CONCLUSION
THREE days later Gerald and Mr. Nixon reached Portville. They called at
once on Mr. Nugent, who received the old man kindly and cordially.
"Mr. Nugent," said Tom Nixon, "I have come prepared to pay you the
interest on the amount of my defalcation."
"Give it to Gerald. I don't want it."
"I have already given Gerald ten thousand dollars, and when I die he
will have all that I leave behind me."
Mr. Nugent looked much pleased. He grasped the hand of his old debtor
cordially, and said: "I am pleased to hear it. Then you found Gerald of
assistance to you?"
"But for him I should not have been living to-day. He has done
everything for me."
"Probably you wondered at my choice of a messenger at first?"
"Yes. It seemed strange to me that you should select a young boy, but I
soon found that he had the sense and discretion of a man."
"Have you seen your stepmother yet, Gerald?" asked Mr. Nugent.
"No; but I met Abel on the street."
"What did he have to say?"
"He asked me if I had any money."
"What did you reply?"
"'A little.' Then he said, 'If you expect to live on ma you will find
yourself much mistaken. You will have to earn your own living.' I told
him I shouldn't trouble Mrs. Lane."
"But, perhaps, you may," said Mr. Nugent.
Gerald looked an inquiry.
Mr. Nugent explained:
"I have in my hands a later will than the one under which Mrs. Lane
inherits. It was placed in my hands by your father, with directions not
to produce it if Mrs. Lane treated you fairly. Otherwise, I was to make
it known. By this will you are left half the property. That will only
amount to ten thousand dollars, as Mrs. Lane has been compelled to
surrender thirty thousand dollars to John Graves. She will be left
comparatively poor."
"Mr. Nugent," said Gerald, "am I compelled to take advantage of this
will?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because, thanks to Mr. Nixon's generosity, I do not need it. I feel
rich already. I am willing to surrender all claims upon my father's
estate."
"Your stepmother does not deserve it."
"Let the boy have his way," said Thomas Nixon, "I prefer to provide for
him myself."
So it was arranged. Mrs. Lane was left in undisturbed possession of the
estate, but now—five years later—it has been reduced one half. Abel has
proved extravagant and dissipated, and is far from giving satisfaction
to his mother. Gerald has bought his father's house, and is now owner of
the old homestead. He and Mr. Nixon live there, and he occupies a
business position in the city. His prospects are very bright, and there
is every indication that he will be in time a very rich man. In his case
success is based on merit. He has brought happiness to Mr. Nixon, who is
in better health than he has been for the last twenty years. The clouds
that darkened a part of his life have rolled by, and his declining years
are full of sunshine, thanks to Gerald and his mission.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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_STORIES FOR GIRLS_
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_Earning Her Way_
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_STORIES FOR BOYS_
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_The Boer Boy of the Transvaal_
_By Kate Milner Rabb_, _Illustrated by F. A. Carter_
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_Uncrowning a King_
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_With Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga_
_By W. Bert Foster_, _Illustrated by F. A. Carter_
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_Forging Ahead_
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_In the Days of Washington_
_By William Murray Graydon_, _Illustrated by J. C. Claghorn_
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_On Wood Cove Island_
_By Elbridge S. Brooks_, _Illustrated by Frederic J. Boston_
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_Under the Tamaracks_
_By Elbridge S. Brooks_, _Illustrated_
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_The Wreck of the Sea Lion_
_By W. O. Stoddard_, _Illustrated by John H. Betts_
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_The Young Financier_
_By W. O. Stoddard_, _Illustrated by John H. Betts_
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_True to His Trust_
_By Edward S. Ellis, A. M._, _Illustrated by J. Steeple Davis_
The hero of this story will win his way at once into the heart of every
one, and his pluck and perseverance will carry the sympathy of every
reader through his many adventures, struggles, and singular experiences.
Like all of the author's works, the incidents teach in the most
convincing manner that true manliness and sturdy integrity are the only
principles through which happiness and success in life are possible.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
● Transcriber's Notes:
○ Unbalanced quotation marks were left as the author intended.
○ Typographical errors were silently corrected.
○ Spelling and hyphenation was made consistent when a predominant
form was found in this book; otherwise it was not changed.