SOMETHING ABOUT THE BELGRAVE FAMILY
Sir Louis Belgrave, as Squire Scarburn insisted upon calling the
millionaire hero, had never been dubbed a knight in the nineteenth
century, for chivalry is an obsolete institution. He was a very
enterprising young man, and he had already done some “big things.”
There was no king or queen, no legion of honor, no National Academy, to
honor him with a title or give him a bit of ribbon, and Uncle Moses had
conferred the former upon him.
The title was a mere pleasantry, and did not amount to a “hill of
beans” in a republican country. It was rather derisive than otherwise;
yet it seemed to please the worthy trustee, and simply expressed his
idea that the boy was fond of adventure.
Peter Belgrave was the paternal grandfather of Louis. He had
married the daughter of Hans Von Blonk, and through her had come
into possession of an immense tract of land, which had been the old
Dutchman’s farm. This territory became very valuable, and even before
the owner of it died it was largely covered with houses, mostly
occupied by residents of New York City, and received the name of Von
Blonk Park, because Dutch names were fashionable at that time.
Peter was a shrewd man, and sold his land at high prices. Almost in
spite of himself he accumulated about two millions of dollars, which he
invested. He had only one child, Paul Belgrave, the father of Louis.
When the War of the Rebellion broke out, this boy was filled with
patriotism, and soon went into the army.
Peter’s patriotism did not amount to much, for he believed the war
would be the utter ruin of the country, and that the Confederate Army
would soon be in New York City. His property was his only solicitude,
for he was satisfied in his own mind that the work of confiscation
would soon begin in the metropolis. He turned all his large fortune
into gold, and stored it for a time in a safe deposit institution. Then
he built a brick vault for it under the old-fashioned chimney in the
cellar of his ancient mansion. It took him six months to move the money
to his house.
His wife had died before the departure of his son, and the old man
lived alone in the old house. He had been a mason in his younger
days, and he had the skill to build the vault without assistance from
any one. While the war was still raging, and his son was far away,
Peter dropped dead of apoplexy. He had been entirely secret in all
his precautions for the safety of his money, and had no confidant.
His secret went down to the grave with him, and there it remained for
nearly twenty years.
Paul Belgrave was severely wounded in one of his battles, was sent home
and discharged. He was a partial invalid for years, but he married
Maud Nashwood, the daughter of his guardian, who was the belle of
the county. He continued to live in the ancient mansion, and he never
gave up the search for the missing million; but he died without having
obtained the slightest clew to the lost treasure.
Mrs. Belgrave was a beautiful woman at thirty-three, and many sought
the hand of the fair widow. About two years after the death of her
husband there came to the Park a good-looking man by the name of Wade
Farrongate. He met the widow in society and church. He was a noted
connoisseur in horses, attended all the races, took part in them, and
was a marvellous jockey. He trained horses for the course, managed
pools, and held the stakes of the betters.
He was a handsome man, and several of the ladies he met would have been
glad to join their fortunes to those of the brilliant horseman. But Mr.
Farrongate would look at no one but the fair widow; and though she was
a member of the church, active in all good works, she could not resist
the good-looking horse-trainer. He married her, and all went well with
them for a couple of years.
From the beginning Farrongate seemed to take a dislike to Louis
Belgrave, though the boy tried to be pleasant, and used every means
within his reach, for his mother’s sake, to conciliate him; but he
would not be conciliated.
Louis overheard a conversation between Farrongate and his mother, and
ascertained that the jockey proposed to return to England, where he
was born and had lived most of his life, taking his wife and her son
with him. At another time he listened to a conference between the
horse-trainer and an old citizen of the Park, in which Farrongate
manifested a strong desire to learn all the particulars relating to the
missing fortune of Peter Belgrave.
Louis was satisfied that Farrongate had married his mother from
mercenary motives. Her deceased husband had made a will in which he
left all he had, wherever it might be found, to Louis, his only child.
He gave to his wife, while she remained his widow, the use of the old
house with the half an acre of ground on which it was built, together
with a couple of new houses he had erected and rented, and also made
her the guardian of their son. In case the boy should die before he
became of age, all the property was to go to the wife. Squire Moses
Scarburn was appointed executor and trustee under the will.
Louis was treated very roughly by his stepfather, in spite of the
youth’s efforts to conciliate him. The jockey abused him, resorting at
last even to blows. The high-spirited young fellow rebelled. He was
entirely satisfied in his own mind that Farrongate was wicked enough to
put him out of the way, so that his mother could inherit the property,
including the missing million, which hardly any person believed would
ever be recovered. Louis was inclined to believe that the jockey had
some exclusive information in regard to the lost treasure.
When Louis could no longer endure his lot at home, he made a confidant
of Squire Scarburn, telling him all he had overheard in regard to the
jockey’s plans. Farrongate admitted to his wife that his real name
was John Scoble, and that he was a deserter from the British army. He
pretended that some strong reasons compelled him to leave the country
of his adoption, and return to his native land.
Farrongate had induced his wife to believe that he sincerely wished to
live a good and true life. The poor woman was so infatuated with her
husband, who had always treated her very kindly, however it was with
her son, that she finally consented to go with him, and take Louis with
her. But after all he had heard from the lips of his stepfather, her
son would not submit to be taken to England, for he was sure that the
plan of going was a conspiracy against his health and happiness, if not
against his very life.
The boy rebelled, though he said not a word at home. He was not
infatuated with the jockey, as his mother was, and was confident that
he was concerned in some villainy on this side of the ocean, which made
it necessary for him to quit the country. Mrs. Farrongate and her son
were to leave the Park by a late train, and go on board of a steamer
that sailed at five o’clock in the morning; but their destination was
concealed from Louis.
The stepson had reason to believe that the occasion for going abroad
was to be created at the races the next day, and he made it his
business to ascertain the nature of this excuse. On the day Mrs.
Farrongate was to leave her home to take the steamer, Louis had a
quarrel with his stepfather, and in defence of himself and his mother
actually knocked him down with a cane. Then he fled from the house,
and the next day went to the races. At the close of the day Farrongate
decamped without warning, taking with him all the money in his hands
belonging to the pools or held as stakes.
Louis went to the pier where the steamer lay late in the evening, with
a newspaper extra announcing the robbery in his pocket, and found
his mother there. With the aid of the extra he was able to prove to
her that her husband was a thief and a swindler, and she consented
to abandon him, returning to the Park with Louis’s friend, Felix
McGavonty. The stepson remained in New York to watch the movements of
the swindler.
The jockey went on board of the steamer in disguise, carrying a little
valise in his hand. Louis contrived to obtain possession of the valise,
which was found to contain all the money the jockey had stolen, and
all he had obtained in other ways. With the aid of a sporting nabob,
reformed by the hero, all the stolen money was returned to its owners.
Farrongate was arrested as a deserter on his arrival in England, and
sent to his regiment. For two years Louis and his mother were not
disturbed by him; but when the deserter was discharged, he inherited
a sum of money from an uncle in India. Purchasing a vessel, he sailed
for New York, and is coming up the harbor when he is discovered by the
stepson, who is on board of the nabob’s yacht, on a pleasure excursion
with his mother. Louis is captured by the jockey, but effects his
escape. This exciting event is concealed from his mother, who is in
constant dread that her husband will return; though she has repudiated
him and taken the name of her first husband. Farrongate and his
schooner disappear after this event, and Louis and his mother are at
peace.
The boy, who had been a firm believer that the missing million would
be found, applies himself with energy to the task of finding it. In
the end he is successful, and becomes a millionaire at sixteen. Squire
Scarburn invested the money for him; and the young man finds himself in
the enjoyment of an income of seventy thousand dollars a year, besides
a surplus of a hundred thousand dollars, for the million proved to be
much more than that sum. A fine house was to be erected on the site of
the old one for the young man and his mother.
Mr. Woolridge, the nabob, abandons the race-course in order to save
his young son from its influences, and takes to yachting. Louis and
his mother were often his guests on board of the Blanche, and in this
manner the young millionaire acquires a taste for the sea and sailing.
He now desired to have a yacht of his own, though his ideas of yachting
were quite peculiar.