Little dreaming that he was approaching the home of his mother, her
birth-place, and that of her mother before her, the home from which she
had fled that, to her, fatal Christmas eve, Will Raymond drove up to the
hitching-rock and sprang out of his buggy.
A gentleman sat upon the piazza, smoking a cigar and reading a paper,
but arose at his approach.
"Good-morning, young gentleman," he said pleasantly, and then his eyes
became riveted upon Will's face. He was a man of fifty perhaps, with
noble countenance, tinged with sadness, and a look of anxiety.
"My boy, who are you?" he said, quickly, before Will could speak.
"Is this Mr. Rossmore?" asked Will.
"Yes, my son."
"My name is Will Raymond, sir, and I am a special officer of the New
York Secret Service, sent to see you upon a matter of interest to you."
"About my lost boy? Quick! tell me if you have any news of him whom I
must say you most closely resemble, and--"
"I do resemble your son, sir, and so much so that a gang of scoundrels
were to use me as a foil to make money out of you."
"But you are not my boy? He would be about your age, and look like you,
I think," and Mr. Rossmore was greatly excited.
"No, Mr. Rossmore, I am not your son; but I have come to tell you all I
know of him, and I am sorry to say that you must give up all hope of
ever seeing him alive."
"No! no! no! I cannot, I cannot!" and Mr. Rossmore listened to the whole
story that Will had to tell, from his meeting with the man who had sent
him on the errand, to his killing Night Hawk by the roadside.
"And, Mr. Rossmore," continued Will, "when I escaped from the den of the
Land Sharks, I brought with me the clothes, which they said your boy had
on when stolen, and his ring, and they were to bring them with me, to
prove that I was your Willie.
"I will get them," and going out to the buggy he returned with his
satchel, and the clothing and ring were exhibited.
"My poor, poor boy! these are indeed his little suit and ring; how well
I remember them; but, my noble boy, I must see the grave that they say
he was buried in on the prairie, before I give up all hope. If it
contains the remains of a small child, I can but believe, and besides,
Willie had his left arm broken when a baby, by falling from the lap of
his nurse, and this will identify the bones as his.
"Oh, may heaven's anger fall on those who murdered my little boy!" and
Mr. Rossmore bowed his head with grief, just as a lady, whose locks were
prematurely grey from sorrow and suspense, came out upon the piazza.
"Husband, I have heard all, and I believe at last that our boy, our
little Willie, is dead," she said, and turning to Will, she greeted him
most kindly, while she too was struck by the likeness of the young
detective to her son.
"Have you parents, my boy, and a home, for gladly would I give you one,"
she said to Will.
"Yes, my noble boy, come to us and be our son," cried Mr. Rossmore.
"I have a mother and sister living in New York, and I am their only
support, and I must return to them, though I thank you most kindly for
your good offer to me," said Will, touched by the grief and generosity
of Mr. Rossmore and his wife.
"Well, my boy, I would not rob your mother of you for worlds, but you
must let me help you, and if ever you need a friend come to us, for we
live all alone here, and are strangely restless since the loss of my
boy.
"We have travelled abroad, but came back soon to our Baltimore home, and
then we have come here, for this place was the home of my wife's cousin
and adopted sister, whose fate is a mystery to us, and a sad one, for
she ran away from home one night, fifteen years ago, leaving behind her
that noble man, you saved from robbery, Kent Lomax, to whom she was
engaged.
"She deserted him for a villain, a man whose life Kent Lomax had saved,
and she fled with the rascal to Philadelphia, and was followed there.
Kent Lomax tried to avenge the double wrong, for the poor girl's mother
died from the shock, and the villain shot him, and for months he lay at
the point of death, and, when he recovered all trace of the man was
lost.
"Years after her father died, and my wife here now has the estate, which
will be hers unless her adopted sister returns to claim it, or her
children do, if she has any; otherwise Mrs. Rossmore is the next heir.
"So you see, wherever we go, we have sad memories to confront us; but
here both of us are well, and more content than elsewhere, so we often
come; but I am detaining you with family history, when you are anxious
to return to the scene of your affray down the road, and I will
accompany you.
"Wife, please send the carriage after me," and so saying Mr. Rossmore
got into the buggy with Will and drove back to where Kent Lomax had been
left with the dead man and the bound prisoner.
On the way Mr. Rossmore asked: "My son, do you think you could find the
grave of my little Will, from the description you had of it?"
"I think so, sir."
"Will you go West with me and find out?"
"If I can get permission, sir."
"Well, you can telegraph what you have done to your chief, and ask
permission to go with me, and I will have my family physician accompany
us, for he set Willie's arm when it was broken, and could tell if it was
my child in the grave.
"But we will talk more of this, for there is farmer Lomax," and a moment
after they drove up to the spot where Kent Lomax stood, while coming in
view at the same time were a number of persons on horseback and in
buggies.
Hercules and the constable rode in advance, and as they rode up and
dismounted, Kent Lomax introduced Will to the officer of the law, and
his story was again told, the coroner standing near with a jury which he
had selected from the crowd.
All gazed upon Will as a hero; but the boy shrank from observation, and
remarked to Kent Lomax. "I hate notoriety that comes from taking the
life of a human being, villain though he was."
"That is the proper spirit, my lad; but the coroner wishes to ask you a
few questions, and then I would like to have you go home with me as my
guest, while I also desire to compensate you is some way for your
services to me."
"Thank you, sir, but I am paid for my duty, and can accept no other
reward, while I am to go back with Mr. Rossmore."
So it was settled, and as Mr. Rossmore's carriage drove up, Will got
into it with his host, and drove away, followed by Kent Lomax on
horseback, while Hercules returned to town with the buggy and two horses
of the robbers, along with those who had come out to the scene upon
learning what had occurred.
That Hercules had fared well at the hands of Will, Mr. Rossmore and Kent
Lomax was evident by the happy look upon his honest face, and the words:
"I wish dere'd be a robber-killin' ebery day, and Sunday too, and dis
nigger'd get rich."
At a place where the roads branched off Kent Lomax bade them good-bye,
grasping Will's hand warmly, and saying: "You know my name and address,
my boy, and if you ever need a friend don't hesitate to call on me, for
I have no kindred that are dear to me and I am rich and would be glad to
serve you--so command me."
Thus they parted, the man who had been engaged to his mother--the man
whom she deserted to marry the man who had so cruelly treated her.
Neither knew what they were to each other, and yet each seemed drawn
toward the other. Nor did Will suspect for an instant; an hour
afterward, that he was eating dinner beneath the roof where his mother
had been born, and that Mrs. Rossmore was his own aunt.
That night Mr. Rossmore and Will took the boat to Baltimore, and having
sent from the village a long and explicit dispatch to Captain Daly, an
answer was found awaiting them upon their arrival at the hotel in the
city the following day.
The answer read:
"NEW YORK POLICE DEP'T.
"_Special Officer_, WILL RAYMOND:--
"Your telegram most satisfactory, and will get requisition for
Night Hawk's comrade and have him brought here.
"You have acted as I knew you would in everything, and the chief
joins me in congratulations upon your pluck and detective skill.
"You have full permission to go West with Mr. Rossmore, and your
leave is unlimited. Success to you.
DALY."
That night the Westward bound through Express on the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad carried Mr. Rossmore, his family physician, and Will Raymond,
the Boy Detective, and their destination was the North Platte river in
Nebraska.