JULIUS BUYS A HOUSE.
An hour later the Indian was found drunk by the roadside. After
procuring a supply of liquor with the money which he had taken from
Julius, he set out on his return to the woods, but stopped from time to
time to drink. His potations were so deep that he was finally incapable
of proceeding farther.
His agency in kidnapping little Carrie having become known, he was
arrested, and brought before a justice. The magistrate sentenced him to
a month’s imprisonment, assuring him that when it was over it would not
be expedient for him to visit the neighborhood again. The savage endured
his imprisonment with the stoicism characteristic of his race, and on
the day of his release departed, and was not seen again in Brookville.
On the day succeeding Carrie’s adventure, Mr. Taylor said to Julius, “I
shall to-day place to your credit in the savings bank two hundred and
fifty dollars, in acknowledgment of your service in rescuing my little
girl, though it involved risk to yourself.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Julius, gratefully; “but I don’t think I deserve
so much.”
“Let me be the judge of that.”
“Abner did as much as I.”
“Abner will not go unrewarded. I shall deposit a similar sum in the bank
for him.”
“Then, sir, I can only thank you for your kindness. I hope I shall
deserve it.”
“I hope and believe you will,” said his patron, warmly. “Only keep on as
you have begun, and you will win the respect and good-will of all.”
Though Julius said little, this commendation gave him great
satisfaction. Little more than a year before he had been a poor and
ignorant street boy, the companion of two burglars, with no prospects in
life except to grow up in ignorance, and perhaps vice. To-day he was a
member of a family of social position, as well educated as most boys of
his age, with every encouragement to keep on in the right path, worth
three hundred dollars in money, and with a prosperous future before him.
“How fortunate I am,” he thought. “It was a lucky thing for me when I
made up my mind to come out West.”
But his good fortune was not exhausted. One morning, a few months later,
Mr. Taylor called him back as he was leaving the breakfast table.
“Julius,” he said, “I want to speak to you on a matter of business.”
“Yes, sir,” said Julius, inquiringly.
“You have three hundred dollars in the savings bank.”
“It is more now, sir, as some interest was added in January.”
“Very true. Now, I am going to give you some advice about investing it.”
“I shall be very glad to follow your advice, Mr. Taylor.”
“This is what I have in view: You know Mr. Cathcart’s place, about a
mile from here?”
“Yes, sir.”
“There is a small house and barn on the place, and about ten acres of
land are connected with it. He is anxious to sell, as he has had a very
good offer of employment in Minnesota. Now, I advise you to buy the
place. It is sure to rise in value on account of its location. I should
not be surprised if it doubled in value in five years.”
“But,” said Julius, rather bewildered, “he won’t sell for three hundred
dollars, will he?”
“No, probably not,” answered Mr. Taylor, smiling.
“That is all the money I have.”
“He asks fifteen hundred dollars, which is cheap for it, in my opinion.”
“Then I don’t see how I can buy it.”
“Suppose he should be willing to take three hundred dollars down, and
the remainder at the end of a few years, you paying the interest in the
meantime.”
“Yes, I see,” said Julius.
“The twelve hundred dollars would be secured by a mortgage, which you
would eventually pay off.”
Here Mr. Taylor explained to Julius, whose knowledge of real estate
transactions was limited, the nature of a mortgage, and the laws
relating to it.
“I should like to buy it, if you think best,” said our hero, at length.
“Then I will arrange matters, as your guardian. By the time you are
twenty-one, you will, I venture to say, be worth quite a little
property.”
“But what shall I do with the place?” asked Julius. “I can’t go to live
there.”
“You may as well defer that till you are married,” said Mr. Taylor; a
suggestion which made Julius smile. “The proper course is to find a
tenant for it. The rent will enable you to pay taxes and the interest on
the mortgage, and probably yield you a profit beside. Even if not, you
will be richly repaid in time by the increased value of the property.”
No time was lost in effecting this transaction, as Mr. Cathcart was
anxious to leave Brookville as soon as possible. The money was drawn
from the savings bank, and almost before he knew it Julius found himself
the owner of a house and outbuildings, and ten acres of land. He went
out to see it, and it gave him a peculiar feeling to think that he, late
a ragged New York street boy, was now the proprietor of a landed estate.
“I wonder what Jack and Marlowe would say if they knew it,” he thought.
“It would make Marlowe mad, I know. He never at any time liked me very
much, and now he hates me bad enough, I am afraid.”
A week after the property passed into our hero’s hands, a
respectable-looking man called at Mr. Taylor’s door. He was a young
mechanic, a carpenter, who had recently established himself in
Brookville.
“Take a seat, Mr. Brown,” said Mr. Taylor, politely.
“I came on a little business,” said the young man. “I would like to hire
the Cathcart place. I hear you are the purchaser.”
“You are perfectly right, Mr. Brown,” said Mr. Taylor. “I purchased it,
but it was in behalf of my ward Julius, here. You will have to speak to
him about hiring it.”
“Indeed!” said the young man. “I hope,” turning to Julius, “you won’t
object to me as a tenant.”
“I have so little experience as a landlord,” said Julius, laughing,
“that I don’t quite know what to say. What rent are you willing to
give?”
“I could afford to pay ten dollars a month.”
“That is a fair price, Julius,” said Mr. Taylor.
“Then I shall be glad to accept your offer,” said Julius. “You can move
in as soon as you please.”
“That is satisfactory. I hope you will find me a desirable tenant.”
“And I hope you will find me a good landlord,” said Julius.
“I think we shall agree pretty well,” said the young man. “After we get
settled, we shall be glad to receive a visit from our landlord.”
Julius laughingly agreed to call.
“It seems like a joke,” he said afterward to Mr. Taylor, “my being a
landlord. I don’t know how to act.”
“I hope it will prove a profitable joke, Julius,” said Mr. Taylor. “I
have reason to think it will.”
“I think I will write to Mr. O’Connor and tell him how I am getting
along,” said Julius.
“Do so,” said Mr. Taylor.
Julius wrote that very day, not without pride and satisfaction.