Part 14 (1/2)

”Does--does she know?”

”Now, Ralph,” said Sharpman, ”now comes the strangest part of the story. Your mother believes you to be dead. She believes that you perished in the accident at Cherry Brook, and has mourned for you ever since the time of that disaster.”

”Am I the boy--am I the Ralph she lost?”

”The very one, but we cannot make her think so. I went to her, myself, this morning, and told her that you are alive. I told her who you are, and all about you. She knows you, but she will not believe that you are her son. She wants better evidence than we can give to her, outside of the courts.”

”An' won't she never believe it? won't she never take me?”

The boy's voice and look revealed the sudden clas.h.i.+ng of his hope.

”Oh, yes, Ralph! in time; I do not doubt that in good time she will recognize you and take you to her home. She has so long believed you to be dead that it is hard for her to overcome the prejudice of that belief.”

Then another fear came into the lad's mind.

”Are you sure,” he cried out, ”that I am her boy? are you sure I'm the right one?”

”Oh, yes!” said the lawyer, a.s.suringly, ”oh, yes! there's no mistake about that, there isn't the shadow of a doubt about that. We shall establish your ident.i.ty beyond question; but we shall have to do it in the courts. When it is once done no one can prevent you from taking the name and the property to which you are ent.i.tled and using them as you see fit.”

”But my mother!” said Ralph, anxiously, ”my mother; she's all I care about; I don't want the property if I can't have her.”

”And you shall have her, my boy. Mrs. Burnham said to me this morning, that, until your claim was duly proved in a court of law, she would have no legal right to accept you as her son; but that, when your ident.i.ty is once established in that way, she will receive you into her home and her heart with much joy.”

Ralph looked up with brightening eyes.

”Did she say that?” he exclaimed, ”an' will she do it?”

”I have no doubt of it, none whatever.”

”Then let's get at it right away,” said the boy, impatiently, ”it won't take very long, will it?”

”Oh! some little time; several months, may be; may be longer.”

Ralph's face fell again.

”I can't wait that long!” he exclaimed; ”I'll go to her myself; I'll tell her ev'rything; I'll beg her to take me. Do you think she would?

do you?”

”Oh, Ralph! now be reasonable. That would never do. In the first place, it would be useless. She has seen you, she knows you; she says you are not her son; you can't prove it to her. Besides that, she has no legal right to take you as her son until the courts have pa.s.sed upon the question of your ident.i.ty. If she should attempt to do so, the other heirs of Robert Burnham would come in and contest your claim, and you would be in a far worse position to maintain your rights than you are now,--oh! far worse. No, you must not go to Mrs.

Burnham, you must not go to her at all, until your sons.h.i.+p is fully established. You must keep cool, and wait patiently, or you will destroy every chance you have.”

”Well, then, I'll try to; I'll try to wait an' do what you tell me to; what shall I do first?”

”The first thing to be done, Ralph, is to have the court appoint a guardian for you. You can't do anything for yourself, legally, you know, till you are twenty-one years old; and whatever action is taken in your behalf, must be taken by a guardian. It will be his place to establish your ident.i.ty, to restore you to your mother, and to take care of your property. Now, who would you prefer to have act in that capacity?”

”Well, I don't know; there's Uncle Billy, he's the best friend I've got; wouldn't he do?”

”Do you mean William Buckley, with whom you are living?”

”Yes, sir.”