Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 307, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 December 1915 — IN AFTER YEARS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

IN AFTER YEARS

By GEORGE ELMER COBB.

“I will" yet trample on his grave—yea, I swear it!" declared Floyd Burnett, mad with hate and fury. * “My son! my son!" remonstrated Ills mother, amazed and appalled, '•“have you taken leave of your senses! Do you realize all that Mr. Verner has done for your dead,father, for myself, for the entire family, in fact?” “He's done nothing for me,” snarled JPloyd, “except to refuse me a paltry -thousand dollars to start me in business. After gobbling up father’s business, too! All he has done for us! The scoundrel, the thief! He ought (to be in jail!” V “Oh, my boy!” cried Mrs. Burnett in a tone of the deepest anguish, ■the tears streaming from her eyes. “Must you force me to tell you that John Verner saved —” * But her willful son, headstrong and furious, swung out of the house, a muttering volcano'-of spite and hatred. his point of view, John Verner was «11 that he had pictured him. Had Floyd lingered a few moments longer, however, he would have learned some facts that might have changed his opinion of the man who had just Tefused to loan him money—for his 9wn good, too, had he but known it. * To outward seeming, when William Burnett, the father of Floyd, died he had left a fairly profitable business. Town gossips were puzzled, when a jponth after his demise the business was purchased by his oldest friend, fiven Mrs. Burnett something in the way of a purchase price. Floyd knew that this was a small amount, and had tried to learn all the details of the transaction, but his mother had been

Strangely uncommunicative. She had called him home from college and told Mm that he would have to go into the business world, as the income would be, very limited from that timo forward. Baffled, in uncertainty as to just what had been done in the sale of the ' business, Floyd began to entertain dark suspicions regarding his purchase of the same. To his way of thinking Vdrner had swindled his mother, had imposed upon her ignorance and had got the business for next to nothing. He had fumed and fretted to no avail, however. Then, in a resentful mood —for he expected the favor as a right—Floyd visited Mr. Yerner. He told him he had a chance to purchase a half interest in a promising business in the fcity for a thousand dollars, and asked a loan of that Amount. “You would only lose It, with your Jack of business experience,” Mr. Verner had declared. “Be advised by me; go to the. city, if you think there is , your field, get a position, no matter bow humble, and learn real business ways. Come back in a year with your mettle proved—then 1 will talk with FHumph! Just a put off to get rid •ofi me! The old skinflint!” raved Floyd. “I’ll get even! Yes, I will! I’ll he on earth when he lies in his grive, the scheming old miser, and I’ll dance on his grave!” Why this particular fancied vengeance so obsessed Floyfl it would bave been difficult to surmise. He was not used to setbacks, however, and a mean suspiciousness, a false estimate of the true merits of his father’s old friend had urged Floyd to a point of uncontrollable deadly hatred. To his mother he said nothing more of the subject, only two days after .his violent outburst he announced quietly to her: “I am going to the city next week for good.” “Oh, my son,” remonstrated Mrs. Burnett; "could you not find some work near to us all?” suited to my ambitions,” observed Floyd, grandly. “The chief one is te be able to some day come back here a rich man, with enough % money to buy and sell that old plot- ■ ter—” \ “I won’t listen to you. Floyd!” declared bis mother sorrowfully. “Some day you will know how sadly you have misjudged a truly good and honest man.” “Bosh!” uttered Floyd contemptuously, and left the house. Fortune favored Floyd Burnett. It was strange that Vith his unformed Ideas of business, impetuousness and ■elf-set ways, he should make his way rapidly up the ladder of fortune, but ■o it was. He prospered. Within two yean he was a half partner in a grow- # (

teg business. Two years later he owned it entirely. He was a good son, so far as sharing some of his swiftly acquired wealth with his mother was concerned, although he did not write often to her, to Mary, the daughter of his “bitter enemy," not at all, although up to the day he was refused the loan by her father he had been her accepted escort in society functions of the little village. One day Floyd received news that Mr. Verner had died. He learned further that he had died poor. His business had slowly faded away into nothingness; so much so that when it had been settled up there was little left but debts. ' “Retribution!” half gloated Floyd. “The fortune he stole from my father hasn’t done him much good, I observe. And I—why, I can write my check in five figures, and get it cashed, too.” There was reason for gratulation, for Floyd had been diligent and energetic. He did not pause to realize, however, that Mr. Verner had given him sound advicS' in starting in business on his own hook, for he knew that if he had invested the one thousand dollars he would have lost it all. Mr. Verner probably recognized that the son was a good deal like his father, who was a*poor business man, with speculative tendencies. At least Mr. Verner had seen to it that the son had not made a false start on borrowed capital. Floyd decided to make a flying visit to the folks at home. Business had drtven some of the impetuous nonsense of youth out of his mind. For instance, he smiled at the thought of his vow to dance on the grave of his enemy. He might go thither and secretly exult, but he had no idea of detracting from his dignity with unduly capers. His way home from the depot admitted of the taking in of the little town cemetery by diverging a couple of squares from the straight route, and this Floyd did. He sauntered along, locating the Verner lot, which he knew well. Floyd paused as he neared it. A plain, simple shaft of marble marked a new grave, jhat of John Verner, and the solemnity of the spot made him feel ashamed that he had invaded this sacred inclosure with perverted thoughts in mind. To enforce the sentiment, he made out seated on the curb of the burial lot a young girl in mourning. She was Mary Verner. His heart smote him at the sight of her Bad, beautiful face. Then his eye flashed, for kneeling at the newly made mound, having Just placed upon it a wreath of immortelles, was —his mother. He strode towards her, angered, Indignant. “Come away at once!” be cried, seizing her arm almost roughly. “My son!” she spoke in glad welcome; and then: “No, I must not go away until here, at this holy spot, I have told you all.” Lower and lower went his head as the true story was fluttered forth at last —how Mr. Verner had taken over Mr. Burnett’s business at a loss to protect the latter fr«?m possible criminal prosecution.. It had failed later to succeed, and pvor Mary was now beggared. Floyd Burnett was a business man. In a businesslike way he proceeded to restore to her what his father’s troubles had cost Mr. Verner. Before the restitution was complete, however, the softened heart of the penitent Floyd had realized the whole worth of this gentle, true-hearted girl, and Mrs. Burnett had a new daughter to love and cherish. (Copyright, 1916, by W. G. Chapman.)

"Retribution!" Half Gloated Floyd.