a day or two later, while mrs. merton was in the city shopping, accompanied by luke, a man of thirty years of age ascended the steps of the house on prairie avenue and rang the bell.
"is mrs. tracy at home?" he asked of the servant who answered the bell.
"yes, sir; what name shall i give?"
"never mind about the name. say it is an old friend."
"won't you come in, sir?"
"yes, i believe i will."
mrs. tracy received the message with surprise mingled with curiosity.
"who can it be?" she asked herself.
she came downstairs without delay.
the stranger, who had taken a seat in the hall, rose and faced her.
"don't you know me, louisa?" he asked.
"is it you, warner?" she exclaimed, surprised and! startled.
"yes," he answered, laughing. "it's a good while since we met."
"five years. and have you----"
"what--reformed?"
"yes."
"well, i can't say as to that. i can only tell you that i am not wanted by the police at present. is the old lady still alive?"
"aunt eliza?"
"of course."
"yes, she is alive and well."
"i thought perhaps she might have died, and left you in possession of her property."
"not yet. i don't think she has any intention of dying for a considerable number of years."
"that is awkward. has she done nothing for you?"
"we have a free home here, and she makes me a moderate allowance, but she is not disposed to part with much money while she lives."
"i am sorry for that. i thought you might be able to help me to some money. i am terribly hard up."
"you always were, no matter how much money you had."
"i never had much. the next thing is, how does the old lady feel toward me?"
"i don't think she feels very friendly, though nothing has passed between us respecting you for a long time. she has very strict notions about honesty, and when you embezzled your employer's money you got into her black books."
"that was a youthful indiscretion," said warner, smiling. "can't you convince her of that?"
"i doubt if i can lead her to think of it in that light."
"i know what that means, louisa. you want to get the whole of the old lady's property for yourself and that boy of yours. you always were selfish."
"no, warner, though i think i am entitled to the larger part of aunt's money, i don't care to have you left out in the cold. i will do what i can to reconcile her to you."
"come, that's fair and square. you're a trump, louisa. you have not forgotten that i am your brother."
"no, i am not so selfish as you think. if i don't succeed in restoring you to aunt eliza's good graces, and she chooses to leave me all her property, i promise to take care of you and allow you a fair income."
"that's all right, but i would rather the old lady would provide for me herself."
"do you doubt my word?"
"no, but your idea of what would be a fair income might differ from mine. how much do you think the old lady's worth?"
"quarter of a million, i should think," replied mrs. tracy, guardedly.
"yes, and considerably more, too."
"perhaps so. i have no means of judging."
"supposing it to be the figure you name, how much would you be willing to give me, if she leaves me out in the cold?"
"i am not prepared to say, warner. i would see that you had no good reason to complain."
"i should prefer to have you name a figure, so that i might know what to depend upon."
but this mrs. tracy declined to do, though her brother continued to urge her.
"where have you been for a few years past, warner?" she asked.
"floating about. at first i didn't dare to come back. it was a year at least before i heard that aunt had paid up the sum i got away with. when i did hear it i was in australia."
"what did you do there?"
"i was a bookkeeper in melbourne for a time. then i went into the country. from australia i came to california, and went to the mines. in fact, i have only just come from there."
"didn't you manage to make money anywhere?"
"yes, but it didn't stick by me. how much money do you think i have about me now?"
"i can't guess," said mrs. tracy, uneasily.
"five dollars and a few cents. however, i am sure you will help me," he continued.
"really, warner, you mustn't hope for too much from me. i have but a small allowance from aunt eliza--hardly enough to buy necessary articles for harold and myself."
"then you can speak to aunt in my behalf."
"yes, i can do that."
"where is she?"
"she has gone out shopping this morning."
"alone, or is harold with her?"
"neither," answered mrs. tracy, her brow darkening. "she has picked up a boy from the street, and installed him as a first favorite."
"that's queer, isn't it?"
"yes; but aunt eliza was always queer."
"what's the boy's name?"
"luke walton."
"what's his character?"
"sly--artful. he is scheming to have aunt leave him something in her will."
"if she leaves him a few hundred dollars it won't hurt us much."
"you don't know the boy. he won't be satisfied with that."
"you don't mean to say that his influence over aunt is dangerous?"
"yes, i do."
"can't you get her to bounce him?"
"i have done what i could, but she seems to be infatuated. if he were a gentleman's son i shouldn't mind so much, but harold saw him the other day selling papers near the sherman house."
"do you think aunt's mind is failing?"
"she seems rational enough on all other subjects. she was always shrewd and sharp, you know."
"well, that's rather an interesting state of things. i haven't returned to chicago any too soon."
"why do you say that?"
"because it will be my duty to spoil the chances of this presuming young man."
"that is easier said than done. you forget that aunt eliza thinks a great deal more of him than she does of you."
"i haven't a doubt that you are right."
"then what can you do?"
"convince her that he is a scapegrace. get him into a scrape, in other words."
"but he is too smart to be dishonest, if that is what you mean."
"it is not necessary for him to be dishonest. it is only necessary for her to think he is dishonest."
there was some further conversation. as warner powell was leaving the house, after promising to call in the evening, he met on the steps mrs. merton, under the escort of luke walton.
the old lady eyed him sharply.
