CHAPTER XIX.--UNKNOWN KINDRED TIES.
Little dreaming that he was approaching the home of his mother, herbirth-place, and that of her mother before her, the home from which shehad fled that, to her, fatal Christmas eve, Will Raymond drove up to thehitching-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 eyesbecame riveted upon Will's face. He was a man of fifty perhaps, withnoble 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 NewYork 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 Imust say you most closely resemble, and--"
"I do resemble your son, sir, and so much so that a gang of scoundrelswere 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 Iknow of him, and I am sorry to say that you must give up all hope ofever seeing him alive."
"No! no! no! I cannot, I cannot!" and Mr. Rossmore listened to the wholestory that Will had to tell, from his meeting with the man who had senthim on the errand, to his killing Night Hawk by the roadside.
"And, Mr. Rossmore," continued Will, "when I escaped from the den of theLand Sharks, I brought with me the clothes, which they said your boy hadon when stolen, and his ring, and they were to bring them with me, toprove that I was your Willie.
"I will get them," and going out to the buggy he returned with hissatchel, and the clothing and ring were exhibited.
"My poor, poor boy! these are indeed his little suit and ring; how wellI remember them; but, my noble boy, I must see the grave that they sayhe was buried in on the prairie, before I give up all hope. If itcontains 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 ofhis nurse, and this will identify the bones as his.
"Oh, may heaven's anger fall on those who murdered my little boy!" andMr. Rossmore bowed his head with grief, just as a lady, whose locks wereprematurely grey from sorrow and suspense, came out upon the piazza.
"Husband, I have heard all, and I believe at last that our boy, ourlittle Willie, is dead," she said, and turning to Will, she greeted himmost kindly, while she too was struck by the likeness of the youngdetective 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 onlysupport, and I must return to them, though I thank you most kindly foryour good offer to me," said Will, touched by the grief and generosityof Mr. Rossmore and his wife.
"Well, my boy, I would not rob your mother of you for worlds, but youmust let me help you, and if ever you need a friend come to us, for welive all alone here, and are strangely restless since the loss of myboy.
"We have travelled abroad, but came back soon to our Baltimore home, andthen we have come here, for this place was the home of my wife's cousinand adopted sister, whose fate is a mystery to us, and a sad one, forshe ran away from home one night, fifteen years ago, leaving behind herthat noble man, you saved from robbery, Kent Lomax, to whom she wasengaged.
"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 motherdied from the shock, and the villain shot him, and for months he lay atthe point of death, and, when he recovered all trace of the man waslost.
"Years after her father died, and my wife here now has the estate, whichwill be hers unless her adopted sister returns to claim it, or herchildren 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; buthere both of us are well, and more content than elsewhere, so we oftencome; but I am detaining you with family history, when you are anxiousto return to the scene of your affray down the road, and I willaccompany you.
"Wife, please send the carriage after me," and so saying Mr. Rossmoregot into the buggy with Will and drove back to where Kent Lomax had beenleft with the dead man and the bound prisoner.
On the way Mr. Rossmore asked: "My son, do you think you could find thegrave 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 askpermission to go with me, and I will have my family physician accompanyus, for he set Willie's arm when it was broken, and could tell if it wasmy child in the grave.
"But we will talk more of this, for there is farmer Lomax," and a momentafter they drove up to the spot where Kent Lomax stood, while coming inview at the same time were a number of persons on horseback and inbuggies.
Hercules and the constable rode in advance, and as they rode up anddismounted, Kent Lomax introduced Will to the officer of the law, andhis story was again told, the coroner standing near with a jury which hehad selected from the crowd.
All gazed upon Will as a hero; but the boy shrank from observation, andremarked to Kent Lomax. "I hate notoriety that comes from taking thelife of a human being, villain though he was."
"That is the proper spirit, my lad; but the coroner wishes to ask you afew questions, and then I would like to have you go home with me as myguest, while I also desire to compensate you is some way for yourservices to me."
"Thank you, sir, but I am paid for my duty, and can accept no otherreward, while I am to go back with Mr. Rossmore."
So it was settled, and as Mr. Rossmore's carriage drove up, Will gotinto it with his host, and drove away, followed by Kent Lomax onhorseback, while Hercules returned to town with the buggy and two horsesof the robbers, along with those who had come out to the scene uponlearning what had occurred.
That Hercules had fared well at the hands of Will, Mr. Rossmore and KentLomax 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 disnigger'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, forI have no kindred that are dear to me and I am rich and would be glad toserve you--so command me."
Thus they parted, the man who had been engaged to his mother--the manwhom she deserted to marry the man who had so cruelly treated her.
Neither knew what they were to each other, and yet each seemed drawntoward the other. Nor did Will suspect for an instant; an hourafterward, that he was eating dinner beneath the roof where his motherhad been born, and that Mrs. Rossmore was his own aunt.
That night Mr. Rossmore and Will took the boat to Baltimore, and havingsent from the village a long and explicit dispatch to Captain Daly, ananswer was found awaiting them upon their arrival at the hotel in thecity 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 hav
e 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 & OhioRailroad carried Mr. Rossmore, his family physician, and Will Raymond,the Boy Detective, and their destination was the North Platte river inNebraska.