IN WINTER DAYS
Miles’s story had been listened to with the closest attention by all
the little party.
“It’s just like a chapter out of a book,” Florence whispered to Roy. “I
wonder if he’ll ever find out who he really is?”
“But how did you come by the name Harding?” Roy inquired. “Weren’t you
Miles Morrisey once?”
“Yes, but when they went away, and I got to having such hard knocks
from the world, I didn’t want to drag the name down with me, and so I
thought Harding would suit me pretty well, and took it.”
Rex seemed inclined to grow excited over the theme, so Mrs. Raynor
proposed an immediate adjournment.
“To-morrow is Sunday,” she said, “and Miles can have a long day with
you.”
In the course of this long day, the wanderer told Roy why he had been
so drawn to Rex.
“I’d seen lots of nice looking fellows like him,” he said, “but they
always looked down on me and kind of kept off, as if they didn’t want
me to touch them with my dirty clothes. But I had to touch Rex when he
fell over, and he didn’t seem to mind it.”
Rex flushed when Roy told him this.
“I’m afraid I didn’t seem to mind because I was too far gone to mind
anything,” he said. “But I do like Miles and would like to do all I can
for him.”
Roy returned home Monday morning, and Mrs. Pell went out to Rex that
night. He improved rapidly, and within a fortnight was able to be moved
to Philadelphia.
It was pitiable to see the effect of the parting on Miles. The Raynors
had found him very capable and were anxious to keep him. There was no
reason why he should not stay, except his desire to be where Rex was,
and his quixotic notion that he might meet his father or mother should
he go to Philadelphia.
“Keep a look out for me, Rex,” he said, “and if you hear of any
position you think I could fill, let me know.”
Rex promised, and after he got home told his mother that when she could
make up her mind to completely forgive him for all he had done, he
wished that she would think of something they could do for Miles.
“I have forgiven you already, Reggie,” was the reply. “I know that you
have suffered enough not to need any other lesson. Now, why not make
Miles a present of a complete outfit? Wouldn’t he take it all right?
Then when he is properly fitted out you can invite him on here for
Thanksgiving day.”
Rex talked over the idea with Roy and then they wrote to Mrs. Raynor
about it. The end of the matter was that they procured Miles’s measure,
and sent him the things as a present from Rex.
The invitation for Thanksgiving was in the letter that accompanied
them.
The young fellow’s gratitude was beyond the power of expression, and
over and over again he asked Mrs. Raynor if she thought it was right
for him to accept the invitation.
“Of course it is right,” she told him. “They would not have asked you
if they had not wanted you.”
His happiness seemed to shine out of every feature of his face when he
boarded the Philadelphia train Wednesday afternoon. Rex met him at the
station, and was surprised to see what a good looking fellow he made
when he was properly rigged out.
“Maybe I’ll make some awful blunders,” Miles confided to him on the way
to the house. “Remember I’ve never been with swell folks before.”
“We’re not swell,” Rex laughed.
He had half a mind to let him know then and there where they got their
money, but decided that he wouldn’t. That night he took his guest to
the theater, and the next day Sydney had a long talk with him.
His manners were much easier among the unaccustomed surroundings than
Rex had dared to hope they would be. Mrs. Pell was very much attracted
by him, and both girls declared he was “so interesting.”
In his talk with him Sydney sought to draw out all the facts he could
about the Morriseys.
“That boy you had the fight with, Miles,” he said—“Jimmy, I think you
told Rex his name was—did you never ask him any questions about what he
overheard that night?”
“No. Mr. Morrisey seemed not to want me to talk about it, and besides,
I never would have asked Jimmy after what had happened.”
“But you’d ask him now, wouldn’t you?” went on Sydney. “You say that
you heard his mother was dead. He seems to be the only person left from
whom you can get a clew.”
“Yes, I’d ask him now if I had the chance,” Miles admitted “But I don’t
know just where he is. You see, I’ve lost track of the Morriseys
lately.”
“But you could find it again couldn’t you? Write to the place where you
heard they were last. Where was that?”
“Bismarck.”
“Very good. Do that, and when you have found out all you can from
Jimmy, let me know.”
Miles promised to attend to this, but since he had fallen in with Rex,
his desire to hunt up his parents seemed not as strong as it had been.
He went back to the Raynors enthusiastic over his visit, and talked of
it for weeks afterward.
Meanwhile Roy and Rex settled down to their school life. The change
made in Rex by his New York experience was quite noticeable. While
retaining all his dignity of manner, he was more thoughtful of the
feelings of others than he had been.
He worried a good deal at first about the opinion Scott Bowman must
have of him, and truth to tell Scott did feel a little sore over the
way he had been treated.
The two boys did not write or see each other till they met accidentally
in the street at Christmas time.
Rex saw Scott coming and grew red in spite of himself. There was a
chance, he felt, that the other might go by without speaking to him.
But Scott halted and put out his hand.
“Hello, Rex,” he said, “you _are_ a stranger.”
And at these words a great burden was lifted from Reginald’s mind.
The truth of the matter was, it was very difficult to keep at odds with
a fellow with the fascinating personality of Rex Pell, and now since
the recent change in him he was more attractive than ever. He took
Scott home to lunch with him, and related in detail his adventures on
his memorable trip.
“Where the fun in being ‘tough’ comes in,” he concluded, “I don’t see.”
At Christmas time Mrs. Pell had Mrs. Raynor and Florence in for a
visit.
“Has Miles heard from Jimmy Morrisey yet?” Rex inquired.
“No,” Florence replied. “He didn’t write till about three weeks ago.”
“You’ll let him come in and see us New Year’s, won’t you?” Rex went on.
“Yes indeed, if you would like to have him.”
Miles came for New Year’s and brought the information that he had heard
from Jimmy Morrisey at last. He was a hall boy in a New York hotel, and
said that as near as he could remember the name he had heard his father
mention that night in his talk with his mother was Darley.
Rex wrote the name down on a piece of paper and put it away to show to
Sydney on his return from his Florida trip, for his health had been
growing steadily poorer and Mrs. Pell had persuaded him finally to go
South with a friend for a while.
“You know he isn’t really my own brother,” Rex confided to Miles. “But
he’s a distant relative. His father and mother died when he was very
little.”
Miles was much interested on hearing this. It served in some way to
establish another bond between himself and the Pells.
“I’ll let you know what Syd finds out about this as soon as he finds
out anything,” Rex told Miles at parting.
Miles had begun to attend school. He had not had an opportunity to
study since leaving the Morriseys. He was naturally quick, and made
good progress.
“He’ll know too much by spring to be put to garden work again,” Mrs.
Raynor had said when she was in. “I hardly know what to do with him
then.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” laughed Jess. “By that time he may have
found his parents and be a millionaire.”
“How you talk, Jess,” interposed her sister. “If he ever does find his
people, it doesn’t follow that they will be wealthy. Indeed, he’d
probably never have been given to the Morriseys if his father hadn’t
been too poor to support him.”
Eva took a deep interest in the case. She was of a literary turn of
mind, and wove many a romance in her busy brain about the early history
of this strange youth, who seemed so extraordinarily gentle,
considering his rough bringing up.
Sydney came home just before the twins’ vacation ended.
“Oh, Syd!” Rex suddenly exclaimed, that first evening as they were all
seated in the library, listening to Florida experiences. “Miles has
heard from this Morrisey boy.”
“Well,” replied Sydney, “did he learn anything of importance?”
“Yes, he found out the name his father and mother used when they were
talking about the man who brought Miles to them.”
“And what was it?”
“Darley.”
Sydney fell back in his chair and grew as white as a ghost.