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Boston, Mass.. December 14. i899
CODYIIEHI. i899. by Perry Mason 5: Company.
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'. , K, ;.‘V...
By G1-a cz 5.RIchmond
R. James Ilarbomiigli II>(;E.l1ll‘ll his
nephews from behind a pair of imit-
(-losed eyelids, as his head rest:-ii .
against the back of the easy ohair in whicli he
sat. liis lips were an odd little sniili-. The
two young men who laced him looked less at
ease than himself. Max szit liolt upri:1lit ill a
stnliglit-lraclieil olirrir. his 1Il"ilVl’ 1-y ori fixed upon
the floor. Alec liiiinuiwiagiiliist the oorrior oi
the lmokmse. his liiuids in his povkvts, rind
his manner clIar‘zi('tei‘i. ivully Iioiivliiilulit; but
the excited flush upon his (.'lII’.i‘l<S l>i>tr:iyo<I his
lack of o0lllp0SI.lI‘9.
Alec broke the Sii1‘llC(-‘. “As I Iiiiilorstmiil
)'OlI, Uncle Jallll-'3," he said, “you will not
even express a preleroiice IIS to wliiizh one of
us accepts your oili>r‘.”'
“I prefer not in Ill) so," Mr. riui-iiumiigii
replied, men-ting Iirst one and then the otlmr
pair of eyes. in each of which he rr-,:id both
longing and perplexity. “As I say and as you
know. it is illl])(As‘Sll)l8 for you both to go. liipi
am unwilling to otter either of you the advan-
tage of a year abroad-with uppurturiitios for at
study during a (Ire-ater part of the tlIlI!%t0 the
exclusion ol the other. I shall not say I have
no preference; yet I can assure you both that
the company of either will be entirely ‘sIL‘k(‘pla-
able to me. But, as the matter lii-:4, I prefer
that y'ou decide between you ivliioh of you shall
go. And I must kiiovr," he l!Al!iI‘(l, rising
slowly as he spoke, “within a week. Our
passage has been en:;r,'t>d for sonire oiitlis;
E‘
our steanier sails next Wt-‘,1'l( Satnn
. he ynuug man man with liivu, E'I'l Ell"llil“(l
him respectfully tliroiigli the hall to the door.
Mr. James llarborough iias a man ii iiu (mn-
mandeil respect; his nephews were in the habit
of rendering it. The ilifferoiici: in their usual
mariner of doing so was expressed by the
contrast between Max's silent and 5()lllPWll.'Jt
formal acceptance of the elder man's linnd at
parting, and Aleds sudden rallying oi his
tJ
custoniary gay air as he said, hi’lll1.li
“Any how, Uncle Janirs, you must know
how we appreciate this. We can't help arzting
a little dashed over your wriditioiis, lH“(1)ll9C
We'd like to have you choose for youiisoli. lint
it's eertainly treinendously kind oI you, and
one of us is bound to re the iiiost l;l'aiA‘llIl
fellow on the Lucania next week Saturday."
Uncle James smiled, nodded, and walked
down the steps to his hrouglianii with no further
reply. He left behind him a piiii< of wry
nnoornlortable persons, whose oyrs mot iioborly
as they retnmed lo the room wliem the propo-
sition had been made only hall an hour bi-fore.
“Confound it all!" cried Alec. iinpatioiitly,
as he tlung himself into the chair Uiiole Jiuiios
had just Vacated. ““'hy couldn't he Iiuvo said
which of us he wniited? I suppose tliore‘s no
doubt its you he really wantsi"
Max's grave lips ulioloseil at this. “Not at
all," he replied. with a hill look hen-,k inl.o
Aleo‘s ey 98. "You have always Iiu-ii his
favorite, as you very well know. Nobody ever
has two minds as to which ot us he ]>l‘I‘,fe‘I‘S,"
“You're the Olill-Er," Alec uryzin-(L
“And you were gradiiaml in the iuuiie rinse
with me."
“But not with the sariie lioiiom”
“Uncle James is more of an aitlila-te than a
student. Your reuird in the hunt ElIl‘]ViL‘lsQS
mine in the class-moiii-with him."
Alec broke into an ex N. we “lllSt.ltL
“That's a thing no fellow um find out." he
deeiareil. “Uncle Janios Stl"Il('l( me as siin::u-
larly nonoonniiittal all (’1llllllll'lIN‘lIlQ‘lII win-k.
He went to evurytliiniz initlifnlly, and didn't
not ashamed of us; but vi llll‘ll of us he prefers.
for the life of me I ain't tell."
It was at this point that tlieilonr (ilI‘ll('(l, and
am, rosy and 5llllllll‘,1,l)lll’.sl.llI. “(1linysI"
she cried, and stopped, livoking nnxloiisly Irom
one to the other of lwr brothers.
“No, we're not ipinrrt-lliii;;oi'er ityrt. l‘n.x%."
Alec renssiireil her, "but llIl)lP'5 no tr-llinu
what may liiippi-n. You sou, wl‘,'m both so
anxious to be the one to stay iit lionu-."
“No. we are each so anal-l tiiiit the niiu-r ii ill
be the one to go," Max oorrwtvd vi ith a fmwii.
“llut isn't it Rl0I'll)llS'r"’ ili-niiimlul Jenn
still out of breath. “Mothm"a Just told me.
THEl.R,-'PEFtSy,(r)N L --T5isg:s1oNs
,1 r v'””‘%‘.
like y'ou at (iivttiiiizoii. If you ooiild take
those clieniistry lGlftIll‘t'.x. Mint yiouliiii't it
mean to you" ('ini‘t you possibly‘ iilzurh‘
out some way to not Sklihli‘ You are‘
bound to do solni-‘lliinL', hiillinnt in that:
iine, old Iellow, iiilli yoirr llilssloll in!‘ it.)
t ii k it over seriously. 'l'here's lllrtlllllyli
like the iinpetirs viliir-ii even a few moiitiis' I
ildllll
Voi.uu: 73. NUVEKI 50.
51.75 A Yuri. SINLLE series 5 cans.
the uni-u uiiiilow. Max hail lillrllraoly t-iuizen
nini uni.-, I124 ono nhii-ii would lnnke it the
elixir-st for liilll to iro uimuizii the lilril task
he had sol iiinneii, and viliir,-h would give
him the nminnuiiity for the iumiim (-scape
huin an eiiiim-. mu: S4!9lll' uh.-n it was
lie lost not I‘ in oiiuiilig to the point.
“.tlo('," lie suid, isiltin[..' down upon um edge
oi the no, --i have iiiade
you," she added. more
“We might toss up for
it," Alec siiggestt-il, draw.
ing u shining Iiali-dollar
from his pocket and regard-
ing it with n gleani in his
eyes. Alev:'s luck was
proverbial. lie looked at
his brother qiiestiniiiiigly.
“I don't think that would
be fair to I'm.-le Jaiiies."
Max suiil, slowly. “I le told
us several times that he
]‘K-‘,l"NllIill decision, not of
chaiioe.“
Max rose and walked
toward the door. Things‘
usually “azure Ale<:'s way."
lie had been by far the
riiore popular of the two
iege. liI:ix‘s tine
scholarship had won
respect, but his reserved
inaniier and distaste for
society hail prevented his
bemiiiing a favorite. even
umuiig those whose tastes
and ambitions resembled
his own, (hi the oran-
trary, Alec, who was quick
and clever enough to keep
up with his liruther, two
years his elder, at the same
time that he was far below
him in actual solidity of
mind, had gained for him-
soil’ the liking of every one.
Ila possessed a much more
attranive personality than
been the one of the two to
be preferred in any cliuiee
which lay outside of them-
selves. And now, this lzmt
rind greailest good fortune
Vi‘lllI:ll was to be for one of
them, iieerned naturally to
belong to him.
“Alec is such a swell-
looking fellow," Jean said
to her mother. as they
talked it over that night, “so precisely like
Incle James himself lll his tastes. And he is 3
so fond of travel, and is such good uinipany-
oh, I am iilmost sure Uncle James wants him
to be the one."
“I think your uncle has been extremely
oarefril," t.lie mother of these three answered
t.ll0Il)llllIl.lll)'. “More careful. indeed. than
most people are, not to show any decided pref-
ereiirve for one over the other."
“0 niotliorl" cried Jean. “Of course I know
he'spi-oiulof Max-we all are, and I'm sure
some (lay we shiiii he praucler yet; hutlcan
see he likes Moe's gay ways. And while he
only looks solemn when Max talks. Alec
always makes his face light up."
"1: will be a very hard question iur them
to settle." sighed Mrs. llar-borough. “but I
finw - I know how it will come out.”
“llerir old Max!" said pretty Jean, regret-
fully. “I know he will Want toga dreadfully.
llut he will give up. Alec won‘t nie-an to
selfish,-uiiil of course whoever goes must sew-ni
the selfish one,-but I think he will let Max
nmke him go. “'e've all spoiled Alec A little
hit, lINll.llt‘l’. Wiien it comes to real character,
our pliiin-fxical boy is B.llP,:]d,"
I]: in his own main, with the door carefully
lU('l(P4l.. the “plain-fzwatl boy" Kit at his study
table, his hind in his hmirla Before him lnya
pile of foreign-lookiiii: lonflots. onialoiriies, and
an opt-ii la-tter. His eyes were resting upon
an e:<p<>(-ial pnruurapli in this lotlor. f.roni l-‘a.<t-
brook, who hurl ix-en his (-olloge clium, and the
one niiiii of his Clr’IKt viho hnd tlioroiiizhly
llll1lI‘l’.'4iAIIl Max llaiboniiigli, ;
“I will you." the words run. “Mint I am
find dosuiptive of the ridiiiess lhErB is for iiion
"ARE YOU REALLY coma To Do THIS-FOR ME? "
lrarvl study in iii-niiany would he uiio to give
1,“...
lie knew that panuzrapli by lioiiit. l'l:i.st-
wood understood and S)lIi]Ili[ill1All with the
passion for scientific vvsauvh “lIl('ll huniul in
Max's soul. He knew that tho l)ll!4llIl‘s.i
opening oflereil bi>ih'neplit-vi's by the vwullliy .
Mr. llarbtrmugh was extremely ilistusto-iiil to ‘
the elder, and that only the necessity fury
eaming money at once could keep him from vy
the devoted piusuit of his studies. 1
Max wondered if l'Iicli4 .laIu<>.s undemhooil
what the chance to go abroad mount to him. l
ire IIll(l()ul)tA!lliy' tiiuiuuiz that the year nil
foreign life would be of as ruucli be-rioiit to the
one as in the other young man. What would
Alec (let out of that year.’ A little more
knovi lodge of the world, a little more polish of
manner.-Alec was faultless now, in thiit
rd. when lie chose to be,-a siill lam:-r
share of conceit-Max suddenly lIll>ll9<i asiile
the letter and lI'<,mn to pure the tloor. his
brows coiitraetiiigz VK itli pain.
I-Jveryliody would take it as a nialtpr of
course if he, Mu. gave up. The poi id ii us
maxi to I?Vltli'illtZ about Aloe: it did so now as
it had alii ays iloiio. siiue the iiziy s vi lien purple
passed bythe soleiiin-focal. stnrizlit-liniml little
fellow of live y ears niii, to lake upon l.llI‘iI knees
the W2ilislIvP)i’il one of thin; ii-mi ihe soil
brown curls and the affeviiniinte iiiiys. .‘l)IX
wasusod to it, too; lieougiii toho, iiftor solniig
an exporloncea Soiiivliow, that ilid not make it
SN‘!!! the iniri-r, or the easier in hour.
The “9('l( was nearly up “lI(-‘ll, one night, it
Max mine into his broilu-r's room. just in Alix-
hail put out his light and juinpol into luil.
The lIN)lIllll)ZlIt was streinniiig brilliiinliy Iii iit
ill)‘ iiwi.-inii. 1 shall not
he the one to go,"
For a mollii-rit there WBS
no l.llISWi‘l'. 'l'lwu in Q
]>i’(‘illli'll‘ lone Aloe l$lC(‘1l,
“Don't you mire um"
Max's reply delayeil
nhiie lie put n stem grip
upon tho <li>.sii1- to rilmur
the nnswt-r his whole soul
gave to sin-ii n qua-stion.
Ihit wlioii lio spoke it was
only the involiiiiurry inflec-
tion oi the one word “Yes"
“hivh l)(’1l'll)'0Il hini
mrlil‘lI iiiiy," he p
sui-ii i-iii-iiuisiy. Ilutiiilg him.
nor upon nun mi-,
aiuuiiiuii1y- to wire out into
one moolilit me-.-4 l>t‘y'(vIl4l
his wiiidoiv, “do you give
it up?"
it SA'N'llIt'(l a fool's ques
tion In Max. “ills Alec
not i.vuini.v up iuiixe even ii
hit
ll .-air to
Li-op his tonipor and his
pnrpiiwe, rind lie spoke
quii-Ily: "lloiziuw I think
xx "
r.
ii. .
" hurt you think you
the-4'ri‘P the trip iiioietiiau
o‘.‘"
Max vias a svli-oolitained
iellovi, but the lire ruined
him his eyes at iiuit and
sprang to his lips.
“'l'lir-ii iiliat does illgux
(‘H013 you. please?" Alec
po '1 I
P1 .
lliv fart that I have
no doubt vihich oi us l'iir.-le
.l:oii<-:5 ri-ally uarils." Max
spoke in a hard hone; he
‘AIL very sure of Ihat
yzround. Alecdid not deny
the s(.:iiA>riwIit, but lay back
upon his pillow, with his
hi-ail main; upon one arnl,
his l‘)l‘!4 fixed upon Max's
(‘Joe viiih ii game Villlcll the
l&ILil‘I' foil to he siiigiiiaily peiieiraling, even
in ilio liull-llizht of the room. lie found his
S4'lI4(IliU0l giviliiz viny ll‘ll4’l'li.l'I his brother's
$ll‘llllLZl' l)1'llHYl0I‘. lie n-:Iliur>d now that he
Iiud l'x]IK’l4‘<I Aloe lo argue oie uuiuer; an urge
M:ix‘s A-lnilnsg at least. to show his surprise at
tho otlu-r's iunorilimi. lint his manner was
IIlIIl(I<l. ilnliilvrwit; it “[13 0or1.1ilIly cool to a
lIil.'ll Ilt1Zl‘I‘1t lie see-iiied to be imiepting the
our in Europe, as he would have received I
honhon. Max nm‘4'Ill)r1l[vil)‘.
“ li:it‘s all, I bi-lieve," he mid, and would
have loft the room, but Aloe sat. up in bed and
put out I hand to dc-lgrln lrirn.
“I'ou‘rv: sure of thrit l;ht‘."' he asked.
‘uiiiie so."
“I siippose you think l’ni-le Limes‘: WlSl]&i
should have first ooiisidunniol '
“('rrmiiily." Max's tone was a little impa-
tionL lically, did the boy think all this was
otxstim: him nothiugehiin, the elder brother?
lint Ali>c's tone suddenly cliangial. lie
izmspvil Max's hand and shook it.
“it‘s awfully good 01 you, old leliowl" he
suiil, vianuly. “I‘ll own I want to 1
know you dry too. llut thcre'll be other
l‘lll.ulI‘(‘S. I'iir'ie Jaiiu-ea always does the square
thing by us in the end. you know, nnd perhaps
you any serve him so iiell here at home that
you'll mine out first lll his gin-ii grapes after
Must you go noiv‘? Well. good night.
You're a tnunp, Max, and I'll not fnrgit it."
Nevi‘r1hx2li'sx it wiiuu in Max. during the
tiny. “lli1‘llIUll0“'l!l, as Aloe liud foryzoiten
The younpi-r hmtlii-r went about his preys
matioiis for 1 pnriure with an e.-isy good
humor mid lnliity nliii-li ivoulil have led no
one to tllI]V]Ilh‘n3 that his pleizsuie was to be at
l)l)nuI' -"'ll"" ill m“m"'ll'
