They took a car, and in half an hour were at the doors of the Clarendon
Company. It was past business hours and the doors were locked. Fanny was
greatly distressed as to what she should do; but there was no time to
lose. Some young men were standing near eyeing her with the usual
sensual greediness of their kind. Her mission was too urgent for her to
notice their insinuating remarks.
"Can any of you tell me where or how I may find the gentleman named on
this card?"
Her demeanor, so unaffected and true, brought all their latent manhood
out, and each one was anxious for the honor of helping her.
Some one standing in the rear made an unbecoming remark, and instantly
the eyes of those about her turned on him so meaningly that he slunk
away. One of them took her into a restaurant near by and made known to
the proprietor what she wanted. He said Mr. Warner lived with the head
of the firm, a Mr. Sterling. The street and number of the residence was
given to a cabman, and soon they were driving rapidly away.
Mr. Sterling was sitting alone in his library reading the evening
papers, when he heard a determined ring at the door. His door was open
into the hall, and he went himself at once to answer the call.
It was growing quite dark, and he could distinguish only that there
were two young people standing before him.
"Is this where Mr. Sterling lives?" said one, in a very pleasing tone of
voice.
"It is."
[Illustration: "HE HEARD A DETERMINED RING AT THE DOOR."]
"We are very sorry to disturb you, but we are in some trouble, and a
gentleman by the name of Warner told us if, for any reason, we needed
any assistance while in the city, to call on him. We went to the store,
but it was closed, and then we were directed to come to you in the hope
that through you we could find Mr. Warner."
John and Fanny saw a kindly appearing business man before them, and they
spoke with the utmost confidence in his good-will.
"So, so! that is good. I have heard him speak several times recently of
a young lady he met on the train, and somewhere else once or twice
since. Are you the young lady I have been teasing him about? Now, that
is good. Of course you can see him. He lives with me and is up-stairs
now. May I ask what is the nature of your trouble?"
Johnny could hold his tongue no longer.
"Why, sir, they've tuck Grandpa up and got him in jail 'cause I stopped
some crooks a gettin' his money."
"I don't see, my boy, just how that could be," and the gentleman seemed
somewhat suspicious of their grandfather.
"I don't, nuther," blurted Johnny.
"Come in. I will send for Mr. Warner and see what he can do for you."
They followed him into the room, and he motioned them to take seats.
Then he went out and sent some one up-stairs for Mr. Warner.
[Illustration: "Fanny, my little girl--my lost children!"]
The room was richly furnished, but had an air of negligence about it
that betokened the want of an interested woman's taste and care. They
could hear voices now and then coming from some distant part of the
house, but they sounded more like the hilarious gaiety of servants than
of persons having such a cultured place for a home. From the tapestries
on the walls to the piano and the great case full of books, everything
was arranged for the convenience of the one rather than for the taste of
the many. It was the most pleasing home, where money was lavishly spent,
that she had ever been in, and perhaps she is not to be blamed that for
a moment she was carried away by her surroundings, and the longing came
over her to be so happily situated as this. Seeing a life-size painting
of a woman placed on a high frame near a desk, she went over to look at
it. There was something so lifelike and natural, and even familiar,
about the picture that she still further forgot how she came to be
there. She did not hear Mr. Sterling as he re-entered the room, but he
came up to her, and as she stepped aside the light fell full upon her
face almost on a level with the picture in the frame. A startled
expression came over the face of Mr. Sterling, which deepened into an
amazement. His face grew white, and he looked at her and then at the
picture, and then from the picture to her.
The light of some quick intuition spread over her face, and she thrust
her hand into her cape pocket and drew out a small gold locket, which
she opened and looked at intently, and then from the face of the man to
the face of the woman. Mr. Sterling saw the locket.
"What are you looking at, child?" he almost shrieked.
"My mother and father," she said.
He caught the locket out of her hand.
"There, there," he cried, pointing to the painting; "there is the same
picture, it is the picture of the only one I ever loved, the one now in
heaven, and you are her living image. In God's name, tell me, child,
what is your name."
"My name is Fanny," she said, "Fanny Jones; sometimes they call me
'Fanny Sterling.' Mary Sterling was my----"
She never finished the sentence. With a cry of joy he caught her in his
arms, sobbing and laughing; "My child, my child, my own little girl;
found, found at last!"
Johnny at this amazing outburst had come up as if to protect his sister,
and as Mr. Sterling saw him he cried, "And is this your brother, the
baby I left never to see again till now?"
Mr. Sterling sat down and drew Johnny up to him. "A rough, hearty,
honest farmer boy," he said; "I can not realize that after an endless
search, you have been sent to me in such a strange manner."
Mr. Sterling overcome with his emotion, buried his face in his hands,
and Fanny kneeling by his side, looked wistfully at him, not knowing
what to think or do. Mr. Warner, in answer to the call, had come to the
door and witnessed the whole scene. He could not understand it, and his
astonishment rendered him speechless. At last without moving from his
place at the door, he said: "What can this mean, may I ask? It is a
mystery to me."
"My children," was all Mr. Sterling could say.
Her mission there suddenly came back to Fanny. She sprang to her feet
and cried: "Oh! Mr. Warner, my grandpa is in trouble. You told us to
call on you if we needed assistance in anything. He is in the police
station as a result of our acquaintance with that man on the train. I
came for you to go with us and see what you could do to help us out."
Everything was soon explained to them all; the cab that brought John and
Fanny there was dismissed, and Mr. Sterling's carriage was soon speeding
them all to the fastest train for the Fair grounds. At the police
station half an hour later there was sorrow turned to joy, and a meeting
that was too happy to be told. Uncle was released on bail to appear the
next afternoon to answer to the charges, and there was a reunion at the
hotel in another hour, when every past ill was forever buried in the
pleasure of the present and the promise of the future. The next morning
Mr. Sterling's house was made their abiding place, and Fanny became
queen of his home.
That afternoon Uncle was in the police court awaiting his accusers. The
judge called the case, but the witnesses were not there. Their names
were called, but no one answered. Just then two boys came rushing into
the room.
"Hold up, yer honnur," said one, "de persecution will soon arrive. I've
been after 'em, an' I got 'em. I see 'em doin' de robbin', and' I found
a policeman whut had sense enuf to take 'em in. See!"
[Illustration: "LOUIS CAME IN DANCING WITH EXCITEMENT BEFORE THE BURLY
POLICEMAN WITH HIS TWO WARDS."]
The irrepressible Louis had hardly ceased speaking when a burly
policeman entered with the two confidence men who had attempted so
perseveringly to get Uncle's money. Behind them came the man they had
just been trying to rob. Johnny and Louis had seen them talking to a
countryman, and, divining what was intended, followed them as they
tolled him away to a place where they could accomplish the robbery. They
found a policeman on the way, who took in the situation and assisted the
boys to catch the fellows in the act.
Uncle's case was dismissed, and Louis succeeded in seeing the crooks
given a chance to learn an honest trade at Joliet.
Sight-seeing as a business now gave over to a new order of things. The
change was almost beyond what a dream could be. Before the C. C. of C.
C. returned home there was a social gathering at Fanny's new home.
Johnny had one young friend present and Fanny had five. Mr. Warner had
often noticed that Louis was a very reliable boy, and Mr. Sterling gave
him a good position in his store. Uncle and Aunt could not part with
their children, and Johnny was so thoroughly a farmer that there could
be no thought of him doing anything else; therefore, it was decided that
Uncle's Jerseys should be removed to Mr. Sterling's farm, half an hour's
ride from the city, and that Johnny should have charge of them there.
Soon after, Uncle and Aunt sold their farm and henceforth lived as they
pleased with Johnny and the Jerseys, or with Fanny in her happy city
home. Mr. Warner is trying to win the approval of Fanny to some of his
plans of happy life, and John and Louis believe they are more than
kindly remembered by two of those bright girls known as the C. C. of C.
C.
* * * * *
Here we may leave Uncle Jeremiah and family to the good of domestic
contentment and to the well-earned peace of having lived life well. If
the Exposition has awakened the sentiments of patriotism and reverence
in the minds of all its visitors, and has broadened their views
concerning mankind, and made more charitable their hearts toward the
rest of the world, as it has done with this one true rural family, then
it has been a mighty success, though millions of dollars were lost in
its construction.
This need be none the less true to all, though no two people have seen
the same World's Columbian Exposition. In all the vast throngs that
have walked its streets and crowded its palaces for half a year there
can be no two individuals who have the same story to tell, or who have
the same thought to pay out to the world from that mint of human
intelligence.
There is so much within the great "White City" that single pieces are
lost like flowers in a landscape or like ferns on a mountain side. But
its beauties inspire every soul; its refinements chasten every heart;
its achievements exalt every mind, and its lessons give strength to
every life.
_THE END_
We are always here when wanted!