurt 
 you, cepen you sarve it. Tom Morgan never wuz 
 no count, nohow, en de wite fokes is done gone an 
 done jis whut s right wid him." 
 
 At this moment she espied the doctor. 
 
 "Fur de Lawd s sake, Doctor Lovelace, can t yo,
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 143 
 
 tell dese good wite fokes an* dese yar good-fur- 
 nothin niggers not to be so skeered fur nuthin ? 
 None on em peers ter have er spark er sense 
 cepen Miss Mabel, an I done said w en she went 
 ovah to Miss Holbrook s dat fokes was gwine ter 
 spect her fur hit." 
 
 The doctor smiled at the old woman s earnest 
 ness, and said: 
 
 "Aunt Tilda is right; you people have nothing to 
 fear, and Miss Richards has done more to-day to 
 improve the situation than even she knows, although 
 I am afraid she has overtaxed her own strength." 
 
 "I think not, doctor; I am feeling much better 
 than I did, although lately I have had a very languid 
 feeling that I cannot seem to shake off." 
 
 The doctor started to leave and Miss Richards 
 went with him to the front porch, as she wanted to 
 ask him some questions about Mrs. Holbrook. This 
 was as the doctor wanted it, for he too wanted to 
 ask some questions, and after Mabel had spoken of 
 Mrs. Holbrook, asking what could be done for her, 
 the doctor said: 
 
 "You should not dwell on these things; it will do 
 you no good. It would be better if you would think 
 of something more pleasant. If I knew what your 
 surroundings were up North, I would certainly talk 
 to you of them." 
 
 "You have a different idea, then, from what Mr. 
 Pennyworth has. He says I should drop my 
 thoughts of home and put my whole soul into this 
 work. 
 
 The doctor muttered something under his breath 
 which Mabel did not catch, and then said aloud:
 
 144 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "You had a very pleasant home in the North. 
 Tell me something about it." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "Because I am a doctor and have taken you in 
 charge for the time." 
 
 "There is but little to tell. When at home I lived 
 a quiet life, watched over by a loving father and 
 mother, and every want supplied." 
 
 "Your father is a business man, I presume?" 
 
 "Yes, but why do you ask that?" 
 
 "To get your mind where I want it for one thing, 
 and, for another, I may go to Boston some time 
 and I might be so bold as to hunt you up, if you 
 would give me permission. You know it isn t nice 
 to be a stranger in a strange land." 
 
 "No," said Mabel with a sigh, "it certainly is 
 not. Do you know, Doctor Lovelace, you remind 
 me very much of a young gentleman friend of mine 
 at home? I hardly know why either, because you 
 do not look like him in the least. Perhaps it is 
 because some of your ideas or your way of express 
 ing them are so much like his." 
 
 "Did he want you to come here?" 
 
 "No, I know he certainly did not want me to 
 come here, and he told me many things that you 
 have shown me were true." 
 
 "I am glad I remind you of a friend, and I trust 
 you will consider me a friend also." 
 
 "I do, Doctor, and I thank you very much for the 
 interest you have taken in me." 
 
 "But you did not give me your father s address?" 
 
 "You don t want much of an address. All you 
 have to do is to go to South Market street, which,
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 145 
 
 by the way, is a very short street, and ask for 
 Charles Richards of the first man you meet. But 
 when you go, if you should go before I do, I will 
 give you a letter, which will be very much better." 
 
 The doctor bade Miss Richards good-bye and 
 started down the street. He had found out what 
 he wanted to know. Ten minutes after leaving 
 Mabel he was at the telegraph office, and in ten 
 minutes mere he had sent the following message: 
 
 "Charles Richards, South Market street, Boston, 
 Mass. If you would see your daughter alive come 
 at once. Doctor Douglas Lovelace." 
 
 "There," said the doctor to himself, as he paid 
 for the telegram, "I am staking my reputation as a 
 doctor on my judgment of this case, but somehow 
 I cannot but believe that I am right." 
 
 It was eight o clock the next morning and the 
 doctor was just finishing his breakfast when a 
 young negro boy from Mr. Pennyworth s came for 
 him in great haste. He said the nice young lady 
 from the North was sick, but how bad he could not 
 tell. 
 
 The doctor hastily caught up his medicine case 
 and hat and at once left to attend this patient the 
 call that he had been expecting all night. He had 
 received an answer to his wire the evening before, 
 and he knew that by this time Miss Richards 
 father was on the way to see his daughter. 
 
 Mr. Pennyworth and Miss Rivers met the doctor 
 at the door and conducted him upstairs to the room 
 occupied by Mabel. 
 
 "Oh, Doctor," said Miss Rivers, "it was such a 
 dreadful thing: that Miss Richards should have been
 
 146 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 allowed to leave the house and see that awful dis 
 graceful happening of yesterday." 
 
 The doctor turned from her, and a look of disgust 
 crossed his features. 
 
 Mabel s mind was wandering, and she had a high 
 fever. 
 
 The look the doctor gave the old maid quieted 
 her for the time ?.nd the doctor went on with his 
 work. He sent Mr. Pennyworth for Aunt Tilda and 
 installed her as nurse, giving her all the instruc 
 tions he had to give. The doctor sat beside Mabel 
 for an hour, and all the time the family did not 
 leave the room. Mrs. Pennyworth was somewhat 
 of an invalid herself, or thought she was, and as the 
 doctor left the sick room, Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth 
 and Miss Rivers followed him downstairs. 
 
 As they started to leave the room, Mrs. Penny 
 worth turned to Tilda, and said, "I will send Cloe up 
 to take your place, and you can come down and look 
 after me as usual." 
 
 "You will do nothing of the kind, Aunty. You 
 will stay here and do nothing for any one but Miss 
 Mabel; do you understand me?" 
 
 "Deed I does, honey, and I se gwine to stay right 
 heah. " 
 
 Mrs. Pennyworth was surprised and so were the 
 rest of the family, and as soon as they were down 
 stairs Miss Rivers said: "You certainly are not 
 going to deprive us of the only capable servant we 
 have when some one else can sit by Miss Richards 
 as well as Aunt Tilda can?" 
 
 "I think, myself," said Mr. Pennyworth, address 
 ing the doctor, "that you are laying too much stress
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 147 
 
 on Miss Richards sickness. She has had a severe 
 shock, but the most she needs is quiet, and my wife 
 needs Aunt Tilda all of the time." 
 
 "I was not aware that your wife was so sick. 
 What physician does she employ?" 
 
 "She is not employing any now. With the help 
 of God she is bearing her burden meekly." 
 
 "You talk like children, and I have listened to 
 you for the sake of Miss Richards. The shock that 
 Miss Rivers speaks of did her more good than harm. 
 Her system is full of malaria, and if I save her from 
 a serious sickness it will be by close attention, 
 which must be aided by careful nursing. The 
 nursing no one can give more faithfully than can 
 Aunt Tilda, so don t let me hear any more about 
 the hardships you are obliged to bear in giving her 
 up as a servant for a time. It may not be for 
 long, for Miss Richards may soon be beyond earthly 
 care. 
 
 The doctor bowed himself out, leaving his hear 
 ers astounded, and he said to himself as he walked 
 away, "I did not think I could talk that way to any 
 one, but those people are wretchedly selfish and 
 Miss Richards must be saved, even if I do get 
 myself disliked by the whole outfit"
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 Doctor Douglas Lovelace loved the practice of 
 medicine, and it had been his dream that he might 
 go to some large city, and that through his own 
 efforts and skill he might build up a large practice, 
 but, to please his father, he had settled in his native 
 town and had tried to content himself with a small 
 and not very lucrative practice. His father had 
 lost less than many of the rich Southerners during 
 the Civil War, and, being a far-seeing man, had 
 made the best of his opportunities since the 
 unpleasantness was over. He never liked the idea 
 of Douglas s studying medicine, but he thought the 
 world of him, and also thought that what the young 
 man could acquire at college and at the medical 
 school would do him no harm when the time came 
 for him to take charge of the plantation. The doc 
 tor had a strong desire to please his father, and for 
 that reason he had given up speaking of any change 
 in his plans, cr rather his father s plans, into which 
 he seemed to be drifting. 
 
 The doctor was interested in Miss Richards 
 case, first, perhaps, because he considered it a diffi 
 cult one, and also because he had become interested 
 in the young lady. He realized that she was out of 
 her place in the company she was in, and he had a 
 vague idea that he would help her out if she lived. 
 He had plenty of time to attend to this patient 
 
 148
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 149 
 
 closely, and he spent considerable of it with the 
 sick girl. 
 
 One day, as he sat by her bedside and listened to 
 her incoherent remarks, he noticed all at once that 
 she opened her eyes, and a change seemed to have 
 taken place. He had not expected a change for the 
 better so soon, and it puzzled him, but he soon dis 
 covered that it was only a change in her mind to 
 other wanderings. 
 
 "Are you feeling better, Miss Richards?" 
 
 "Don t talk that way, Dick," said Mabel. "Call 
 me Mabel as you always have. I have had an awful 
 dream, Dick. I thought I really went South to 
 teach, and I thought there were negroes and 
 negroes, and then more negroes, and then there 
 was Mr. Pennyworth, with his little mean soft 
 voice, always going around in his slippers and act 
 ing as though he thought some one were about to 
 catch him and punish him for living, and then there 
 was Miss Brook no, not Brock; she had passed the 
 brook stage and had lengthened out into a river. 
 Oh. she was so long and so tiresome. It wasn t 
 nice, Dick, and I am glad it was only a dream. 
 There was no one nice there but old Tilda, a dear 
 old mammy, and you, Dick. Of course you were 
 nice; you couldn t be any other way, but you were 
 a doctor down there and you talked facts to me, just 
 as you used to here, only you didn t say you loved 
 me. Don t you love me now, Dick? We never had 
 any trouble, Dick, even if I didn t let you say good 
 bye to me. Don t you love me?" 
 
 The doctor took her hand, and stroking it, said: 
 "Yes, Dick loves you and wants you to take this
 
 iso RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 medicine and stop talking and rest. You are not 
 very well, Mabel, and you will do that for Dick, 
 won t you?" 
 
 Mabel took her medicine and lay back on her pil 
 low, and in a few minutes had drowsed off to sleep. 
 
 "Well, Doctor Lovelace, yo is sho a wondah. 
 Yo handle her jes* laike a little baby, an she done 
 an gib her lub to some man. I wondah what he 
 am like." 
 
 The doctor did not express himself, but, like the 
 old mammy, he also wondered who the Dick was 
 with whom this sick girl was so deeply in love, and 
 why he had allowed her to come so far away alone. 
 As he sat there watching her his thoughts turned to 
 her case, and he began to figure the hours before a 
 change would come, and then he tried to think cf 
 something more to do to insure the change being 
 for the better. 
 
 A noise at the door of the room aroused the doc 
 tor from his train of thought, and he turned and 
 saw a man come hurriedty across the floor. The 
 gentleman was about to speak, but the doctor 
 motioned him to be silent. As he came near the 
 bed he said, pointing to the figure lying there, "I 
 am her father; tell me about her, quick." 
 
 The doctor rose, and taking Mr. Richards by the 
 hand, led him from the room. 
 
 "Your daughter is very sick, Mr. Richards, and 
 you are very much excited. Calm yourself. In no 
 other way can you be of any service to her." 
 
 "All right, I will be calm; but tell me, what can 
 I do?" 
 
 "Wait. That is what Aunt Tilda and I are
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 151 
 
 doing, and that is all that any one can do under the 
 circumstances." 
 
 "Are you Doctor Lovelace?" 
 
 "Yes, I am Doctor Lovelace, and I assure you 
 that everything has been done for ) r our daughter 
 that could be done, and she has the best nurse in 
 the country." 
 
 "Where is Mr. Pennyworth and his family?" 
 
 "I am sure I do not know; I have not seen any of 
 them since noon." 
 
 "And do you mean to say that I come here to find 
 my daughter neglected by the ones that we have 
 reason to expect the most of, and being cared for 
 by a strange doctor and an old negro woman?" 
 
 The doctor smiled as he said: "You see, Mr. Rich 
 ards, those people came here to teach the negroes. 
 Looking after sick white people is not in their line. 
 Now, don t get excited, Mr. Richards. I want to tell 
 you that I have a supreme contempt for such people 
 as the reverend Mr. Pennyworth, his family and the 
 white people he has surrounded himself with, 
 except your daughter. I may wrong them, but I 
 do not think so. These people have not offered to 
 do anything for your daughter since I made them 
 send Tilda to take care of her, and if they had I 
 should have ordered them away, for they would do 
 her more harm than good. I am going to save this 
 girl. I knew she was coming down with the fever, 
 and I wired you to come before even the girl her 
 self knew that she was sick, and neither Mr. Penny 
 worth nor any of his family know that I have sent 
 for you. Now will you be governed by what I say 
 in this matter or not?"
 
 152 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Command me, Doctor; I will do whatever you 
 say." 
 
 "Then go to the hotel and get something to 
 eat. About six o clock come back here and relieve 
 Aunt Tilda and myself. Let her get some sleep 
 and let me go home; and whatever you do, don t 
 let any of this Pennyworth tribe come near her 
 room." 
 
 Mr. Richards heard the doctor through and, prom 
 ising to do exactly as he was told, left for the hotel, 
 where he spent the most of the time the next two 
 hours wondering why he had been such a fool as to 
 allow his daughter to come South. 
 
 When Mr. Richards returned at six o clock he 
 found the Pennyworths and Miss Rivers eating din 
 ner. They had not heard of his arrival. Natu 
 rally, as Mr. Richards was quite well off, was a 
 pillar in the church and gave liberally to the church 
 work in the South, he was one who received all 
 attention from those who depended on the charity 
 of the people for their living. The door was opened 
 by one of the servants, but before he had a chance 
 to get upstairs to his daughter s room he was inter 
 cepted by Mr, Pennyworth, 
 
 "Why, Mr, Richards, when did you arrive? How 
 fortunate that you should come just at this time! 
 I was thinking of writing to you and presume I 
 should have done so to-morrow. Your daughter is 
 not feeling well; in fact is confined to her room, 
 but I had not decided that it was serious. If I had 
 I should have written you before this." 
 
 "You Lave taken good care of my daughter, I 
 presume?"
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 153 
 
 "We have given her the best we had, Mr. Rich 
 ards." 
 
 "And you don t think she is seriously sick?" 
 
 "Oh, no. She saw one of those hangings the 
 people indulge in down here, and it was too much 
 for her. But come right in and have some dinner 
 and then we will go up and see Miss Mabel." 
 
 "Mr. Pennyworth, have you seen my daughter 
 to-day?" 
 
 "No. really, I haven t been in to-day." 
 
 "Did you see her yesterday?" 
 
 "Why, my dear Mr. Richards, what does all this 
 mean?" 
 
 "It means that I only allowed Mabel to come 
 South with the understanding that she should come 
 where you and your family were, so that she would 
 be looked after. I come here to find her hovering 
 between life and death, and left solely in the care 
 of a strange doctor and an old negress. " 
 
 "There must be some mistake about this, Mr. 
 Richards. I have not understood that Mabel was 
 more than slightly indisposed." 
 
 "Enough of this, Mr. Pennyworth. I realize how 
 foolish I have been in letting her come South and 
 in trusting her to your care. The only thing I have 
 in hand now is to try to get her well enough to take 
 her away where she can have proper attention and 
 where she can again be restored to health." And 
 Mr. Richards passed upstairs to his daughter s room. 
 
 The next few days passed slowly. The time of 
 watching over the sick girl was divided among the 
 doctor, Mr. Richards and the old mammy, although 
 Mr. Richards would have spent all of the time at
 
 i 5 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 her bedside had he been allowed. At last the crisis 
 came the turning point of the fever. Mabel opened 
 her eyes to see all three of her nurses at once, for, 
 by accident, they were all three with her. It was 
 earl) T in the morning, and such a beautiful morning 
 that it seemed favorable for a change for the better 
 in the sick room. Mabel looked up at them all and 
 smiled. 
 
 "Thank God!" ejaculated Mr. Richards. 
 
 "Bless de Lord!" said Aunt Tilda. 
 
 The doctor drew nearer and took in the change 
 from a professional point of view. 
 
 Mabel would have said something to her father, 
 but the doctor said: "Better not say anything, Miss 
 Mabel. We all have something to say, but now 
 that you are out of danger we can wait." 
 
 She was given a little nourishment and was soon 
 resting peacefully. 
 
 "Is she out of danger?" asked her father. 
 
 "No, not exactly," said the doctor, "but all she 
 needs is rest and good nursing, and we will see that 
 she gets that." 
 
 A few days after this change for the better and 
 while Mabel was still confined to her bed, the doc 
 tor called and found her asleep, with Mr. Richards 
 sitting at her bedside, and the two men entered 
 into a conversation in regard to the sick one. 
 
 "I am anxious to take my daughter home. How 
 long do you think it will be before she can be 
 moved?" 
 
 "I am afraid it will be some time before she can 
 go unless she has special attention on the trip," said 
 the doctor.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 155 
 
 "I had thought as much, and while I am not a 
 rich man as riches are counted now, I think I can 
 afford to give her all of the conveniences needed as 
 soon as you say she is able to travel. I had thought 
 of asking you to go with us and also of taking the 
 old negress, provided I could prevail on you both to 
 go. No doubt she would go willingly, but perhaps 
 no money that I could pay you would induce you to 
 leave your other patients here. I have been wor 
 ried about that and have wanted to ask you." 
 
 "How little we know of the thoughts of other 
 people, Mr. Richards. Aunt Tilda has become very 
 much attached to Miss Mabel, and she might go 
 with you for the love she bears her, but I would not 
 advise you to take her, for although her old master 
 and mistress are both dead, she has family ties that 
 bind her to this part of the country. You might 
 prevail on her to go, but she would not affiliate with 
 the people of her own color in the North, and while 
 you might think you were doing her a kindness by 
 taking her with you, it would be a case of mistaken 
 charity and would be dissatisfying all around. In a 
 few days your daughter will be able to travel if she 
 has no relapse, most likely in a week from now, and 
 in going by easy stages and not letting her get her 
 strength overtaxed, she will get through all right. 
 As for myself, I am perfectly willing to go with 
 you; in fact, I am anxious to go, and have special 
 reasons for going." And then, as though he felt 
 he had said too much, the doctor added, "I have 
 never been in the North, and it would be a pleasure 
 to go with some one whose home is in that partic 
 ular part of the country where I desire to go. "
 
 156 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "But what about your practice, Doctor?" 
 
 "Doctor Brodhead will be only too glad to take 
 care of that, and it is not so lucrative as to cause 
 me any great loss." 
 
 "Then it is settled," said Mr. Richards, "and we 
 will start as soon as you say the word, and you shall 
 direct the journey as to when we shall travel and 
 when we shall rest." And Mr. Richards saw in the 
 doctor s desire to go North what he had surmised 
 for several days, that the doctor was in love with 
 Mabel. It did not disconcert him, however, for a 
 Southern man of good birth and one who seemed to 
 have so level a head as the doctor would make a 
 very satisfactory son-in-law. So thought Mr. 
 Richards. 
 
 "I like the way you people plan without consult 
 ing me." It was Mabel who spoke, though the men 
 had supposed she was asleep. "I am nearly strong 
 enough to travel alone, and perhaps can tell you 
 something that will surprise you. I have sat up a 
 little each day for the past three days. Aunt Tilda 
 said that the doctors didn t know everything and 
 that as soon as you knew I was able to get up you 
 would tote me oH: somewhere, and she thought I 
 had better be prepared." 
 
 "Do you object to my going with you, Miss 
 Mabel?" 
 
 "Not in the least, Doctor; I want you to go 
 You have given me the only chance I have had to 
 see and know a true Southern gentleman, and I 
 want to return the compliment by being able to 
 introduce you to some Northern people who are 
 different from most of those you have met."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 157 
 
 "Have 3 ou any one in particular in mind whom 
 you wish me to meet?" 
 
 "Perhaps not, but I know cf many whose com 
 pany you would no doubt enjoy. But why do you 
 ask if there is any one in particular?" 
 
 "Perhaps I was mistaken, but one time when 
 you were not exactly answerable for what you said, 
 I imagined you thought I reminded you of some 
 one." 
 
 "It must have been Mr. Vaughn. You have 
 always made me think of him, although you do not 
 look a bit like him; but somehow you both have the 
 same straightforward way of saying things, that, 
 while it does not always set well, leaves no doubt as 
 to what you mean. 
 
 "I would like to meet Dick." 
 
 "Did I say Dick? How careless I am. I should 
 have said Mr. Vaughn." 
 
 "You did say Mr. Vaughn this time." And then 
 Mabel knew that there had been times wherein she 
 had not been so careful. The doctor hastened to 
 assure her that she had said but little ether than to 
 call him Dick several times when she was wander 
 ing in her mind. 
 
 Mr. Richards wondered that the doctor should 
 take this talk of Dick Vaughn so calmly, but he 
 argued that the doctor was sure enough of himself 
 to dare to cross swords with any one in a matter of 
 this kind, and his prophetic eye told him that as 
 between the doctor and Dick Vaughn, the doctor 
 would come out ahead. 
 
 A few days after this Mr. Richards, Mabel and the 
 doctor boarded the cars for their trip to Boston.
 
 158 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Everything was provided that could be thought of 
 for Mabel s comfort, and the trip was made as easy 
 as possible. The first day was the hardest, for it 
 was made in a slow train, which brought the party 
 from Holton to Atlanta. Here they found a quiet 
 hotel where they rested for a day before taking the 
 fast train for Norfolk, Va., where they took steamer 
 for New York. It was a pleasant trip, and when 
 New York was reached Mabel was so much 
 improved that they at once transferred to the Fall 
 River line of steamers and continued their journey. 
 A short trip on the cars from Fall River, and 
 Mabel again beheld the city of Boston, in which all 
 people living there or near there take so much 
 pride. 
 
 Half an hour after leaving the cars in Boston 
 Mabel was in her mother s arms in Cambridge. 
 The doctor did not leave the party until he saw 
 Mabel safely in her own home, and would not have 
 left then if the Richards could have had their way 
 about it. He stayed to a noon-day dinner, how 
 ever, and asked how he could meet Mr. Vaughn. 
 The story then came out of Dick s arrest, trial and 
 release. As soon as Dick s name was mentioned 
 Mabel knew by her mother s actions that something 
 had happened to him, and she demanded to know 
 at once what it was. Mr. Richards, knowing what 
 he had to contend with in his daughter, commenced 
 and told the whole story from the beginning to the 
 end, telling everything he knew of it. 
 
 When the story was all told Mabel said: "I must 
 see Dick as soon as I can just to tell him how glad 
 I am that he came out unhurt."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 159 
 
 "I don t think you had better, my daughter. You 
 know he has never been taken back into the bank, 
 and people always remember the wrong part of 
 these things." 
 
 "I cannot see where the harm would be, mother. 
 He has been pronounced innocent. Of course Mr. 
 Ballard would not take him back when his own son 
 was the thief unless he decided to cast off his son. 
 Do you think it would be wrong for me to see him, 
 father?" 
 
 "It doesn t seem that way to me, Mabel, but you 
 know I leave those things to your mother." 
 
 "What do you think about it, Doctor?" said 
 Mabel. 
 
 "Please excuse me, Miss Mabel, from saying any 
 thing on this subject, but I assure you I still desire 
 to see Mr. Vaughn myself, and will if your father 
 will show me how I can do it." 
 
 Mabel gave the doctor a look of gratitude, and the 
 subject was dropped.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 "Good morning, Mr. Anderson." It was Dick 
 who spoke, and it was on the first morning that he 
 started in work. 
 
 Mr. Anderson looked up at Dick and then glanced 
 tip at the clock. Finding it yet lacked ten minutes 
 of seven, he said: "I see you are in good season. 
 It must be hard for you to turn out this early after 
 working in a bank." 
 
 "Oh, I don t know. I have had a few lessons in 
 early rising since I worked in the bank." 
 
 "So you have, so you have," said Mr. Anderson. 
 "I had forgotten that," and he smiled as though 
 Dick had made a good joke at his own expense. 
 "Are you going to shovel shavings in that suit?" 
 
 "It is the poorest I have, but I have a pair of 
 overalls in this paper." 
 
 "Put them on." 
 
 Dick did as requested. 
 
 "Now," said Mr. Anderson, "do you really think 
 you could earn a dollar a day shoveling shavings?" 
 
 "I don t know, sir, but I can try." 
 
 "I ll tell you what you do, Dick; you tackle those 
 books for a while. My bookkeeper left me about a 
 week ago, and all I have done has been to chuck 
 things down on the day book since then. You see 
 if you can straighten them out, and we will defer 
 the shoveling of the shavings until later in the 
 week." 
 
 160
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 161 
 
 Dick started in on the books, and by night had 
 them pretty well posted up. 
 
 A few days after this Mr. Anderson came in, and 
 finding Dick looking over some of the old accounts? 
 said: "What are you hunting for, Dick?" 
 
 "I was hunting up some good, plain reasons that 
 I could present to you which would induce you to 
 let me open a new set of books that would be easier 
 to keep than these and that would show you just 
 huw you stood at any time; a set of books so 
 arranged that you would know just what you made 
 on each kind of goods you turned out." 
 
 "Well, did you find what you were looking for?" 
 
 "I think I have, and if you will just give me your 
 attention for a moment I will try and explain it to 
 you." 
 
 "How much will the new books cost?" 
 
 "I don t know exactly, but somewhere from forty 
 to sixty dollars." 
 
 "And when you get these new books in running 
 order, 3^ou can tell me how much I am making on 
 each article I manufacture?" 
 
 "Yes; I can tell you how much you are making 
 or losing." 
 
 "Good; that s well put in. You go ahead and 
 get the books. I have always known there was 
 something the matter with the set I have, but I 
 didn t know what it was." 
 
 Dick procured the new books, and after he had 
 his new system of bookkeeping well at work he was 
 able to show Mr. Anderson where some leaks could 
 be stopped and on what kind of furniture he was 
 making the most.
 
 i6a RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 One day, after Dick had been in Mr. Anderson s 
 employ long enough for that gentleman to have per 
 fect confidence in him, Mr. Anderson came into the 
 office with a customer, who was a stranger to Dick, 
 although when he was introduced as Mr. Walker, 
 Dick recognized the name as one he had seen on the 
 books. Mr. Walker was owing Mr. Anderson 
 eleven hundred dollars, all of which was overdue. 
 Dick had been having some sharp correspondence 
 with him and had been intending to go out to Dor 
 chester to see him, but had not found the time to do 
 so. Mr. Walker had come in to make a settlement, 
 so Mr. Anderson told Dick, and he proceeded at 
 once to make some propositions. He offered to 
 settle in three different ways, which he explained 
 as follows: 
 
 "I will give you my own notes, dividing the amount 
 equally and letting the notes run three, six, nine 
 and twelve months, or I will give you my note, with 
 Mr. Henry Simonds for an indorser, making the 
 note ten months, or I will make over a note I have 
 in my pocket, you paying me the difference between 
 this note and my bill. The note is for sixteen hun 
 dred dollars, and of course you would have to pay 
 me five hundred dollars, and you would have to 
 promise me that you would not put this note in the 
 bank, because this man is one who seldom gives a 
 note and doesn t care to have it known." 
 
 Mr. Anderson said he thought the best way was 
 to take the four notes, as he did not want to be 
 out the whole of it for ten months. He did not 
 give the sixteen-hundred-dollar note any considera 
 tion.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 163 
 
 "Let me see the note you have in your pocket," 
 said Dick. 
 
 Mr. Walker hesitated until he was asked again, 
 and then produced it. Dick took it, and, although 
 apparently not doing so, scrutinized it carefully. 
 
 "We will take this note," said Dick. He made 
 out the check for five hundred dollars and pushed 
 the check book over to Mr. Anderson to sign. Mr. 
 Anderson at first thought he would refuse, but 
 within the last few weeks he had gotten so used to 
 doing exactly what Dick advised that he took up the 
 pen and signed the check. 
 
 The papers were all fixed and the exchange of 
 papers made. A close observer would have seen 
 that Mr. Walker was not exactly pleased at the way 
 the thing was settled, and, for that matter, Mr. 
 Anderson was not quite at ease himself. The only 
 man who was really at ease was Dick, who smiled 
 blandly as he said: Mr. Walker, let me see that 
 check a moment." 
 
 Mr. Walker handed out the check, and Dick took 
 out the note and wrote on the back of it, "Received 
 five hundred dollars on account." Then, after sign 
 ing Mr. Anderson s name and putting his own 
 under it, he put the note in his pocket and com 
 menced tearing the check into very small pieces. 
 
 "What do you mean?" said Mr. Walker, as he 
 realized what was being done, and he made a rush 
 for Dick as though to do him bodily harm. He 
 landed, however, against Jim Anderson s bulky 
 form, and as Jim held him off Dick said: 
 
 "It means just this, Mr. Walker: that note is a 
 forgery and we don t give good checks for forged
 
 1 6 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 notes, although we might be safe in doing so in this 
 case, for, if you could be found when this note 
 became due, you would be obliged to pay it or go 
 to jail. Now, I will give you just one chance. 
 There is eleven hundred dollars still due on this 
 forged note, and I will give you until two o clock to 
 get here with the money. If you are not here by 
 that time I will put a man on your track who will 
 land you behind the bars before six. Perhaps it 
 would be a good idea to have you kept in sight, any 
 way. I have had a little experience in these mat 
 ters, and I have found that the safest way is the 
 best." 
 
 Dick was master of the situation. Jim Anderson 
 was so surprised that he could not speak, and Mr. 
 Walker was as white as a sheet. He was completely 
 cowed, but seemed to be halting between two opin 
 ions. Dick noticed it, and, divining the man s 
 thought, said: 
 
 "Yes, I think that is the best way. If you pay 
 the money out of what you have secreted about 
 your person now, you don t stand any chance of 
 having this forgery shown to a third party, and at 
 the same time it gives me no chance to change my 
 mind." 
 
 And as Dick looked Mr. Walker square in the 
 eye, that gentleman shoved his hand down into an 
 inside pocket, and, pulling out a roll of bills, counted 
 out eleven hundred dollars, put the rest back where 
 he had taken it from and held out his hand for the 
 note. Dick deliberately counted the money, went 
 to the safe and locked it up in the cash box, after 
 which he took out the note, examined it once more
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 165 
 
 and then handed it to Mr. Walker. The latter gen 
 tleman at once walked out of the office and went 
 hurriedly down the street. Dick went to the win 
 dow and watched him out of sight. When he 
 turned from the window he saw that Mr. Anderson 
 had not moved from the position he had taken ten 
 minutes before. In fact, Dick s boss had not gotten 
 over his surprise. 
 
 "What is the matter, Mr. Anderson? Aren t you 
 feeling well? 
 
 Mr. Anderson half shook himself and ejaculated : 
 "Well, I ll be damned!" 
 
 "I hope not," said Dick. But this closed the con 
 versation. Mr. Anderson had gone out into the 
 factory. 
 
 About a month after this little episode Mr. 
 Walker failed. His liabilities were wonderfully 
 large, and his assets were surprisingly small. 
 
 Jim Anderson was reading the account of the 
 failure as Dick came in. 
 
 "Did you see that Walker has failed and stuck 
 everybody?" 
 
 "Has he?" said Dick. "How much did he stick 
 you?" 
 
 "Think you are smart, don t you, Dick? Well, I 
 presume there are worse than you if a fellow could 
 only find them. By the way, I heard you had a 
 better offer, or rather have been offered more wages 
 than I am giving you. What are you going to do 
 about it?" 
 
 "Who told you anything about it?" 
 
 "That doesn t make any difference. It s so, isn t 
 it?"
 
 166 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Yes," said Dick, "but I cannot imagine how you 
 came to know of it. I never told any one and I am 
 pretty sure he wouldn t." 
 
 "That is all right, but when a man talks in a 
 street-car some one is quite sure to overhear, and 
 this time it happened to be one of my own family. 
 You were offered thirty dollars a week and shorter 
 hours than you have here. You told the fellow 
 that you would come if I were willing. That was 
 two weeks ago, and you haven t said a word to me 
 about it. Now tell me about it." 
 
 "I told him afterwards that you were not willing, 
 and that ended it. He had made me promise that I 
 wouldn t use my chance to go with him just to get 
 my salary raised. I wanted to do the square thing 
 by both of you, and I knew of no other way to 
 do it." 
 
 "So you did the square thing by every one but 
 yourself. You shall not lose anything by it, Dick. 
 If you need any more money than you are drawing 
 now, let me know and I will fix it, and when the 
 end of the year comes and we see what we 
 have done this year, we will make a new deal, 
 and I don t think you will lose anything by the 
 deal, either. You have taken a lot of responsibility 
 off my shoulders, and no man can say Jim Ander 
 son ever forgot a favor or ever went back on a 
 friend." 
 
 One night when Dick and Frank had finished 
 supper and started up to their room they were met 
 in the hallway by one of the servants, who told 
 them they were wanted in the parlor by the land 
 lady. As this was the first summons of the kind
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 167 
 
 that they had ever received they were not a little 
 surprised. 
 
 "What have you been doing now, Frank?" said 
 Dick, laughing. "No knowing but what we will 
 both get the g.b. for some of your shines." 
 
 Frank was as sober as a judge, and all of Dick s 
 raillery could not move him. He was fearful that 
 in some way he had displeased his intended mother- 
 in-law, and he was more than ever in love with Olive 
 Sargent. 
 
 As they entered the parlor they could see two 
 women, and it was easy to see that one of them 
 Mrs. Sargent was weeping. As the two young 
 men stopped at the parlor door Olive came forward 
 to meet them. She had been trying to soothe her 
 mother, but she herself was calm and collected. 
 Mrs. Sargent was one who gave way to her feelings 
 easily; in fact, she seemed to enjoy a chance to 
 show her emotion. This was well known to the 
 young men, and still the actions of the two puzzled 
 them in this case. 
 
 Mrs. Sargent tried to tell, and said: "Oh, Mr. 
 Vaughn, such an awful thing has happened, and to 
 think it should have happened to one who boarded 
 so long with me ! It seems only yesterday that they 
 were here, and well, and and " 
 
 She could go no farther, but broke down com 
 pletely, as she dropped her head and covered her 
 face with her hands. Olive handed Frank a tele 
 gram, which the young men both read. It was 
 addressed to Mrs. Sargent, and the body of the mes 
 sage was: "Please notify Mr. Harley Bean that his 
 wife is dead. " It was signed by Mrs. Bean s father.
 
 1 68 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 When Mrs. Sargent regained control of herself 
 she noticed that Frank had the telegram, and she 
 seemed decidedly hurt that in some way she had 
 lost a chance to finish the story in her own way. 
 She looked at the young men and then at Olive, in 
 such a helpless way that it was really pitiful. Then 
 she got up and left the room, but as she was going 
 out she said: "You know as much about it as I do. 
 I want you to break the news to Mr. Bean as gently 
 as you can." 
 
 While they had been in the parlor Harley Bean 
 had gone up to his room, and the boys knew that it 
 would not be long before he would be in to see 
 them, for ever since the trial they had spent all of 
 their evenings together when they were all at home. 
 Dick took the telegram and started upstairs, but 
 Frank hesitated between following Dick and spend 
 ing a few moments with Olive. She settled it, how 
 ever, by waving her hand towards him and leaving 
 him at once. So he had but the one thing to do. 
 
 Frank bounded upstairs and overtook Dick as he 
 was entering Harley s room, and before Frank 
 could make a suggestion Dick had handed Harley 
 the telegram. Harley was just lighting his pipe, 
 and he laid the message down until he had finished ; 
 then he drew his chair to the table, took up the 
 message and read it. He looked up at the boys 
 then, and said, "Where did you get this?" 
 
 "Miss Olive handed it to me as we came up," 
 said Frank. 
 
 Harley read it over again very carefully, and 
 then, without a word, took a Western Union blank 
 from one of the drawers and wrote an answer. As
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 169 
 
 he finished writing Dick reached over and, taking 
 up what he had written, read the message. It was 
 addressed to Mrs. Bean s father, and read: "Are 
 you quite sure?" 
 
 Dick tore the message up and said: "Harley, you 
 shall not disgrace yourself like that, not if I can 
 help it " 
 
 "All right," said Harley, "but that is exactly 
 what I would like to know, so if I can t send that I 
 won t send any." 
 
 "Would you really have sent that message, 
 Harley?" 
 
 Why not? That is the question I should have 
 asked the old man if he had come here and told me 
 she was dead. I am more interested in the fact 
 than I am in the way it happened, fur if I were sure 
 she would not call on me again I wouldn t dudge 
 into an alley every time I see a woman coming who 
 resembles her." 
 
 "I can t make you out, Harley. You are good to 
 your friends, and I am surprised to know how 
 heartless you can be to a woman with whom you 
 could not live." 
 
 "You are young yet, Dick. You and Frank have 
 lots to learn. Let me tell you again, boys, don t 
 depend on what you call friends. There aren t 
 any." 
 
 "I suppose it was pure selfishness that made you 
 lend me money when I was out of work, wasn t it?" 
 
 "I suppose that is the reason why you took liber 
 ties with my telegram. Am I right?" 
 
 "I have a mind to tell you something that will 
 make you ashamed of yourself, Harley."
 
 170 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Go ahead and tell it, Dick. It will be a new 
 sensation." 
 
 "All right, I will. Do you remember the day 
 that Mr. Ballard offered me five thousand dollars 
 to leave Boston? Yes, I see you do. Well, that 
 very day Mr. Ballard offered you a thousand dollars 
 if you would induce me to leave, and you came right 
 up to my room, and, knowing you might have 
 induced me to go, advised me by all means to stay 
 right here. I never knew it until about two weeks 
 ago, and I thought I would humor you and let 
 you keep on thinking that no one knew about 
 it but yourself, but I have broken my resolu 
 tion just to show you that you will do as much 
 for a friend as any one. Now, what have you to 
 say for yourself? Why didn t you try to earn that 
 money?" 
 
 Harley looked staggered for a moment. Then he 
 gave his head a toss and said: "I didn t need the 
 money. It would have been velvet and would have 
 gone easy. As it is I have kept you here and can 
 draw on you when I like. Don t trust to so-called 
 friends, boys. They will go back on you when you 
 least expect it." 
 
 There was a rap on the door. 
 
 "Mrs. Sargent says will Mr. Bard well please 
 come down to the parlor." 
 
 Frank went down three steps at a time. Mrs. 
 Sargent was waiting. 
 
 "I sent for you, Mr. Bardwell, as I am anxious to 
 know how Mr. Bean took the terrible news, and if 
 you broke it to him as gently as you could. 
 
 "We could not have broken the news more
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 171 
 
 gently, Mrs. Sargent, and I am sure that, although 
 the news is terrible, he is quite resigned." 
 
 "Did he answer the telegram?" 
 
 "Yes, he wrote an answer at once." 
 
 "I am glad of that. Her father will be glad to 
 know that he holds her in kindly remembrance." 
 
 "Yes, ma am," said Frank, not knowing what 
 else to say, and turning he bounded up stairs quicker 
 than he came down.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 As soon as Dr. Lovelace had established himself 
 at Young s Hotel he called on Mr. Richards at his 
 place of business. 
 
 "This is a wonderfully busy city you have here, 
 Mr. Richards, and this street seems to be the king 
 pin of the lot." 
 
 "It is, in its line, or it shares that honor with 
 North Market, which is on the other side of the big 
 market buildings. How would you like to go 
 around a little and take in the market and the 
 Cradle of Liberty you have heard so much about?" 
 
 "I don t think I should take your time, Mr. Rich 
 ards, but for special reasons of my own I want to 
 meet that man Dick Vaughn. I have a little private 
 business on hand, and I have an idea from what I 
 have gleaned of him that he is just the one I need 
 to consult." 
 
 "I don t know where Dick is or what he is doing, 
 but I can take you to see his former roommate, who 
 perhaps can tell you something about him." 
 
 "I would be obliged to you if you would." 
 
 The doctor stood out in front of Mr. Richard s 
 store for a while after this conversation, hardly 
 knowing what was the right thing to do. To him 
 Market street was a near approach to bedlam. 
 Produce of all kinds and in quantities such us he 
 had never seen before were either blocking up the 
 sidewalk or being loaded and unloaded to and from 
 wagons. There was more buying and selling going 
 
 172
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 173 
 
 on than he ever dreamed could be carried on in so 
 small a space, and yet, as he looked up and down the 
 street, he only saw the same thing being done every 
 where. Mr. Richards was running about in his 
 shirtsleeves, wearing a pair of overalls, and the doc 
 tor could hardly bring himself to believe that he 
 was the same gentleman whom he had known on 
 his recent journey from the South. 
 
 As he looked up at the massive block of buildings 
 opposite he saw the large granite building known 
 to all Bostonians as Quincy Market, the lower part 
 of which was used as a market and the upper part 
 as the warerooms of the Ames Plow Company. At 
 the west end of this building, which extended from 
 east to west for more than two blocks, was Faneuil 
 Hall, but perhaps better known to the people of 
 America as the Cradle of Liberty. The lower part 
 of this building was also used as a market, and 
 although known as the Faneuil Hall Market, it was 
 considered also as a continuation or a part of the 
 great Quincy Market. The upper part of this build 
 ing was the hall, and the speeches given there in 
 the early days have made it dear to the heart of 
 every Bostonian. The old-timer, however, only 
 thinks of it as the Cradle of Liberty, and in his 
 mind s eye he still sees the gatherings of young 
 men of colonial days when, known as the Sons of 
 Liberty, they had gathered there to plan against the 
 mother country. Doctor Lovelace had read of it in 
 history, and it seemed to him that the historical part 
 of it had passed away, or rather that the building 
 had been desecrated by being surrounded by so 
 much of the confusion of business.
 
 I 7 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Mr. Richards had been busy, but at this moment 
 he appeared before the doctor. He had slipped on 
 an old coat and, taking the doctor by the arm, said: 
 "Come; I have a moment now and will introduce 
 you to Frank. 
 
 Who Frank was the doctor did not know, but he 
 allowed himself to be guided to the place of busi 
 ness of the firm of H. U. Lemon & Co., where he 
 was duly presented to Mr. Frank Bardwell. After 
 the introduction he turned to thank Mr. Richards, 
 but that gentleman had already left the place, after 
 telling Frank that the doctor wanted to meet Dick. 
 
 It was a busy time at the office of H. U. Lemon 
 & Co., and as Frank had never heard of Doctor 
 Lovelace before, he hardly knew what to do. The 
 doctor realized how busy all of the people were and 
 was wishing himself well out of the business part 
 of the city, when Harley Bean came in. This was 
 an unusual event, but Harley could always be 
 counted on for unusual doings and sayings, and no 
 one ever thought to question them. Frank saw his 
 way out at once, and introducing the doctor to 
 Harley, told the latter of the doctor s wish to meet 
 Dick. 
 
 "All right," said Harley, as he shook hands with 
 the doctor, "let us get out of this bedlam and let 
 these slaves do their duty." 
 
 The doctor was equally anxious to go, and Har 
 ley and the doctor walked through Dock Square and 
 passed through the little alley-way into State street. 
 The change in the surroundings was so complete 
 from what they had just left that the doctor gave 
 a sigh of relief.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 175 
 
 "You are a stranger in the city, I see," said 
 Harley. 
 
 "I reckon you are right, Mr. Bean. I am a 
 stranger in a strange land. I would like to stay a 
 stranger to the pots and kettles of trade that T have 
 just been through down in that Market street." 
 
 "Don t you have that sort of thing in the South, 
 Doctor?" 
 
 "Perhaps so, but not to the same extent. But 
 how did you know that I was from the South? 
 
 "That s easy. You are a Southern gentleman 
 from the crown of your head to the soles of your 
 feet, but if you want a more definite reason, it lies 
 in two words: you reckon and we guess. 
 
 The doctor laughed and thought to himself, 
 "Here is a genuine Yankee and I must cultivate his 
 acquaintance." 
 
 "So you want to find Dick Vaughn, do you?" said 
 Harley. "Do you know him?" 
 
 "Never saw him in my life." 
 
 Harley thought to himself, "Here is something 
 new. I must cultivate him." 
 
 "So you like the looks of this street better than 
 the one we just left?" 
 
 "Well I should say so. That was all hustle and 
 rush, with every one from the proprietor down in 
 shirt sleeves and overalls, while here the people go 
 about in a dignified manner. The buildings are 
 more modern in appearance." 
 
 "All you have said is true, but how many times 
 have you been told not to trust to appearances? In 
 reality, Doctor, those people you have just been 
 describing and whom you rubbed up against in
 
 176 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 South Market street are the slaves of commerce, 
 who bear a close resemblance to the old-time slaves 
 of the cotton fields of the South, while these smooth 
 looking people who have these cabins on State 
 street are the overseers and weighmasters, who 
 weigh in the results and who use the lash commonly 
 known as three per cent, a month when the basket 
 doesn t tip the scales at the right amount. Let us 
 stand here a moment and I will tell you who some 
 of these men are. Do you see that fine looking man 
 coming up the street? To look at him you would 
 pick him out as one of the most benevolent men on 
 earth. Isn t he a genial old duffer, though? He is 
 one of the kind who takes up little boys on his knees 
 and tells them they must be good and honest if they 
 would get rich. That man walking with him is the 
 Reverend Mr. Book, of whom you have heard so 
 much. He is most likely striking his friend for a 
 hundred or more for some good work that he is 
 pushing, and he will get it, too, for Joe Whiting is 
 a liberal man when it comes to religious matters. 
 Whiting is a very rich man. He owns a big slice 
 of one of the largest lumber companies in New 
 England; owns a large hotel in the Back Bay dis 
 trict, and real estate until you can t rest. He has a 
 little dingy office around here in Kilby street, pre 
 sided over by a fellow named Tom Moulton, and 
 Tom is certainly a bird. You can get all the 
 money you want of Tom anything from a 
 hundred to $100,000. All you have to do is to 
 put tip four times the amount in collateral, give 
 your note for the amount you want, and he will 
 give you the money, minus from three to five per
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 177 
 
 cent, a month for the time for which the note is 
 made out." 
 
 The doctor looked at his newly-found friend in 
 wonder, and then, as lie espied a face he had seen 
 before, he said: "There is a man I saw in Market 
 street. Do you suppose he is up here getting 
 weighed?" 
 
 "That man," said Harley, "is the only H. U. 
 Lemon, the head of the great commission house of 
 H. U. Lemon & Co., for whom Frank Bardwell 
 works. You can just bet your bottom dollar that if 
 he is up here getting weighed he has the weigh- 
 master fixed. He is what you might call a peach 
 with a cherry finish. He is one of the commercial 
 slaves, but he is his own boss. He bought his 
 freedom. You see, he started in as a commission 
 man and fought the State street weighmasters until 
 he got on to their game, and then he opened a little 
 weighing shop of his own. Of course he can only 
 handle the smaller fry, but they do say he handles 
 them without gloves." 
 
 As Mr. Lemon passed by with another gentleman 
 he was heard to say, "Just take it to the Lord in 
 prayer; that s all you have to do." 
 
 Harley laughed. "He is up to his eld tricks. 
 Most likely that fellow handed him a hard-luck 
 story, and he just turned him over to the Lord. 
 It s a way he has of crawling out when some poor 
 devil presses him too close." 
 
 "What is that little old building at the head of the 
 street, Mr. Bean? It looks queer with these sur 
 roundings." 
 
 "That is the old state-house. Some of the enter-
 
 178 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 prising young men of the town have tried to have it 
 removed, but our people have a large amount of 
 sentiment mixed up with their money-grabbing 
 propensities, although I have thought that at some 
 time some of the more American would discover 
 the English emblems on the old building and insist 
 that those remainders of our former servitude should 
 be effaced. But you wanted to see Dick. Shall we 
 go now? It is quite a way from here. Dick used 
 to be an understrapper in the office of one of these 
 weighmasters, but he knew too much and they 
 forced him into other servitude in another line up 
 in the Wareham street district." 
 
 "If Mr. Vaughn is as busy as your friend Bard- 
 well I think it would be just as well to wait until I 
 could see him somewhere else. My time is all my 
 own, and I can wait. But am I not taking too 
 much of your time? You have been very kind, I 
 am sure. You see, I am not as apt as you are, and 
 I cannot make you out. Are you a slave or a 
 weighmaster?" 
 
 "Harley Bean is neither a slave nor a slave- 
 driver, but a pure type of the true-born American 
 citizen, who kneels to no man and will allow no man 
 to kneel to him; is rich in experience, rich in 
 health, in face is rich in everything but money, and 
 is a fair judge of whiskey. That reminds me that I 
 am neglecting my privileges. Let s take a drink." 
 
 Harley led the way into a bar-room and the two 
 men were soon enjoying a social glass. 
 
 "You are fortunate, Mr. Bean, in not being 
 beholden to either class, for whom you seem to have 
 no particular use.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 179 
 
 "Fortunate! I should say so ; but not more for 
 tunate than any one may be, if he will make up his 
 mind to rise above the petty annoyances of his sur 
 roundings. I never trouble trouble." 
 
 "Hello, Harley! I have been looking for you 
 everywhere. Took in every gin shop in the dis 
 trict. The city editor wants you right away." 
 
 It was a boy from the Herald office who spoke, 
 but Harley took no notice of him until the boy had 
 succeeded in getting hold of his coat, when he said: 
 "Damn that city editor! He will oblige me to 
 change my beat next. Look here, boy; you go 
 back and tell the city editor that you found me at 
 Young s dining with a Southern politician, and 
 taking notes to beat the band. Do you hear me?" 
 
 "Taking drinks, you mean," said the boy, as he 
 dodged a blow from Harley s hand and bounded 
 out of the bar-room. 
 
 "Perhaps we had better make that dining story 
 come true, Mr. Bean." 
 
 "Just as you like, Doctor, or you can go around 
 to the hole-in-the-wall and dine with me. The feed 
 isn t as good as it is at Young s, but you get more 
 for your money and you can help yourself." 
 
 "No," said the doctor, "we will go to Young s, 
 and you shall be my guest. 
 
 "All right, Doctor, as long as you force me." 
 
 "Shall we take a cab?" 
 
 "Cab!" said Harley, laughing. "We are within 
 a hundred feet of Young s now." 
 
 "We may be, but I see nothing that looks natural, 
 and I am stopping at Young s." 
 
 "That whiskey must have been too much for you,
 
 i8o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Doctor, or else you entered the house from the 
 Court Square side before." 
 
 The latter, however, was the fact. The doctor 
 had never entered the hotel from the Washington 
 street side, and it puzzled him, as it has many 
 others. 
 
 After lunch the two parted, Harley to see what 
 the city editor wanted of him and the doctor to 
 while away the time as best he could until five- 
 thirty, when Harley was to call for him again and 
 take him to see Dick. 
 
 At five-thirty Harley was there to keep his engage 
 ment. 
 
 It was Thursday evening, and for that reason it 
 was Frank s evening out, as he and Olive still kept 
 up their methodical ways in that regard. 
 
 Harley wanted to bring Dick around to the hotel 
 and have the meeting there, but the doctor had 
 other plans. He explained to Harley that he 
 wanted to meet Dick first just to find out what kind 
 of a fellow he was, and he would rather meet him 
 as a friend of Harley s than to have it known that 
 he had asked to meet him. 
 
 This being the understanding, Harley brought 
 the doctor to Mrs. Sargent s to dinner as his guest, 
 and introduced him to several of Mrs. Sargent s 
 boarders as a friend of his from Georgia, whom he 
 was trying to show a touch of high life. 
 
 Later in the evening Dick was invited into Har 
 ley s room to meet the doctor. As soon as Dick 
 found out that the doctor was from Georgia he 
 asked him if he had ever been in Holton. The doc 
 tor had passed through there several times, so he
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 181 
 
 said, and in this way threw Dick off the track. 
 Before he left, however, he told Dick the whole 
 story of Miss Richards sickness and of his coming 
 home with her. 
 
 "Had you told me this earlier in the evening," 
 said Dick, "I should have gone to her at once. As 
 it is, I will call to-morrow and ask after her at 
 least." 
 
 The doctor also told Dick a part of what Mabel 
 had said about him while she was out of her head, 
 and he said that it was the things she said about 
 him then that made him want to meet Dick. 
 
 "I have not told you," said the doctor, "why I 
 wanted to meet you. That can wait until the next 
 time we meet, which I trust will be soon. I have 
 wonderfully strong impressions, and I have been 
 impressed almost since the first time I heard your 
 name that you were the man for whom I had been 
 hunting, and now I am satisfied." 
 
 Dick listened intently. He liked the way the 
 doctor talked, and he felt that whatever the scheme 
 was that the doctor had it would be worth listening 
 to at least. To help matters along, he invited the 
 doctor to call on him at Jim Anderson s office the 
 next day, and the young men parted for the night. 
 
 Instead of going to the office the next morning, 
 Dick took an early car for Cambridge, and rang the 
 bell at the residence of Mr. Richards before that 
 gentleman had left for his place of business; in 
 fact, the family had just finished breakfast as he 
 arrived. Mr. Richards met him in the parlor, and 
 after a friendly greeting between the two gentle 
 men, Dick said:
 
 i8a RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "I heard only yesterday that your daughter had 
 returned from the South, and that she had been 
 very sick, and I came at once to see how she is, and 
 also to know when I could see her." 
 
 "I am glad you came, Dick. Mabel has been 
 very sick, and is still far from well, although we feel 
 that she is out of danger. She is young and has a 
 good constitution, and we think she will soon be all 
 right again. I am glad you have come, as she has 
 asked for you several times, and so far we have not 
 advanced any conversation in regard to you or your 
 changed condition. Women look upon these things 
 differently from what we do, Dick, and and 
 Well, perhaps I had better call Mrs. Richards and 
 let her talk to you on the subject." 
 
 Mr. Richards hesitated in his talk and seemed 
 hardly equal to the occasion. He had always liked 
 Dick and had rather encouraged his suit, but Mrs. 
 Richards had not altogether lost her influence with 
 him. Dick was surprised at what Mr. Richards said 
 and was anxious to know what it all meant, but he 
 offered no protest when Mr. Richards went to the 
 door and called his wife. 
 
 Mrs. Richards was a woman of strong convictions. 
 She was of old Puritan stock, and if there was one 
 thing mere than another that she loved to dwell 
 upon, it was the fact that no breath of suspicion had 
 ever rested upon any one of her family. 
 
 As she came into the parlor she greeted Dick 
 quite coolly. She called him Mr. Vaughn some 
 thing that she had not done for a long time. Then 
 she chose a stiff-backed chair, smoothed out her 
 dress and was ready to repel boarders. She had
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 183 
 
 placed herself decidedly on the defensive, and was 
 waiting for some one to strike the first blow. Dick 
 did not feel called upon to commence, and as both 
 he and Mrs. Richards looked at Mr. Richards, that 
 gentleman proceeded to make himself as uncomfort 
 able as he could, and then said: 
 
 "I sent for you, mother, because I wanted you to 
 tell Dick just how you felt about his calling on 
 Mabel." 
 
 "Was it that, father, or was it that you did not 
 have the courage of your convictions in this matter?" 
 
 She did not wait for an answer, but turned to 
 Dick and continued: "Mr. Vaughn, I never shirk 
 my duty, and I have felt that it would be my duty 
 to have a talk with you if you insisted on coming to 
 see Mabel." 
 
 Mr. Richards quietly got up and left the room. 
 
 "Of course," she continued, "we respect you and 
 we feel that you may not be at all to blame for what 
 has happened, but we have our daughter s future to 
 look after. You had a good position in the bank 
 and you lost it. We will not discuss how you lost it 
 or go at all into the merits of the case; we will only 
 take the facts as they would appear to an outside 
 party. We do not want a breath of suspicion to 
 ever have been breathed about any one who ever 
 even called upon Mabel. After saying what I have 
 you will not be surprised if I ask you not to call here 
 again." 
 
 Dick was very pale, but he was calm and col 
 lected. 
 
 "No, Mrs. Richards, I am not surprised after the 
 precaution you took to prepare me. I have even
 
 i3 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 gotten over being surprised that professed Chris 
 tians, whom we would naturally suppose would be 
 the first ones to extend the helping- hand, prove to 
 be the first ones to turn us down, and that without 
 a hearing. Now, Mrs. Richards, I have a word to 
 say to you. I have never injured any one; I have 
 a better position to-day than I ever had before; I 
 am getting a larger salary and have better pros 
 pects, and I demand one thing: first, I want you 
 to tell Mabel that I have called to ask after her, and 
 when she is well enough to see me I want one inter 
 view with her. 
 
 "But suppose I do not see fit to comply with your 
 demands?" 
 
 "Mrs. Richards, you know that Mabel would do 
 nothing against your wishes, and you need have no 
 fear from that quarter. I promise not to try to 
 influence her, but my demand must be complied 
 with ; it is my right. What is my answer?" 
 
 Dick had risen to his feet, and his handsome face 
 and figure towered high above Mrs. Richards. She 
 rose also, and in an undecided sort of a way, said: 
 "You shall have your wish, Mr, Vaughn." 
 
 "Then I shall expect you to send for me within a 
 week. And Dick bowed himself out.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 Doctor Lovelace, according to previous agree 
 ment, found his way to the office of the furniture 
 factory of Jim Anderson, where he found Dick, who 
 was feeling quite blue after his visit to the home of 
 Mabel Richards. 
 
 Dick had explained part of his troubles to Jim 
 Anderson, and that gentleman was swearing mad. 
 
 "That is the way with these people," said he. 
 And then he stated what he thought ought to be 
 done with them, interspersing his remarks with 
 frequent oaths. 
 
 The doctor s coming piit an end to this conversa 
 tion. After being introduced to the doctor, Jim 
 went out, and the two young men were left alone. 
 
 "I came up here," said the doctor, "with many 
 misgivings, as I was afraid I would not have a 
 chance to talk with you this morning en account of 
 your duties, and I am anxious to tell you my story 
 at once and see if I cannot interest you in my 
 behalf. I know you have a sweetheart of your own, 
 and I feel that a man who is Ijved by such a splen 
 did character as Mabel Richards must be one who 
 would help me out of my trouble if any one would." 
 
 Dick looked at the doctor in astonishment, and 
 asked how he came into possession of the informa 
 tion. 
 
 The doctor hesitated, and then said: "If it is a 
 secret perhaps I had better say nothing. I was 
 
 185
 
 186 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 with Miss Mabel when she was out of her head with 
 the fever, and if you don t know that she loves you, 
 you can set your mind at rest from this on." 
 
 Dick had liked the doctor from the first, and he 
 was now drawn to him enough to tell his story 
 briefly and show how matters were with him. 
 
 "So it seems we are both in trouble," said the 
 doctor. "That being the case, I am ready to make 
 a compact with you to help each other out before I 
 commence my story. Do you dare?" 
 
 "Go ahead with your story, Doctor. It is a bad 
 day, and there will be no one in. It is really sort 
 of an off day with me anyhow. As for a compact, 
 I think I would dare do anything as I feel to-day." 
 
 The doctor commenced at once : 
 
 "I will not tire you with a long recital of my 
 life s history, but I have known Laura Morgan from 
 her birth. She is several years younger than I am, 
 and still she is of age, so I must have a little the 
 best of you in that direction. For years we were 
 looked upon as intended for each other. Old 
 Colonel Morgan was a fast friend of our family and 
 seemed to look upon me as a son. Three years ago 
 Mrs. Morgan died, and it broke the colonel up in 
 bad shape. Laura had the care of the house and all 
 thoughts of an early marriage were driven out of our 
 heads. Not many months after Mrs. Morgan s 
 death a woman came to the colonel s house. Where 
 she came from or what she came for no one seemed 
 to know, but she struck me at first sight as one of 
 the most pronounced types of the adventuress that 
 I had ever seen. After a little time she seemed to 
 take the place in the household formerly occupied
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 187 
 
 by Laura, and about this same time she took a 
 decided dislike to me. She managed in some way 
 best known to herself to keep us apart as much as 
 possible. Laura would say but little about her, but, 
 at the same time, seemed dreadfully afraid of 
 her. 
 
 "Things went on in this way until about eighteen 
 months ago, when one morning the little town 
 awoke to the fact that the colonel had married, or, 
 as the townspeople put it, Mrs. Blake had married 
 the colonel. As soon as I thought it proper I 
 called, hoping now that the old hag had secured the 
 prize she had been fishing for she would be more 
 considerate of my feelings. I was mistaken in this, 
 however, and instead of being invited in, was 
 ordered away from the house by the new Mrs. Mor 
 gan. I heard afterwards that Laura was sick, but 
 no doctor that I ever heard of was called to see her. 
 Finally it was noised about that Laura had been 
 sent away to a health resort, but where no one 
 seemed to know; neither could I find out. I was 
 sure that unless she had been prejudiced against me 
 I should hear from her, but no letter ever came. I 
 tried to forget her and think that a girl who, having 
 known me all her life, could be so easily turned 
 against me was not worthy of consideration, but 
 this thought went as quickly as it came. 
 
 "Accidentally I heard that the present Mrs. Mor 
 gan at one time lived in Boston, and from that 
 moment I was impressed that I must come up here, 
 and here I am. You have listened attentively, and 
 I thank you for it. It is a strange story, and most 
 likely you think I am crazy to come here on so slen-
 
 i88 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 der a clew, but here I am and here I shall stay until 
 I know I am on the wrong track." 
 
 "But if she is here how can you expect to find 
 her? This is a large city." 
 
 "Yes, I know it is a large city, but if she is here, 
 I am sure she is in some school if she is well, or in 
 some hospital if she is sick. In either case I will 
 look them all over, but I wanted a friend to consult 
 with and I came to you." 
 
 "You did right in coming to me, and I will surely 
 do all I can ft-r you, which I fear will not be much, 
 as I don t seem to think of any plan of operation. 
 I will put on my thinking cap, however, and I trust 
 something will come of it. By the way, would you 
 mind if I took two friends into my confidence in 
 this matter? You have met them. I mean Harley 
 Bean and Frank Bard well." 
 
 "I will leave it to you to do as you think best 
 about that, but isn t that man Bean rather a super 
 ficial fellow? He struck me that way." 
 
 "He might strike you that way, but I have found 
 that Harley is anything but superficial. He is a 
 newspaper man by trade and a detective by nature, 
 and being good at both, it makes a combination that 
 is hard to beat. He may be a little peculiar, but 
 we are all of us that." 
 
 Dick had a commission for the doctor, who prom 
 ised to look after it at once. It was to find out how 
 Dick stood with Mabel; also how Mr. Richards 
 looked upon the matter, and if the mother was 
 strong enough to bring them all over to her way of 
 thinking. 
 
 This same night the doctor s story was told to
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 189 
 
 Frank and Harley. Frank saw only the pathetic 
 side of it, and as Dick told each minute detail, 
 Frank would break out with little exclamations of 
 pity cr surprise. Harle) T seemed to take the recital 
 differently. He did not ask a question or say a 
 word in regard to the case, and one who did not 
 knew him would have said that he did not take 
 much interest in it, but he smoked and thought and 
 took in every word that Dick had to say. 
 
 When Dick had finished the story he added: "Of 
 course there is but one thing for us to do in this 
 matter, and that is to help him to get at all the 
 schools and hospitals." 
 
 "Doesn t he want to look into the Old Ladies 
 Home, too?" said Harley 
 
 "What a question, Harley! Why would he want 
 to look through that? She is a ) r oung woman." 
 
 "Yes, that s so," said Harley. And he got up 
 and left the room. 
 
 The next evening the four young men met in 
 Dick s room to report progress The doctor had 
 to tell that he had called on Mabel and found her 
 dcing nicely under the care of their own family 
 physician. 
 
 "But," said he, "I was headed off from speaking 
 of you by Mrs. Richards, who asked me not to men 
 tion your name. I was given to understand that 
 Mabel had been told you were out cf town. I drew 
 my own inference, and I feel that the time will come 
 when I can do you more good than I can now." 
 
 Dick was obliged to be contented with this, and it 
 was well fcr his peace of mind that he could take a 
 philosophical view of the matter and wait.
 
 i 9 o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Dick told the doctor that he had followed his own 
 judgment and told Harley and Frank all about his 
 affairs with Laura Morgan, and he also assured him 
 that as all four were now interested in a common 
 cause, he, the doctor, must feel that he was sur 
 rounded by friends and be free to say anything he 
 wished. After a little talk on the subject of the 
 doctor s affairs, which was entered into by all pres 
 ent, the doctor said: 
 
 "You all don t know how pleased I am that I fol 
 lowed my impressions in regard to hunting up Mr. 
 Vaughn, and as my impressions were right on this 
 one point, I also trust they will prove right in the 
 other and that I shall find the young lady. You 
 people of the North are said to be more systematic 
 than we of the South, and I trust you have already 
 originated some plan whereby I may know of all the 
 schools about here and how I shall get at them. I 
 long to go to work at once, for although the plan 
 ning may devolve upon you, the work must be done 
 by myself." 
 
 "That s a good speech." said Harley. "It s as 
 good as I could make myself, but the only thing you 
 have done since you have been here is the worst 
 thing you could have done." 
 
 "But I have not done a thing, my good fellow, 
 and so do not understand what you mean." 
 
 Harley paid no attention to this answer, but said: 
 "How old is Colonel Morgan?" 
 
 "He is nearly seventy. But what has that to do 
 with it?" 
 
 "How much is he worth?" 
 
 The doctor was a little irritated. Harley was ask-
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 191 
 
 ing these questions without looking at him. Dick 
 gave the doctor a look which meant, "Answer him," 
 and the doctor understood and continued: 
 
 "About three hundred thousand, I should say." 
 
 "Suppose the colonel should die; to whom would 
 the money go?" 
 
 "I never thought about it before, but it would go 
 to the daughter. A good part of it comes from her 
 mother s father, and his will would necessarily be 
 respected." 
 
 "Suppose there were no daughter; then where 
 would it go?" 
 
 "To the colonel s wife, I suppose. But what are 
 you driving at, if I may ask?" 
 
 "I looked one school over to-day," said Harley, 
 "but she wasn t there." 
 
 The doctor jumped to his feet. 
 
 "Look here, Mr. Bean, that is my work." 
 
 "Not so fast, my young buck. If you put your 
 case into our hands we must have some of the fun. 
 You seem to forget that you are playing a game 
 with an adventuress and that she has some strong 
 reason for wanting to keep you and the girl apart. 
 I told you that the only thing you had done since 
 you arrived here was the worst thing you could 
 have done. You went to Young s Hotel and regis 
 tered. If the girl is here under surveillance, you 
 are also in the same box. What you must do now 
 is to pay your bill at Young s and order your mail 
 sent to Palace Hotel, San Francisco. Have your 
 baggage taken to the depot, and instead of having 
 it checked, have another baggageman bring it up 
 here. You can have the room next to this; I
 
 i 9 2 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 engaged it for you to-day. After you get settled 
 you can write to San Francisco for your mail." 
 
 Harley while talking looked at no one; he played 
 with his pipe and looked anywhere but at his listen 
 ers. On the faces of the young men was depicted 
 in turn astonishment, surprise and admiration. 
 
 No one spoke for a few moments after Harley had 
 finished. The doctor s impulse was to go and shake 
 his hand, but beginning to understand him he only 
 said: 
 
 "I will do all you say, Mr. Bean. Have you any 
 thing further to offer?" 
 
 "Yes; get a business suit like Dick s and drop the 
 handle to your name and become plain, John, Jim, 
 or whatever your name may be." 
 
 "Douglas," said the doctor. 
 
 " Dug is as good as anything," said Harley. 
 "We may have a lot of digging to do before we are 
 through with this thing. But don t try to do any of 
 it on your own hook; let some one else hunt the 
 girl. You may change your clothes and change 
 your name, but the Southerner sticks out in you 
 bigger than a cockroach in Marm Sargent s coffee." 
 
 "But what am I to do, Mr. Bean? I cannot 
 remain inactive." 
 
 "You can qiiit calling me Mr. Bean." That will 
 be one thing fcr you to practice on. No one is 
 allowed to call me Mr. Bean except the city editor, 
 and he only does it when he wants to call me 
 down." 
 
 "But seriously, I must do something." 
 
 "After you get that business suit and get to be 
 one of us at the Hotel de Sargent you can take in
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 193 
 
 the sights There is Bunker Hill, where Warren 
 fell; the Navy Yard and Harvard. After you have 
 digested those you can go down the harbor and take 
 in Hull, Peddock s Island and the Boston Light. 
 Then you can take a look at Fort Warren, Dead 
 Man s Island and the Mate s Grave." 
 
 "Rather a gruesome layout, isn t it, Mr. Harley, 
 especially the last two?" 
 
 "They may be a little gruesome, but interesting 
 when you get at the history. Now take the Mate s 
 Grave. You see, this mate was convicted of some 
 crime, of which he swore he was innocent. They 
 hung him on the island, and just before they swung 
 him off he said: You are killing an innocent man, 
 and the proof of it will be that no grass will ever 
 grow upon my grave. And for a fact, no grass 
 ever did grow there." 
 
 The doctor was taking in all of it in wonderment 
 when Dick said: "Say, Harley, did any grass ever 
 grow on that island anyway?" 
 
 "Not that I ever heard of," said Harley, "but 
 hanging is too good for a man who will spoil a 
 story like that." 
 
 "By the way," said Harley, after the boys were 
 through with their little laugh, "I met an acquaint 
 ance of yours over in Cambridge last night at my 
 cousin s. I never told you about my cousin Mary, 
 did I? No? I thought not. I have a cousin over 
 there in Cambridge that I would get up in the mid 
 dle of the night to take my hat off to. She is the 
 only woman now living that ever thought I was the 
 only clikken in the brood. Her husband thinks she 
 is all right, and I think they are both all right, and
 
 i 9 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 when I go over there we just form a mutual admira 
 tion society and go into a committee of the whole. 
 I don t go over there very often; I can t stand it. 
 You see, after I come back from one of those visits 
 my hat doesn t fit me for a week, and then I get to 
 thinking that I ought to be editor-in-chief instead 
 of just an ordinary scrub reporter, and I get called 
 down at the office. One day Mrs. Sargent said I 
 was drunk and threatened to throw me out of the 
 boarding-house. I tried to explain it to her and she 
 walked off and left me. But I was going to tell 
 you about this young lady acquaintance of yours. 
 She isn t young enough to hurt, by the way, and she 
 must be old enough to be good. Her name is Hart 
 ley, Miss Julia Hartley, a school teacher. Do you 
 remember her, Dick?" 
 
 "Yes," said Dick, and Frank and Dick exchanged 
 glances. 
 
 "You see, it was this way," continued Harley. 
 "My cousin and Miss Hartley are very good friends, 
 and as my cousin never misses a chance to say a 
 good word for me, Miss Hartley got to thinking 
 that I came very near being the king bee. Of 
 course I did not know anything about this, but as 
 near as I can figure it out Miss Hartley accidentally 
 happened in quite often just to see if I had showed 
 up. Naturally such perseverance would be crowned 
 with success, and we accidentally met at my 
 cousin s house last night. I say accidentally because 
 it sounds better, you know. As soon as we were 
 introduced I felt sure that I had been betrayed, but 
 knowing that it was my cousin who had done the 
 thing, I at once made up my mind that she wasn t
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 195 
 
 to blame; it was simply another case of blindness. 
 Say, but isn t she a peach, Dick? She knows you 
 too, Frank. Says she thinks you are a very nice 
 gentleman, but it seems that for some reason which 
 she did not explain she has soured on Dick. But 
 that doesn t matter; I want to tell our friend from 
 Georgia what she looks like, so that if he should 
 happen to meet her he would not try to cut me out. 
 She is tall I may say she is quite tall, and she is 
 very slim. I studied it over a little so as to come 
 to some sort of a conclusion about her length and 
 thickness. She is either so tall that it makes her 
 look slim, or so slim that it makes her look tall, and 
 I can t figure out which it is. She has a fair com 
 plexion with just enough color in her cheeks to 
 liven up her face. She has brown hair, but that, 
 like her face, is thin. When she spoke I discovered 
 that her voice was thin. Then I also noticed that 
 her lips were thin. So sum her up and describe 
 her quickly, she is what I would call a thin, slim, 
 tall woman. Am I right, Dick?" 
 
 "Harley, you have made an amusing picture a 
 thing you are apt to do at the expense of others 
 but Miss Hartley is far from what you would try to 
 make her out, and while she might be called tall 
 and slim, the thinness you speak of does not stand 
 out as plainly as you would lead people to believe, 
 and she is withal quite a nice looking lady, of about 
 thirty years of age. She is a member of the Meth 
 odist church and visits in some of the best houses in 
 Cambridge. If you are looking for a mate to travel 
 through life with you, you might do worse than to 
 take her, although we should dislike to lose you.
 
 196 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Yes, I know you would, but it is hard to lose 
 me, Dick. I may look this prize package over 
 again, however, as my cousin recommends her 
 highly." 
 
 The doctor excused himself and left, promising to 
 follow out Harley s instructions. 
 
 "I wonder what the doctor thought of all this 
 cheap talk," said Frank. 
 
 "It doesn t make much difference what he 
 thought," said Harley. "What we want to do is to 
 keep his mind off of himself and his troubles. He 
 is a fine fellow, but he doesn t realize what a serious 
 case he has on hand." 
 
 "And you are in it just for the pleasure it gives 
 you to help a stranger, I suppose?" said Dick. 
 
 "Not much. After the thing is over I will write 
 up the story and make a cool hundred. Good 
 night, boys."
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 It was Thursday evening, and as it was raining, 
 Olive and Frank had decided to spend the evening 
 in the small parlor of the boarding-house. It was 
 the best they could do, but as they were not sure of 
 being left alone a moment, Frank had decided that 
 it was an uncomfortable place. Perhaps what 
 made it so uncomfortable was the fact that if any 
 one opened the door and looked in, Olive was sure 
 to ask them to come in and join the party. 
 
 This evening Frank was unusually quiet for a 
 time, and Olive, naturally quiet herself and being- 
 acquainted with his moods, watched him and waited 
 for him to speak. 
 
 "This has been a bad day," said Frank. 
 
 "That is not what you have been thinking about 
 since you came in here, Frank; so out with it." 
 
 "What would you give to know what I was really 
 thinking of?" 
 
 "I would not give anything, for when you want 
 me to know it you will tell me, and if you don t 
 want me to know it I can live without it." 
 
 "I have been thinking about that same thing all 
 day, and I have been thinking whether I had better 
 take you to see it or tell you about it." 
 
 "Why not tell me first and then take me after 
 wards, if I decide that I want to go?" 
 
 "That might do. I was out in Roxbury last 
 evening calling on an old acquaintance of mine. I 
 
 197
 
 198 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 did not know what kind of a place he lived in, but I 
 imagined from what I knew of him that he lived in 
 a cheap location and not in very good style. I went 
 home with him after we had finished our work, and 
 took dinner with the family and spent the evening 
 there. There was a large surprise in store for me, 
 and I must say I never realized that there could be 
 such a large amount of comfort from such a small 
 investment. They have a little cottage of five 
 rooms, three downstairs and two up. The house is 
 very plainly furnished, but very neat and tasty. 
 The dinner we had was a little gem. There was 
 but one kind of meat and one vegetable besides the 
 potatoes, but there was nice fresh bread and butter 
 and a nice little pudding to top off with. Every 
 thing was pleasant and homelike. Jim and I sat in 
 the front room while Mrs. Stanhope was getting 
 the dinner on the table, and when we were ready 
 to sit down I was made acquainted with the 
 daughter of the house, a splendid little two-year-old 
 baby. She was dressed neatly and sat up at the 
 table by the side of her mother and behaved like a 
 little lady. Of course she needed some attention, 
 but she got it. Mrs. Stanhope is a bright little 
 woman and could join in and talk with us on any of 
 the topics of the day. I found also that she was 
 quite a bookworm and was familiar with most of my 
 favorite authors. Dinner over, Mrs. Stanhope with 
 the baby soon followed us into the front room, and 
 I was glad to hear some one else clearing off the 
 table and doing the dishes. Mrs. Stanhope enter 
 tained us by playing on a small organ. 
 
 "I came away pleased with my visit and with a
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 199 
 
 better opinion of Stanhope than I ever had before. 
 I don t believe axl they had, if you should count the 
 clothes they had on, would amount to more than 
 two hundred dollars at the first cost. I could not 
 make the whole thing out; it puzzled me. To-day 
 I saw Stanhope and he asked me what I thought of 
 the result of his three years work, and it was then 
 I found out his story. Three years ago he married 
 on a salary of eighteen dollars a week. To-day he 
 owns the house he lives in, clear of incumbrance 
 and also owns what little there is in it. Now Stan 
 hope tells me he is going to furnish tip his house a 
 little better and then he is going to try and get in 
 some business for himself. He has had his salary 
 raised twice since he married, and there isn t a man 
 living on Beacon street who begins to be as happy 
 as Jim Stanhope." 
 
 Frank stopped talking; he had run down. 
 
 "That is a wonderfully sweet story you have just 
 told me, Frank; good enough to graft into a novel, 
 and you tell it beautifully, but why should it make 
 you so thoughtful?" 
 
 Frank looked at Olive for a moment as though he 
 were trying to fathom what she meant, and then 
 said: 
 
 "Olive, why don t we get married?" 
 
 "Really, Frank, I don t believe I can tell, unless 
 it is because you have never asked me." 
 
 "Perhaps I never did ask you in so many words, 
 Olive; but you know and I know that we have 
 understood that we were to be married when the 
 time came right." 
 
 "You may know that, Frank; the lords of crea-
 
 200 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 tion know everything, but we of the weaker sex 
 must be content to watch and wait and guess as to 
 what our fate will be." 
 
 "I hardly understand you, Olive, but you shall 
 never again have a chance to say that I have not 
 asked you. Will you be my wife?" 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 "What?" said Frank, as he sprang to his feet. 
 "Do you mean to say that you never intended to 
 marry me?" 
 
 "I never said anything of the kind, but you know 
 the old saying, True love never did run smooth ; 
 so if your love is true it will stand a bump or two." 
 
 "Oh, you just mean that I must ask you once or 
 twice more; is that it?" 
 
 "Sit down, Frank, and be sensible. I have some 
 thing to tell you. You know that Martha is soon to 
 be married to Mr. Mortimer J. Beardsley. Mr. 
 Beardsley is a great catch, and I have strict orders 
 from both mother and Martha to put you off, or, if 
 I must give you an answer, to refuse you, in case 
 you happened to think to ask me." 
 
 "Oh, Olive, it is awful for you to say that." 
 
 "Well, you did forget it, didn t you?" 
 
 "Have your own way about it, Olive. I know 
 you didn t mean that no, and you can rest assured 
 that I will not take no for an answer. I can wait a 
 little while, but tell me, how long must I wait?" 
 
 "What, before you ask me again? Of course I 
 cannot stop you from asking questions, but I can 
 answer them as I like. 
 
 "When is your sister to be married?" 
 
 "Oh, that isn t settled yet; some time this com-
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 201 
 
 ing winter, I expect. You see, Mortimer s mother 
 is to visit Boston this winter, and when she comes 
 she is to look sister over to see if she will pass 
 muster." 
 
 "In the meantime suppose you and I go off some 
 where quietly and get married." 
 
 "What ! Do you want me to elope? Why, Frank, 
 I never thought that of you." 
 
 "Perhaps it may sound a little queer, but I have 
 made up my mind that we have waited long 
 enough. You know you intend to marry me some 
 time and we might just as well have it over with 
 now as to wait the pleasure of those who are not 
 half as much interested in the affair as we are." 
 
 "You do not take no for an answer as nicely as 
 Mr. Vaughn does, and he didn t even get the no 
 from the girl as I understand it." 
 
 "Dick Vaughn is one of the noblest men that ever 
 lived. I am sure he has not taken that no as final, 
 but he can suffer more with no appearance of suffer 
 ing than any one I ever heard of. He has even 
 lengthened his days of suspense to help some one 
 else as I have already told you and yet a stranger 
 would never know that he was in trouble. I know 
 of his troubles and I can see a change in him. He 
 has lost a good deal of that careless good nature 
 that he once had and I long fur the time when I 
 shall see him his old natural self again." 
 
 "You talk as though you were in love with him." 
 
 "If one man can be in love with another I guess 
 I am. Dick s is a character that one does not often 
 find and an acquaintance like Dick once found is 
 worth sticking to. He is the kind of a man that
 
 aoa RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 heroes are made of and if the occasion ever comes 
 he will prove my words. In fact he has proved it 
 to some of us who know him best now, but there are 
 lots of people who never recognize a hero in private 
 life; they only see him when their attention is called 
 to him by a brass band or a drum corps. In my 
 opinion almost any one may become a hero if he has 
 the smell of gunpowder in his nostrils, but it takes 
 a man to be a hero in a clear atmosphere. " 
 
 "My! Frank, if you could plead your own case as 
 well as you can Dick s, you could win almost any 
 thing. " 
 
 "Thank you, Olive, but when I am pleading my 
 own case I haven t as good material to work on." 
 
 "Don t belittle yourself; it doesn t sound well." 
 
 "I have some news for you, Olive. I am going 
 home next week, and I have a very pressing invita 
 tion for you to go with me. Mother is very anxious 
 to see you. She says my letters are for the most 
 part filled with what Olive sa) S and what Olive 
 does, and that she is more than anxious to become 
 acquainted with you. Will you go?" 
 
 "Perhaps. I will ask mother about it, and if 
 she thinks it proper I will go, but I can stay but a 
 day or two, as the girls are calling on me for some 
 thing all the time." 
 
 "Better let them wait on themselves a while; it 
 will do them good. 
 
 "How selfish you are, Frank. I am ashamed of 
 you." 
 
 The next week Frank and Olive made the trip to 
 Brookfield. It was about seventy miles by rail, and 
 when they arrived Frank s father met them at the
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 203 
 
 station with the jump-seat and old Fannie. The 
 old horse and jump-seat had both done duty in the 
 Bardwell family since Frank s earliest recollections. 
 
 Mr. Bardwell s greeting to his son was cordial, 
 and if possible he was more cordial to Olive. It 
 was a beautiful September day, and, as they rode 
 out through the village and into the country, every 
 thing seemed to interest Olive. This was the first 
 time she had been so far away from Boston, and 
 almost the first time she had been in the real coun 
 try. They had but two miles to go after leaving 
 the village, but old Fannie was slow a fact which 
 pleased Olive, as she enjoyed everything she saw, 
 even to the turns in the road. Frank and his father 
 sat on the front seat, and at first would break off 
 their talk to each other to make some remark to 
 Olive, until she told them to visit with each other, 
 as she was perfectly content to watch the landscape. 
 
 "I wanted to bring May for company for ye," 
 said Mr. Bardwell, "but she is such a skeery critter 
 I couldn t get her in the wagon." With this he 
 resumed his talk with Frank, and Olive wondered 
 whether he meant Frank s sister May or some four- 
 legged animal. 
 
 After a while they reached the old Bardwell 
 homestead and drove up to the front door. To 
 Olive it seemed much as Frank had pictured it a 
 great big old-fashioned house of many gables. 
 When they came in sight of the house, Olive was 
 sure she could see quite a number of children and 
 some grown people, but as they came nearer there 
 was no sign of a human life about the place. A 
 couple of dogs came out and barked and jumped up
 
 2o 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 to old Fannie s nose. The hens scampered out of 
 the front yard, and some cows in a field opposite 
 stopped grazing and looked at the newcomers. 
 Olive smiled as she thought what a sensation she 
 was creating in the household. 
 
 As the jump-seat stopped at the front door and 
 Frank jumped out, Mrs. Bardwell came out, and 
 taking him in her arms, kissed him again and again. 
 Frank helped Olive to alight and introduced her to 
 his mother. Mrs. Bardwell welcomed her to the 
 farm with a motherly kiss that won Olive s heart at 
 once, and the two women went into the house 
 together, while Frank and his father attended to 
 putting up the old jump-seat and Fannie. 
 
 Frank was the oldest of quite a good-sized family, 
 and it was more than an hour before all of them 
 could be induced to come in and be presented to 
 Olive. By supper time, however, most of them had 
 broken through their reserve and were on very fair 
 terms with the strange lady from Boston. 
 
 After supper was over the men folks busied them 
 selves in doing the chores. Frank went out and 
 helped as in the days before he left home, and the 
 girls helped to clear off the table and do up the 
 housework. Then came bed-time for the little 
 ones, and it was not long before Olive was shown 
 to the spare room. 
 
 It was a large room over the parlor. The furni 
 ture consisted of a high-posted bedstead, a wash- 
 stand, a table and a few stiff -backed chairs. There 
 were a few old-fashioned pictures on the walls, but 
 the subjects were not interesting; neither could 
 they be considered works of art. The candle
 
 RICHARD .V AUGHN 205 
 
 needed snuffing, but Olive was not used to candles, 
 and her attempt to snuff it put it out. As soon as 
 she had recovered from her surprise at doing this 
 she discovered that the moon was shining; also that 
 it made a ghastly light and that the room was filled 
 with the most grotesque shadows. Olive was a brave 
 girl, and she threw oft the creepy feeling that she was 
 commencing to experience and, quickly undressing, 
 climbed into bed, and soon found herself sunk in 
 the middle of a feather bed such as she might have 
 read of but had never really believed existed. She 
 lay there quietly for half an hour, and could hear 
 Frank and his parents talking; then all was still. 
 The stillness was new to her, and as she described 
 it afterwards, it could be felt. She was tired with 
 her trip, but there had been a sort of an excitement 
 in meeting Frank s people that had made her nerv 
 ous, and she could not sleep. Away off in the dis 
 tance she thought she heard someone calling; then 
 she decided it must be an owl. She could hear tree 
 toads, and after she had in a sense gotten used to 
 them a cricket commenced to sing. This animal 
 she was sure was in her room and she wondered 
 how any one could live in the country. She heard 
 the clock strike ten, and she knew she was the only 
 one awake in the house. Then she thought about 
 her door being unlocked, and the thought occurred 
 to her that most likely all of the doors in the house 
 were unlocked, and how easy it would be for a 
 tramp to come in and go all over the house. She 
 decided she ought to get up and put something 
 against her door. As she started to do this the 
 clock struck eleven. She raised herself on her
 
 jo6 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 elbow and counted, hoping that it was twelve. 
 Then, as the clock ceased striking, her hair seemed 
 to raise and there was a creepy feeling in her back. 
 She fell back upon the feather bed, covered up her 
 head, and for the first time realized that she could 
 hear herself breathe. She tried to breathe easier, 
 but it was of no use. 
 
 She lay still until she thought it ought to be 
 morning, when she heard the clock strike twelve. 
 She heard the clock strike one and then two. The 
 next she heard was, "What s your name besides 
 Olive?" and opening her tired eyes, she saw one of 
 the younger children trying to pull the side of the 
 feather bed down, so that she might get a glimpse 
 of her. She also noticed that the sun was shining 
 in her room. She heard the lowing of the cows and 
 the crowing of the rooster. A dog was barking 
 down in the field where one of the boys was trying 
 to dig out a woodchuck. The little tot had begged 
 the privilege of bringing in a pitcher of fresh 
 water, and stood there waiting for her answer. 
 
 "My name is Sargent, little one." 
 
 "That s a funny name, but our Frank says he is 
 going to change it for you. He said so this morn 
 ing." 
 
 When Olive came down stairs she found that 
 breakfast had been over for a long time. Mr. 
 Bardwell had gone to work and Frank and one of 
 his brothers had gone to the village. 
 
 "I thought I would let you sleep," said Mrs. 
 Bardwell, "for I knew you must be tired." 
 
 Olive thought of the night she had passed and 
 wondered how she could ever go through another
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 207 
 
 one. The thought of that night and the ones that 
 were to come were the only things that kept her 
 from having the best of a time, for every member 
 of the family vied with each other in entertaining 
 her. 
 
 In the afternoon, as Frank and Olive were sitting 
 together in the sitting-room, Frank took a paper 
 out of his pocket and handed it to her, asking at the 
 same time of she could understand what it meant. 
 She read it over carefully. There was no question 
 as to what it was ; it was a marriage license, and 
 the parties named therein were Frank P. Bardwell, 
 of Brookfield, and Olive Sargent, of Boston. Olive 
 handed it back and was about to speak, but Frank 
 stopped her by putting up his hand. 
 
 "I have told my people, " said Frank, "that you 
 wanted to wait, and that this was my idea and mine 
 alone. I have fixed it with the town clerk so that 
 this will not get into the papers here for a month, 
 and it will most likely never be seen in the Boston 
 papers. The minister will be here in twenty min 
 utes, and if you don t marry me it will place me in 
 an awfully poor light. When we go back to Boston 
 we will keep the thing quiet until you get ready to 
 tell it." 
 
 "Will you take me back to Boston now before the 
 minister comes?" asked Olive. 
 
 "Not much; there is no train until midnight, and 
 whether we are married or not we are going to stay 
 our week out." 
 
 Olive thought it over. She had expected to 
 marry Frank some time, and she knew there was 
 no good reason why she should not marry him now.
 
 208 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 All the rest of the family were in the other part of 
 the house, and, as she sat there thinking, all at once 
 everything seemed to become quiet and a cricket 
 commenced to chirp on the hearth. Olive shud 
 dered; the thought of the past night came to her. 
 The minister was ushered in. Frank reached out 
 his hand; Olive placed her own in his, and in a few 
 moments they were pronounced man and wife.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 Frank and Olive finished out the week at the 
 Bardwell homestead. It was their honeymoon, and 
 to Olive it was as pleasant as it was unexpected. 
 It was not altogether unexpected with Frank; in 
 fact, he had intended that the whole thing should 
 happen as it did. He had even told his mother not 
 to allow one of the girls to share Olive s room, say 
 ing that one of the inducements he had held out to 
 her in coming was that she should have a room to 
 herself. 
 
 After the wedding was over Olive realized that 
 she had been trapped, but she found no fault with 
 Frank for the part he had taken in the matter. As 
 she thought the whole thing over she decided that 
 it was rather a neat thing for Frank to do, and on 
 the whole she was proud of her husband s persever 
 ance. 
 
 Sunday the newly-married couple returned to 
 Boston and to the boarding-house of Mrs. Sargent. 
 They had decided that for the present they would 
 keep the wedding a secret and that they would take 
 up their old lives as though nothing had happened. 
 They had two reasons for this, one being that they 
 did not care to answer all of the questions that 
 would be asked them by the boarders and the Sar 
 gent family; but the most important reason was 
 that it might in some way prevent Frank from 
 rendering the assistance he otherwise might to the 
 lest of the boys in their search for Laura Morgan. 
 
 209
 
 210 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Doctor Lovelace had taken Harley Bean s advice 
 and had gone to work as assistant to Dick Vaughn. 
 All agreed that it was necessary for the doctor t f > 
 have something to occupy his mind, and, as he 
 understood bookkeeping, it was easy for him to do 
 this kind of work. Every evening the boys would 
 talk over matters in Dick s room. Harley always 
 had some story to tell of his adventures with the 
 principals of girls schools. The doctor was always 
 anxious that the work should be carried on faster, 
 and Dick continually assured him that Harley was 
 doing all that could be done. 
 
 A few evenings after the return of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Frank Bardwell from their wedding trip, Harley 
 Bean made a call on Warrington street. He asked 
 for Miss Lizzy Burley, who, by the way, was one of 
 the daughters of the house. The Burleys were a 
 queer family, and consisted of father, mother, a son 
 and three daughters. The father was a worthless 
 old chap, who seemed to have no ambition in life. 
 He objected as strongly to soap and water as the pro 
 verbial tramp and had worn the same suit of clothes 
 ever since they had lived on Warrington street 
 which was a matter of several years. His educa 
 tion had been neglected in his youth and he never 
 realized that it was necessary that he should have 
 one. When his children grew up they were put to 
 work, instead of being sent to school and the result 
 can easily be imagined. The mother of this inter 
 esting family was, at the time of which we write, a 
 woman of about fifty-five years of age. Her 
 features were fine; her hair was a silvery white; 
 her voice was soft and gentle. She was in looks,
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 211 
 
 actions and neatness the exact opposite of her hus 
 band. She also labored under the disadvantage of 
 having had but a few terms at the country school 
 when young, and although she read the daily 
 papers constantly, her education had never ad 
 vance much. . 
 
 The one boy of the family was but a second edi 
 tion of his father. He had found some girl who 
 would marry him and was no longer under the 
 parental roof. The oldest child of the family was 
 a girl, or at this time a woman of thirty-five. She 
 had been married, but had decided soon after her 
 marriage that a husband was a sort of a useless 
 thing to have, and as he had decided the same 
 thing in regard to a wife, they separated by mutual 
 consent. Mrs. Nora Wright (nee Burley) became 
 Madame Lulu Ascctt, spiritualist, clairvoyant and 
 fortune-teller. The youngest daughter, Nina, was 
 a sort of a female soldier of fortune, who plied her 
 trade in other cities, only using Boston as a place 
 to hail from. This was very kind of her, but 
 sometimes it was rather hard on dignified Boston. 
 Lizzy, the remaining daughter, was a tall, graceful 
 girl. She had a very stylish figure, black hair and 
 hazel eyes. Her face was rather sad. Meeting her 
 in the street one would say, "What a handsome 
 woman!" but after conversing with her for ten 
 minutes he would forget that her face or figure had 
 attracted him, particularly if he were a stickler for 
 good grammar. 
 
 This was the girl whom Harley called to see. She 
 was out, but Harley s business was urgent and he 
 told her mother he would wait, and as he waited his
 
 2i2 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 mind went back to the time when he first met this 
 strange family. 
 
 One afternoon about three years before this the 
 city editor had sent for him and said: "Harley, 
 there is going to be a spiritual seance on Davis 
 street, and they have advertised extensively that 
 spirits of departed friends of those present will 
 materialize, so that every one can see them. You 
 had better go up there as a seeker of light, and per 
 haps you will find light enough to write something 
 that will be interesting." 
 
 Harley took an acquaintance with him, and they 
 paid the required seventy-five cents each and were 
 admitted into the presence of the world-renowned 
 Madame Lulu Ascott. Harley and his friend had 
 seated themselves well towards the front, near the 
 stage, and weie very attentive listeners and observ 
 ers. After a while the stage was cleared for the 
 materialization act. The lights were turned very 
 low and a weird tune was played on a little cabinet 
 organ. Every eye was intently fixed on the stage, 
 and at last the dim outlines of a woman s figure 
 could be seen. As the audience became more used 
 to the dim light and the figure materialized more, 
 they discovered that it took the form of a tall sad- 
 faced girl with long beautiful black hair. The audi 
 ence was spellbound. 
 
 A little man, who seemed to be a sort of an 
 assistant to Madame Ascjtt said in a low, hollow 
 voice: "Does any one recognize in this spirit form 
 a departed friend?" 
 
 Harley arose, and with a voice apparently chok 
 ing with emotion, said: "It is my sister, " Then
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 213 
 
 before any one was aware of what he was about to 
 do, he sprang upon the stage and, clasping the 
 materialized spirit in his arms, began kissing her 
 warm, red lips. Just at this time Harley s friend 
 turned up the light, which was the means of disclos 
 ing to all the people present Harley clasping the 
 form of Lizzy Burley in his arms. They also saw 
 the madame and her little undersized assistant 
 dancing around on the stage in a vain endeavor to 
 rescue the girl from Harley s grasp. Harley s 
 friend came to his assistance, and the crowd, think 
 ing that it was a raid by the police, left the house 
 with a rush. 
 
 After the audience had left and Lizzy Burley had 
 once more resumed her earthly role and her best 
 clothes, Harley s friend sent out for a pitcher of 
 beer, and all matters were adjusted with satisfaction 
 to every one. 
 
 The next day there appeared a column-and-a-half 
 article on the affair, written by Harley Bean, which 
 struck home in three ways: it proved an ad. for 
 Madame Ascott; showed the good people of Boston 
 what frauds were constantly being practiced in their 
 midst, and secured a raise of salary for Harle}^ 
 Bean. It also was the means of making Harley 
 acquainted with the rest of the Burley family, and 
 he had kept up his acquaintance by occasionally 
 calling on them ever since. 
 
 As Harley finished going over in his mind his first 
 meeting with Lizzy, that young lady came in, 
 accompanied by a young man. She was pleased to 
 see Harley, and at once asked how long he was 
 going to stay.
 
 2i 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Long enough for you to get rid of that guy," 
 said Harley; and in a few moments the young man 
 had been told that her "steady" had come and that 
 he had better make himself scarce. 
 
 "Now," said Harley, as they went into another 
 room to get rid of the old folks, "I am going to give 
 you a chance to make yourself famous, Lizzy. You 
 can do it, and there isn t another woman in Boston 
 that could do it half so well." 
 
 "All right, Harley; and if I do it, what do I get?" 
 
 "What do you want, Lizzy? You know you can 
 have anything I can get you." 
 
 "You can give me what I want, Harley; and I 
 ought not to be obliged to tell you what it is, for 
 you already know that it is your love. Give me 
 that and I will do anything on earth for you." 
 
 "Now, look here, Lizzy, I thought you had gotten 
 over that. Besides my friendship is worth more than 
 my love any day. But if you are so exacting I will 
 be obliged to get some one else to do this work for 
 me, and if that is the case I must be going." 
 
 "You will do nothing of the kind. No other 
 woman shall do anything for you that I can do. 
 Just tell me what it is." 
 
 Harley took the picture of Laura Morgan from 
 his pocket and handing it to Lizzy, asked her to 
 study it well. 
 
 She took it and said: "Who is this, Harley? 
 Now, tell me the truth if you want my help and I 
 will help you." 
 
 Harley told her about Doctor Lovelace and Laura 
 Morgaa He also told her his suspicions and 
 finally explained to her the part he wanted her to
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 215 
 
 play. He soon had her interested. The role she 
 was to play was an exciting one, and one that she 
 believed she was well fitted to play, and she was 
 ready and anxious to commence it. 
 
 The next evening- about eight o clock a hack 
 stopped in front of the house occupied by the Bur- 
 leys, and a tall girl, dressed in deep black, came 
 out, got into the hack and was driven away. In 
 the hack with the girl was Harley Bean and Dick 
 Vaughn, and on the box, perched tip on the driv 
 er s seat, was Frank Bard well. Frank was per 
 fectly at home with horses, but a seat on the top of 
 a hack was new and strange to him. It was not 
 long, however, before he got the swing of the busi 
 ness and rather enjoyed the novelty of it. 
 
 The hack bowled along out Tremont street, 
 through Roxbury to West Roxbury, and at last 
 drew up before a lonely-looking house not more than 
 a mile from the West Roxbury station on the Provi 
 dence railroad. 
 
 Harley went to the door of the house and in a few 
 minutes came back, assisted Lizzy to alight, and 
 went with her to the house. There he helped her 
 lay aside her wraps and said: 
 
 "This is the sister I told you about." And then 
 turning to Lizzy, he said: "This is Mr. Jordan, 
 Lizzy, at whose house I told you you were to rest 
 for a few days and try to get over the effects of 
 your hard study." 
 
 Lizzy drew herself tip to her full height, bowed 
 condescendingly, and gave the doctor one of her 
 sad, sweet smiles, but she uttered no word. The 
 matron came in and was introduced, and Lizzy,
 
 2i6 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 after kissing Harley good-bye, allowed herself to be 
 led away. 
 
 "You will find her no trouble, Doctor. Just give 
 her the freedom of the house and keep her amused, 
 and I trust that under your skillful treatment she 
 will soon be herself again." 
 
 "I trust so," said the doctor, "but allowing me to 
 be the judge, your sister is worse off than you 
 imagine. Her eyes do not look right, and that sad, 
 resigned look that she has does not come so much 
 from over-study as from a loss that she may have 
 sustained. Has she lost some friend lately, or per 
 haps a sweetheart?" 
 
 "Doctor, you are a wonder. She had a little 
 affair of the heart lately, but I would not admit even 
 to myself that this had affected her mind." 
 
 The doctor was pleased ; his vanity had been flat 
 tered, and as he shook hands heartily with Harley at 
 parting, he said: "I shall attend to her carefully, 
 Mr. Bean, and when I see you again I hope to be 
 able to give you some encouragement." 
 
 While Harley had been inside with the doctor 
 Dick had completely reconnoitered the premises. 
 This was not without some difficulty, as he encoun 
 tered a ferocious watch-dog, with whom he was 
 obliged to make his peace. He had always been 
 very fond of dogs, and one of his trials had always 
 been that strange dogs would persist in following 
 him, as he was never afraid of them. Using all his 
 powers of persuasion, he finally made friends with 
 the doctor s big brute, and took him around the 
 place with him. 
 
 It was well along into the small hours the next
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 217 
 
 morning when the three young men reached Mrs. 
 Sargent s boarding-house. The doctor was up 
 waiting for them. 
 
 "What luck?" said he, "for I know you fellows 
 have been off on my business. You are putting me 
 everlastingly into your debt, and the worst of it is 
 you won t let me do any of the work or share any of 
 the dangers." 
 
 "Doctor," said Harley, "I have been in a good 
 many tight places since I have been in newspaper 
 work, and I always pick my assistants. I have a 
 theory in regard to this case, and as soon as I have 
 proved my theory I will let you in, and if there is 
 any work to do that requires nerve you shall have 
 the post of honor. Are you satisfied?" 
 
 "I guess I will have to be, Harley. I have 
 always told my patients that when they engaged 
 me they must take my medicine, and that is what I 
 seem to be doing now." 
 
 For a day or two after Frank returned from 
 Brookfield he was quite content to follow the advice 
 that Olive had given him, and keep the marriage a 
 secret until Martha was married. In this way she 
 claimed she could keep at work and save a little 
 money towards housekeeping. The more Frank 
 thought this over the more he thought he was fool 
 ish to allow her to do it. In the first place he had 
 money enough to furnish a house, and besides that 
 he had an interest in the firm of H. U. Lemon & 
 Co., and was making more money than he had ever 
 expected to. The straw that broke the camel s 
 back, however, was the fact that he could see but 
 little of his wife, as when she was at home she was
 
 2i8 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 continually doing something for Martha. Frank 
 grew to hate the sound of the name of Martha, and 
 at last he decided that he would take things in his 
 own hands. The result of his decision was that he 
 went over to Cambridge and hired a five-room tene 
 ment. Then he started in, and with the help of an 
 acquaintance in a furniture store, furnished the 
 house complete. 
 
 That week he had seen but little of Olive. He 
 had purposely kept out of her way and had even 
 sent regrets that he could not be with her as usual 
 Thursday evening. He told her, however, that he 
 had promised to make a call with her on Sunday, 
 and to meet him in the parlor at one o clock. 
 
 Frank had hired a second-floor tenement, owned 
 by an acquaintance of his who lived in the lower 
 one, and he had made arrangements with the lady 
 of the house to have her servant let him in and 
 show him upstairs. 
 
 When Frank met his wife in the parlor that Sun- 
 clay he started as though to kiss her. 
 
 "Oh, Frank, don t! What if some one should 
 walk in here?" And then, as she thought he looked 
 a little hurt, she said: "Be patient, Frank, just a 
 little while, and you shall have a surfeit of kisses." 
 
 Olive seldom asked where they were going, but 
 left the planning to Frank, and this time they 
 walked along without her noticing which way they 
 went. Frank helped her into a Cambridge car, and 
 in answer to her question of where they were going, 
 mentioned the name of his new landlord. When 
 they arrived at the house they were shown in by 
 the maid, who at once left them alone.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 219 
 
 "Isn t this a pretty parlor!" said Olive. "Per 
 haps some time we shall have one like it and it is all 
 new, too. But who are these people? You said you 
 were going to see the people downstairs." 
 
 "I am glad you like it all Olive; and } T OU will find 
 the people who own it in the next room." 
 
 With this he took her by the arm and leading her 
 out through a prettily furnished sitting-room, came 
 to the door of the bed-room, and standing her before 
 the mirror on the dresser, said : 
 
 "Allow me to introduce you to the owners of this 
 little home." 
 
 A more completely surprised woman than Olive at 
 this moment never lived. Frank was in his glory; 
 he had taken the reins in his own hands and driven 
 to a finish. Olive looked around the pretty little 
 bed-room and then, as she saw that Frank was wait 
 ing for her to speak, she sank into a chair and said: 
 
 "Oh, Frank, what can I say or what can I do? 
 You are so persistent. You make me do just what 
 I say I will not do, and you make me love you more 
 every day." 
 
 "That is too bad, Olive; but don t ) T OU think that 
 I have earned that kiss you refused me this morn 
 ing?" 
 
 There was a knock on the parlor door and as 
 Frank and Olive returned to the parlor the maid 
 was ushering in three visitors and there was a sur 
 prise for them when Frank introduced his wife to 
 Harley Bean, Dick Vaughn and Doctor Lovelace. 
 Frank had tricked the young men into calling just 
 to make it a surprise all around, and it was a com 
 plete one.
 
 *2o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Well, said Harley, after he had recovered his 
 breath, "the next we know the wooden Indians will 
 be getting married. When did the accident hap 
 pen, anyhow?" 
 
 Of course the whole story had to be told, and 
 then congratulations were in order. 
 
 "This whole affair has been worked out by 
 Frank," said Olive. "But will some of you tell me 
 what I am to do now? How shall I break it all to 
 mother? I must go right now and tell her all about 
 it, and I dread it so." 
 
 "You will do nothing of the kind," said Frank. 
 "Where is your marriage certificate?" 
 
 Olive produced it from the bosom of her dress, 
 saying: "I have never dared to let it leave me for 
 an instant, for fear some one would see it, and I 
 have longed for the time to come when I could nail 
 it on the outside of the house, if I chose." 
 
 Frank took it and handed it to Harley, saying: 
 "Here, Harley, you ought to have some pleasure in 
 life. Just break the news to mother. "
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 It was the rule at Mrs. Sargent s boarding-house 
 to serve a big dinner on Sunday at one o clock and 
 a light supper at six. Mrs. Sargent was often heard 
 to say that she was sure her boarders were satisfied 
 with her table, as they so seldom missed any of their 
 meals. She would say this, and then add: "Don t 
 you think so, Mr. Faxon?" or, "Don t you think so, 
 Mr. Glidden?" She seldom asked Harley Bean or 
 Dick Vaughn, Dick on account of the episode of the 
 marble bowls, and Harley because she tried it once 
 and he said: "Oh, it isn t so bad as that." All the 
 boarders laughed, and although Mrs. Sargent did 
 not see where the joke came in, she was careful not 
 to enter into conversation with him again. 
 
 The Sunday evening on which Frank and Olive 
 went to housekeeping Mrs. Sargent was about the 
 dining-room during the supper-time. Everything 
 seemed to be going quite smoothly with her; she 
 had a nice word for this one or the other, not for 
 getting to mention the fact that her large family 
 was well represented. She was saying: "I seldom 
 lose a boarder, unless it is some one who is obliged 
 to leave the city. I really cannot remember who 
 was the last one to leave me." 
 
 "Your memory is exceedingly short, Mrs. Sar 
 gent," said Harley. 
 
 "Perhaps I have forgotten some one who was 
 here but a short time. To whom do you refer Mr. 
 Bean?" 
 
 221
 
 222 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "I was thinking of Frank Bard well, who left this 
 morning," said Harley. 
 
 "Mr. Bard well left us and never said a word 
 about it? I cannot believe you Mr. Bean. Mr. 
 Bardwell was such a perfect gentleman, and paid 
 me so promptly every week. 
 
 "You cannot always tell about these young men, 
 and if I were in your place I would look around to 
 see if there wasn t something missing." 
 
 "Why, Mr. Bean! How you talk!" and Mrs. 
 Sargent got very much excited at the thought that 
 Frank Bardwell should have gone wrong. 
 
 "Tell me, Mr. Bean, what you know, or what 
 you suspect. Poor Olive! what will she say?" 
 
 I heard what Olive said, Harley replied. She 
 kissed him and said it was all right." 
 
 At this Mrs. Sargent was speechless and Dick 
 came to the rescue. 
 
 "Mrs. Sargent" said he, "Frank is all right. He 
 has married your daughter, and the newly-married 
 couple have gone to housekeeping. Mr. Bean was 
 commissioned to break the news to you and to do it 
 nicely, but out of sympathy for your daughter and 
 yourself I have taken the duty out of his hands." 
 
 Then turning to Harley, he said: "Hand me that 
 paper. 
 
 Harley handed out the marriage certificate and 
 Dick handed it over to Mrs. Sargent, who in turn 
 handed it to Mr. Faxon, with the request that he 
 read it. This he did, and then the facts came out 
 that Frank and Olive had been married nearly two 
 weeks. After the supper was over Mrs. Sargent 
 followed Dick up to his room to find out more about
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 223 
 
 the affair if possible, and Dick gave her as near a 
 detailed account of it as he knew. 
 
 The marriage of Frank and Olive gave the board 
 ers at Mrs. Sargent s enough to talk about to last 
 them several days, and they finally decided that it 
 was a very fine match, although they were never 
 able to understand why they married as they did 
 when there really could be no objection on either 
 side. 
 
 Dick had waited anxiously for a call from Mrs. 
 Richards, but none came. At last he decided that 
 he would make one mere trial to see Mabel, and 
 with that object in view he called one evening at 
 her home. He sent in his card and asked for Mrs. 
 Richards, and, to his surprise, was allowed to see 
 her. 
 
 "I have come," said Dick, "because I was tired 
 of waiting for you to send for me. I can see no 
 reason why I should not see Mabel, and I assure you 
 if it is her desire that I should not call again, I will 
 respect her wishes." 
 
 Mr. Richards was present, but although he 
 treated Dick very kindly, he seemed to have no 
 voice in the matter. 
 
 "I had hoped," said Mrs. Richards, "that you 
 would take your dismissal from me, but if you must 
 see Mabel, it may as well be over with now as 
 ever." 
 
 After saying this, Mr. and Mrs. Richards retired 
 from the room, and in a few moments Mabel came 
 in. She showed the effects of her sickness, and at 
 first seemed ill at ease in Dick s presence.
 
 224 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "I am so glad to be able to see you once more, 
 Mabel, and I trust I am not to receive my dismissal 
 from your lips. I am ready to answer any ques 
 tions you may ask, and I trust you will not look 
 upon my previous misfortune as your mother seems 
 to. 
 
 "You did no wrong, did you?" 
 
 "Certainly not, Mabel. It was one of those 
 unfortunate affairs that might come to any one. 
 Shall I tell you all about it?" 
 
 "No, Dick; I have asked you the only question 
 about it that I ever intend to. Now I want to do a 
 little talking myself. Since I have been sick I have 
 done a great deal of thinking,, and I have thought 
 of every word you ever said to me, and, Dick, all 
 you said to me about the South and the negroes was 
 right. I am not sorry I went, for I have seen some 
 things with my own eyes that I otherwise could not 
 have believed. Now, Dick, you once told me that 
 you loved me. Are you willing to give me up 
 now?" 
 
 "Do you want me to give you up?" 
 
 "That does not answer my question, and to get 
 at what I must say I want you to answer that 
 question." 
 
 "Then of course I must answer it. I am not 
 willing to give you up and never shall be willing to 
 do so, although if you demand it I suppose I must." 
 
 "I shall never demand it, Dick. But listen. 
 Mother has decided matters for me. I can never 
 tell you how I have suffered over it. She told me 
 all about your arrest and trial, and that although 
 you were acquitted, you could not get your situation
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 225 
 
 back. She has told me that it would kill her if I 
 ever had anything to do with you again; and, Dick, 
 she is my mother. Would you advise me to do any 
 thing contrary to my mother s wishes? She has 
 been a good mother to me; every wish of my life 
 has been supplied by her all but this one, Dick. 
 Now will you tell me what to do?" 
 
 Dick hung his head, but said nothing. 
 
 "I felt sure you would not advise me to do any 
 thing against my mother s wishes, but I feel that I 
 cannot do right by her and by you too, and for that 
 reason and no other I am going to say this : I love 
 you, Dick, better than my own life. We have 
 never been engaged, but I have always felt that 
 there was no one else on earth whom I could marry. 
 Now, I cannot marry you and I shall never marry 
 any one, but as I have no right to keep you from 
 some one else whom you might love, marry and be 
 happy with, I am forced to say I will let you go. 
 No one can stop me from loving you, I cannot stop 
 myself; and when you go all the light will have gone 
 out of my life, but I shall have done my duty by 
 myself and you. I have prayed over this and have 
 cried over it by the hour, but it is done now." 
 
 The two sat in silence for a few moments. At 
 last Mabel said: "Why don t you speak, Dick?" 
 
 "I will speak, Mabel. You have decided to do 
 what you think is your duty, and I am going to do 
 what I know to be mine. As long as I know that 
 you love me I shall never give you up, for some 
 thing tells me that the time will come when there 
 will be no barriers between us. I do not know how 
 it will come about, but it will come, and when it
 
 226 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 does come let us both be ready to take advantage of 
 it. You are of age, Mabel, and I might advise you 
 to let your love for me rule in this matter, but I 
 have put that temptation away from me, for I know 
 you would not be happy if you acted contrary to 
 your mother s wishes. When we part to-night we 
 may not meet again for some time, but the light of 
 your life is not going out with me, for my love 
 shall be as constant as your own. 
 "Mabel!" 
 
 It was Mrs. Richards who called, and as she called 
 she walked into the room. Dick and Mabel rose. 
 Mabel gave him her hand, which he raised to his 
 lips and kissed, and then without a word passed out 
 of the house. 
 
 "You were a long time dismissing him, Mabel." 
 "Yes, mother, but what I did I did for you." 
 "You shall never regret it, Mabel; and some 
 time when you are married to some one befitting 
 your station in life you will thank me for taking the 
 stand that I have. I presume Mr. Vaughn tried 
 to induce you to marry him anyway, didn t he?" 
 
 "No, mother, you wrong him; he is too much of 
 a man for that. But don t let us talk about it 
 to-night ; I am so tired and want to go to my own 
 room." 
 
 Lizzy Burley loved excitement and adventure. 
 Her strong love of adventure was one of the reasons 
 for her being willing to play the part she was play 
 ing. One of her strong points was making love. 
 She loved to walk out with a fine-looking man, and 
 if she could induce the fine-looking man to become
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 227 
 
 interested in her, she was in her glory. If rich 
 men or fine-looking men were not handy, she was 
 ready to do a little flirting with the boy who brought 
 the meat to the house, or she would condescend to 
 make eyes at the milkman. 
 
 The next morning after her incarceration in the 
 private madhouse for in reality that was what 
 Doctor Jordan s private asylum amounted to she 
 looked about for some one to flirt with. The pick 
 ing seemed rather poor in this direction, for the only 
 attendant she could discover was a hard-featured 
 matron. 
 
 After breakfast the doctor called on her, and she 
 tried her handsome hazel eyes on him with some 
 effect. The doctor was rather plain-looking, but 
 very susceptible to flattery, and it did not take long 
 for Lizzy to find this out. After going the rounds 
 of his other patients, he returned to Lizzy and told 
 her what handsome eyes she had, and that he was 
 going to try to get some of the sadness out of her 
 face. Lizzy did not say much except with her eyes, 
 but they were enough to win the doctor. She told 
 him she wanted to walk, and he took her all about 
 the house and introduced her to the different 
 patients. He took her to the patients hall, where 
 all of them who could be trusted were playing 
 games, playing on musical instruments, or in some 
 other way amusing themselves. 
 
 Lizzy had almost forgotten why she was there 
 when a face attracted her attention. The doctor 
 had been called away, and when Lizzy discovered 
 this face that looked so familiar the young lady was 
 looking at her intently. Lizzy was sharp enough
 
 22 8 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 not to go to her at once, but began making the 
 acquaintance of some of the other patients whose 
 looks she liked. After a time she came near the 
 girl she had noticed, and, turning on her quickly, 
 said: 
 
 "What is your name?" 
 
 "Edith Jones," said the stranger. 
 
 "Hello," said Lizzy to herself, "here is a mystery. 
 I wonder what this means." 
 
 Soon afterwards she met the girl again, and said: 
 "Who told you to say your name was Edith Jones?" 
 
 Tears came into the young lady s eyes and she 
 turned away. 
 
 The doctor came again and Lizzy amused herself 
 by asking questions about the different patients. 
 She asked the names of several, and when she got 
 around to it she asked the name of the girl whom 
 she took to be Laura Morgan. She was told that 
 the girl was Edith Jones, from Vermont. The fact 
 that the doctor mentioned Vermont or any state 
 decided Lizzy that she was on the right track. The 
 one thing that puzzled her was that Laura watched 
 her so closely. 
 
 In the afternoon Lizzy decided that she would 
 make sure of her ground, and sitting down near the 
 young lady, said: "Don t watch me so closely; I 
 am here to help you. Your name is not Jones and 
 you are not from Vermont." 
 
 The girl, without moving her head, said: "Where 
 am I from?" 
 
 "From Georgia." 
 
 "Who sent you here?" 
 
 "No one that you know, but he is working for
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 229 
 
 a young doctor, your sweetheart, Doctor Love 
 something, but I have forgotten what." 
 
 "Lovelace," said Laura. 
 
 Lizzy got up and, without looking at Laura, 
 walked about the room. 
 
 The rest of the afternoon she paid no more atten 
 tion to Laura other than to notice that she had 
 stopped watching her. To Lizzy this was the most 
 interesting occupation she had found next to making 
 love. That came first always but here it was sort 
 of an even tiling the only subject for her love-mak 
 ing being the doctor, who was anything but attract 
 ive. 
 
 The next day the two girls seemed to avoid each 
 other. Lizzy did so because she had found this 
 thing to be deeper than she expected, and Laura 
 had kept to herself because she thought she detected 
 in Lizzy s manner a desire that matters should not 
 be crowded. The day after, however, the girls 
 managed to get into a position where they could 
 talk and not appear to be doing so. 
 
 "Why have you never sent any word to the doc 
 tor in all these months?" began Lizzy. 
 
 "I have left no stone unturned to get word to 
 him, but you have no idea what kind of a place this 
 is. Before any one is allowed to go into the recep 
 tion room to meet friends they are stripped and 
 searched. Women have been whipped for carrying 
 out notes, and I have been punished for sending 
 them. I am only surprised that I have been treated 
 so well, but I surmise that niy liberty is only to be 
 purchased by my marrying a man I detest." 
 
 "My! it wouldn t take me long to get out if I
 
 2 3 o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 could get out that way, and I would make him 
 wish within a week he had never seen me." 
 
 Laura looked up surprised. She had decided that 
 this girl was a peculiar character, but now it 
 occurred to her that perhaps she was not sent by 
 Doctor Lovelace, but that she was sent as a spy 
 from her step-mother. It seemed to her from this 
 last remark as though Lizzy were sounding her as 
 to her willingness to marry a certain man who had 
 tried to pay her attention, and who, for some 
 reason, had the sanction of her step-mother. What 
 had become of him she did not know, but she had 
 been dreading the time when he would come on the 
 scene again. 
 
 Determined to find out something if possible in 
 regard to Lizzy, she said: "What proof have I that 
 you are here in my interest?" 
 
 "You haven t any, Miss, and I have none to give 
 you, but perhaps I could get you some if I could see 
 that doctor sweetheart of yours." 
 
 "Have you never seen him?" 
 
 "No, but if you will trust me I will get you out of 
 here." 
 
 The doctor came in and walked over to where 
 the two girls were. 
 
 "Why don t you two girls get acquainted and not 
 sit here with your backs to each other?" 
 
 "I hadn t noticed her," said Lizzy, but as she 
 got up and turned to speak, Laura left her chair 
 and went away. 
 
 "She is a queer case," said the doctor. "She has 
 been here over a year now and seems about the 
 same as when she came."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 331 
 
 "Are these people all crazy, Doctor?" 
 
 "Not exactly what you might call crazy, my dear. 
 Some of them are a little weak in the head. This 
 is caused from over-work, over-study or disease. 
 You know the step from sanity to insanity is so 
 slight that lots of people step over the line before 
 they know it. 
 
 "But my head is not weak, Doctor. Why am I 
 here? It is true, I cannot study, but I have never 
 been able to study, and I don t think that I should 
 be shut up in a madhouse just for not being able to 
 study." 
 
 "Tut, tut," said the doctor. "Don t say 
 such harsh things. This is more of a retreat 
 for tired ladies and should be thought of in that 
 light." 
 
 "Doctor, why don t you get married? You are 
 such a nice man and know so much. I think I 
 could marry you myself if you would promise to be 
 real nice and sweet to me." 
 
 The doctor was flattered. He smiled upon 
 her in a patronizing sort of a way, and said 
 he had so many ladies under his charge he was 
 afraid the others would be jealous if he paid 
 too much attention to one. He left her, thinking 
 she was a very interesting patient and one worth 
 studying. 
 
 At the end of a week Harley called and asked to 
 see his sister. He was invited into a private recep 
 tion room, and Lizzy was sent for. Contrary to 
 Harley s expectations, the doctor stayed in the 
 room with him. This made Harley a little nervous 
 and he began to think that Lizzy had been indiscreet
 
 232 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 and that if the girl they were hunting for were 
 really there, Lizzy in her impulsiveness would give 
 the thing away. 
 
 Lizzy came in with the matron and, walking over 
 to Harley, kissed him. 
 
 "I am glad to see you, brother. Have you come 
 to take me away?" 
 
 "I hardly expected you to be rested enough to go 
 so soon, but I thought I must come and see how 
 you were getting along." 
 
 The doctor sat and watched them. Of course he 
 pretended to be studying his patient, but both 
 Harley and Lizzy were of the opinion that he sus- 
 picioned something. The doctor made no move to 
 go, and after a few commonplace remarks, Harley 
 said: 
 
 "I really think you are better, Lizzy. Now, tell 
 me, was I right in bringing you here?" 
 
 "Yes, Harley, you were right, and although I was 
 very happy here with the doctor before you came, 
 seeing you makes me want to go home with you. 
 May I?" 
 
 "We will have to let the doctor decide that, little 
 one." And the doctor, of course, decided that 
 Harley should pay another week s board, which he 
 did. 
 
 Harley was puzzled, and looked it. If he under 
 stood Lizzy right, Laura was there, but he did not 
 feel exactly sure that Lizzy read his thoughts. 
 However, as Harley started to go, she made a scene 
 which would have done credit to an actress. She 
 clung to him and cried until she got a good chance 
 to whisper in his ear, "She is here." Then she
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 233 
 
 collapsed and fell on the floor and had to be carried 
 away by the attendants. 
 
 She surprised the doctor. 
 
 "A most wonderful case," he told Harley, and 
 that gentleman told him to do the best he could 
 with her and he would call again soon.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 The next day after Harley s visit to Lizzy at Doc 
 tor Jordan s private retreat was Sunday, and it was 
 pre-arranged that there should be a meeting of the 
 boys in Dick s room. Harley had planned it all, 
 and had invited his friend, Harvey Lippman, the 
 young lawyer, to meet with them. Frank had come 
 over from Cambridge with his wife to dine with his 
 mother-in-law, and the little gathering in Dick s 
 room was complete. Doctor Lovelace had gotten 
 so used to having Harley tell him to wait a little 
 longer that he had not even asked if there were any 
 new developments. He paid all of the bills with 
 out a question, and controlled his feelings the best 
 he could. His plan would have been different. 
 He would have employed all the detectives in the 
 country, and, as Harley said, bankrupt himself to 
 no purpose. 
 
 The first to speak after they were all assembled 
 that Sunday afternoon was the doctor, who, when 
 he found Mr. Lippman knew the whole story, said : 
 
 "I cannot but blame myself for being as inactive 
 as I have, and as you know my story, Mr. Lippman, 
 I am sure you will agree with me that I could have 
 done more or that I should have done more, if that 
 is a better way to put it." 
 
 "From what Harley and Dick tell me, Doctor, I 
 think you have done splendidly," said Lippman, 
 "and knowing you to be a Southerner, I must 
 
 234
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 235 
 
 say I am surprised that you have shown so cool a 
 head." 
 
 "Yes, I know we Southerners have the name of 
 being hot-headed, but with men like these crowd 
 ing- you in a hole all the time, what can you do? 
 Besides, I consider I can be cool when occasion 
 requires it as well as you of the North." 
 
 "You say you can," said Lippman. "Now, I am 
 going to put you to the test. Miss Morgan has been 
 found. 
 
 All eyes were turned towards the doctor, who 
 jumped to his feet and almost screamed, "Where is 
 she? Tell me, quick! Why do we sit here doing 
 nothing?" 
 
 "Sit down Doctor," said Lippman. "This is 
 the time to show your nerve." 
 
 The doctor sat down, but he trembled like a leaf 
 and turned deathly pale. 
 
 Lippman resumed: "Miss Morgan is well and in 
 no immediate danger, so calm yourself, Doctor. 
 You have been under a great strain, but the time 
 has nearly arrived when you can act and when you 
 do act you want all of your nerve with you." 
 
 Frank and Dick were both interested, for this was 
 the first day they had heard of Miss Morgan s being 
 found. They all sat in silence for a few moments. 
 The doctor s natural color came back to his face, 
 and he said : 
 
 "Go on, Mr. Lippman. I will behave myself 
 now. 
 
 Lippman continued: "When Harley Bean inter 
 ested himself in your case he saw further into it 
 than you did. He did not take any stock in your
 
 ~ 3 6 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 idea cf schools or hospitals, but realizing that you 
 had an adventuress to deal with, made up his mind 
 that if, as you believed, Miss Morgan were here, 
 she would be found somewhere under guard. He 
 at once secured a list cf the private asylums and 
 visited all of them. He interested me in the case, 
 and when I had time I often went with him. We 
 looked them all over but one. In this one we were 
 not allowed; therefore other means had to be 
 resorted to. Harley secured the services of a young 
 woman to act as his sister, and she is in there now 
 being treated, and has kept her eyes open. Last 
 night Harley was informed that Miss Morgan was 
 there, and also that she was quite well. The next 
 thing is to get her out, and that is what we have 
 come here to-day to talk over." 
 
 "Why not go and demand at once that she be set 
 at liberty?" said the doctor. 
 
 "Just stop and think a minute, Doctor. Miss 
 Morgan has no doubt been adjudged insane. She 
 has no doubt had a guardian appointed, and you 
 know that if we should go and demand her, they 
 would only laugh at us for our pains. If we should 
 do this we would show our hand and give them a 
 chance to send her to some other State. You have 
 no legal claim on her, and the people who have put 
 her there have a most perfect claim. We might get 
 out a writ of habeas corpus, but we would be fight 
 ing at a disadvantage. It would be the commence 
 ment of a long and tedious trial, and might drive 
 the girl insane, if she is all right now. As it stands 
 to-day they have the law on their side and they 
 have the girl in their possession, which you know is
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 237 
 
 nine points of law anyway. Now, what we all have 
 to do is to put on our thinking- caps and decide upon 
 a plan of action and act quickly." 
 
 The doctor had been watching Lippman earnestly 
 while he was speaking, but when he had finished he 
 looked around at the rest of the company. Notic 
 ing Harley, he said: "What do you think, Harley?" 
 
 "I think," said Harley, as he threw one leg over 
 the other and started to light his pipe, "that we 
 ought to have those nine points. 
 
 "That s it exactly," said Dick, "but how?" 
 
 "Yes," said Lippman, "what we need is posses 
 sion, but to take a person away from their legal 
 protectors is called kidnapping and kidnapping is a 
 serious crime in almost any State. " 
 
 Harley then told the story of his meeting with 
 Lizzy the night before and what a difficult matter 
 it was to get at the inmates; also how suspicious the 
 doctor appeared to be. 
 
 "I am not here to advise your breaking laws, " 
 said Lippman, "but if you will break laws I will be 
 only too glad to tender my services in helping you 
 out of the scrape. I may not be able to save you, 
 but I can try. What are you thinking about, Dick?" 
 
 "I was thinking that if all that stood between me 
 and the object of my affections was an old fogy doc 
 tor and a bulldog, I would be a married man within 
 twenty-four hours." 
 
 "Either that or in jail for breaking and enter 
 ing," said Lippman, with a laugh. 
 
 "Perhaps so," said Dick, "but I believe that with 
 a little planning the thing can be done." 
 
 " All right, " said the doctor, rising and walking
 
 238 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 the floor, "you do the planning, Dick, and give me 
 the post of danger and I will show whether I have 
 what you fellows call nerve or not." 
 
 "As a matter of precaution," said Lippman, "it 
 would be well, perhaps, if I did not know what you 
 intended to do, and as I have another engagement, 
 I think I will go. Before I go, however, I want to 
 caution you in regard to breaking the laws of the 
 State, and in saying this I want to tell 3 ou that I do 
 not think there is any law under the circumstances 
 that will act quickly enough to get the girl away 
 from these people. It is one of those cases where 
 in theory the law is all right, but where in actual 
 practice the law will not give justice to the proper 
 parties as the law-makers intended. A doctor, if he 
 be an honest man and I have found that most of 
 them are can help carry out the letter and inten 
 tion of the law in many cases, but when one of them 
 goes over to the side of crime, he is one of the most 
 dangerous of criminals. In a great measure he has 
 the law on his side, or rather he turns the law to his 
 interest, and being an educated man, he is the 
 hardest kind of a criminal to cope with." 
 
 After shaking hands all around, Mr. Lippman left 
 the others to their planning. 
 
 "From what I get from Mr. Lippman," said the 
 doctor, "he gives us to understand that the law will 
 not help us, and that if we try to help ourselves we 
 will most likely get the worst of it. Am I right?" 
 
 "Not exactly," said Frank. "He tells us that 
 the law will not help us, and he gives us to under 
 stand that we are going against a hard proposition 
 if we take the law into our own hands, or, in other
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 239 
 
 words, that whatever we do we must be cautious. 
 Now, let us get down to business. What plan have 
 you in mind, Harley?" 
 
 "To tell you the plain truth, boys, I haven t any. 
 When I went out to that crib and found out what 
 kind of a duffer we had to deal with and how he 
 protected himself at every point, I made up my 
 mind that I was up against one proposition where 
 bluff would not work. I expected to have a little 
 talk with Lizzy, but there wasn t a shadow of a 
 chance and I was crippled. I feel that time is 
 needed to think, and we haven t the time." 
 
 "I think," said the doctor, "that I, of most men, 
 am to be pitied. I have the most at stake and am 
 willing to take any chances, even the most hazard 
 ous, but you have all decided that I must not make 
 a move because I cannot cover up my Southern 
 dialect. If you will persist in keeping me in the 
 background until you have some plan of operation 
 formed, by all that s good, form your plans soon and 
 let us get to w:rk. Dick, you have not spoken for 
 an hour. When are you going to say something?" 
 
 "I will talk to-morrow evening," said Dick, "and 
 you can all get ready to go to work. I may not be 
 up at the office to-morrow, Doctor, but you will be 
 there and can make it right with Jim." 
 
 When Dick said he would say something the next 
 evening it seemed to put new life into all of the 
 rest, for although Harley Bean seemed to be the 
 philosopher of the band, when it came to a question 
 of needing a long head, Dick was looked upon as the 
 one who had it. 
 
 The next morning Dick called upon a detective of
 
 240 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 whom he had heard Harley speak as a prize in the 
 profession, and introduced himself as James Larkin, 
 from Providence. Dick told him a cock-and-bull 
 story about having had a sister abducted, and how 
 he had been indirectly informed that she was in the 
 toils of one Doctor Jordan, who kept a private mad 
 house in West Roxbury. Dick told him that he was 
 afraid of the slow workings of the law and that he 
 wanted some one to help him to get into the Jordan 
 asylum at once, and that if he once get his eyes on 
 his sister he would take care of the rest in his own 
 way, without the help of the detective. 
 
 "You see," continued Dick, "if I found out for 
 sure that she was there I would tell the doctor in 
 your presence that I should hold him personally 
 responsible for her safety, until I could get the 
 necessary papers, and I would have the house 
 watched while I was away." 
 
 "Your plan is all right," said the detective, "but 
 where do I come in?" 
 
 "You come in in this way: if you will get me 
 into the house and give me a chance to make a 
 thorough search of the premises, without having 
 some one watch me all the time, I will give you a 
 hundred dollars, and if we find my sister there I 
 will give you five hundred dollars ; but we must do 
 this without appealing to the law. What do you 
 say?" 
 
 The detective did not say anything for a time. 
 He made up his mind that hs had a soft snap for the 
 hundred and a possible chance for the five hundred. 
 He did not care to seem over-anxious, but finally 
 said:
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 241 
 
 "Make it one hundred and fifty in case we do not 
 find the girl, if I give you a complete chance to 
 search the place, and it is a bargain." 
 
 "No," said Dick, "I will nut do that, but I will 
 do better. I am almost positive that the girl for 
 whom I am looking is there, and if I succeed in 
 finding my sister I will make it seven hundred in 
 stead of five." 
 
 "Done," said the detective. "When shall we 
 start in?" 
 
 "At once," said Dick, "for we haven t a moment 
 to lose." 
 
 Five minutes afterwards the two were on their 
 way to the Providence station, and it may be 
 credited to Dick s good luck that he did not happen 
 to meet any of his acquaintances. The next train 
 that stopped at West Roxbury found the two men 
 on board, and a little before noon they were at the 
 entrance of Doctor Jordan s retreat. The detective, 
 Sam Burke by name, had taken the lead, and he 
 had his own plan of operations. This was his 
 agreement with Dick, who did not have the least 
 idea how they were to gain access to the house. 
 
 They walked directly to the front door and the 
 detective rang the bell. The door was opened by 
 one of the doctor s henchmen, and the detective 
 handed him his card. In a few moments the two 
 were admitted into the presence of the doctor. 
 
 "Hello. Sam," said the doctor. "What do you 
 fellows think you have treed now?" 
 
 "We think we have treed a young lady from 
 Providence," said the detective, by the name of 
 Sarah Larkin, " giving the name Dick had given
 
 242 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 him. "Now, if she is here, produce her, and if you 
 claim she is not, give my pard and me free license 
 to search the house. Oh, I forgot, you don t know 
 my pard. This is Dick Williams, Doctor Jordan, 
 and as sharp a detective as you are an old rascal." 
 
 Dick started at hearing himself addressed by his 
 own name, but he realized that it was only an acci 
 dent, and he at once dropped into the character that 
 Sam Burke had given him that of another detec 
 tive. 
 
 The old doctor looked at Dick and then back at 
 Sam, and said and his little dark eyes twinkled as 
 he spoke: 
 
 "I like you Sam because you come out and tell 
 just where you stand, but you will find that I am 
 safe from the law and also from all you fellows who 
 make the law your protector, while you rob your 
 victims. 
 
 "I see we understand each other, Doctor. Now, 
 let me tell you something: we are in dead earnest 
 in this thing, and, remembering a little experience 
 I once had with you, you can rest assured that not a 
 soul will leave your house, until we have given up 
 our search, without being shadowed. We knew 
 what kind of a proposition we were bucking up 
 against, and we came prepared. I want to tell you 
 another thing. We haven t any papers giving us 
 permission to search your house. We thought we 
 would station our men first and then leave it to 
 your better judgment as to whether you would let 
 us search the house without papers or compel us to 
 get them." 
 
 "You are at liberty to search the house, gentle-
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 245 
 
 men, as much as you wish. You can go alone, 1 
 will send an attendant with you, cr I will g-j 
 myself. 
 
 "If you are guilty I don t know what your game 
 is, Doctor. But come on; I think I would feel 
 better to have you with us." 
 
 The three men left the office together and the 
 search commenced. Dick purposely dropped behind 
 the others, and as soon as they came to the patients, 
 commenced to talk to them. The questions he 
 asked soon put the doctor off his guard. This 
 gave Dick the chance that he wanted. They came 
 to the general hall, and it was not long before Dick 
 picked out Lizzy Burley and, watching his chance, 
 got near her. Lizzy had caught sight of him as soon 
 as he entered the room, and was also trying to 
 attract his attention. This was the kind of a chance 
 she had been looking for. She was surprised, how 
 ever, when Dick said : 
 
 "Don t look surprised, Lizzy. I am a friend of 
 Harley Bean s, and you must tell me where Laura 
 is at once. 
 
 "Are you her sweetheart Doctor?" 
 
 "No, but tell me where she is." 
 
 "She hasn t been down to-day nor yesterday. 
 Her room is on the next floor above this, in the 
 southwest corner." 
 
 The doctor and Sam were coming. As they came 
 within hearing Lizzy was heard to say to Dick: "I 
 think you are awfully handsome. Have you a sweet 
 heart?" 
 
 Dick pretended to be confused, and Sam laughed 
 as he said:
 
 244 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Take care there, Dick. Some of these people 
 will steal you yet." 
 
 "There is one thing sure," said Lizzy, "no 
 one will steal you, you hateful old thing." And 
 with this she walked away pouting. The object 
 ive point with Dick was the southwest corner 
 of the floor above, and after a time that room was 
 reached. 
 
 "Yon can go in here if you like," said the doctor 
 as he placed his hand on the knob of the door, "but 
 Miss Jones is very sick." 
 
 Dick made a motion as if to open the door, but it 
 was locked. A light rap from the doctor and the 
 door was opened from the inside by an attendant, 
 and Dick and the doctor passed in. Miss Jones, as 
 she was called, lay in bed. A critical examination 
 by Dick convinced him that he was gazing on the 
 features of Laura Morgan, and it also convinced 
 him that some drug had been used for reasons best 
 known to the doctor. Dick had his own opinions, 
 however, but as there was no one to express them 
 to, he gave a hasty glance around the room and was 
 ready to leave. 
 
 The rest of the building was gone through, and 
 particularly the upper story was closely examined. 
 At last they were ready to go, and Dick was sure 
 that the smile the doctor gave them as they left was 
 of the sardonic order. 
 
 The two men returned at once to the city, and 
 Dick paid the detective as he had agreed. They 
 parted at the depot. 
 
 As soon as Dick was sure that he had gotten rid 
 of the detective he returned to the depot and took
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 245 
 
 the next train for West Roxbury. The rest of the 
 afternoon he occupied himself with drawing pic 
 tures of the doctor s house from all sides. This he 
 could do very well without being seen, as there 
 were groves of trees on all sides of the house. After 
 it grew dark he once more visited the grounds, re 
 newed his acquaintance with the watch dog, and 
 twice came near running into some of the doctor s 
 help. 
 
 At eight o clock Dick was back in the city, and 
 his first visit was to a restaurant, where he fortified 
 the inner man with a good substantial meal. Then 
 he boarded a car for the west end, and, about nine 
 o clock he walked into his room, where his three 
 friends were already assembled. Harley was smok 
 ing his pipe as usual. Frank was looking over the 
 evening paper and the doctor was walking the 
 floor. He stopped as Dick came in and looked 
 at him inquiringly, but said nothing. Dick sat 
 down, took out a cigar and deliberately lit it. Then 
 he said: 
 
 "At ten o clock we want a hack and Frank for a 
 driver. If it is at the entrance of the archway on 
 Leverett at that time the doctor and I will be there 
 to join you and if any of you are not prepared to go 
 through the toughest proposition you ever tackled 
 you had better not start." 
 
 Frank and Harley left the room, and Dick took 
 out the pictures he had made and explained his plan 
 to the doctor. He also told the doctor the condition 
 in which he found Miss Morgan. 
 
 About half an hour after Frank and Harley left 
 the house, Dick and the doctor left also, and they
 
 246 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 were far from empty-handed, for Dick had already 
 prepared for the plan he had in mind. A few min 
 utes after they arrived at the appointed place, the 
 hack came up, and they were soon on their way to 
 West Roxbury.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 It was a long ride from the west end of Boston to 
 Doctor Jordan s place at West Roxbury, but Frank 
 tcnew there was no hurry, as they were engaged in 
 a scheme that could be much better carried out in 
 the last half of the night. The inmates of the hack 
 were, as the reader surmises, Harley Bean, Dick 
 Vaughn and Doctor Lovelace. Little was said 
 among these three on the trip, for the reason 
 that Dick had gone over the whole plan with the 
 doctor, and they had decided that Frank would be 
 obliged to stay with the horses and Harley should 
 act as watch, so that the other two would not be sur 
 prised. 
 
 It was about two o clock in the morning when 
 Frank stopped his horses at one of the little groves 
 near Doctor Jordan s house. The three inside 
 passengers had all been asleep. Of course they did 
 not care to own it, but it was a fact that even to 
 Doctor Lovelace the whole party had drowsed off 
 into a state of semi-consciousness, from which they 
 were aroused by the stopping of the hack. Dick 
 was in supreme command, and as soon as he had 
 alighted he bade the rest be quiet and stay where 
 they were while he took in the situation. Once 
 more Dick made friends with the watch dog, but 
 this time he betrayed his would-be friend, and the 
 dog lay dead before him. There had not been a 
 sound that could have been heard a rod away, but 
 
 247
 
 24 S RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 one obstacle had been wiped out of the path cf the 
 young men. 
 
 When Dick returned to his companions there was 
 nothing sleepy about them. They were ready to do 
 anything to help in the matter, and were as wide 
 awake as they ever had been. Frank was to stay 
 with the horses; Harley was to keep watch on the 
 outside of the house and assist where he could, and 
 the doctor and Dick were to enter the house, find 
 Miss Morgan and carry her away. Frank was not 
 at all satisfied with the part he was to play, but said 
 nothing. Harley was satisfied with his part and 
 praised Dick for his judgment, adding that it took a 
 better man to wait and watch than it did to work. 
 
 The moon had gone down ; the sky was overcast, 
 and it was decidedly dark. This fact Dick had decided 
 was their first streak of luck. Dick led the way to 
 the dog-house, and the other two saw the first death 
 done ia the cause of the doctor and his sweetheart. 
 The dog-house was close to the entrance of the lad 
 der-house and it was to this place that Dick was 
 leading his assistant. The door of the ladder-house 
 was locked but it was only a moment s work to pull 
 off the lock and staple. The men worked quietly 
 and as though they had previously rehearsed their 
 parts. The long ladder was taken out and carried 
 to the back of the house. It was then raised t > 
 the ell and a shorter ladder \vas brought to be used 
 from the ell to the main house. In a few moments 
 Dick Vaughn and Doctor Lovelace stood upon the 
 roof cf the main part cf the house. After a little 
 hunting they found a trap door leading to the upper 
 story of the house, which was not locked. The
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 249 
 
 hatch was carefully removed, and after adjusting 
 one end of a rope to a bar placed across the open 
 ing, Dick swung himself into the room below, and 
 the doctor at once followed. 
 
 They found themselves in a hall, from which all 
 of the rooms in the upper story opened. At one 
 end of the hall a dim light burned, and the way to 
 the room occupied by Miss Morgan was easily 
 known to Dick. There was no time to lose, but 
 Dick took his hat off and looked about him. As he 
 did so he was aware that they were being watched, 
 and a woman s voice was heard to say: "Harley, 
 are you there?" 
 
 "Yes," said Dick, and motioning to the doctor, 
 they be th stepped into the room, in the doorway of 
 which stood Lizzy Burley. 
 
 "This is DocUr Lovelace," whispered Dick. 
 "Harley is down below on watch. We are here to 
 get Miss Morgan." 
 
 "I thought as much," said Lizzy, as she strained 
 her eyes to get a sight of the doctor. "I heard you 
 on the roof and watched you through my transom. 
 But," she continued, speaking more quickly, "you 
 must cover your tracks. Down the hall a little way 
 you will find a step-ladder. Get that and fix the 
 trap door at once; then I have something to say to 
 you." 
 
 The trap door was soon fixed and the young men 
 were back in Lizzy s room, they having come to the 
 conclusion that she was a pretty good ally. 
 
 "Now, what have you to say, Lizzy?" asked Dick. 
 
 "I slept a little yesterday so as to be able to keep 
 awake to-night, for I found out that Miss Morgan
 
 2 5 o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 had been kept in her room against her will. I tried 
 to work the doctor b} T falling in love with him, but 
 he was too old a fox to be caught. I did find out 
 something, but I did it by eavesdropping. The 
 doctor and the head matron are pretty thick; as 
 near as I can find out, she is in love with him and 
 he is afraid of her. From what I overheard it had 
 been decided that Miss Morgan should either marry 
 some one who had been selected for her or she was 
 to be kept in close confinement until she died. She 
 was drugged yesterday while the house was being 
 searched, the doctor having gotten it into his head 
 that this inspection by the detectives had some 
 thing to do with her. She is to be offered her free 
 dom soon on the condition that she at once marries 
 this man. If they cannot make her agree to it, she 
 is to be taken to some other place near here, and, 
 as the doctor says, put where she can t smell day 
 light." 
 
 As Lizzy finished talking, the sound of wheels was 
 heard; a carriage stopped at the side entrance. 
 
 "We haven t a minute to lose," said Lizzy; "they 
 are here after her now. Follow me." 
 
 They followed her to Miss Morgan s room. Three 
 light raps caused the door to be opened from the 
 inside, and the three entered. Miss Morgan was 
 lying on the bed, dressed as if for a journey, her 
 long cloak almost entirely covering her. The light 
 was turned down, and the matron did not notice 
 that the intruders were not the ones she was expect 
 ing, until a command from Lizzy caused her to be 
 seized, gagged and bound. The girl on the bed 
 seemed to be in a sort of stupor, and the only one
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 251 
 
 really alive to the situation was Lizzy, who gave her 
 orders in such a manner as to brook no delay in 
 carrying them out. She stripped the cloak from 
 the girl on the bed, and said: 
 
 "Doctor, you carry her to my room." Then 
 turning to Dick, she said, pointing to the matron, 
 "You take her there, too. You must depend upon 
 yourselves from this on, for I am going to stay 
 here." With this she threw herself upon the bed 
 and drew over her the long cloak that had been over 
 Laura. 
 
 The men realized that there was no time to lose, 
 and the instructions Lizzy had given them were 
 carried out in less time than it takes to tell. At the 
 first word from Lizzy the doctor had taken his 
 sweetheart in his arms and left for Lizzy s room. 
 Dick did not have such an easy job, as the matron, 
 with her hands tied behind her and a gag in her 
 mouth, dropped upon the floor. Dick glanced at her 
 size and realized that she was too large to carry. 
 He pulled out one of his revolvers, placed the muz 
 zle to her forehead, and said: "You can spoil this 
 game, but if you do you will pay the penalty with 
 your life. Get up and move." And the matron 
 moved ; not a moment too soon, however, as the two 
 men with their captives had just gotten into Lizzy s 
 room when they heard footsteps en the stairs. 
 
 The doctor, after laying down his more than half 
 unconscious burden, turned his attention to the 
 matron. He took a small medicine case from his 
 pocket, and baring one of her arms, soon had her 
 under the influence of some powerful drug. Then 
 he laid her on the floor in a comfortable position,
 
 252 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 and, as Dick afterwards said, looked upon his work 
 with unconcealed pricle. 
 
 Footsteps were again heard, and through a slight 
 opening in the door Dick could see that a woman 
 was being carried downstairs. A few moments 
 later a carriage was heard as it was driven away 
 from the door. 
 
 On account cf the matron and the chances that a 
 search for her would be made, it was decided that 
 the only way of escape was through the trap in the 
 roof, and as the carriage was heard to start Dick and 
 the doctor went to work. The step-ladder was 
 brought into play again, and Miss Morgan was 
 carried up through the trap doer to the rocf. 
 Dick again came down into the hall, put away the 
 step-ladder, and, with the help of the doctor, again 
 reached the roof by the use cf the rope. As the 
 trap door was once more put in place, Dick gave a 
 sigh cf relief. This was somewhat to the doctor s 
 surprise, as he could not realize that there was any 
 thing to feel relieved about as long as they were on 
 the top of a strange roof, in a strange part of the 
 country, with an unconscious young lady to be taken 
 care of. 
 
 It was but the work of a few moments fcr the 
 young men to reach the ground with their burden, 
 but the doctor, who had demanded his right to carry 
 Miss Morgan, was completely out of breath. This 
 gave Dick a little time to do something to help 
 mystify Doctor Jordan, and he placed the ladders 
 back in the ladder-house and pushed the staple back 
 into place, leaving it to all appearances as though it 
 had not been touched.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 253 
 
 To the surprise of both of the young men, Harley 
 Bean was nowhere within sight or hearing. They 
 picked up their precious burden and walked 
 over to where they had left Frank. Here they 
 found him petting his horses and trying hard to 
 keep awake. 
 
 The cool bracing air had revived Miss Morgan, 
 and as they put her down on the ground by the car 
 riage, she stretched out her hands and said: "Help 
 me." 
 
 The doctor assisted her to arise. She looked 
 around, but said nothing. 
 
 "You do not seem surprised, Laura," said the 
 doctor, inquiringly. 
 
 "No, Douglas," said she, with an effort, "I am 
 net surprised, because I have known all that was 
 going on, but I could neither speak nor move. I 
 saw you, and knowing I was with friends, I was 
 content to wait until my lost powers came back." 
 
 The day was breaking as Frank drove up in front 
 of his own door in Cambridge. By this time Miss 
 Morgan had rallied enough to walk upstairs. Frank 
 drove to the stable with the carriage, but Dick and 
 the doctor stayed at the house. Laura was put to 
 bed in the little spare bed-room by Mrs. Bardwell, 
 and Dick and the doctor sat in the dining-room, 
 with their guns on the table, as though they thought 
 an army was about to pounce upon them arid take 
 away their prize. 
 
 "Doctor, " said Dick, "you are certainly a brick. 
 You did not make a bad move throughout the whole 
 affair, and as for nerve, you have more than any 
 man I ever saw. I haven t any sister, but if I had
 
 2 5 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 I would want her to marry such a man as you have 
 proved yourself to be. 
 
 "My dear Dick, I was just thinking of your own 
 nerve and of your wonderful coolness. I have two 
 sisters, and if you will go with me to Georgia you 
 shall have your pick, and if the one you choose 
 should refuse you she shall be my sister no 
 longer." 
 
 "I will take that as you mean it, Doctor, but I am 
 not looking for a wife; my case has been settled for 
 me. Mine is a waiting game as regards matters of 
 the heart, but my business prospects are good and 
 I am putting all of my energies forth in that direc 
 tion now. I wonder where Harley is?" And the 
 doctor, realizing that Dick wanted to change the 
 subject, echoed, "I wonder where he is?" 
 
 When Harley Bean saw Dick and the doctor dis 
 appear as they stepped off of the ladder, he care 
 fully picked his way out towards the dog-house in 
 order to see what would be their next move. He 
 saw them take off the trap door and disappear; 
 then he walked down to the bottom of the ladder 
 and waited. It was then that he began to find that 
 he and Frank had been assigned to the two worst 
 positions. When nearly an hour had passed and 
 nothing was heard from the young men, Harley was 
 more anxious than he had ever been before in his 
 life. A carriage was coming. What could this 
 mean? Had Dick signaled to Frank? No, that 
 could not be. The carriage drew up to the side 
 door and Harley crept up as close to the entrance 
 as he could without being seen. A large man 
 stepped out of the carriage. The door of the house
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 255 
 
 was opened and the doctor came out to meet his 
 visitor. 
 
 "You are late, Mr. Blake," said the doctor. 
 "You could have taken the girl two hours ago." 
 
 The two men passed into the house. 
 
 "Blake, Blake," said Harley to himself. "It is 
 plain enough that it is the fellow the doctor was 
 telling us about. There is going to be a fight in 
 that house in about a minute, and if Mr. Blake 
 doesn t get a dose of lead, I don t want a cent. I 
 wonder if I had better go in and mix, or shall I btay 
 out here and die of inactivity?" 
 
 Harley decided to stay, and in a few moments he 
 was rewarded by a sight he did not like to see. The 
 door was once more thrown open and Mr. Blake 
 and the doctor came out, carrying a woman. She 
 was placed in the hack; Blake also entered the 
 hack, and the driver was ordered to, go on. Har- 
 ley s mind was already made up. His companions 
 had for some reason unknown to him failed to do 
 the job, and it remained for him to thwart the vil 
 lain and rescue the girl. 
 
 "It will read like a dime novel," said Harley, as 
 he swung himself on to the back of the carriage and 
 was swiftly borne away towards the city. It was 
 an uncomfortable ride for Harley, and he was wor 
 ried about Dick and the doctor, but he argued that 
 the prize they were all after was in the carriage and 
 he must stick by it. 
 
 After what Harley called the longest, dirtiest and 
 coldest ride he ever experienced, the carriage 
 stopped in front of a certain number in Prospect 
 street a house well known to Harley as one that
 
 256 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 bore an unenviable reputation. Blake stepped out, 
 handed the drher a bill, and then reaching into the 
 carriage took out the limp fcrrn of a woman. 
 
 Harley left his seat on the back of the carriage, 
 and the driver whipped up his horses and disap 
 peared. As Blake was about to carry the woman 
 towards the house, Harley appeared, and in his 
 most commanding voice said: 
 
 "I arrest you! come with me." 
 
 He had seized Blake s left arm, and releasing his 
 right from around the woman s waist, Blake struck 
 out savagely at Harley. The woman dropped to the 
 ground, but in an instant was up and off like a deer. 
 She was half way down the block before either of 
 the men realized it, and as soon as they did the fight 
 was turned into a foot race. Blake was a poor 
 sprinter; a fight would have suited him better, fi>r 
 he was a powerful man and a good boxer. Harley 
 was built fcr sprinting, but was cut of practice. 
 The girl seemed the best of the bunch, but what 
 puzzled Harley was that he was sure he could hear 
 her laugh as though she were enjoying it. 
 
 As the girl reached Green street the two men 
 were a block behind. The} 7 were gaining, however, 
 with Harley in the lead. A race in this part of 
 Boston could not be a long one, and it was soon dis 
 covered that the lady had run into the arms of a 
 policeman. Harley and Blake came up panting just 
 as the young lady had recovered enough of her 
 breath to talk, and they heard her say: 
 
 "You see, it is this way, Buttons, these two men 
 are my sweethearts, and it was to be decided by a 
 race which should have me. Harley won, so you
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 257 
 
 can tell that fat Johnnie boy to go about his busi 
 ness. " 
 
 The policeman looked at the two men in wonder, 
 but the most wonder was shown on the faces of 
 Harley and Blake, both of them having just discov 
 ered that the girl they had been chasing was not 
 Laura Morgan. 
 
 "What I ought to do," said the policeman, "is to 
 run you all in." 
 
 "That is exactly what you ought to do," said 
 Harley, "and if this big duffer will not go willingly, 
 I will help you." 
 
 "Never mind helping me; I have all the help I 
 want." And sure enough he had, for there were 
 two other "cops" within a few feet of them. Blake 
 looked about him, no doubt with the idea of mak 
 ing his escape, but he was too late. With a police 
 man on each side, he was marched to the police 
 station, while the other policeman walked between 
 Harley and Lizzy Burley. Arriving at the station, 
 the prisoners were brought before the desk ser 
 geant. 
 
 "Well, Harley," said the sergeant, "what do you 
 want here?" 
 
 "I want you to put this big chap downstairs until 
 I get a chance to go home with my girl. He has 
 been trying to make trouble between us." 
 
 "What did you bring these people in for, officer?" 
 
 "They were racing on the street, and I thought 
 they were drunk; besides, one of them wanted to 
 be brought here this one," pointing to Harley. 
 
 "If you had not been new in the business," said 
 the sergeant, addressing the officers, "you would
 
 258 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 have known enough to have let Harley tell you how 
 to dispose of this case. How much the start do you 
 want, Harley?" 
 
 "Just keep him a couple of hours and I will decide 
 by that time whether I want to prosecute him or 
 not." 
 
 "This is infamous," said Blake. "I won t stand 
 it." 
 
 "All right," said Harley, "I will swear out a war 
 rant now, and I will put in some things that it 
 may be hard for you to answer; either this or you 
 will stay here under guard until one o clock to-day. 
 Which shall it be?" 
 
 "I will stay," said Blake. 
 
 "Hold on there," said the sergeant, as he fol 
 lowed Harley to the door. "This is a bit irregular. 
 Are you sure of your man?" And receiving an 
 affirmative answer, he continued: "All right; he 
 shall stay here until one o clock."
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 When Harley Bean and Lizzy left the police sta 
 tion, Harley hailed a carriage and sent the young 
 lady home. Then he made all possible haste to the 
 stable that had furnished the hack for the men, and, 
 as luck would have it, arrived just as Frank was 
 driving in. Lizzy had told Harley what she knew 
 of the affair, and Frank could tell him no more, as 
 the doctor and Dick had had no time to tell him any 
 thing. All he could say was that at the present 
 time Miss Morgan was at his house. 
 
 Harley and Frank soon joined Dick and the doc 
 tor at Frank s house, and a general explanation was 
 gone through with. At first it appeared to Harley 
 as though he had made a bad break in riding off on 
 the hack, but after going over the whole matter, he 
 said: 
 
 "My old maxim is all right, as usual Whatever 
 is is right. I told the sergeant to keep that old 
 duffer in hock until one o clock, my only thought 
 being that I would give you boys all the time neces 
 sary to get away from the mad-house, and now I 
 find that by one o clock the doctor will be married 
 and the girl will be forever out of the reach of the 
 big brute; so you see again, Whatever is is right. 
 
 At twelve o clock on the day of the rescue the 
 four young men were again present at Frank s 
 home, and witnessed a marriage ceremony, the 
 doctor and Miss Morgan being the principals. The 
 
 =59
 
 2 6o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 ceremony was performed in the little spare bed 
 room, for the doctor would not allow Miss Morgan 
 to leave her bed. As soon as the ceremony had 
 been performed the young men returned to their 
 duties, leaving the newly-married couple in Mrs. 
 Bardwell s care. 
 
 "This is not like the marriage that we have 
 always planned, Laura, but with me what it lacks in 
 pomp and ceremony is made up in earnestness and 
 satisfaction." 
 
 "Yes, Douglas, the satisfaction of having done 
 the best we could. You are surprised that I have 
 come through all of these trials and kept my reason, 
 but my faith in you has been the rock on which I 
 have built my hopes. I said, my faith in you; I 
 should have said my faith in God, but I have always 
 thought of you as being an instrument in His hands 
 to bring me out of the hands of my enemies. I 
 never knew how it would come about, but I prayed 
 that it might be so and I had faith that my prayers 
 would be answered. I also believed in the power 
 of mind over matter, and every moment of my 
 waking hours I have used my mind to influence you. 
 Did you not realize it, Douglas?" 
 
 "I never thought of it in that way, Laura, 
 although I can see it now, and in this line I have a 
 confession to make. There was a time when I was 
 sure you had been influenced to give me up, and I 
 tried to forget you, but it was only for a few 
 hours." 
 
 "I knew it, Douglas; it was soon after I left the 
 South. As soon as I realized it I redoubled my 
 efforts to bring your mind to bear on me and to
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 261 
 
 make you think that I belonged to you. Tell me 
 the whole story. I am growing stronger every 
 moment, and I want to know if I am not right when 
 I say that you have been near me for some time. 
 Only for a moment did I doubt the girl who was sent 
 to Doctor Jordan s, for I was looking for a sign, and 
 from the time I first realized that she was sent from 
 you, I knew that all of my prayers had been 
 answered." 
 
 The doctor told the whole story of his doings 
 from the time he had been ordered away from her 
 father s house to the present day. When he had 
 finished, he said: "Now I know you are tired, and 
 I am going to let you rest for a while. " 
 
 "One moment, Douglas. My life and the happi 
 ness of us both have been saved by the efforts of 
 these newly-found friends. They are people in the 
 middle walks of life ; can we not do something for 
 them?" 
 
 "I have been thinking of that same thing, Laura, 
 and I thought I would talk to you about it after you 
 had regained your strength. I am at a loss to know 
 just what can be done here. In the South it would 
 be different. If a gentleman did me a favor, my 
 friendship would repay him ; if one in the lower 
 walks of life did me a favor I could pay him and be 
 done with it. We may have people in the South 
 who are on a par with these friends of mine here, 
 but if we have I have failed to find them. They are 
 comparatively poor, and yet I would not dare to 
 offer them money. They are gentlemen, although 
 I have seen two of them in overalls and jumpers. 
 Woman s intuition, I have been told, is worth a
 
 262 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 good deal in a case like this, and for that reason I 
 am waiting until you are strong enough to think it 
 over. 
 
 A few days after this conversation between the 
 doctor and his wife, Harley Bean called. Mrs. 
 Lovelace was dressed and in the sitting-room. She 
 claimed that she was perfectly well and could go 
 anywhere, but the doctor said "No," and Frank 
 and his wife were more than anxious that they 
 should make their home with them as long as they 
 could be contented. 
 
 "A fellow gave me a bunch of roses," said Har 
 ley, "and I thought I would bring them over to 
 you." And as he spoke he unwrapped a dozen 
 American Beauties and handed them to Mrs. Love 
 lace. 
 
 The doctor looked at him and thought, "What a 
 magnificent liar he is!" 
 
 Mrs. Lovelace took the flowers and thanked him, 
 but her face spoke more eloquently than her words, 
 for the little remembrance touched her heart. She 
 saw through his little excuse as quickly as did the 
 doctor, and she smiled as she thought how poor a 
 dissembler he was. 
 
 "Dick told me to tell you, Doctor, that he missed 
 you very much, and I am of the opinion that 
 between your wife and Mrs. Bardvvell an awfully 
 good nest of fellows has nearly been broken up. I 
 don t think I will get acquainted with any more 
 strangers. Just when you begin to think you have 
 some good fellows to loaf with, some sweet-faced 
 females come along, and those who are left are 
 lonely."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 263 
 
 "But you still have Mr. Vaughn with you," said 
 Mrs. Lovelace, "and I am sure from what I have 
 heard of him that he is a splendid character." 
 
 "Yes, Dick is still with me, but it isn t his fault. 
 He was ready to be stolen from me, but his intended 
 mother-in-law put her foot down and the girl didn t 
 dare jump over it. I hope the time will come when 
 Dick will prove to them that they have made fools 
 of themselves, and I believe it will, for Dick has 
 good stuff in him, and old man Anderson thinks the 
 world of him." 
 
 "I have just been thinking, Mr. Bean, that per 
 haps you might help us out of a difficulty. The 
 doctor and I feel that we would like to do something 
 for Mr. Vaughn, but we don t know how to get at 
 it. Now, you are his friend and you have proved 
 yourself a friend of ours, and if you can help us 
 out of this difficulty we will appreciate it very 
 rmich." 
 
 The doctor gave his wife a glance of approval, and 
 Harley twisted around in his chair, threw one leg 
 over the other, and then said : 
 
 "Any one who helps Dick has to help himself at 
 the same time. Dick would never take a dollar 
 from any man that he did not earn. He is as sharp 
 as a tack and as honest as the day is long, and if he 
 thought you were doing anything to pay him for 
 what he did in helping Mrs. Lovelace out of that 
 mad-house, he would never forgive you." 
 
 "Do you mean by that that you cannot help us?" 
 
 Not at all; if you want to do something for Dick 
 
 I can show you how you can help him and help 
 
 yourself at the same time. Of course you know
 
 2 6 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 what kind of a business Jim Anderson has, and also 
 what kind of a man he is, Doctor?" 
 
 "Yes, I know the gentleman. He is a shrewd 
 business man, and I am sure he is honest, even if 
 he does swear like a trooper when he gets mad." 
 
 "Well, he does sort of talk in blank verse some 
 times, to be sure, but no better man lives than Jim 
 Anderson, and he thinks the world of Dick, which 
 perhaps makes me think more of him. Now, I 
 happen to know that Dick has a pet scheme that he 
 would put into practice in a minute if he had the 
 money, and the scheme is this: Jim Anderson 
 makes a general line of parlor and chamber furni 
 ture, and at all times he has a warehouse full of the 
 stuff in Wareham street. Now, what Dick wants to 
 do is this: he wants to hire a store downtown, fit 
 it up in nice shape, fill it with furniture from Jim s 
 warehouse and cater for the retail trade, and at the 
 same time take care of Jim s wholesale business 
 from the downtown store. Dick has not said a 
 word to Jim about this; neither does he intend to 
 until he can see his way clear to show Jim how it 
 can be done without cramping the manufacturing 
 business. There would be the rent of the store, 
 clerk hire, and possibly he would want to put in a 
 few things that Jim does not make." 
 
 "But you haven t told me how I can help him," 
 said the doctor. 
 
 "Haven t I? Then I will make it plainer. Sup 
 pose there should be a stock company gotten up, 
 with a paid-up capital of forty thousand dollars. 
 Jim Anderson would take thirty thousand dollars 
 worth of the stock and pay for it in furniture. Dick
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 265 
 
 would take two thousand dollars worth and pay 
 cash. I would take three thousand, and there 
 would be five thousand dollars worth to be disposed 
 of, and with Dick for a manager I am satisfied that 
 my three thousand would be a good investment." 
 
 "Harley, I never gave you credit for so much 
 good sound sense. I must apologize to you. 
 Shake." 
 
 Laura looked at the doctor in surprise. 
 
 "Don t mind my familiarity, Laura. I have lived 
 with the boys so long that I have become one of 
 them, and that is nothing to the way they haul each 
 other over the coals. You fix the deal up, Harley, 
 and I will do my share. I would give five thousand 
 in a minute for what you boys have done for me, 
 and in this way I will be helping myself and both of 
 you at the same time." 
 
 Harley bowed himself out, and as he walked 
 down the street he said to himself: "I guess I 
 fumbled the ball with those roses, but I made a 
 home run when I got a chance at the bat." 
 
 A few days after this Harley, finding that Dick 
 was to be away from the office, called at the factory 
 to see Jim Andersen. He asked for Dick, and on 
 being told that he was away on business, get into 
 conversation with Jim on different subjects, gradu 
 ally bringing him around to talk of the business. 
 After awhile he said: 
 
 "Jim, why don t you take a hand in the retail 
 business in this town?" 
 
 "I have been thinking about it," said Jim, "and 
 if I had a little more ready money I would do it." 
 
 "I know where there is ten thousand dollars in
 
 266 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 cash that can be had for such an enterprise, if you 
 will furnish thirty thousand dollars worth of furni 
 ture for your share of the stock. Then you would 
 have the most of the stock and would have control 
 of the business." 
 
 Jim Anderson was as quick at a trade as any 
 other Yankee ; at the same time he had plenty of 
 the Yankee caution. 
 
 "Spit out your plan," he said, which Harle} r pro 
 ceeded to do at once, only he did not tell from whom 
 the five thousand dollars was to come. He only 
 said it was an acquaintance of his who was willing 
 to put it in for investment and would not care to 
 have anything to do with the business. 
 
 As soon as Jim found that the plan was to make 
 Dick Vaughn the manager, and that Dick and Har- 
 ley would both put money in the scheme, he said : 
 "The thing is as good as done; I will speak to Dick 
 about it as soon as he comes in." 
 
 That evening Dick s first salutation to Harley 
 was: "So you stole a march on me, did you? The 
 old man laid my own plan before me to-day and said 
 that there was nothing left for me to do but accept 
 it. I did not dare tell him that it was my scheme, 
 and that you had stolen a march on me, as it would 
 have looked so much like a cut and dried affair, and 
 at the same time I felt a little ashamed when he 
 was explaining to me exactly what I have talked 
 about to you so many times. This is what might be 
 called a case of luck, and I am not going to turn it 
 down. But who is your friend, Harley, who is to 
 take the five thousand?" 
 
 "I did not say friend ; I said acquaintance. I
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 267 
 
 should think by this time and with the experience 
 you have had, that you would drop the word 
 friend. I have often told you that it is the most 
 abused word in the English language. The bar 
 tender calls any man a friend who drinks at his bar; 
 the courtezan calls any man a friend who can be 
 attracted by her wiles, and the business of both of 
 these is to rob the so-called friends of both money 
 and manhood. I have enemies by the score; in 
 fact it seems as though I had enough to make a 
 man of me, but perhaps they do not spur me on as 
 they should." 
 
 "You are an original sort of a chap, Harley, but I 
 did not know that you had so many enemies." 
 
 "Well, I have them, and I am proud of them. 
 The man who makes enemies is pretty sure to be 
 one who has opinions of his own and who has the 
 courage of his convictions. Show me a man who 
 has no enemies and I will show you a namby-pamby 
 sort of a fellow who pretends to side in with the 
 opinions of any man he happens to be with. People 
 get to look upon him as a good sort of a fellow, but 
 one of no force of character." 
 
 "You may be right, Harley; in fact, I am inclined 
 to let you have your own way, as long as this streak 
 of luck has struck me." 
 
 "There you go again; you talk about luck, when 
 what has come to you is the result of your own hard 
 work and your own ability to surmount all obstacles 
 as you were confronted by them. If you will look 
 about you, you will find a host of people who go 
 through life mourning because they cannot get hold 
 of enough money to develop a latent talent they
 
 268 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 think they possess, while others with no more money 
 accept the situation as they find it, and, surmount 
 ing all obstacles, acquire both fame and wealth. 
 Oh, I am a great preacher. I love to tell other 
 people what they should do, and my theory is right, 
 but I don t always follow my own theories, simply 
 because I lack application for one tiling, and, for 
 another, there is nothing that suits me so well as to 
 float with the tide. I was offered an interest in an 
 established business once, and when I refused, the 
 man got mad; he thought I was crazy, but I wasn t. 
 He said it would make me rich, and I told him that 
 I did not care to be burdened with wealth. He 
 said I was a fool and I agreed to it, and told him 
 that the only difference between us was in the kind; 
 he could only see the dollar that was getting out of 
 his reach, and I was always dwelling on the fact 
 that I had gotten more than a hundred cents worth 
 of fun out of the last dollar I had let slip through 
 my fingers. Poor old man ! They took him over 
 here to the McLean Asylum three years ago, and 
 now he is chasing dollars around a padded cell. I 
 will leave it to you, Dick, as to which was the 
 greater fool of the two."
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 At exactly one o clock of the day that Doctor 
 Lovelace and Laura Morgan were married Steve 
 Blake was let out of his cell at the police station. 
 For reasons best known to himself he did not make 
 any particular amount of talk about his being locked 
 up, but he swore an oath to himself that the time 
 would soon come when he would get even with who 
 ever had played the trick on him of changing the girls. 
 For some reasons he was more than half inclined to 
 believe that the doctor knew something of it, and as 
 he thought the matter over his thoughts boded no 
 good for the doctor. 
 
 Steve made his way at once to a house on Harri 
 son avenue, where he let himself in with a latch-key 
 and went at once to a room on the second floor. 
 There he found a middle-aged lady, who sprang to 
 her feet as he opened the door, and said: "Oh, 
 Steve, I have been so worried about you. Where 
 is the girl?" 
 
 The young man pushed her back, and said, 
 "Damn the girl ! She has made me trouble enough. 
 If you had let me have my own way I would have 
 had this thing settled long ago." 
 
 "I know, my son, but the good book says it is 
 wicked to kill. I may have done wrong, but I have 
 always consulted my Bible." And she fondled the 
 book she had been reading. 
 
 "Oh, stash that, mother, you know I don t believe 
 in those things. You married old Morgan for his 
 
 269
 
 270 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 money, and when you found the girl was in the 
 way, instead of letting me get rid of her quietly, 
 you wanted me to marry her. You got her into a 
 mad-house because she was not mad enough to 
 marry me; and now she has gotten away and the jig 
 is up." 
 
 "Got away!" screamed the woman. "For heav 
 en s sake, tell me about it!" And Steve walked the 
 floor as he told the whole story. When he got to 
 the part of his stopping at Prospect street the 
 woman was all in a tremble. 
 
 "And so you were not intending to bring her 
 here and follow the plan that I had laid out?" 
 
 "No, not by a hanged sight. I was going to turn 
 her over to a woman who would have made her kill 
 herself within a week." 
 
 "Oh, Steve! how could you, when you knew that 
 all I was doing was for you and you alone? If you 
 had not stayed away so many weeks it could have 
 been settled long ago." 
 
 "Never mind that; I could not help it. The 
 question now is, what shall we do with the case as 
 it is? How much money have you on hand?" 
 
 "I have five hundred here in my bosom, but you 
 must not take it to gamble with ; you know your 
 failing. You must go at once and see the doctor 
 and find out what has become of Laura. Perhaps 
 she is there still, and if that is the case, all will be 
 well yet. 
 
 "No danger; that old fool of a doctor has played 
 us false, and I would like to throttle him." 
 
 "Don t talk that way, Steve dear; go at once and 
 see what you can find out."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 271 
 
 "Look here, mother; I have been in trouble near 
 here, and it is only a case of luck that no one recog 
 nized me at the police station this morning. I must 
 have that money; in case it should happen that the 
 doctor has peached on us, you can get more, and as 
 they do not know where you are, you will be safe. 
 If the girl has really gotten away, this thing may 
 be serious." 
 
 Mrs. Morgan took from her dress a roll of bills, 
 and, saying she would divide with him, commenced 
 to count them. Steve was walking the floor like a 
 caged tiger. When he saw the money it seemed to 
 turn his head. He grabbed the roll and started for 
 the door. Mrs. Morgan caught hold of him and 
 said imploringly: "No, no, Steve! don t do that; 
 you have been drinking; you will be sorry." 
 
 He pushed her from him and she fell, striking 
 her head on the corner of a chair, and lay there 
 without making a movement. Steve stopped a 
 moment to see if she would get up, and as he did so 
 he caught sight of her face. It was livid. He 
 started to pick her up. Her neck was broken ; she 
 had died without uttering a sound. 
 
 Steve Blake was a hardened criminal. He had 
 looked upon a corpse of his own making before when 
 the sensation had been one of pleasure rather than 
 remorse, for he had long realized that his hand was 
 against every man and every man s hand was 
 against him; but as he looked into the face of his 
 dead mother, killed by his own hand, he realized 
 that now there was no one in the whole world to 
 whom he could go without a dollar and know that 
 he was welcome.
 
 2 7 2 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 As he straightened himself np he realized that he 
 was trembling. Then the calculating villain that 
 was in him came to his rescue, and he commenced a 
 systematic search of both of the rooms and his 
 mother s person to see if she had told him the truth 
 about the money she had on hand. She had told 
 him the truth, and his mental comment was, "The 
 old lady knew better than to try to fool me." He 
 left the key on the inside of the door of the room, 
 and then locked it from the outside with a small pair 
 of pliers that he took from the lining of his vest. 
 Then he left the house, thinking that he had cov 
 ered up his tracks completely. 
 
 It was now about three o clock. Steve had sup 
 plied himself with several drinks since one o clock, 
 but he now began to feel the need of something to 
 eat. He walked down the avenue until he came to 
 a restaurant near the corner of Albany street, where 
 he went in and ordered a substantial dinner. While 
 he was eating, a smooth-faced under-sized man of 
 about twenty-five years of age sat down opposite 
 him at the table and said: "Hello, Steve; you and 
 I must be shifting our meal hours." 
 
 Steve looked up and, recognizing the new-comer, 
 said: "The tables aren t so crowded, are they?" 
 
 "No, but I like your company. You see, it s this 
 way, Steve. I am a little short this afternoon and 
 I thought you might loan me an X until I strike 
 better sledding. You are no doubt flush about this 
 time." 
 
 "And why about this time?" asked Steve, his 
 voice softening. 
 
 "Oh, nothing, only I room down where your
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 273 
 
 mother does, and I notice the old lady always 
 breaks a bill when she sends out for anything." 
 
 Steve knew there was no use in asking Billy ques 
 tions, for he would only tell just what he wanted 
 to; he also had need of friends now who would not 
 know too much if questioned, so he handed Billy a 
 ten-dollar bill, and said: "All right, young fellow, 
 there is an X. Take it, and may you always find a 
 friend with the stuff and never go back on him." 
 
 Billy Pell had served his time as a street urchin 
 not that he needed to, for his father was a well-to-do 
 mechanic and would have given him all of the 
 advantages that a man in his circumstances could; 
 the street, however, was Billy s home. When he 
 was ten years old he would rather sleep behind an 
 ash barrel than in a feather bed; as he grew older 
 he trained with the newsboys, and after he was of 
 age and his father had forbidden him to enter the 
 house, he occasionally worked for a junk gatherer. 
 In appearance he was an overgrown street urchin; 
 small of stature, with the complexion of a gipsy, 
 hair as black as coal and small, black, shifty eyes. 
 Every one knew him in the section of the city in 
 which he lived. If he had access to a house he was 
 pretty sure to secure the privilege of visiting any 
 room in the house at any time he wanted to. He 
 seemed to know all about every one s else business, 
 but no one was ever heard of who could tell how 
 Billy Pell managed to live. 
 
 As soon as Steve had finished his dinner he paid 
 his bill and hurriedly left the place. Billy was still 
 eating, and his face showed unusual signs of 
 thought. The proprietor noticed it and said:
 
 274 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "What is up, Billy? You seem distrait." 
 
 "Do I?" answered the young man. "Well, I 
 ought to. I just lost ten dollars, and as soon as I 
 get through with my lunch I am going to hire some 
 one to kick me around the block." 
 
 "How did you loose it, Billy? Tell me about 
 it." 
 
 "Did you see that big duffer who was setting 
 opposite me? Well, that s the fellow. I struck him 
 for ten dollars, and he shelled out so quick that I 
 jabbed my fork into my leg because I did not ask 
 him for twenty." 
 
 The restaurant keeper laughed, but it was no 
 laughing matter with Billy; he was in dead earnest. 
 
 It was three days after the murder before the 
 body of Mrs. Morgan was discovered and when that 
 time came there were lively times in that part of 
 Harrison avenue. Harley Bean had been at work 
 all day and was off duty when word came in about 
 the murder and for fear that he would be asked to 
 work overtime he slipped out of the office and went 
 to his room. 
 
 After supper, when Dick and Harley had returned 
 to their room the two now roomed together Dick 
 said, after hearing from Harley about the finding of 
 the dead body: "I am surprised that you do not go 
 up there and look the case over. There would not 
 only be a good story in it, but as you are something 
 of a detective, there might be something worth 
 while in it also." 
 
 " Every man to his trade, Dick, is a pretty good 
 motto, and it means more than there is shown on 
 the surface. There is not a class of people living
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 275 
 
 who are more overrated and at the same time so 
 underrated as the detectives and the police." 
 "I must say that is a paradoxical statement." 
 "You only think so. There has been a murder 
 committed. It is now three days eld, and it may 
 be three days more before a clew is found, or a clew 
 may never be found. To-morrow perhaps the 
 papers will call it a case of suicide, and it may be 
 that that is the fact. A detective calls at the house 
 and inspects things. If he finds a knife there with 
 the name of the owner on it, he has a clew. The 
 next morning the papers tell of the clew, and the 
 murderer smiles as he sips his coffee and reads the 
 papers, for he remembers that he used a stolen 
 knife. A detective is only a successful one to the 
 extent of the friendly relations he bears towards the 
 criminal classes. If you will look over the murders 
 and robberies of the past you will find that it was 
 not so often the Johnny-on-the-spot detective who 
 got there as it was the fellow who waited for his cue 
 from some criminal who wanted to talk, either for 
 the notoriety he might get, for money, or for 
 revenge. These wonderful detectives who drop in 
 on a murder case, smell a burnt onion and at once 
 recognize the fact that it was a short man from Ber 
 muda who committed the crime, are only found in 
 tales of crime where the writer takes an imaginary 
 case and explains how it might have happened. 
 You see, Dick, the best of a man s forethought 
 comes afterwards." 
 
 There was a rap at the door, and without waiting 
 to be invited, the door was opened and in walked 
 Billy Pell.
 
 276 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Hello, Billy!" said Harley. "What in the name 
 of wonder brought you here?" 
 
 "Came to see you; heard your voice and came 
 right to the door." 
 
 "What s np?" 
 
 "Murder. Same house I live in, but I ain t 
 it." 
 
 "No, should not think you were it, if you mean 
 the one who was murdered, and you haven t nerve 
 enough to do any killing; so out with it." 
 
 Billy looked at Dick and then back at Harley. 
 
 "Oh, don t mind him," said Harley. "He is a 
 rank outsider and forgets anything he hears." 
 
 "Well, I don t; that s how I make a stake. You 
 know May?" 
 
 "Yes, and I know that if a certain hardware man 
 knew what I do, you would get your head broken." 
 
 Billy grinned. 
 
 "I guess that s so; but who is going to tell him? 
 The gill won t; she thinks too much of Billy." 
 
 "Go on; what about May?" 
 
 "Why, nothing much, only Nina is home and she 
 and May are pretty thick. Nina has picked up a 
 new steady, and he has lots of dough." 
 
 "What has all this to do with the murder?" 
 
 "Nothing, only Mrs. Morgan, the one who was 
 murdered, had money, and this big duffer won t go 
 out of the house only after dark." 
 
 Harley was smoking, and seemed to care little 
 about the story Billy was telling, and what ques 
 tions he asked were more to keep the young man 
 talking on account of his quaintness than for any 
 other reason.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 277 
 
 "What is the name of this big duffer whom Nina 
 has hitched on to?" 
 
 "I don t know what his last name is for sure, but 
 he is known as Big Steve, and has been been doing 
 a little time lately. Sometimes they call him Steve 
 Rodman, sometimes Steve Burke or Blake but I 
 have got a sneaking notion that his right name is 
 Morgan." 
 
 "Morgan! Blake! Big Steve! Say, boy, what are 
 you talking about?" almost shouted Harley, seem 
 ing to wake up for the first time, and catching the 
 young man by the arm. 
 
 "I thought you would wake up after a while," 
 said Billy. "Big Steve killed his mother. An old 
 man has just arrived who claims the woman was his 
 wife, and he is going to put up five thousand dollars 
 to the duffer who will find the chap that did the job. 
 Now do you catch on?" 
 
 "Yes, I catch on; and don t you say a word about 
 this to any one, and we will see what can be done. 
 But tell me, how much do you know about it?" 
 
 "I was in the next room and saw the whole thing 
 through the transom. I could not hear all that was 
 said, and I didn t think the duffer killed her. Old 
 man Johnson, the hardware man, was out of town, 
 and I have been up to Burley s ever since." 
 
 "All right, Billy; you can go now, but keep your 
 mouth shut and if there is any chance to pull any 
 thing out of this, we will soon find out." 
 
 Billy took his hat and sneaked out as quietly as 
 he had come. 
 
 "What do you think of my theory on detective 
 work now, Dick? If I had rushed up there I would
 
 278 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 have found out nothing ; as it was I stayed here and 
 the whole thing came to me. In the morning we 
 will get the paper and read the theories of the 
 different members of the police force. Detective 
 Skinner will most likely have a clew, and the 
 description of some one who doesn t know any 
 more about the case than a blind pig, will be tele 
 graphed to the principal cities of the country." 
 
 "Don t you think we had better go over and tell 
 Doctor Lovelace about it?" asked Dick. 
 
 Before Harley had a chance to answer the door 
 opened and in walked the doctor, accompanied by 
 an old gentleman, whom he introduced as his 
 father-in-law, Colonel Morgan. 
 
 In explanation of his presence, the doctor said that 
 Colonel Morgan had come to town two days before 
 and they had met by chance. It was through their 
 efforts to find the colonel s wife that the murdered 
 woman had been found. 
 
 "We have come to you for advice, Harley. The 
 colonel has wakened up to the fact that he has been 
 duped by an adventuress, but ho is inclined to go to 
 the bottom of this murder business and has been 
 advised to offer a reward for the capture of the 
 criminal. I told him what we owed you and Dick, 
 and he has decided to follow your advice in this 
 matter." 
 
 "It was a detective, I expect, who advised you to 
 offer a reward?" 
 
 "Yes, Detective Skinner, and the colonel told him 
 that reward or no reward whoever caught and con 
 victed the murderer would not go unrewarded." 
 
 "That s enough," said Harley; "they will have
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 279 
 
 some one arrested before morning, but it will not be 
 the murderer. 
 
 "Do you know anything about this case, Mr. 
 Bean?" asked the colonel. 
 
 "No; not particularly, but I know Skinner." 
 
 "You haven t advised us yet, Harley, except 
 about the reward." 
 
 "Haven t I? Then I will. Go home and get a 
 good night s rest. In the morning get up and read 
 the papers; they will amuse you." 
 
 The next morning every paper had a scare-head 
 article about the murder. Detective Skinner was 
 very much in evidence. He not only had a clew, 
 but he had captured the murderer a well-known 
 character against whom the police had been trying 
 to get a case for several years, one William Pell, 
 a young man who was seldom known to work, and 
 who was seen around the house about the time the 
 murder must have been committed. Then came 
 a stickful of praise for the well-known and efficient 
 officer, Mr. Skinner. 
 
 Harley called at the jail and saw Billy. 
 
 "How about the reward, Harley?" 
 
 "There is no reward," said Harley, "but you keep 
 your mouth shut and I will see that you get some 
 thing, and I will make Skinner feel as small as a 
 pants button." 
 
 Harley had been assigned to this case by the paper 
 at his own request. He next visited an acquaint 
 ance, a private detective who hated Skinner as 
 warmly as did Harley. 
 
 "Get your darbies, Sam, and come with me. I 
 will give you the extreme pleasure of putting them
 
 2 8o RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 on to the murderer of Mrs. Morgan, if he has not 
 skipped out." 
 
 A warrant was sworn out charging Steve Blake 
 with disorderly conduct, and the two men started 
 for Warrington street. They called at the home of 
 the Burleys, and, by a little scheming, in which 
 Lizzy helped, Big Steve was brought into view. 
 
 "That is the man who assaulted me," said Har- 
 ley. 
 
 In less time than it could be told, Big Steve was 
 under arrest and in irons. A carriage took them to 
 the police station, where he was charged with the 
 murder of his own mother, and the big brute broke 
 down and made a full confession.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 Five years have come and gone since the happen 
 ings recorded in the last chapter. The reconstruc 
 tion period in the South is over; the hardships of 
 the Civil War are only a memory, and although to 
 many a sad memory, most people are too busily 
 engaged looking after the present and future to give 
 much thought to the past. 
 
 Doctor Lovelace, his wife, and Colonel Morgan 
 have long since returned to their Southern home, 
 but the letters between Laura and Olive have kept 
 the friends in both sections of the country informed 
 of the changes that have come to them. 
 
 Frank and Olive are now in a home of their own 
 in Somerville, and have to keep them busy a 
 daughter of four years and a son of three years of 
 age. 
 
 Dick is at the head of one of the finest furniture 
 stores in the city. For the past five years he has 
 conducted a wholesale and retail business that has 
 been the means of making both himself and his 
 friend, Jim Anderson, rich. A large portion of the 
 furniture manufacturing business formerly carried 
 on in Boston has been taken west to Grand Rapids 
 and other points, but Dick has kept up with the 
 times and has the best of connections with the west 
 ern houses, while at their factory in Boston they 
 confine themselves to the manufacture of certain 
 fine goods for which in and near Boston there is 
 always a demand. 
 
 281
 
 2 8a RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 There is a desk and chair in Dick Vaughn s 
 private office that has been there for three years, 
 but is seldom used; it belongs to Harley Bean, the 
 vice-president of the company. Outside of the 
 people connected with the business hardly any one 
 knows that Harley Bean has any connection with 
 the Anderson & Vaughn Furniture Company. He 
 is still connected with the Herald, and takes his 
 assignments the same as the rest; he still kicks at 
 the meanness and partiality shown by the city 
 editor, enjoys a small portion of the fiery fluid, and 
 keeps up his acquaintance with the semi-criminal 
 classes. 
 
 Dick and Harley still share bachelor apartments 
 at Mrs. Sargent s, but they have moved down to 
 the second floor now, and have more of the modern 
 conveniences that make life nearer worth living. 
 Harley has never married a second time. He has 
 confided to Dick that he is in love with a pure and 
 beautiful woman ; that he dreams of her by night 
 and thinks of her by day, but that he has not met 
 her yet. 
 
 "And what would you do if you should meet 
 her?" said Dick. "Get married at once, I suppose." 
 
 "No, I think not, Dick. You see, if I found her, 
 she would be my ideal; and there are two good 
 reasons why I should not marry her: first if she 
 did not stand the test, my faith in womankind 
 would be gone, and, secondly, if she did stand the 
 test, she would find me out and then she would 
 despise me. When I think of those things I am 
 content to worship my ideal without trying very 
 hard to find her."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 283 
 
 "And have you never seen any one who 
 approaches your idea of an ideal woman?" 
 
 "Those who approach it the nearest that I have 
 ever seen are Laura and Olive, and two of the most 
 fortunate men I have ever known are Doctor Love 
 lace and Frank Bardwell. When I hear any one say 
 that marriage is a failure I think of those two 
 couples and say nothing." 
 
 "Then after your own experience you don t think 
 marriage altogether a failure?" 
 
 "Certainly not; married people who have made 
 mistakes fill the world with their howling, but the 
 majority of married people are contented with their 
 choice and say nothing." 
 
 "I am glad to hear you say as much, Harley; it 
 gives me a better opinion of you than ever; but you 
 have said nothing of Mabel as an ideal woman." 
 
 "No, Dick; she has been weighed in the balance 
 and found wanting. The Bible says that a woman 
 shall forsake father and mother and cling to her 
 husband, and if only your own minds had been con 
 sulted you would have been her husband." 
 
 "How comes it that you quote the Bible, Harley? 
 I thought you did not take much stock in the 
 Bible." 
 
 "I don t; but it is a well-written book and I 
 recognize that it has some truths in it, and I 
 use it the same as the minister does, to prove my 
 theories. The only difference between the min 
 ister and myself is that he pretends to swallow 
 the thing whole, while I only take it in homeopathic 
 doses." 
 
 A clerk came into the office and handed Dick a
 
 284 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 card. He looked at it and nodded. In a moment 
 Miss Julia Hartley was ushered in. 
 
 "Good afternoon, Mr. Vaughn," said she, extend 
 ing her hand; and then as she caught sight of Har- 
 ley "and Mr. Bean, too. How delighted I am to 
 see you! I was out to your cousin s and we were 
 talking about you. She is very fond of you, Mr. 
 Bean, and feels it sadly that you do not come to see 
 her oftener. She is such a good woman, and so 
 wrapped up in her husband and children. Her 
 little boy that is named after you is my especial 
 delight. Such a bright, intelligent fellow! He 
 makes me think of you so much." 
 
 "Poor boy!" said Harley. "Do you think he 
 looks like me?" 
 
 "Oh, how funny you are, Mr. Bean! Your 
 remarks always seem to have some hidden mean 
 ing. But I called to sell Mr. Vaughn some tickets 
 for our entertainment, and now that you are here I 
 am sure I am fortunate. The tickets are only 
 twenty-five cents, and it is for such a good cause : it 
 is to help our foreign missionary society. Mr. 
 Rogers, from India, has been waking us up to our 
 duties in that direction. His lectures are splendid 
 and he has made us realize the necessity of doing 
 more for our benighted brothers in foreign lands. 
 He has told us how, in their idolatry, the mothers 
 throw their children into the Ganges, and how the 
 widows of the dead idolaters are burned on the 
 funeral pyre. Oh, it is dreadful, and if we could 
 only succeed in gathering those people into the fold 
 of Christ, how much suffering those poor creatures 
 could be saved!"
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 285 
 
 "After all," said Harley, "there are some good 
 points about their belief. Take that case out in 
 Waltham that happened last week you read it most 
 likely how a Mrs. Smythe poisoned her husband. 
 Now, if she had known that she was to be burned 
 with him after his death, she would have been anx 
 ious to have kept him alive. Did you read of the 
 case, Miss Hartley?" 
 
 "I don t think I did, Mr. Bean; I seldom read 
 criminal news. The papers are awful now, anyway, 
 and if I had my way I would have those sensational 
 things suppressed." 
 
 "Why don t you suppress the Rev. Mr. Rogers? 
 Those things he has been telling you are the most 
 sensational of anything I have heard lately, 
 although I think I read the same thing in the text 
 books when I attended school. The trouble with 
 the Rev. Mr. Rogers is the same as with the rest of 
 his kind: they overlook the heathens in their own 
 country to hunt for wrongs to right somewhere 
 else." 
 
 "But you know, Mr. Bean, the Bible commands 
 that we shall carry the gospel to the uttermost parts 
 of the earth, and Mr. Rogers is only following out 
 the Bible injunctions. Now, Mr. Bean, after all you 
 have said, how many tickets are you going to take?" 
 
 "You are sure this is for the benefit of the foreign 
 missions?" 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 "Then I don t take any. You see, several years 
 ago I wandered into a church while they were tak 
 ing up a collection, and, not thinking, I put ten 
 cents in the box. Afterwards I found out that the
 
 2 86 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 collection was being taken up for the benefit of for 
 eign missions, and I have worried about it ever 
 since. You see, it is against my principles, and it 
 hurts me to go against my principles; I have so few 
 good ones that I cannot afford it." 
 
 Miss Hartley looked puzzled, but before she had a 
 chance to speak the door opened and in walked a 
 poorly-clad newsboy, and laying down the evening 
 paper, started out. 
 
 "Hold on there, Roy," said Harley; "here is a 
 bundle for you. Now run along. " 
 
 "Run nothin ," said Roy, as he took hold of the 
 string and gave the bundle a jerk. Then, as a pair 
 of new shoes dropped out of the paper, he said: "I 
 knowed what was in there all de time." Letting 
 go his papers, he dropped to the floor and slipped 
 on the shoes. 
 
 "They is a boss fit," he said; and as he picked up 
 his papers, he put his hand on Harley and said: 
 "My ma says you s de boss man of dis town, and 
 yous min what I tell yer, de time will come when 
 I ll pay for de ham an spuds." 
 
 "Get out of here, you young Arab," said Har 
 ley, as he motioned the lad towards the door. 
 
 This was one of the few times that Dick had seen 
 Harley embarrassed, and he enjoyed the whole 
 thing. Miss Hartley was surprised, but she recov 
 ered the use of her tongue at once, and said : 
 
 "No wonder your cousin and your other friends 
 are always ready to say so much in your favor. 
 The last time I was out to your cousin s she said she 
 did not see why so good and true a man as you 
 should go through life single just because you had
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 287 
 
 made one mistake. Now tell us, Mr. Bean, why 
 don t you please your cousin and make some good 
 true woman, who would love you, happy by getting 
 married?" 
 
 "What expressive eyes you have, Miss Hartley; 
 they fairly talk," said Harley, evading the ques 
 tion she had asked. 
 
 "I have been told that my eyes were beautiful, 
 Mr. Bean, but I do not allow myself to think of such 
 flattery. My life is taken up with more serious 
 things." 
 
 "Here," said Dick, handing her a five-dollar bill, 
 "I will take twenty of those tickets. I know you 
 are anxious to get away." 
 
 Miss Hartley counted out the tickets, and, taking 
 the five-dollar bill, passed out. Harley held the 
 door open for her. 
 
 "Say, Dick," said Harley, "you got rid of her 
 nicely, but those eyes of hers were working over 
 time clear up to the time I shut the door. It would 
 be safe to bet that she would be willing to give up 
 foreign missions for a domestic heathen any day in 
 the week. " 
 
 "Provided you were the domestic heathen, I guess 
 you are right," said Dick, "for she certainly has 
 designs on you. After all, Harley, you might do 
 worse. You would have rather a nice-looking wife, 
 and she would be so pleased at the idea of getting 
 married that you could mold her in any way you 
 liked." 
 
 "Perhaps that is true, Dick, but I think I am 
 more of a grafter than a molder ; so for the pres 
 ent I think I will pass her up.
 
 2 88 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Then there are her eyes, Harley; just think of 
 those eyes. . How can you resist?" 
 
 "Yes, I know; but just think of a man having to 
 get up in the middle of the night, light a candle and 
 wake up his wife to look at her eyes so that he could 
 have some consolation to offset other defects. No, 
 not yet, Dick; she will keep a few years yet in case 
 I should change my mind." 
 
 Soon after, Harley went out to Somerville to see 
 Frank and Olive, and also to call on his cousin. At 
 his cousin s he was more of a lion than ever. Miss 
 Hartley had told the story of the newsboy and the 
 shoes. She had also told how nicely Harley had 
 spoken of her eyes, and as Mrs. Flanders, Harley s 
 cousin, put it, she had never seen Julia look so 
 handsome as when she was telling of Harley. 
 
 It was still early in the evening when Miss Hart 
 ley was announced. Mrs. Flanders tried to look 
 surprised at seeing her, but James Flanders winked 
 at Harley and they both understood that Harley s 
 cousin was still at her favorite amusement of match 
 making. 
 
 "You taught me a lesson the last time we met," 
 said Miss Hartley, addressing Harley. 
 
 "Did I? Then let me teach you one more. 
 Don t say anything about it. I shall be delighted to 
 find you an apt scholar. Dick Vaughn spoke very 
 nicely of you and said he was sura that if you 
 thought anything of a man you could be molded 
 by the one you cared for as clay in the hands of the 
 potter. Dick doesn t often speak of the ladies, but 
 it struck me that he was taking you rather seri 
 ously.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 289 
 
 "I wish I knew when to take you seriously, Mr. 
 Bean." 
 
 "Always, Miss Hartley, always. Cousin Mary 
 here can tell you that there has been nothing in my 
 life to make me anything but serious. Life is 
 always serious. By the way, James, have you any 
 more of that old whisky left such as you gave me 
 the last time I was out here?" 
 
 "No, not a drop, Harley. Mary thought it was 
 brandy and used the last of it in some pie meat." 
 
 "Really, Mr. Bean, you do not drink whisky, do 
 you?" said Miss Hartley. 
 
 "No, not when it is in pie meat; I draw the line 
 at drinking pie." 
 
 "Won t you sing something, Miss Hartley?" asked 
 Mrs. Flanders. 
 
 "Yes, sing," said Harley. "I promised Frank 
 Bardwell that I would go over and see him a few 
 minutes this evening. I will be back in a little 
 while and we will try to get some of the whisky 
 out of that pie." 
 
 "Why, Harley," said Mrs. Flanders, putting on a 
 hurt expression; and then, as a bright thought 
 seemed to strike her, she said: "You go over with 
 him, Miss Hartley, and see that he doesn t stay too 
 long. The evening is pleasant and you will both 
 enjoy the walk." 
 
 In a few moments Harley and Miss Hartley were 
 on their way to Frank s house. It was only five 
 blocks, but Julia Hartley was not the kind who lost 
 valuable time. 
 
 "Really, Mr. Bean, I never know how to take you, 
 you say such strange things ; and if I did not know
 
 ago RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 that you were pure gold, I should be tempted to 
 think sometimes that there was a large amount of 
 alloy in your make-up." 
 
 "Don t take me at all, Miss Hartley. You have 
 stated my case exactly ; I am pure gold, and pure 
 gold in itself is the most worthless of metals. Now 
 there is Dick Vaughn. There is a man who is worth 
 taking. When I first knew Dick he was pure gold 
 too, but he fell in love with Mabel Richards, and, 
 listening to her folks, she turned Dick down hard; 
 but she did the best thing for him that could have 
 been done, for that very turning down was the 
 means of mixing him with the alloy of the world. 
 He had a purpose in life; the alloy stiffened his back 
 and put sense into his head. If it had not been that 
 he got into trouble, he would most likely have mar 
 ried Mabel, and to-day he would have been a clerk 
 in the Metro Bank at a hundred dollars a month, 
 with which he would have had to support a wife and 
 six children. As it is he is one of the rich business 
 men of Boston, looked up to and honored. The old 
 president of the Metro Bank is dead, and his son, 
 the fellow who tried to get Dick into trouble, is in 
 a home for inebriates. Such is life, Miss Hart 
 ley, and the best advice I can give you is to steer 
 clear of the fellow who is only pure gold. They 
 are not ace high when it comes to supporting a 
 family." 
 
 While Harley had been talking he led the way 
 into a side street and went three blocks out of his 
 way to get to Frank s house. This pleased Miss 
 Hartley, for she saw in it a desire on Harley s part 
 to be longer alone in her company. It was a
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 291 
 
 decided encouragement for her, and it made her 
 bold enough to say: 
 
 "You may run yourself down all you wish, Mr. 
 Bean, but I know your true worth, and I will 
 assure you that your friend Mr. Vaughn was right 
 when he said that a man whom I loved could mold 
 me to suit himself. I don t see why things happen 
 as they do. I have had numberless offers of mar 
 riage, but the right one never seemed to understand 
 me. I had an offer only last week from a very fine 
 gentleman who has money and has retired from 
 business, and he cried like a child when I told him 
 that I could not love him." 
 
 "Poor old man!" said Harley. "How he must 
 have suffered!" 
 
 "He isn t so very old." 
 
 "He is over sixty; he told me so himself." 
 
 "Look here, Mr. Bean, how do you know whom I 
 am talking about?" 
 
 "Well, of course, I don t for sure, but I can make 
 a pretty shrewd guess. You see, old Father Lock- 
 wood s wife died about six months ago, and, accord 
 ing to all accounts, he has asked every unmarried 
 woman in Cambridge to share his lot with him, and 
 I should feel indignant if he had slighted you, and 
 I feel a little hurt now to think he never asked you 
 until last week. By the way, you knew he was 
 married?" 
 
 "Married! No; whe n did it happen?" 
 
 "This morning. He married a Canadian servant 
 girl who worked for Deacon Hoover." 
 
 "The old fool! And he told me only last 
 week that he would never marry any one if
 
 2 9 2 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 he could not have me. How I despise that old 
 man!" 
 
 Frank and Olive were more than surprised to 
 have a call from Harley and Miss Hartley at the 
 same time, and it was quite a while before they 
 could be made to understand that the two had come 
 together. 
 
 "Yes," said Miss Hartley, "we came together, 
 and Mr. Bean insisted that we come by the way of 
 Pine street, and that made the walk three blocks 
 longer. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bard well looked at Harley for an 
 explanation, and it was not long in coming. 
 
 "Yes, you bet! I would go three blocks out of 
 my way any time to avoid going past the Rev. Mr. 
 Justin s house. That old Methodist shark has mar 
 ried all my acquaintances who ever walked past his 
 house in pairs, and he doesn t catch me napping if I 
 know it." 
 
 Miss Hartley caught her breath, but only said: 
 
 "Doesn t he say such funny things?"
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 The Richards, father, mother and daughters, knew 
 of the wonderful success Dick had made in his busi 
 ness, and it was taken differently by each member 
 of the family. The father had never changed his 
 opinion of Dick ; he had always considered him the 
 soul of honor and honesty, and there had been no 
 day since the day that Dick was released from 
 prison when he would not have been pleased to have 
 accepted his as a son-in-law. He recognized his 
 wife as the mistress of the house and home, and 
 although he felt that both Mabel and Dick were 
 being wronged, he held his peace. 
 
 Mildred Richards, the younger daughter, having 
 found out something of how affairs stood at the 
 house, often walked past the store of the Anderson 
 & Vaughn Furniture Company and worked herself 
 into a fury over the foolishness of her people. Her 
 name of Mildred was seldom heard. She was small 
 for her age and usually went by the name of Dot. 
 At this time Dot was about twenty years of age, 
 and she was entirely different from any of the rest 
 of the family. For the past three years she had 
 been away to school, and if her mother could have 
 known of one-half cf the scrapes she had been in, 
 she would have lost hope for her youngest. She 
 was a general favorite both at school and at home, 
 and this fact helped her out of many a scrape. She 
 asked both her mother and Mabel many pointed ques- 
 
 293
 
 a 9 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 tions about Dick Vaughn, and it was only recently she 
 had found out that no good reason had ever stood in 
 the way of a marriage between the two young 
 people. 
 
 Mabel had been schooled from her infancy to do 
 exactly as she was told by her mother, and to do it 
 without question. She realized that her mother 
 was wrong in this case, but she argued, as most 
 people do not, that she could never have but one 
 mother, and she felt that if, when her mother died 
 she could say to herself that she had done no 
 one thing to cause her grief, she would be happier 
 for it the remainder of her days. For five years she 
 had never spoken to her mother of Dick Vaughn. 
 Feeling the need of something to occupy her mind, 
 she had taken up art work, and had become quite 
 proficient as a landscape painter. 
 
 Mrs. Richards was the one who was in reality 
 bearing the heaviest burden. She had not been 
 blind to the success that Dick Vaughn had made in 
 business, and she could not help but own to herself 
 that she had spoiled the lives of two people, besides 
 making many of her friends unhappy. She con 
 tented herself with the thought that as far back as 
 she could search the records no breath of suspicion 
 had ever rested on any of her family, and she was 
 determined that she would not be the one to let 
 down the bars for any one to enter who had been 
 tried as a thief, even if he had been proved innocent. 
 
 Not long after Dot s return from boarding-school, 
 she astonished the family at their six-o clock meal 
 by saying: 
 
 "I saw Dick Vaughn to-day, and say, Mabel, he
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 295 
 
 is as handsome as a prince, and dresses fine. When 
 he saw me coming he turned and walked into his 
 store. I followed him in, and said " 
 
 "Mildred! Mildred! What are you talking 
 about? You spoke to Mr. Vaughn?" 
 
 It was Mrs. Richards who spoke. A bomb had 
 been thrown into the midst of the usually quiet 
 family, and the result was all that Miss Dot could 
 have wished. Mabel turned deathly pale; Mr. 
 Richards hung his head, but Mrs. Richards was 
 very much excited. The meal was nearly over, and 
 it was well that this was true, for no one seemed to 
 care to eat anything more. 
 
 "Don t you want to hear the rest?" asked Dot. 
 "I can assure you that it is rich, rare and racy, as 
 the comic papers say." 
 
 "What do you know of comic papers, Mildred?" 
 
 "Oh, we never miss anything of that kind at 
 school. Shall I tell you?" 
 
 "No, Mildred, you will tell nothing; but I will 
 tell you something. As long as you live don t go 
 into that store again, and don t ever mention that 
 man s name in this house. Do you understand?" 
 
 "Yes; I understand what you say and I under 
 stand what you mean, but I have something to say 
 myself about this time, and it is this : when I want 
 to talk about Dick Vaughn or any one else I am 
 going to do it, and when I cannot do it in my own 
 father s house, I will go and jump into the Charles 
 river, and you might just as well understand that 
 now as some ether time. All the young men whom 
 you will allov; to come to the house are Sammy 
 Huggins and John Lemon, two would-be gospel
 
 296 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 slingers, whose fathers put them into the ministry 
 because they thought they didn t have sense enough 
 to get a living any other way. I would like to scald 
 both of them." 
 
 "Mildred! Mildred!" 
 
 Mrs. Richards was standing and had raised both 
 hands in a vain attempt to express her astonish 
 ment. Mabel had moved back her chair from the 
 table and was awaiting further developments. Mr. 
 Richards was the only one who seemed undis 
 turbed. He had stopped eating, but had neither 
 moved nor spoken. 
 
 "Mildred," said Mrs. Richards, "go to your room 
 at once." 
 
 I am not ready to go to my room yet ; in fact, I 
 have not finished eating." 
 
 "Mildred, I order you to leave this room. Are 
 you going to mind me?" 
 
 "I have done nothing to leave the room for; I am 
 at my father s table; when he tells me to leave the 
 room I will do so; but if I leave the room I will 
 leave the house and if I leave the house it will be 
 forever. There is some of your work," continued 
 Dot, pointing to Mabel who was crying. "I would 
 rather be dead than buried alive." 
 
 "Charles," said Mrs. Richards, "it is time for you 
 to say something. I fear I am beyond my depth." 
 
 "Yes, I think you are, mother; I have felt that 
 you were floundering for some time. You have had 
 everything to say about Mabel ; my desires in the 
 matter have never been consulted, and when I have 
 given a word of advice it has been set aside. I pro 
 pose now to take Dot in hand myself, and I will be
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 297 
 
 answerable not only for her conduct, but for her 
 happiness as well." 
 
 Mrs. Richards and Mabel left the room. For 
 the space of a few moments after the two had left 
 the room there was no word spoken. Then Dot said: 
 
 "Say, Pop, do you think I am so very awful?" 
 
 "On the contrary, Dot, I think you are splendid. 
 You have given me the first chance to have a word 
 to say in the house for twenty-five years. Mabel 
 never appealed to me, but accepted her mother s 
 decision without a murmur, and, although I felt it 
 was wrong, 1 seemed to have no excuse to go 
 against your mother s will." 
 
 "Then you are not against Mr. Vaughn?" 
 
 "Bless you, no, my child. Dick Vaughn could 
 have had my consent even when he was in jail, for 
 I knew he was innocent." 
 
 Dot threw her arms around her father s neck and 
 kissed him. "I never knew how much I loved you 
 until this minute, old sweetheart." 
 
 And then she told him about her visit to Mr. 
 Vaughn s store, or as much of it as she could 
 remember, which in reality happened in this way: 
 Dot had just wakened up to the realization that 
 there was something wrong, and had decided that 
 she would find out what it was all about. So, on 
 this particular afternoon, she left the house for the 
 sole purpose of hunting up Mr. Vaughn and telling 
 him what she thought of the whole affair. She had 
 no plan of action laid out ; in fact, if she had thought 
 about it at all she would not have considered a plan 
 of action necessary. She knew that Mabel was not 
 her old self, for she knew of wakeful nights and
 
 298 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 days of hard work which Mabel experienced, and 
 she felt sure that the reason Mabel worked so hard 
 days was not so much that she might reach any par 
 ticular height in art, but rather that she might get 
 tired enough to be able to sleep nights. 
 
 It was with these ideas running through her 
 mind that Dot started out to find Dick, and as luck 
 would have it, she found him standing in front of 
 his Washington street store talking with an acquaint 
 ance. As Dot came up the acquaintance took his 
 departure, and Dick turned and walked into the 
 store. Dot followed, and, watching her chance 
 when she could speak to him and not have others 
 hear, she said: 
 
 "Mr. Vaughn, don t you know me?" 
 
 "Of course I do," said Dick; "you are Mabel s 
 sister, and you haven t grown as much as the law 
 allows either." 
 
 "Well, Mr. Dick, I didn t come to be insulted 
 about my size, and I would like to remind you that 
 I have a name that is all my own a fact that you 
 seem to have forgotten." 
 
 "No, I have not forgotten, little Dot, and you 
 seem to be as much of a fire-eater as you always 
 were. Did you bring any word from Mabel?" 
 
 "No, I came to see you for myself. No one 
 knows that I am here or that I intended coming. 
 You know I have been away from home for three 
 years, and it is only recently that I have realized the 
 seriousness of the trouble between you and Mabel. 
 
 "Perhaps you had better come into the office, as 
 then the clerks and customers will not be liable to 
 overhear what does not concern them."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 299 
 
 Dick led the way to his private office. After they 
 were seated, he said: 
 
 "Dot, I fear you are doing wrong in coming here, 
 particularly as you are here without the knowledge 
 or consent of your parents, and although I feel as if 
 it were my duty to scold you for coming, I am much 
 more inclined to take you in my arms and kiss 
 you." 
 
 "Thanks, Mr. Dick; I don t need kissing, and, as 
 for the scolding, I will most likely get my fill of 
 that when I go home, if I tell where I have been. 
 What I came to see you for is this; I want to know 
 what the real trouble is between my people and 
 you. No one will tell me a thing, and I have asked 
 all three of them." 
 
 "There is no trouble on my side of the house, 
 Dot. I was arrested once on a false charge, and for 
 that reason your mother forbade me to ever come 
 to the house. I demanded my right to see Mabel 
 once more, and managed to see her. Mabel told me 
 at that time that she would never marry any one 
 else, and I told her the same. I may have felt that 
 she was wrong in considering her duty to her 
 mother of more importance than her duty to one 
 who was an accepted lover, but I did not try to 
 influence her. To tell you the truth, Dot, I did 
 not think it would last as long as this. Really, I 
 did not think it would last as many months as it has 
 years. I gave my whole time to business and have 
 succeeded beyond my wildest expectations. Every 
 thing that I have touched has turned to money, but 
 I would give it all to-day to have the love and per 
 fect confidence of your sister."
 
 300 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Don t talk that way, Dick; you make me feel as 
 though I must cry." 
 
 "I don t want you to cry, my dear, but you came 
 to me and asked me a question, and I have answered 
 you to the best of my ability." 
 
 "I am sure I thank you for the frank way that 
 3 r ou have answered me, but now that you have told 
 me and I realize just how you feel, and when I think 
 of Mabel as she goes to her room every night, takes 
 your picture out of its hiding-place and looks at it 
 for a full hour, and when I think of how much she 
 has changed and how you have lost your good- 
 natured careless air, I cannot help but think that 
 you are two big fools. Now, turn me out of your 
 office if you want to, for I mean every word of 
 it." 
 
 Dick smiled. 
 
 "Perhaps you are right, Dot. I am not going to 
 turn you out of the office for saying what you think, 
 for a man s best friends are those who tell him the 
 truth as they see it." 
 
 "After all, Dick, I don t know as you were so 
 much to blame. You left it all to Mabel, and she 
 decided to abide by her mother s decision. Tell me 
 this: if Mabel had decided for you, would you have 
 married her in spite of mother?" 
 
 "I most certainly would have, Dot, for I knew no 
 other law than that of Mabel s giving." 
 
 "I am glad to hear you say that, for it seems 
 more like your old self. Say, Dick, it has just 
 occurred to me that I ought to call you Mr Vaughn. 
 Why, you are rich now and have lots of people in 
 your employ. I did not realize that before. How
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 301 
 
 funny it seems, Dick there I go again, Mr. 
 Vaughn, I mean." 
 
 "No, Dot, you don t mean Mr. Vaughn at all. 
 Almost every one calls me Mr. Vaughn all but 
 some very dear friends, and as you have proved 
 yourself one of my dearest ones, you must still con 
 tinue to call me Dick, and I will call you Dot, for 
 there is no estrangement between us, and I trust 
 there never will be." 
 
 "All right, Dick; it s a bargain. I must be going 
 now, and when I get home I am going to upset the 
 whole house." 
 
 "Be careful, Dot; don t do anything rash." 
 
 "Don t worry. I will come over soon and tell you 
 how I came out." 
 
 This was the visit of which Dot undertook to tell 
 her father, and when she had finished Mr. Richards 
 sat for a while without saying a word. 
 
 "Are you vexed with me, father?" 
 
 "No, my child, I am not vexed. I was not think 
 ing of what you have been telling me altogether; I 
 was thinking of this: I have taken charge of you 
 and I want you to promise me something, so that I 
 will feel easy about you. I want you to promise 
 me that you will not do anything or go anywhere 
 that you think I would object to, and I want you to 
 make a confidant of me the same as you would of a 
 chum at school. Will you do this?" 
 
 "Tell me first, Pop; did I do wrong in going to 
 see Dick?" 
 
 "I don t think so, little one." 
 
 "Then I promise that you shall have my entire 
 confidence."
 
 303 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Suppose I had said that you did do wrong in 
 going to see Dick; what then?" 
 
 "Then we would have talked it over, and I would 
 have convinced you that I was right." 
 
 Mr. Richards house was a large one and the sis 
 ters each had a good large room to herself, but very 
 often at night they shared one room. When Dot 
 retired this night on which she had had the talk 
 with her father, she decided that she would not go 
 to her sister s room. She had seen neither her 
 mother nor sister since they had left the table early 
 in the evening, but she argued to herself that it 
 would be better for Mabel to come to her than for 
 her to force herself upon Mabel. Dot s brain was 
 busy on schemes to biing the lovers together. She 
 was not much used to serious planning, however, 
 and she soon drooped off to sleep. It must have 
 been three o clock in the morning when she awak 
 ened to find herself in Mabel s arms. She had 
 expected this, for she felt sure that Mabel would 
 want to know something of what had happened 
 when she saw Dick. Realizing that Mabel was 
 awake, she said: 
 
 "Don t worry; Dick loves you and is waiting for 
 you." 
 
 "But I do worry, Dot, for when I allowed mother 
 to send him away he was a poor boy ; now he is a 
 rich man. If he were still poor I would marry him 
 to-morrow, but now it can never be." 
 
 This was a new and unlooked-for complication, and 
 after thinking it over for a few minutes, Dot said; 
 
 "I had not thought of that, Mabel, but I have 
 decided that Dick is going to marry a Richards, and 
 if you give him up I will marry him myself."
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 Although Harley Bean seemed to delight in 
 explaining his theory that there was no such thing 
 as friendship and that all men were governed by 
 purely selfish motives, there were a few acquaint 
 ances that he never lost sight of. Dick occasionally 
 joked him about these acquaintances, calling them 
 Harley s friends, but Harley was ever ready with 
 his old reasoning, to the effect that they were not 
 friends, only acquaintances; that he Harley 
 gained more from them than they did from him. 
 
 Harley paid a good deal of attention to the Bard- 
 wells, and the two Bardwell children were ever 
 ready to give him a warm welcome. It often hap 
 pened that he stayed at their house over night when 
 it was not necessary for him to be at the office early 
 in the morning. 
 
 On one of these occasions, when Harley had got 
 ten on a Somerville street-car on his way into the 
 city, he noticed a familiar figure entering the car. 
 It was no other than brother Lemon the generous 
 steward of the Methodist church. There was a 
 vacant seat next to Harley, and brother Lemon 
 took it. He looked at Harley, but failing to recog 
 nize him as any one he had seen before, he scanned 
 all of the other passengers. He nodded to some 
 whom he knew, while those he did not know he 
 seemed to study. 
 
 All went well until the draw was reached on the 
 303
 
 304 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 bridge between Cambridge and Boston, but there 
 was a schooner hard and fast in the draw. Most of 
 the passengers got out to look at the sight and to 
 get in the way of those who might do some good if 
 they had a chance. A few of the passengers stayed 
 in the car, among the number being Harley and 
 Mr. Lemon. It was not lung before Mr. Lemon 
 put his hand on Harley s knee, and said: 
 
 "My friend, do you love Jesus?" 
 
 "Whom did you say?" asked Harley. 
 
 "I said Jesus. Are you a follower of the meek 
 and lowly Jesus?" 
 
 "I don t think I know him. Does he do business 
 on Market street?" 
 
 "My dear young man, you may make a joke of 
 this thing, but it is a serious matter and you will 
 find it to be so some time. You had a mother once; 
 perhaps she is still alive and praying for her way 
 ward son. Don t you ever think of her as she 
 kneels beside her bed and asks God to watch over 
 and protect you?" 
 
 "Never thought much about it. You see, my 
 mother passed in her checks some time ago. She 
 lived down in Maine where they pry the sun up with 
 a crowbar, and as she had a large family of chil 
 dren, it took most of her time to mend stockings and 
 patch trousers and do ether little things that had to 
 be done, and that left her sort of short on prayer 
 time." 
 
 "But didn t she send you to Sunday-school, or 
 didn t the minister come around once in a while and 
 tell you the story of the cross and how Christ died 
 to save sinners?"
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 305 
 
 As for Sunday-school, we never had much of that, 
 as we were a long way from town and the Sunday- 
 schools that they held in the school-houses were few 
 and far between; but the minister used to come 
 around once in a while and read and pray with us. 
 Then he would hold services in the school-house and 
 we would all go and hear him tell what poor miser 
 able sinners we were. Then he would tell how we 
 were all born in sin, and about hell being paved 
 with infants skulls, until we couldn t have slept 
 nights if it hadn t been that mother told us that it 
 was all a piece of foolishness and that the minister 
 didn t know anything more about the hereafter than 
 we did. You see, mother had a sort of an inclina 
 tion to pry into things, and if the preacher stopped 
 at our house and told of any of those strange stories 
 out of the Bible, mother wanted to know how he 
 knew they were true. The preachers got so after a 
 while that they let mother alone, but they never 
 missed stopping at the house when it was near meal 
 time. I never shall forget what old Elder Burt said 
 once, as he helped himself to a second piece of 
 mince pie. He said, You may not believe all of 
 the Bible, Mrs. Bean, but it can t be possible that 
 they will leave a woman out of heaven who can 
 make pie like this. " 
 
 "But wasn t your father a Christian?" 
 "Oh, yes; father was a pretty good Christian. 
 You see, most of the people there were Christians, 
 and he was always a peaceful man and thought it 
 was easier to agree with them than it was to be in 
 an argument all of the time. He used to pass the 
 hat sometimes when they took up a collection for
 
 3 o6 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 the circuit rider. He said he noticed they all paid 
 well." 
 
 "Yes," said brother Lemon, "those good old 
 Maine Christians believed in giving. I came from 
 Maine myself." 
 
 "That is what father said they believed in giv 
 ing; some gave money and others gave their expe 
 rience." 
 
 "My dear man, the seeds of unbelief have been 
 sown in your heart. You should pray to the Lord 
 to have them rooted out." 
 
 A passenger opposite who was glancing over the 
 morning paper, and who evidently thought brother 
 Lemon was getting the worst of the deal, said: 
 
 "Did you notice the account of that horrible affair 
 at the state s prison in the paper, brother Lemon?" 
 
 "No; I did not read the paper this morning other 
 than to look at the quotations." 
 
 "It seems," continued the passenger, "that there 
 was an attempted outbreak led by the notorious 
 Steve Blake. The prison guards prevented the 
 escape of the men, and this man Blake was killed 
 by them. Here is also an account of Blake s crime, 
 and as I read it I remember the affair well and I 
 presume you do also. He killed his own mother 
 and robbed her. " 
 
 "Yes," said brother Lemon, "I do remember it 
 now, and I have often wondered how the Lord could 
 ever have allowed such a thing to happen. She 
 was apparently a good Christian woman, for she 
 died clasping a Bible in her arms. The ways of the 
 Lord are past finding out, but we know that for 
 some reason the Lord chasteneth whom He loveth.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 307 
 
 I have often thought of that poor woman and won 
 dered what good purpose the Lord was working 
 out." 
 
 "Then according to your theory," said Harley, 
 "Steve Blake was an instrument in the hands of 
 the Lord for doing some good. I think I can agree 
 with you that far, for if there ever was a woman 
 who needed killing, it was Steve Blake s mother. 
 I happen to know that she was worse than the 
 murderer." 
 
 "Tut, tut, young man. You are profane and 
 prejudiced. No one could make me believe that a 
 woman who died clasping a well-worn Bible to her 
 breast could be anything but a good woman." 
 
 And with that brother Lemon closed the conver 
 sation. 
 
 The draw was cleared and the car was soon in 
 Boston, dropping its living freight at the different 
 sections of the west end. Harley left the car at the 
 point nearest Dick s store, and upon arriving at that 
 place found Dick in very earnest conversation with 
 Dot Richards. He was introduced to the young 
 lady, who was told that she could talk on, as Har 
 ley was one of the family. She looked at him with 
 a quizzical expression, and Harley, seeing mischief 
 in her eye, said : 
 
 "Speak out, Miss; you were thinking that there 
 were some members of Dick s family who were not 
 any great shakes, I presume." 
 
 "No; I was just thinking that there was no very 
 strong family resemblance." 
 
 "Right you are, little one; but, you see, dress is 
 the greatest part of the difference. Dick pays me
 
 308 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 a certain amount each month to dress this way, so 
 that he will show up to a better advantage when we 
 travel together. It is a great scheme you try it 
 some time; but I wouldn t advise you to try the 
 plain clothes part." 
 
 "I suppose by that you think my face alone would 
 not carry me through, but we homely people don t 
 have a chance to get lonesome." 
 
 "That will do," said Dick. "Don t you two get 
 to scrapping; I want you to be friends." 
 
 "Oh, we will be friends all right. I happen to 
 know a whole lot about Mr. Harley Bean, and I am 
 glad to meet him. I have heard that he is awfully 
 funny. Say, Mr. Bean, say something funny; will 
 you? If you will, I will let you call me Dot, the 
 same as Dick does and every one else who knows 
 me real well." 
 
 Harley was amused. Here was a girl who was 
 really refreshing. She was small, but well propor 
 tioned, with eyes that fairly sparkled with amuse 
 ment. Her face in repose might perhaps have been 
 called rather plain, but this was no drawback with 
 Dot, for her features were seldom still. She had 
 one of these faces which, when photographed, never 
 look natural, because in repose they lose their bril 
 liancy. 
 
 "I don t think I can say anything funny this 
 morning, Miss Richards. The fact is, I have just 
 heard of the death of a friend." 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Bean, I am so sorry I spoke as I did; I 
 am really. But tell me about your friend and I will 
 try and make amends. What did he die of?" 
 
 "He was shot."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 309 
 
 "Oh, how dreadful! How did it happen?" 
 
 "Well, you see, he was trying to break out of 
 state s prison, and one of those guards up and shot 
 him in the back, and he died." 
 
 Harley was as sober as a judge, and Dot was 
 puzzled. She glanced at Dick, and finding that he 
 was laughing, she made up her mind that Harley 
 was trying to make fun of her, and not wishing to 
 get the worst of it, she said: 
 
 "Tell me, how does it happen that you have a 
 friend in state s prison, or rather how does he 
 happen to be a friend of yours?" 
 
 "He isn t now, he is dead; but Dick says that 
 any one who is willing to do something for you is 
 your friend, and this fellow brought me clear in 
 from West Roxbury one night in a hack. The 
 funny part of it was, he didn t know it." 
 
 "That was funny." 
 
 "All right, Dot; shake," said Harley, extending 
 his hand. "And now tell me what you have heard 
 about me, or were you romancing a little? I think 
 you must have been, for you could hardly know any 
 one who knows me unless it is Mrs. Frank Bard- 
 well." 
 
 "Guess again, Mr. Funny Man, for you are far 
 from right. As near as I can find out it was your 
 intended, Miss Julia Hartley. She spent the after 
 noon at our house a short time ago, and she talked 
 of nothing else but Mr. Bean. She told us all about 
 your family and your cousin s family, and then she 
 told how very funny you were and how you went 
 three blocks out of your way to make the walk 
 longer, and how you made a funny excuse for having
 
 3 io RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 done so when she told Mr. Bardwell about it. Oh, 
 you are funny all right; but, say, don t you wish 
 you hadn t tried to be so funny with me?" 
 
 "Does that tongue of yours ever stop, Dot?" 
 
 "I thought you would get enough, but I am will 
 ing to cry quits if you are, for I had finished my talk 
 with Dick and am ready to go home." 
 
 "Don t go just yet, Dot," said Dick. "I want to 
 tell Harley all about this and ask his advice. 
 Besides that, I want you here when I tell it to see if 
 I understand the case myself." 
 
 Dick at once told Harley enough of what had 
 transpired at the Richards residence for him to 
 understand the situation, and then asked him what 
 he thought he would better do, or if he thought 
 there was anything that he could do to bring matters 
 to a crisis. 
 
 "Dick, the best thing you can do is to tell me how 
 you want to be advised, for if I advise you according 
 to my own ideas of what ought to be, you will not 
 thank me for it." 
 
 "No, I want your honest opinion in the matter, 
 for I know you will advise what you honestly think 
 is best." 
 
 "Here goes, then. My advice to you will be 
 based on common sense. In the first place, you 
 have known Miss Richards for nearly eight years. 
 She has said that all you ever told her whenever you 
 differed in opinion has come true, and still she 
 stands out against you. She has made an old man 
 out of you before your time, and now there is not 
 only her mother between you, but she has gotten it 
 into her head that she will not be doing right
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 311 
 
 towards you to marry you as a rich man when she 
 threw you over while you were poor. I told you 
 once that she had been weighed in the balance and 
 found wanting-, and I am of the same opinion still. 
 Now, my advice to you is this : pay no more atten 
 tion to Miss Mabel, but marry Dot; she is worth a 
 forty-acre lot full of Mabel s. There is nothing in 
 the way of your doing this except Dot herself, and 
 somehow I feel as though she had sense enough to 
 accept you." 
 
 "Thank you, Mr. Harley Bean, but this is the 
 funniest thing you have said. I prefer to choose 
 my own husband, and I wouldn t marry Dick 
 Vaughn any more than I would marry my father. 
 I have always looked upon him as a brother, and I 
 trust some day he will be my brother. Why, I 
 would sooner marry almost anybody else! I believe 
 I would marry you before I would marry Dick." 
 
 "All right, Dot; if you find you cannot do any 
 better, I am agreeable." 
 
 Dot had been very much in earnest while talking, 
 but as the ludicrous side of the thing struck her she 
 commenced to laugh. 
 
 "In that case," she said, "what would you do 
 with Miss Julia Hartley?" 
 
 "We would engage her as a mother-in-law. I 
 think she would fill the bill to a nicety." 
 
 "I am not exactly through with you yet, Mr. 
 Bean ; I want to undeceive you in regard to Mabel. 
 She has always been my mother s favorite daughter. 
 For years mother has always thought that she her 
 self was an invalid, and although she is a strong 
 and healthy-looking woman, she has drilled it into
 
 3 i2 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Mabel that a shock of any kind would be liable to 
 take her off without a moment s warning. Mabel, 
 believing this, has been a slave to her mother s 
 whims. Mabel is a noble girl and worth a dozen of 
 me any time, and she is never contented unless she 
 is doing something to help some more unfortunate 
 creature to experience more of the pleasures and 
 comforts of life. She went South and came near 
 giving her life to educate the negroes, and it was 
 out of her pure love for doing good. There isn t a 
 poor family in Cambridge but that knows of her, 
 and she often gets fooled by helping some unde 
 serving creature; but she only says, They might 
 have been needy. From her infancy mother has 
 exercised a great power over her, and if that power 
 could be broken, Mabel would be twice the girl she 
 is now." 
 
 "I have often wondered," said Harley, "how it 
 was that your sister was allowed to go South among 
 those negroes to teach, and I wonder at it more 
 than ever now that you tell me how much control 
 her mother has over her." 
 
 "I did not mean to speak of that, but I can tell 
 you and will, although it may seem that in so doing 
 I am disloyal to my mother. As young as I was 
 when Mabel left for the South, I realized that the 
 only reason that mother consented to her going was 
 because it gave her so much more chance to make a 
 martyr of herself. When her friends used to call 
 after Mabel had gone she would tell of the awful 
 sacrifice she had made for the sake of the unedu 
 cated hordes of the South, and then she would cry 
 and have such a good time that I was afraid some-
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 313 
 
 times she would want to send me to China or India 
 to help out the missionary cause, s_> that she might 
 have a more joyful grief." 
 
 Harley laughed. 
 
 "No doubt, Mr. Bean, you think you know a 
 great deal of human nature; Dick thinks you are 
 smart and Julia thiuks you are funny, but if you will 
 come over to our house I will introduce you to my 
 mother who literally enjoys poor health and who 
 takes more comfort out of misfortune than you ever 
 did in getting full. How funny you are Mr. Bean!"
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 Less than a week after the events recorded in the 
 last chapter Harley Bean decided that he would 
 make a call. He had decided to call at the Rich 
 ards residence, and this decision had been arrived 
 at after mature deliberation. Harley was one of 
 the few men who never asked any one s advice and 
 never told any one what he intended to do. Advice, 
 he contended could only be given by a person who 
 knew all of the conditions and as no one knew 
 all of the conditions as well as the man who was 
 trying to decide what to do, that was the only man 
 competent to give advice. 
 
 Harley had arrived at this decision to call at the 
 Richards residence for several reasons. He had 
 decided that the time had arrived when Dick ought 
 to marry or give up thinking of Mabel, and he 
 thought that by seeing Mabel he might be able to 
 arrange a meeting between the two. Harley also 
 had a strong desire to see Mrs. Richards. This 
 desire had been brought out by hearing Dot tell of 
 some of her peculiarities. There was one more 
 reason for Harley s visit: he was interested in Dot, 
 She was the first woman he had seen for years who 
 had awakened within him a passing thought; but 
 Dot had certainly made a strong impression upon 
 him. 
 
 After he had rung the door-bell at Mr. Richards 
 house he began to wonder for whom he would ask, 
 
 314
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 315 
 
 as he had forgotten Dot s name. He could think of 
 Dot, but the name Mildred had gone from him. A 
 servant answered the bell and for once in his life 
 Harley was confused. He managed to hand his 
 card to the girl, and say: 
 
 "Please hand that to Miss Richards the young 
 est one." 
 
 "Dot, is it?" said Maggie. "Well, I wonder!" 
 And she looked at Harley as though she expected to 
 discover a policeman s star. 
 
 "Step into the parlor and I ll call her." 
 
 Dot soon came in, with wonderment depicted on 
 every feature. 
 
 "Good evening, Mr. Bean. This is certainly a 
 surprise. If you have anything to say to me you 
 will have to say it quick, for the whole push will be 
 in here in a minute to find out who could want to 
 see me." 
 
 "Don t you have gentlemen callers?" 
 
 "Not that any one knows of. But what did you 
 come for anyway? Is it something about Dick and 
 Mabel?" 
 
 "Partly, and partly to see that mother of yours, 
 and perhaps as much to see yourself. You see you 
 interested me the other day, and I thought I would 
 like to see more of you." 
 
 "Anything serious, Mr. Bean? Haven t fallen in 
 love with me, have you? Because if you have I 
 think I will be obliged to refer you to my mother." 
 
 "I thought you had settled it that your father was 
 the one who was to look after your welfare." 
 
 "That s so, but in your case I think I would refer 
 it to mother; it would be so much more fun."
 
 3 i6 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "All right; suit yourself. I would as soon try 
 my luck with your mother as any one. But tell me, 
 what encouragement is there for Dick?" 
 
 "Not much, I am thinking. Mother has needed 
 constant attention ever since I broke loose, and 
 Mabel has had her hands full." 
 
 The doer opened and Mrs. Richards came in. 
 Dot introduced her to Mr. Bean, and said: 
 
 "I met Mr. Bean fur the first time a few days ago, 
 and he accepted my invitation to call and get 
 acquainted with my family." 
 
 Mrs. Richards acknowledged the introduction in a 
 very cool manner and said: "Bean, Bean the name 
 is familiar, but I do net think I have met you 
 before. Where did you meet my daughter Mil 
 dred?" 
 
 "I met her in Boston several days ago and was 
 introduced by a mutual friend, but I have met your 
 other daughter several times. This, however, was 
 a number of years ago, before she went South." 
 
 Mr. Richards came in with Mabel. 
 
 "This gentleman says he knows you, Mabel," said 
 Mrs. Richards. 
 
 Mabel came forward and shook hands with Har- 
 ley, and then there was an awkward pause. Mrs. 
 Richards looked from one to the other for an expla 
 nation. Dot was laughing, and Harley, realizing 
 the peculiar position into which he had gotten the 
 girls, decided to stand by his colors. Turning to 
 Mrs. Richards, he said : 
 
 "For eight years or more I have boarded in the 
 same house with Dick Vaughn and naturally heard 
 a great deal of Miss Mabel and have also met her
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 317 
 
 several times with him. Your younger daughter I 
 only met recently, and was introduced to her by the 
 same gentleman, but knowing her older sister so 
 well made me feel well acquainted with Miss Mil 
 dred from the first time I met her." 
 
 "Mabel," said Mrs. Richards, "will you hand me 
 my salts?" Then turning to Harley, she said: 
 "Did you know, Mr. Bean, that Mr. Vaughn had 
 been forbidden this house?" 
 
 "I think I have heard something to that effect, 
 but if you never have any worse people about your 
 house than Dick Vaughn, you will not be liable to 
 lose any spoons." 
 
 "Sir," said Mrs. Richards, "I do not approve of 
 slang any more than I approve of your friend Mr. 
 Vaughn, and I have forbidden his name to be spoken 
 in this house. He has made trouble enough in this 
 family already." 
 
 "Excuse me, Mrs. Richards, but Mr. Vaughn is a 
 successful business man now and has money enough 
 to satisfy any ordinary man. He has lots of good 
 qualities and no bad ones that I have ever found 
 out. Don t you think you are a little hard on him?" 
 
 "Mr. Bean, this is my house, and if my husband 
 will not protect me, I will protect myself. If you 
 come here in the interest cf Mr. Vaughn you can 
 go now; if you have any ether business with us, let 
 us know what it is." 
 
 "I am very sorry, Mrs. R chards, if I have said 
 anything that I should not, and I assure you I will 
 say no more on a subject that seems to be painful 
 to you. I have another matter of business which I 
 wish to consult you about. The fact is, I am here
 
 3i8 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 to ask your permission to pay attention to your 
 youngest daughter. I have not consulted her about 
 it yet, preferring to wait and secure your permission 
 first. If you will give your consent, I will do my 
 best to interest her in my suit, and hope for an early 
 marriage." 
 
 Mrs. Richards was purple with rage. As soon as 
 she could control herself enough to speak, she said: 
 
 "Charles Richards, will you drive that man out 
 of the house? Will you? Oh, I wish I were a 
 man!" 
 
 Without paying any attention to what Mrs. Rich 
 ards had said, Harley got up and said: "I see you 
 will need time to think this over, so I will leave 
 you, trusting you will decide in my favor." 
 
 He passed out into the hall, and Dot, almost 
 bursting with laughter, started to follow him. 
 
 "Mildred, come back!" almost screamed her 
 mother, as she followed her to the hall door. 
 
 Harley opened the outer door, and as Mrs. Rich 
 ards got to the hall, she heard Harley say, "Good 
 night, Dot;" and the answer was, "Good-night, 
 Harley." 
 
 Mrs. Richards came back into the parlor wring 
 ing her hands. 
 
 "Oh, that I should ever live to see this day! My 
 youngest daughter in danger, and not one of you 
 make a move to save her! I remember that man 
 now; I know all about him. He is a drunken sot, 
 and he left his wife and her father was obliged to 
 take care of her. Oh, dear! oh, dear! Mildred! 
 Mildred! I positively forbid you ever to speak to 
 that man again. Come, Mabel, take me to my
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 319 
 
 room. Oh, what have I done that the good Lord 
 sends these afflictions upon me." 
 
 Taking Mabel s arm, Mrs. Richards left the room, 
 and Dot, who had been trying to keep a straight 
 face, threw herself on the couch and screamed with 
 laughter. 
 
 "Come, little one," said Mr. Richards "stop yonr 
 screeching and tell me what this all means. I think 
 I know, but I would like to have your version of it." 
 
 Dot sat up, and as soon as she could stop laugh 
 ing, said: "My dear old Pop, I don t know a thing 
 more than you do. I never saw Mr. Bean but once 
 in my life to know him, and I did not have the least 
 idea that he was coming here and I don t know 
 what he came for, but I can guess ; I think he came 
 in the interest of Dick Vaughn, but I don t think 
 Dick knows anything about it." 
 
 "That is my idea exactly, Dot. Perhaps I ought 
 not to feel so, but I never wanted to laugh so in my 
 life as I did when I heard that man talk." 
 
 "Did you ever hear of him before?" 
 
 "Yes; I have known of him for years. He is one 
 of the brightest newspaper men in Boston. He 
 used to drink some, and I think mother is right 
 about his wife s leaving him, but he has managed to 
 scrape together considerable money, and has some 
 very fine traits of character. He is a quick-witted 
 fellow, and the man who crosses swords with him in 
 that line is apt to get the worst of it." 
 
 "Say, Pop, I want you to answer me one ques 
 tion, honestly; will you?" 
 
 "Why, certainly, Dot. What is it?" 
 
 "If I were to marry either Sammy Huggins, John
 
 320 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 Lemon cr Harley Bean>, which would you rather it 
 would be?" 
 
 "I never thought much about your getting mar 
 ried, Dot, and I believe you could do better than 
 any of the three, but if you had to choose among 
 those three, I would say take Mr. Bean. However, 
 when the time comes you will not need to be told, 
 and I only hope that when you fall in love with 
 some one, it will be one who is worthy of you and 
 one who understands you." 
 
 "Did you marry for love?" 
 
 "Yes, Dot, and your mother was a most lovable 
 woman. You must not judge her as she is now; 
 your mother is not well and has not been for years. 
 I think you can remember when she was different, 
 can t you?" 
 
 "Yes, I do remember; but I was thinking of 
 something else then." 
 
 "What was it, dear?" 
 
 "I was thinking that if I ever married I hoped I 
 might find in my husband another just such a good, 
 kind, considerate man as my mother did." 
 
 Dot saw no more of her mother that night, but 
 the next morning the family all gathered around the 
 breakfast table. Mr. Richards business compelled 
 him to be in Boston early, but his wife had long 
 before made it a rule that the family should all 
 breakfast with him. She did not think it right to 
 miss family prayers in the morning; neither did she 
 think it was right for him not to see his family 
 before going out to work for them all day. Sick 
 ness sometimes kept one of the family away from 
 the early breakfast, but not often. The girls loved
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 321 
 
 their father and wanted to see him, and the mother 
 usually felt mere cheerful in the morning. Sleep 
 the great restorer usually came to her rescue every 
 night, although she was very often heard to say 
 that she hadn t slept a wink all night. No one dis 
 puted her, but either her husband or her oldest 
 daughter was always ready with the sympathy 
 which she loved so much. 
 
 On this particular morning Mrs. Richards said she 
 had passed one of her bad nights. 
 
 "I don t think I closed my eyes to sleep the whole 
 long night," she announced, as she took her seat at 
 the table, after the morning devotions. 
 
 "I was afraid you would not sleep, mother," said 
 Mabel, "but you look better than usual this morn 
 ing. Lying still all night must do you some good, 
 although it is not equal to sleep." 
 
 "And just think what I was obliged to worry over 
 all night. That miserable, drunken newspaper 
 reporter! How dared he come to my house! Dot, 
 what will you do next, I wonder?" 
 
 "Don t work yourself up that way, mother- 
 Dot knew nothing of his visit and is not at all to 
 blame," said Mr. Richards. "If the young man 
 wanted to call here, no one could help it." 
 
 "By the way, he asked you both if he might call 
 upon me, and I presume he will come for his 
 answer. Can you tell me what it is to be?" 
 
 "I would give him my answer in a minute," said 
 Mrs. Richards. "I would scald him, that is what I 
 would do; and I wouldn t be long about it, either." 
 
 Mabel seemed brighter than she had been for 
 weeks, and for the first time in her life seemed to
 
 3 22 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 understand her family, but she did not like to see 
 her mother get excited over the matter, and so said: 
 
 "I was noticing in the paper this morning that 
 Mr. Downing has bought a house in Washington. 
 I suppose by that he proposes to stay there even 
 after his term in Congress is out. I expect Mrs. 
 Downing is happy now, for she is so in love with 
 Wasnington and Washington society." 
 
 ""Washington! Washington! How I love that 
 name! I knew years ago that George Downing 
 would go to Congress. Didn t I tell you so, 
 Charles?" 
 
 "I guess you did, mother." 
 
 "You know I did, Charles; you know I did." 
 
 Mr. Richards, having finished his breakfast, 
 excused himself and left the table and the house 
 also. But Mrs. Richards was started on an inter 
 esting subject to herself, and she settled herself 
 anew in her chair, fixed another cup of coffee and 
 began : 
 
 "I don t think your father likes to have me talk 
 of George Downing, although he never says a thing 
 against it; but the fact is, girls, I came very near 
 marrying George Downing. If it had not been for 
 my father and mother I think I should have mar 
 ried him, but he was considered rather wild in those 
 days and my people persuaded me to give him up. 
 Then your father began paying attention to me and 
 George was for the time forgotten. I don t think 
 there was anything so very bad about George, only 
 he drank some and was not a Christian, and you 
 know my people were very strict. I remember how 
 George used to talk to me about being a politician,
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 323 
 
 and how I used to tell him I did not think that a 
 very high ambition, but I never dreamed he had 
 such high aspirations. I have often wished your 
 father had put himself forward in politics. It is 
 such a grand thing to have people look up to you 
 so! Of course I don t mean the politician of the 
 city ward order, but just think how grand it would 
 be if we were going to spend this winter in Wash 
 ington as the Downings are!" 
 
 "But Mr. Downing did not commence his politics 
 in Congress, mother," said Dot. 
 
 "No, of course not. He held some city office 
 here and was on the Governor s staff." 
 
 "Never mind, mother; perhaps Mabel or I will 
 marry a congressman, and then you can go to 
 Washington and be in the swim with the rest of 
 them. Didn t Mr. Downing used to write for the 
 papers?" 
 
 "Yes, I think he did at one time; in fact, I think 
 he went from the newspaper business into politics." 
 
 "Then perhaps I had better hang on to Mr. Bean. 
 He has two of the requirements that Mr. Downing 
 seemed to think necessary to start out with." 
 
 "What are they, pray?" 
 
 "He is a newspaper man and he drinks. " 
 
 "Dot, will you make fun of everything I say? I 
 do think you ought to have some consideration for 
 me. Your father has completely spoiled you by 
 laughing at what he considers your bright remarks. 
 I think they are disrespectful. If your father were 
 a congressman instead of a dealer in fruits and 
 produce, such men as your would-be admirer would 
 not dare to call at our house.
 
 3 2 4 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 * I don t mean to be disrespectful, mother, but 
 you do have such pokey people come to see you and 
 you all talk about your aches and pains until I f3el 
 as though I would like to do something devilish." 
 
 "Oh, Mildred, Mildred! Don t ever say that 
 wcrd again." 
 
 The door-bell rang and the Rev. Mr. John Lemon 
 was ushered in. The Rev. Mr. Lemon was a priv 
 ileged character at the home of the Richards . He 
 was the same age as Mabel, and they had grown up 
 together. Since he had become a reverend Mabel 
 had lost some of her old-time carelessness when 
 speaking to him, but Dot was different. 
 
 "I called," said the young minister, "to see if 
 Miss Mildred would not like to attend the Young 
 People s Missionary meeting in Boston this after 
 noon." 
 
 "Can t, John," said Dot. "Mother says I am 
 disrespectful, and I am going to hunt up a politician 
 and get married right away." 
 
 "Wouldn t I do, Dot?" 
 
 "Net much, John. You don t even drink." 
 
 "Oh, Mildred, Mildred!" said Mrs. Richards. 
 "What are you coming to?"
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 The day after Harley s visit to the Richards he 
 found beside his plate at the supper table a very 
 dainty little note. He opened it and read: 
 
 My dear Mr. Bean: A bright idea has entered 
 my head and I am anxious to convey it to you, not 
 that I think you are particularly in need of bright 
 ideas, but this particular one may interest you. 
 Now, I cannot write you to call at the house on 
 account of the special kettles of hot water that 
 mother has in readiness for an anticipated visit from 
 you, so I am going to propose a very unladylike 
 proceeding. I have a standing invitation from Mrs. 
 Frank Bard well to go out to her house and spend 
 the afternoon, and I am going out to-morrow. If 
 you can meet me there, the idea shall be yours, and 
 if it is so that you cannot come in the afternoon, I 
 will manage to stay in the evening, and if that 
 should not answer the purpose, I will stay all night 
 and be there the next forenoon. This is giving you 
 three chances, and for Dick s sake you will not miss 
 them all, I am sure. I will not sign myself your 
 friend, but a sister of your friend s friend, though 
 don t mention this to your friend. "Dox." 
 
 "Well, well," said Harley to himself, "that girl 
 is no one s fool. She has a good bit more to her 
 than is on the surface. Her idea is something in the 
 interest of Dick and Mabel that is plain to be seen, 
 and I would bet the price of a good hat that her idea 
 
 325
 
 326 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 is a good one. Any man who marries her will get 
 a good dot, even if her father should die in the 
 poor-house. Will I be there? Well, I guess yes, 
 even if I have to walk." 
 
 The next evening found Harley ringing the bell 
 at Frank Bardwell s. The family had just finished 
 their supper, and every one was surprised to see 
 Harley. Dot was introduced, and for a few 
 moments she carried out the idea that this was the 
 first time they had met. She could not stand the 
 strain long, however, and as soon as the children 
 were taken away to bed, she said : 
 
 "Please don t judge me too harshly, Olive, until 
 you hear all I have to say. I have met Mr. Bean 
 before, and I came here this afternoon on purpose 
 to meet him. What I have to say to him I want 
 both you and your husband to hear, for it is about 
 Dick and Mabel, and I know you are both inter 
 ested." 
 
 With this introduction she told her story and laid 
 her plan before them. No one interrupted her, and 
 when she had finished Harley unconsciously took a 
 cigar from his pocket lit it and smoked for ten min 
 utes without speaking. Every eye was upon him, 
 and at last he said: 
 
 "Your idea is a good one, Dot, and I can carry 
 out my part of it, and will. 
 
 "Thank you, Mr. Bean. I knew you would do 
 your part, and I am relieved to know that you think 
 an idea of mine is worthy of consideration." 
 
 "Do you know," said Frank, "I have always 
 thought that there was some kind of an understand 
 ing between Dick and Mabel. Dick never seems to
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 327 
 
 worry, and was never known to blame Mabel in the 
 least for allowing her mother to stand between 
 them. He never goes into society and never tells 
 his troubles to any one." 
 
 "I have thought that same thing about Mabel," 
 said Dot, "but I cannot understand it, and if there 
 is an understanding it must be an everlasting one. 
 I don t think an understanding of any kind would 
 suit me, if there was seme one I was expecting to 
 marry and it was put off for an indefinite time." 
 
 "No, nor would it suit Frank. He would get 
 married first and do the waiting afterwards. I have 
 had a little experience with him. What have you 
 to say, Frank?" 
 
 "We have been married several years now, and I 
 have never heard you find any fault with my plan." 
 
 "I guess that is so, sweetheart." 
 
 "Hold on there, hold on," said Harley. "Don t 
 get spoony or you will shock Dot and me; we are 
 not used to it. Say, Dot," continued Harley, "that 
 idea of yours is a good one, but I came near having 
 to have the Old South Church fall on me before I 
 got the possibilities of the thing through my head. 
 Now it seems as plain as daylight. You will hear 
 something drop in about two days, if I am any 
 judge, and when you do you want to get the crowd 
 into the band-wagon right away. Do you catch on?" 
 
 "Do I catch on? I believe that must be slang, 
 Mr. Bean, and I am not supposed to know what it 
 means, and most likely would not know if I were as 
 long catching on as you were." 
 
 "That s good, Dot; you are learning fast. Your 
 mother will be proud of you in time."
 
 328 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 A servant came in and announced Miss Julia 
 Hartley. 
 
 "Show her in," said Mrs. Bard well, and Dot 
 actually clapped her hands in anticipation. 
 
 "I did not know you had company, Mrs. Bard- 
 well. Why, Dot! you here? and you too, Mr. 
 Bean? What a very pleasant surprise!" 
 
 Then she hesitated and looked from one to the 
 other. 
 
 "No, you are wrong-," said Dot, shaking- her 
 head. "We did not come together; we met by 
 chance. We were thrown together, as it were, by 
 fate, and then fate sent you in to make good 
 measure." 
 
 "Oh, Dot, you are such a strange girl! You talk 
 in riddles, and sometimes I think there is a hidden 
 meaning in all you say, especially now when you 
 say we are thrown together by fate. Do you know, 
 I believe in fate; that is to say, I believe there is an 
 overruling power that makes our paths clear before 
 us, and if we accept the decrees of fate, we are 
 more in line with what our Heavenly Father wants 
 us to do." 
 
 "That is a very plain proposition, Miss Hartley," 
 said Harley, "but if the hand of fate and circum 
 stances points to two paths, which are you going to 
 take?" 
 
 "In my case that would have to be settled by 
 earnest prayer." 
 
 "That is a pretty sentiment, but after you got 
 through praying you would be obliged to get up off 
 your knees and decide for yourself. Don t you 
 think it is much better to leave those things to your
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 329 
 
 own reasoning? For that certainly is a God-given 
 power." 
 
 "You may be right, Mr. Bean; you certainly talk 
 very reasonably, although I know I am helped by 
 prayer. But are you in any particular quandary at 
 this time?" 
 
 "Yes, I am, and the case is like this: I have an 
 acquaintance who is also a newspaper man, and he 
 is in this kind of a fix: he is acquainted with two 
 young ladies; one of them is bright, vivacious, full 
 of fun and the pet of every one; the other is older, 
 more or less set in her ways, is equally as good- 
 luoking as the other; in fact she is a sort of plow- 
 horse will work single all right and has an idea 
 that she can woik double just as well. Now, this 
 fellow wants my advice, and I don t know what to 
 tell him. What would you say, Miss Hartley?" 
 
 "I should say that he had better marry a woman 
 whom he could have all to himself, rather than a 
 chit of a girl whom every cne was petting and spoil 
 ing. Life is a serious matter, Mr. Bean, and if one 
 is to marry, he should choose some one who would 
 be a helpmate. Would you want to bring your 
 friends to your home and find there a young person 
 full of school-girl ideas, or would you prefer to 
 introduce them to some self-possessed woman, 
 capable cf presiding over your household with 
 refined dignity?" 
 
 "You make a good case, Miss Hartley. What do 
 you say, Frank?" 
 
 "I would throw them both over and stick to Olive 
 and the children." 
 
 "Well said, Mr. Bard well. Mr. Bean seems to
 
 330 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 think there are only these two people on earth. I 
 am glad you reminded him differently. What 
 advice would you give, Olive?" 
 
 <C I don t think I would give any one advice in such 
 a matter. A man should know what he wants." 
 
 "You are right, also, but as Mr. Bean requested 
 me, I felt in duty bound to give some kind of 
 advice. And now how about you, Miss Dot?" 
 
 "I am just betting two to one that the younger 
 girl would not have him anyway. The best thing 
 he can do is to marry the plowhorse if she will 
 have him and put his harness on at once. He will 
 need to get on the off side, for a man with no mind 
 of his own will naturally soon sink into the furrow 
 out of sight. What he had better do would be to 
 write a book on courtship. That is what people 
 generally do when they get puzzled on a subject." 
 
 "I wonder, Miss Dot, if you know how squarely 
 you have hit the mark about people writing books 
 on a subject of which they know nothing. I read a 
 book of adventures in Africa a long time ago, and 
 I afterwards found out that the young man who 
 wrote it had never been outside of Massachusetts at 
 the time he wrote the book. The book had quite a 
 sale, and gave him some money with which to 
 travel. He had been a great reader of books of 
 travel and adventure and it was from them that he 
 had received his information." 
 
 "I think that was decidedly dishonest," said Miss 
 Hartley; "don t you, Mr. Bean?" 
 
 "I think I could hardly agree with you on that 
 subject. The fact is, there are very few travelers 
 who are good writers. They may get all the facts
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 331 
 
 down, but they are not down in such a way as to 
 make good smooth reading. Some of our best 
 books and some of the most interesting ones have 
 been written by men who have traveled very 
 little." 
 
 "How very interesting that all is, Mr. Bean. " 
 said Miss Hartley. "I had never thought of it in 
 that way before. I heard you say once, Mr. Bean, 
 that you did not care much to go into society, but 
 you ought to; you are very entertaining. Don t 
 you think so, Dot?" 
 
 "Oh, I don t know. He had to say something, 
 you know, to turn the conversation away from his 
 friend, whom we managed to score rather badly. 
 Besides, that stuff he has been telling you has all 
 been printed." 
 
 "Why, Dot Richards ! How can you be so rude ! 
 
 "All right; I will leave it to him. Now tell us, 
 Mr. Bean, hasn t that stuff all been in print?" 
 
 "I will be obliged to own that it has, Miss Dot." 
 
 "You see, Miss Julia," said Dot, "you don t know 
 writers and their ways as well as I do. That is 
 proven by what has just transpired. I read that 
 stuff and a lot more on the same line in a New York 
 magazine, and I have the book in my room now. 
 The article was signed Progress, and Progress, I 
 would have you know, ladies and gentlemen, is the 
 name that Mr. Harley Bean writes under when he 
 writes magazine articles. Now who says I am not 
 a generous foe?" 
 
 Harley Bean was beaten. He did not care a snap 
 when he was picked up for telling a thing that he 
 probably read, and having it appear that way, but to
 
 332 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 think that Dot had a chance to score him before 
 Julia and the rest, and instead, turned the tables on 
 him and made him appear in the best possible man 
 ner! It fairly made him blush! 
 
 Frank, who knew him best of all, fairly shouted. 
 When quiet was restored he asked Dot why she did 
 not score him, and she replied: 
 
 "I did intend to, but he did not give me the 
 chance I wanted. I knew he wrote that article, and 
 when I said what I did I supposed he would claim 
 to be the author of it. Knowing that he could net 
 prove it, I intended to score him good, but when he 
 did not claim it, the fun was all gone." 
 
 "You are a strange girl, Dot," said Julia. "I am 
 sure I could not deliberately hurt the feelings of 
 any one. After all, Mr. Bean is something of a 
 tease himself, as I have occasion to remember. The 
 last time I was here with him we walked up from 
 his cousin s, and he made Mr. Bard well go back 
 with us on some pretext, and when we got there he 
 said that the only reason he wanted him to go was 
 that he was afraid the minister down here would 
 marry us while we were going by. Wasn t he 
 funny?" 
 
 That was funny," said Dot. "Were you afraid 
 too, Miss Julia?" 
 
 "Not at all." Then, as Frank laughed, she 
 added, "I really did not think of it." 
 
 The second morning after the visit of Dot and 
 Harley to Frank Bard well s there appeared in one 
 of the morning papers something of interest to them 
 all. The Richards were at breakfast and Mr. Rich 
 ards, as usual, was glancing over the morning
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 333 
 
 A11 of a sudden his eye caught something 
 that interested him. 
 
 "Well! well! That s strange," he was heard to 
 say, 
 
 Dot was watching him and at once asked what he 
 had found 
 
 "Oh, nothing; only a little political news." 
 
 "Read it," said Dot. ""lam interested in poli 
 tics." 
 
 "Yes, read it, Charles," said Mrs. Richards, "if it 
 concerns the higher order of politics. I like to hear 
 of people who make a success in life other than in 
 trade." 
 
 "Very well, as long as you request it. This is 
 what I noticed : 
 
 " A new ticket in the field, in the interest of bet 
 ter government, and to get some of our prominent 
 business men interested in a movement for the 
 better government of our city. A petition has been 
 circulated and signed by several hundred of our 
 most prominent business men requesting Mr. Rich 
 ard Vaughn to allow his name to be used as a candi 
 date for mayor on an independent ticket. Mr. 
 Vaughn is one of our most successful business men, 
 being at present at the head of one of the largest 
 furniture establishments in the city. He has 
 proved himself to be a man of splendid business 
 ability, and should he enter politics with the same 
 push and energy that he has put into business, it 
 is doubtful if he would stop until he had reached the 
 top. He is thoroughly wedded to his business, and 
 he has not as yet consented to have his name used. 
 It is thought, however, that influence enough can be
 
 334 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 brought to bear to induce him to do this much for 
 the city. This paper indorses him heartily. 
 
 As Mr. Richards finished reading, the faces about 
 the table were a study. Dot s face showed genuine 
 surprise Harley had gone so much further than 
 she expected. Mabel s face showed anxiety, as 
 though every step of advancement Dick made were 
 taking him farther away from her. Mr. Richards 
 quietly turned to his breakfast and said nothing. 
 The one who seemed the most concerned was 
 Mrs. Richards, who, for some reason, was visibly 
 affected. 
 
 The breakfast was soon over, and Mr. Richards 
 had gone. Usually the family spent a few moments 
 at the table after Mr. Richards left, but this morn 
 ing, by seeming mutual consent, they all left the 
 table at once, and each of the ladies sought her,own 
 room. 
 
 It was not long before Dot was summoned to her 
 mother s room. This was what she was waiting for 
 and expecting. As Dot came into the room she 
 noticed that her mother had been crying. 
 
 "Why, mother; what is the matter? Are you 
 sick again?" 
 
 "No, dear, I am not sick, but I want to talk to 
 you seriously. I fear I have a painful duty to per 
 form, and I want your assistance. Can I have it, 
 Mildred?" 
 
 "You certainly can, mother; but tell me quick 
 what it is. 
 
 "Did you notice how Mabel looked when your 
 father was reading about Mr. Vaughn this morning 
 at breakfast?"
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 335 
 
 "I don t think I noticed anything unusual, 
 mother." 
 
 "Possibly not, my daughter; I could not expect it 
 of you. It takes a mother s eye and a mother s 
 love to know what is going on in the heart of her 
 daughter. I saw it and I know it. Something 
 must be done at once or Mabel will go into a 
 decline." 
 
 "But, mother, tell me what you mean; I am all 
 in the dark." 
 
 "Listen, Mildred. For years Mabel has loved 
 Mr. Vaughn. I have thought she would get over it, 
 but I have decided now that in order to save her 
 mind I must bring them together again, and it is 
 for this I have asked your assistance. Can I depend 
 on you?" 
 
 "If you think it best, mother."
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 "Mildred, when your mother has decided on a 
 thing, you may be sure it is for the best, and this 
 time I have decided after months of prayerful 
 thought." 
 
 "Well, mother, we must act quickly if we do any 
 thing now, and perhaps we had better wait until 
 after this political business is over; he will be so 
 very busy now." 
 
 "No, no, child, if you are going to help me you 
 must not mention waiting a moment." 
 
 "All right, mother, we will go to work at once, 
 but let me make a suggestion: don t say a thing to 
 any one about this petition or Mr. Vaughn s going 
 into politics, as some one might say that we 
 relented only when we realized that Dick was 
 beginning to get up in the world." 
 
 "You are right, Mildred; I had not thought of 
 that, and I am proud of you when I think how you 
 have come to the front and are ready to help me." 
 
 "Oh, I like a little fun, mother, but when I know 
 you need me, I can be as businesslike as any one. 
 What is your plan?" 
 
 "Really, Mildred, when I think of a plan I trem 
 ble. I hardly know what to do. What would you 
 advise? Shall we go at once to Mr. Vaughn and 
 tell him that we have withdrawn our objections to 
 him?" 
 
 "No, mother, that would not do at all, and I 
 336
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 337 
 
 hardly know what to advise. Let me see. Oh! I 
 know! What we need is a man to assist us. Let 
 us go and get father and get him to go with us." 
 
 "No, daughter, that would never do; I don t 
 want to bring your father into it; besides, I don t 
 think he would go. No, we must go alone." 
 
 "But that would never do, mother; we must 
 have the advice of some man. I know what we can 
 do and I wonder why I did not think of it before. 
 We can get Mr. Bean to assist us. He would do 
 anything for Dick and perhaps he would do some 
 thing for my sake." 
 
 "Mildred, Mildred, I cannot bear that man; I 
 could not ask him a favor." 
 
 "But, mother, you need not ask him anything. I 
 will do the asking, and I feel sure he will help us. 
 We must not let a little pride stand in the way of 
 sister Mabel s happiness." 
 
 "You are right, daughter, but where can we find 
 him?" 
 
 "We can find him easily enough; he does not go 
 to work early, and if we go quickly we can find him 
 at his boarding-place on Chamber street." 
 
 "Oh, Mildred, it is certainly humiliating, but for 
 Mabel s sake it must be done." 
 
 An hour later the two ladies, mother and 
 daughter, rang the bell at Mrs, Sargent s. 
 
 Yes; Mr. Bean was home. Would the ladies 
 walk up into the parlor and wait? 
 
 It was not long before Harley was in the parlor 
 to meet his callers. 
 
 "Why, Dot! What a surprise! And you too, Mrs. 
 Richards! Can I believe my eyes?"
 
 338 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Yes, Mr. Bean, you can believe your eyes, but I 
 do not wonder at your surprise. The fact is, we 
 have called to secure your assistance in a very 
 delicate matter. As for myself, I should never 
 have come after saying- what I did to you, but 
 Mildred seemed to think you were the only one 
 who could help us. I am sorry now that I said 
 what I did when you called, and I trust you will 
 overlook it and help us now in our hour of trouble." 
 
 " I certainly lay up nothing against you for any 
 thing that you may have said, Mrs. Richards; but 
 pray tell me how I can be of assistance to you now, 
 for you as yet have said no word that would give 
 me an inkling of your trouble." 
 
 "I hardly know how to commence, Mr. Bean. 
 You know that for years my daughter has well, 
 you know Mr. Vaughn wanted to call on Mabel and 
 I objected. I found out by accident, or rather I 
 have known for some time, that she still cares for 
 him, and I have finally concluded, on account of her 
 health, to have him well, to withdraw my objec 
 tions. Of course I don t suppose you can just 
 understand this, as you do not know what it means 
 to have a daughter gradually fading away before 
 your eyes." 
 
 "That s so," said Harley, "and fading as slowly 
 as she does, too; something should be done about it 
 at once." 
 
 Mrs. Richards did not hear what he said, but Dot 
 did, and it was only with an effort that she kept 
 from laughing. 
 
 "What did you say, Mr. Bean?" asked Mrs. Rich 
 ards.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 330 
 
 "I said that something should be done at once, 
 but I am worried a little. The fact is, Mr. Vaughn 
 is a very busy man just now. You will no doubt be 
 surprised when I tell you that Mr. Vaughn is 
 spoken of as our next mayor, and his chances are 
 excellent." 
 
 Mrs. Richards looked confused, but Dot came to 
 her mother s rescue by saying: "Is it possible, Mr. 
 Bean?" And Mrs. Richards drew a long breath. 
 
 "Tell us, Mr. Bean, what do you think can be 
 done?" said Mrs. Richards, anxiously. "And are 
 you as willing as Mildred said you would be to help 
 us?" 
 
 "Mrs. Richards, I would do anything in the world 
 for Dick Vaughn, and I will do whatever Miss Dot 
 has told you I would. I will do it if for no other 
 reason than to make her word good." 
 
 "That was splendidly said, Mr. Bean, and I know 
 you mean it, but I wish I had not heard such awful 
 stories about you. 
 
 "What have you heard, Mrs. Richards? Perhaps 
 I can refute them." 
 
 "I have heard that you drink horribly." 
 
 "That is a falsehood, Mrs. Richards. I have it 
 from the best of authority and can prove it by hun 
 dreds of Bostonians, that I drink with the greatest 
 of ease, in fact do the thing most gracefully." 
 
 Mrs. Richards would have been shocked at any 
 other time, but with Harley looking at her so 
 comically and Dot laughing, she could only say: 
 "Don t let us stray from the subject," forgetting 
 that she was the cause of the straying. "Now, Mr. 
 Bean, what do you advise?"
 
 340 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Let me think a moment. This thing has come 
 upon me so suddenly that I hardly know how to go 
 to work. 
 
 Harley took out his watch and looking at it said, 
 as though he had looked at it for inspiration: "Yes, 
 that is the thing to do. You go home and I will go 
 and see Dick and see how he feels about the matter. 
 I realize that this is a delicate subject, and I shall 
 tell him how surprised you were when you heard 
 that he was to be the next mayor." 
 
 Mrs. Richards winced and Dot with an effort kept 
 a straight face. 
 
 "As soon as I find out anything," continued Har 
 ley, "I will come to your home at once and let you 
 know. Let me see, I guess you had better walk 
 down past Dick s store now, and I will slip in and 
 see when I can have a talk with him. I will tell 
 him it is important business. He is almost always 
 ready to talk business." 
 
 The three went out together and walked to 
 Washington street. In front of Dick s store was a 
 crowd of men, and inside could be seen quite a 
 number more. Harley chuckled to himself as he 
 left the ladies on the opposite side of the street and 
 hurried into the store. The men in question were a 
 delegation from the cabinet-makers union, who had 
 been sent to state a fancied grievance to Dick. 
 Harley hurried out, and, joining the ladies again, 
 told Mrs. Richards that it was a delegation of 
 s,,uth-end manufacturers urging Dick to accept the 
 nomination. 
 
 "They will be gone in a short time, and I will be 
 here and catch him before another crowd arrives."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 341 
 
 He escorted the ladies to a car and saw them on 
 their way home. Fifteen minutes after he had left 
 the ladies Harley was again in Dick s store. The 
 men had gone. 
 
 "What was the matter with the men, Dick?" 
 "Oh, nothing in particular. They went up to see 
 Jim and he cursed them ; then they came to me and 
 I sent them away happy." 
 
 "And I suppose you are happy yourself?" 
 "I guess so; as happy as I ever shall be." 
 "Dick, what you ought to do is to get married. 
 Why don t you hunt up some nice girl and marry 
 her? It would be the making of you. You stick your 
 nose into business ten hours a day; you have made a 
 success of the business, but after a while you will 
 break your health and be a prematurely old man." 
 "For goodness sake, Harley, what has come over 
 you? You never talked like that before. You 
 must be in love yourself." 
 
 "If I were I wouldn t allow the girl s mother to 
 stand in the way of my getting the girl." 
 
 "Harley, you have been the best friend I ever 
 had, and the proof that I think so is that I allow 
 you to talk to me in this way. You know that I 
 love Mabel Richards and that I would marry no 
 other woman. I have always hoped that the time 
 would come when I could marry her, but I do not 
 allow myself to think of it any more than I can 
 help, for when I do, I get despondent. I know 
 that you are a true friend, Harley, although I know 
 you don t believe in friends, or at least you say you 
 don t, but I don t want you to ever mention this 
 subject again."
 
 342 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Dick, I feel like talking to-day and I want to 
 talk, but I will promise you that if you will allow 
 me this one day to talk as I please and about what 
 I please, I will never mention it again unless you 
 start the conversation that way. Will you agree to 
 that?" 
 
 Dick thought for a while and then said: "Yes, 
 Harley, just for this once, but never again, and I 
 only say this because I know you would only do or 
 say what you thought was for the best." 
 
 "Dick, what would you give if the coast were 
 clear and you could marry Mabel to-day?" 
 
 "Harley, for God s sake, what are you driving 
 at? You know I would give every dollar I am 
 worth and run in debt besides. But why do you tor 
 ture me so? I wish I had not allowed you one day." 
 
 "Calm yourself, Dick, calm yourself; you will 
 unfit yourself for business, and it would be sad if 
 you should lose the chance of making another dol 
 lar. I am going to ask you to do something for me 
 to-day, Dick, that will test your friendship, as long 
 as you say there is friendship between us. Will 
 you promise to do whatever I ask? I want you to 
 trust me implicitly and ask no questions. Are you 
 equal to it?" 
 
 "Yes, Harley; we have stood by each other for 
 years without a fluke, and I will not be the one to 
 go back on a friend when I can be of assistance to 
 him. And the two men clasped hands to seal the 
 bargain. 
 
 A gentleman came in to see Dick on business, and 
 Harley left, after telling Dick not to leave the office 
 under any consideration until he saw him again.
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 343 
 
 Harley was happy. He was always happy when 
 he had a difficult piece of work on hand. He went 
 to a newspaper office and got a man to do his work, 
 and from there he went to the Parker House and 
 had a ten minutes conversation with the clerk in 
 charge. Leaving there he boarded a car for Cam 
 bridge and presented himself at the door of the 
 Richards residence, with as much assurance as 
 though he owned the place. 
 
 He had been anxiously expected by both Dot and 
 her mother, and they were both in the parlor to 
 meet him. Mrs. Richards began the conversation 
 before Harley could possibly get himself into a 
 chair. 
 
 "Mr. Bean, I am dying to know what you found 
 out." 
 
 "Calm yourself, Mrs. Richards; there was more 
 to this than I expected. Mr. Vaughn you notice 
 that I no longer call him Dick, on account of the 
 position he holds in the eyes of the people Mr. 
 Vaughn is a very busy man just at the present 
 time, as you no doubt realize, and he is particularly 
 busy to-day, for he is going to Washington to-night 
 to consult with the President on some political 
 question that has lately come up." 
 
 "Do you hear that, Mildred?" said Mrs. Rich 
 ards. "Just think of it! Going to Washington to 
 actually talk with the President! Just think!" 
 And Mrs. Richards gasped for breath, as though 
 this was almost too much to comprehend. 
 
 "Yes," said Harley, "he goes to-night at six 
 o clock and may stay for some time. Now possibly 
 you don t know what this means or what it might
 
 344 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 lead to. Mr. Vaughn is a very handsome man, and 
 although I don t mean that his head could be easily 
 turned, any man is susceptible to the influences of the 
 ladies of prominence in Washington society, who are 
 known to be the most brilliant women of the land." 
 
 "I understand what you mean, Mr. Bean, and I 
 am so thankful that we have enlisted you in our 
 cause you see these things so clearly and think 
 of everything. But pray tell us what we shall do?" 
 
 Harley sat back in his chair, and, putting on a 
 puzzled air, seemed to be trying to think out the 
 complicated question. 
 
 "It occurs to me," he said, "that I am placed in a 
 very peculiar position in this matter; in fact rather 
 a delicate position. I hardly know whether I am 
 justified in speaking to you as I would like to." 
 
 "You can say what you like, Mr. Bean. I have 
 only my daughter s happiness at heart, and I wish 
 you to be very frank, for I realize that you are the 
 best friend we could have at this time." 
 
 "Then perhaps you realize that you are the one 
 who has kept Mr. Vaughn and Miss Mabel apart, 
 and that it would be possible, for a time at least, 
 that Mr. Vaughn would not feel as kindly toward 
 you as he might? Now, remember, I do not say 
 this advisedly ; I only say that this might be the 
 case, and if it should be so, we would need to work 
 with caution. Of course I know and Miss Mildred 
 knows that your heart has been changing to war Is 
 him for months, but suppose the Honorable Mr. 
 Vaughn I said that because I heard him called that 
 this morning I say, suppose the Honorable Mr. 
 Vaughn should think for a moment that your change
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 345 
 
 had only been recent and that it was on account of 
 his business success or this political preferment; 
 would it not complicate matters some?" 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Bean, you frighten me so! I am will 
 ing to do whatver you say." 
 
 "Very well; we can most likely manage it, but 
 there are two things to find out: we must find out 
 how Mr. Vaughn feels towards your daughter and 
 also how he feels towards you, and then we must 
 find out if this Washington trip cannot be put off 
 for a few days to give us a little chance. Miss Mil 
 dred called on Mr. Vaughn a few days ago, and 
 from something he said to me after her visit I am 
 inclined to think that Miss Mildred and I ought to 
 go together and see him. The sight of her will 
 bring back memories of Miss Mabel, and I can draw 
 him out; he has promised to give me another inter 
 view about this time." 
 
 "Go at once, Mr. Bean, and take Mildred with 
 you. I know you will do whatever is for the best. 
 Do go at once." 
 
 "Where is Miss Mabel?" said Harley. 
 
 "She is out making some calls, but will return 
 shortly." 
 
 "Be sure and do not let her go out again, Mrs. 
 Richards. I feel sure that we shall need her this 
 afternoon." 
 
 Harley and Dot left the house together and 
 boarded the first car for Boston. The car had b .it 
 few passengers, and as these two took seats by 
 themselves at one end of the car, Dut said: 
 
 "Mr Bean, you are the most artistic stury-teller 
 I ever met."
 
 346 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Thank you, Dot, I appreciate the compliment, 
 especially as it comes from one whose good opinion 
 I desire to have. But say, Dot, will you please call 
 me Harley? Calling me Mister and a story-teller 
 in the same breath doesn t sound well. The fact is, 
 you got me into this, and if I have seen fit to do a 
 little equivocating while working in your interest, 
 you will find that the recording angel has it all 
 down on your page. After all, I would do almost 
 anything for you, Dot, even if I had to stand the 
 lying myself. What do I get for this if I bring it 
 to a successful conclusion?" 
 
 "What do you want?" 
 
 "Just you, that s all." 
 
 "You don t want much, do you?" 
 
 "Not much; just the smallest Richards in the 
 bunch. 
 
 "Suppose I say no?" 
 
 "Then I might throw up the job." 
 
 "Harley, if I promise to marry you, will you 
 promise me that you will give up drinking?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Good; I was afraid you would say yes, and a 
 man who promises to give up drinking for the sake 
 of getting a girl to marry him usually turns out to 
 be a brute. You have raised yourself in my esti 
 mation. 
 
 "Thanks; but you did not tell me whether I 
 would get my pay or not. 
 
 "Yes, you shall have your pay, and if I decide I 
 don t want to marry you myself, I will get Miss 
 Hartley to take my place. Stop the car, Harley; we 
 must get off here if we are going to Dick s store."
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 "We will get off here," said Harley, as he sig 
 naled for the car to stop, "but we are not going to 
 Dick s store." 
 
 "What! another fib?" 
 
 Harley said nothing, but led the way to Cope 
 land s, on Tremont street. There were but few in 
 the store at this time, and Harley found a table 
 where they could talk without being overheard, and 
 ordered some chocolate and cakes not that they 
 needed refreshment, but as an excuse for sitting 
 down. 
 
 "Now, Harley, I am dying to know one thing. 
 How did you manage to get the editor to print that 
 article that we read this morning?" 
 
 "You poor innocent girl, the editor did not know 
 a hanged thing about it, but the pressman did. 
 There were only six papers printed with that article 
 in. Five of them are in my room and the other 
 one the one you saw this morning is in my 
 pocket. I picked it up at the house when I first 
 went in. But now to business. I have a plan and 
 I want to know if you can carry out your part of 
 it." And Harley unfolded his plan to Dot, who sat 
 with her eyes sticking out in wonderment. 
 
 "Harley Bean! And do you really mean that?" 
 
 "I certainly do. Whatever we do must be done 
 before the evening papers come out." 
 
 "But suppose we fail, and mother should find out 
 
 347
 
 34 8 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 that I knew that this whole political business was a. 
 lie; what could I do?" 
 
 "You could come to me and we would be married 
 at once, and if you have any doubts about it, we 
 will be married now, if you say so." 
 
 "No, sir; when I get married I want a church 
 wedding, and let me tell you one thing, Harley 
 Bean, if this affair does not go through all right, 
 you need never speak to me again, and I don t 
 think you would get a chance to, for I would run 
 away." 
 
 "Don t say anything rash, Dot. It will go all 
 right if you do your part, and I am banking on you 
 for a good deal." 
 
 "Don t you think I ought to see Dick before I go 
 home, so that I will not have to make this stcry up 
 out of whole cloth?" 
 
 Harley thought a moment, and then said: 
 
 "Perhaps I had better go back with you. I don t 
 want you to see Dick, and I might be able to help 
 you in some of the weak places. You stay here a 
 few moments while I run down and see Dick." 
 
 A few moments later Harley walked into Dick s 
 office, and was accosted with: 
 
 "Well, old man, are you going to keep me a 
 prisoner in my own office all day? Jim sent for 
 me to come out to the factory, but I did not dare 
 go after the promise I made you." 
 
 "You can go where you like if you will be here 
 promptly at one o clock, but you must not fail me 
 in this for all the furniture factories on earth. Do 
 you undeistand?" 
 
 "I don t know what you are driving at, Harley,
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 349 
 
 but I do realize that you are in dead earnest, and I 
 assure you that I will not fail you." 
 
 "All right, then; until one o clock, good-bye." 
 And Harley was gone. 
 
 A few minutes after Harley s departure Dick had 
 another caller in the person of Miss Julia Hartley. 
 
 "Good morning, Mr. Vaughn; I am glad to find 
 you alone. I want a few moments of your time, if 
 you can spare it, and I want your advice." 
 
 "You certainly can have a few moments of my 
 time, if you don t take too much of it, for I am 
 getting ready to go away and have been delayed 
 some now." 
 
 "Some other time then, if you would prefer it." 
 
 "No, perhaps you would not find me again very 
 soon ; so if it will not take long I will listen to you 
 now." 
 
 Miss Hartley sat down and seemed ill at ease. 
 
 "I came to see you on a very delicate question, 
 Mr. Vaughn. You are quite intimate with Mr. 
 Bean; did you ever hear him say anything about 
 me?" 
 
 Dick at once connected Harley s mysterious 
 actions of the day with this visit, and for a moment 
 was at a loss to know what to say. 
 
 "Let me see," he said. "I do seem to remember 
 his saying something about you lately. If I remem 
 ber rightly, he said he thought you were very nice 
 looking and well, perhaps I had better not say what 
 else he said, as it would not be fair to betray a 
 friend, especially as I do not know what particular 
 interest you have in knowing." 
 
 "If he said that, he must have said something
 
 3So RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 more, and I don t mind telling you something, for 
 I feel that you will treat this matter confidentially." 
 
 "Certainly I will, Miss Hartley, if you care to tell 
 me anything. 
 
 "Very well, then. It is this: I have met Mr. 
 Bean several times lately out at his cousin s and at 
 Mrs. Bardwell s, and I must say I am very much 
 interested in him. I feel that he has a very superior 
 mind and I do love to hear him talk. He has said 
 some things to me that make me feel as though 
 he is seriously inclined towards me, and there are 
 special reasons why I should like to know for cer 
 tain as soon as possible. I thought possibly you 
 might assist me by giving me some idea on how 
 Mr. Bean felt towards me." 
 
 "Really, Miss Hartley, I don t see what I can 
 say. While it is true that I have known Mr. Bean 
 for several years and while it is also true that for 
 some time we have shared bachelor apartments, he 
 has never made me his confidant in any of his 
 affairs of the heart, and if he should say anything I 
 would not know whether to take him seriously or 
 not. I can tell you this, however Harley is one 
 who will take his own time in matters of this or any 
 other kind, and I would advise you to let matters 
 take their own course. Harley Bean is a man well 
 worth waiting for." 
 
 "I agree with you there perfectly, Mr. Vaughn, 
 but you see Well, 1 guess I will be obliged to tell 
 you of a little talk that I had with Mr. Lemon 
 yesterday. You know Mr. Lemon lias always taken 
 a very deep interest in me, and yesterday, or last 
 evening, when I was calling at his house, he said he
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 351 
 
 thought I was particularly fitted for a minister s 
 wife, and asked me if I did not think so. I asked 
 him what made him think of me in that light, and 
 he said that he had been talking with his wife about 
 me, and they had decided they would like me for a 
 daughter-in-law. Of course, you know that would 
 mean my marrying John Lemon." 
 
 "Why are they in such a hurry to get John mar 
 ried off?" 
 
 "Well, you see John is young and has never had 
 any experience in affairs of the kind, and his par 
 ents say that he has gotten it into his head that he 
 is in love with Dot Richards, and when they think 
 of Dot as a minister s wife, it fairly makes them 
 turn pale for shame." 
 
 "I don t think they need worry about Dot, and as 
 I understand your position, you would prefer Har- 
 ley if you thought he was in earnest?" 
 
 "Do you blame me?" 
 
 "Not in the least, but how do they propose to 
 marry John to you if he is in love with Dot?" 
 
 "You see John has only a minor charge at a mis 
 sion and could hardly marry without his parents 
 consent." 
 
 "Oh, I see, but I don t see how I can help 
 you. 
 
 "Perhaps at some other time, before long, you 
 might be able to tell me something." 
 
 "That is to say, you think I might be able to 
 find out for you what your chances are with Har- 
 ley?" 
 
 "Perhaps, if you care to put it that way." 
 
 "This is all new to me and I must think it over."
 
 352 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Thank you very much, Mr. Vaughn. I will see 
 you again soon." 
 
 When Harley left Dick s store he called at the 
 city hall, and then made another call at a photog 
 rapher s before going back to see Dot. That 
 young lady had grown somewhat impatient, and 
 when Harley arrived, she greeted him with: 
 
 "By what rule do you measure your minutes?" 
 
 "Now, don t get excited, Dot; you will need all 
 of your nerve to carry out your part of the program. 
 I thought I would make my arrangements complete 
 while here as long as I had concluded to go back 
 with you. We will go now." 
 
 In another half hour they were in Cambridge. 
 Mrs Richards was anxiously awaiting them. 
 
 "You have come at last. I do hope you have 
 brought good news." 
 
 "We have brought news," said Harley, "but per 
 haps you will not think it good. We have had a 
 talk with Mr. Vaughn and find that he is to leave 
 for Washington earlier than I expected; he leaves 
 at three-thirty. Under the circumstances I took 
 the liberty of shaping this plan: we told him that 
 Mabel would never be herself again unless she mar 
 ried the man of her choice and that she had decided 
 to marry him in spite of your objections, believing 
 that you would think differently after they were 
 married. We also told him that it took a good deal 
 of persuasion on our part to get her to do this, on 
 account of his wealth and prominence. Now our 
 plan is for them to be married at once and have 
 them go together to Washington. Here is his pic 
 ture just as he looks to-day. Hasn t he a states-
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 353 
 
 man s figure?" And Harley produced the photo 
 graph of Dick that he had just secured, 
 
 "Splendid! Splendid!" said Mrs. Richards. 
 
 "All that remains for you to do, Mrs. Richards, 
 is to keep cool, and Dot and I will do the rest. You 
 need not even speak to Miss Mabel; in fact I would 
 rather you would not, unless it is to tell her that 
 you have withdrawn all objections, but that for 
 reasons best known to yourself you do not propose 
 to be in the room when she is married, Now Dot 
 knows exactly what to do, and I want you to be 
 governed altogether by her. If you will do this, 
 we will pull this thing through all right. Where is 
 Miss Mabel now?" 
 
 "She is in her room at work on a painting that I 
 have requested her to finish. It was the only way 
 I could keep her in." 
 
 " Good ! " said Harley, and then to himself he said : 
 "The old lady is a bit of a schemer herself." 
 
 It was nearly twelve o clock, and Harley got up 
 to go. An exclamation from Dot attracted the 
 attention of the other two. 
 
 "Oh dear, here is Miss Julia Hartley and she saw 
 me. What shall I do? She will stay for hours." 
 
 "Let her in," said Harley, "and let me out the 
 back way. I will see that she doesn t stay ten 
 minutes." 
 
 As Miss Hartley was ushered in at the front door, 
 Harley Bean was let out the back way, and in two 
 minutes he rang the bell at the front of the house. 
 Dot answered the bell. 
 
 "Excuse me," said Harley, "but didn t I see Miss 
 Julia Hartley come in here a moment ago?"
 
 354 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "You certainly did. Did you wish to come in 
 and see her?" 
 
 "If you please." 
 
 Harley stepped in and effusively greeted Miss 
 Hartley. 
 
 "What luck!" he said. "I was thinking of you. 
 There is a great treat in store for you at the studio, 
 and I want to be the one who accompanies you to 
 see it. I saw you coming in here, and as there was 
 no way of stopping you, this was the best I could 
 do." 
 
 "I should be delighted to go with you, Mr. Bean, 
 but when shall we go?" 
 
 "Right now, Miss Hartley. I have a little time 
 to myself now and if agreeable to you, we will take 
 the next car to Boston, get our lunch and spend an 
 hour or more at the studio looking over the special 
 exhibit that is now on." 
 
 "Cannot we stay a while and talk with the people 
 here? It would seem rude to go so soon." 
 
 "Not at all, Miss Hartley," said Mrs. Richards. 
 "I am sure it is not often that Mr. Bean invites 
 any one, and you should feel honored. We will 
 excuse you." 
 
 "Am I invited, too?" asked Dot, pretending to 
 pout. 
 
 "Not this time, little girl. I have special reasons 
 for wanting to go alone with Miss Hartley this after 
 noon. Perhaps everyone would not appreciate this 
 exhibit as Miss Hartley will." 
 
 Harley and Miss Hartley lunched together, taking 
 all the time necessary, and at one o clock they were 
 in the studio building looking at the exhibit. Miss
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 355 
 
 Hartley had seldom been quite as happy as she 
 appeared to be at this time. 
 
 All at once Harley seemed to think of something. 
 He looked at his watch and turning to Miss Hart 
 ley, said: 
 
 "I am very sorry, but I am just reminded that I 
 have neglected a duty and that is something I can 
 not afford to do, so if you will excuse me for a short 
 time, I will return to this room as soon as I 
 can." 
 
 "I am so sorry to have you go, but if it is a duty 
 I will not ask you to stay, but will amuse myself as 
 best I can until you return." 
 
 "Thanks," said Harley, as he hastened away. 
 
 In ten minutes more he was at Dick s store 
 
 "Drop everything, Dick, and come with me. 
 Now, remember, you are to do as I tell you and 
 ask no questions." 
 
 Harley led the way to their rooms and told Dick 
 to follow his example and dress with all possible 
 care and speed. At fifteen minutes of two the two 
 young men, on coming out of the door of Mrs. 
 Sargent s boarding-house, found a hack waiting for 
 them. At a little after two o clock they were at the 
 door of Mr. Richards residence. 
 
 "What does this mean, Harley?" 
 
 "It means that you will be a married man in ten 
 minutes if you don t ask too many questions." 
 
 "Have you used any unfair means to influence 
 Mabel against her mother? Harley, tell me the 
 truth!" 
 
 "Not a bit of it, Dick, and if this thing should not 
 go through now, it would kill her."
 
 356 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 "Are you my friend, Harley?" 
 
 "Yes, I am anything. Don t hesitate here. 
 Can t you trust me?" 
 
 "Yes, Harley; lead on." 
 
 The door was opened by invisible hands, and the 
 two men walked into the parlor. A gentleman 
 stepped forward, and, taking Dick by the arm, led 
 him to a table, where he was asked to look over some 
 papers and sign one. This he did in a dazed sort 
 of a way. He saw Mabel go through the same 
 operation, and he thought her face was sad. Har 
 ley took him by the arm. A few words were 
 spoken. He made his replies at the proper time, 
 and then he heard the minister pronounce them 
 man and wife. He leaned over and kissed his wife, 
 and then they were hurried out of the house and 
 into a hack. 
 
 Hardly a word was spoken until the hack stopped 
 in front of the Parker House. Harley was there to 
 meet them, and they soon found themselves in a 
 very pretty suite of rooms. 
 
 "What makes you so sad, Mabel?" 
 
 "I cannot help but feel sad when I think that you 
 have lost everything and have to begin again at the 
 bottom of the business ladder and work up. If I 
 could only help you I would not feel so bad, but I 
 can only love you, and that is not much of a capital 
 to start with." 
 
 Dick tried to break in when she began to talk, 
 but as she continued he began to catch on to the 
 situation. 
 
 "Poverty had to come, Mabel, in order to let you 
 in, for you objected to me when I was rich."
 
 RICHARD VAUGHN 357 
 
 "I know I did, Dick, but you could not blame me; 
 I refused to marry you when you were poor. 
 Please don t let us stay here long, Dick, for Dot 
 told me that Mr. Bean paid for these rooms, so that 
 we might have some place to go." 
 
 This was too much for Dick, and he broke out 
 into a long loud laugh, much to the astonishment of 
 Mabel. 
 
 Some one rapped on the door, and in answer to 
 Dick s "Come in," a boy entered, bringing a note. 
 Dick opened it and read: 
 
 "Mr. and Mrs. Richard Vaughn: We did what 
 we thought was for the best, and we wish you all 
 the happiness you deserve. There may be some 
 explanations to make, but we will make them when 
 the time comes, and we shoulder all the blame. 
 We can afford to do this much, for we have had a 
 whole lot of fun. Harley and Dot." 
 
 Dick handed the note to Mabel, who read it 
 through. 
 
 "What does it all mean, Dick?" 
 
 "I am sure I don t know, but I do know we are 
 married and that I have not lost my money, and I 
 know I am satisfied as it is and am willing for them 
 to make the explanations." 
 
 "Is it true, then, that you are still rich?" 
 
 "Quite true, my dear. Are you sorry?" 
 
 "No, not now, but it makes me feel better to think 
 that I thought I was marrying a poor man." 
 
 Harley returned to the studio. He had been gone 
 just two hours. Miss Hartley was still waiting. 
 
 "So good of you to wait for me," said Harley. 
 
 "Don t mention it, Mr. Bean; it is a pleasure to
 
 358 RICHARD VAUGHN 
 
 wait for you. Did you finish your business to your 
 satisfaction?" 
 
 "Entirely, Miss Hartley. The most successful 
 little job I ever undertook! Shall we go now?" 
 
 Dot hunted up her father and told him the whole 
 story. The only comment he made was that this 
 seemed to be a day of matchmaking. 
 
 "What do you mean, Pop?" 
 
 "Nothing, only John Lemon was here to-day and 
 asked for your hand in marriage." 
 
 "What did you tell him?" 
 
 "That you would have to settle that for yourself. 
 What shall I tell him?" 
 
 "Tell him that I would not know what to do with 
 the other hand; and, as I know of someone who 
 wants them both, he need not waste any more time 
 on me." 
 
 The next morning Harley called to see Mrs. 
 Richards. He had some wonderful news to tell 
 her. Dick had given up his trip to Washington and 
 had declined the nomination of mayor. He was so 
 delighted with his wedding that he had decided not 
 to enter politics. 
 
 "Too bad!" said Mrs. Richards. She went to 
 the mantel and took down Dick s picture. 
 
 "Too bad! He would have made such a splendid 
 looking congressman ! 
 
 THE END.
 
 A 000 003 693 9