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The Unknown Heirs, or The Contested Cnheritance.
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worked themselves upward so diligently
and successfully, that not onlv have they
earned n comfortable maintenance, but
shortly before the date of our visit, they
came to Meredith, purchased u small yet
comfortiibln house, and found lucrative
employment. They have yet, it is said, a
respectable nest-egg in bank. Success
attend them."
Mr. Bonnet gazed intently upon the
article for several mini tcs, and then arose
and paced the floor with his arms folded
across his chest. This conduct drew the
attention of his nephew, who looked in
quringly at him. Mr. Bonnet soon
poke,
"Dudley," he said, "you know some
thing about my two run-a-way children, I
presume? "
"I have been somewhat informed," wus
the brief answer, for Dudley believed that
the tyranny of his uncle hud been the sole
cause of his desertion by them.
There was silence for several minutes,
broken at last by Mr. Bonnet's reseating
himself and saying:
" Then I will tell you of my two chil
drcn, for I have thought much about thtm
to-night. I sometimes think that unjust
treatment on my part did really drive them
away. Richard and Isabel, the only two
of my children who survived childhood,
both left me, the one when nineteen, the
other seventeen, because they said that I
would have them do this and that when
their inclinations were in opposite direc
tions. " I don't know but that I was too arbi
trary. I wanted Richard to study medi
cine, lie declared that ho could not, that
he had no taste for it, and wanted o go to
sea. I thought that that was a boyish
fancy which he would overcome in time,
but he did not. It grow upon him. My
father, you know, lost his life at sea, and
my brother Joshua, who was a sea captain ,
died of cholera in tho West Indies. I
thought it folly on his part to want to go
to sea, and I would not consent. I feared
that ho would como to an untimely end.
"But he persisted, grew more and more
defiant of my wishes, cuid at last ran away.
He kept his whereabouts secret until after
he became of age when he turned up in
Salem and had married a girl not worth a
cent, when he might have had Florence
Brown and a snug fortune with her, as well
as not. He was as poor as Joti's turkey,
too proud to ask help of me, and I, as
proud as lie, would have nothing to do
with him. It has been eight years since 1
have heard anything of him. He was
then in Ncwburyport. Ho was command
dor of an important vessel engaged in the
European trade.
'As for Isabel, she took a notion for a
worthless fellow named Kelley. Possibly
ho was well enough, but he had no prop
erty, no parents or near relations, and was
improvident. I couldn't stand all that,
holding the position tltat I do, and I re
sorted to extreme measures to break up
the ill-assorted match. But she was us
defiant as Richard, and tho result was,
they also ran away, two years after Rich
ard did. Kelley lived at his wits' ends
until ho died of Panama fever on his way
to California. I am now childless, and
live almost like a hermit. Now toll me,
Dudley, was I right in the course I pur
sued V "
Dudley hesitated. The question was
unexpected, and he feared that should he
speak out his honest belief in the prem
ises he too might win tho displeasure of
tho old man. But seeing his uncle in an
unwontrd mood, ho mentally resolved, let
come what would, to endeavor to make
him sec tho unwise course lie had pur
sued, and make some reparation for his
wrongs. Ho therefore upprouched tho
subject,
"Uncle," he said, "I think you were
wrong. Now Richard made an excellent
sailor. To-day, in looking over a news,
paper some six years old, I saw an account
of the loss of the ship of which ho wan
tho commander. It also spoke highly of
him. The road which ho had traveled
had been hard, but to more Ihnn compen
sate for this lie had nchioved a reputation.