（
异能女王在校园）（
永生无罪）（
校花之贴身高手）（
军权撩色）（
最强兵人）（
黑龙江文学）like daughter lik, too, had bee the world still calledhim, and strange men came from timetime withhad there been such visitorsthe traver came with the reminiscent rollthe seathei were black–browed ruffians; still others were fever–burnt and sallow; and about allthem was something bizarretalk was likewise bizarre and outlandish,thingsfrederick unguessed and undreamed, thoughrecognised the men for what they were soldiersfortune, adventurers, free lancesth the big patent thing was the love and loyalty they bore thei named him variously? black tom, blondine, husky travers, malemute tom, swiftwater tom but mostallwas captain tom.
their projects and propositions were equally various, from the south sea trader with the discoverya new guano island and the latin american witascent revolutionhis hands,through siberian gold chases and the prospectingthe placer benchesthe upper kuskokeem,darker things that were mentioned onlaptain tom regretted the temporary indisposition that prevented immediate departure with them, and continuedsit and drowse more and morethewas polly, witamaraderie distastefulher uncle, who got these men aside and broke the news that captain tom would neveroutthe shining way not allthem came wit made love callstheir leaderold and unfetable days, and frederick sometimes waitnesstheir meeting, andmarvelled anewthe mysterious charmhis brother that drew all menhim.
“by the turtlestasman!” cried one, “wheeard you wascalifornia, captain tom, i just hade and shak you ain’t fot tasman, eh? nor the scrapthursda old tasman was killedhis niggers only last yeargerman new guine his cook boy? ngani ngani?he wassworehim, but ngani ngani hatcheted him just the same.”
“shake hands with captain carlsen, fred,” was tom’s introductionhis brotheranother visitor.“he pulledouta tight placethe west coas’d have cashed in, carlsen,you hadn’t happened along.”
captain carlsen waiant hulka man, with gimlet eyespalest blue, a slash scarred mouth thalazing red beard could not quite hide, anriphis hand that made frederick squirm.
a few minutes later, tom had his brother aside.
“say, fred,you thinkwill botheradvancea thousand?”
“of course,” frederick answered splendidly.“you know halfthaaveyours, tom.”
and when captain carlsen departed, frederick was morally certain that the thousand dollars departed with him.
small wonder tom had madailurelife and e homathis own orderly desk taking stockthe difference between him and hi, andit hadn’t been for him, there would have beenhome for tomdie in.
frederick cast back for solace through their join waswho had always been the mainstay, the dependabl had laughed and rollicked, played hooky from school, disobeyed isaac’ the mountainsthe sea,in hot water with the neighbours and the town authoritieswas all the same;was everywhere save where the dull plodwor work was workthose backwoods days, and he, frederick, had doh and late and all dayshad beenit.
he remembered the season when isaac’s wide plans had taken onetheir smashes, when food had been scarcethe tablea man who owneundred thousand acres, when there had beenmoneyhire harvesters for the hay, and when isaac would not lethis gripa single onehi, frederick, had pitched the hay, while isaac mowedhad lainbed and runa doctor bill witroken leg, gainedfalling off the ridge polethe barn which place was the lastthe worldwhich any one would expectgopitc the only work tom had ever done,seemedhim, wasfetchvenison and bear oil,break colts, andraisinthe valley pastures and wooded canyons with his bear hounds.
tom was the elder, yet when isaac died, the estate, with all its vast possibilities would have goo ruin, had not he, frederick, buckled downit and put the burdenhi!he remembered the enlargementthe town water system howhad manoeuvred and financed, persuaded small loansruinous interest, and laid pipe and made jointslantern light while the workmen slept, and then beenaheadthemoutline and direct and rack his brains over the raisingthe next weekhe had carriedold isaac’ would not let go.the future would vindicate.
and tom! witigger packbear dogs ranging the mountains and sleeping oueek remembered the final conferencethe kitchen tom, and he, and eliza travers, who still cooked and baked and washed dishesan estate that carrieundred and eighty thousand dollarsmortgages.
“don’t divide,” eliza travers had pleaded, resting her soap–flecked, parboiled arms.“isaacwillwort countryopening up.we must all pull together.”
“i don’t want the estate,” tom cried.“let frederick have it.whaant....”
he never pleted the sentence, but all the visionthe world burnedhis eyes.
“i can’t wait,”went on.“you can have the millions when the the meantime lethave te’ll sign off quitclaiivethe old schooner, and some day i’llback witotmoneyhelp you out.”
frederick could see himself,that far past day, throwinghis armshorror and crying:
“ten thousand! when i’m strainedthe breaking pointraise this quarter’s interest!”
“there’s the blockland nextthe court house,” tom had urged.“i know the bank hatanding offer for ten thousand.”
“butwillwortundred thousandten years,” frederick had objected.
“ i quitclaim everything foundrefor ten and lethave it.it’s alant, ananan have the rest.”
and tom had had his willusual (the block had been mortgaged insteadsold), and sailed awaythe old schooner, the benedictionthe town upon his head, forhad carried awayhis crew half the riff raffthe beach.
the bonesthe schooner had been leftthe coasad been when eliza travers was being operatedfor her eyes, and frederick had keptfrom her until indubitable proof came that tom was still alive.
frederick went overhis files and drew ourawer labelled “thomas travers.”inwere packets, methodicall went overwere from everywhere china, rangoon, australia, south africa, the gold coast, patagonia, armenia, and infrequently written, they epitomised the wanderer’ ran overhis minewthe glimpsed highlightstom’ had foughtsome sortforeign troublead beenofficerthe chinese army, andwaertainty that the tradelater drovethe china seas was illicit.
he had been caught running arms int seemedhad always been running something somewhere thatought nothave beehad never outgrown it.one letter,crinkly tissue paper, showed thatlatethe japanese–russian warhad been caught running coal into port arthur and been takenthe prize courtsasebo, where his steamer was confiscated andremainerisoner until the endthe war.
frederick smiledhe reaaragraph:“howyou prosper?letknow any timew thousands will help you.”he lookedthe date, april 18, 1883, and opened another packet.“may 5th,” 1883, was the dated sheetdrew out.“five thousand will putonfee you can, and love me, sendalong pronto that’s spanish for rush.”
he glanced againthewas evident that somewhere between april 18th and may 5th tom had esmile, half bitter, frederick skimmedthrough the correspondence:“there’reckmidwait, salvageinme four thousand.”the lastexamined, ran:“a deaan swing witittl’s big, i tel’sbion’t dare tell you.”he remembered that deaatin–america had sent the cash, and tom had swung it, and himselfwell, intrison cell aneath sentence.
tom had meant well, there wasdenyinhad always religiously forwardedu’s.frederick musingly weighed the packetthemhis hand,thoughdetermineany relation existed between the weightpaper and the sumsmoney representedit.
he put the drawer backthe cabi and passeat the big chairsaw polly just tiptoeing from th’s head lay back, and his breathing was softly heavy, the sickness pronouncedly apparenthis relaxed face.
m.pi.co
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