Part 24 (2/2)
added Ruth.
”Humph! the kids would like the noise all right,” sniffed Tom. ”I heard those little chaps begging Mr. Caslon for punk and firecrackers. That old farmer was a boy himself once, and I bet he got something for them that will smell of powder, beside the little tad of fireworks he showed me.”
”Oh! I hope they won't any of them get burned.”
”Kind of put a damper on the 'safe and sane Fourth' Mr. Steele spoke about, eh?” chuckled Tom.
Miss Pettis was looking out of the window and smiling at them when they arrived back at the cottage. She held in her hand a yellowed bit of pasteboard, which she pa.s.sed to the eager Ruth.
”Where do you suppose I found it, Ruthie?” she demanded.
”I couldn't guess.”
”Why, stuck right into the corner of my lookin'-gla.s.s in my bedroom. I s'pose I have handled it every day I've dusted that gla.s.s for three year, an' then couldn't remember where it was. Ain't that the beatenes'?”
Ruth and Tom drove off in high excitement. She had already told Master Tom all about the Raby romance-such details as he did not already know-and now they both looked at the yellowed business card before Ruth put it safely away in her pocket:
Mr. Angus MacDorough _Solicitor_ 13, King Crescent, Quebec
”Mr. Steele will go right ahead with this, I know,” said Tom, nodding.
”He's taken a fancy to those kids--”
”Well! he ought to, to Sadie!” cried Ruth.
”Sure. And he's a generous man, after all. Too bad he's taken such a dislike to old Caslon.”
”Oh, dear, Tom! we ought to fix that,” sighed Ruth.
”Crickey! you'd tackle any job in the world, I believe, Ruthie, if you thought you could help folks.”
”Nonsense! But both of them-both Mr. Steele and Mr. Caslon-are such awfully nice people--”
”Well! there's not much hope, I guess. Mr. Steele's lawyer is trying to find a flaw in Caslon's t.i.tle. It seems that, way back, a long time ago, some of the Caslons got poor, or careless, and the farm was sold for taxes. It was never properly straightened out-on the county records, anyway-and the lawyer is trying to see if he can't buy up the interest of whoever bought the farm in at that time-or their heirs-and so have some kind of a basis for a suit against old Caslon.”
”Goodness! that's not very clear,” said Ruth, staring.
”No. It's pretty muddy. But you know how some lawyers are. And Mr.
Steele is willing to hire the shyster to do it. He thinks it's all right. It's business.”
”_Your_ father wouldn't do such a thing, Tom!” cried Ruth.
”No. I hope he wouldn't, anyway,” said Master Tom, wagging his head.
”But I couldn't say that to Bobbins when he told me about it, could I?”
”No call to. But, oh, dear! I hope Mr. Steele won't be successful. I do hope he won't be.”
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