The Dugdale Millions — page 146: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

136 THE DUGDALE MILLIONS. band, so we went away, with the understanding we were to hear from her upon the subject promptly. As a matter of fact, we never did hear from her again, nor have I ever heard of her since. But after a few days a man named Powers came to my office, telling me that Mrs. Tomlinson, compelled to leave town with her husband hastily, had turned the child over to his wife, with my address, and announced his readiness to make over the child if we were still of the same mind. To cut the story short the transfer was made and the child reared by us.” ‘‘How old is he now?’’ asked Dick, already con- vinced that he had at last ended his search. ‘‘About twenty-seven, I think.”’ ‘*What name does he bear?’’ ‘*Mine—Harold Pierson.’’ ‘Is he a young man of good habits?’’ “‘As good as the average—perhaps better. He left me ona foolish misunderstanding shortly after Mrs. Pierson’s death, six years ago, but returned three years ago. I donot see that his knocking about the world has harmed him. Upon thecontrary, I think it has strengthened and broadened him. He was abroad. He is now assisting me in this business.”’ ‘‘T see,’’ said Dick, glancing about and taking note of an empty desk which did not seem to be much used. ‘Did you know what the name of the child’s father was?’’ he continued. “Yes. It was Dugdale. The Powers people said that the child's father was of an excellent English family, and had been discarded for marrying beneath him and, as they thought, for other wrongs. The name is an old English name, and, besides, there were some papers, old letters and such things, found after the death of the father, which would indicate such to- be the case.”’ ‘*Have you those papers?’’ ‘Well, no, Powers was rather strange about them, Comicbookk<s C@ 3}