Alger Horatio Jr.
Andy Gordon
CHAPTER XLII.
HOW THE TABLES WERE TURNED
“Of course,” continued White, “it is evident enough why the boy came here. He wanted to worm himself into the confidence of your father-in-law and deprive you of the property which ought to come to you.”
“It is shameful!” exclaimed Mr. Brackett, indignantly.
“It’s outrageous!” chimed in Mrs. Brackett, furiously.
“You would never have known of this conspiracy but for me, Lucinda,” said George White.
“No more we should, George,” said his sister.
“And yet you grudge me the small sum you agreed to pay me.”
“Jeremiah,” said Mrs. Brackett, her parsimony overcome by this consideration, “it is true what George says. We must manage to pay him the money.”
“If you think best, Lucindy,” said her husband, submissively; “but allow me to suggest that if it is true, and we lose father’s money, we shall be very close-pressed ourselves.”
“You don’t understand, brother-in-law,” said White, “that the theft of your bank book will blast Henry’s, or rather Andy Gordon’s, reputation, and consign him to a prison.”
“That will be one comfort,” said Mrs. Brackett, her eyes lighting up with malicious exultation.
“Moreover, when the old man finds out what a scamp the boy is, he won’t be very apt to make him his heir.”
“George, you’re a great man,” said Brackett, admiringly. “It takes you to find out things.”
“Thank you, Jeremiah!” said White, modestly. “You must remember that I have knocked about the world long enough to get my wits sharpened.”
“What shall we do about this matter? How shall we proceed? Shall we have the boy arrested?”
“I’ll tell you. Send for the old man and the boy at once. Then we’ll go upstairs together and discover the bank book in the boy’s drawer.”
“There’s one objection,” said Brackett, uneasily. “Father doesn’t know that we have any money in the savings bank.”
“And you didn’t mean that I should know, either, Jeremiah,” laughed White. “No matter. Look out for number one. That’s my motto, and I can’t complain if it’s yours also. The old man will have to know now. You can explain the matter some way.”
Mr. Brackett went up to Mr. Dodge’s room and called him down, while Mrs. Brackett, with a stern frown, summoned Andy from the yard, where he was at work.
When all were gathered in the sitting room, Mrs. Brackett began.
“Father,” she said, “we have made an unpleasant discovery.”
“What is it?” asked the old man.
“We have discovered that there is a thief in the house.”
Curiously it chanced that neither Andy nor Mr. Dodge looked nervous, but each fixed his eyes upon George White.
“Well,” said Simon Dodge, after a pause, “who is it?”
“It is that boy!” said Mrs. Brackett, venomously, pointing to Andy.
Andy started, but did not look at all panic-stricken.
“Who charges me with being a thief?” he demanded, boldly.
“I do!” said George White, smiling triumphantly.
“Oh, it’s you, is it?” said Andy, contemptuously.
“How he brazens it out!” thought Mrs. Brackett.
“Yes,” she said, aloud. “My brother has found you out in your evil doings.”
“What is Henry charged with stealing?” asked Mr. Dodge, mildly.
Now it was Mrs. Brackett’s turn to look confused.
“Tell him, George,” she said.
“My sister’s savings-bank book,” answered White.
“So you have a deposit in the savings-bank?” said Simon Dodge, in a tone which rather disconcerted his self-styled daughter-in-law.
“Jeremiah and I, by great economy, had saved something,” she explained, hurriedly; “though we could hardly hope to keep it long, on account of our increasing expenses.”
“Suppose we go up to the boy’s room, and convince you all of his character,” said White.
“Lead on, sir!” said the old man, with dignity. “I shall not believe that Henry is a thief till I have the most convincing proof.”
“You shall have the most convincing proof, sir,” said George White, pompously.
Together they went upstairs, and filed one by one into the attic chamber occupied by our hero.
George White stepped up to the dressing table already referred to, and opened the drawer wide.
From the corner he drew out the savings-bank book.
“There!” said he, with a flourish, “what do you say to that?”
“What do you say to it, Henry?” asked Simon Dodge, kindly.
“That I never saw the book before in my life,” answered our hero, promptly.
“What a brazen liar!” ejaculated Mrs. Brackett, holding up both hands in a theatrical manner.
“Then how did it get there, Henry?” asked Brackett, thinking that the question indicated extraordinary sharpness. “It couldn’t get into the drawer of its own accord, I take it.”
“I agree with you, sir,” said Andy, not appearing so much overwhelmed as his questioner expected.
“Then perhaps you’ll be kind enough to tell us how it did get there, young man,” said George White, magisterially.
“I will, sir,” answered Andy, with the utmost coolness. “You put it there.”
“I put it there?” exclaimed White, looking around him, with a mocking smile. “My young friend, that is entirely too thin.”
“Oh, yes, Henry!” chimed in Mr. Brackett. “You can’t make us believe that story, you know.”
“I’d like to box your ears, you young slanderer!” exclaimed Mrs. Brackett, glaring at poor Andy, who, however, did not appear to be withered by her glance. “You’re a humbug, as well as a thief! You’re an impostor, and we’ve found you out.”
“How is Henry an impostor?” asked Mr. Dodge, mildly.
“His name is no more Henry Miller than mine is,” vociferated Mr. Brackett, furiously.
“How is that, Henry?” asked Mr. Dodge.
“Mr. Brackett is perfectly right,” said our hero.
“Yes,” confirmed Simon Dodge; “since you have found it out, I may as well introduce Henry Miller as my grand-nephew, Andy Gordon, of the town of Hamilton.”
“What do you say to your grand-nephew turning out to be a thief?” asked Mr. Brackett, triumphantly.
“What do I say? I say that it’s a lie!” answered the old man, unexpectedly.
Mr. and Mrs. Brackett stared at each other in dismay.
“He’s been detected in the act. The book was found in his drawer.”
“And that man put it in,” said the old man, with spirit, pointing to George White.
“How dare you say this?” demanded White, angrily.
“Because I have been in the house all the afternoon. I saw you steal into your sister’s room and presently emerge with the book. I afterward saw you go up with it to Andy’s room. The inference is plain enough.”
“I don’t believe it,” said Mrs. Brackett, faintly.
“Perhaps you will when you hear a little more about this precious brother of yours. Andy, tell Mrs. Brackett what you know about him.”
For the first time, George White looked nervous and uneasy. Andy spoke without hesitation:
“The last time I saw him he tried to rob me of a large sum which I was carrying to deposit in the bank, three hundred miles from here. He was in company with an older man, who was caught, and is now serving a term of years in State’s prison.
“It’s a base lie!” said White, but his face showed that the charge was true. “The boy is accusing me to get off himself. Do you believe this shameful story, Lucinda?”
“Of course I don’t. The boy slanders you, George. Will you send for the constable and have the young rascal arrested?”
“As you please, madam,” said Andy, coolly. “I shall be able to prove my innocence.”
At this moment a loud knocking was heard below, and they hurried downstairs into the sitting room.
“Oh, it’s the constable!” said Mrs. Brackett, joyfully. “Mr. Peters, we were just going to send for you to arrest a thief.”
“Oh, you’ve found him out, have you?” asked Mr. Peters, looking rather surprised.
“Do you know anything about it?” said Mrs. Brackett in equal surprise.
“This gentleman gave me full particulars,” said Mr. Peters, pointing to his companion, a quiet man in black.
“Who is he?”
“Detective Badger, of New York.”
“I see the man I want,” said Badger, quietly. “George White, alias Jack Rugg, you are my prisoner!”
“No, it’s the boy you are to arrest,” said Mrs. Brackett, hurriedly.
“Pardon me, madam,” said the detective, “I know my man. Indeed he is well known to the metropolitan police.”
White tried to dash by, but unsuccessfully.
The detective brought out a pair of handcuffs, and, with the help of the constable, secured him.
Mrs. Brackett sank into a chair in consternation. She had had no idea of her brother’s desperate character, and was unable to utter a word. When the police authorities had carried away their prisoner, Mr. Dodge said to Mr. and Mrs. Brackett:
“After what has occurred, I decline to pass another night under your roof. Andy will go with me to the hotel, and I shall leave you to-morrow, to spend the remainder of my days in his mother’s house.”
“So this is what you have been plotting, is it?” asked Mrs. Brackett, her eyes flashing. “This is why this boy crept into our home under a false name and under false pretenses!”
“He came because I wrote to his mother, asking her to send him,” said Mr. Dodge, with dignity.
“He came to help me, and necessarily had to take a new name, in order not to excite your suspicions.”
“Your mind has failed,” said Mrs. Brackett, sharply, “and you have fallen a victim to designing people.”
“No, madam. My mind has not failed!” said Simon Dodge. “I have escaped the designs of your husband and yourself, to whom I have already been more liberal than you had any right to expect. What property I have left will go to this boy, who is my heir, and I recommend you to destroy the forged will, which you instigated your brother to write. Should you undertake to interfere with me, this criminal project of yours shall be revealed to the public. Come, Andy, go and pack your things. We shall not spend another night under this roof.”
Half an hour later a carriage drew up to the door, and Andy and the old man drove away, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Brackett utterly overwhelmed by the discovery of their nefarious plans.
CHAPTER XLIII.
BAD REPORTS ABOUT ANDY
Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon. Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual. He had written, but the letter had not come to hand.
“I am afraid Andy is sick,” she said to herself. “How long it seems since I last saw him! He is my all, and if anything should happen to him, I don’t know what would become of me.”
Just then in came Miss Susan Peabody, who had always been attached to Mrs. Gordon.
“Well, Mrs. Gordon, and what do you hear from Andy?” she asked.
“Nothing,” answered the widow, sadly. “I have not had a letter for nearly a fortnight.”
“I heard something to-day that made me very angry,” said Miss Susan.
“About Andy?” asked Mrs. Gordon, looking up.
“Yes, about Andy. It’s scandalous!”
“You make me nervous,” said the widow. “Tell me what it is, my good friend.”
“As far as I can judge, it’s a rumor set afloat by Herbert Ross, who never liked Andy. He claims to have seen a paragraph – now you mustn’t mind it, for of course it’s a falsehood – implicating Andy in some crime – stealing, I believe.”
“It’s a base falsehood!” said Mrs. Gordon, her pale face flushing with justifiable anger.
“Of course it is; and I wouldn’t have spoken of it if the report had not obtained considerable currency. Don’t let it trouble you!”
“I won’t!” said Mrs. Gordon, with spirit. “It only shows the malice and meanness of the person who set it afloat.”
“I suppose one reason for such rumor is, that people are very curious to learn where Andy has gone.”
“Very likely. My anxiety is not at all about Andy’s behavior, but about his health. If I were only sure that he was well, I would feel perfectly unconcerned.”
“That is right, Mrs. Gordon. You look at matters in the right light. I was always very much attached to Andy, as I may some time show. Not many boys would have defended my house and money as bravely as Andy did.”
“He was always a good boy. I have never had reason to feel ashamed of him,” said the mother, proudly.
Just then there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Gordon rose and opened it. To her surprise she saw before her the tall, dignified figure of Rev. Dr. Euclid, who the reader will remember was the preceptor of the Hamilton Academy.
Mrs. Gordon had a high respect for Dr. Euclid, and welcomed him cordially.
“I am glad to see you, Dr. Euclid,” said she. “Won’t you come in?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Gordon; I will come in for five minutes, but I cannot tarry long. When did you hear from your son, Andy?”
“Not for two weeks – or nearly two weeks.”
“He was well?” questioned the doctor.
“Quite well, then; but I am feeling somewhat anxious about him now, on account of the delay of letters.”
“Don’t let that trouble you. Letters often miscarry.”
“I understand,” said Mrs. Gordon, “that some malicious person is spreading slanderous reports about Andy. Have you heard anything of the kind, Dr. Euclid?”
“Yes, Mrs. Gordon; but I did not give one moment’s credence to them.”
“Can you tell me anything about the nature of the reports?”
“It appears that in some paper was published a paragraph touching a certain Andrew Gordon, who was charged with stealing a sum of money from his employer, but it was expressly stated that he was twenty-five years of age. Andy has ill-wishers, however, who, overlooking this circumstance, have been glad to report that he was in trouble.”
“It is contemptible!” said Miss Susan Peabody, warmly.
“So it is, my dear Miss Peabody,” said Dr. Euclid. “Andy was my favorite pupil, and I will stake my own reputation on his honor and honesty.”
“Who is most active in circulating this report?” asked the widow.
“I suspect my pupil, Herbert Ross, who never liked your son, has been active in the matter. He is a selfish, purse-proud idle boy, and Andy is worth half a dozen of him.”
“Who is speaking so well of Andy?” asked a young, fresh voice, the sound of which startled all three.
Immediately the door was thrown open, and Andy himself, closely followed by a weak, old man, entered the room.
“Andy, my dear boy!” exclaimed his mother, and folded him with inexpressible joy, in her arms.
“Mother, this is Uncle Simon Dodge,” said our hero, when the first greeting was over. “Won’t you give him a welcome?”
“Uncle Simon,” said Mrs. Gordon, cordially, “I am glad to see you. If you are willing to share our humble home you may consider yourself now at home.”
“It is my strongest wish,” said the old man, with beaming face.
Here Andy introduced his uncle to Miss Peabody and Dr. Euclid, who gave him a friendly greeting, and expressed a wish to know him better.
“It is well you have come, Andy,” said Miss Peabody, “to quiet the reports that are circulating about you.”
“What are they?” asked Andy.
“It is said you have stolen a large sum of money, and I presume you are supposed to be in jail.”
“Then I’ll show myself in the village this evening,” said Andy, laughing, “to satisfy my good friends that there’s a mistake. Was Herbert Ross very sorry to hear it?”
“I believe he has been one of the most active in spreading the report.”
“Poor Herbert! How disappointed he will be!” said Andy, laughing good-naturedly.
CHAPTER XLIV.
CONCLUSION
An hour later, Andy met Herbert Ross on the street.
Herbert, who had not heard of our hero’s return, started as if he had met a serpent.
“Good-evening, Herbert,” said Andy, good-naturedly.
“Have you got back?” asked Herbert, curiosity struggling with disappointment.
“It looks like it, doesn’t it?”
“I thought you had got into trouble?” said Herbert. “How did you manage to get out of it?”
Andy laughed.
“I hear,” he said, “that some of my good friends have been circulating bad reports about me. It’s a pity to spoil their enjoyment, but it’s another person entirely who has misbehaved himself. As I am not twenty-five, I don’t see how anyone should think it was I.”
“That might be a mistake, you know. The name was Andrew Gordon.”
“Then I wish Andrew Gordon would change his name. I assure you, Herbert, I have no intention of taking up the business of stealing.”
“You’d better not,” said Herbert, stiffly, feeling rather suspicious that Andy was laughing at him.
“Did you make any money when you were away?” asked Herbert.
“Oh, yes! I got a situation directly.”
“Was the pay good?”
“Fifty cents a week and my board,” answered Andy, gravely.
Herbert sniffed scornfully.
“You’d better have stayed at home,” he said.
“I don’t know about that. I am well satisfied with the success of my journey.”
“You can’t be janitor again!” said Herbert, triumphantly.
“Why not?”
“Another boy got it, and Dr. Euclid won’t put him out, just to oblige you.”
“I am not a candidate for the position of janitor,” said Andy.
“Don’t you mean to go to school, then?”
“Oh, yes! I want to continue my education,” said Andy.
“You know enough already for a poor boy.”
“Thank you for the compliment!”
“You’d better get a place somewhere to work.”
“Thank you! But, as I propose to go to college, I shall go back to the academy.”
“Go to college! How can you go to college? Why, you haven’t a cent!”
“I can’t stop to explain, Herbert. But you’ll hear before long.”
Herbert did hear, and so did the whole village, that Andy had brought back with him a rich uncle, who was credited with being worth fifty thousand dollars.
We know that this is not true, but rumor is prone to exaggerate the extent of a man’s fortune.
It was, moreover, reported – and this on good authority – that Andy was to be his uncle’s heir.
It is surprising how much his social importance, and that of his mother, were enhanced by this fact. Even those who had credited the story of Andy’s being a thief were among the first to congratulate him; and Herbert Ross, disagreeable as the news was to him, gave up his sneers and became actually civil. Indeed, he would have become intimate with Andy, if our hero had encouraged him to be so.
The little cottage proved too small and inconvenient, now that the widow had another inmate, and Mr. Dodge bought a handsome house opposite that of Lawyer Ross, from a manufacturer about to leave town, and with it the furniture, both of which he got at an excellent bargain.
Andy went back to school, and soon made up what he had lost by absence. He was no longer janitor, but he was never ashamed to speak of the time in which he had filled that office.
It never rains but it pours. When the Misses Peabody died it turned out that they left their entire property to Andy, having no near relatives to bequeath it to.
He is recognized as the heir of Mr. Dodge, who is still living in comfortable enjoyment of life at the age of eighty, and so our young hero is likely to have no pecuniary anxieties.
As I write, he is a member of the senior class at Yale College, and holds a distinguished rank among his class-mates.
Herbert Ross is in the same class, but he drags along near the foot, and seems likely to confer little credit upon his alma mater.
Andy will study law, and we may fairly expect a credible, perhaps brilliant, position for the young man whose early poverty compelled him to fill the position of a janitor.
A few words about some of our subordinate characters and our story ends.
Mr. and Mrs. Brackett were terribly mortified by the disastrous issue of their unlawful designs. They understood that they had overreached themselves, and they will always remain discontented and unhappy.
It leaked out in their town that Mrs. Brackett’s brother was confined in State’s prison for burglary, and this was by no means agreeable. George White would not receive a very cordial welcome now at the farm.
Joshua Starr was found dead one day in his barn. The property which he had accumulated by miserly ways and unscrupulous dealings, went to a cousin whom he hated. Was his life worth living?
Mike Hogan and George White are still boarding in a State institution, where they are likely to remain till the end of their term, though they would willingly relieve the State of the burden of their maintenance.
Rev. Dr. Euclid, honored and respected as of old, still remains principal of Hamilton Academy. He follows with strong interest the career of Andy Gordon, the greatest favorite among the hundreds of pupils whom he has had under his instruction, and he confidently predicts for him a brilliant future. May his prediction be fulfilled.
